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4SOURCEST H E J O U R N A L O F U N D E R W A T E R E D U C A T I O N

Board of Directors Election Page 56 / Diagnosing DCS Page 56The Think Plan Page 56 / FATHOMS Marine Science Program Page 56

FOURTH QUARTER 2011VOL. XXIII, ISSUE 4

S O U R C E S — F O U R T H Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 1 1

d e p a r t M e N t s c O L u M N s t r a i N i N g

F O U R T H Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 1V O L u M e 2 3 / N u M B e r 4

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SOURCEST H E J O U R N A L O F U N D E R W A T E R E D U C A T I O N

f e a t u r e s

HQ Report . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Diving World . . . . . . . . .26

PDU Quiz . . . . . . . . . . .65

HQ Directory . . . . . . . .69

Worldwide Directory . .70

The Last Page . . . . . . .72

Cover: International Poster Contest Grand Prize Winner,Jessica Zheng, age 13, San Jose, California

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Boating Issues . . . . . . . . 16

Environmental Issues . . . 18

Healthy Diving . . . . . . . . 20

Tech Corner . . . . . . . . . . 22

Marketing Tools: Organizing a Miss Water Contest . .45

Northeast Diving EquipmentGroup at Dutch Springs .46

Diagnosis of DecompressionSickness . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

The Deep Blue of Cozumelthrough the Eyes of a “First-Time Diver” . . . . . .52

Winter Diving . . . . . . . . .53

The Vandenberg’s “Dishes”have been Secured! . . . .54

Time to Dive! Dive! Dive! 55

The Think Plan . . . . . . . .56

Smart Fills Opens in Boynton Beach . . . . . .58

Diving Instruction: Back to Basics . . . . . . . .60

Sea Cucumbers: Troll’s Gold Bucket of the Sea . .61

In Memoriam: The Houghton Family . . .62

International Poster Contestfor Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

The Nasim II shipwreck ofGiannutri Island . . . . . . . .32

SeaTrek FATHOMS InauguralSummer Program . . . . . .36

Avillion Layang LayangUnderwater Digital PhotoShootout 2011 . . . . . . . .40

Seeking Whale Sharks . .42

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Responsibly printed with soy-based ink on recyclable material.

2 S O U R C E S — F O U R T H Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 1

SOURCEST H E J O U R N A L O F U N D E R WA T E R E D U C A T I O N

Editor Contributing EditorsPeter Oliver Ira [email protected] Dr. Jolie Bookspan

John N. Heine

ProductionG Squared Design Solutions, Tampa, FL

Sources: The Journal of Underwater Education is an international publicationof the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI Worldwide).Publication is four times a year, quarterly. NAUI members and businesses receivea subscription to Sources as part of their membership. Non-member subscriptions,which include both Sources and Dive Business Today, are available at $107 U.S.per year.

Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy or recommendations of NAUI Worldwide, NAUI Services Group (NSG), or the editors unless so stated.The publication of an article or advertisement does not constitute product or service endorsement by NAUI or NSG.

Copyright © 2011 National Association of Underwater Instructors. All rightsreserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited, except that current NAUI members may reproduce without permission up to 25 copies per use of individual articles for educational purposes.

Contributions (2000 words maximum) relevant to diving, diving education, andthe aquatic environment are welcome. Digital copies may be submitted via e-mailor on CD/DVD disk. Hardcopy submissions should be typed, preferably double-spaced. Include name, address, and phone number of the author and a brief biosketch giving topic expertise. Photographs should include captions and identifyall recognizable persons. Jpeg or other digital format images are preferred, andshould permit image resolution of at least 300 dpi when appropriately sized forpublication. Hardcopy photographs should be at least 4" x 5" color or black-and-white glossy prints or 35 mm color slides.

Payment for contributions is by credit toward purchase of NAUI products or services that the contributor is eligible to buy. The remuneration rate is 3 centsper word and $6 for each photograph or illustration used in Sources. Payment isnot made for letters to the editor, news items or press releases, commentary, orarticles the editor writes from information.

Agreement: The act of submitting an article, photo, or illustration constitutes an agreement that the materials are free of copyright restrictions and may be published by NAUI in Sources or any other NAUI media without further compensation, other than that listed, and that photo model releases have beenobtained. The author or photographer will retain all other rights to the material.Accepted articles and photos will be retained for use by NAUI. Do not send originalphotographs or artwork.

Send contributions to:Peter Oliver, Editore-mail: [email protected]: Sources Magazinec/o NAUI Worldwide, P. O. Box 89789Tampa, FL 33689, USAFax: 512-477-8602

NAUI–Board of DirectorsCommunications to the entire board may be sent to NAUI WWHQ, Attn: Executive Assistant for copying and distribution.

Official NAUI RepresentativesSee directory in this issue or NAUI’s web site at: www.naui.org

Keith Sliman, NAUI 3417L(2009-2012)Chairman18068 Swamp Rd.Prairieville, LA 70769-3310225-677-5959225-673-6585 [email protected]

David Ochs, NAUI 15918(2008-2011)Vice Chairman8372 SE Magnolia Ave.Hobe Sound, FL [email protected]

Mark A. Flahan, NAUI 41837(2010-2013)Secretary6484 Mt. Adelbert Dr.San Diego, CA 92111-3229619-594-3597619-594-7301 [email protected]

William M. Tong, NAUI 40366(2010-2013)Treasurer24 Jalan Delima Off JalanBukit BintangKuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia+60 3 2142-2631+60 3 2142-2640 [email protected]

Dallas Edmiston, NAUI 4099(2011-2012)99 Patton PlaceBuffalo, NY 14221-3721716-725-5333716-685-3041 [email protected]

Mark C. Flahan, NAUI 2080L(2011-2014)4858 Mount Harris DriveSan Diego, CA [email protected]

Debra Greenhalgh, NAUI 40793(2008-2011)7 Deck StreetJamestown RI 02835401-742-4898 (mobile)401-560-0280 (business/fax)Email: [email protected]

Michael Tong, NAUI 7865L(2011-2014)24, Jalan DelimaOff Jalan Bukit Bintang55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia+60 3 2146-3631+60 3 2146-2640 [email protected]

Michael Van Niekerk, NAUI 16899(2010-2013)40 Gordonia CentreBeach Road, Gordons Bay 7139South Africa+27 (0)21 856-5184+27 (0)21 856-5186 [email protected]

Jim Bram (ex officio)c/o NAUI Worldwide HeadquartersP. O. Box 89789Tampa, FL 33689-0413800-553-6284813-628-6284 813-628-8253 Fax


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To Breathe or not to BreatheWhat’s one really like? Have you ever had toperform an actual rescue or assist of adiver—tired, caught in a current, panicked,unconscious? Although most of us will assistother divers during our careers as NAUI lead-ers, not many of us will be confronted withthe severely injured diver, unconscious diver,or non-breathing diver underwater. Althoughdiving involves very real risks, the numberssay scuba is a pretty safe activity; much saferthan other activities that we engage in withno second thoughts—like driving your car tothe dive site. But accidents do happen.

Rescue courses should be part of every diver’seducation program, not just for the waterskills learned. Awareness, safety consciousness,and accident prevention are the primary take-home points of the rescue course—the onesthat your divers will use on every future dive.We introduce and practice skills of assistingtired or panicky divers, rescuing unconsciousdivers, performing in-water rescue breathing(simulated—we no longer do it for real),removal from the water, etc. These are learnedin controlled conditions and practiced in openwater. Achieving proficiency, however, surelyrequires continued and repeated practice—something most of our rescue graduates willnot do unless they continue to diving leadership.

Although and especially because this may be their only rescue course, the theme thatevery situation is unique should be includedin teaching and practice. Sometimes this is passed over lightly, but it is another “take-home” that the student should have.Actual rescue situations are not always by-the-book as they may have been practiced in skill development.

We tell our classes that every interventionshould begin with assessment of the situationto determine the most appropriate action. In the water we teach and practice a set seriesof scenarios with responses that move fromsimpler towards completion of the most

complex—actions that the student can loadinto muscle-memory as well as the brain’sresponse pathways. In the event of an emer-gency, most persons will go to “autopilot.”Assessments and decisions must be madequickly. But the most practiced response maynot be the best response in every case.

Should a rescuer always carefully hold theregulator in the mouth of the victim if it isdiscovered that way? Should the rescueralways establish positive buoyancy on both the diver and self? Should the rescuer alwaysremove both masks upon reaching the surface? Should the rescuer always performrescue breathing on a non-breathing victim?Should the rescuer always remove the diver’sand their own equipment while towing thevictim in the water? In each case, I would say, “Not necessarily.” (I will accept yourcounterarguments though.)

In my rescue classes over the past few years, I have become more careful that some of thereal options and decision points are presentedto and, if possible, practiced by students. I’ve found it does not confuse them with toocomplex a decision tree, and they continue to perform well.

Glancing quickly at a few choices:Should both masks be removed? Once upona time, all masks were large volume masksthat stood well way from the face. Almost allcurrent masks are low enough volume that arescuer can perform rescue breathing withonly the victim’s mask removed, and totallydiscarding one’s own mask removes a toolthat may be desirable later.

Should rescue breathing always be performedon a non-breathing diver? If one were to surface right next to or immediately near the boat, perhaps two packing breaths (or even no action beyond establishingunconsciousness) would result in more expedient emergency care.

Should equipment always be removed beforebeginning towards or en route to the exit?Again, this should be a judgment call. If one must transport the diver a considerabledistance in the water, then equipment removalfacilitates faster and easier swimming. But ifone is in closer proximity to the exit, thenequipment removal may actually slow reachingassistance and emergency care.

Assessment is the starting point of any rescue,and it should continue throughout the activity.The primary objective is to perform the mosteffective and efficient rescue and transition tomore comprehensive care.

How can a rescue situation be other than stan-dard? On a dive trip to Belize with a group ofmiddle school students, I was enjoying a divewith a group that included several junior divers,a local divemaster, and a parent. Glancing overtowards Joe, the divemaster, I saw him hanginglimp and motionless in mid-water, suspendedby an anchor fluke hooked through his BCshoulder, surrounded by a small cloud of iridescent green water (i.e. blood). No need toestablish unresponsiveness. The quickest way to get Joe up was to surface and holler to thecaptain to haul up the anchor and Joe. Once on the surface, two quick breaths and we manhandled Joe and his equipment onto theswim platform where we removed his gearwhile rescue breathing. (He had a strongpulse.) His breathing restored, we radioed themainland for a bush pilot to meet us at thenearest island with an airstrip. (The anchorhad knocked him unconscious and laceratedhis forearm and scalp, hence the bleeding.)

So, every situation is unique and mayrequire unique and quick decisions. Trainyour divers that there is no universal pattern.

Good teaching, Safe diving,


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Captive Dolphins: A Balanced ViewAs someone who works directly in marinemammal rescue and rehabilitation, I wouldlike to clear up some of what I perceive asmisunderstandings in LeRoy French’s article“The Life of a Dolphin in Captivity” thatappeared in the first quarter issue of Sources.Although there are several cases provided in Mr. French’s article, there are also othercircumstances he does not mention that need to be considered.

First of all, a growing number of dolphinscurrently housed in aquariums were collectedbecause they were discovered injured orstranded, and for health reasons, they cannot bere-released to the wild. Often times, orphanedcalves are rescued and brought into captivityat a very early age. They lack the survivalskills needed to readjust to life in the wild,and so life in an aquarium is often the onlyalternative to an early death. Additionally,many calves are now born in aquariums viacaptive breeding programs. The number ofdolphins obtained through captive breeding isgrowing continually, and they make up themajority of dolphins now living in aquariums.

Secondly, it is clear that Mr. French does notunderstand the training techniques used ataccredited aquariums. When training marinemammals, positive reinforcement is standardwith operant conditioning, not Pavlovianconditioning as stated by the author. Whilethe dolphins do receive some of their dailyration of food through training exercises, theyare not denied food if they do not cooperate.Trainers may choose to “jackpot” a very simple behavior, giving the dolphin most oftheir day’s food ration for the performance of one action. However, if the dolphin fails to do what is asked, it will still be free-fed atthe end of the session.

This brings up another important point.Oftentimes, when dolphins are given theoption of getting fish for free, they stillattempt to offer behaviors without being

asked. Training is an extremely enrichingpart of a dolphin’s day. It is true that most aquariums are not very stimulatingenvironments in and of themselves; this iswhy it is so crucial that the dolphins get touse their physical and cognitive abilities during training sessions. It is also importantto consider that a growing number of aquariums in the U.S. allow dolphins to livein more natural enclosures. For example, theDolphin Research Center in the Florida Keysfeatures flow-through lagoons, allowing thedolphins to live in natural seawater.

Additionally, I believe Mr. French has poordata about the lifespan of wild dolphins compared to their aquarium-dwelling counterparts. Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiopstruncatus, the most common species housedin aquariums, have an average lifespan ofabout 20 years in the wild. This number isbased on data from the Sarasota DolphinResearch Project, which is the longest-run-ning study of a wild dolphin population inthe world. Current data show that dolphinshoused in facilities accredited by the AMMPA(Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks andAquariums) have longer lifespans, on average, than their wild counterparts. WhileMr. French states that 45 years of age is average for a wild dolphin, the truth is that only a fraction of the number of wilddolphins actually reach that age. Female dolphins occasionally live into their 50s, but this accounts for less than 2% of theentire dolphin population.

I believe that aquariums should strive toimprove their facilities to make them as natural and enriching as possible. Still, it isimportant to note that some of the article’sfacts are either wrong or at least skewed, andshow little or no scientific background. Otherpoints in the article focus too heavily on sta-tistics from non-accredited aquariums outsideof the U.S., and yes, those facilities may createthe scenarios that Mr. French was describing.

The things we learn from dolphins living inaquariums allow us to enact policies that

actually improve the lives of wild dolphins.For example, without the auditory studiesconducted on captive dolphins, we would not understand the importance of reducingnoise pollution in our oceans. Furthermore,captive dolphins allow for the education ofcommon, everyday people who may not have the opportunity to see or learn aboutthese amazing animals in their natural environment.

All things considered, there are some positivesto having captive animals in aquariums.Hearing one side of the story doesn’t seemfair, so I decided to offer my opinion for consideration as well.

Aarin-Conrad Allen, NAUI 52540Ellenton, Florida

Aarin-Conrad Allen is a Ph.D.Candidate in Marine Biology at NovaSoutheastern University, a private,research university located in BrowardCounty, Florida.

Neptune’s RealmReputation GrowsI just wanted to send a note in reference toour recent experience with one of yourinstructors named Jeff Heim (NAUI 10880)and his dive shop Neptune's Realm inAvondale, Pennsylvania. My wife and I (bothdivers through PADI) enrolled our 10-year-olddaughter in the Open Water course atNeptune's Realm. We could not have beenmore impressed with Jeff as an instructor. He made her first dive experience both memorable and safe. She is now hooked,which means my wife and I need to get backin the water. We will definitely makeNeptune's Realm our dive shop and take ourcontinuing education courses from NAUI. Youshould be proud to have such quality peoplecertified under your organization.

Rob KlossLandenberg, Pennsylvania


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NAUI Technical Diver TextbookThe NAUI Technical Diver textbook is at theprinter and should be available in time forthe dive industry show in Orlando inNovember. The long-awaited text, authored byTim O’Leary and Bruce Wienke, is furtherenhanced by subject area contributions fromKen Charlesworth, Ray Hunley, HeatherKnowles, Scooter Sellers, and Lonnie Sharp.

The text’s seven chapters cover: TechnicalDiving Gases, Mixed Gas Diving,Decompression Strategies, Dive Planning,Wreck Diving, Rebreather Technology, and

Technical Diving Equipment and GearConfiguration (including DPVs). An extensivelist of References at the end directs the readerto additional resources as well as some of theseminal studies in the history of diving.

The new textbook will be a foundational toolfor NAUI Technical Instructors teaching anarray of tech diving courses.

You can order your copy of NAUI TechnicalDiver (product # 66003) through the NAUIeBusiness Center

NAUI Product Catalog AvailableWe now have a Product Catalog to makeyour ordering of NAUI materials easier. Thenew 14-page, illustrated catalog divides NAUIproducts by category with separate pagesdevoted to: Student Materials, Instructor andLeadership Materials, Technical Materials,Nitrox Materials, Recognition Materials, andPromotional Materials, including Green Diver.The catalog is printed without prices, so youcan use it with your students and customers.

There are also inset ads to remind you aboutother NAUI offerings, such as: the NAUICustomer Advantage Program (CAP) that

gives you additional discounts on your NAUIpurchases, an invitation to submit your nominations for NAUI Awards, etc.

The NAUI Product Catalog is also availableas a downloadable Adobe Acrobat documentfrom the Members Only area of www.naui.org.And a little further down the Member’s Only page, you will find a pdf of our 2011Price List. Take a look at that too. It is a realeye-opener about the benefits of becoming a CAP participant because it lists all of the pricing breaks available at the variousCAP levels.

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Each year you, NAUI’s instructor members,have the opportunity and the responsibility toselect those of your fellow members who willserve you on our Board of Directors. NAUI isunique among training agencies in thisrespect. You have a voice in your associationand its future through our Board of Directors,whose members have been placed in theirposition of responsibility by your vote.

This year there are two seats to be filled, both for full four year terms. There are sixcandidates standing for these positions, andthe two candidates receiving the most voteswill be seated for four year terms.

The NAUI members standing for election toour Board of Directors are:

Nicoletta Codiferro, NAUI 41377,Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy

Debra Greenhalgh, NAUI 40793, Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA

Jeff Heim, NAUI 10880, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

Erik Jensen, NAUI 47608, Sarasota, Florida, USA

David Ochs, NAUI 15918, Hobe Sound, Florida, USA

Simon Yu, NAUI 11146, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The NAUI Board of Directors is your voice inestablishing NAUI’s policies and long rangegoals. Take this opportunity to inform your-self, and then vote for the candidates who youbelieve will be the best persons to work withour other Board members to guide ourAssociation toward the future.

We urge you to study all the information,acquaint yourself with the candidates and theirpositions, and vote for your considered choices.This year we are again using an online votingservice and we will send out all the informationyou need to cast your vote online. Ballots must

be cast no later than November 22, 2011, to becounted for this election.

You may be receiving personal mailingsfrom these candidates—paid for by them. You may also receive mailings from or wish tovote for write-in candidates. There are spaceson the ballot if you wish to vote for any such persons. Again, your vote is extremelyimportant. Vote for only two (2) people.

The two newly-elected members will takeoffice in January 2012 and will be formallyintroduced at the next scheduled NAUI Boardof Directors meeting.

According to the NAUI Bylaws as stated in the NAUI Standards and Policies Manual,1996 Edition, Voting Members are all NAUIActive Instructors and Sustaining Instructors,who have the “right and privilege to vote” in this election.

All of the candidates are asked by theElection Committee to furnish a short biosketch and a brief position statement. The statements are published here as well as on NAUI’s website and with the ballots. This is your opportunity to educate yourselfabout your fellow members who are standingfor membership on the Board.

Additionally, the candidates are asked toanswer a set of three questions concerningNAUI. These questions are posed to them by theElections Committee. Each candidate is limitedto a total of 750 words for all three responses.This allows them enough freedom to presentthemselves adequately to you—if they arejudicious and selective in their statements andstick to what they see as the key points. Thecandidates’ answers are published along withtheir statements here, on NAUI’s website, and in the ballot. Those questions are:

1. As a NAUI Board member you should be intouch with members and aware of their con-cerns. Describe at least one area of concernshared by members with you and how youwould propose the board address their issue(s).

2. Large organizations such as NAUI oftenuse strategic planning tools such as SWOT

analysis to evaluate internal and externalStrengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities andThreats (SWOT) to a business or project.Identify one growth opportunity for NAUI and explain how you believe NAUI can takeadvantage of this opportunity.

3. How can NAUI better support membercommunication using the internet and digitaltechnologies? Provide one specific examplethat you believe can be achieved within a reasonable time frame.

Online VotingAs initiated last year, the NAUI Board ofDirectors annual election will be conductedonline. We have updated the process slightlyin that there will be no postcard notification.Instead, you will receive an e-mail containingthe information (a user name [your membernumber] and password) you will need to participate in the election via the internet. You will be directed to a third-party website,“eBallot,” where you can cast your vote forthe candidates of your choice. Voting willbegin on October 17, 2011 (the third Mondayin October) and end on November 22, 2011(the fourth Tuesday in November).

If you do not receive your e-mail and pass-word by Wednesday, October 19, call NAUI'soffices in Florida at +1 813-628-6284 or e-mail them at [email protected].

The third-party host website (eBallot) has been prepared with the candidates’ information, biosketch, and answers to the three common questions posed to the candidates. During the voting period, in addition to the candidate information, it willalso provide a functional eBallot so that youmay make your selections and transmit yourvote to a third party for tabulation.

For those who need to vote by paper ballot,you can phone or e-mail NAUI in Florida torequest a printed ballot. Printed ballots maybe faxed to +1 813-628-8253 and must bereceived during the voting period noted above and no later than 5:00 PM ET (close of business) of the final day to qualify.

It’s Time for You to Select NAUI Board Members

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Biosketch: I am NAUIRepresentative forItaly since 2008, butI have been in thefamily of NAUI

Representatives in Italy since 2003, servingNAUI members at my best and contributing to NAUI re-growth in Italy during the lastyears. My business background and workingexperience as a sales and marketing managerworldwide since 1983 have allowed me to gainknowledge of the different cultures and tohave a 360° approach to a wide array of situations. I have been diving for almost 20 years and I have been in the diving business for fifteen at the highest professionallevels. My experience ranges from recreationalto technical diving to rebreathers. I teachNAUI to the general public, to my local civildefense diving team and to other rescue teamsaround the Garda Lake where I live. I am dedicated to promote diving to families and,especially to children since, in my opinion,they are the future of scuba diving.

Position Statement:I am proud of being a NAUI member, especially nowadays when it seems that professionalism, serious training, and safetyin the diving industry are becoming “optional.”Divers are realizing this lack of education andlook for the best to continue safe diving, arriving

in NAUI where they feel and understand“what they missed so far.” Today, I believeNAUI is the most serious training agency inthe world and I see proof of it every day. I willstrive to communicate that the future of theindustry depends on higher standards, bettertraining, and better materials, and that NAUIhas it all, thus being “the choice.” Diversmust realize that NAUI has the best instructors,training philosophy, courses, materials, andabove all, the highest safety practices. Highlyethical standards, quality service, innovation,and professional activity performed by NAUIprofessionals will establish NAUI as the world’spremier scuba training agency. We must concentrate our efforts on NAUI having thehighest professional training to continue our industry growth. As a Board of Directorsmember, I would be committed to meetingNAUI’s goals and support its members withinnovative solutions to make NAUI succeed asthe leader in the global and domestic markets.It would be really an honor to serve you that I am asking for your support.

Answers to Questions:Question 1: Our main concern in Italy aswell as in Europe is to have all NAUI trainingmaterials translated into our national languages. As you may know, Italian is thenational language in Italy and English is spoken by only 5% of the population. UsingNAUI English materials means that the

Italian members don’t have the possibility tobe trained and, subsequently, to train theirstudents. I would propose the Board to addressthis issue by considering the support given toeach local NAUI Representative in terms oftranslations in all different languages.

Question 2: Taking into consideration thefirst question and its answer, I would certainlyapply the SWOT analysis to the Europeanmarket where strengths and opportunities arehuge (if you consider its 89000 km/50000miles of coastline, almost half of all Europeancitizens live within 50 km/31 miles of the sea)but where, probably, weaknesses and threatsare present. This would enable NAUI to largelydevelop his business in the 50 countries of the European continent, known to have thegreatest linguistic and cultural diversity of the Western world.

Question 3: If we consider language as a system of communication that enableshumans to cooperate and not only a way of expression, NAUI member communicationshould be done also in the local language to which the communication is addressed, if different from English. Nowadays,Facebook, Twitter and other social networksare the quickest and cheapest way to commu-nicate by which a high number of memberscan be reached and where events can be published daily.

Nicoletta Codiferro, NAUI 41377

Biosketch:Dedicated to familyinvolvement in thescuba programs andoffer special recogni-tion programs to

youth organizations, since I believe the futureof scuba is with our youth. • Scuba Business Owner/Training Facility(Scuba Made Easy LLC)

• Only Woman on NAUI Board of Directors,2009-2011

• NAUI Course Director/Instructor, Diving since 1977

• International Handicap Scuba AssociationInstructor

• Women Divers Hall of Fame Board ofDirectors and Member

• Instructor for Handicap Scuba Association(HSA); AAUS

• CMU Professor, Graduate Studies • Volunteer underwater conservation, marinescience scholarships

• Underwater photography/videography, techdiving, wreck diving; cold water diving:international dive travel.

• RI Community Service Award 2010

• US House of Representatives Citation forCommunity Service 2009

• Training volunteer Disabled SportsUSA,Wounded Warrior Program, OceanConservancy, Paralympics, Police/Fire, andcofounder of Divers for Hope.

The strength of NAUI lies in leadership andthe support of its empowered members. As a Board of Directors member I would be committed to meeting NAUI’s goals and

Debra Greenhalgh, NAUI 40793

Greenhalgh(continued on page 8)


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support its members in bridging their needswith NAUI’s ability to meet them. The membersof the Board of Directors should reflect thediversity and experience within NAUI as theychampion the NAUI vision for the future. As a Course Director/Instructor, scuba businessowner/training facility, I have technical andbusiness experience backed with educationnecessary to derive innovative solutions intoday’s global and domestic markets. It wouldbe an honor to work on the NAUI Board ofDirectors serving you, and I am asking foryour support.

Position Statement:NAUI faces significant competitive challengesin a changing market. From an internationalperspective, NAUI should focus on increasingmarket share by establishing a more compre-hensive network of NAUI instructors and facilities worldwide coupled with organizationsthat will provide increased career opportunitiesas well as support for NAUI training programs.

Within the USA, NAUI focusing on the samegoals while adding a market campaign to target the highest untapped populations with-in the USA. Scuba diving needs to be moreaccessible to all people without compromisingquality, with the use of technology and theright market strategy this is achievable.Moreover, increased recruitment, diver mentor

programs, and continuing education help tomold our future leaders in the dive industry.

The strength of the organization lies in itsleadership and its ability to empower membersto strive in meeting NAUI goals. The heartbeatof the NAUI organization depends on the supportof all its members. As a Board of Directorsmember I would be committed to meetingNAUI’s goals and support its members inbridging their needs with NAUI’s ability tomeet them. The members of any board ofdirectors should reflect the diversity and experience within that organization.

As a Course Director, shop owner/trainingfacility and professor, I have both technicaland business education with the experience(see biosketch) necessary to derive innovativesolutions in today’s global and domestic markets. It would be an honor to work on the NAUI Board of Directors serving you, and I am asking for your support.

Answers to Questions:Questions 1 & 3: NAUI members are concerned about better communication with them and NAUI. Communication fosters understanding and strengthens NAUImembership. Frequent NAUI updates with different focus areas via the NAUI websiteusing member logins would:

a) Provide live webcams for members:• At NAUI AGM Meetings to enable international

participation and interaction with NAUI officers and Board of Directors members.

• With NAUI Regional Directors and Trainingto enable membership interaction with representatives. Summary of NAUI trainingupdates would standards, policies and procedures.

b) Provide prerecorded video downloads that: • Offer quarterly NAUI business updates tocommunicate business plans to members

• Offer NAUI Board of Directors members’and officers’ “focus of the month” toexchange vision with members

Question 2: Today’s web technology enablesfluidity of information/communication. Whenwe tap into technology we’re in touch withtoday’s consumers. One growth opportunity forNAUI is today’s social network. People useMySpace, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, Facebookportals to share blogs, photos, videos, andaudio podcasts in quest for social identity. Thisinformation distribution coupled with instantaccess to social networks can foster the NAUIscuba experience. Although NAUI is on someportals, we can do more to tap into all socialnetworks. Provide videos and webcams tappedinto the NAUI website targeting marketing andeducating the public on “The NAUI Scuba.”Educational videos targeting teachers to provide the underwater experience and Greenconservation videos in classrooms. Marketingvideos would focus on people seeking thescuba experience.

Greenhalgh(continued from page 7)

Biosketch:Having been in thewater since earliestmemories I becamea NAUI AssistantInstructor in 1986

and then NAUI Scuba Instructor in 1988, cur-rently holding the NAUI Course DirectorDesignation as well as NAUI TechnicalInstructor designation. In 2007 I was awardedthe NAUI Outstanding Service Award for sup-port of the NAUI Tec Division. I have workedfor the Beneath the Sea Trade Show, one of

the largest consumer scuba shows, for over 15years and have been promoted to the level ofSenior Director of Technical Diving forBeneath the Sea. Duties include organizingand developing the Beneath the Sea TechnicalDiving Conference, the Beneath the Sea PublicSafety Diver Conference and support the DANMedical Conference held at Beneath the Sea.

In 2010 I helped create a new recognitionprogram; the Beneath the Sea Pioneer ofNortheast Diving Award and had the honor ofpresenting the inaugural trophy. This awardcelebrates the contributions made by those

that helped support and grow the sport ofscuba diving in the 1960s and earlier (much like NAUI’s 50 year celebration).

I have worked in the scuba industry at thelocal level for over 20 years and amowner/operator of Neptune’s Realm ScubaCenter. I bring old school values with a pro-gressive vision. I have earned my USCG OUPVLicense, worked crew on scuba charter boatsoff the coast of New Jersey and have served aspresident of the Keystone Diver’s Association.

Jeff Heim, NAUI 10880

Heim(continued on page 9)

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Position Statement:I support NAUI at every turn and am passionate about sharing the NAUI QualityDifference. I bring old school values with aprogressive vision to today’s market and thefuture growth of NAUI. I firmly believe that it is acceptable to earn a quality living as ascuba instructor and dive business owner, and I would work hard for NAUI to furtherdevelop our business tools, such as the NAUIProspecting Kit and to introduce new ones like NAUI’s eLearning.

NAUI membership also need to be moreproactive and I would encourage everyone toutilize the NAUI assets (Sources, Member’sArea of naui.org, etc.) fully and to make betteruse of the current business tools. I would liketo see NAUI utilize webinars in conjunctionwith NAUI update meetings and business tools and investigate having NAUI materialsavailable as e‐books. NAUI growth and qualityhas been a quietly kept secret, and I would liketo see all NAUI members wearing their NAUIhat with pride. As a NAUI Board of Directors

member I would doggedly push NAUI to continue growing, both locally and abroad,and for marketing strategies to get the NAUImessage out to every NAUI member, businessowner, NAUI diver and every potential scubaclient. NAUI is the ONLY democratic trainingagency–we have a voice! Together we canmake business decisions with sound return ofinvestment for NAUI Worldwide. It will takehard work and long hours, and I’m willing to.

Answers to Questions:Question 1: A number of local NAUI businessowners have told me that they maintain anaffiliation with another agency because theyreceive a number of “hits” via that agency’swebsite. First, via a field survey of NAUI business owners, determine the needs of NAUImembers globally and develop programs tomeet those needs utilizing current technologytrends. Use NAUI business tools to help NAUImembers grow.

Question 2: There is a significant growthopportunity for NAUI right in HQ’s back

yard–the Caribbean and Latin America. Byexpanding in this area NAUI Worldwide wouldbenefit from increased exposure to the NAUIQuality Difference and provide NAUI membersa destination for referrals and employmentopportunities. NAUI can develop crossoveropportunities and demonstrate the value ofNAUI values and NAUI membership inextremely popular diving destinations.

Question 3: Utilize webinars and online video and slideshow presentation. The in‐person NAUI update meetings being held formembership can be enhanced by recordingthe presentation and having it available viathe NAUI website so more members canreceive that important information and sharethe enthusiasm from NAUI. NAUI businessproducts can be presented and NAUI businessowners can utilize this to get the most of thetools available to them and use to train newstaff. NAUI can also host a forum for NAUImembers on our home page to share ideasthat work and communicate with NAUI HQ.


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Biosketch:In the corporaterealm, Erik hasenjoyed success as anentrepreneur, havingstarted a variety of

technology companies. He has also served as amember of the executive management teams ofboth private and public companies.

He credits his success as an entrepreneur andcorporate officer to his ability to recognizeopportunity, and match those opportunitieswith a vision of how all stakeholders can ben-efit from a collaborative effort. By craftingsuccessful business partnerships, and defininga clear strategy for success, he has been ableto build winning partnerships even when theinitial positions did not appear to have com-mon ground.

Erik has served on both corporate, and not-for-profit boards, bringing a high degree ofstrategic business development focus to both.

His most recent entrepreneurial venture is afull service dive center, with a focus on bringinga customer-centric experience to all aspects ofthe recreational dive business. As a NAUI CourseDirector, he is intent on building the next generation of NAUI dive leaders to take the tools they learn in their leadership training, toelevate the dive experience to a world-class standard in every customer interaction they have.

Position Statement:As a member of the NAUI Board of Directors,I believe the greatest contribution I can make

is a key skill I developed in the corporateworld, which is an ability to see not what is,but what can be.

One job of a NAUI board member is to bringcreative ideas to the table, and find ways to make those creative ideas contribute to success of each NAUI member in offering thefinest dive education experience available.Even though each of us is responsible for thesuccess of our own business, there is anincredible level of experience and successamong the NAUI membership, and if the bestideas from each NAUI member are broughttogether and combined with their diversebackground, the NAUI board can provide toolsfor each member to use that will enhancetheir chances of business success.

My full time job every day is operating a fullservice dive center. The profit made from thatbusiness keeps food on the table, and a roofover my family’s head. That provides me witha very good insight into the difficulties experienced by full-time and part-time NAUIinstructors, and requires me to develop creative means of solving the types of problemseach of us face every day in showing potentialdivers the value of spending their discretionarydollars on learning to dive rather than someother activity.

I would love to bring those ideas and thatcreativity to the NAUI Board of Directors.

Answers to Questions:Question 1: With the lackluster economic situation that most of the planet is currently

experiencing, one large concern I have heardrevolves around how to show consumers thatspending their hard-earned dollars learninghow to dive, rather than all of the other optionsthat exist, makes more sense. I realize that notall NAUI members are marketing wizards ableto craft a convincing story for consumers, but I do know that knowledge is readily availablein the NAUI organization through many NAUImembers, and that information could be put into an easy-to-use format anyone couldsuccessfully use.

Question 2: I believe one of the biggestopportunities for NAUI today is reaching outto potential divers under the age of 35. Thisdemographic includes a very large number of consumers, many of whom (even in this economy) have a necessary level of discretionary income to pursue diving. IfNAUI is able to build a marketing effortfocused on this demographic, they could realize a boost in market share, and can begin building a large base of divers that willnot settle for anything less than the NAUI levelof excellence in dive training.

Question 3: I would like to see more use ofpodcast and video conference technologies to deliver highly detailed and relevant contentto NAUI members that will assist them ingaining a better working knowledge of a variety of business topics. This would insurethey have the tools necessary to grow their business using insights from a variety of experts.

Erik Jensen, NAUI 47608

Don’t forget and get lost!Renew your NAUI membership now!

Renew online in the Members’ Area at www.naui.org or use the membership renewal form on page 13

It's Membership Renewal Time


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Bio-Sketch:I am Dave Ochs,NAUI LifetimeMember #15918,owner of Aqua SafariAdventures in Palm

Beach, Florida. Before founding Aqua SafariAdventures in 1996, I managed AmeridiveScuba Center (1994-1996). Prior to my full-time scuba career, I directed the Chicagooffice of ULLICO (1989-1993), providinginvestment and insurance products to jointly-managed pension and health funds. My formaleducation includes a Bachelor of ScienceDegree in Business Administration withPsychology from Kansas University. I am arecipient of the NAUI Outstanding Service Award.

I am completing my first term as a NAUIBoard of Directors member during which Iserved two years as Treasurer and currentlyserve as Vice-Chairman of the Board.

I am passionate about diving and NAUI. Iam optimistic about the scuba industry andthe potential for NAUI members’ success—traits evident to all who know me. My goal isfor NAUI to be universally recognized as thepremier training agency.

I believe NAUI’s high standards attract high-caliber individuals to become Instructors—the less motivated or capable take easierpaths, while the very best choose NAUI.Because NAUI Instructors are highly skilled,potential divers will be attracted to us if wedeliver quality service and inspire them withour love for diving.

As NAUI moves into its second 50 years, I amcommitted to making NAUI even better andworld-renowned. I will take advantage ofmodern technologies, but more importantly, I will continue to inspire all I meet with myenthusiasm for diving and conviction thatNAUI is truly their best choice.

Position Statement: My position remains the same as when youelected me four years ago, and is easy to

define. My objective as a NAUI Instructor,Course Director, business owner and Boardmember is for NAUI to achieve recognition asthe premier scuba‐training agency, so theworld will recognize what NAUI membersknow—NAUI is the best choice. NAUI has thebest instructors, training philosophy, and courses.We should be the consumer’s first choice.

Achieving this goal is the responsibility ofevery NAUI member. Each of us must deliverexcellence in training and customer service.As owner of Aqua Safari Adventures, I practicethis every day, marketing our services andNAUI training as the best choice for divers. Iencourage each of us through our words andactions to enthusiastically promote diving asfantastic and NAUI training as superior, if wedo, NAUI will be distinguished as the world’sleading training agency, and we NAUI memberswill earn our reputations as the ideal choicefor consumers. You have my commitment,whether re‐elected or not, that I will alwayspromote diving as an awesome activity andNAUI as the preeminent training agency.

If re‐elected I will continue my efforts tomaintain NAUI’s high standards against allattempts to weaken them; Iwill insist ourtraining materials be regularly updated; I willadvocate for a more consumer‐oriented,user‐friendly website and internet presence; I will continue to emphasize the need for theBoard to be more in touch with the members.

Visit www.aquasafari.net for more details

Answers to Questions:Question 1: I often hear: “Our training mate-rials need updating” and “Our website lacksconsumer appeal.” I share these concerns.

Our training materials should be updatedapproximately every eight years; costs budgeted,so funds are available at update time; toensure quality, competitive bids for items likevideo production should be solicited fromskilled professionals.

Our website should be the consumer’s windowinto NAUI and the fun of diving. It needs to

excite people about diving and enthuse themabout NAUI. Our site should be a captivatingbrochure to consumers, while the Members’Area should be a user-friendly tool for conducting business, connecting members,and communicating information.

Question 2: Consider my SWOT analysis of NAUI:

• Strengths: High Standards, SkilledInstructors, Quality Training, StrongInfrastructure

• Weaknesses: Once innovative, award-win-ning training materials now out-dated;Website: underwhelming

• Opportunities: Update materials andimprove website using innovative video anddigital technologies; Tie updated materialsto full line of refreshed Student Kits and e-Learning programs; Reinvigorate currentcustomers and gain market share with revitalized products.

• Threats: Innovative competitors, thoughlacking NAUI’s quality and infrastructure,gaining market-share by taking advantageof digital technologies with appealing products and websites.

Question 3: Companies with innovative marketing strategies are experiencing greatsuccess with creative utilization of digitaltechnologies to communicate with employeesand customers, and attract new business. NAUIshould use web-based visual technologies, likewebinars, for new product launches/training,member updates, Board of Directors/AGMmeetings, special events, relayingmarket/industry data and other useful information. A revitalized website with effective communication technologies wouldbe a powerful business tool for members.

Dave Ochs, NAUI 15918


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Biosketch:A NAUI Lifetimemember since 1989.

Experienced asboard member and chairman in

Hong Kong Underwater Association for tenconsecutive years.

Hong Kong Underwater Association coordi-nator of NAUI.

A dive store owner in Hong Kong for 17 yearsand resort in Philippines for 12 years.

Recipient of NAUI Outstanding Service Award(1997) and Continuing Service Award (2003)

Trained thousands of divers in all levels ofdive education, including hundreds ofInstructors, Instructor Trainers, and ITC Staff

Run Course Director Workshop in HongKong and Cebu Philippines.

Scuba diving qualification and level of training background:

• Scuba diving experience since 1980. • Hong Kong Underwater AssociationNational Instructor

• CMAS 3 Star Instructor• NAUI Course Director 1995• NAUI Intro to Tech Instructor• NAUI Tech Nitrox Instructor• NAUI Tech Decompression Instructor• NAUI NTEC Instructor• NAUI Gas Blender Instructor• NAUI Trimix I & II Instructor• NAUI Sidemount & Tech SidemountInstructor

• NAUI Technical Course Director since 2009 • NAUI/ASHI First Aid & CPR InstructorTrainer

• DAN First Aid Instructor and OxygenInstructor Trainer

• National Safety Council First Aid & CPRInstructor Trainer

• Hong Kong Government Auxiliary MedicalService Officer

Position Statement:In the current climate of globalization, NAUI has continuously and strenuously madeinroads into new areas and increased ourmarket share in existing territories. The factthat NAUI’s texts are now available in manydifferent languages—and continue to betranslated into many others—is evidence of the increasingly global reach that the association has endeavored to attain, and issurely attaining.

It is a natural progression that as NAUIexpands globally, it requires representatives, in the form of Board members, from differentgeographical areas, so that regional issuescan be addressed and represented in betterperspective. A good case in point is our recententry into China, which alone accounts forone fifth of the world’s potential dive market.We need to have a point man to ensure thatwe tap our fair share of this colossal opportunity.

This year’s election offers many candidateswith very eminent backgrounds, but I believethat I stand unique with my wealth of inter-national diving and dive business experienceof nearly three decades and the four years thatI have already served on the NAUI Board. I ambilingual, can speak and write both in Englishand Chinese, and am conversant in a fewChinese dialects. My network of friends fromamong NAUI members extends to China,Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia,Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and so on. I am ready to represent NAUI in theinternational arena, and NAUI’s membersagain within the Board of Directors.

Answers to Questions:Question 1: A recurring issue always raised is the lack of advertising and promotionaleffort by NAUI vis-à-vis the nearest competingagencies, especially within the Pacific Rimregion. Despite an increased exposure of theNAUI brand in the print, electronic, and exhibition media, the Board should seriouslylook into apportioning a larger budget forsuch endeavor, so as to give members a competitive edge in their marketing effort.

Question 2: NAUI’s credo of Dive Safetythrough Education has served its membersand students well for the past half century,and we should continue to leverage on thisforte, which will gain us capital for the safeprovision and training of students. We shoulduse this as the springboard for our marketingstrategy. A good example in point is the lowercost of insurance premium that our memberspay in relation to a bigger agency.

Question 3: NAUI can improve its communi-cation with members by having an interactivewebsite, preferably with content in and per-sonnel conversant with the main languages ofthe world. The modern communication tech-nologies have enabled instant disseminationof information and real-time communicationbetween parties in diverse regions. The mobilephone is almost universally carried on-person,and this has made it the obvious choice forcritical information to be disseminated.Although the computer-based internet willremain the tool of choice, for instantaneousreach the “humble” mobile phones have moreuser-adherents than the internet/computer as phone costs continue to slide whilst itsapplications overlap that of the traditionalcomputer at an increasing rate.

Simon Yu, NAUI 11146


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Sboating issues

This isn’t so much about diving safety,although it is. Nor is it really about any kindof boating skills relating to diving, not specifically. It is sort of a “How (not) to…”combined with a “How I spent the last coupleof months…” Ironically, were I pressed for atheme statement, it would have to be a sayingI have used throughout my marine career,whether boating or diving: “As soon as yousay to yourself, ‘It’ll be o.k.’ when you seesomething questionable—it won’t.”

I’m sure that BP would agree with this,especially now, when its initials stand morefor Bad Press or Bad Procedures or whateveryou may care to fill in—and around theworld at that. In the Gulf, I’ve heard BPreferred to as Beach Party, but this from thelaborers they’ve hired who, if wearing Tyveksuits, work twenty minute stints with fortyminute breaks. Those without the suitsreverse the proportion, and hey, it’s hellishhot and the humidity rarely dips below 85%. I can’t really quibble: my ship is air condi-tioned throughout the year to the flannelpajama and blanket point, whether in theGulf, the Caribbean, or points east.

Anyway, back to the last couple of monthsworking at the Macondo Site. Getting therewithin a week or so of the DeepwaterHorizon’s sinking, loaded with cement to beused for the ultimately-to-fail “top kill,”being there through the ineffective “junkshot” to push mud and debris down the tubeto clog it, ultimate removal of the “top hats,”and setting of the (so far) permanent cap,being there when the sea around was coveredin thick brown globs of mayonnaise, whenthe sun’s setting lit iridescent gun-blued oilywater, when around the horizon in every direc-tion were thick cloud columns of burning oil,when the fireboats were pushing out tons ofwater an hour to just keep the flare booms ofthe two working rigs from melting as they

burned off 25,000 barrels of oil and 57 million cubic feet of gas a day (at least),being there in the literal thick of it: smellingit, hearing it, and dealing with it, was anexercise in the surreal. And it didn’t have tohappen, or maybe it did.

Working the day schedule for the first part ofthe project, from noon to midnight, there wasplenty of visual stimulation, but the initialarrival after dark and then another month onthe other schedule were even more compelling.No matter what I knew or had seen, coming upinto the wheelhouse at midnight, seeing andhearing those giant flames, especially whenour fire monitors were on to the tune of a million gallons per hour, more or less, wasconstantly shocking. Making coffee and justlooking out and around at the ships in theglow, the sharp shadows and the vapor lamp-litdecks all around was more cinematic thanreal. “How could this be happening?” was aconstant question, although clearly it had.

By now, after the little blow-through ofBonnie, a kind of non-event, and certainly bythe time you may be reading this, the roughfacts of the antecedents of the disaster arepretty well known; and even first-handknowledge from being there afterwards,speaking with people at the disaster, andexperience in the offshore industry, it is prettyclear that what happened was—as we divingleaders well know—a group of events thatultimately cascaded into full disaster. ButTony Hayward’s gaffes notwithstanding, andBP’s history and culture aside, there is nohuman activity immune to complacency, andthere’s no shared activity, such as diving, thatcan afford to ignore established procedures infavor of expediency—and profit. If whateveryou are doing strikes you as questionable,even if you are likely to get away with it, andespecially if you have gotten away with it inthe past, you really need to ask yourself thequestion at the heart of every diving leader’s

favorite nightmare: What if someone getshurt because I didn’t address this when Inoticed, didn’t do something I should have?

NAUI has long prided itself, and rightly so,on stringent standards of conduct, on performance standards based elegantly ontime-tested models and reviewed and modified through ongoing professionalscrutiny and change management. It wouldbe hard to imagine a NAUI publication lasting long with an uncorrected error, even if the extensive peer review process somehowmissed it. This is obviously unlike high-priced, pro forma environmental impact andaccident management statements protectingthe Gulf of Mexico’s walruses and penguins(sic). But it’s not just the writers of those documents, nor the evidently deceased expertsthey have on call; it’s also the fault of thereaders and the rubber-stampers.

Regardless of personal politics, it is all tooclear that we’ve been in a “don’t ask, don’ttell” mode in terms of our quest for energy,regardless of the green tinges current in thedebate. Inextricably tied into our way of life,energy consumption, and consequently production, is fundamental to who we all areand how we live. (My laptop is plugged in,and if this room weren’t air-conditioned, I surely wouldn’t be sitting here writing this as the frying pan that is New York City progresses from simmer to sauté.) I surelydon’t have any answers, and no moral highground, but events such as these in the Gulfdo help underline the questions, howevercomplicated they may be. It is then for individual leaders, which is how we describeourselves within our narrow activity of diving,but I suspect throughout our lives andendeavors, to act.

Will the Gulf heal? In time, of course it willto a great extent, but nothing, nor anyone ofus, is ever the same. As divers, diving leaders,

It’ll be O.K?By Ira Barocas, NAUI 10126

Ira Barocas stands between two “top hats,” to be used to try to direct the wild well’s output.


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Spanish SDES now comes with eLearningand upgraded packaging.

NAUI’s Scuba Diver eLearning is now avail-able in Spanish! The NAUI Scuba DiverEducation System in Spanish (item #91100S)now contains an access code for eLearning.This eLearning enhancement is available atno additional cost to you. Joining the ScubaDiver and Scuba Rescue Diver versions,Spanish eLearning also enhances your stu-dent’s educational experience.

The Access code that comes in the Spanishlanguage SDES is unique to the Spanish language eLearning course and does notaccess the English language course. TheSpanish NAUI Scuba Diver Education Systempackaging has also been upgraded. The kitnow comes in a NAUI drawstring backpack,instead of the shrink-wrap packaging.

NAUI’s eLearning does not replace your preferred teaching method, but gives your stu-dents additional support during their course.Your student can complete the academicsthrough home study, eLearning, or traditionalclassroom sessions. As always, they completeall water training requirements with you.

NAUI eLearning benefits YOU:• The student connects with you first:Students cannot enroll until they firstbecome your customer. The profile theycreate upon enrolling requires that theyidentify a NAUI trainer/store in order toaccess the course, ensuring they remainyour customer throughout the entireeLearning experience.

• You can customize the eLearning course:You decide which sections of the course arecompleted online and which sections the

student must complete in the classroom. Ifyou want to teach dive computers insteadof dive tables or teach any lesson in theclassroom, simply make that section(s) ofthe course unavailable to your students.

• eProfiles: The profiles your students createare accessible to you as long as you are a NAUI member/store. This developingmarketing list is a powerful customer follow-up system. The group e-mail tool isalready there for you to use for advertisingweekend sales, upcoming trips, or events.Additionally, Your students access to theircourse or profile never expires. They can restart the course or refresh theirknowledge for a lifetime, and because their profile is always there, you can contact them at any time.

NAUI eLearning now in Spanish

El Sistema de Educación de Scuba Diver enespañol ahora en presentación de aprendizajeelectrónico y con paquete mejorado.

El aprendizaje electrónico (“eLearning”) deScuba Diver de NAUI ahora se encuentradisponible en español! El Sistema deEducación de Scuba Diver de NAUI (SESD) enEspañol (ítem #91100S) ahora contiene uncódigo de acceso para enseñanza electrónica.Este mejoramiento en la enseñanza electrónicase encuentra disponible sin costo adicionalpara Usted. Sumándose a las versiones de ScubaDiver y Scuba Rescue Diver en inglés, el apren-dizaje electrónico en español también mejora laexperiencia educativa como estudiante.

El código de acceso que viene en el SESD enespañol es único para el curso de aprendizajeelectrónico en español y no permite el accesoal curso en inglés. El paquete Sistema deEducación de Scuba Diver de NAUI tambiénha sido mejorado. Ahora viene con unamochila de cordel NAUI en vez del envoltorioplástico tradicional.

El aprendizaje electrónico de NAUI no reem-plaza su método de enseñanza preferido, peroles da a los alumnos un soporte adicionaldurante su curso. Su estudiante puede completarla sección académica a través del estudio en elhogar, aprendizaje electrónico, o sesionestradicionales en aula. Como siempre, deberáncompletar todos los requisitos del entrenamientoacuático con Ud.

El aprendizaje electrónico de NAUI lobeneficia:• El estudiante se conecta primero con Ud.:Los estudiantes no se pueden inscribirhasta que primero se hayan convertido ensus clientes. El perfil que crean en suinscripción requiere que identifiquen uninstructor/tienda NAUI a fin de poderacceder al curso, asegurando que serán susclientes a través de toda la experiencia deaprendizaje electrónico.

• Ud. Puede adaptar el curso de aprendizajeelectrónico: Ud. decide que secciones delcurso se completarán en línea y cuales

secciones deberán ser completadas en clases.Si Ud. quiere enseñar computadoras debuceo en vez de tablas de buceo o enseñarcualquier lección en el aula, simplementedeshabilite las secciones del curso a fin deque sus estudiantes no puedan tener acceso.

• Perfiles electrónicos: Los perfiles que susestudiantes crean son accesibles para Ud.en tanto sea un miembro/tienda NAUI.Esta lista de desarrollo de mercado es unpoderoso mecanismo para dar seguimientoa sus clientes. La herramienta de e-mail seencuentra lista para que Ud. la use parapromocionar ventas de fin de semana, viajes a organizar o eventos. Asimismo, elacceso de sus estudiantes a su perfil o cursonunca expira. Ellos pueden reiniciar elcurso o repasar sus conocimientos de porvida, y debido a que el perfil está siempredisponible, Ud. puede contactarlos encualquier momento.

eLearning de NAUI ahora en Español


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Sboating issues

Last issue we began to muddy the waters ofboathandling, and now we can perhaps clear itup slightly with a look at the most commontype of small diving boat, outboard poweredmonohulls. Outboard motors have been aroundfor a long time, and may be the best choice for small personal diving boats, whether hard-bottomed or inflatables—or a popular hybridof the two.

For this discussion, we’ll lump together out-boards and inboard/outboards, an ingeniousinnovation that puts the motor itself inside theboat facilitating maintenance. The drive carry-ing the propeller remains outside the boat, and steers and propels the boat like a more traditional stern mounted motor. The positionof the engine itself, more centrally located and lower in the boat can also help the vessel’strim and stability.

Outboards work by pushing the thrust in a direction opposite to the boat’s intended direction, a real world expression of Newton’sThird Law of Motion: the boat travels in theopposite direction to the direction of the propeller’s thrust, and in equal proportion to the amount of thrust applied, less the messyinefficiencies of the physical world, summed up in the word “friction,” and resulting in lessthan perfect performance.

Depending on how the boat is steered, mostcommonly by a tiller type arrangement thatincludes the throttle control in smaller, stern-mounted motors, but most conveniently by acable and/or hydraulic cylinder set-up and awheel, the motor points opposite of the direction

of the boat’s travel. With the tiller, this can beconfusing at first, but eventually becomes auto-matic. The advantage of the tiller is that it helpsthe boater understand a critical concept of boathandling: All boats steer from the stern, androtate around some vertical axis located some-where between the midpoint and the first thirdor so of the boat’s length back from the bow.

Boats are unlike an automobile, a bicycle, or a horse and buggy where the front initiates theturn and the back follows. Boats steer from thestern, and then the bow swings. Compound thatnovelty with the idea that the boat slidesthrough, around, and over the water, and is variously affected by wind and water movement(waves and current) direction and intensity as opposed to having a solid land foundation,and one begins to appreciate the potential difficulties of helmsmanship. Thus, getting theboat to steer, especially when alongside a hardobject, such as another boat or a dock, canoften lead to a crash. Turning away from thedock will actually swing the stern towards it.Frequently, strong wind or current may keep aboat pinned to a dock, requiring the operator touse lines, fenders, and judgment to back theboat off the dock, instead of merely pulling away.

The other tricky part of outboard motors isthat without movement of the propeller, there isliterally no steering. This is not so bad whenmoving, but not so good when the boat needs tostop, particularly if one over-commits to havingto use the reverse gears, if any. Here’s why: any propeller is designed to go forward mostefficiently, and far less so in reverse.

Almost every boat propeller best can be comparedto an auger that cuts through the water witheach revolution. The distance the propeller willtravel into the water, pushing the boat alongwith it on each revolution is called “pitch.” It’snecessary to match the engine’s horsepower andtorque (rotating power) range to the appropri-ately sized propeller to get the most efficientperformance for the boat; that is the smoothest,fastest ride with the best fuel consumption, andthe speed most likely to prolong the engine’slife. (Unlike the stop and go periods of traffic of land vehicles, boats are usually run at a fairly constant cruising speed for most of theiroperating life.)

Since the propeller is providing the steeringforce as well as the driving force for the boat, itneeds to be moving virtually the whole time ifmaneuvering is necessary. Therefore, judginghow far the vessel is going to coast is anothercritical skill to acquire. There’s even a betterreason to know this than simply avoiding costlyrepairs to the boat. If you can’t reliably stop theboat where you want it, how can you pick any-one up who may have the bad luck to fall off?

Besides the fact that not all diving is donefrom an anchored vessel, recovering someonefrom the water is really the ultimate test of theboat operator’s skill. Learning how to get theboat alongside a person in the water is theresult of practice with the boat, and possiblycoaching from someone who knows. It’s sur-prising how often people buy boats, especiallysmall ones, and assume it will be o.k. US CoastGuard and insurance statistics both confirm

Outboard Motors and Isaac NewtonMaking Boats Go—and Stop, Part 2By Ira Barocas, NAUI 10126

Other NAUI members would like to know.Share your thoughts, insights, experiences, teaching ideas.

Send them to [email protected] Contribute to Sources. It’s your magazine.

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that the most frequent injuries involving boatsare usually to those to whom the boating is asecondary activity. In other words, the peoplewho get hurt or killed are not going boatingper se, but using the boat to do something else,like for instance diving.

We spoke in an earlier article about the differ-ence between planing vessels and displacementboats and speed potential. The corollary for theoutboard vessel is that its ability to plane isabsolutely a function of its load, and so is itsability to steer. As a result, when it slows itshandling and responsiveness is load dependentto the extent that it may handle like a differentboat entirely. Again, this is something you needto learn about on your boat in the real world,not according to any idealized rules.

That said, a clean, hard bottom coasts moreeasily than a fouled one. A lightly loaded vessel,depending on the type, may coast less than thesame vessel with a heavier load depending onthe current’s effect. Every situation is different,and with that in mind, any operator on anyboat needs to first understand the basics of the forces involved, and then practice with the boat until absolutely reliably able to put the vessel where it needs to go under any andall circumstances. And now a word about that:just as it is in diving, so it can be in boating. To paraphrase myself, “not every dive can bemade by every diver on every day.” If there’sone thing that every boat operator needs tolearn, it is when the task at hand exceeds theskill available.

Coming in to an unfamiliar dock or slip isalways better an exercise in reflection of antici-pated problems gauged against prevention thanit is in toting up the costs in retrospect. Absentsome imperative to get into a place you think is nasty, regardless of the insouciance of thedock boy shrugging you over to a seeminglyimpossible slip, you can always say no. It’s your boat, and that makes you the captain. It’s better to seem to “chicken out,” than haveto write a check.

Outboard engines are simple and reliablesolutions about how to make boats go, but like any other thing about boats, they’re not assimple as they seem. The fact that they onlysteer when in gear can make them problematicunless you take the time to practice in handlingthem in your boat in a variety of conditions.Next time we’ll move on to inboards which cansteer when the engine is in neutral, so long asthe boat is moving, more or less…

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Senvironmental issues

In the first three installments on cold waterdiving, I covered an overview of the subjectand aspects of the training and equipmentrequired for ice diving. In this column, anintroduction to ice diving operations will be covered.

Ice diving is a very time and labor intensiveactivity that requires a relatively large groupof people to find a suitable diving location,evaluate the ice conditions, prepare the site,review the dive plan, conduct the dive, andpack up to leave the site.

The first step upon arriving on site is toreview the weather and ice conditions. The icemust be of sufficient thickness and strength tosupport the entire dive team, and possiblyvehicles or snowmobiles as well. A minimumthickness of six inches (15 cm) is required forsmall groups. Ice thickness can be measuredusing an auger or ice pick. It is best measuredby a person in a dry suit with a safety harness

and safety line. Once the ice thickness hasbeen measured, the bottom depth can bemeasured with a weighted shot line.

Preparing the site might include erectingsome type of surface shelter to provide heating and protection from the wind. Surface personnel and divers will stay warmerif their boots are not in direct contact with the ice. Sheets of plywood or insulating padscan be used for this purpose.

There are a number of different ways tomake the dive hole. The ice can be cut byhand using a handsaw, pick, or chainsaw.Many divers prefer using a triangular shapedhole, which requires one less cut than asquare or rectangular shape and offers com-fortable corner angles for entry and exit. The size of the hole should be sufficient toaccommodate two divers and a safety diver at the same time. Additional safety holes canbe made to use in an emergency situation.Underwater visibility can often be improved byremoving snow cover from the surface of theice. One method is to use a shovel to createradiating lines from the hole, with “v-shapes”shoveled along each line pointing to the hole.

The dive plan will be reviewed before thedivers suit up. Each diver will have a separatetether line and surface tender. Regulatorsshould be kept warm and dry before the dive.The tender helps to assemble equipment andassists in dressing the diver on the surface.While the divers are underwater, the tender

pays out the safety line and communicateswith line-pull signals. A safety diver will befully suited up and ready to enter the waterwith little notice.

The preferred method of entry is the seatedentry at a corner of the dive hole. Diversshould descend slightly and test that allequipment is functioning properly before continuing. Care should be taken to avoidstirring up silt on the bottom. Gas managementis critical in this overhead environment, andthe “rule of thirds” is usually employed. Whenthe divers surface after the dive, they will oftenbe very cold, and assistance from the tender in removing equipment is always appreciated.At the conclusion of the diving operations, the dive site should be left clean, and the divehole properly marked with flags to warn others of the hole in the ice.

Dive hole and divers with tethers photocourtesy Dale Musser.

For further reading and complete procedures see:

Heine, John N. Cold Water Diving: A Guideto Ice Diving. Flagstaff, AZ: Best PublishingCo., 1996. http://www.bestpub.com

John Heine is the author of MarineDreams, an e-book available at:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12751; also also available on iBooks, ebook-store.sony.com, kobobooks.com, and diesel-ebooks.com

Cold Water Diving: Ice Diving OperationsBy John Heine, NAUI 5924

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Senvironmental issues


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Shealthy diving

What do abs do? I ask this question in all theclasses I teach, whether to physicians, mili-tary, trainers, physical therapists, divers, or topathletes: “What do abs do?” They say vaguewords like “support,” but what is support?Does it push? Pull? I ask them, “What do absDO—physically mechanically ‘DO’?” Whatcan you actually picture in your mind movingor creating a change. It’s important to be ableto visualize it to understand it. They are sur-prised because they don’t think of absmechanically “doing” things, just creatingvague magic cures by being stronger.

I ask them, “What do biceps do?” Theyanswer easily: “Bend your elbow!” We’re get-ting somewhere. I ask them, “What do ham-strings do?” They answer easily, “Bend yourknee!” (and help extend the hip). I point tothe front of my neck and ask, “Whatever thesemuscles are called, what do they DO?” Most class members motion by bending their own heads forward (flexing the frontneck muscles).

Now the light bulbs click on over their heads.

I ask them again, “What do abs DO? Theyanswer easily, “Bend your spine.” Bending thespine forward—not completely—but enoughto bring you from slouching backward to an upright vertical neutral position is the keyto understanding how to move to neutralspine for strong, healthy body mechanics—and to stop a major cause of back pain duringlong standing, walking wearing tanks, andlong swims.

Knowing What Abs Do—Why It MattersMany people slouch. Slouching is easier thanusing muscles to stand upright. One kind ofslouching is a major hidden cause of lowerback pain. It occurs when you let your abslengthen. What happens from the lengthen-ing? Two main things:

One way you slouch by lengthening absoccurs when you allow your pelvis to tilt forward instead of keeping the pelvis verticaland upright. The lower spine increases ininward curve. Too much inward curve iscalled swayback or hyperlordosis.

Picture the forward tilt like tilting a bucketso that water spills out, as in the diagramphoto on left.

• When the belt line tilts down in front, it is a slouch, not a healthful posture.

• Allowing the pelvis to tilt folds and pinchesthe lower spine like a soda straw at theback, creating one major cause of lowerback pain.

• Seeing and feeling when your pelvis tiltsforward instead of vertical / upright, shownin the photo on the right, is key to under-standing and stopping one major form oflower back pain. It is also key to under-standing how abdominal muscles need towork in real daily life and for diving—bymoving your pelvis from tilted to vertical,bringing your spine back to neutral.

A second way painful overarched (swaybackor hyperlordotic) spine slouching occurs iswhen you allow your upper body to lean backward while standing. This tilt-back is asecond way to overarch the lower spine likethe bent soda straw previously described. Thepinching at the increased spine angle, alongwith weight of the upper body on that pinchedarea, is a large cause of mystery lower backpain with long standing. This upper bodylean-back can be seen in the photo diagramon the left and corrected at right.

The effect of these slouched postures is thatthe lower spine is pressed into too muchinward curve, which causes pressured achiness during walking and carrying loads.People who get pain from this often go for

ongoing exercises, stretches, treatments, evensurgeries, but the pain comes back becausethey go back to the slouch that causes it.

What Abs Have to Do With Fixing Back PainWhen you let your lower back sag inward toomuch (photo left), the higher angle of thevertebrae pinches and unequally compressesjoints of the spine called facet joints, sur-rounding soft tissue, discs, and greatlyincreases shear force (structural strain by lat-eral shifting).

Slouching and allowing too much inwardcurve (swayback / hyperlordosis) is sometimesregarded as natural, but so is slouching yourshoulders, a common cause of neck pain. Sois wetting your pants. A little control, and lifeis healthier.

Restoring neutral spine is a simple posturechange that you can do immediately:

Photo #1 Left: overly arched spine, nothealthy. Note belt line tipped down in frontand up in back. Photo #2 Right: neutralspine. Note the level belt line. Deliberately,voluntarily, simply, easily, you move yourpelvis from tilted to vertical / upright posturecalled neutral spine. Your belt line becomeslevel, like righting a bucket so that its contents no longer spill out. No tightening or “sucking in” occurs; it is movement of the pelvis. The muscles used are theabdominal muscles.

Abs and DivingDy Jolie Bookspan, MEd, PhD, FAWM, NAUI 7636


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One Quick Way to Learn Neutral SpineStand with your back against a wall. Touchyour heels, backside, upper back, and the backof your head against the wall. Do you have toincrease inward curve of your lower back orraise your ribs for your head to reach thewall? Does your belt line tip down in front?Does it hurt or strain to straighten this much?

Gently, without forcing or tightening any-thing, press your lower back closer toward thewall. Feel your pelvis and hip move andreduce the lower spine’s inward curve. Don’tflatten against the wall, just learn to reducean overly large inward curve. Do not clench ortighten your hip or gluteal muscles. It comesfrom the abdominal muscles. Feel that yourhip is no longer tipped down in front. Thelarge space between lower back and the wallbecomes a smaller space. When you walkaway from the wall, keep the new neutralspine position.

A Second Way to Feel This Same Ideato Learn Neutral SpineStand up and put both hands on your hips—fingers face forward and thumbs face back.

Roll your hip under so that your thumbscome downward in back. Fingers rise in front.Don’t push forward, but tuck / roll the hipunder so that your hands move as describeduntil your hip is no longer tipped down infront, but level. The large inward curve ofyour lower spine becomes a smaller inwardcurve. It may help to do this with your backagainst a wall, as above.

This movement reduces a too-large lowerback arch and returns your spine to neutralspine. When you walk, work, move, and run,keep the new neutral spine position. The ideais not to push the hip forward, but to straightenit away from a tilted position.

What Abs DoThe muscles that pull a tilted pelvis back to

upright and bring your upper body forward to fix position when you slouch backward,happen to be your abdominal muscles (all the various ones). Tightening your abdominalmuscles does not create the needed movement.Neither does strengthening. However, when youuse them to stop injurious slouching, you getbuilt-in work and exercise, called functionalexercise—the way your abdominal muscleactually work in real life. The usual methodof strengthening abs through abdominal and back exercises to fix pain is reversed rea-soning. Strength does not change how youmove. Changing how you move to healthynatural spine fixes the pain, and you get theexercise from the healthy movement.

Abs (continued on page 25)


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Riding PreparationsThe diver should be properly trimmed inorder to remain horizontal while riding aDPV. The diver must reduce as much of thedrag as possible to assist in maximizing burntime. The diver and gear need to be horizontalin order to be hydrodynamic with the DPV.The fins should be level or slightly above thechest. The propeller wash should pass belowor on the side of the diver without encounter-ing the diver or other equipment. Cylindersstaged on both sides of the diver’s body willreduce efficiency. Staging on the left side ofthe body is best as driving is performed fromthe right side. It is also important to remainneutrally buoyant during the dive, otherwiseDPV power is wasted maintaining your posi-tion in the water column.

The tow leash should be nylon line less thanone-quarter-inch in diameter. The bolt snap

on the leash can be a floating, fixed, or semi-fixed type. On a floating type of leash, the boltsnap can slide back and forth on the leashwith ease and without any restriction. Thesemi-fixed type can slide on the leash as need-ed but it takes some effort (two hands) tomove the bolt snap on the line. Fixed typemeans, the bolt snap is in one position andcannot be moved.

The tow leash should be adjusted so that theleash rather than the diver’s arm absorbs thepull of the DPV (thereby reducing diverfatigue). The tow leash should be attached tothe handles so that the leash and handles arein the 12 and 6 o’clock positions when riding.The leash should be long enough to allow thearm to be bent slightly in a comfortable posi-tion. When runnng, the DPV will torque coun-terclockwise, and the right handle willbecome uppermost, which will allow the diver

to easily read the depth gauge and timer wornon the right wrist.

Proper weighting of the DPV with a slightlyheavy tail, can help to accomplish this posi-tion by using the torque of the running motor.This allows effective relaxed one hand controlof the DPV. Attempting to maintain the leashand handles in the 3 and 9 o'clock positionwould require some amount of pressureapplied to the handle to maintain straighttracking, thereby increasing diver fatigue.

Riding AwarenessAs in all diving, ascent speeds should be slowand using straight-up powered ascents carry ahigh risk an injury. Maintaining awareness ofdepth changes, particularly when in an over-head environment, is imperative to avoidinjury. Depth monitoring can be accom-plished by placing the depth gauge/bottom

Diver Propulsion Vehicles (Part 2)By Ken Charlesworth, NAUI 19780

• NAUI Lifetime member since 1989

• Board member and chairman in Hong Kong Underwater Association for 10 consecutive years.

• Hong Kong Underwater Association coordinator of NAUI.

• Dive store owner in Hong Kong for 17 years and resort in Philippines for 12 years.

• NAUI Outstanding Service Award (1997) and Continuing Service Award (2003)

• Has trained thousands of divers in all levels of dive education, includinghundreds of Instructors, Instructor Trainers, and Staff the Course Director Workshop in Hong Kong and Cebu Philippines.

SCUBA DIVING QUALIFICATION AND LEVEL OF TRAINING BACKGROUND:

• Scuba diving since 1980.

• Hong Kong Underwater Association National Instructor

• CMAS 3-Star Instructor

• NAUI Course Director (since 1995)

• NAUI Tech Instructor (Intro to Tech, Gas Blender, Tech Nitrox,Decompression, Trimix I & II, Tech Sidemount

• NAUI/ASHI First Aid & CPR Instructor Trainer

• DAN First Aid Instructor and Oxygen Instructor Trainer

• National Safety Council First Aid & CPR Instructor Trainer

• Hong Kong Government Auxiliary Medical Service Officer

SELECT SIMON YU – NAUI BOARD OF DIRECTORS


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timer on the right (the arm driving the DPV)so that you can easily glance down to monitordepth while riding. The compass should be onthe left so as not to clutter the right arm andto avoid magnetic deviation

Awareness and thinking ahead are critical tosafe DPV use. When traveling around a blindcorner, one must be prepared to stop quicklyor swing wide if necessary so you can see whatlies in front of you.

Divers need to be aware of their propellerwash and their surroundings at all times,especially when navigating a slope. Diveteams can avoid propeller wash by not ridingdirectly behind one another.

Propeller positioning is important to avoidjams by unwanted objects. Be careful not topull the trigger when the DPV is close to yourbody, especially with stages. Make sure youextend the unit in front of you before pullingthe trigger to avoid catching your regulatorsand stages. Be aware of your second stage posi-tions as a blast from the propeller can depressthe purge causing an immediate free flow. Inopen water be especially careful of fishing line,grasses, and seaweed that can wrap around thepropeller and break it off the shaft.

When diving in high flow conditions orheavy current it is important to be stream-lined to reduce motor strain. The DPV candevelop enough heat in the motor compart-ment to melt the brushes on the brush board.

Stage TowingAs previously noted, stages are best placed onthe left side allowing DPV operation to behandled by the right hand. This allows for the most efficient streamlining of the diver and gear. Two stages can be handledcomfortably, but with three stages, the divershould consider attaching one to the rear D-ring, with the ring positioned just below the bottoms of your tanks on the rear of thecrotch strap. A leash is usually required formore than four stages on the same side. Stagecylinder leashes are made from a piece of roperun through semi-rigid rubber tubing and abolt snap with the ends tied together.

Towing procedure for a disabled DPVThe first consideration will be whether tostow or leave the disabled DPV. The DPV isstowed on the divers rear D-ring. The diverthen tows his own disabled DPV behind himwhile being towed out behind his buddy. Thetowed diver must remember to stay in astreamlined position for an efficient exit. Thedisabled diver should be positioned betweenthe towing diver’s legs using the right hand tohold onto the rear D-ring or crotch strap.Maintain your light in your left hand helpingilluminate the area forward of the pilot. Thelight can also be used to signal the driver.

Tandem riding is not encouraged as aplanned part of the dive, because of high ampdraw and stress on the DPV It will melt thebrush board on some DPVs. Tandem towing adiver is used only in the event of a DPV failure.

CommunicationsWhen being towed, communication may beaccomplished with touch contact signals.• StartingPush the leg forward

• StoppingSqueeze the leg

ManeuveringKeep your head down behind the cylinderswith arms tucked in and be prepared to shiftyour body position with the driver.

Burn testing Proper dive planning requires an under-standing of the burn time of your DPV. Burntime should be three times the time neededfor the dive. If you cannot achieve that, usemultiple DPVs. Burn testing is done using a

set of resistors that are available from most DPVmanufacturers. These resistors can simulate thecurrent draw of the motor. Batteries should be burn tested regularly to assure reliableduration times. Mark DPVs inside and outwith the burn time after the test.

Another tool that can be used for burn testingand performance evaluation is a datarecorder. The data recorder fits in-line betweenthe battery and motor to log data such asamps, volts, and temperature. This informationcan be handy for dive planning with the different configurations.

Never allow the battery to drop below 20-21volts—depending on battery type. Amp drawfor most DPV motors should be around 1.5 amps when not under load. Verify the amp draw of your individual DPV with themanufacturer. Batteries that get hot duringcharging or discharge should be replaced.

Typical Burn times for DPV batteries:18 amp-hr: 60 minutes19 amp-hr: 70 minutes26 amp-hr: 90 minutes33 amp-hr: 120 minutes37 amp-hr: 150 minutes42 amp-hr: 180 minutes

DistanceDistance is a key consideration in dive planning and particularly important in DPV planning (especially in overhead environments). Consider the distance for yourplanned dive and verify that you can returnfrom maximum penetration point in the dive without a DPV. You must plan for gasemergencies or other emergencies at the worst


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possible time. Do not forget that water temper-ature can play a role as well.

For long distance only use one-third of theburn time for the outbound phase of the dive.If that will not reach your objective, havemultiple DPVs to place every one-third of burntime outbound, so that if a DPV is disabledyou have two-thirds burn time to return to astaged backup DPV.

ComfortIt is critical to be aware of the increased riskassociated with DPV diving. DPVs easily allowyou to exceed your actual diving experienceand comfort level. Due to a lack of swimming,adjustments may need to be made to exposureprotection. Also, swimming out from yourmaximum penetration may keep you in thewater for a significant amount of time.

Decompression and Gas ManagementBailout plans must be developed for the lossof a DPV and the increased possible decom-pression obligation. Gas reserves must be sufficient for you to swim to your exit point.Safety DPVs and stage gas may be placed atfrequent intervals to aid in an emergency exit.

Pre Dive Check• Battery should be charged to 90% or better

before using. • Verify the battery is connected to the motor.• Visually inspect the housing and O-rings

for any damage that could cause leakage.Lubricate O-rings as needed. (DowMolykote 55 is being tested for O-ring useto help keep the O-rings swelled)

• Verify all latches are closed properly andnothing has been trapped in the seals.

• Check to make sure the trigger works properly.Does the motor/propeller spin?Do not spin the motor out of the water formore than five secondsVerify the propeller speed adjustment isworking before getting in the water.

Post Dive Care • The batteries should be disconnected assoon as possible after the dive.

• The DPV should be rinsed (soaked for one

hour in fresh water) thoroughly after usein salt water.

• After salt water use running the DPV infresh water with the pitch detuned will helpremove salt from the seal area.

• Some manufacturers recommend sprayinga squirt of WD-40 in the hub/shaft area.Check with the manufacturer of the DPVfor specific care.

• Should you notice small droplets of waterin the battery compartment, it could bebattery acid. This can be cleaned with amixture of baking soda and water, the acidwill foam. If this has happened, your bat-teries should be replaced

Trouble shooting

FloodingO-ring integrity should be checked if the bat-tery compartment has been flooded. If themotor compartment is flooded then the motorwill require rebuilding. The two areas in themotor compartment where the leak couldhave occurred are the shaft seal or tail assem-bly O-ring.

DPV will not run• Check that the battery is charged and isproperly connected in the DPV.

• Verify the proper operation of the triggerassembly and that the magnet is engagingthe reed switch or proximity switch.

• Check the wiring connections from the reed switch to the relay and then from therelay to the motor to check the relay andreed switch.

• You may jump the battery directly to themotor to verify the motor operation.

• In order to perform a relay check, removethe positive wire from the relay board,squeeze the trigger and the relay shouldclick.

• If you have a problem occur underwater,the magnetic switch needs to be checkedfirst on a runaway DPV.

• If the trigger control wire is stuck in the onposition the magnetic switch will stay inthe on position. The wheel with the magnetcan be moved to disengage the magnet on

the control switch. When this occurs youwill need to control the DPV by the wheelbecause the trigger will be inoperable. Ifyou determine the magnetic switch is notthe problem then it is more than likely therelay or reed switch. These two problemscannot be fixed underwater. You need to beprepared to handle the runaway DPV.

DPV diving skills

Loss of gas supply• Gas sharing can be done with your divebuddy side by side or nose to tail.

DPV loss• Diver can swim with the DPV.• Diver can be towed out by the dive buddy.• Abandon the DPV. and the diver can betowed out and then recover the DPV at alater time.

• Open water divers should be prepared touse a lift bag to surface the DPV.

If you lose a teammate signal topside, thenyou may search as long as ample gas suppliesremain to include decompression obligations.

Loss of control, stuck on and collisions. • If the DPV is stuck on, place the left handon the handle or shroud. Drop your kneesand body down so that the prop wash ishitting you in your thigh/stomach areawhile remembering to hold the scooterlevel. This will slow you to a stop, but theDPV will continue to operate.

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Abs (continued from page 21)

An Old Fad—Tilt Your Pelvis and StickFar Out In BackA little knowledge is a dangerous thing.When fitness people first heard that chronicbending over forward hurt spinal discs, theyfigured they’d bend the spine very far theother way to fix the problem. (although theyfirst rejected the fact that forward bendinginjures discs), and they kept damaging theirown discs and their clients’ with bending for-ward until they kept getting back pain andeventually the message got through to some,although still not all. You can still see fitnesspeople bending over wrong because they don’tknow, or they think they are showing off ham-string flexibility. Bending over to touch toes isone of the more ineffective ways to stretchhamstrings, but that is for another article.

There is supposed to be a small inward curveto the lower back for shock absorption andprotection of your discs (normal small lordo-sis). When you round your back forward dur-ing slouched sitting, standing, and bendingwrong to pick things up, you lose the inwardcurve and pressure the discs unevenly, eventu-ally damaging them. The problem is that peo-ple heard they need a small inward curve(that would be there without tilting thepelvis), but make a big one by tilting theirpelvis forward in front and the backsidepushed out in back. In medicine, we call it“pooping pose” for the unnatural silly look.

You can see the unhealthy, overly archedlower spine in many fitness publications,videos, and gyms. It is often erroneouslytaught. It’s a fad, but not a healthy one. It isbeing replaced with new knowledge thathyperlordosis is not needed or healthy, andneutral spine is needed for bending, standing,and most activities. You will have a healthysmall lumbar curve with neutral spine, with-out tilting the pelvis.

Why Learn About This?If your lower back aches after long standing,walking, running, or standing wearing tanksand gear, and you feel better to lean over for-ward or sit, or raise one leg, check if you areoverarching your lower spine or leaning yourupper body back. With this knowledge, youwill spot the cause of one major kind of backpain, and know what to do to stop it, and prevent it from occurring again. You will saveyourself from untold dollars and months losttrying pain cures.

Medical BreakthroughWith this method of body mechanics, youprevent a major medical problem yourself.You don’t tighten you abs. You don’t suck inyour abs. Those are unfounded fads. Exercisesand medical treatments don’t fix the pain---stopping the cause stops the pain. You use thistechnique to move to neutral spine and holdit. You stop the painful slouching of swayback(hyperlordosis) and this cause of back pain is

gone. I gave this medical technique the unsci-entific name of The Ab Revolution™ (NoMore Crunches No More Back Pain) hoping itwould convey the sea-change about how peo-ple understand the role of abdominal musclesin daily life and stopping chronic back pain.

Core Strengthening for Next TimeStrengthening the core or abdominal mus-cles does not fix this kind of pain because itdoes not stop the cause—too much inwardlumbar curve. With conventional strengthen-ing, you become a stronger person with thesame swayback. Using neutral spine can beused both for daily life activity and for funand innovative exercises. I was the firstresearcher to develop methods to strengthenyour abdominal muscles in the way they actually work, a method called functionalexercise. I will cover strengthening and functional exercises next time in Part 2:Training Abs for Diving.

Dr. Jolie Bookspan is the author of Diving

Physiology in Plain English, two hyperbaric

board exam guide books: “Diving and

Hyperbaric Medicine Review For

Physicians” and “Hyperbaric Medical

Review For Board Certification Exams, CHT

/ CHRN”, and other health and medical

books. Her website, www.DrBookspan.com,

has a large collection of articles on diving

and top functional training.

• An alternative method to slow the DPV is toput the palm of your hand on the hub andde-pitch the prop to the slowest position.

• Slow your flight with a touch landing byfollowing the same procedure as above butlet the scooter nose touch the bottom, wall,rock, or shipwreck (if the scooter is stuckon). This is a controlled landing. Then youcan decide whether to allow the battery torun down or break off the propeller blades.

• Quick turns can be used if you are caughtoff guard or the scooter is stuck in the onposition. Quickly turning the scootersharply to the right or left to avoid strikingan object.

• Perform a “throw behind.” This is not usedif the scooter is stuck on. If you are caught offguard, for example encountering a rock orwall, push the scooter behind you toward yourankles. Remember to keep the scooter straight

and your finger off the trigger. You will coastinto the object, and you can use your hand toavoid a hard strike.

All of these skills must be practiced beforeyou need them.

DPV riding is fun and enjoyable and providesan extremely effective tool for accomplishingsome extreme dives. Hang on and enjoy the ride!


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Sdiving world

BahamasHawaii , USA Hong KongItaly

Under the leadership of NAUI CourseDirector Chan Chi-wa (Sam Chan), theHong Kong Recreational & TechnicalDiving Group’s 2011 InternationalUnderwater Cleanup Day brought 54participants together on Saturday,September 3, to remove trash fromthe waters around Port Island, SaiKung, part of the Hong Kong Geoparknatural area.

The 54 divers included seven staff members tokeep the cleanup running smoothly.Participants were divided into four teams for thecleanup. Two divers came to the event fromGuangzhou, China; and one, from Taiwan.

The event was very successful. Check out theFacebook photo link:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2347235126180.144137.1409106195&type=1.Special thanks to NAUI Pacific Rim’s MichaelTong, William Tong, Simon Yu, and Simon Lamfor their support and assistance！

Team members were:A Team: NAUI Instructor Lee Wai-yip (Kent)(Team Leader), So Wai-li, Lee Tsz-nung, NgaiKim-ming (Eddie), Chan Ka-chun (Sunny),Zhang Rui Quan (from Guangzhou), HuangKun (from Guangzhou), Chak Chi-mun.

B Team (From the 430 Divers Association):NAUI instructor Kong Chi-wai (Team Leader),Lum Chi-wan, Chan Chi-yin, Man King-wah, To Yi-lok, Ng Wai-hung, Hung Fai-tak, Lee Siu-fan, Lee Ka-hei, Lam Heung-wing, CheungKwok-kong, Leung Tung-lam, Lam Ching-yiu,

Hong Kong Cleanup Day is a Success

Team B Team C Team D

The Whole Group

Ng Wing-Shing (Nelson), Lam Sui-chun, Chui Chi-lap.

C Team: NAUI instructor Tsang Wai-kong(Grenade) (Team Leader), Tu Chin-ping (from Taiwan), Tsang Chi-yung, Lee Wai-fung,Chan Tik-sze, Wut Chi-ming, Tse Kin-wai,Shum Kim-hung, Shum Man-ting, Lin Shung-yip, Chan Sai-king (Adrian), Juliana Chu,Veronica Wai Sze Yuen.

D Team: NAUI instructor Law Ho-wan (TeamLeader), NAUI instructor Tam Wai-kin (AssistantTeam Leader), Wong Ka-fai, Wong Wai-shing,Mui Wai-ling, Kwok Tsz Chun, Lo Ping-chuen(Rocky), Wong Sai-kit, Lau Cheuk-ki, ChungYu-fan, Wong Wai Fat (Terence), Chan Ka-ling,Tsang hin-chun, Yuen Chee-yang, Leung Kam-fai, Leung Ho-man.

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Two New NAUIInstructors in Italy

Left to right: New NAUI InstructorsMassimiliano Bernasconi and DavideBaudino, NAUI Italy Representative NicolettaCodiferro, and Staff Instructors Flavia Neriniand Alessandro Libero de Laurentiis. NotPresent: Staff Instructor (and photographer)Fabrizio Pacchiotti.

The last weekend of July two newinstructors joined our ranks with completion of their course at LakeGarda in northern Italy. NAUI ItalyRepresentative Nicoletta Codiferro was theirCourse Director; she was assisted by Libero de Laurentiis, Flavia Nerini, and FabrizioPacchiotti.

Wheel of FortuneWinners: New NAUIDivers head for theBahamas!

Pictured left to right: Daniel (Scuba Diver),Erik Kok, (Course Director), Samantha(Scuba Diver), Nick C. den Toom (NAUINetherlands Representative), Coen van derMeer (NAUI Instructor in training)

NAUI Worldwide and Cape EleuthraDivers in the Bahamas have a promotion with the “Wheel of Fortune”television game show. The winners’ prizeis training and certification as NAUI ScubaDivers plus a dream vacation for two. The latestwinners are Samantha and her husband Danielof Kansas City. Since they are currently areresiding in The Netherlands where Daniel isengaged in graduate studies, arrangements weremade with Cees den Toom, NAUI NetherlandsRepresentative, for them to take their course inAugust at his Scuba-Academie in Vinkeveen.Samantha and Daniel used NAUI eLearning forthe academics, and following five consecutiveand full days of skills training and open water diving with Cees and his staff, they werewelcomed into the NAUI family as newly certified Scuba Divers. They will take the“Holiday” part of the prize in late October at Cape Eleuthra Divers. Congratulations toboth of them.

Pearl Harbor DiversMakes More NAUIInstructors in Hawaii

Pictured from left are: Patrick Price (NAUICourse Director and co-owner of PHD), RobertBurmaster (NAUI Instructor grad from IQP inJanuary), William Love (new NAUI Instructor),Larry Basch (new NAUI instructor), AndrewPurves (new NAUI instructor) and DylanJohnson (NAUI Instructor Trainer and co-owner of PHD).

Pearl Harbor Divers completed its thirdIQP at the end of April, with threeinstructor candidates earning theirNAUI Instructor certifications.

Pearl Harbor Divers is putting NAUI on the mapin Hawaii. Every month they hold two ScubaDiver courses, one Advanced Scuba Diver course,and a Nitrox course. Every other month theyhold a Rescue Diver course, and every quarterthey run an Instructor course. They also havean active dive club that meets for shore divestwice a month. Pearl Harbor Divers is a big supporter of the military, regularly sponsoringand staffing local events put on by the Marines,Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

“We believe in the NAUI credo,” says PHD co-owner Patrick Price. “Our goal is to deliversuperior quality training at all levels, and that’sthe message we deliver to our instructors. While other shops/agencies really emphasizeassembly-line, high production courses, we prefer to focus on making sure the divers wecertify are truly qualified to dive. We teach ourstudents to be good ambassadors of the scubadiving community and to be good stewards of the marine environment. We believe ourgraduates are direct reflections of all of us who taught them.”


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The International Poster Contest for Youth was organized more than 30 years ago. Its many sponsors include NAUI

Worldwide, the United Nations Environment Programme, Explorers Club, Underwater Society of America, Divers

Alert Network, World Underwater Federation, Dive Equipment and Marketing Association, United Nations

Educational and Scientific Organization-France, and Wyland Foundation. The theme for the most recent contest

was “Protect My Ocean.”

Entries came from all over the world including India, China, Philippines, and the U.S. The contest categories are

divided by age groups into primary and secondary school. Medals are awarded the winners. A Special Caring

Award was created two years ago, named for eight-year-old Darl Christin Harlan Desamero, who won an award for

her poster submission but died before she received the notification. Her touching theme that year of two dolphins

swimming up over the ocean together, forming a heart, inspired the judges by her warmth and caring.

The contest jury included marine archaeologist and cartographer Dr. E. Lee Spence of South Carolina, his wife

Lauren, and New York artist Myriam Moran. Famed marine artist Wyland selected the final winners of the contest,

assisted by photographer Faye Chapman.

Wyland, who has completed one hundred “Whaling Walls”—gigantic murals depicting whales and marine life—all

over the world (the last during the Olympics in Beijing) was impressed by the talent shown by this year’s entries.

The International Poster Contest for Youth has received thousands of entries over the many years it has been in

existence. Every year entries show deep concern for the marine environment and for its creatures.

Primary School First Place and Grand Prize Winner Jessica Zheng Secondary School First Place Justen Paul Tolentino

International Poster Contest for Youth:Wyland Picks Final Winners for 2010-11 Contest


Primary School Second Place Shannon Yu

Primary School Third Place Jamia Mei Tolentino

Special Merit Award Nilosree Sengupta

Special Caring Award Chung On On


THOSe CHOSeN FOr MeDAlS INCluDeD:Secondary School category: First Place to Justen Paul Tolentino, age 16, 10th grade at San Stephen’s High School,

Manila, Philippines; Second Place to Dheil Christian H. Desamero, Darl’s brother, age 14, 9th grade at Ramon

Massay High School, Philippines. Third Place to Chengshu Zhang, age 14, 9th grade at Homestead High School in

Cupertino, California, U.S.A.

Primary School category: First Place to Jessica Zheng, age 13, 8th grade at San Jose, California, U.S.A. Second

Place to Shannon Yu, age 12, 7th grade at Fang Yunhua Art Studio, Silverado, California, U.S.A. Third Place to Jamia

Mei Tolentino, age 12, 6th grade at San Stephen’s High School, Manila, Philippines. Wyland’s choice for Best Overall

went to Jessica Zheng.

The Darl Desamero Special Caring Award was won by Chung On On, age 17, grade F 6 at Simply Art School, Hong

Kong, China. A Special Merit Award was given to Nilosree Sengupta, age 10, 4th grade at WWA Cossipore School,

Kolkata, India. Fifteen Honorable Mention awards were given.

The 2011-2012 International Poster Contest for Youth theme is “Save the Manatee.” The West Indian manatee is one

of the more endangered species in the world. There may be 1,800 left alive in Florida, perhaps 3,000 in the world.

Some 200 manatees are killed each year in Florida. Some are hit by boats, some crushed in canal gates, some

succumb to pollutants. Pregnancy takes a year and females breed only every three to five years. When they surface

to breathe, they are in danger from boat traffic, and many bear deep scars from injury sustained by boat propellers.

They are vegetarians and must drink fresh water. Thus even though they venture into the ocean to feed on sea

grasses, they must return to a fresh water source to drink. Manatees can only survive where water temperature is not

colder than 70° F. Many gather near warm water discharges of power plants on Florida’s coast in winter.

With the theme “Save the Manatee,” contest organizers hope to focus world attention on the plight of these large,

harmless, and most endangered creatures. For more information and to obtain an official entry form visit www.naui.org

and scroll down to International Poster Contest under News & Events or send your e-mail address to the contest

director at [email protected]. There is no entry fee or charge of any kind for participation in the contest. All entries

become the property of the International Poster Contest for Youth and are not returned.

Secondary School Second Place Dheil Christian H. Desamero

Secondary School Third PlaceChengshu Zhang


The Nasim IIshipwreck ofGiannutri Island:Italy’s ThistlegormBy P ierPaolo Montali , naUi 44674 • PhotograPhs By Mario sPagnoletti

The Nasim II had a destiny similar to that of the Thistlegorm, the British freighter sunk by

the Germans in 1941 in the Red Sea and discovered in the early 1950s by Jacques

Cousteau. Relatively shallow and located in the Ras Mohamed resort area, the Thistlegorm

is now visited annually by hundreds of divers from all over the world and is famous for her

cargo of motorcycles, trucks, and two steam locomotives. The Nasim II had a cargo of

automobiles but, on the other hand, is a deep wreck and a technical dive.

Giannutri, where our Nasim II lies, is the southernmost island in the Tuscany archipelago

of Italy. It is located between the Argentario Peninsula and the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the

island of Sardinia. The island is three kilometers long and about a half kilometer wide, with

a total area of 2.3 square kilometers.

Nasim II wasn’t an old ship when she went down. Built in 1959 at the Brooke Marine Ltd.

shipyards in Lowestoft, UK, she was launched with the name of ELK or perhaps LIYN. She

was powered by two strong, six-cylinder, Swiss-built diesel engines that developed 900

horsepower each, and could cruise at 14 knots with a full load. In the course of her 17-

year career, she changed owners and names more than once. In fact, there is confusion

whether she is properly the Nasim II or another ship built about the same time, the Nasim.

But among those who dive her, she is known as Nasim II. At the time of her sinking, she

was flying a Panamanian flag.

She left Livorno harbor bound for Alexandria on February 11, 1976, loaded with 50

automobiles on the deck (12 Fiats, 35 Peugeots and 3 Mercedes) plus 16 trailers and 3

trucks in her hold. That night, with calm seas, a gentle Sirocco wind from the southeast,

and perfect visibility, the ship was proceeding slowly along the Piombino canal. But when

she arrived in front of the Argentario peninsula, the wind suddenly shifted to the

southwest, became dangerously strong and violent, and she ran into a sudden wall of rain

that reduced the visibility almost to zero.

The captain, perhaps in a desperateattempt to save his boat, tried to steertowards the shallows that he knewexisted in front of Cala Maestra and runthe Nasim aground and prevent hersinking, but he was too close to veer.The sea combined forces with theinertia of the ship’s way and pitched theship to port, and the first of the cars on

deck slid overboard. On the bottom theNasim’s bow is now pointed north ratherthan south towards Africa, evidencethat the captain must have tried to turnher towards the shallows.

Only 15 minutes after sending an SOS,the ship sank into a sandy hole at amaximum depth of 60 meters (195 feet),

right in front of Cala Maestra. Thedebris of cars falling overboard wasscattered from a depth of about 35meters (115 feet) to the full depth of theNasim.

Mr. C. Morbidelli, one of the fewinhabitants of the island who helpedrescue the survivors, remembers theoperations, including the saving the 17crewmembers who survived. He tellsthat the ship first hit the rocky coastwith its front part, in effect shreddingthe ship’s steel bow. The damage iseasily seen by divers today.

The first underwater dive explorationhad to be postponed until the end ofMay 1976. At that time the diversfound the ship to be positioned on herside and one Fiat 132, one Peugeot andone Mercedes easily reached. One diverfreed one the spare tires, which squirteddangerously to the surface. Others tookaway car seats, doors, and whatever elsethey were able to take from the cars. Atthe time, the name of the ship’s owner,“Neptunia,” was visible; it has now

The “Libeccio,” as that heavy southwest wind is known in the Mediterranean,

is much feared because it can create a tempest and high seas in a matter of

minutes. Its forces can be very disruptive because they are so sudden.

At 4:30 a.m. on February 12, the ship, which should have passed safely to

the east of Giannutri island, was pushed by the wind and the seas and struck

land at Punta Pennello, outside the Cala Maestra harbour. The impact tore a

gap into her bow, and she immediately began to fill with water.

corroded away and disappeared. Overthe years, the ship and her cargo havebeen extensively plundered.

Our Dive

For us, it was a long one-day trip fromTorino in the Piemonte region wherewe live up to Porto Sant’Ercole nearGrosseto in Tuscany (almost 600km/370 miles). Arriving at the divingcenter, we loaded our gear on board asmall boat. It was an 11-mile boat rideto reach the wreck, and we are eager todocument it.

Arriving at Cala Maestra, weimmediately found the signal buoy fixedat the dive site. The dive was to beginfrom the top of the wall about 100meters in front of shore—on the slopewhere the first cars slid off the boat. Infact, someone has named the place the“garage” because of the many vehiclesin the sand.

The great visibility of the sea nearGiannutri, which is favored by onlyslight human presence and a total

absence of polluting sources, allows adiver to already see the ship’s shapenear the bottom of the slope, atapproximately another 30 meters belowthe cars in the “garage.” The sea’sturquoise water is so transparent andprovided such an intense light that ourphotographer usually used no flash. Therisk was more often over-exposure.

We dove with three open circuit systemsand one closed circuit rebreather(mine). Our rigs would allow a tourthroughout the area, starting from thewall and covering the whole structure ofthe wreck, with the time to observe allthe details. Our group has been divingtogether for many years, and we are usedto the details of diving a mission. Beforethe dive we carefully checked all of ourequipment to solve even the smallestproblems and together reviewed the diveplan, all our decompression andemergency procedures, andcommunications signals.

Underwater, the atmosphere was surrealbecause of the vision of things thatusually are full of life: cars right side upand upside down sitting on a cleangranular and sandy bottom.

After the “garage” and the first cars andafter having checked the overallscenery, we moved downslope to theship, first reaching the huge keel. Theview was magnificent, lying on her sidewith her bow positioned towards northof the island and cars scattered aroundin the debris field. It’s mainly the carsthat are photographed by all divers whohave the luck to dive here.

Doubling the bow is probably the bestscene of the entire dive. The completeshape of the ship can be seen, with hermarine-wood bridge still well preserved(although unsafe now), the bigforemast still positioned in place, andeven the poop deck visible. In front ofthe hatches of the forward hold and onthe sand bottom are more cars, nowlargely torn apart by the plunderers andsouvenir hunters.

To penetrate the wreck nowadays isdangerous. There are evident signs of astructural decay and environmental

corrosion, and future divers of the siteare advised not to enter the wreck.Also, being a cargo vessel and not acruise boat, the passageways among thecabins are very narrow. The only large,easily accessible room is the controlroom, which is populated by lobsters.

Proceeding towards the stern, we foundthe loading cranes as well as openedhatches that led to the holds and thecrew cabins. The emblematic part ofthe ship and, probably of the entiredive, is the big propeller at the sternwith its long shaft extending into thehull. Our photographer had the diverswho wanted to have the best “iconic”photograph rest on it for their portrait.

All too soon, we reached the end of ourplanned 30-minute dive time and ourcylinders were getting near their gaslimit. We turned to swim back thesame way we came—towards our signalbuoy and our slow, safe decompression.

Ascending the wall that we had swumdown during our descent, we noticedsome small caves that we would like to explore during one of our next dive trips to this location. But now wehad to move on to our firstdecompression stop. Hanging on ourbuoy line, we recalled the fantasticimages of the Nasim II, and the longdrive to get here was more than worthit. Mario, our team photographer,began to check his shots in his camera’sdisplay while we looked on. The fishesswam freely around us in this clear sky-blue water, brightened by thesummer sun.

Back on the boat, we headed towardsport. It became a long trip because ourboat’s engine chose to break downcompletely and refused to be fixed.Gladly accepting a tow from a passingboat, we arrived at the diving centerafter three hours. We changed, loadedour car, and at last arrived home afterdark—happy to have made the trip andenjoyed this beautiful dive.

Our dive team on the Nasim II: GherardoBiolla, Giorgio Graglia, Mario Spagnoletti(our photographer), and Pierpaolo Montali(diving a CCR).

SeaTrek FATHOMSInaugural Summer Program

BY ANGELA COWAN

FATHOMS 1 group on the Brewers Bay Cave Hike in Tortola, BVI.

It was last October. I got the call from my boss, CaptainMonk Daniel, director of operations for SeaTrek Ltd. Hesaid that the pieces were finally in place and the timingwas right, “Let’s make this science boat happen.” TheSeaTrek “science boat” had been unofficially in theworks for over five years; now the time had come tomake it a reality. I had no idea how much time, effort,and teamwork would be required as we pursued thisnew endeavor. The stakes were high, but so were theexcitement and the potential.

As SeaTrek’s director of marine science, it was my jobto get the ball rolling. I enlisted the help and creativityof other SeaTrek staff, including Chance Ruder, abiologist and dive instructor. Chance had started withSeaTrek as a student in 2007 and was one of the firstpeople to recognize the need for a more intensive,project-based marine science program. In Chance’swords, “I thought that a boat dedicated to science couldaccomplish some really neat projects. Living on a boatin the Caribbean for three weeks surrounded by otheraspiring scientists sounded like paradise.” Within aweek we had a program name, objectives, anddescription. It was time to make the officialannouncement: SeaTrek BVI is proud to present our newest program,Focused Adventure Through Hands On Marine Science.FATHOMS combines marine science, communityservice, and cultural studies in the Caribbean’s BritishVirgin Islands. During the 21-day voyage, students liveaboard a 43-foot sailing catamaran that serves as theirmobile research station, affording them countlessopportunities to study and experience the ecology anddynamics of the living marine laboratory thatsurrounds them.

The FATHOMS program would incorporate the samehigh-quality scuba, sailing, and marine science trainingprovided by SeaTrek’s main programs in the BritishVirgin Islands (BVI) and exploratory programs in theBahamas and Hawaii. In addition, the content anditinerary for FATHOMS would be unique and centered onmarine science, community service, and culturalinteraction. This would afford FATHOMS students theopportunity to learn about the marine environment andculture of the Virgin Islands in an authentic, hands-onmanner. The FATHOMS curriculum was designed topresent multidisciplinary marine science concepts andequip the students with the tools necessary toinvestigate, better understand, and impact the worldaround them by applying the scientific method to avariety of experiences, including labs, field studies, andcommunity service projects. Students would alsoevaluate human impacts and conservation strategies,especially those relevant to the Caribbean and BVI.

We also wanted collaborators. One organization came tomind immediately. The Jost Van Dykes PreservationSociety (JVDPS) is a BVI not-for-profit organization

Rather than bombard you with more of my ownramblings about what a wonderful time ourstudents had and how much they learned, hereare a few of their words about our inauguralsummer of SeaTrek FATHOMS.

“FATHOMS was a wonderfullearning experience that tiedtogether pervious knowledgefrom school and used it in thereal world. This fantasticexperience gave me anopportunity to use thatknowledge in multiplecommunity service projects.FATHOMS was unforgettable.”Jennifer Havens from Issaquah, WA, age 15

“It was a great experience tomake a special connection to theBVI—to go beyond being atourist. It was really cool tolearn from BVI students andcommunity members and get to know them better. We startedto see how the reef is not just atourist resource. It is importantfor their culture and livelihood.As tourists we are a part of the problem that threatens thereef and other coastal resourcesin the BVI. But if we learn more about our impact, we can change our behavior and be part of the solution.”Maya Aurichio from Evanston, IL, age 16

“The ocean is like a book with abeautiful cover, and FATHOMSallowed me to open it and beginto understand the ocean. We still have a long way to go,though, before we can finishreading the book.”Alexandra Welch from Atherton, CA, age 17


dedicated to the preservation of the island of Jost VanDyke, including its land, the surrounding sea, its livingcreatures, and its culture, through conservation,cultivation, education, and research. So I called SusanZaluski, executive director of the JVDPS, and pitched theidea of establishing a collaboration between our twoorganizations. Over the next several months wediscussed how both of our groups could most benefitfrom this new program; and we decided to focus on twokey areas: (1) establishing a coral reef monitoringprogram using snorkelers and scuba divers and (2)developing an interpretive trail guide for a popular trailon the east end of Jost Van Dyke.

We also contacted the BVI Conservation and FisheriesDepartment and the National Parks Trust to developother collaborative projects, including turtle tagging andmonitoring, lionfish marking and removal, and seagrassmonitoring. In working with these groups, studentswould be responsible for collecting and reporting dataand helping educate BVI residents and tourists aboutthe marine environment.

A number of guest lecturers from the Virgin Islands andmainland United States also agreed to share their workand expertise with our students. These included marinescientists, local fishermen, cultural historians, and parkrangers. They provided our students with a deeperunderstanding of the complex issues surroundingmarine ecosystem monitoring, conservation, andmanagement.

One of our guest lecturers was Emma Hickerson,research coordinator for the Flower Garden BanksNational Marine Sanctuary, who summed up herexperience, “What a pleasure it was for me to workdirectly with keen young students who had a passion forthe marine environment! They far surpassed our goalsand expectations for the program and allowed us toexpand the FATHOMS vision on the go, based on their

abilities and skills. I think the FATHOMS program willgive these future stewards of the oceans a terrific kickstart into their future endeavors.”

Fast forward to June 2011. After months of planning andprepping, our FATHOMS 2011 voyages were underway.We had students joining us for two separate voyages,one starting in mid-June and the other in late July. I wasa bit anxious, but I was confident we could execute theprogram and make it a fun and learning-filled adventurefor all of our participants, including the local Jost VanDyke students who would be joining us.

Ultimately, our goal with the FATHOMS program is toinstill in our students a sense of stewardship andinspire them to take what they have learned back homeand be advocates for similar issues in their owncommunities. We will continue our work with the JostVan Dykes Preservation Society and community so thatwe can all experience and better understand the marineenvironment that is so vital to their economy andculture. SeaTrek and JVDPS students worked togetheron multiple occasions this past summer. They snorkeledand dove together while identifying and cataloguing fishand coral species. They spent time talking about marineconservation issues in the BVI, such as fisheries andinvasive species (lionfish, mongoose) management.Most importantly, they spent some time just hanging outand being kids. We were fortunate to have Kenny andAdam Turbé talk to us about how fisheries havechanged in the several generations that their family hasbeen fishing in the BVI. Susan Zaluski and her assistant,Lorraine Callwood, presented information and joined usfor several of our excursions and field activities. JVDstudents went turtle tagging with us and successfullycaught and tagged three green sea turtles off JVD’s eastend. Next year we have high hopes of garnering morelocal interest in the budding program. Thecollaborations and program goals are what set theFATHOMS program apart and make it truly valuable.

Left: FATHOMS 1 and JVDPS students and SeaTrek staff after diving together and hearing fisherman Adam Turbé’s talk. Right: The FATHOMS 2group on our Virgin Islands National Park hike led by Ranger Laurel Brannick. Left to right: Jenna Smith, Helene Flittie, Kasey Fox, ShelbyMunsterman, Aly Yingst, Olivia Post, Krista Ransier, Chad Brewer.

“If you have any interest inmarine science, this is theprogram for you. FATHOMSoffers students a uniqueopportunity to study the ocean ina life-changing couple of weeks.I learned so much about theocean, from the life inside it tothe factors that are harming it.For example, I never knew howfascinating seagrass beds couldbe or what their importance was.After exploring them with alittle guidance, I becamefascinated with that ecology. The program has taught me agreat deal about myself, as well. I now know that I want to spend my life researchingbecause the ocean is what I am passionate about.”Aly Yingst from Harrisburg, PA, age 17

“We got to delve deeper intomarine biology and BVI culture,in comparison to other summerdiving/sailing/science programs.It was really interesting to learnabout something and then gothere and learn about it byseeing it for yourself. It makes itso that it will stick in your brainso much better. It wasinteresting to incorporatelearning about marine ecologywith the culture and history ofthe BVI.”Emily Walker from Lexington, MA, age 17:

Now, I am once again at my computer and on thephone—signing students up and prepping for SeaTrekFATHOMS 2012. It is time to do it all over again, butwith the advantage of having one year under our belt.And most importantly, I have the privilege of using my2011 FATHOMS students to inspire me. We will keepimproving FATHOMS and making it the effective andmeaningful program that it should be. We have alreadymade some changes for 2012. We extended theprogram from 17 to 21 days, adding a few days on theisland of St. John, USVI, so that we can take advantageof the Virgin Islands National Park, the Virgin IslandsEnvironmental Research Station, and the richresources of the island. We are adding new guestlecturers and community service and research projectsinto the curriculum. We are pursuing official universityaccreditation so that our participants can earn collegecredits. And, based on feedback from our 2011 studentparticipants, we are creating a new Advanced FATHOMSso that they can return and delve even deeper into themarine science, community service, and culturalstudies projects that they contributed to this past summer.

Our students’ enthusiasm and commitment to the goalsof the FATHOMS program were completely inspiring. Iam most fortunate. It is a privilege to work with suchcaring and motivated young people—who will likely bethe future scientists, conservationists, andenvironmental managers who will continue thisimportant work. I hope they know just how much I,their “teacher,” have learned from them. Specialthanks to the Daniel and Ruder families for theircontinued trust and support, without which FATHOMSwould not be possible.

For more information on SeaTrek and FATHOMS, visitthe websites http://www.seatrekbvi.com andhttp://www.seatrekbvi.com/fathoms.php or contactCaptain Monk Daniel at [email protected]. (Allphotos by SeaTrek Ltd.)

The FATHOMS 1 group at Salt Island with our boat (The Life) in thebackground. Left to right: Patrick Ross, Lauren Beyer, Maya Aurichio,Emily Walker, Kasey Fox, Rob Spaeth, Alex Welch, Jennifer Havens.


After six days of friendly competition among 41 competitors from 11 countries, a panel of threeinternationally acclaimed underwater photographers (Settimio Ciprianni, Rocky Chang and MikeVeitch) selected winning images from entries submitted by contest participants.

Each of the participating divers undertook the challenge of creating beautiful and creative imagesduring their dives around Layang Layang. Contest rules permitted everyone to submit up to threeimages in each of two categories: macro and wide-angle.

Given the world-renowned, rich waters around Layang Layang, as well as the determination and skill ofthe contest participants, it’s no surprise that the top images from this year’s event are simply amazing!

The winning pictures were:Wide angle: First place: Im Eun Jae from Korea; second place: Price Lucas Daniel, USA; third place:Rafael Fernandez, Spain; fourth place: Sun Shao Wu, China; fifth place: Price Shannon Carter, USA;sixth place: Esther Lee, Malaysia.

Avillion Layang Layang Underwater Digital Photo Shootout 2011Congratulations to the winners of the 4th Layang Layang Underwater Photo Shootout 2011!

1. 2.

3. 4.

Wide Angle: 1. 1st: Im Eun Jae / 2. 2nd: Price Lucas Daniel / 3. 3rd: Rafael Fernandez / 4. The competitors


Macro: First place: Sean Keith, USA; second place: Kim Dong Hyun, Korea; third place: RafaelFernandez, Spain; fourth place: Kay Burn Lim, Australia; fifth place: Price Lucas Daniel, USA; sixthplace: Sun Shao Wu, China.

Winners won packages from Avillion Layang Layang, Walindi Resort PNG, Coral Redang Resort atRedang Island, Malaysia, Diver UK annual subscription and equipment such as Apeks dive watches,Nikon D300, Nauticam housing, Tatonka adventure gear and many other attractive prizes. The event isalso supported and endorsed by NAUI Asia-Pacific.

Layang Layang Island Resort is a man-made atoll located in the deep, blue waters of Sabah, Malaysia.The resort is famous for providing some of the best diving that the Asia-Pacific region has to offer—including everything from encounters with large pelagics like hammerhead sharks and manta rays tosmaller reef residents like pygmy seahorses.

For more information on Avillion Layang Layang and the event, visit www.avillionlayanglayang.com

5. 6.

7.

Macro: 5. 1st: Sean Keith / 6. 2nd: Kim Dong Hun / 7. 3rd: Rafael Fernandez


This trip we debated whether totravel by air or car. We chose thelatter since we would have moreopportunities to see interesting sitesalong the route. Our main destinationwas the seaside town of Donsol,Sorsogon.

We hit the road before 5:00 a.m.Reaching Quezon National Parkdiversion road, we pulled over to aroadside view where we could seeof Quezon’s plains and shorelineand ate our packed breakfast.

The cemented roads on this routeare horrific. Overloaded cargotrucks constantly ply this road,pounding the soil beneath thepavement until it cracks open likecookie crumbles. After another half-hour, we found ourselves passingthrough Quezon’s lush landscape of rolling hills towered with acres ofage-old coconut trees.

Upon reaching the seaside town ofGumaca, we made a quick stop atthe San Diego of Alcala Cathedral,reconstructed only in the mid-1800safter being burned down by theDutch in the late 1600s. Therefurbished interior still echoes thecenturies of service it has given toGumaca’s worshippers.

Driving onward to Camarines Sur’swinding mountain road and down toBicol, we stopped by Milaor,Camarines Sur’s St. Joseph’schurch. Built in the 1700s, this brick& stone structure was founded byFranciscan missionaries from Spain.The belfry was finished in the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, we arrived inthe middle of the day so its doorswere closed to visitors. After a fewphotos we drove on to Naga City,already hungry for a taste of Bicol’snative cuisine.

Lunch was at the “Little Adam ofAsia” in Naga City, a gourmetrestaurant that included local dishesin their menu. We ordered theirversion of Bicol Express (sautéedpork with sliced bitter melon incoconut milk and chili peppers),Laing (sautéed taro leaves incoconut milk), Kinunot na Pating(laing with shark meat), and somefried pork on the side. It was adelicious meal indeed.

Continuing on our journey, we madea last stop at a church in Daraga,known as the Cagsaua ruins. Themost famous among the Bicolregion’s churches, the first Cagsauachurch was built in the late 1500sand was also burned by Dutch

adventurists in the mid-1600s.Rebuilt in the 1700s, this place ofworship now lies in ruins due to Mt. Mayon’s eruption in 1814, whichkilled over 1,000 people anddestroyed and almost completelyburied the church, leaving only itsbelfry and remnants of its churchupper walls. Today the mountainironically forms part of a favoritetourist backdrop, reminding us ofthe unstoppable power of nature.

Leaving Daraga, we reached ourfinal destination, Donsol at around5:30 p.m. With all the side trips andphoto-ops, our car’s odometerrecorded 533 kilometers (330 miles)of driving, using about 50 liters (13gallons) of gasoline.

We stayed in AGM Resort, one of the several beach resorts lined alongDonsol beach. Composed of tworows of single-story buildings andseveral cabins, the resort providedus with comfortable and decentamenities throughout our stay.

The following morning, the weatherremained overcast, with intermittentshowers and strong winds blowingfrom the northeast. Not bothered bythe weather, we went ahead withour plan to seek out the Butandings

Seeking Whale Sharks:

A Trip to Donsol, Philippines By Carlos Santos-Viola, NAUI 5687 / Whale shark Illustration: Wikimedia Commons

It has been over 45 years since I last traveled to the Province of Bicol, nine hours by road southof Manila. What I remember clearly was when my parents took the whole family on a tour via thePhilippine National Railway (PNR) from Manila. We rode the PNR’s air-conditioned coach—freezing cold even with blankets on. The train stopped in every town to transfer passengers andcargo. The tracks were bumpy, but that just added excitement as we passed trough sea andcountryside scenic routes still imprinted in my memory.


(whale sharks). We registered at theDonsol Registration Center around7:30 a.m. Surprisingly, dozens offoreign visitors were already queuedup even on a weekday.

We paid the one-time registrationfee (good for three days) and joinedthree others on a boat. A Butandingspotter/ guide named Jack wasassigned to our group. Although webrought our own mask, snorkel, andfins, a private concessionaire alsorents them out at a nearby stand.

The whale-watching area covered asmall section of Donsol, from themouth of the main river up to thenearest northern point. The overcastweather presented difficulties to ourwhale shark spotter.

After several runs, our spotter finallysaw a fin. Our boat and a few otherssped towards the swim direction ofthe whale shark, getting ahead of itand slowing down to let us all slideover the side of the boat. Thoughthe whale shark may seem quite aslow swimmer, its single caudal finstroke gives it a boost of speed thatis hard to catch up to.

Due to the plankton-rich water thevisibility wasn’t great, averaging oneand a half meters (five feet)horizontally. Still, we were ecstaticto see this gentle giant. Even thefirst-time snorkeler in our party, whoseemed reluctant to jump into thedark water, suddenly had a changeof heart as she eagerly donned hergear faster than our spotter did.

After seeing the whale shark for ashort time, we all climbed back intoour boat and continued to searchfor another. We repeated this untilthe three-hour tour limit was done.The whole exercise reminded me ofplaying underwater hockey whereinyou chase one another on the

surface and underwater, catching abreath of air then diving, sprintingusing the dolphin kick ascendingand repeating the same workout.

The second day, the weather wasmuch better with sunny, clear skiesand a cool breeze. Several boatswere already spotting whale sharksin front of the registration center.

We saw most of the whale sharksfarther out from shore, where theytended to dive deeper as dozens ofwatchers swam towards them. Butwith clearer visibility one can diveand see all the details of the whaleshark from tip-to-tip over and underthe water. The best part was seeingthe whale shark’s small eye look atyou and squint. One whale sharkhad its whole body covered with afamily of remoras, with the juvenileson top and adults underneath.

The influx of foreign divers hasalready marked Donsol as one ofthe world’s best whale shark sites,with guaranteed sightings during asix-month period from December toMay. The local government ofDonsol has instituted policies inorder preserve and protect theButandings and their naturalenvironment, ensure safety, andpromote security standards to allstakeholders.

After our all-morning adrenalinerush, our hunger needed to beattended to. We ate lunch at thenearby Baracuda Bar & Grill(spelled with a single “r”), whichoffered excellent Mediterranean-style seafood dishes. For appetizerwe ate fresh, lightly-marinated squidin vinegar, and for our main meal wehad steamed long clawed bluecrabs, specially marinated grilledprawns, pasta with pesto sauce andpasta with Baracuda’s specialtomato sauce.

We left Donsol the next morningaround 5:00 a.m. Upon reachingDaraga, we stopped by its hilltopchurch, Nuestra Señora de laPorteria. Built in the late 1700s, thechurch later became the worshipplace of Casagua’s townsfolk afterthe eruption in 1814. During theSecond World War, the church wasused as a local headquarters by theJapanese occupation, and it waslater destroyed. It was rebuilt againin 1971 in a similar style to itsoriginal construction.

Moving on we made a quick stop inthe town of Bato (stone) whereseveral stores along the highwaywere selling Bato Pancit (flat driedwheat noodles). They came in fourflavors: squash, malunggay, carrot,and regular. We bought a few packsof each to satisfy our curiosity anddrove on for breakfast at Nabua,where we decided to take a look atLake Buhi, about 40 minutes pastIriga City. Along the lakeside roadwe made a couple of stops to enjoythe view.

Upon reaching Quezon’s NationalForest, we decided to take the lesstraveled old road, passing throughthe park’s interior. The forest wasbeautiful, presenting its original oldtrees with thick foliage and hardlyany coconut palms. Although steepin grade, this road was much betterthan the decrepit diversion road.

Our trip to Donsol was well worththe long drive. Southern Luzon’scountryside is gratifying, making ourroad trip seem short, and the tripwould take decades to fade in ourmemory. Swimming with the whalesharks in their natural environmentand hearing the ecstatic laughter ofthe snorkelers after each encounterwere in itself a rewardingexperience—an encounter not to miss.

Left to Right: Wale shark. St. Joseph’s Church, Milaor. Water lilies at Lake Buhi.

44 S O U R C E S — F I R S T Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 1

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Our summer 2011 was miserable—rain,rain, clouds, cold, wind, but for sure, NO SUNin Belgium!

Not good for dive business, so time to sitback and be innovative instead of complaining.So I came up with a nice idea: We need a“Miss Water”!

Since there is a Miss Earth, it seems unfairthat there isn’t a Miss Water, especially sinceour blue planet is 70% covered with water, somore space to cover!

How to proceed, what to expect from her,how to organize? Questions came to my mind!After asking about three or four male friends,I already knew that it would NOT be a “MissWet T-Shirt” contest (even though that wasthe first thought of all of them), and so I consulted some female friends and guesswhat. Much better ideas came to the surface.

Two months later, we had created a seriousMiss Water event, happening during what wecalled our “Green Beach Day”!

Alongside our dive center, which is locatednext to a canal, we organized a full day of free water-sports, like canoeing, aqua-ball,water-tread-bikes, and of course the MissWater Election.

The candidates had to pass several activewaterskills tests, invent their own one-minutephoto-shoot (giving us immediate access tosome nice photos) and prove they were water-worthy. The winner went home with a freedive course (Deluxe Course package), somefree dive gear, a water-sport package includinga canoeing day-trip, all provided from otherevent sponsors.

Also a free underwater photo-shoot wasincluded (to which I invited former specialty

underwater photography students to updatetheir skills and participate in the next level:model photography!) Making this a win-winsituation, hunting for models for the underwater photo-shoot was not necessary,and believe me, we discovered that many budding underwater photographers want toparticipate in model photography.

The local press was invited to the event and covered it with utmost interest. You know, in these days of economic crisis anduncertainties, and all other bad things going on, there is a need for good news andpositive initiatives—and some free publicityfor our dive center!

Two weeks after the event, when the adrena-line rush calmed down, even more publicity

ideas came to my mind about how we couldpromote and use our New Miss Water, an 18-year-old lady who was fond of water and wasmore than energetic enough to take on anychallenge I brought to her.

The nice thing is that I have one year of time to spend promoting dive events with Miss Water, letting her present the image of active water-sports in person above andbelow the surface!

Cross-marketing the event is no problem asour local canoe shop and other water-sportrelated businesses could also use a “new” face and energetic person for promoting their events too. They all suffer the same consequences as we due to the economictimes that concern us all.

Marketing Tools: Organizinga Miss Water ContestBy Jean-Marc Claes, NAUI 40992


Jean-Marc Claes with the Miss Water contestants.


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As hurricanes and tropical storms continuedto slam the East Coast, the prospects for off-shore wreck diving were looking pretty bleak.In fact, the torrential rains and massive flood-ing made a mess of the beaches and inlandlakes as well, reducing visibility to somethingmore suited to Public Safety than recreationaldiving. It was starting to look like our localdivers would not be getting in the water at allover the Labor Day weekend.

As luck would have it, there was a big brightspot on the horizon, in the form of theNortheast Diving Equipment Group’s(NEDEG) annual Labor Day Weekend vin-tage- and working-equipment rally. NEDEG isa working-equipment group, meaning that its

members collect, restore, and dive all types ofmilitary and commercial diving gear—andwelcome recreational divers to join in on thefun. They gather every year, actually a coupleof times a year, at Dutch Springs, theNortheast’s favorite underwater amusementpark. The timing could not have been moreperfect, and conditions could not have beenbetter. Even though the water level was at leastfive feet higher than normal, visibility exceed-ed 50 feet, allowing us to dive all weekendlong, and more importantly, offer the oppor-tunity for anyone with a c-card the opportuni-ty to dive their choice of the most uniqueselection of diving gear that you have everseen—under the watchful eyes of the topsideand underwater safety crew.

One of the highlights of this year’s event wasa collection of vintage Russian military divingrigs from the private collection of NEDEGmember Fred Barthes and previously on dis-play at the New Jersey Maritime Museum inBeach Haven. Hardy souls had the opportunityto dive an authentic Russian surface suppliedthree bolt hardhat rig made in 1976 and avery unusual Russian Special Forces Frogmansuit from the 1960s, featuring self-containeddouble-hose open circuit scuba and a fullyintegrated suit with mask. It quickly becamevery clear that Russian Special Forces diverswere a breed apart; their gear certainly wasnot designed for comfort!

As always, there was a full array of hardhatand commercial diving gear of the surface-supplied-air variety, including the venerableU.S. NAVY MK V hardhat rig and an assort-ment of Kirby Morgan Superlite helmets,

along with a wide selection of specialty hel-mets from the military and commercial div-ing fields. Did we mention that you could divein anything you wanted? The hardest part waschoosing what you wanted to dive!Fortunately, the highly experienced topsidecrew can rotate divers through pretty quickly,some divers got to try as many as four differ-ent types of equipment over the course of theweekend. Oh, and it’s free with your paidadmission to the park. And in between hard-hat dives you are free to enjoy all of theincredible attractions that have made DutchSprings the Northeast’s favorite underwateramusement park. It’s pretty hard to beat adeal like that!

All of the helmets were complete with fullcommunications, allowing the divers to com-municate freely with the topside crew and thesafety divers, assuring all participants a safe,comfortable experience, along with someabsolutely incredible photo and video oppor-tunities. While you may have missed out onthis particular opportunity, don’t despair!NEDEG will be back at Dutch Springs for theMemorial Day weekend in 2012. What betterway to start the dive season than with a walkaround the park in a U.S. NAVY MK V? You’reright, I can’t think of anything either. Can’tmake it? You can keep up with NEDEG athttp://hardhatdivers.org/.

Bill Pfeiffer is the president of the LongIsland Divers Association:http://www.lidaonline.com/.

Northeast Diving Equipment Groupat Dutch SpringsBy Bill Pfeiffer, NAUI 45432

Lynda Cole gets ready to dive a Russian SpecialForces frogman suit from the 1960s.

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Answers on page 64

Scuba Crossword


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Note: The historical perspective of decom-pression sickness is abridged from Elliott and Vorosmarti, (2003) [1].

This article is limited to a discussion ofdecompression sickness (DCS) as a result oftissue supersaturation with inert gas. Thebroader term, decompression illness (DCI)includes DCS and arterial gas embolism(AGE). It is important to remember that AGEcan also occur in other, non-diving situations(i.e. various medical treatments).

PrologueIt was almost eight o’clock at night andeveryone in the group was tired, frustrated,and on edge. It had been a full day of experimental diving with one dive in themorning to 69 msw (meters seawater; 226 feetseawater) for 10 minutes and an afternoondive to 69 msw for 20 minutes. The internationalexperimental diving teams were hard at worktesting and validating new diving tables usingmilitary rebreathing equipment in 7°C/45°Fwater in the “wet pot” of the chamber.

The morning dive had gone well but followingdecompression to surface pressure after theafternoon dive almost everyone in the afternoondive team had high Doppler ultrasound bubblescores and one of the divers complained aboutshoulder pain. With successive Dopplers, thediving team bubble scores started to decreaseexcept the diver with the shoulder pain.Eventually his scores started to drop but hisshoulder pain persisted. Meanwhile, everyonewaited for a decision from the duty hyperbaricmedical officer and the chamber operatorsstarted going through the checklists for theflash-up of the treatment chamber, just incase. By this time all the hyperbaric physiciansin the building had shown up to help and thecommanding officer—also a hyperbaric

physician—nervously paced the hallwayswaiting for the results of the next Doppler. On one of his pacing rounds he walked intomy office where I was crunching data fromthe blood samples taken from the diversthroughout the day and said, “From now onit’s your priority to make some progress oncharacterizing reliable diagnostic biomarkersfor DCS.” As he walked away I could easilyunderstand the aggravation on his face andthe tone in his voice. With those words, heexpressed a general frustration of hyperbaricphysicians and established our experimentalgoals for the next four years.

Historical Perspective of DCS DiagnosisDiagnosis of decompression sickness (DCS)remains one of the most troublesome issues in military, commercial, scientific, and sportdiving. The earliest records of descriptivesymptoms of DCS appear to be those describedby British military engineer Charles Pasleyduring the recovery of the Royal George in1843, who reported, “a sort of paralysis” fromremaining too long underwater [2]. Studies of DCS symptoms in French caisson workersand coal miners by Jacques Triger and AndreBlavier [3, 4] described severe joint pains,numbing pain in the left or right side of thebody for extended periods and complete paral-ysis for 12 hours. In 1854, Pol and Watelle[5], observing the commonality of symptomsduring extreme exposures, finally establishedthe connection between the risk of DCS andthe variables of depth, time, and decompressionschedules. Then, in 1878 Paul Bert [6] notedthe wide range of symptoms in different workerson the same day and in the same workers ondifferent days and reported the effectiveness ofrecompression to relieve symptoms, followedby slow and careful decompression.

The advent of modern engineering techniquesfor bridges and tunnels in the early 1900sprompted John Scott Haldane’s staged decom-pression tables [7] based on the concept of modeled parallel-perfused theoretical compartments having different gas uptakeand release characteristics, in lieu of Bert’slinear tables. At the same time, Leonard Hill’sseminal study [8] methodically clarified the physiological issues surrounding DCS,resulting in the dispelling of many incorrecthypotheses that had accumulated for over two hundred years.

In the early 1930s, Guybon Damant of theRoyal Navy and Robert H. Davis (managingdirector of Siebe, Gorman & Co.) demonstratedthe efficacy of oxygen during decompression,and the Davis Submersible DecompressionChamber made it possible for the diver tosafely decompress in a dry environment [9].In the mid-1930s Albert R. Behnke of the U.S.Navy [10] conducted further experiments withthe use of oxygen in recompression therapy andproved its effectiveness. Important molecularphysiology studies have since shown that theuse of oxygen during decompression andrecompression therapy promotes multifacetedeffects in ameliorating or treating DCS [11].

During World War II, research centered onnucleation of bubbles and the pathophysiologyof DCS, resulted in more sophisticated tables(i.e., surface decompression) applied to differentdepths for longer times using exotic gasesmaking the diagnosis of DCS even more obscure.

In an effort to differentiate and better-diagnoseDCS for treatment, F. Campbell Golding in1960 introduced the concept of two differentgrades of DCS based on the severity and typesof symptoms in compressed air workers [13].Type 1 was considered “simple,” involving the

Diagnosis of Decompression Sickness:A history of what we know and a look at what we don’tBy Bruce Cameron, NAUI 4156.

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musculoskeletal system or skin, and Type 2was more “serious,” involving the centralnervous system or other organ systems. Adecade later, Kidd and Elliott recommendeddifferent treatments for Type 1 and Type 2,with treatment for arterial gas embolism(AGE) being the same as that for Type 2 [14].Although the U.S. Navy had assumed the useof the informal terminology for Type 1 & 2 inthe mid-1960s, official reference to their usein the U.S. Navy Diving Manual did notoccur until the early 1990s and is continuedto the present day.

Using a different approach to minimize theimpact on return-to-flight status, the U.S. Air Force classified minor numbness or paresthesia in a limb as peripheral neurologicalsystem DCS-Type 1 and NASA refined this system to include joint pain, peripheral nervous system or skin bends as Type 1 andsymptoms involving the central nervous system and the pulmonary/cardiovascular systems as Type 2 DCS. Essentially, operationalrequirements rather than objectively determinedsymptoms dictated DCS diagnosis and treat-ment. Not surprisingly therefore, since themajority of symptom presentations are notclear cut, the diagnostic use of an ambiguouslist of symptoms or manifestations for Type 1or Type 2 DCS is likely to be responsible forthe subjective nature of decisions concerningdiagnoses and treatments [15].

Although many navies including theCanadian Navy continue to recognize the difference in symptoms between Types 1 and 2DCS, the experience of “watching from thewings” while DCS was repeatedly redefineddue to operational requirements resulted in ageneral collective decision to utilize TreatmentTable 6 or 6A for all situations of decompres-sion illnesses (DCI). Ultimately however, theissues surrounding the fog of ambiguity inthe diagnosis of DCS are still as dauntingtoday as they were 150 years ago and thereare still “no universally accepted diagnosticcriteria for the diagnosis of DCS” [16].

A Current Perspective of DCSDiagnosisOnly a few laboratories continue to fine tunediagnostic criteria for DCS. Not surprisingly,one of the world’s leading study groups residesat Duke University and takes advantage of theexpanding huge database of the co-locatedDivers Alert Network. Using sophisticated statistical analyses, the Duke study group retrospectively examines important aspects of previous diving incidents to design newexperiments.

One important study by the Duke studygroup illustrated the difficulties encounteredby experienced hyperbaric physicians whenconfronted with uncertain DCS symptoms[17]. In that study, they reported that the reliability (level of agreement between 11members of an expert panel for 200 DCSvignettes) was 0.49 to 0.6, and that “any reliefafter recompression treatment” ranked thefourth most important factor out of 25 inmaking a DCS diagnosis. In effect, defaultingto treatment would be the fourth step in thediagnosis thinking process. Furthermore, re-examination of three of the 200 scenariosto test inter-rater consistency resulted inagreement levels of 0.3 for the very ambigu-ous case, 0.57 for the moderately ambiguousand 0.7 for symptoms that were clearly DCS or AGE. Their study went on to cite possiblesources of error that could have degraded the reliability of their model in a clinical setting that included error in assigning different factors equal weights of importancein diagnosis, use of a different rating method,physician fatigue, and incomplete informa-tion. They took particular pains to note that“all the important factors influencing devel-opment of DCS during clinical presentationare not known and this probably includes the

complete details of interrupted decompressionschedules,” decompression schedules devisedby deterministic or probabilistic methodology.They concluded that in the absence of a reliableand objective laboratory assay, hyperbaricphysicians should continue to refine sympto-matic diagnostic criteria to achieve a higherdegree of reliability and reduce the incidenceof “over-diagnosis bias” resulting in treatmentsby default. As a result, the take-home lessonappeared to be that achieving an approximate50% success rate in the correct diagnosis ofDCS requires all members of their expertpanel to be present when a patient arrives atthe emergency department for diagnosis.

Using DCS cases from the DAN-Duke divingincident databases, a more recent collaborativestudy conducted by researchers at theUniversity of California, San Diego and DukeUniversity in 2007 [16] tested and refinedsymptomatic criteria (called the SANDHOGcriteria; San Diego Diving and HyperbaricOrGanizations; a.k.a. a colloquial term forcaisson workers at the turn of the twentiethcentury) established by retrospective resolutionof U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy divingreports. The SANDHOG criteria were originallydeveloped for research studies in recognitionof the absence of a “defining” or “gold stan-dard” test for DCS, but it was hoped that thecriteria would help clinicians identify cases of DCS for a treat-no-treat decision. TheUCSD-Duke study group acknowledged, however, that although the SANDHOG criteria was a good and useful research tool,further development was required for use on a clinical basis [16].

In a letter to the editors of Undersea andHyperbaric Medicine in 2007, Richard D.Vann [18] pointed to conflicts between the

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SANDHOG study and the earlier Duke study[17] because similar criteria and personnelwere used in both studies. Although he did notsay as much, his comments suggested that theprimary requirement for “double-blindedstudy” was violated, something that theUndersea and Hyperbaric Medical Societywould consider a very serious study flaw. Inthat letter, Dr. Vann recapitulated that theabsence of an “independent diagnostic goldstandard” was a persistent problem.

A second letter to the editor by Donald R.Lamont of the British Government’s Healthand Safety Executive (HSE) related his ownexperience with the subjective nature of diagnosis of DCS in tunnel workers in the UKwhere “the decision to recompress is oftenmade by the medical lock attendant” beforethe hyperbaric physician arrives at the site[19]. Dr. Lamont did retrospectively examine428 DCI events from HSE database recordsusing SANDHOG criteria and reported aremarkable 98.6% fit of those events with the parameters of the SANDHOG criteria. Heconcluded his letter by stating that in searchof a true gold standard for DCS diagnosis, HSE had begun to assess the feasibility of real time monitoring of the effectiveness ofdecompression using Doppler ultrasound orsimilar imaging techniques. In this respect, it is important to note that Doppler has onlybeen used as a research tool.

In rebuttal, the authors of the SANDHOG studyclaimed that the use of similar strategies andpersonnel to diagnose DCS underscored the“correctness” of diagnosis criteria for that study[20]. Furthermore, they drew attention to thealmost perfect fit of Dr. Lamont’s data to theexperimental parameters of the SANDHOG criteria study. Similar to Dr’s Vann and Lamont,however, the authors of the SANDHOG studyreiterated in their letter that, “there is no truegold standard for the diagnosis of DCS”.

A very recent multi-center study in 2010using cluster analysis of DCS symptoms yield-

ed some interesting changes in the traditionalclassifications of Type 1 and Type 2 DCS [21].With the aid of computer-assisted statisticalpackages, the study created four groups (clusters) based on the similarities and differences of symptoms in each patient. The first cluster described patients with painonly. The second cluster indicated numbness,paresthesia (“pin and needles”), and skinsensitivity. The third described muscularweakness, paralysis, and bladder-bowel problems. Finally, the fourth depicted a large range of symptoms including fatigue,headache, dizziness, skin rash, nausea,chokes, altered consciousness, etc. Theauthors suggested that their results sharedmany similarities with the Perceived Severity Index (PSI), a method of symptomdiagnosis reported by the Duke study group in 2002 [22].

It is readily apparent that a great deal ofwork is currently underway by many hyperbaricphysicians/physiologists to refine symptomaticdiagnosis of DCS to the point where the guesswork is thinned to an imperceptible line and science contributes broad strokes toaccumulated knowledge. Yet, the underliningcomplaint voiced by all the authors of thesestudies is the absence of a “gold standard test.”

Notwithstanding the costs in terms of person-hours and logistics for patient transportationfrom a primary care emergency room to ahyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) facility for chamber treatment, it is important toremember that HBOT for DCS is expensive forthe HBOT facility in all aspects of operation,and also for the patient in terms of payment.In addition, the emergency nature of HBOTfor DCS can significantly disrupt the opera-tions of a medical and/or research chamber.As there are no reliable biological markers(biomarkers) to assist in a laboratory test forDCS, diagnosis relies entirely upon clinicalpresentation, optimally carried out by anexperienced hyperbaric physician using diagnostic criteria developed for research such

as in the SANDHOG and PSI study [16, 17,22]. In the majority of situations, however,primary-care emergency rooms are staffedwith personnel who have never seen DCS letalone recognize its symptoms.

Finally, it is important to remember that“diving medicine is not unique in the situationof being forced to make clinical diagnosis inthe absence of a defining or gold standard test to establish the diagnosis” [16]. In manysituations where symptoms of various diseasesand disorders were heretofore the only criteria,medical science used modern biological technology to discover biochemical tests andassays for clinical diagnosis of those ailments.

Future Perspectives of DCS DiagnosisRecently, hyperbaric physicians/physiologistshave suggested that although DCS symptomsmay appear outwardly uncertain, it is likelythat the diver’s innate immune system (firstresponse immune system) responds to thepresence of venous gas emboli (VGE) in theblood stream (decompression stress) almostimmediately.

In essence, an immune reaction to inert gasbubbles in the venous blood stream may besomewhat similar to what occurs during abacterial infection. The immunoinflammatoryresponse by the innate system mobilizes specialized cells in the blood stream that produce specific proteins (bio-messengers)meant to deal with the infection and alert theremainder of the circulatory system that thebacteria have been detected. As the infectionprogresses throughout the circulatory system,it is met by growing bodies of vigilant whiteblood cells lying in wait to ambush anddestroy it. The final role of the immunoin-flammatory response works to restore normalphysiological function.

Although a slightly different set of circum-stances exists during decompression stresscaused by VGE, it is likely that the processes ofimmunoinflammatory response and associatedbio-messengers are similar. Diagnosis of


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infection relies on the detection of both thebacteria and the bio-messengers in a bloodsample, but the absence of inert gas bubblesin a blood sample would make diagnosis difficult because only the bio-messengers arepresent after the VGE had likely diffused out of the blood sample while sitting on the labbench at atmospheric pressure.

Little is known about immunoinflammatoryresponse during DCS but a small subset of thebio-messengers in the blood stream duringDCS may represent the biomarkers required todiagnose DCS. Two principal tenets should beused to guide the experimental search fordiagnostic biomarkers: 1) they should be easier to assess than the corresponding clini-cal symptoms; and 2) their most importantcharacteristic is that they should occur morefrequently than the symptoms themselves[23]. With these guiding principles in mind,hyperbaric physicians/physiologists are readyto begin the experimental search for diagnos-tic biomarkers for DCS.

The scientific method dictates that beforeexperiments take place, questions must arisethat lead to hypotheses. Unless your name isEinstein, some hypotheses are un-testable due to inadequate technology but otherhypotheses can be tested by experimentsbecause the technology exists. The results ofthe experiments are analyzed and integratedwith previous research, generating new questions, hypotheses, and experiments.Although this painstaking process appears to suggest that scientists spend a great deal of time travelling in circles, it has been usedsuccessfully since Galileo.

Some of the questions that are currentlyplaguing hyperbaric physicians/physiologistsinclude: How different is the immunoinflam-matory response during decompression stressfrom that during the invasion of bacteria? Isthe restorative process of return to normalphysiological function from DCS the same asthat during infection? What is the first stimu-

lus action of VGE and what tissue(s) do theyact on? What are the roles of the white bloodcells during decompression stress?

Seeking answers to these questions may lackthe exotic attraction of stalking the lions ofthe cures for cancer and AIDS but it will be alively rabbit hunt.

References Cited[1] Elliott DH, Vorosmarti J. An outline of history ofdiving physiology and medicine. In: Brubakk AO,Neuman TS., ed. Bennett and Elliott’s, Physiologyand medicine of Diving 5th edition. Toronto, ON:Saunders; 2003:4-16.

[2] Bevan J. Letter to Admiralty, Pasley, CW. 1843.London: Submex; 1996.

[3] Triger AG. Lettre a M. Arago. Comptes Rendusde l'Acadamie des Sciences. 20:445-449; 1845.

[4] Blavier A. Rapport sur le procede suivi, aDouchy, pour transverser des nappes d'eau considerables. Ann. des Mines. 4(9):349-364;1846.

[5] Pol B, Watelle TJJ. Memoire sur les effets de lacompression de l'air appliquee au creusement despuits a houille. Ann D'hygiene Publique et deMedecine Legale 1(2):241-279; 1854.

[6] Bert P. Researches in experimental physiology,1878. Translated by Hitchcock, M.A and Hitchcock,F.A. Columbus, Ohio: College Book Company; 1943.

[7] Boycott AE, Damant GCC, Haldane JS. The prevention of compressed air illness. J Hyg Camb8:342-443; 1908.

[8] Hill L. Caisson Sickness. London: EdwardArnold; 1912.

[9] Hill L, Davis RH, Damant GC, Buckley FA.Admiralty Deep Diving and Ordinary DivingCommittee. RN Diving Report. London; HMSO;1930.

[10] Behnke AR, Shaw LA, Messer AC, ThomsonRM, Motley EP. The circulatory and respiratory disturbances of acute compressed-air illness andthe administration of oxygen as a therpaeutic measure. Am J Physiol:526-533; 1936.

[11] Thom SR. Oxidative stress is fundamental tohyperbaric oxygen therapy. J Appl Phys106(3):988-995; 2009.

[13] Golding FC, Griffiths P, Hempleman HV, PatonWD, Walder DN. Decompression sickness duringconstruction of the Dartford Tunnel. Br J Ind Med17:167-180; 1960.

[14] Kidd DJ, Elliott DH. Clinical manifestations andtreatment of decompression sickness in divers. In:Bennett R, Elliott DH. eds. Physiology and Medicineof Diving and Compressed Air Work. London:Bailliere Tindal and Cassell; 1969.

[15] Dutka AJ. Clinical findings in decompression illness: a proposed terminology. In: Moon RE,Sheffield PJ. eds. Treatment of DecompressionIllness: the Forty-fifth Workshop of the Underseaand Hyperbaric Medical Society. Kensington, MD:Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; 1996.

[16] Grover IR, Reed W, Neuman T. The SANDHOGcriteria and its validation for diagnosis of DCS arising from bounce diving. Undersea Hyperb Med.34(3)199-210; 2007.

[17] Freiberger JJ, Lyman SJ, Denoble PJ, PieperCF, Vann RD. Consensus factors used by experts inthe diagnosis of decompression illness. Aviat SpaceEnviron Med 75:1023-1028; 2004.

[18] Vann RD. Letters to the Editors: The SANDHOGcriteria and its validation for the diagnosis of DCSarising from bounce diving. Undersea and HyperbMed. 34(5):311; 2007.

[19] Lamont DR. Letters to the Editors: The SAND-HOG criteria and its validation for the diagnosis ofDCS arising from bounce diving. Undersea andHyperb Med. 34(5):312-313; 2007.

[20] Grover IR, Reed W, Neuman T. Letters to theEditors: The SANDHOG criteria and its validation forthe diagnosis of DCS arising from bounce diving.Undersea and Hyperb Med. 34(5):313-314; 2007.

[21] Ozyigit T, Egi SM, Denoble P, Balestra C, AydinS, Vann RD, Marroni A. Decompression illness medically reported by hyperbaric treatment facilities: Cluster analysis of 1929 cases. AviatSpace Environ Med. 81:3-7; 2010.

[22] Vann RD, Denoble PJ, Uguccioni DM,Freiberger JJ, Perkins R, Reed W, Dovenbarger J,Caruso J. Report on decompression illness, divingfatalities, and project dive exploration: DAN’s annual review. Durham, NC. Divers Alert Network;2002.

[23] Boissel JP, Collet JP, Moleur P, Haugh M.Surrogate endpoints: a basis for a rationalapproach. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 43:235-244; 1992.


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I went sailing last, week. Sailing over thegreens and light blues, dark blues andoranges, blacks, browns, whites, purples, andhundreds of other hues that make up theunderwater reefs of Cozumel, Mexico.

Cozumel lies about 20 miles off mainlandMexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The island, some 300 square miles, is a mecca fortourists, especially scuba divers.

My wife Sherie and I traveled there with twoother couples from Evanston, Wyoming, for aweek of diving and relaxation. My wife andher good friend, Amanda Linford, were the“non-divers”, while Rich and Corrie Carver,Darin Linford, and I were the divers.

We met up with Randy Beckmann, theirgood friend from Austin, Texas, and Deb and John Trotter, also from Austin. Deb wasworking on becoming a NAUI Master Diver.Divemaster Rich, and Master Divers Corrieand Darin, had been trained by Randy, whoteaches scuba diving in Austin.

I was fortunate to get on board for this tripwith this bunch of dive “junkies.” I call themdive junkies because they eat, breathe andsleep scuba diving. They’ve traveled aroundthe world scuba diving—from Florida toHonduras, and from the Galapagos Islands toPalau. I assured my wife I would be in goodhands, particularly since the divers fromEvanston were all medical professionals.

Joining us was “Pingo,” our Mexican dive-master, guide, and long-time friend of Randyand the dive “junkies.” Pingo, a 20-year veteran diving guide on the reef, started out as a dock boy, loading and unloading scubatanks from boats. He worked his way up tocaptain and eventually became a scuba guide.This small, jolly fellow is one of the premierguides on the island, and routinely spendsmore time underwater each year than on land.

Randy, having dived with Pingo for manyyears, has developed a great relationship withhim. Pingo and Randy were the life of theparty—you’ll need to bring your comedy “A-game” to fit in with this crowd. I had tostep up my sense of humor just to keep up.

The First DiveOur first dive started off a little rough. Whenwe came to the surface, our boat was beingtowed back to port, the whole back half of itunderwater. Remnants from the tropicaldepression had churned up the seas and thecaptain had taken a large swell over the sideand begun to sink. Another dive boat pickedus up and dropped us at the beach house.Pingo quickly lined up another boat, and wewere back to diving by 2 p.m.

When underwater, the sea life and its manycolors were no match for my senses, as Idrank in every single second of it. Sighting myfirst sea turtle was a real treat. I kicked over toit as it munched on some coral; I sat in aweand seriously had to restrain myself to keepfrom trying to hug it. Our group, having divedin Cozumel many times, said the visibility wasoff. I myself was astonished with the visibilityat more than 100 feet.

The fish inhabiting the reef were amazing.Over 250 types of tropical fish can be seen onthe reef, including the Splendid Toadfish,which is found nowhere else in the world.This fish, the face of which looks like a toad,has a purple body and purple whiskers underits chin, accented with yellow fins, and lovesto hide under the rocks. Pingo and Corriewere great at pointing them out.

The caves and swim-throughs were incredible.This labyrinth of passageways is at a perfectdepth for divers to explore. Known as PalancarCaves, the section is very popular with dive

shops on the island. Some of the swim-throughs take you deep inside the reef only to turn and pop you out in shallower water.

The tunnels harbor many types of fish, andsometimes creatures like moray eels. Onegiant green eel we saw was at least 10 feetlong and more than a foot in diameter. Afterstretching out underneath an overhangingreef, it was a little nerve-wracking comingface-to-face with one of those. Rich took thelead and shot some great video of the creature.

Sailing UnderwaterSailing is a term the dive junkies refer to rorflying over the reef while diving in a strongcurrent. The current, unusually strong for thistime of year in Cozumel, was strong enoughto drift us more than a couple miles on a 45-minute dive. We were able to see hugeamounts of the ocean bottom on those dives.

That first drift dive was a little intimidating,but I soon got the hang of it. It was as if Iwere flying over the reef, sailing in thin air.We would drop down behind rocks or coralheads to check out stuff, then ascend back upinto the current and sail on to the next thingto look at. One thing I tried that Darin showedme was floating upside down in the currentwith the reef rushing past my head. It was better than any IMAX 3D movie could ever be.

The wall of the reef is where the island’s landmass drops off to the depths of the ocean. Wedived several walls during the week and it was,to say the least, amazing. The only thing Ican draw a comparison to is perhaps to be atthe Grand Canyon, run to the edge and jumpoff—and then just float there. And whenyou’re just floating there, every square inchbelow is covered with some type of life,whether it’s fish, coral, anemones, sponges,sharks, or turtles. Looking down, you’re looking

The Deep Blue of Cozumel throughthe Eyes of a “First-Time Diver”By Mark Tesoro, Special to the Evanston Herald

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into a thousand or more feet of the deep blue,a deeper blue than you’re ever seen before.

Protecting the Sea LifeThe marine life on the reefs grows to excep-tional sizes. The reefs, protected as a nationalmarine park sanctuary, allow the coral, fish,and other sea life to grow relatively undisturbed.In the marine park, fishing and spear-gunning is prohibited, and nothing can be touched or removed. This approach to protecting the reef has paid off in a big way.The creatures of the reef have grown to begiants. I was fortunate to see many of them. I saw large groupers as big as a loveseat andlobsters that put any lobster in a restaurant to shame. One specimen had a tail as large as a football and stretched to over six feet,including its antennae.

A Turtle in the SoupThe highlight of my trip was a giant sea turtle asleep under the reef. On our night diveRich dropped down to an overhanging sectionof the reef. There, wedged up under the reef,was an enormous sea turtle, looking largerthan a king-size bed, with a head as large asa giant pumpkin.

Rich signaled all of us over to him, and wetook turns shining our lights under the reef.The turtle opened one eye just for a moment,looked at all of us, closed its eye and wentback to sleep. Pingo estimated the turtle to benearly a century old, the second largest he’dever seen. It would be hard to imagine thesize of the bigger one he’d seen.

The trip was so incredible for me, it’s hard todescribe in words. Columbia Deep, CasaBlanca, Palancar Caves, Cedral Wall, andChankanab are all incredible places underthe sea I can’t wait to get back to.

As far as being hooked on scuba diving, it’shook, line, and sinker for me. I’m workingon becoming a dive junkie. Until nexttime—See you on the bottom.

More about my adventure can be found atwww.cozumelbeachhouse.com andwww.beckmannscuba.com.

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As winter approaches and much of my localLong Island dive community mourns thepassing of yet another dive season, there is asmall but growing contingent that prefers to“make lemonade” as it were, and make thebest of the situation.

Sure, you can plunk down thousands of dollars, and plan trips to remote tropical destinations (which is actually not as awfulas it sounds), or you can look around you forwinter diving opportunities that will not costyou an arm and a leg, and best of all, willallow you to get in the water virtually anytime you like, all winter long.

Your winter diving options are limited onlyby your training and equipment. Basic beachdives are virtually the same in the winter asthey are in the summer, with the exception of colder water. Add a dry suit and a goodhood and gloves, along with the appropriatetraining of course, and your favorite localbeach is accessible all year around.

When you are ready to move to the nextlevel, you will find a select group of local dive boats ready to go. In my area, the SeaHawk, which normally runs out of Freeport,Long Island, moves to the North Shore for the winter and makes Sunday runs into theLong Island Sound as long as weather permits (http://www.seahawkdive.com/).Their bottle runs are legendary; you need to try it at least once!

The Side Kick moves from Shinnecock toMontauk and runs all winter as weather

permits, hitting selected sites in the LongIsland Sound and around Block Island(http://www.seaturtlecharters.com/).

And let’s not forget our friends from NewJersey! The Sea Lion runs out of Brielle, andis available for weekday or weekend trips anytime of the year (http://www.atlantic-wreck-divers.com/). All you need is four divers foryour own private charter, or check their web-site for scheduled trips.

Now that you are totally comfortable in cold water, you may want to consider whatmany consider to be the “Holy Grail” of winter diving. That’s right, we’re talking about ice diving. There are several local shopsin my area that offer this specialty, including QC Scuba (http://www.qcscuba.com/), Kings County Divers(http://www.kcdivers.com/), and Captain Mike’s Diving (http://captainmikesdiving.com/). Dive shopsand instructors can provide the training andequipment guidance that will allow one tosafely enjoy this incredible experience.

The best part is, the training and equipmentwill allow you to extend your local dive season as long as you like. And that can’t be bad.

Bill Pfeiffer is an independent NAUIinstructor and the president of the LongIsland Divers Association. To contact Bill,email [email protected] or find him onfacebook.com/profile.php?id=1061841085

Winter DivingBy Bill Pfeiffer, NAUI 45432


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Threat to the ReefWhen the 422-foot Vandenberg was sunk onMay 27, 2009, the three iconic antennae/dishes broke loose. Two were quickly anchored“temporarily” to the deck with cables beforethe vessel could be opened to the diving public. The smaller “dish” was anchored on the starboard side just behind the bridgecomplex. The larger, with the “swim-through” in the middle, was anchored on the port side near the forward portion of the aft superstructure. A third, the smallestantenna, had dropped to the 140-foot bottomand was subsequently raised by tech diverRandy Pekarik (a/k/a the Viking) and moved to the “balloon hanger” in the aftsuperstructure facing the stern.

By late April 2011 the Florida Keys MarineSanctuary (FKMS), which is responsible forthe protection of our fragile coral reef systems,had become increasingly concerned that thehastily cabled anchoring of the two anten-nae/dishes, immediately following the sinkingof the Vandenberg, might not be sufficient tokeep the antennae on the ship in the event ofa hurricane (hurricane season is June toNovember). This concern was voiced by a representative of the FKMS to a gathering thatincluded concerned Key West divers, dive boatoperators and Jim Fitton, U.S. Coast Guard(retired) and the Port and Transit Director ofthe City of Key West. The City of Key West“owns” the Vandenberg and would thus beliable if the dishes broke loose and damagedour endangered coral reef.

Problem Solving or Addressing the Threat Subsequently a “planning” meeting, toaddress the Vandenberg dish issue was heldon May 12, coordinated by the highly pro-active Jim Fitton and Captain Joe Weatherby.

Weatherby is the visionary who acquired the Vandenberg and, after some 15 years ofstruggle, brought her to and had her sunkabout seven miles off Key West. With its sinking the Vandenberg became the secondlargest artificial reef in the world, the firstbeing the 888-foot aircraft carrier Oriskanysunk some 21 miles off Pensacola in theFlorida Panhandle. The third largest artificialreef, the 510-foot Spiegel Grove, had beensunk five and a half miles off Key Largo, in the upper Florida Keys.

A three-stage plan evolved that would (1) identify the problem; (2) determine the corrective actions needed to secure the “loosely” held dishes; and (3) secure the dishes to insure they would not “threaten” the reef. Once completed a “report”, recordingthe accomplishment photographically and inwriting would be provided to both the City ofKey West and the FKMS. As “father” of theVandenberg, Joe Weatherby was the logicalchoice for the overall coordinator of the volunteer effort, but the real expertise was pro-vided by Jon Hazelbaker, a commercial diverand owner of Hammerhead Marine Services.The Key West Dive Operators and concerneddivers, all volunteers, pledged to provide whatever assistance they could in the form ofdivers, dive boats, and the contribution ofmoney to acquire the materials required.

Fixing the ProblemCaptain Hazelbaker, because of his marineand diving expertise, became the de-facto

leader of the “Secure the Dishes” volunteerteam. His preliminary undertaking was to examine both dishes to determine how they could best be secured to the Vandenbergand what material would be required to accomplish that anchoring. He then coordinated his findings with Key West Port Director Fitton and ordered the initialmaterial required. In mid-June the first step inthe anchoring project had been accomplishedwith the placing of a section of “I” beamgirder in the middle of the smaller right sidedish and securing it to the deck behind themain portion of the forward superstructure.

Subsequently the City of Key West, thanks toPort Director Fitton, contributed $10,000 foradditional galvanized chain, cables, shackles,turn-buckles, and other essential anchoringsupplies. By mid-August the larger, left-sidedish had been satisfactorily secured with threenew cables. Two additional anchor cables hadalso been attached to the smaller right-sidedish. (SEE: “Vandenberg Satellite DishSecured for Hurricane” on YouTube.Com—a nine-minute video of the June 15th anchoring of the smaller right side dish.)

While the anchoring project secured thesteel “mainframe” of the antennae to theVandenberg, the aluminum meshing or “spider webs” of the antennae, was anothermatter. The meshing, as a result of electroly-sis, has been dissolving for some time andeventually only the steel skeletons of theantennae will remain. Nonetheless it will likely

The Vandenberg’s “Dishes” have been Secured!By Dr. Denny Howley, NAUI 32478

I just returned form the most amazing tripto the Flower Garden Banks National MarineSanctuary. This diving spot must be the bestkept secret among divers. The Flower Gardensconsist of three separate areas: West Bank,East Bank, and Stetson Bank, all locatedbetween 70 and 110 miles off the coast ofTexas. Along on the trip was my dive instructorand best diving buddy, Randy Beckmann andone of Randy’s former students, Oscar Bauer.This was the first time Oscar and I had beento the Gardens.

We departed from Freeport, Texas, on the MVFling, a 100-foot aluminum-hull crew-boatrefitted for scuba diving. After a briefing ondive safety and boat procedures, we headedout and motored all night, arriving at theEast Banks around 6 a.m. Saturday morning.Everyone was awakened to the sound of“Divers, time to get up and dive, dive, dive!”

Although I was a little intimidated at first(especially after reading all the literatureabout how strong the currents can be andhow this is not for beginning divers) all myfears were soon relieved. What an amazingdive! After a briefing about currents, best wayto navigate, etc. I was already beginning tocalm down and realize that I could do this.Although the current was strong in places, itwas not too difficult, and I found navigatingrelatively easy. One difference from this diveand my drift dives in Cozumel was there wasno boat following our bubbles. We had to get

back to the boat on our own! This was not aproblem since we followed the suggestion ofour Divemaster and navigated by a basicwagon wheel type pattern.

The coral was so awesome—brain, spinyflower, and star corals all looking so healthyand LOTS of it. I saw the biggest barracuda Ihave even seen. It looked like it was licking itslips ready to eat Randy for lunch! I toldRandy I put barracuda attractant in his BC.

After two dives at the East Banks, we movedto an oil platform during our surface interval.Who would ever imagine there was so muchgoing on under the platform? I always picturedit as a platform with four legs, and that’sabout it. No. There are so many beams, crossbeams, pipes, and working parts, it lookedlike beam city underneath. The rig is a natu-ral base for coral formations and is teamingwith marine life. We saw more barracuda,jack cravelle, grouper, knobbed porgies, long-spined sea urchins, and tons of other fish Idon’t know the names of. This was also my100th dive. What a milestone.

Our next two dives were at West Banks. Aswe made our way down the anchor line webegan seeing more barracuda and chubs.Once on the bottom at about 60 feet, we sawhard coral, anemones, and sponges.

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take six months to a year before the meshingon the larger left-side dishes completely dissolves. The smaller right-side dish isalready just a skeleton. The antennae skeletons, which are the special uniqueness of the Vandenberg, will remain.

ConclusionThe Vandenberg is an awesome dive experience and, as this volunteer effortdemonstrated, the pride of our dive community. Key West’s diving community in conjunction with the city of Key West andthe Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaryviews this recent anchoring effort as a “benchmark” in both community cooperation and in insuring the future protection of our fragile coral reef.

If you have not visited Key West or dived the Vandenberg don’t miss the opportunity to do so. There are activities for the entirefamily, and each dive is a different experience.Not only does the varied sea life continue to grow, but your dive experience can varyconsiderably. On a calm, good visibility day,using two tanks, you’ll be able to see theentire superstructure at depths that vary from the 96-foot deck to 50 feet along theupper portions of the superstructure. Whenthe current is kicking, which happens sometimes, even a more fun dive is possible.Using gloves, you can pull yourself into thecurrent on the deck railing to the halfwaypoint in your gas consumption and then do a drift dive back to the assent line.

NAUI Instructor Dr. Denny Howley hasbeen diving since 1961. He is the author ofThe Business of Dive Boat Dive Mastering.He was also one of the true believers whosupported Joe Weatherby in getting theVandenberg to Key West. Ssome 15 yearsago, Denny was one of the survey divers,who swept the planned 140 feet sink sitewith metal detectors to insure suitabilityfor the sinking of the “artificial reef”Vandenberg. To date he’s logged some 70dives on the Vandenberg.


Time to Dive! Dive! Dive!Flower Garden Banks NationalMarine SanctuaryBy Deborah Trotter (NAUI Master Scuba Diver)

Dive! Dive! Dive!(continued on page 57)


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Cave diving is a high-risk activity involvingsophisticated technical equipment, appropriatesafe techniques, and being psychologicallycomfortable, all evolving around the mostimportant tool—the dive plan. Without aplan to work with, your dive becomes a substance of no information, unorganized, no purpose, no discipline, and unsafe. It canbe an accident waiting to happen.

Examining every certified cave diving accident that has occurred in the westernhemisphere since the first cave diving certification was issued in 1970, virtuallyevery accident can be traced back to a poor, or inadequate dive plan.

You will discover that always something wasnot identified, discussed or recognized, as a“what if” potential for the dive.

Planning the Dive For a cave dive to be safe and enjoyable, it needs to be organized and well thought out before the dive begins. The first step is collecting all available information about the dive site, including water temperature,expected visibility, maximum depth, hazards,and entries and exits to and from the water.Make sure all tanks are full of gas, all lightsare charged or with fresh batteries, and everything is in good working order. Agreeingwith a compatible diving partner on time andlocation to meet, travel arrangements, andemergency information is an essential part of planning the dive properly. In addition,plans to make the dive better, safer, and morefun might include food, refreshments, andany specialized activities such as photographyor videography.

The dive plan is a solid foundation. It is amental rehearsal of the actual dive, taking inconsideration for all possible situations orproblems that could occur. Planning for contingencies makes it easier and safer torespond to each potential event.

Drawing a Blueprint Know your limitations and the restrictions

imposed by the dive site, carryout tasks, andmanage all human resources.

Knowing your limitations is a challengingundertaking. Many factors need to be considered, such as training, experience, age, comfort level, and, most importantly,physical condition. Recognizing yourstrengths and weaknesses is important to howyou plan the dive. Personal conditions such as body weight, smoking, use of alcohol,hydration, exercise, and being emotionally in control all are integral considerations forplanning a safe and responsible dive.

Each dive site is different. Dive sites offer a wide variety of terrain and physically challenging access to the water. It is easy toforget that entering the water may not be easyor straightforward. Of course, once entered,the dive site must also be exited; pay attentionto egress options as you contemplate the divesite. Luckily, most popular dive sites offer relatively easy access or the landowners havemade the entry and exit points easy and safe.Remote dive sites will require research andcloser investigation.

Other important considerations dictating theaccess to the dive site will include the numberof people in the dive team. Though the teamis limited to three divers, this may still be afactor for accessibility.

Communication is another important part ofplanning the dive. Problems in communicationcan result from a lack or sudden removal oflight, sudden change in visibility, buddy separation, confusion, or poor signaling dueto a lack of discussion and agreement.Communication is not easy in the overheadenvironment, and it should be practiced often,particularly when there are changes in divepartners. It is always advisable to keep themethods of communication simple.

Responsibilities within the cave-diving teammust be assigned and clearly understood. Whowill run the reel? Who will assist the diverwith the reel during the exit? The preparationfor the dive, with matching of equipment, thesafety drill, and discussion of the “what if”incidents, is a vital part of planning.

These and all other factors need to be clearlydiscussed before the dive. Careful preparationfor the unlikely occurrence of any potentialproblems such as equipment failure, a physical problem of a diver, or otherunplanned event, will make the differencebetween a successful dive and a dive ending in anguish and failure.

The Dive Plan1. Has an effective plan been developed?2. Who will be involved in the dive?3. Does every team member know and recognize their limitations and resources?

4. Will the dive require additional risk assessments?

5. What responsibilities does each teammember have and is it understood?

6. What contingencies (the “what ifs”) areplanned for?

Inspect• Tanks• Air/gas supply• Environmental suit• Mask and fins (spare mask)• Regulators• Manifolds/valves• Buoyancy device with power inflator• Primary light• Back-up lights• Reels/spools• Computers/dive tables• Slate/directional markers• Back plate and harness• Pressure gauge(s)• Cutting devices. (“z” knife, medical shearsand/or a short, sharp knife.)

• Compass

The Think PlanBy Steve Gerrard, NAUI 5608

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• EANx bottle(s)• Oxygen bottle• Stage bottle• Your buddy• Yourself

Identify• Weather conditions• Water conditions• Depth• Visibility• Current• Time• Distance• Temperature• Restrictions• Intersections• Offshoot lines• Silty conditions• The cave system configuration• Entry hazards• Exit hazards• Tannic water or hydrogen sulfide• Halocline• Algae blooms• Pollution

Communicate• Hand signals• Light signals• Touch contact• Emergency procedures• Line/reel protocol• The dive team• Team leader• Other cave teams• Land owners• Local law enforcement

Control• Buddy system• References• Change in plan• Decompression profile

Purpose of Dive• Training• Sightseeing• Surveying• Exploration• Videography• Photography • Stage dive

• Scientific collections• DPV• Sidemount

The Post-Dive ReviewThe post-dive review is an important aspect

of the total dive. It provides the opportunity foreach team member to express himself aboutwhat was enjoyable and what may need to beimproved. It is usually held at the surfacebefore leaving the water. It provides an oppor-tunity to rest after the dive, allowing the bodyto purge nitrogen that was induced during thedive before the strenuous exit from the waterand packing of the gear. It is also an opportunityto record pertinent information on the slates.Future dives can be improved by discussing thecurrent one. The team can talk about the features of the cave they have just seen.

Once the post-dive review has been completed,the cave dive team can cherish the satisfactionand enjoyment of their safe cave diving experience.

Once again, the coral was amazing; you couldbarely see the ocean floor for all the moun-tains of coral. Among the fish were angelfish,trunkfish, squirrelfish, triggerfish, andChristmas tree worms. I also saw a couple ofspotted eels and slipper lobsters. Randyshowed Oscar how to video Christmas treeworms coming out.

After our last dive on Saturday, we enjoyed R & R rather than doing the night dive.Throughout our trip we were treated to someexcellent food. Our cooks, JT and Wendyworked really hard to make sure we were allwell fed. This is not five-star, but you willnever go hungry. So much for my diet. Greg,an instructor and permanent employee, wasalways fast to refill our tanks to make sure wewere always ready for the next dive. I had thepleasure of getting to talk to Greg while he

was filling tanks. He gave me a lot of gooddiving tips and I could tell he enjoyed his job.

Our last two dives were equally awesome butvery different from the previous dives, Aftermotoring overnight, we arrived at StetsonBanks which sits on top of a salt dome.Stetson Banks looked like nothing I have everseen before. Randy had described it as lookinglike a bombed out city. I thought it looked likeanother planet or a moonscape. Because theStetson Bank is four degrees cooler than theWest and East Banks, it has more spongesthan corals. We saw fire coral and green cactuscoral. There seemed to be a wider variety offish at Stetson Bank. I saw plenty of trunkfish,parrotfish, and angelfish. This might soundfunny, but one of the highlights of this diveoccurred as we were ascending up the anchorline making one of our staged safety stops. We

were the last divers to ascend, and all the fishseemed to be congregating below and aboveus. We saw a huge school of jacks that lookedalmost like one gigantic fish from our vantagepoint. There were also tons of angelfish andporgies. Just think, we were the only threedivers in the water within a hundred miles!Unlike other dive destinations, the Fling wasthe only diving boat for miles and miles. Thatwas pretty awesome, I think.

Our last dive came too soon of course. As wemotored our way back to Freeport, all I couldthink of was I am glad I found out about thisbest kept secret and am a NAUI Scuba Diver.

For more information, log on to:http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/

Dive! Dive! Dive! (continued from page 55)

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At a time when the economy is flagging,many turn away from their dreams. Instead,Craig Smart, diver, dive boat captain, scubainstructor, and bike enthusiast seized theopportunity to open a new business in anindustrial complex at 3000 Highridge Road inBoynton Beach, Florida. He named the newenterprise “Smart Fills” with the motto: “ABreath of Fresh Air for the Dive Industry.”

“There are a few things we still have to do,”Captain Craig said from an air-conditionedoffice off the compressor room/tank storagearea. He has turned a vacant space into awell-ordered, high volume fill station facilityfor compressed air and mixed gas diving.

“I have a contract already to fill tanks for anindustrial company that uses them to power

their sprayers. Two days a week, early morn-ing, I pick up the tanks, fill them and returnthem.” Since Craig captains his own diveboat, Starfish Enterprise, out of the BoyntonBeach Municipal Marina with trips leaving at9 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. weekends, earlymeans really early.

“I took advantage of the opportunity whenNitrox Express in Lake Worth closed. I boughttheir high volume nitrox and air compressors,high-pressure storage banks, and equipment.”The new enterprise required inspections andcertifications from the City of Boynton Beachas well as air standard certification and quar-terly purity testing. Modification of the spacewas necessary to accommodate storage fordive equipment and supplies.

Basic elements for diving include instruction,fills for scuba cylinders, and a means of get-ting to dive sites. Captain Craig Smart is nowable to offer full-service to his customers.Some of the best reefs in the world are locatedabout a mile offshore of Boynton Beach,Delray Beach, Lake Worth, and nearby communities up and down the coast. Thesereefs are not accessible from the beach. The meandering Gulf Stream often brings a prevailing northerly current. That meansdivers do a drift dive. Craig can take them tothe site, they jump off and descend about 50feet to the top of the reef and go with the flowof the current. Craig follows their flags andpicks them up when they surface.

There are days when there is no current onthe offshore reefs, days when eddies of theGulf Stream take divers south, days when theGulf Stream rips along at three and moreknots heading north. It is a fickle currentwhen seen in satellite imagery from outerspace. Infrared pictures beamed back fromsatellite cameras show the Gulf Stream andsurrounding Atlantic Ocean waters in shadesof red and blue. The Gulf Stream brings warmwater in great swirls that eddy off the mainstream. It is unique diving that also makesevery dive different. Large ocean creaturescome into the Gulf Stream and frequent off-shore reefs in search of food. Reef life shelterson the ledges and niches of the reef. Coralitself supports all manner of life underwater.

Just as fickle as the Gulf Stream is retail divebusiness. With the advent of home shoppingvia computer on the internet, many diversdon’t frequent their local shops. Often prospec-tive purchasers come into a retail dive store, tryon equipment, ask questions, then leave to gohome and purchase the gear cheaper online.

Many online sellers have no “brick-and-mortar” facility and so no substantial over-

Smart Fills Opens in Boynton BeachBy John Christopher Fine, NAUI 4431

Craig Smart in front of mixed gas storage cylinders

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head. Local businesses have to pay taxes,commercial insurance, telephone and utility,advertising fees, and rent. To pay the rentalone, a small storefront business must sellsome $7,000 worth of equipment at a fairmark-up every month.

What divers cannot get around is the need toget their tanks filled then get out diving onthe reefs. While any new business enterprisetoday is fraught with trepidation, just as soonas Craig received his permissions from theCity of Boynton Beach and his air and mixedgas facility was certified, he started work. Notonly does he fill his own rental tanks used bydivers on his and other local dive boats, heserves the needs of divers throughout the area.

The compressed air or mixed gas is stored in banks of large cylinders. Craig has linesrunning from his two main compressors torows of large storage cylinders in a separateroom. The room also serves as his shop andrepair station.

“We were lucky since this room and the front office were air conditioned and alreadypartitioned off. We had to modify the spacehere to allow for extra storage and create aloft,” he said. “Two groups of nitrox storagecylinders contain the standard mixes, 36%and 32% oxygen. We have a separate bank for

standard compressed air.” Dive cylinders canbe filled off the compressors or from thebanks of storage cylinders.

Craig had a regulator apart on his work-bench and was replacing O-rings and seals.He is certified in regulator and equipmentrepair by various manufacturers, and he has equipped his shop with testing equipmentto keep divers’ equipment repaired and ingood order.

Large Mako Bamo 6 compressors enableSmart Fills to replenish storage banks quickly.A membrane system has been installed thatremoves nitrogen from the air and enableshigher oxygen percentages to be prepared fora diver’s breathing cylinder. It is a state of the art system that replaced previous partial-pressure filling techniques that required purchase of large cylinders containing pure oxygen that was then mixed to the blend requested.

Smart Fills is prepared to handle high volume as divers need tank fills, especially on busy weekends. Smart Fills is a new highlight for Boynton’s redevelopment planwith emphasis on maritime pursuits.

Photos by John Christopher Fine copyright 2011

Left: Craig Smart at regulator repair station. Right. Craig Smart and Diane Balsara working in the office of Smart Fills

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It takes a lot of scuba diving to feel comfort-able underwater. Even highly trained andexperienced divers can get into situationswhere they feel uncomfortable. I overheard a well-known dive instructor ask one of hisstudents before their first open water oceandive together: “Do you feel any little butterfliesin your stomach?”

It was a nice way to make the diver smileand to bring to the fore any anxiety a studentmight be feeling prior to the first real diveafter being trained in a swimming pool. Pools are fine for training. Heated indoorpools are the only means instructors whoteach over winter in northern climates have of teaching skills of an entry-level course.Transition to open water diving, whether anocean or freshwater experience, can createanxiety for many students.

Not every skill can either be taught orlearned the first time. Some people feel verycomfortable underwater without a mask.Others never get used to it. Some, despite yearsof diving, dislike or even fear having theirmask off underwater. But it is a fundamentalskill requirement that should be mastered aspart of one’s beginning course.

Mask clearing, regulator removal, using finsproperly, surface dives are all basic skills thatshould be mastered before a dive student canbe certified. Too often basic skills are passedover too quickly by instructors, often thosewho, themselves, never were properly trained.Finning underwater with flailing hands and a bicycle kick is not efficient. Using fins in with a smooth scissor motion adds to efficiency and comfort. Students need to learn to do it right.

Some new divers dart around underwater,swimming fast here and there without takingtime to look at anything. They signal thatthey are low on air after fifteen minutes. Itgoes back to training or lack of proper training.

Taking time with a student in the classroomand pool work is very important. Moderntraining aids all have their place but neversubstitute for the personal relationship a diverdevelops with the instructor.

There is, of course, the commercial nature of society in our modern world. Life in generalbecomes a hurry-up approach to everything.The now generation created a pattern thatsome diver certification agencies have boughtinto. Being able to run students through aquickie program in a dive shop, let them sit at a video monitor, ask questions if theyunderstand enough to even have any, andtake quick quizzes may have its place, but itcan’t replace a good, conscientious instructor.

Most students, given the opportunity andchoice, will seek out instructors who offerthem personalized training. If the training isdisciplined and basic skills are drilled then thediver will become a good diver. A good diver isalso an ambassador for the instructor.

A big joke among instructors and divemasterswho take U.S. trained divers underwater at

resorts and dive sites around the world is theperson that shows up with a dive wallet fullspecialty course certifications, then fumblesover basic skills and is a peril underwater. The certification card is not as important asexperience. That is why some dive resorts aska newly arrived guest to present their logbook.Keeping a log is fun and provides a helpfulrecord of dive conditions and training.Logging dives should be encouraged. Most kits provided by the training agencies includea starter logbook as one of the standardcourse materials.

Stressing basic stills and drilling them untila dive student is proficient and comfortable in the water is important. Making the entiretraining experience fun is also important.

Everybody’s idea of what’s fun is different.Some like to sit at home and read the comics;others wake early and drive long distances toboard a dive boat that will take them out inthe ocean to dive on a shipwreck. Everybodyhas an opinion.

If I were the instructor I’d do what I’vealways done. Take time to ensure basic skillsare properly taught and properly learned. Usethe open water dive experience to reinforceevery aspect of training and, if necessary,schedule additional dives with the student to increase their comfort zone if they are notcomfortable—even though they may be ableto perform the basics, although marginally,and otherwise meet all the requirements for certification.

The diver certification card is only a piece of plastic after all. Though only a beginning,it’s a symbol of achievement. With it comes a key to discovery of the ocean world.

Diving Instruction: Back to BasicsBy John Christopher Fine, NAUI 4431

Photo caption: David Ochs briefs divers.Photo credit: Photo by Myriam Moran, © 2011

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Eastern traditional medicine is becomingpopular worldwide. The Chinese and Indiantraditional medicines that rely on usingherbal and natural product are on the rise.One of the popular extracts used in the easterntraditional medicine is sea cucumber extract.Sea cucumbers are an animal with appearancesimilar to the common vegetable cucumber.They live peacefully on the sea floor eatingdetritus or rotting small organisms.

Sea cucumbers are animals of the echino-derm phylum or, simply translated, animalswith spiny skin. There are many species in thesea. Some spend the whole of their life as filterfeeders, and some have part of their life livingas filter feeders and another part of their lifefeeding on the sea bottom as benthic feeders.

The first time I met them was in 1991; it wasalso the first time I started snorkeling. Theylooked quite terrible to me as they were evensaid to resemble extra-large leeches, theblood-sucking freshwater parasite. After reallygetting to know them better while working onthe coral reef for my final-year thesis, I cameto understand the importance of this sluggishspecies to the marine ecosystem.

The habitat of the sea cucumbers variesaccording to the species and its feeding habit.Some live among corals while others prefersandy bottoms or muddy substrate. Most of thecommon species on the tropical reefs inhabitthe sandy bottom adjacent to the coral reefs,especially the sand up against the reef edge,hiding under the reef or the sand and comingout to feed at their preferred feeding time.They swallow detritus with sand and extractnutrients from it before ejecting the sandywaste through their behinds. This action issaid similar to the action of vacuum cleaners:the sea cucumbers extract the waste and sendout clean sand. Sea cucumbers that burrowinto the sand also serve as the earthworm ofthe sea by reworking the sea bottom and help-ing in exchanging the dissolved gasses.

Studies done on the body content of the seacucumber showed that the protein content ofthe sea cucumbers’ dried body wall is highwith protein and amino acids like lysine andarginine. The amino acids are essential elementsfor keeping good health. The knowledge of thesea cucumber extract content and its uses forhealth has created a demand that endangersthe sea cucumber population in many areasworldwide. Collection of sea cucumbers isquite intensive in some places, and in somecases has severely depleted their population.

Efforts have been carried out worldwide to protect and conserve these species and atthe same time produce them for human con-sumption. Various scientists and entrepreneurshave carried out hatchery work—breedingand releasing sea cucumbers in the wild. Thetwo common species that have been successfullybred are temperate sea cucumber species,Apostichopus japonicus in China and the tropical Holothuria scabra in the Maldivesand Vietnam. I started working on sea cucumberbreeding in 2006, working with two localMalaysian species: Selenka's sea cucumber(Stichopus horrens) and the Garlic bread seacucumber or “sand fish” (Holothuria scabra).The first species is important in the productionof Malay traditional medicines; and the second, for its place in the international commercial market.

In the Department of Fisheries Malaysiawhere I work, we are tasked, firstly, with theconservation and restocking of species.Secondly, we are to promote the aquacultureof high value species. We have managed tobreed these two species of sea cucumber on alaboratory scale and soon will try to expand itfor commercial aquaculture. The bottleneckfor a sea cucumber breeding program is theavailability of mature brood stock and theproblem of “domesticating” them. If theseobstacles can be overcome then the stepbeyond the laboratory can be managed.Results from our hatchery studies have beenpositive, and soon these can be transferredinto extensive aquaculture and open searestocking. For the time being, some juvenileshave been produced and trial aquacultureactivities have been carried out.

Nature provides a multitude of benefits butproper human interaction is essential. Humanselfishness and irresponsible approaches to thenatural ecosystem will have a negative impacton the environment and should be avoided.

Zaidnuddin Ilias, NAUI 31515, works atthe Fisheries Research Institute in theDepartment of Fisheries Malaysia. He has aMaster’s degree in biology from the SciencesUniversity of Malaysia, specializes in coralreef studies, and has been teaching scubasince 1999.

Sea Cucumbers: Troll’s Gold Bucket of the SeaBy Zaidnuddin Ilias, NAUI 31515

Left: Working at a sea cucumber cage. Right: Holothuria scabra brood stock.

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in memoriam


The West Coast scuba community suffered adevastating loss on July 7, 2011, when Davidand DeDe Houghton along with their twosons, Luke, age 12, and Ryan, age 10, died ina single-engine-plane crash. The crashoccurred shortly after takeoff from theWatsonville airport near Santa Cruz,California.

The Houghtons owned Aqua Safaris ScubaCenter in Santa Cruz, California, a populardive shop, school, and outfitter of dive vaca-tions. The shop had a reputation for highquality gear, well-run dive trips, and outstand-ing information and customer service. Davidand DeDe themselves were known for theirthoughtful, warm, and outgoing personalities.Their excitement for diving, adventurous spir-it, and genuine, honest interactions gaveeveryone who walked through the door thefeeling that they were valued as a friend morethan a customer.

David Houghton’s passion for scuba diving wasignited as a college student at the University ofCalifornia Santa Cruz (UCSC). Soon after learn-ing to dive, David became a NAUI Divemasterand then Instructor. While juggling work as aUCSC firefighter and part-time geologist, he

began leading dive trips in California, andquickly expanded to Baja California andCozumel. He initially opened Aqua Safaris astwo small sheds next to the driveway of hishouse. Word spread about the quality and com-prehensive service offered through Aqua Safaris,allowing the business to expand to its presentlocation in Santa Cruz and for David to devotehis full-time efforts to the shop.

It was in one of his dive classes that Davidmet DeDe, an elementary school teacherwhose love for diving and adventure matchedhis own. DeDe’s lively sense of humor, keenorganizational skills, and calm grace comple-mented David’s natural exuberance. The cou-ple married in August 1996 and welcomedtheir older son Luke in 1998, followed byRyan in 2001. Shortly after Luke was bornDeDe left teaching to manage the dive shop.The family loved to travel the world, getting toknow local residents wherever they pursuedscuba diving adventures. The Houghtonsbelieved strongly in the close ties betweenfamily and friends. They brought Luke andRyan on every adventure they could and wel-comed children and non-divers on their manydive trips. Even at their young ages, Luke andRyan were seasoned travelers, accustomed to

sampling exotic foods, playing with local chil-dren, and exploring alongside their parents.

“Let’s go diving!” David’s enthusiastic call waswell known in the dive community, signalingthe start of an underwater adventure you didn’twant to miss. In addition to diving around theMonterey Bay area, they led trips to Mulege inBaja California Sur, Cozumel, Egypt’s Red Sea,Wakatobi, Fiji, Tahiti, Thailand, Vietnam, andAfrica. David’s emergency medical training wasput to good use on many long internationalflights: twice in one year he stepped forwardand saved the lives of passengers experiencingserious health crises.

Aqua Safaris produced thousands of compe-tent NAUI divers, divemasters and instructors.Comprehensive and thorough dive trainingwas an important part of David and DeDe’straining philosophy. “I was fortunate enoughto be a part of David and Dede’s 2006Instructor Training Course,” remembersJonah Mulski. “From the beginning they cre-ated a learning environment that was encour-aging, honest, and full of camaraderie. Theypushed us to go beyond our comfort zone,encouraging us to look deeply at what itmeans to take people underwater. At one pointduring the course the responsibility of being adive instructor weighed heavily on me. Thatevening David sat with me and listenedthoughtfully while I broke down in tears ofanxiety and insecurity. He responded honestlyand openly, acknowledging my fears butencouraging me to push forward. In that con-versation David handed me a new level of per-sonal confidence and courage—it was a com-ing of age moment in my life. David was arole model to many people. He was strong, yetsoft and approachable, his confidence wasinfectious, and he cared deeply.”

The family developed close ties to the smallcommunity of Mulege in Baja California Sur,

In Memoriam: The Houghton Family

Ryan, Luke, David, and DeDe on vacation in Bonaire.

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Mexico, a spot they loved to bring people toenjoy diving and other water sports. They spenta year living there, building a house near thebeach and expanding their boy’s horizons byenrolling them in the local school. Over theyears they brought donated computers andmuch needed supplies to the local schools,constructed a playground for the local chil-dren and coordinated donations of surplusfirefighting equipment to the town fire depart-ment. When hurricane Jimena ripped throughthe region in 2009, David and another divebuddy were on site within two days with 400pounds of food, medicine, and clothing. Theysupplied a soup kitchen with food and helped

the fire department clear a landing strip thatallowed Mexican bush pilots to land with moreemergency food and supplies.

Two years ago, Ryan the younger boy wasstruck by a stingray barb that lodged in hisside. David brought him to the local hospital,but the doctor didn’t have anything to removethe barb. In his “take action” way, Davidpulled a pair of pliers from his truck andpromptly donated them to the hospital. Healways has a solution, and the result alwaysseemed to benefit everyone.

The town of Mulege wasn’t the only commu-nity that benefitted from the Houghton’s time

and generosity. The family regularly volun-teered for the Save our Shores coastal cleanupdays, where they cleaned up litter from localbeaches and deployed volunteer divers toretrieve trash from the dark waters under themunicipal wharf. They were active with theHandicap Scuba Association, coordinatingscuba diving for the annual SharedAdventures Day, an event dedicated toenabling severely handicapped individuals toexperience the ocean. Somehow, they alsofound time to volunteer at the boys’ schools,and serve as Den leaders for their Cub Scoutand Boy Scout troops.

Recently DeDe focused on running AquaSafaris while David developed his work ingeology. In June 2011, the family, includingLuke and Ryan, returned from a scuba divingtrip to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Ryan,the younger son, was certified shortly beforethe trip, making it the first time the wholefamily was able to dive together.

The Houghton’s were exceptional humanbeings whose passion for diving enabled thousands of divers to learn, explore, andappreciate the underwater world. They gavegenerously of their time to improve the communities to which they belonged, andbuilt treasured friendships with many. For that we are profoundly grateful.

More information and remembrances aboutthem as well information about Aqua Safarisare on the blog created by David’s brotherJohn Houghton at http://johnhoughton.com/,where you’ll also find more pictures and stories. The family is keeping the shop openfor now, but they have said they are interestedin finding a buyer for Aqua Safari's to carry on David and DeDe’s dream for theshop. Anyonw who has any interest can contact John at 650 888-1816 [email protected].

By Lucia Orlando and Jonah Mulski

Newly certified Ryan (left), with DeDe, Luke, and David diving in Bonaire; the only time the whole family got to dive together.

David.

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Scuba Crossword

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SPDU quiz

A score of 75% on the following question set will earn a total of 0.25 PDU for the 25 questions involved. Answers should be submitted to Training Ventures using the online submission form at http://www.pdus2u.com or the Answer Sheet form found in this issue.

NAUI Professional Development Units Quiz

PDU QuestionsPDU Questions

1. NAUI Scuba Diver eLearning is nowavailable in a language other thanEnglish. What is it?

a. French

b. German

c. Spanish

d. Chinese

2. What is the deadline for casting yourballot in the 2011 NAUI Board ofDirectors election?

a. October 31, 2011

b. November 15, 2011

c. November 22, 2011

d. December 1, 2011

3. How many Board of Directors positionsare to be filled?

a. one

b. two

c. three

d. four

4. Excluding Jim Bram’s ex officio posi-tion, how many members serve on ourBoard of Directors?

a. six

b. seven

c. eight

d. nine

5. In ice diving, what is the minimumthickness of ice required for smallgroups?

a. 2 inches (5 cm)

b. 6 inches (15 cm)

c. 10 inches (25 cm)

d. 12 inches (30 cm)

6. What shape hole in the ice is usuallypreferred by ice divers?

a. triangular

b. rectangular

c. circular

d. dodecahedral

7. The leash on a DPV should be:

a. at least 3/8 inch (1 cm) in diameter.

b. polypropylene so it will float.

c. attached to the DPV at right anglesto the handles.

d. adjusted so that the leash absorbsthe pull of the DPV.

8. Ira Barocas compares the action of aboat’s propeller to:

a. a windlass.

b. an augur.

c. a Marconi rig.

d. the push of a tire on a road.

9. True or false: Boats steer like a bicycle.

a. True

b. False

10. The earliest records of descriptivesymptoms of DCS appear to be from:

a. an underwater ship salvage operation.

b. caisson operations to set bridgefoundations.

c. pressurized coal mines below thewater table.

d. late nineteenth century RoyalNavy hardhat divers.

11. In the early 1930s, Damant and Davisdemonstrated the efficacy of ______during decompression

a. nitrogen

b. oxygen

c. continuous ascents

d. rehydration

12. Over time, the ambiguities of the list of manifestations of decompression illness have led to a general collectivedecision to:

a. perform Doppler bubble-detectiontesting before embarking on anytreatment regimen.

b. begin all recompression chambertreatments with an initial depth of165 fsw (50 msw).

c. have patients breathe 100% oxygen throughout the entirerecompression treatment regimen.

d. utilize Treatment Table 6 or 6A forall situations of DCI.



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13. To promote his dive business thissummer, Jean-Marc Claes held a “Miss Water” contest as part of a special all-day event called:

a. Canal Cleanup Day.

b. Green Beach Day.

c. Customer Appreciation Day.

d. the Scuba Rodeo.

14. Smart Fills is one of two businesses ofCraig Smart. The other is:

a. compressor sales and service.

b. a paintball business, includinga two paintball fields.

c. a fishing camp.

d. captain of his own dive boat.

15. In early 2011 the Florida Keys MarineSanctuary became concerned about:

a. the security of the anchoring ofthe Vandenberg’s antennae.

b. the escalating lionfish populationin and around the Vandenberg.

c. the ship’s possible rolling over inthe next major storm.

d. the rust and corrosion developing in the interior.

16. Sea cucumbers are members of the_______ phylum.

a. Annelid

b. Echinoderm

c. Coelenterate

d. Kinorhyncha

17. Sea cucumbers are used commercially:

a. as a garnish in gourmet fish dishes.

b. in eastern traditional medicine.

c. as a base in lacquers to givethem their gloss.

d. in the manufacture of certaincoagulants.

18. One of the highlights of this year’sNEDEG Labor Day Weekend rally was:

a. diving with a working reproduction of a Henry Fleussrebreather.

B. vintage masks and fins, including an original Cressi“Pinocchio” mask from the 1950s.

c. an opportunity to use ScubaproPersonal Dive Sonar units.

d. vintage Russian military diving rigs.

19. What marine life did Mark Tesoro see in Cozumel that is unique to the island?

a. Red Lionfish

b. Splendid Toadfish

c. Mayan Grouper

d. Brawny Coral

20. The Flower Garden Banks consist ofthree separate areas: West Bank, EastBank, and:

a. South Bank.

b. Salt Dome Bank.

c. Bowler Bank.

d. Stetson Bank.

21. Layang Layang Island Resort is a man-made atoll located in thewaters of:

a. Sabah, Malaysia.

b. Palawan Province, Philippines.

c. Zamboanga Peninsula,Philippines.

d. the State of Brunei Darussalam.

22. The Nasim II shipwreck. off theisland of Giannutri, is best known for its cargo of:

a. ampules of morphine and other medicinals.

b. airplanes.

c. automobiles.

d. porcelain china.

23. The theme for the most recentInternational Poster Contest was“Protect My Ocean.” The theme for the 2011-2012 contest is:

a. Save the Sharks.

b. Kingdoms of the Sea.

c. Save the Manatee.

d. Nature’s Treasures.

24. SeaTrek FATHOMS is a summer liveaboard experience program forstudents that is focused on:

a. celestial navigation and deadreckoning.

b. fitness.

c. marine sciences.

d. marine architecture and boatdesign.

25. FATHOMS students worked with students from the BVI Island of:

a. Tortola.

b. Virgin Gorda.

c. Jost Van Dyke.

d. Anegada.


INSTRUCTIONS:If submitting online:You can submit your answers to the PDU Quiz electronically. Go to TRAINING VENTURES’ site at.http://pdus2u.com and follow the instructions.

If submitting by mail or fax:1. Fill in all of the information requested to insure proper PDU credits.2. Write the month and year of the Sources issue and indicate quiz subject, if appropriate (such as S&P questions). Or describe some other home-study origin for this PDU submission.

3. Using a soft pencil, black out the correct answer to each question in the answer section. If you change your answer,erase your previous mark.

4. Include a check or money order representing $6 for each separate quiz (in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank) payableto “TRAINING VENTURES.”

5. Enclose the answer sheet and the check or money order in an envelope addressed to: TRAINING VENTURES, P.O. Box 1078, Crystal River, Florida 34423-1078, and mail it to Training Ventures.

6. Training Ventures will score the quiz, award the appropriate PDUs and return a transcript to you.7. You may enclose several quizzes and submit one check (for $6 times the number of quizzes). in a single mailing if you wish.

PLEASE FILL IN ALL OF THE INFORMATION REQUESTED.

NAME (PLEASE PRINT) ____________________________________________________________ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________________CITY __________________________ STATE ____________ POSTAL CODE ___________________COUNTRY __________________________ PHONE ______________________________________NAUI # _________________________ PIN or S.S.N. ____________________________________E-MAIL ADDRESS ________________________________________________________________

Indicate the subject of the quiz your answers pertain to:Sources articles (month and year) ______________________________________Other (specify) ____________________________________________________________

Apply PDU credit to:[ ] This year for next renewal. [ ] Prior year for late renewal.

ANSWER SHEET

PDU requests (for things such as CPR or other self-improvement courses. and IQ/Seminar PDUs should be sent directly to NAUI Worldwide Headquarters, P.O. Box 89789, Tampa, FL 33689-0413.

NAUI HOME STUDY PDU EXAM ANSWER SHEET

1. A B C D2. A B C D3. A B C D4. A B C D5. A B C D





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InstructorQualificationWorkshops

For more information Contact NAUI Technical OperationsPhone: 956-761-7986 Fax: 956-761-6039e-mail: [email protected]

will be holding technical instructor qualification and technical training workshops at the following locations: October 15 – 22, 2011Instructor Qualification WorkshopTechnical Nitrox, Stage Decompression,Helitrox, HeliairRoatán, Honduras

October 22 – 29, 2011Instructor Qualification WorkshopTrimix I and IIRoatán, Honduras

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January 21 – 28, 2012Instructor Qualification WorkshopTrimix I and IIRoatan, Honduras

May 19 – 21, 2012Instructor Qualification WorkshopWreck Penetration South Padre Island, Texas

August 18 -20, 2012Instructor Qualification WorkshopWreck Penetration South Padre Island Texas


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Shq directory

NAUI WorldwideHeadquarters Staff Directory

NAUI WorldwidePhone, Fax, and Internet Information

%

%813-628-6284 800-553-6284

Fax 813-628-8253

web site: www.naui.org e-mail address: [email protected]

mailing address: P.O. Box 89789, Tampa, FL 33689-0413

PRESIDENT’SOFFICE

Jim BramPresident

Ext. 201

TRAINING & PRODUCT

DEVELOPMENT

Jed LivingstoneNAUI 5405Vice President

Ext. 202

Randy ShawNAUI 9102Training Manager

Ext. 204

Mary Beth DeCroixProject Coordinator

Ext. 210

FINANCE &OPERATIONS

Carolyn RobertsonVice President

Ext. 203

David WilsonCorporate Controller

Ext. 206

Kathy BrownlowMembership

Services

Supervisor

Ext. 216

TECHNICAL TRAININGDIVISION

Tim O’LearyNAUI 10144Director

956-761-7986

U.S. TERRITORYREPRESENTATION

Chad BarbayNAUI 7583National Sales Manager

407-245-7810407-210-9462 Fax

PUBLICATIONS

Peter OliverNAUI 4873Editor

512-476-6639512-477-8602 Fax

2

2̋ +

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SNAUI worldwide directory

NAUI WorldwideHeadquartersP. O. Box 89789Tampa, FL 33689-0413USA +1 800-553-6284+1 813-628-6284 +1 813-628-8253 [email protected]

NAUI Technical Training DivisionTim O’Leary, NAUI 10144PO Box 89789 Tampa, FL 33689-0413USA +1 956-761-7986 +1 956-761-6039 [email protected]

NAUI Worldwide Offices

NAUI Enterprises JapanShigeo Iwamoto Riverstone Bldg. 8F, 3-25-13,Nishi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku,Tokyo 171-0021 Japan+81-3-5956-992281-3-5956-9923 [email protected]

NAUI Services EuropeRichard Lucas, NAUI 36364Bedrijvenweg 3a 7442 CX NijverdalThe Netherlands+31 (0)548 612366+31 (0)548 611769 [email protected]

NAUI Services Pacific Rim Michael Tong, NAUI 7865 24 Jalan Delima Off Jalan Bukit BintangKuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia+60 (0)3 2142 2631 +60 (0)3 2142 2640 [email protected]

NAUI Services Mercosul(Brazil)Alvanir Oliveira, NAUI 19845, Lilian Megumi Notomi NAUI 48788Av. Angelica 1996- cj 1401Sao Paulo - SP 01228-200, Brazil +55-11-4497-0031+55 11 3822 2235 [email protected]

NAUI Services Middle EastAl Boom MarineP. O. Box 42188 Shuwaikh 70652, Kuwait +965 (0)4830474 +965 (0)4838293 [email protected] www.alboomkuwait.com

NAUI Services Southern AfricaMichael van Niekerk, NAUI 16899 5 Geelhout CloseGordons BayCape Town 7151, South Africa+27 (0)21 856 5184+27 (0)21 856 5185 +27 (0)21 856 5186 [email protected]

NAUI Worldwide TerritoryRepresentatives

Africa, SouthernTraining ManagerMichael van Niekerk, NAUI 168995 Geelhout CloseGordons BayCape Town 7151, South Africa+27 (0)21 856 5184+27 (0)21 856 5185+27 (0)21 856 5186 [email protected]

Africa, SouthernMarketing & SalesGerhard Pretorius, NAUI 323075 Geelhout CloseGordons BayCape Town 7151, South Africa+27 (0)21 856 5184+27 (0)21 856 5185+27 (0)21 856 5186 [email protected]

Australia Frank Zeigler, NAUI 641114 Townsend StreetPortland, Victoria 3305Australia61 (03) 5523 6392 Phone61 (03) 5521 7255 Fax61 0419 574922 [email protected]

Belgium Jean-Marc Claes, NAUI 40992Kuringensteen Weg 5173511 Hasselt, Belgium+32 (0)11-740602 Phone/[email protected]

BrazilAlvanir Oliveira, NAUI 19845 Av. Pedro Blanco da Silva Nº 681 SL 03Jardim Santa Adelaide Jundiaí – SP CEP: 13280-630,Brazil+55 11 4497-1967 Phone/Fax+55 11 [email protected]

BulgariaRumen Zhelizarov, NAUI 3690912 Bratia Shkorpil StrPloudiv, 4004Bulgaria+ 359 878 162 169

Canada – EasternNB, NL, NS, NT, ON, PE, QCJohn Fulop, NAUI 46375Unit 104 12030 Villanova Dr.Orlando FL, 32837+1 305-896-1820 Office/[email protected]

Canada – WesternBCJim Larsen, NAUI 7203P.O. Box 1631Vancouver, WA. 98668+1 360-921-8894 Office/[email protected]

Caribbean John Fulop, NAUI 46375Unit 104 12030 Villanova Dr.Orlando FL, 32837+1 305-896-1820 Office/[email protected]

ChinaQiu Lei Haidian Zone Cheng Fu RoadHua Qing, Jiayuan 16-306#Beijing 100083People’s Republic of China+86 (0)136-01120428+86 (0)10-82867906 [email protected]

CroatiaVedran Dorusic, NAUI 33934Kosljun 131Pag 23250, Croatia+385 (0)91 5302072+385 (0)42 231569 [email protected]

CyprusNicos Nicolaou, NAUI 8671121 Ledra StreetNicosia 1011, Cyprus+357 22 498593+357 22 510143 [email protected]

Czech Republic Petr Vecera, NAUI 45179c/o Jirka Slechta, NAUI 46939K Novemu dvoru 66142 00 Praha 4Czech Republic+420 261 210 010+420 261 210 011 [email protected]

EgyptMagdy ModrekSeagull Beach ResortHurghada, Red SeaEgypt+20 (0)65 344 02 [email protected] [email protected]

Finland Mika Rautiainen, NAUI 40086Finnish Divers’ FederationFI-00240 Helsinki, Finland +358 (0)9 3481 25 69+358 (0)9 3481 25 16 [email protected]

Francophone-EuropeRichard Plumes, NAUI 30718Ecole Internationale de PlongéeSous-Marine14 D Rue Raoul GodfroidMons, Hainaut 7000, Belgium+32 (0)65 340373 Phone/Fax+32 (0)477 487774 Mobilerichard.plumes@naui-francophone.orgwww.naui-francophone.org

Hong KongSimon Mok Por Lam, NAUI 11140LRoom 402, 4/F, Fu Lee Comm. Bldg.14-20 Pilkem Street , JordanKowloon, Hong Kong+852 28907227+852 39056138 [email protected]

Hungary Tamas Miklos, NAUI 13808Nautilus Diving StoreMikszath K. u. 9./A.Szekesfehervar 8000, Hungary+36 (06)22 389 077 Phone/[email protected]


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ItalyNicoletta Codiferro, NAUI 41377PianetaSommersoStradone A. De Gasperi, 11637015 Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicellafrazione Domegliara (VR), Italy+39-348-2525200 Phone+39-045-9587371 [email protected]

Claudio Latagliata, NAUI 44431Dukapis Diving SchoolVia Flaminia 48400191 Roma, Italy+39-335-5768752 Phone+39-0765-451279 [email protected]

KuwaitReyadh Ali al-Banaw, NAUI 16857 c/o Al Boom MarineP. O. Box 42188 Shuwaikh 70652, Kuwait +965 (0)4830474 +965 (0)4838293 Fax [email protected]

LebanonMohamed Elsarji, NAUI 17434Sodoon Diving AcademyJbah Street, Haret Saida,Sidon, Lebanon+961 (0)3 665489 Mobile+961 (0)7 734452+961 (0)7 729234 [email protected]

Alain Sassine, NAUI 37988Holiday Beach Resort & MarinaHazmiyeh St. Rock Center, 1st FloorP.O. Box 16-5751Beirut, Lebanon 116-5085+961 5 956 960/1 Phone/Fax+961 3 485 000 [email protected]

Malaysia Kok-Yew, Wong NAUI 18820Sea Divers S/B, 24 Jalan Delima55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia+60 (0)3 2142 2631+60 (0)3 2142 2640 [email protected]

MaldivesJan Gehriger, NAUI 47065 Embudu Village South Malé, Maldives +960 777 1157 +960 778 8177 Mobile+960 664 2673 [email protected]

Netherlands Nick C. Den Toom, NAUI 38581Scuba-AcademieAchterbos 22BVinkeveen 3645 CD, The Netherlands+31 (0)297 212260+31 (0)297 533783 [email protected]

New ZealandTim Walshe, NAUI 9091Island Bay Divers353, The Parade, Island BayWellington, New Zealand+64 (0)4-383-6778 Phone+64 (0)4 383 5655 [email protected]

Pacific RimMichael Tong, NAUI 7865NAUI Services Pacific Rim24 Jalan Delima Off Jalan Bukit BintangKuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia+60 (0)3 2142 2631 +60 (0)3 2142 2640 [email protected]

PolandWieslaw Kantor, NAUI 46136Staszica 931-162 Krakow, Poland+ 48 (0)12 6338857+ 48 (0)609 761476+ 48 (0)12 6327447 [email protected]

Romania Jeno Szabo, NAUI 33607Liquid Sound Dive CenterStr. Presei nr.4 / 32BSfintu Gheorghe 520064,Jud. Covasna, Romania+40-755-011-500 +40-267-318-308 [email protected]

Russia Alexander Vekhov, NAUI 34176VladscubaOstriyakova 8Vladivostok, Russia 69000+7 4232 451786 , 410984 +7 4232 451786 [email protected]

Singapore Peter Teo Keng-Seng NAUI 9446 Tampines Street 41 Unit #01-135Singapore 520404+65 96909446 [email protected]

SwedenNiclas Fredsberg, NAUI 21384HA SolutionsSaffransvägen 1612869 SkendazSweden+46 [email protected]@gmail.com

TaiwanYen Su, NAUI 4315Fl. 7-3, No 62, Fu Hsing N. RdTaipei 104, Taiwan+886 2 27519069+886 2 27511469 [email protected]

ThailandPoosak Posayachinda NAUI 17282282 Taladnoi, SampantawongSampantwongBangkok 10100Thailand+662 639 6262+668 -0218 2000 Mobile+662 639 5445 [email protected]

TurkeySenol Kara, NAUI 47413Pamucak Mevkii 48700 Marmaris+90 (0)[email protected]

United StatesU.S. National Territory ManagerChad Barbay, NAUI 75831031 Guernsey St.Orlando, FL 32804+1 407-245-7810 Office+1 407-702-4984 Cell+1 407-210-9462 [email protected]

U.S. – Northeast TerritoryCT, DE, DC, ME, MA, MD, NH,NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WVAngelo Fiore, NAUI 336241113 Morris Ave.Point Pleasant, NJ 08742+1 904-237-1468 Cell+1 732-783-0300 [email protected]

U.S. – Southeast TerritoryAL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TNChad Barbay, NAUI 75831031 Guernsey St.Orlando, FL 32804+1 407-245-7810 Office+1 407-702-4984 Cell+1 407-210-9462 [email protected]

U.S. – Mid-Central TerritoryIL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE,ND, OH, SD, WIKenny Wheeler, NAUI 90632817 Brassfield Ct.Shelbyville, KY 40065+1 502-647-0115 Office+1 502-210-9110 [email protected]

U.S. – South Central TerritoryAR, CO, KS, NM, OK, TXLonny Haynes, NAUI 346584324 Southampton CourtFlower Mound, TX 75028Office/Cell: +1 [email protected]

U.S. – North West TerritoryAK, ID, MT, OR WA, WYJim Larsen, NAUI 7203P.O. Box 1631Vancouver, WA. 98668+1 360-921-8894 Office/[email protected]

U.S. – South West TerritoryAZ, CA, HI, NV, UTJill Wentworth, NAUI 379057162 West Voltaire Avenue,Peoria, AZ 85381+1 602-882-9470 Office/[email protected]

Worldwide NAUITraining DepartmentRandy Shaw, NAUI 9102NAUI HeadquartersP.O. Box 89789Tampa, FL 33689-0413+1 813 628 6284 +1 813 628 8253 [email protected]


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Editor’s Note: Browsing through old issues of Sources and NAUI News for material for the Last Page can be entertaining. This time wegive you two NAUI Instructor group photographs out of our past. The top group, suited out in the latest gear, posed for their picture isfrom 1970; the bottom is a three-decades-old photo of new ITC graduates. Do you see anyone you recognize in either? There is one whomyou do know and may well have met. He is still a very active NAUI member.

The Way we were

3rdqtr sources covers final - diver.hkdiver.hk/naui/sources/sources-2011-4quarter.pdfsources 4 t h e...

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