X-Ray Mag #25
Dive into South Africa where Andrey Bizyukin visits the Wild Coast, Ralf Kiefner takes awesome photographs of Sardine Run, and Harald Apelt profiles Rainer Schimpf's adventure playground for experts in Port Elizabeth where first-ever images capture orcas hunting dolphins! Apelt also takes us to another Mediterranean pearl -- Tamariu of Spain, while Simon Kong reports on MIDE and shows us paradise reborn on Pulau Weh, Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 tsunami, with colorful photographs by Asther Lau. Arnold Weisz highlights some of the success stories in marine conservation, while Swedish Coast Guard Commander Carl-Gustav von Konow discusses diving with dumped chemical weapons in the Baltic. Cedric Verdier offers an excellent Buyer's Guide to Rebreathers full of tips and advice. Kurt Amsler shows us how to maintain and care for our underwater photography gear, and Tim Hochgrebe brings us the winners of Underwater.com.au's photo competition. GirlDiver Cindy Ross takes on the challenge of the Mark V Hard Helmet. Explore Mulnar Janos cave under the streets of Budapest with JP Bresser, and view the exquisite portfolio of stainless steel sculptor and diver, Jo Wooler of Australia.
Main features in this issue include:
Diving with Weapons of mass destruction
Divers & dumped chemical weapons in the Baltic
The Swedish Coast Guard is responsible for surveillance of and response to oil and other harmful substances at sea. Why do we have these problems today?
Pulau Weh: Rebirth of Paradise after the Tsunami
On a beautiful day just like any other, divers in the water were enjoying the underwater scenery and rich marine life around Pulau Weh in Aceh, Indonesia. All of a sudden, they heard a loud and painful noise forcing all of them to cover their ears. Many thought it was a tanker passing overhead, but the sight of all the moray eels swimming out of their holes must have been something totally unimaginable and bewildering.
The divers then surfaced and headed back to the dive shop, not knowing what to make of the strange phenomenon until they started seeing brand new bungalows floating on the sea.
Sardines, Dolphins, Sharks... South Africa!
Since times long forgotten, the promise of treasures such as diamonds, gold and platinum has attracted adventurers from all over the world to South Africa in the vain hope of finding new riches.
Indeed, South Africa has long been a destination for adventurers world-wide since olden times. Hopes of finding new treasures, the excitement of the hunt and the pursuit of long held dreams heat up the mind of the explorer, painting fantasies in rainbow colors on the African plains. The desire to get away from the drudgery of everyday and familiar places inspires even the most inveterate home bodies and mamma’s boys. Of course, divers have the adventurous spirit in the blood, too, from the time they are born.
Success Stories in Troubled Waters
The race to save animal species from extinction is as important as ever before. There are still many threats to a growing number of animals, but there are also some success stories. Animals on the brink of extinction have rebounded.
Conservation is not an empty word, it actually helps. Even though the list of threatened marine species continue to grow, there are some remarkable success stories of the recovery of animal populations.
Tamariu - a hidden secret
I made up my mind quite a long time ago about whether or not I should entrust you with one of my favourite holiday destinations. Tamariu is not like any other small port town in which one can swim, dive and eat well. No! Tamariu is my little secret, and I share it already with quite a lot of other insiders. But if you like, I will initiate you now.
I cannot describe in just a few words why Tamariu counts as one of the loveliest places I have ever visited in my life.
The Girl in the Bubble
Time travel becomes reality, as I descend beneath the waterline in a 1944 Mark V Hard Helmet, the standard U.S. Navy dive equipment used for undersea salvage operations in World War II.
“So, what’s under the water?” I asked Maurice, the aged Greek instructor from a local training facility for commercial divers. I was 19 years old, and my only experience with the underwater realm was a five minute dive in a college swimming pool.
What to think about before buying a rebreather
One morning, sooner or later, you will wake up with a strange sensation—as if some minor and weird changes happened in your body overnight. You are not turning
And then you have this fancy and expensive dive computer full of features you cannot use because they are designed for divers with little in common with you, using state-of-the-art and highly complex equipment on their back and breathing esoteric mixes coming from remote planets.