X-Ray Mag #96
C-130 Hercules - articificial reef off Aqaba, Jordan
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Main features in this issue include:
Aqaba: Diving Jordan's Artificial Reefs
My relationship to the Middle East is like a long-running but complicated love affair. I keep being attracted to it and keep coming back. Each time I step out of the airplane when I arrive there, I am embraced by a pleasant, complex, and—dare I say—almost sensual scent so full of notes, most of which I have never been able to identify.
I have always felt reassuringly safe in Jordan—which is in stark, but nice, contrast to the impressions frequently painted by the press that makes a living reporting on strife.
Culinary Diving in Norway
Boil pasta al dente with some blue mussels, white wine and olive oil, or put some king scallops on the barbecue with fresh herbs and pesto. Add one part Italian passion, one part fresh mozzarella and two parts delightful diving, and you have a culinary adventure!
The late summer sun was warm, and the easterly breeze promised a comfortable boat ride. We were in Søgne, on the coast of southern Norway, and the owner of One Ocean Dive Resort, the pasta king Carlo Golfetto, welcomed us to his aptly-named Culinary Adventure.
Drysuit Technology Comes Full Circle
Exposure protection is second only to the dive mask in its importance to your dive experience. In my article in issue #92, we looked at wetsuits, their myths and design features. In this follow-up, we will discuss the next level corollary—drysuits.
Literally for generations, neoprene rubber has been the chosen material for building most forms of exposure protection for divers and other water sports enthusiasts.
Gran Canaria: Angelsharks & Huge Schools of Fish
Gran Canaria is one of the most visited destinations in Europe, but far too many leave their dive gear at home! You should definitely bring it, because the island offers great diving with huge schools of fish, angelsharks, stingrays and great volcanic seascapes.
Most divers, and especially underwater photographers, seem to think it is necessary to fly halfway around the globe to get a good dive or some great underwater images. Not so! Great diving is much closer to home, at least if you are based in Europe, or plan a stop-over in Madrid.
Hilarion: Exploring the Greek Silver Mines of Lavreotiki
In May 2019, a group of dry cavers visited the famous silver mines of Lavrion in the southeastern area of Attica, Greece. The main objective of the visit was to inspect and document the flooded chambers.
On a beautiful Sunday morning, a few friends and I visited the famous silver mines of Attica in the municipality of Lavreotiki. Driving nearly 50km from Athens to Lavrion on the southeastern coast of Attica, we went to visit a central mining complex called Hilarion.
Kelly Quinn Portfolio
American artist and educator Kelly Quinn creates vivid, dynamic paintings of marine life and reefs with brilliant color in detailed compositions. She is currently the artist-in-residence at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa, where she gives younger generations insights into the planet’s fragile marine ecosystems.
"I believe the protection of our oceans and lands needs to be one of the most important topics on the minds of humanity from every walk of life.
Not Just a FAD: Saving the Reefs in the Seychelles Islands
Drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) are threatening endangered marine species and coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. Marine conservationist Lucy Martin worked with the Island Conservation Society (ICS), a non-governmental organization in the Seychelles, on a large survey in 2015 to find out how big an issue FADs actually were.
As I descended, I saw a mass of netting twisting around and down. The visibility was excellent, but all I could see was bright, disorientating violet, punctuated by the dark black mesh of nets—my only reference. The deeper I went, the clearer the picture became.
Out of Air with Plenty to Breathe
It was a beautiful day in Indonesia’s Banda Sea. Richard rolled back into the warm waters and swam over to join his wife, Florence. After exchanging signals, they descended together, heading for a patch of bright yellow sea fans on the reef wall at 30m, where their guide had promised to show them pygmy seahorses. The guide was already there below, searching for the elusive little creatures.
Three or four breaths later, it stopped giving him any air at all. He reached for his contents gauge and saw the needle pointing to zero. Impossibly, only a few minutes into his dive, he was out of air.
Sardine Run and the Interaction of Predators
This natural spectacle takes place almost every year on the eastern coasts of South Africa and Mozambique—the so-called “Sardine Run.” To this day, the reason why it occurs cannot be precisely defined. There are various scientific theories, but some of them contradict each other.
In some years, however, the Sardine Run is not observed. During these years, it was thought that the Sardine Run did not take place due to climatic conditions. But just because one cannot see it on the surface does not mean that the sardines are not migrating.
The gossip press said: “Diver Swallowed by Whale”
— Here's what really happened…
Soma Bay: Diving the Egyptian Red Sea
I first visited the Red Sea as part of a marine biological expedition with Dr Paul Cragg back in 1973. After having run safaris out of Israel and ending up living there for several years working on the legendary liveaboard dive boats Lady Jenny III and Lady Jenny V, my love for the Red Sea has never diminished. Now, some 45 years later, a return trip to the Red Sea was increasing my heartbeat in anticipation.
That first frisson of excitement came at 20,000ft when the plane taking my wife and me to the region started to descend, flying over the Red Sea Mountains of Upper Egypt, and I could see the shores of the Red Sea beckoning.
Swimming Pools and Underwater Photography
It used to be that when one talked about underwater photography, one primarily meant photographing sea animals in their natural surroundings; however, it can also be interesting to shoot underwater images in swimming pools. Firstly, a pool can be turned into an underwater photo studio. Secondly, there are pools that are unique in themselves. I present some examples in this article.
When doing underwater photography in pools, I have always been irritated by the inherent “feeling of a pool” in the resultant images. What does one shoot in a pool? People!