Conscientious, contact-free diving means diving in control at all times. You should constantly be aware of where you are in the water column. If your buoyancy is under control you won’t unconsciously float up or sink — or if you do, you’ll immediately recognize the situation and correct it.

Good buoyancy control alone is not enough, however, to guarantee that you’ll avoid accidental contacts while underwater. You also need to develop awareness of where your entire body is in relation to surrounding objects. This is especially important when night div­ing and maneuvering in confined spaces such as wrecks.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of think­ing that where your head goes, so goes the rest of your body. We secure our hoses and accessory gear so they won’t hit anything, but often pay little atten­tion to where our fins are as they flutter along behind us.

One of the ways to prevent fin con­tact is to move slowly and gently. Envi­sion yourself as part of a delicate ballet, a troupe of dancers gracefully executing precision movements to the rhythm of the flowing waters. This metaphor works for me, anyway; you can create your own vision to help you blend har­moniously with whatever underwater environment you’re exploring.

When you are a guest in somebody else’s home (in this case whatever aquatic creatures live where you’re div­ing) you do your best to fit in and to avoid disturbing or damaging it. Moving slowly and carefully through the water column allows you time to develop continual awareness of every part of your body. For instance, you’re swimming along, approaching a bottom feature protruding from the substrate (e.g., piece of a wreck, sea fan, giant anemone). Consider in ad­vance how you will clear it and by how much. “Shall I go over or around? Am I horizontal or are my legs lower than my torso? I have 6 inches vertical clearance, is that enough for my kick to clear’?”

If you conclude that you might not entirely miss the object, you have choices. One is to change course and kick around it, if possible. This option keeps you at the same depth and lets you view the feature from the side rather than the top. Alternatively, if the feature is large you can kick upward and pass well over it, adjusting your buoyancy as necessary.

Another option, if you’re near the top of the object, is to simply inhale deeper and glide over it. This is the most re­laxed response, involving no noticeable body movement, but requiring an awareness of how your personal buoyancy is affected by your breathing pattern. Still another choice is to change your kicking style to one that will avoid con­tact. In Open Water class we’re taught to use the flutter kick as our standard means of propulsion. It works well for covering distance, but for moving slowly or in close quarters other styles are preferable.

One of my favorites when I want to swim near the bottom without disturb­ing it is the side kick. This is basically a flutter or scissors kick performed side­ways — the stroke is parallel with the bottom instead of toward it. Twist your body at the waist so you are still facing forward, but your hips are rotated 90 degrees. Since the fin strokes push the water sideways rather than down, little turbulence reaches the bottom and the chances of contacting it are minimal. A Variation on this is the bent-knee flutter used by cave divers. This does not mean bicycling. The body stays in a straight line from head to knees (i.e., don’t bend at the waist). The kick is from the knees and the down­ward stroke stops with straight legs and the body aligned, rather than con­tinuing downward.

The frog kick is another option. The knees are brought forward and out to the side with the ankles bent so the fins stick out, like a frog. Then the knees are quickly straightened and the toes are pointed, so the legs snap to­gether (watch a frog for the best demonstration). Again, the force of this kicking method is toward the back rather than up and down, so it can be used near the bottom.

The amount of propulsion from the frog kick depends on how far apart the knees are extended and how fast the legs are brought together It is a good al­ternative for gliding slowly around a site as well as for maneuvering through a tight swim-through.

The ability of light to pass through water (and our ability to see clearly) is also influenced by its turbidity. Turbidity is influenced by many factors but they can be grouped into two large classes, things suspended in the water and things dissolved in the water. Suspended things include silt, plankton, etc. while dissolved things include salt and chemicals. When a diver is swimming along near the bottom, the water movement caused by their fins often stirs up the silt and for a while the water behind them has high turbidity this often results in death when open water divers enter caves. The water is crystal clear in front of them and they do not realize until they turn around that they have been kicking up the silt and they can no longer see the way out of the cave.

If the water is still, the silt will eventually settle back down to the bottom and the water will become clear once again. The time this process takes depends upon the size of the silt particles. Grains of sand will settle in a minute or two while the ultra fine grains of rock flour produced by a glacier will take several weeks to completely settle out. During a cave diving trip under the Columbia Ice fields in 1987 the water was ‘air clear’ when we arrived at the dive site. After we had made the area safe and several hundred (or thousand) kilograms (pounds) of mud and rocks had been dropped into the water, the visibility was less than 2.5 cm (I inch)! We went back to the surface and returned to the dive site two days later. The silt was so fine (glacial flour) that even though the water was absolutely still, the visibility had only improved to 30 cm (12 inches).

Salt water has large quantities of salt and other chemicals dissolved in it and for this reason, can never he as clear as fresh water. The best clarity to be found in the ocean would be around 60 meters (200 feet) while in some fresh water caves the water is so clear it cannot be seen, visibility is over 300 meters (1,000 feet). These ideal conditions are rarely encountered and we usually have much less visibility. For example, the Ottawa River contains water with many dissolved chemicals (from soil, trees, etc.) and visibility is seldom more than 6 meters (20 feet). The St. Lawrence River used to be similar but the infestation of billions of zebra mussels has changed this situation drastically. Zebra mussels are filter feeders and each mussel filters the silt and chemicals out of a large amount of water every day. The result is that places where 6 meters (20 feet) visibility used to be considered good now frequently have 30 meters (100 feet) visibility or snore. The problem is, now that the water is clear enough for divers to see well, the wrecks still can’t be seen because they are now covered in many layers of zebra mussels!

Before each dive, work with your stu­dents to closely examine the objects of their fear, help them rationally weigh the risks, and then develop a sound procedure to control the perceived risk or danger. By teaching our students to perform such an analysis, the stresses associated with common fears and concerns can be relieved.

The Cycle of Stress and Panic

It’s important for our students to un­derstand how too much stress can lead to panic. As part of the discussion, we can review how an accumulation of stressed causes an increase in heart rate, as well as rapid shallow breath­ing, the result being a buildup of CO2. Especially when breathing through a regulator, a diver can experience a real or perceived inability to breathe, or in­crease in breathing resistance, that heightens the stress and leads to panic. Oftentimes, a panicked diver will remove his regulator or mask, causing a more dire situation. When a diver un­derstands this cycle, he is better pre­pared to deal with stress, and may be more likely to take steps necessary to alleviate common stressed.

The Signs of Stress

The closer we get to the water, the more important it is to carefully moni­tor stress levels, so part of our efforts in teaching about stress must focus on identifying the signs of stress, and tak­ing actions to alleviate it.

A variety of subtle and not-so-subtle signs can let us know when a diver is experiencing elevated stress levels, and we should review these with our stu­dents both in class and as we prepare for an in-water exercise. Before a dive, we might see changes in personality. While one diver might become “dis­tant” or preoccupied, another might become giddy or start laying on the one-liners. A diver who becomes for­getful or who has problems assembling his gear, or who becomes angry or frustrated may also be experiencing el­evated stress levels.

Physiological stress can also be building in the pre-dive period. A fully suited diver sitting in the sun may be overheating. A diver who becomes overly quiet and looks pale could be experiencing the onset of seasickness. Remind your students that physiologi­cal stress can add to or heighten the psychological stress of a dive.

Once in the water, a number of signs may become apparent in divers who are becoming stressed. Our students should know to look for wide eyes, a high breathing rate, and flailing of the arms that signal a diver’s stress level is high or on the rise. A diver who “freezes” to the boarding ladder or down-line might also be experiencing high stress levels. When a diver is fum­bling with equipment underwater, or appears to be having some form of equipment problem, chances are his stress level is rising.

Just Relax

The time to be thinking about stress is long before it becomes a problem. One technique that can help students be on the lookout for stress is to in­struct them to take notes (mental or written) regarding the signs of stress they see in themselves and others be­fore, during and following a pool ses­sion or open-water training event.

When students are tuned in to looking for these signs, they are more likely to identify them. Follow-up after the pool or open-water training will help rein­force what they have learned, and help them develop better strategies and techniques for avoiding stress.

While we can always tell our stu­dents to just relax and enjoy the dive, several steps and procedures are more likely to help a diver relax before a dive. One key to maintaining confi­dence and alleviating stress is to re­view the plan for the dive, the normal and emergency procedure to be used, and underwater hand signs for the dive. Reviewing these items will help the diver develop a confident frame of mind and become mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

The eye is really just a complex, living camera. The main parts of the eye are the cornea, the iris, the lens, and the retina. The cornea is clear and has no blood supply It protects the eye but its main function is to focus the light that enters the eye on the retina. A diopter is a measure of the power of a lens and the power of the cornea is equivalent to a +43 diopter lens. It is composed of five layers but for simplicity can be thought of as having a thin layer on the surface (epithelium) and a body composed of flat stromal cells. The epithelium has many nerve endings and therefore, when we get a hair or some other foreign body in the eye and scratch the cornea, it hurts a great deal!

After passing through the cornea, light crosses the anterior chamber and then goes through the opening in the iris called the pupil. The iris is a muscle and forms the colored part of the eye so that when we say someone has blue eyes or brown eyes, we are really saying that their iris is blue or brown. The iris functions the same as the aperture in a camera; it leaves a large opening when the light is dim and a small opening when the light is bright. This controls the amount of light that enters the posterior part of the eye.

When we are excited or frightened the pupil dilates, allowing more light into the eye and allowing us to see more clearly. Men consider women more beautiful if they have larger pupils (they assume the woman is excited to see them!). Women in ancient Egypt used to rub juice from the belladonna plant (contains the drug atropine) in their eyes to dilate the pupils to make themselves appear more beautiful!

Light has to be ‘bent’ just the right amount so that it is focused on the retina for us to see clearly. Light from objects that are far away has to be ‘bent’ less than light from near objects. The purpose of the lens is to change the refractive power of the eye to accommodate for objects at different distances. As the ciliary muscles contract, they release the tension on the suspension ligament of the lens and the natural elasticity of the lens capsule causes it to assume a more rounded

shape. In a normal eye light from distant objects is focused on the retina with the biliary muscles relaxed. To focus the light from near objects, the colliery muscles contract and the lens becomes rounder, increasing the focusing power of the eye.

When light hits the retina, a series of chemical changes occur which generate an electrical signal that is transmitted to the brain and through a very complex process translated into the images we see. Now that we have a basic understanding of hose the eye works, what happens when we try and see underwater?

A tattered skull and crossbones fluttered high on the stern mast of the double-mast prahu KLM Shakti as it cut through tranquil waters off the western tip off Papua. This is the secret islands of Raja Ampat, an area steeped in a shadowy past and present. It’s a life of intrigue and adventure out here, the glorious bay we entered was framed by looming cliffs and primeval jungle.

In terms of diving and snorkeling exploration, remoteness, and biological diversity, there are few places remaining worldwide that compare to eastern Indonesia. Many scientists, photographers, and divers consider this area as the holy grail of the Indo-Pacific region, yet it’s still largely unexplored both above and below the surface. In fact, the most precise descriptions of these islands come from the writings of Alfred Russell Wallace who blundered through the region in 1860 searching for rare specimens of the bird of paradise!

The sea surrounding Raja Ampat, translated as ‘the Four Kings,’ (Waigeo, Batanta, Sulawati, and Mysool Islands) is literally the world’s epicenter of marine life. The massive species number is primarily due to the islands’ location. Marine fauna originating from Micronesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and western Indonesia, have congregated over millions of years in Raja Ampat due to plate tectonics, the warm, equatorial waters, stable climate, and variety of habitats. More fish and invertebrate species are expected amongst the reefs of these four islands than anywhere else on Earth. The two highest fish counts ever recorded on single dives, 283 and 281 species, were within Raja Ampat’s waters. Simply put, the reefs are overwhelming.

Raja Ampat covers a gigantic area, nearly 10 million acres, and has an endless supply of dramatic dive sites. Undoubtedly, a good quantity of un-described species exist among these waters as well. It is literally a last frontier for those seeking the planet’s untainted marine communities, home to pygmy seahorses, tassled wobbegongs, stealthy mantas, and mellow turtles. The desire to stay one step ahead and venture even further to where few footsteps have fallen and where even fewer divers have blown bubbles is an innate yearning, and Raja Ampat had all of the means to satisfy this desire.

The sea surrounding Raja Ampat is not only amenable to high diversity but is also a healthy ecosystem. Along the larger volcanic islands, vast tracts of mangroves supporting a wide array of epiphytic, parasitic, and climbing plants. Early each morning the bird calls from the forest canopy were outrageously loud, giving a prehistoric aura to the area. The intricate mangrove root systems revealed sponges, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms, and fishes in a variety of life stages. The thick mangroves serve as a gigantic filter, protecting nearby reefs from runoff during the monsoon season and as a nursery for hundreds of species of small reef fish which shelter and feed there. Though I enjoyed exploring these mucky habitats at high tide, searching for weird critters, it was hard to concentrate knowing that Indo-Pacific crocodiles, the world’s largest and toothiest living reptile, also dwelled in the mangroves and adjacent sea-grass beds.

The raison d’étre in Raja Ampat, the vibrant coral reefs. It’s tricky to adequately illustrate any one dive site in such a lush and vibrant marine environment like Raja Ampat, but a few have recurred in my dreams and begged to be put down in words.

Backrolling into tropical 30 meter is always a rush, but it’s even more so to be instantly surrounded by dense schools of size-able fish. In blue water at Sardine Reef, chevron barracuda, slender unicorn fish, bigeye trevally, and longfin bannerfish formed concentrated shoals. But the substantial patch reef, with its hundreds of species of vibrant reef fishes and thousands of invertebrates, couldn’t be ignored. From a brown-spotted cat-shark, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel, and giant bumphead parrotfish, to petite nudibranchs, spider crabs, mantis shrimp, toadfish and jawfish, it was sensory overload.

The tiny islet of Kerupiar, another spectacular spot, sat amidst the myriad of islands and swirling currents, supporting a little bit of everything imaginable. Dropping in on an incredible assortment of hard corals, the reef quickly morphed into a magnificent wall dripping with soft corals, gorgonians, and barrel sponges. Jacks, batfish, fusiliers and anthias obstructed views of not only the wall’s inhabitants but also several hawksbill turtles and blacktip sharks. Drifting with the strong current gave me little time to admire it all, but a field of colossal boulders soon appeared so I hunkered down in the lee with a large school of ribbon sweetlips. Two tawny sharks had squeezed under the rocks just underneath me but my attention was shortly called elsewhere. Upon ascending past a slope of seawhips and garden eels, an immaculate plantation of table and leather corals flourished as far as the eye could see a tiny piece of paradise. David soon pointed out a tiny manta, no more than 1.5 meters wing to wing, that swooped in out of nowhere.

Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy previously counted more coral species on the reef of Batu Born than are known from any other place of similar size on Earth. Needless to say, descending onto this gently sloping reef brought seemingly endless fauna. Hundreds of vivid reef fish zipped in and out of this three-dimensional coral city going about their daily business. Out in the blue Spanish mackerel, great barracuda, and dogtooth tuna, prowled amongst redtooth triggerfish and fusiliers.

Like large predatory carpets, funky tassled wobbegongs were found lounging on several large table corals. Yet again, towards the end of the dive, floating amongst an absurdly beautiful zone of corals and gorgonians. It mesmerized even the most seasoned `been there, done that’ diver amongst us. Beginning on a wall smothered in sponges, corals, crinoids, or tunicates, we drifted leisurely around some bends, noting a few reef sharks below and an occasional green or hawksbill turtle munching on a sponge. Approximately two-thirds of the way through the dive we ascended into one of the most intricate and aesthetic coral gardens in the Pacific Ocean. Ranging from 20 to 5 feet deep, it was difficult to believe that the beauty there wasn’t a mirage. While I meditated on the splendor of the shallows, thousands of silver sides encased me in a whirlwind of silver and blue.

The entire trip went by in a blink of the eye and it was time to head for Sorong, Papua’s main port. As we sailed out of the stunning limestone islands of Wayag, or `God’s Country’, lusting for more undiscovered paradises. The possibility of Raja Ampat becoming a World Heritage site, which has been proposed by several NGOs. As with other areas within Southeast Asia, the use of dynamite and cyanide is not unheard of, though we didn’t see any signs of their use. The lack of larger predators does indicate the shark finners long arms have reached even these remote spots. But Raja Ampat is one of the few areas on Earth that’s retained an impressive proportion of intact forests and reefs, making its overall health well worth protecting.

Nelson Bay is on the southern shoreline of Port Stephens, near to the ports headlands. Made up of a series of volcanic peaks and sand dunes formed around forty million years ago, Port Stephens became an estuary about 70,000 years ago when the sea level rose about 60 meters.

A harbor more than 2.5 times the size of Sydney Harbor and nearly 23 kilometers long, it is the largest estuary in New South Wales. The incredible tidal flow in a harbor of this size, combined with its rich volcanic soils, provides nutrients and strong currents to nurture a wide variety of marine life. Due to this rich and strong tidal flow, Nelson Bay is one of the few places you can go where the shore diving rivals and even outdoes the boat diving.  It is no wonder that so many people start hunting down cheap airline tickets and an empty holiday home for their visit to Nelson Bay.There’s a profusion of unusual life beneath the slate blue waters. Standing on the shore gives you no clue as to what waits below. Dive in and be surprised!

The most popular site at Nelson Bay is Halifax Park. On any weekend day there’ll be a swarm of divers kitting up waiting for high tide. It’s an outstanding shore dive, probably one of the best in New South Wales and such an easy dive that everybody will enjoy it. The slope is gentle and the life is prolific at every level so each diver can suit themselves to their profile and be assured that they will have a fantastic time. At times the visibility will be up to 20 meters which makes this site almost like a tropical dive.

From the rocky entry you swim down a gentle slope with periodic drop offs that range down to a depth of about 30 meters. At about 4-5 meters beautiful sponge gardens start with an incredible density of soft corals and sponges and a mass and diversity of fish life. It’s a nursery for young wobbegong and Port Jackson sharks, cuttlefish and many species of tropical and temperate fish. At every level there are bommies covered in soft growth and almost obscured by schools of fish.

Schools of juvenile old wives and bream mix it up with large golden trevally and drummer. If you look closely at the bommies there are strange nudibranchs, unusual crinoids, tiny brittle and basket stars. Halifax also has the greatest concentration of eels of anywhere that I’ve ever dived. Their curiosity often brings them out to swim amongst the divers — it can be startling to look down and find an eel swimming between your legs!

Further into the bay from Halifax Point is Fly Point. At about five meters or so the weed clears to a sandy bottom. Swimming on a bearing of 33″ takes you down over a ledge to beautiful sponge gardens. This is a wide flat area filled with all sorts of soft coral. Its home to hundreds of decorator crabs, all carefully camouflaged with bits of sponge. There’s all manner of uncommon life from pineapple fish, sea spiders and sea fleas to strange and unusual crabs. The last few times we’ve been to Nelson Bay even a turtle has been seen at Fly Point.

This is also a fabulous night dive. As you descend in the darkness over the fields of brown sargassum weed and sea grass, keep your eyes peeled for sea hares and octopus. I love this part of this dive: the weed waves slowly back and forth, enticing me — what interesting things might be hiding in there? Watch out for lurking numb rays though: this is not a place to put your hand in the sand without looking first!

For the true macro enthusiast there is nowhere more interesting than the Pipeline. This area is home to some of the most unusual life you’ll have the chance to see. A submarine cable runs for 250 metres from the shore in a northerly direction. Between the sea wall and the pipe are vast gardens of the spectacular soft corals Capnella. These are host to decorator crabs and seahorses amongst other things. You may also find unusual tubeworms, angler fish, and blue-lined octopus.

Due to the strong currents generated by the vast tidal flow, the dives in and around Nelson Bay can only be dived on the slack. If you time your trip right you can dive twice a day — one site at say 7.30 on the morning high and a second on the night high at about 8pm. The norm is not to dive on the low tide as the visibility drops quite dramatically. But we die-hard Sydney divers are sometimes used to diving in only a few meters of vis, so if you’re keen there are options for a low tide dive, particularly if the high tide vis has been good.

Little Beach is just such a site —good for a low tide dive, as it’s shallow and has an amazing conglomeration of rubbish such as wheelbarrows and shopping trolleys that form a somewhat ‘unusual’ artificial reef! If the vis has been good on the high tide it should still be reasonable on the low tide at Little Beach. Though for quite a bit of this dive you’ll be over sand, you may be surprised at what you’ll find. No-one ever seems to mention that some pretty interesting underwater creatures can be found on the sand — pipe fish, seahorses, angler fish, blennies, anemone crabs, hairy stone crabs and unusual nudibranchs to name but a few.

Following a triangular pattern from the ’swimming only’ sign at Little Beach will take you round the most interesting parts of this dive. There’s a rope attached to the bottom of the pole which leads from one section of the artificial reef to another but it’s not always easy to find! However, if you end up following the wrong rope or can’t find a rope like we’ve done on many attempts, it doesn’t matter you’re bound to see something interesting and different regardless. Despite the shallow and sometimes murky water, I’ve had some great dives there — been surrounded by schools of golden trevally, followed a hunting octopus, and watched squid laying eggs.

Between dives, take the time to explore Port Stephens. Climb Tomaree Head. The views from the Tomaree lookout are spectacular. The climb to the top will take around 30 minutes. Drive out to Stockton Beach — at 32 kilometers you’ll be in the largest continuous sand dunes in the state. It is advisable to stay in a beach hotel nearby to make the most of your stay here.

Along the beach, half in the surf, lies the wreck of the Sygna, a 53,000 tone Norwegian bulk carrier, the largest ship ever wrecked on the Australian east coast. Its dive able, but only on those super-flat winter days, and it definitely has a shark feel! Or you can walk across the spit to Fingal Lighthouse, accessible only at low tide, and look back towards the coast for breathtaking views. All in all, there’s plenty to do while you’re waiting for high tide to come round again.

The dive involves a 200 meter surface swim out to a midships mooring, followed by a diagonal descent down to the stern area. The Coolidge lies on her port side and as you approach the stern the naked starboard prop shaft comes into view, the prop having been salvaged many years earlier. Over the stern rail and the 30 centimeter high letters President Coolidge became apparent. Underneath in smaller letters could just be made out the home port ‘San Francisco’. For the next 10 minutes we scrubbed the letters with the wire brushes at depths between about 62 and 68 meters. After that we swam off to inspect the wrecked lifeboat and some other debris on the sand behind the ship to allow time for the dust to settle, then came back to take the photos shown here. Well worth the effort I believe! I’m sure you will agree, this adds yet another attraction to a world class wreck site for advanced divers to enjoy.

That very afternoon came exciting new dive number two! The wreck of the Tui Tuate, a tug use during the salvage of the 650 tons of bunker oil from the Coolidge in the 70’s, was scuttled in the western end of the Segond Channel in about 1990. She started life in the 1940’s in an Aberdeen shipyard as the Empire Shirley, 105 feet long and 232 tons. She underwent a number of name changes becoming the Tapuhi (1947-1973), then the Tui Tuwate and finally the Tui Tuate. The wreck has significant historical significance as she was also involved in the rescue of over 170 of 733 passengers in the New Zealand Wahine ferry disaster in 1968. She was scuttled by the owner (Clement Griffith) in a secret spot, as he believed the wreck was too cramped and dangerous for divers.

However some persistent detective work and searching by Kevin Green of Aquamarine uncovered its location in 46 metres, and he has taken only two or three groups of divers to her since. So I felt very privileged to dive her with Barry and Key. The dive site is current prone and subject to poor visibility, but on this occasion luck was on our side and we spent 30 minutes exploring this small but unique piece of history. Sitting alone on the sand, a deep trough is carved around her who bears witness to the strong currents which sweep past. Batfish, large pelagic and numerous reef fish stand guard over her forlorn structure. My time ran out before any serious penetration of the wreck could be performed but there appear to be some good areas for exploration near the stern.

The next few days were spent dive the Coolidge and I thought things couldn’t get much better. Riding high on the excitement of the great diving in Santo, on my arrival home in Vila I called friend to see if he felt, like a dive. We decided to have another look for the lost wreck of the coastal trader The Kathleen. The Kathleen was scuttled as a dive site near Hideaway Island for tourist divers. In 1987 the full fury of cyclone was unleashed on Pt Vila causing massive destruction, and in the process washing the poor Kathleen off the top of the reef into deeper water. For few years she was dive by locals in around 40-50 meters, but then after PENTECOST another big storm disappeared into even AMBRYM     deeper water. Since then a couple of divers a claim to have caught glimpses of her, but her exact location was unknown.

I had previously dived to 90 meters searching the steep seaward side of the reef in the mistaken belief that this was where she lay. On this occasion we searched in a radial pattern with the boat’s sounder on the landward side of the reef and at 70 meters a ANATOM small blip registered. Taking a compass bearing from the top of the reef, myself and my buddy Dale started our search. On the downward slope we picked up the debris trail from the wreck and followed this down to the sand at just over 71) meters. No wreck. We decided to swing left initially in the direction the trail seem to be heading as it petered out.. No wreck. With five minutes bottom time left, we swam to the right until in the distance I picked up the vague shadow… initially thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me.

But gradually the shadow solidified into a small wreck sitting upright on the sand, prop in sit, and a large cargo hatch lying next to her. We could not have been more excited if we had found the Titanic or a galleon full of treasure… that is the thrill of even such minor discovery! With two minutes to spare. I swam part of the wreck blaring away with my camera then started the ascent and deco, already planning my return to this pretty little. We returned the very next weekend and captured the images shown here. Three great dives, all new to me, but all in my backyard and right under my nose. Part of the thrill of diving is never quite knowing what lies around the corner. What a great sport!

Only after attending to proper weight­ing and trim can you expect to achieve consistent control over your buoyancy. Given a typical profile of descending to a certain depth and remaining at or near- that depth for the majority of the dive, the ideal is to establish neutral buoyancy by adding air to the BC, if necessary, and then not touching the inflator again until you are ready to surface.

Minor variations in depth are accom­plished by using the lungs to alter buoy­ancy — breathing slightly more deeply to swim over an object and exhaling more deeply to sink hack down. Larger changes in direction and body position are handled primarily by the fins. After awhile this technique becomes second nature, however, specific exercises can help develop this skill most effectively.

A simple exercise used for testing your weighting, the fin pivot, is also valuable to increase awareness of the ef­fects breathing has on buoyancy. To work best, the fin pivot should be per­formed in a pool or confined water that is not subject to water movement.

Lie facedown on the bottom with no air in your BC. Add air with short spurts of your power inflator until your upper body just begins to rise but your fins remain on the bottom. From this neutral buoyancy position inhale and exhale more deeply than normal. Notice how far your body pivots up and down.

Pay particular attention to the de­layed reaction between breathing and body movement. When applied, this knowledge can make all the difference between bumping into an underwater feature and gently gliding over it.

Aside from understanding, the role of breathing in mastering buoyancy skills, another crucial aspect is to reduce body movements to a minimum. With proper weighting and trim it is possible to maintain a horizontal body position without using the hands or kicking. Practice minimal body movement by hovering. Try to remain at a constant depth for several minutes without mov­ing. At a given depth, fold your arms across your chest, cross your ankles and gradually add air to your BC until you become neutral. Your depth should vary only slightly with each breath: be prepared to compensate by breathing shallower or deeper if you begin to float up or sink.

Practice hovering horizontally and vertically. The ultimate test of your hov­ering ability is the “Buddha” position — legs crossed in a sitting position, hands grasping the tips of the fins. If you can sustain this hover without turn­ing over forward or backward, you’ll know that not only do you have good buoyancy skills, but also your weighting and trim are well-adjusted.

A final test of buoyancy skills is to suc­cessfully maneuver a buoyancy practice course. These consist of a series of geo­metric shapes, such as a diamond and a circle, made of PVC pipe. Typically they are anchored above the bottom at various depths. The objective is to swim through each shape without touching the frame. Perfecting buoyancy control is largely a matter of repetitive practice. But you can he certain of using- the proper techniques and practicing in a safe environment by enrolling in a buoyancy specialty class.

The most important factor in avoiding unnecessary contact with your underwater surroundings is awareness of and control over your body’s positioning and movement. To accomplish this, it’s im­portant to have excellent buoyancy con­trol. But before you can develop good buoyancy skills you need to understand the variables that affect your ability to achieve and maintain neutral buoyancy and how they apply to diving situations. We know that the correct amount of weight is the least that you can wear and still descend without struggling, maintain neutral buoyancy at depth with minimal air in your buoyancy compen­sator (BC) and comfortably complete a safety stop without floating upward. The appropriate amount of weight for a dive depends on a number of factors. Before each dive carefully review your equipment. Have you changed anything since your last dive? A new BC retains air in the padding and therefore may require an extra pound or two. Are you using the same type of air cylinder? Steel tanks weigh more than aluminum and therefore require less ad­ditional weight.

The water you dive in also affects weighting. Salt water is about 2.5 per­cent heavier than fresh water (64 vs. 62.4 pounds per cubic foot). Therefore you are more buoyant in salt water and require more weight — theoretically 2.5 percent more.

Water temperature is also significant because it affects the amount of expo­sure protection worn. Every additional bit of air space that divers add to or sub­tract from their body — such as a thick wet suit, a hood or a dry suit — changes the amount of lead weight required. Planned depth may affect weighting as well. Experienced divers often choose to carry less weight on deep dives to avoid having to put a lot of air in their BCs to achieve neutral buoyancy at depth. Conversely, on shallow dives, slightly more weight might be appropri­ate, especially where surge is present. While fine-tuning your weighting system may amount to changes of only a pound or two (1 kg) in total weight, it also involves adjusting your trim. In recreational scuba, we usually prefer a horizontal orientation when moving through the water, creating a stream­lined profile. This lessens drag, decreas­ing exertion and conserving air.

With all their lead at or near the waist, some divers tend to swim at a di­agonal orientation, either head lower, legs higher or vice versa. Trim can be improved by moving a small amount of weight down (e.g., ankle weights) or up (e.g., tank strap weights). The same holds true for divers with a tendency to roll to one side. Adjust trim by distrib­uting lead as needed to offset the roll (i.e., more on the opposite side). Some newer BC models have nonditchable weight pockets that allow you to stow a small amount of weight along the upper back portion of the BC. However, it’s important that the majority of your weight be configured no it’s easy to ditch in an emergency.

PRO DIVE CAIRNS SIMPLY 7140 NM’ Since 1983 Pro Dive Cairns has developed and maintained an international reputation as the premier dive company in Cairns. Our commitment to providing our customers with the highest standards in quality, safety, professionalism and value in both dive education and live aboard dive trips to the outer Great Barrier Reef has made us the most highly awarded dive operator in the region. For the certified dive we have 3 day/2night dive trips departing 6 times each week, all year round. These trips visit a variety of our 16 exclusive outer reef dive sites on every trip and allow the diver up to 11 dives per trip.

Our 3 multi-million dollar purpose built live aboard dive boats carry a maximum of 32 passengers in air conditioned, twin or double cabin comfort. In conjunction with our 3 day trips we have a range of PADI higher education and specialty courses available. Advanced and specialty courses are available on every trip, Rescue and Dive master programs start weekly. Instructor courses commence 8 times each year and are taught by our staff Course Director. We also have great ‘Learn to Dive courses for your non certified friends. All dive and snorkeling equipment including dive computers, a guided orientation and night dive, twin or double cabin accommodation, meals, and transfers to/from accommodation are included. For those doing courses we also include the relevant PADI course manual and passport photos required for certification. Pro Dive Cairns really is ’simply the best’ when it comes to diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

Chon Daen district announced the discovery of two ‘coral mountains’ which are being touted as new tourist attractions. District chief Chartchai Petcharadhburanin said the survey team stumbled upon two limestone mountains in Ban Sappakai, 3-4 kilometres off Chon Daen-Nong Phai road. The mountains are believed to have once been under the sea millions of years ago, he said. They covered an area of almost 160 hectares and had off-white coloured stripes with patterns similar to underwater coral reefs. There are numerous caves which have intricate limestone formations and many rare wild plant species can be spotted in rock crevices. Some experts would be asked to study the rocks to determine the mountains’ origin before opening the site to tourists.