Wes Skiles: In memory of an amazing photographer

THIS amazing image of cave divers taken 80ft beneath the surface of the Bahamas graces the cover of the new edition of the National Geographic magazine.

But it's publication is twinged with sadness.

Wes Skiles, the highly thought of photographer of the shot (actually a composite of three images), 52, died last month during a research expedition examining underwater wildlife in his home state of Florida, just days after publication.

Bahamas Blue Holes was his last story for the magazine. The images were described as a "testament to his photographic skills, courage and child-like wonder in the search for the unknown".

An investigation is now under way to determine why Skiles was found unconscious and underwater near a reef and had not returned to the surface, as friends had thought he had.

National Geographic Society Editor in Chief Chris Johns said: "Wes was a true explorer in every sense and a wonderful spirit.
"He set a standard for underwater photography, cinematography and exploration that is unsurpassed. It was an honor to work with him, and he will be deeply missed."

Keenan Smart, National Geographic Television Natural History Unit added: "Wes Skiles was a brave, brilliant and pioneering underwater cameraman with an extraordinary passion for exploring and documenting the world of cave and technical diving.
"His knowledge, courage and expertise in this field was tremendous and he played a vital role in improving safety procedures for diving in difficult and dangerous conditions.
"His explorations of his beloved Florida cave systems contributed a great deal to our understanding of groundwater science and the dynamics of water flow through Florida's karst aquifers. It was this knowledge that led him to name his company Karst Productions.
"Over the years Wes participated in numerous filming expeditions worldwide and his creative work featured in many award winning films.

Sadie Quarrier, senior photo editor, National Geographic Magazine added: "He was deeply passionate about diving, exploring, photographing and protecting the waterways. H
"is boyish enthusiasm was infectious, and he delighted in telling non-divers about the wilder aspects of his watery underworld.
"Wes was big-hearted and humble yet extremely driven. He was doggedly determined to produce the best possible article on these caves he called home. He dared to dream big, and no budget or contract would stop him from going after a shot he felt we needed, even if it was on his own dime.
"But what I will remember most about my friend is his absolutely wonderful sense of humor, his over-the-top descriptions when he was really enthused about what he had just seen, and his twinkling eyes. He was sort of the Santa Claus of the underwater world, bringing us gifts that we could never get on our own."

The story about Bahamas Blue Holes also featured in the documentary extreme cave diving that
Skiles worked on.

The production followed the team of scientists as they ventured into blue holes (formed during the last ice age and are one of Earth's least explored and perhaps most dangerous frontiers) as they discovered intriguing evidence of the earliest human inhabitants of the islands, found animals seen nowhere else on Earth, and recovered a remarkable record of the planet's climate.

For more on the Biology of Marine Caves try Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna
or click on the link for info on the Bahamas Caves Research Foundation

Raising the Dead

We've all heard the story in some way shape or form.
A cave dive to extreme depths to recover the body of a lost diver, the tragic outcome when things went wrong, the video showing the diver's final moments being put on the internet for all to see.
Thanks to Phillip French's gripping new book Raising the Dead, the full story of the death of Dave Shaw in Bushman's Hole, South Africa and of deep diving, where even the smallest breakdown in judgment or equipment spells trouble, can be told for the first time. And it makes a gripping read.
As much as it is a story of a heroic deed that went terribly wrong, it is also a tale of friendship, deep water daredevils and diving pioneers, and of the human spirit's desire to break free from the hum-drum and quest for exploration.



Dave Shaw had spirit in spades, but it was to sadly lead to his death.
The book details his tragic journey that started when he first learned to dive in his mid-40s. In just a short space of time underwater, he had become one of the world's most daring cave divers, taking equipment to new depths and pushing hard to expand the limits of human endurance.
His quest was to meet a tragic end when, in January 2005 he ventured 270m into the cold blackness of Bushman's Hole on a rebreather to recover the remains of a diver Deon Dreyer who was lost a decade before and whose body Dave had found on an earlier dive.
Recovering the body was an extraordinary feat of daring and danger and one Dave Shaw couldn't resist. At various points in the book it is hinted that the Christian Shaw felt a higher purpose was at work and even said he had dreamed about recovering the body.
But when a friend suggested it was a good thing he was doing, Shaw replied: "Let's face it, we're doing this for the hell of it."
Renowned dive instructor Don Shirley who followed his friend to the depths nearly lost his life and spent the next ten hours struggling to survive. The latter part of the book is as much about his desperate battle for life as it is about the death of his buddy.
My interest in the story was first piqued by Tim Zimmermann in his article of the same name in the Observer newspaper's Sport Monthly pull-out three years ago. That first introduced me to the term 'The Martini Effect', where the author equated the effects of nitrogen narcosis with supping glasses of Jame's Bond's favourite tipple on an empty stomach.
French introduces us to another, the 'Wah-wah' effect, or deafening noise that some divers hear when using air at greater depths and successfully manages to explain the technological and physiological aspects of deep diving with a clarity that helps break down the barriers of the science for both divers and non-divers alike.
Despite an ending that will come as no surprise to readers, it was still a gripping read and the conclusions it makes about Dave's death alone in the darkness reveals how fragile our existence is deep underwater and how the simplest of decisions can have far reaching consequences.
And it is easy to see the allure that such exploration and adventure has for divers. I was lucky enough to dive the Cenotes in the Yucatan, Mexico (more on that another time) and that short foray underwater and underground was a captivating experience.



Raising the Dead reminded me very much of to Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air about death and disaster on Everest and deserves similar success. Go get a copy.