Shark Attacks Navy Diver

Australia appears to be in the grip of Jaws fever at the moment with a number of shark attacks being reported over the past month or so.
I came across this interesting story being reported by Reuters news agency about a remarkable escape by a hard-as-nails Aussie Navy Diver.
The 31-year-old punched a shark as he was being attacked in Sydney Harbour last Wednesday (Feb 4) while on anti-terrorism training in waters around the Garden Island Naval Base,
"The attack occurred very quickly. Our diver punched the shark, I believe, a couple of times. The shark then disappeared very quickly," Australian Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Nigel Coates told reporters.
"It was all over, I'm told, in a few seconds."
The diver suffered severe injuries to his right hand and leg.
"The patient said he saw something big and grey underneath him just before the attack," an ambulance spokesman said.
There have been at least four other shark attacks in Australia this summer, one of them fatal. Although it must be stressed, these attacks should not be used as justification for a marine slaughter. As divers we'd all sooner see them in their rightful habitat and not dangling from a fisherman's pole or sliced up and sans fins on a butcher's table.

USS Vandenburg Artificial Reef

Florida is fast becoming a divers' wreck heaven with plans to sink another to decommissioned US Navy warship as an artificial reef.
The 160m-long former Second World War missile tracking ship, USS Hoyt S Vandenberg will become the second largest artificial reef in the world when it is sunk six miles off Key West at some point this year.

The USS Vandenburg will join the USS Spiegel Grove and USS Oriskany as a diver's playground

and the local economy and the attraction will benefit to the tune of an estimated $6.2 million a year.

Reefmakers, the company being the project said on Friday (Feb 6) the Vandenburg was moved from the location where it had been impounded to a new shipyard where final preparations for the tow to Key West will take place.

"After more than 10 years of alternating heartbreak and hope, the Vandenberg team and our loyal supporters are beginning to feel the sweet breezes of success filling our sails at last," the company said on its website.

"We have stuck with this project because of our dedication, as divers, to the underwater environment; because of our commitment to our friends and neighbors in this community who work as captains, mates, divemasters, fishermen, charterboat operators and all those in the hospitality industry; and because of the veterans, sailors, technicians, immigrants and refugees who want to see this history honored and for the ship to have a meaningful ultimate purpose."

There's a great video on the preparation work to ready the ship for its underwater destination and it looks an imposing dive destination.

There is no firm date for the sinking but Tom Ingram, executive director of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) said it would be a big boost to the local economy.

"We could not be more excited about the positive benefits the sinking of the USS Vandenberg will provide to the local Florida economy."

Let's hope the sinking goes better than that of the Spiegel Grove which required Mother Nature to tidy up the man-made mess.

The 155metre ship turned turtle and ended up on its side when it was scuttled in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 2002.

Thanks to powerful waves and currents generated by Hurricane Dennis the 6,880-ton hulk was finally flipped onto its keep on the ocean floor in 2005.

HMS Victory and Gold: The Full (ish) Story

For those with cable or satellite, Treasure Quest on the Discovery Channel gave a glimpse into the search for the HMS Victory lost 265 years ago in the English Channel. But like most shows of it's ilk it was all about glamorous shots and high drama as the Odyssey crew tried to avoid giving the game away to rivals that they had found a possible fortune beneath the waves.



For a better insight into the ship, it's discovery and identification, check out the 46-page Preliminary Survey and Identification on the company's website.

In a (fairly largish) nutshell then;
HMS Victory was classed as a first-rate man-of-war (one of the most impressive warships of it's era) that was brimming with cannons. It vanished in a storm in October 1744 and was thought sank at Casquets, near Aldernay under the captaincy of Admiral Sir John Balchin, taking more than 1,000 sailors to their deaths.
The ship was homeward bound after multi-pronged mission when she was caught in the violent storm. She had helped escort a convoy of vessels heading to America and also to the Med to provide victuals to the allies fighting the War of Austrian Succession. Admiral Balchin was also to liberate a convoy trapped by the French and clear the channel of privateers.
And then she was lost. fast forward 265 years and a team of marine explorers make an amazing breakthrough.

Odyssey Marine Exploration was conducting its Atlas Shipwreck Survey Project when the sidescan sonar pinged a wreck in May last year.
The area, which became known as Site 25C (covering 61x22 metres) was characterised by the discovery of bronze canons, 41 in all exposed on the seabed.

Plan of site 25C

The explorers noted the canons were dragged 90 degrees off their axis of the shipwreck and it became apparent that that which was exposed was being damaged by beam trawlers (it is thought most of the wreck is still hidden under the sands of the highly dynamic sea floor of shifting sand).

During the survey of 2,574sqm of the wreck site over 23 dives, the ROV found an anchor, copper kettle and gunners' wheels. But it was the bronze cannon that were the most important.

Of the 41 fully or partly exposed, at least eight bore the crest of King George I and one the crest of King George II. Some were between six and 24 pounders cannons but at least six were 42 pounders - the biggest guns of the day and saved for the mightiest of ships.

Two, codenamed C28 and C33 were raised to help with identification.

Cannons found and raised by Odyssey

The ship was ID'd in three ways. 1/ an examination of Royal Navy losses in the Channel with at least 41 guns. 2/ ID of ships that would have carried such armament with the crests of two Kings. 3/ A survey of first-rate Royal Navy warships lost throughout the world.

Each study led to "unavoidable conclusion" that it was the Victory.

So what about the loot?

Research shows that substantial quantities of merchants' gold were being carried on a regular basis from Lisbon to England on the larger Royal Navy ships during this period and it was reported at the time that the Victory had 400,000 Sterling on board (an estimated four tons of gold). It was also thought she was carrying valuable prizes from the ships she captured worth 120,000 pounds sterling at the time. It's current market value is estimated at a whopping ONE BILLION POUNDS. All this is thought to be buried beneath the underwater sand dunes which could hide more of the wreck.

For the full details (yes there is more) check out the 46 page report on Odyssey's website and the FAQs. It makes fascinating reading if you like marine archaeology and the solving of mysteries. And considering we spend a lot of out time on wrecks, it provides an in-depth view about what it takes to prove their identities.

Project Aware PADI Cert Cards

Marine Conservation Project Aware has now launched it's special edition images for it's PADI cert card - and it's a bonus for shark lovers.

The winning image features a shark cruising over a coral reef but for those wanting something with fewer teeth, there's also a whale shark image.

So if you complete a PADI course or specialty over the next 12 months and want one instead of the normal cert card, make a small donation to Project Aware when you fill in the PIC card. You can also order replacement cards with the image on for a small donation also.

The donation supports conservation of underwater environments through projects like beach and underwater cleanups, coral reef conservation programs, shark research and education, improved resource management and more.

Thanks to donations such as these, the charity achieved a fair bit last year.

Scuba Diving Dubai, Fujairah and Mussandam

Well the snow put paid to another week's diving. To cheer myself up I flicked through my log book and came across a dozen or so entries for the United Arab Emirates. It's a place that is slowly taking off among tourists heading for Dubai's duty-free shopping but is also starting to prove a pull for scuba divers wanting something different to the Red Sea. Here are my experiences.


Al Aqah beach

Best Time to Go - We went at the end of February. While the air temp was lovely and warm the water temperature was a brrrracing 21C and the viz was poor. In the summer it rises to nice bath water temperatures but then it is stifling with 90-odd per cent humidity on the surface. The trade-off is finding the bit in the middle when both water and air temps are suitable. Unfortunately we didn't.

Where to Dive - Forget the Dubai side. All the construction work on the Palm Island and the other monstrosity out at sea had buggered up the viz. Ex-pat divers said it had also changed the currents and altered the behaviour of marine life. Instead head over to the East Coast of the peninsula and the tiny emirate of Fujairah, which faces onto the Gulf of Oman, and also Musandam. Much better dive spots and much more life.

Best Dive Sites - Quite a few by getting the right conditions is key. In February the viz wasn't fantastic (Dosthill on a warm summer's day) but encounters were great. Martini Rock was a particular fave with plenty of fish, eels, cuttlefish and nudibranchs.


No laughing at the back. It's my first try and I couldn't get my music
off iTunes so Classical it had to be, it's all that was in the sample folder

The wreck of Inchcape One was interesting, if only for the giant resident Honeycomb moray called Fred, and trumpetfish.


Fred on Inchape 1

You must also visit Musandam, in Oman. The scenery is dramatic and while there was only the usual tropical fish around, hit it right and the chance for encounters with everything from whale sharks down is huge. Sadly, we got it wrong and one of the guys on the boat said: "If you want to tell the people of Birmingham what it's like to dive here, tell them to order a bowl of pea soup and stick their face in it."

Don't let that put you off, diving wasn't that bad and it's always better to be under the water than on the surface wish you were under.

What To See - In February, we had everything from moray eels and turtles to cuttlefish, trumpetfish, lion fish, solitary barracuda, lobster and plenty of small tropical fish. The dramatic scenery around Mussandam is equally underwater with some fabulous swim-throughs and overhangs full of life.



Viz - Anywhere from three to 20 metres. All depending on what time of year you go. In February we had about five metres until our last dive when it was about one.

Biggest gripe(s) - Picking the wrong time of year to go. Also, the harbour masters are a bit militant. Twice they refused to let boats out of the harbour because of the weather when a sneeze would have whipped up more of a swell. And the ships out at sea that occasionally dump oil which gets washed up on the beach. Also forget Dibba Island unless they can promise some depth. The deepest I got was 4.2 metres (I've had deeper snorkeling trips). That said, we did have a wonderful encounter with a giant turtle there.



What suit to take - In Feb, a 5mm at least, possibly even a 7mm or five mil with a Fourth Element Thermocline underneath. In the summer, water gets to 30C so whatever makes you comfortable.

Where to Stay - on Fujairah side, there are two hotels on the Al Aqah Beach. First is the Meridien, a giant Western-style hotel towerblock completely out of keeping with the rest of the area. That said, the reviews are fantastic and that is where the PADI 5 Star Al Boom Dive centre is based. They are great to dive with. I much preferred the Iberotel Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort next door. A beautiful resort hotel with stunning food and a wonderful ambiance that is rapidly becoming popular among the more discerning traveller. Unfortunately no dive centre as yet. It's a place I dream of going back to.


Miramar Al Aqah Beach

Miscellaneous Diving Info - It's all boat diving, no shore diving. When diving anywhere near Al Aqah beach we met at Al Boom and padded over the beach and through the surf to board the sizable boat. Once we left from the harbour a short dive away. Diving Musandam is a 30 minute drive north. You have to cross the border into Oman so will need your passport. Boat trip to dive sites is a further 30-40 mins north of the harbour. Also pack light, Emirates are being stingy at the moment and have cancelled luggage allowance for extra dive gear.

Guidebook - UAE Underwater (3rd edition) by Carole Harris and Tony Schroder, two experienced divers with expert knowledge of the area.

Worth Going - Yes. Just pick a better time than we did. Happy diving.