Today we did an oxygen provider course for all our staff and everybody did really well. We are proud of having a 100 % safety record and with our highly trained staff we can keep it that way. Jim and Mike I will see you tomorrow for the Oxygen Provider Instructor Course. Have a nice day and remember be a SAFE diver.
One more day to go, well done with your open water presentation and your rescue assessment. I must say that this was a real role model rescue assessment and I know you all will be great instructors. If you all do the same tomorrow as you did on your last confined water presentation you all be PADI Instructors around 1pm. Keep up the good work !!
Yesterday the Instructor Exams for the Divemaster theory and Standards took place in the Montra Resort on Koh Tao. Everybody passed with great scores so congratulations to all of you !!! Good luck with your classroom presentation and your open water presentation today.
We’ve all seen them; when conducting courses, most of us carry this type of safety equipment to meet standards and many of us may even have sold some. Surface Marker Buoys (SMB)/safety sausages/delayed SMBs. Surface Marker Buoys serve a wide range of purposes, e.g. allowing shore cover / boat support to identify an ascending diver; alerting boat traffic to the presence of a diver; providing a visual reference for ascending divers
Until recently, operation of these devices was left to observation, trial and error, or applied learning was derived from object recovery and lift bag use. Now you can teach divers to safely and competently operate a (delayed) SMB using a new Distinctive Specialty developed by PADI: SMB Diver.
The popularity of SMB use is particularly apparent in areas with heavy boat traffic, or where divers may be drifting in a current. It may also be best practice in your local area. Delayed or DSMBs are also popular where divers are unable to return to the shot line to ascend, or where divers may not have a visual reference once they end the dive.
The SMB Diver distinctive specialty course teaches entry-level or higher certified divers the knowledge and skills required for the safe use of SMBs and delayed SMBs over two Open Water dives. During open water training your students will practise skills such as stowage of SMB and reel, stationary deployment, towing of an SMB during a tour and DSMB reel ascents and safety stops.
To be eligible to teach this specialty, you must be in current, renewed teaching status, a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor or higher level member, have issued at least 25 diver certifications and have experienced at least 20 dives using delayed or traditional Surface Marker Buoys.
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A priceless lost treasure is due to be lifted from the bottom of the sea. Having spent over two centuries underwater off the shores of Finland, the ship “Frau Maria” along with its priceless cargo is due to be lifted from its resting place on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The Russian imperial riches are said to be the most important underwater discovery ever, presenting unprecedented historical and monetary value. Now the question stands of who will reap the benefits. Russia, Finland and The Netherlands all claim that the bounty should be theirs.
Its history is like an adventure novel. In 1771, the Russian Empress Catherine the Great ordered an extensive collection of art for her newly-founded Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg. The Empress was fastidious in her choices and paid for them generously, yet she never saw the result of her efforts. Leaving Amsterdam, the ship encountered a storm, ran aground and sank near what is now Finland. The crew was saved, unlike the masterpieces, which were left in the vessel’s storage. Only in 1999 did Finnish divers come across the ship.
According to records, 27 paintings were onboard the ship, including previously unseen works by Rembrandt, van Goyen and other Dutch painters of the period. Experts say that the paintings were not severely harmed after spending all those years underwater. Before shipment, the canvases were put into lead containers with wax poured over the openings. In addition to the paintings, Frau Maria dragged away dozens of bronze sculptures, hundreds of porcelain objects as well as countless gold and silver coins. Art lovers around the world consider the collection to be priceless, while antiquarians give it the tag of 500 million to 1 billion euros.
The question now stands as to which country has the strongest claim for the treasures. The Finnish government asserts that the law is on its side. Indeed, according to a Finnish law, anything which spends more than 100 years on the bottom of its sea officially becomes its property. Nevertheless, matters are further complicated by the fact that the Russian Empire signed a deed buying all of the ship’s contents. Furthermore, at the time that the deeds were signed, Finland, including the location where the sunken ship now lies, was part of the Russian Empire. The Netherlands, from their part, suggest that the riches should be reaped by them, since “Frau Maria” is a Dutch ship.
However, the countries shouldn’t count their chickens before they hatch – the ship still needs to be hauled from the seabed first. Artyom Tarasov from the Russian charity organisation “The Rescue of national cultural and historic valuables” says that exploring the ship’s bottom and the surrounding area will take up the whole of 2009. Then, a decision will have to be made on how to lift “Frau Maria” up from the seabed.
“We predict two possible scenarios. The first one is that the boat will be lifted up as a whole using special soft ropes made from artificial fibres so that the boardsides are not harmed. The second option is for divers to remove the valuables out from Frau Maria’s hold,” said Tarasov.
According to experts, unlike Jaques Yves Cousteau’s nautical missions which involved the swift lifting of objects from the bottom of the sea, the operation with “Frau Maria” needs more scientific planning. Russian representatives have said that the project should not be individualised, but rather considered pan-European and humanitarian and intended to benefit not only all the parties involved, but also, above everything else, world culture.
Russian engineers have pointed out that the Frau Maria could have been lifted as far back as nine years ago. However, intense negotiations are needed for the project to be conducted adequately. The Finnish government has even said that the Frau Maria may not see the light of day until 2018.
Sunken treasures around the world
The Caribbean is considered to be a true haven of lost treasure. Having once been the piracy capital of the world, the area is rich in sunken ships. And, whilst undoubtedly looting, the pirates still left most of the valuables onboard the sinking vessels.
It is therefore unsurprising that the most important underwater discovery of the 20th century was made in these waters.
Nuestra Señora de Atocha
A Spanish galley recovered from the ocean near Key West, Florida. The ship sank during a hurricane on September 6, 1622, bringing down with it over 40 tonnes of silver and gold: over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as “Pieces of Eight”, gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars. The total value of the treasure is estimated at US$ 400 million, but it is suspected that a significant part of it still remains underwater.
Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion
This cargo galley was recovered by Bert Webber and Jim Huskins near the shores of Haiti. 32 tonnes of silver were lifted from the sea bed. They came in the shape of bars, coins, jewels and dishes.
Biggest treasure in history
In May 2007 an American company reported that it had discovered a treasure with an estimated value of over US$ 500 million. The riches lay onboard a medieval ship which found its final resting place on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. 500,000 gold and silver coins were transported to the shore, causing concern for the British government. They were based mostly on the fact that the company refused to provide details of the treasure’s exact location. Experts have since assumed that the origin of the riches was the vessel “Merchant Royal” which crashed during a storm in 1641.
…And in Russia
Most of Russia’s underwater riches are concentrated around the Gulf of Finland - there are over 6000 vessels resting in its depths. Being a key shipping route between the capital of the Russian Empire, St Petersburg, and other territories, it was inevitable that it would become a burial ground for cargo ships and their freights.
One of the most significant finds in the Gulf of Finland was made in 1999 by a group of amateur divers. They came across a cargo ship which had been carrying an artwork collection for Catherine the Great. Its main constituents were paintings by what are considered to be Rembrandt’s pupils as well as such important Dutch artists as Paulus Potter and Gerard Dou. Apart from artwork intended for the Hermitage museum, the cargo also contained items that the Russian aristocracy had ordered for private collections. Then, much like in the case with “Frau Maria”, there were severe negotiations between the Finnish and Russian governments over who should gain rights for the treasures. Then, the rights were passed on to the country, which made the discovery - Russia.
International worry
Multiple attempts to sign a global document, defining the status and ownership of treasures recovered from the sea depths, which have culminated with a document ratified by UNESCO in 2001. The paper is an amendment to the normal UNESCO portfolio dealing with the protection of cultural heritage. It places under protection all culturally and historically valuable items which have been underwater wholly or partially for 100 years at least. Furthermore, it forbids any commercial gain to be derived from the treasures.
There is, however, still no coordinated international agreement outlining which country should become the owner of particular underwater finds. It is tacitly accepted that whichever country’s waters are located within a 24 mile radius from the site claims ownership of the treasures. In some countries, the sunken vessel belongs to private people for the first 100 years since the disaster happened.
HUDSON — The swimming hole at School Sink is no bigger than the average backyard pool. The water is tea-colored from tannic acid and full of silt. Down at the bottom is a hole into a tunnel, one person wide, that snakes down about 45 feet to a web of passages stretching out thousands of feet.
If a diver takes his eyes off the yellow guide line along the surface of the rock, he could become hopelessly lost in an instant.
Two men went on a cave dive here in northwest Pasco County this week and died in the dark waters. Joseph Christian Hartranft, a 52-year-old retired Navy man from Brandon, and Yessic Cozay Spencer, 42, a Marine from Gainesville who was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, were found by a recovery team Wednesday evening.
One of them was floating less than 50 feet from the surface; the other was farther down inside a tunnel, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities are still investigating the deaths, which are considered accidental.
Paul Heinerth, a veteran diver who organized the recovery effort Wednesday, said School Sink is considered an advanced cave because visibility is so limited. The nonprofit group that owns the property, the National Speleological Society, requires divers to have 100 safe dives logged.
Spencer, his father said, was a dive instructor. Beyond that, it’s not clear what credentials and training he and Hartranft had.
But Heinerth, the School Sink property manager, said the men got the combination to the locked gate at the property under the pretense they were going to look around and empty the garbage.
“They weren’t supposed to dive there,” Heinerth said. “I guess the call of the wild was too much to ignore.”
• • •
Hartranft grew up in the Atlanta area. He spent most of a 20-year career in the Navy as a communications specialist, retiring in 1995.
In retirement, he worked for U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base and for a Virginia software company.
He liked to baby his 1999 Land Rover Discovery, cleaning the dashboard and side panels with grease cleaner and a toothbrush, family members said.
He was a devoted father to daughters Abigail, 10, and Jacquelyn, 8. He was also an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
He enjoyed computers and Tom Clancy novels. But nothing, it seemed, could take the place of diving. He explored the Oriskany, an 888-foot aircraft carrier sunk two years ago off the coast of Pensacola. Family members said he told his son it was one of his most enjoyable dives.
• • •
Spencer’s father, Yessic Spencer Jr. of North Carolina, said he last spoke to his son on the phone a week ago.
“He was cheerful,” the elder Spencer said. “He was always in a good mood. He had his head screwed on right.”
He said Spencer was a diving instructor in Tampa and had a black belt in karate. The decorated Marine, a lieutenant colonel, had served in Iraq and was working at U.S. Central Command at MacDill.
Above all, Spencer was a family man, his dad said. His wife, Sherolyn, and two kids, 13-year-old Yvonne and 9-year-old Yessic IV, were his life. He served as an assistant cub master for his son’s Pack 127.
A woman who answered the family’s phone in Gainesville said Sherolyn Spencer wasn’t ready to comment.
Spencer Jr. said his son called him every week just to chat as he drove from MacDill back to his home in Gainesville.
No more calls will be tough to get used to.
“We’re going to really miss him,” Spencer Jr. said. “We were just knocked off our feet.”
• • •
In August, a 45-year-old woman who had been drinking went for a swim and drowned at School Sink, which is also known among divers as Wayne’s World. Heinerth said there’s an ongoing problem with people using the spot for swimming and drinking.
But he said the area is fenced off with a combination lock on the gate, and numerous “no trespassing” signs are posted.
“How do you keep someone that really wants to go in there out?” he said.
Dangerous as the cave is, it also holds great rewards. The system stretches west toward the Gulf of Mexico and east under the six lanes of U.S. 19, a busy hospital and golf course community. Animal bones millions of years old hide in the crevices, Heinerth said.
“It’s art made by Mother Nature,” he said.
He doesn’t know what went wrong for Hartranft and Spencer.
“I suspect that there were some rules broken here,” he said. “I’d be surprised if they were finished with their training.”
OUCH!
Mooloolah carpenter Greg Robertson is recuperating in Nambour hospital after a sickening accident in which he speared himself in the groin area with a speargun at Coolum yesterday.
The drama unfolded off the rocks at Point Perry about 3.30pm when the 25 year old was pushed onto the speargun, which had been washed out of his hands by a wave.
The two metre long spear pierced his inside upper thigh, just millimetres from his genitals and femoral artery, and lodged several centimetres under the skin.
The first time spear fisherman had been enjoying a day at the beach with his girlfriend Jacinta Fisher and mates Casey Jensen and her fiance, who unscrewed the spear from the gun when the accident happened.
It remained lodged in place and sticking out from his body as paramedics gave pain relief and packed around the wound.
“A big wave knocked him into the rocks, he lost his spear and the spear rebounded off one of the rocks and got him right near the groin,” Casey said.
“The spear’s barbed on the end, so it’s locked in there. He got up and said ‘It’s in me, it’s in me!
“He’s ok now. He’s still conscious and talking.
“He’ll probably have a laugh about it in a week. We joked about it…we told them to not spear themselves and mistake themselves for a fish and then it actually happened.”
Brisbane holidaymakers Doug and Richard saw the accident happen and called triple 0.
“The girlfriend was holding him and we were all quite anxious because he was walking around the rocks and slipping and sliding with this spear hanging out and we’re yelling out, ‘Stop, don’t move, the ambulance is coming’,” Doug said.
Richard communicated with the two couples from the headland above.
“He seemed to be ok, but he was in shock,” he said.
“He was very close to being in real trouble.”
The Energex Community Rescue Helicopter dropped off two crew on the nearby rocks and then performed a winch rescue in front of hundreds of onlookers who had gathered for the spectacle.
Those who had stationed themselves right on the Point Perry lookout tower had the best view, as the chopper hovered right at their eyeline for the winch.
“The challenge for the crew was how to remove the two metre long spear to something that was manageable,” Energex crew member Dan King said.
“They stabilised the bit that was lodged in his leg and unscrewed the long pole so there was only six or seven inches sticking out.
“He certainly could have come off a lot worse than he did. Initially he did say that he thought he got washed into another rock, but when the wave drew back he realised, ‘Oh dear, there’s a big metal thing stuck in my leg’.
“Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery.
“And I asked him if he caught any fish and he didn’t. But if you are going to have one bump a year, you may as well get it out of the way of the first day of the year.”
Mr Robertson had surgery to remove the spear last night.
Divers find Ms Thailand’s heirloom ring
ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines—For about an hour on Friday, five divers combed the waters off Clave Island in the Hundred Islands National Park to find a diamond ring owned by Miss Earth candidate Piyaporn Deejing of Thailand.
On Thursday, Deejing’s ring, a family heirloom, was dropped by a staffer of the beauty pageant while the candidates were visiting the Hundred Islands as part of the pageant’s activities to promote environmental concerns.
The search bore fruit as the ring was found and returned to Deejing on Friday night while she and the other contestants were in Capas, Tarlac.
Tearful contestant
The staff of the beauty pageant and personnel of the city government searched for the ring the moment it was reported missing but high tide prevented them from doing a thorough search.
Deejing turned gloomy and sat down crying, but she soon joined the other contestants in the activities.
She said the ring was important to the family, noting that she represents the third generation to wear it.
“My grandmother gave it to my aunt who then gave it to me,” she said. “It is not the price but the sentimental value of the ring that matters.”
Rey Livara, a staff member of the Alaminos City government, said Deejing hardly touched her breakfast the following day when the group had to leave for Tarlac, their next stop.
Talking to sand
“She really looked sad. We told her not to worry because we would do everything we could to find it,” Livara said.
Mayor Hernani Braganza promised Deejing that they would find the ring and return it to her.
On Friday, when the tide had receded, divers Leonil Mabanta, Leonardo Mapanaw, Romeo Donato, Paul Viray and Jun Eliseff returned to Clave Island to search for the ring.
The spot where the ring was dropped was marked with a rock. Around it, the divers sifted the sand using their hands and empty shells. “We were like crazy as we even talked to the sand, telling it to return the ring,” Viray said.
Reputation at stake
He said they wanted to find the ring “kasi nakakahiya kung hindi maibalik. Nakataya din pangalan ng Alaminos (because it was embarrassing if we failed to return it. Alaminos’ reputation was also at stake here.”
About 45 minutes later, Donato found the ring buried more than a foot deep, about half a meter where it was supposedly dropped.
On Friday night, the divers and Alaminos personnel traveled to Capas to hand over the ring to an ecstatic Deejing, who hugged the diver who found her ring.
The other candidates cheered as the divers gave her the ring at the lobby of the hotel where the candidates were staying.
Deejing said she thought she would never see the ring again.
“I called up my mother to tell her I lost the ring and she was screaming over the phone. I called her again [to tell her] that it had been found and she was so happy,” she said.
The 31-year-old German has blown away the competition in the nascent sport of “free diving,” in which people vie to see how long they can hold their breath underwater. Thanks to a large set of lungs and advanced training techniques, Sietas has pushed the boundaries of physical endurance far beyond what was thought possible.
Doctors once assumed brain damage was certain for anyone whose respiration stopped for more than three or four minutes. And yet, on June 7, in a swimming pool in Athens, Sietas submerged himself underwater for 10 minutes and 12 seconds, shattering the world record by more than a minute.
Sietas, a lanky fellow who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 165 pounds, doesn’t appear any worse for the wear. “I’m a pioneer in my sport,” he said in an interview, relaxing at a cafe at this river city in northern Germany.
He’s taking a short break from training these days after a busy summer. In September, he sat in a plexiglass tank of water on the stage of “Live With Regis and Kelly” in New York and vied for the record in a slightly different category, in which he was allowed to soak up pure oxygen beforehand. This time, he held his breath for 17 minutes and 19 seconds before he bobbed to the surface.
“Tom, are you okay?” a nervous Kelly Ripa asked her German guest as he opened his mouth to gulp in fresh air.
“Much better,” he replied with a smirk.
In July in Hamburg, he set the world record for swimming the longest distance underwater without taking a breath: 700 feet, or almost nine lengths of the pool.
Like other extreme sports, free diving has exploded in popularity in recent years, attracting an estimated 10,000 competitors to organized events.
The sport draws on a long tradition of underwater breath-holding, including Asian pearl divers who swim to depths of 100 feet to harvest oysters and abalone. Even today, most free divers prefer to test their limits in the freedom of the ocean, instead of indoor pools.
Sietas discovered the sport in 2000 on a trip to Jamaica. He was scuba diving but was constricted from pain in his ears that got worse the deeper he went. Instructors taught him how to equalize the inner-ear pressure, a trick that worked so well he ditched his scuba tanks and began testing how deep he could go.
“I was so happy,” he said. “I could go down 15 to 20 meters” — 50 to 65 feet — “and the whole undersea world was just so wonderful.”
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