X-Ray Mag #110

Feature articles in this issue with stand-alone pdfs

Farhat "Raf" Jah   Farhat "Raf" Jah
Dive boats, South Orkney Islands. Photo: Farhat "Raf" Jah

Travelling to the Antarctic to dive gin-clear polar waters is a dream topping many an adventurous diver’s bucket list. Farhat “Raf” Jah shares his impressions and experiences from a dive expedition to Antarc­tica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Simon Pridmore  
Photo-illustration: Peter Symes

When it comes to responding to certain computer alarms, can one be too cautious? Being well informed about gas exposure limits and computer defaults can be an advantage. Simon Pridmore discusses a case in point, involving computer nitrox alarms on a routine wreck dive

Edited by G. Symes   Dave Clarke
Octopus, electroformed copper sculpture, by Dave Clarke

British artist and avid diver Dave Clarke, currently based in South Australia, creates beautiful, detailed and dynamic patinated copper, bronze and recycled steel sculptures of marine life, which seem to flow in the liquid medium of the sea. X-Ray Mag interviewed the artist to find out more about his creative process and perspectives.

Kenji Ichimura   Kenji Ichimura
Harlequin ghost pipefish. Photo: Kenji Ichimura

As a divemaster in Japan, I have enjoyed diving all around the world, and I will admit that there are many places on earth I would love to revisit soon. But for today, I would like to introduce my home country, Japan, as your next possible dive destination.

Pierre Constant   Pierre Constant
Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva. Photo: Pierre Constant

For the bona fide traveller, or should I say, the thrill-seeker, the thought of heading off to the far side of the world is enticing. Ponder this for a moment: Have you ever heard of the Marquesas Islands?

X-Ray Mag Contributors   X-Ray Mag Contributors
Salem Express wreck. Photo: Kate Jonker

We asked our contributors what their favorite black-and-white underwater photographs were, and they came back with diverse and dramatic images and stories captured under the waves. From haunting wrecks to patrolling sharks, from delicate macro marine life to giant majestic whales, from sea turtles to manta rays, from recreational and technical divers to hard-hat divers, X-Ray Mag contributors share their favorite images from locations near and far from home.

John A. Ares   John A. Ares
Coralscape, selective color photo by John A. Ares

Selective color is a multi-step procedure in postproduction of images, allowing certain colors to be highlighted while removing color in the rest of the image. Underwater photographer John A. Ares gives us a step-by-step look at how one can use this unique effect to transform underwater images into artistic creations.

Andrea Murdock Alpini   Andrea Murdock Alpini and Ville Lundqvist
The sailing ship Plus. Source: Åland Maritime Museum

Located in the Åland Archi­pelago of the Baltic Sea is the wreck of the late 19th-century, German-made, three-masted, iron-hulled barque named Plus, which was lost on a stormy night in 1933. Andrea Murdock Alpini describes his journey there and his dives on this wreck.

Sandbar shark, Jupiter, Florida. Photo: David Pearlman

So, your dive goal is to get up close and personal with several different species of shark—in one day of diving. Well, then I suggest you fly to Jupiter.

Anders Etander   Anders Etander
Diver places cookie at intersection, 74m depth, Stjernheim’s shaft. Photo: Anders Etander

The desire for adventure lies in wait and entices us… On Utö, there was an unexplored mine system. Follow Anders Etander down into the darkness, where the “In Water Under Land” exploration group had the privilege of diving in a place that has been untouched for 150 years.

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Other articles and news in this edition

MIDE will return to the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on 27-29 May 2022.

Sporting the theme, “Let's Keep Diving,” the Malaysia International Dive Expo (MIDE) has announced that the expo will be back this year, taking place from 27 to 29 May 2022 at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

"Into the Depths" podcasts persented by National Geographic

National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts takes us on a journey through history as she covers the stories of some of the estimated 1,000 shipwrecks of slave ships in the Atlantic Ocean that took place during the transatlantic slave trade in which approximately 12.5 million Africans were forced to cross the Middle Passage.

BSAC has launched its "next step" entry-level course, Advanced Ocean Diver, to allow qualified Ocean Divers to extend their diving depth to 30m.

The planned intercity railway, which will traverse the Yucatán Peninsula, is being routed through protected wildlife habitat and cave-diving country, threatening to cause permanent damage to the environment, Mayan villages, and archaeological sites, as well as the caves.

The accused individuals appear to have engaged in large-scale systematic looting and disturbance of several wrecks and protected sites, including wrecks of older warships in the Baltic Sea, according to a spokesperson from the Public Prosecutor's Office in Kalmar.

A model of the Bremer cog

A wreck discovered outside of Fjällbacka on Sweden's western coast is the oldest shipwreck ever found in the province of Bohuslän. This is also one of the oldest cogs ever found in Europe.

South Sea Whale Fishery, lithographic print published 1835

Iceland says it will end commercial whaling from 2024 amid dwindling demand and continuing controversy.

Amer Sports has agreed to sell Suunto to Liesheng. According to a press release from Suunto, Liesheng is "a leading Chinese technology company focusing on the smart and sport wearables electronics segment."

The reef was found in November, during a diving expedition to a depth known as the ocean's "twilight zone" - part of a global seabed-mapping mission.

The reef, which lies at depths of more than 30m (100ft) off the coast of Tahiti, French Polynesia, is thought to be one of the largest found at such depths and seems untouched by climate change or human activities.

Some of the nests that were discovered

Researchers on board the research vessel estimated that the area contained 60 million nests of the Jonah's icefish—likely the most spatially extensive contiguous fish breeding colony discovered to date.

Notpla

A London-based startup is designing a seaweed-based replacement for single-use plastic packaging.

Unique antibodies present in sharks can inactivate SARS-CoV-2, its variants and other coronaviruses

Researchers have found that shark antibodies can prevent the virus that causes Covid-19, its variants, and related coronaviruses from infecting human cells.

Virtual Divers International (VDI) have announced that they have created a realistic diving simulator.

The Vernon Monument honours all involved in mine warfare, diving, bomb and bomb disposal - past, present and future

A date has been set to dedicate a monument that honours mine warfare and diving personnel, and immortalises the memory of 'HMS Vernon', a former naval base in Portsmouth, England.