We are seeing changes in laws regarding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), tour guides, cylinder and equipment control, as well as working regulations. In some cases, the very freedom of a diver to go diving is going to be called into question. In this article, I hope to highlight some of the issues regarding the potential diving bans in various areas and try to explain some of the steps being taken to mitigate this threat.
Although diving is officially recognised as a sport and therefore falls under the Department of Sports and Recreation, it takes place within oceans, rivers and lakes.
This gives the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) some rights over the sport. In terms of the Constitution, DEAT is required to co-operate with other departments when dealing with their sphere of influence, but DEAT seldom worry about this technicality. When it comes to the marine environment, the Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) branch of DEAT have clearly taken steps to obtain some control over sport diving. Whether they have done this for environmental reasons, or because they believe that taxing the sport will provide a lucrative income stream, is a matter for hot debate. The fact is that MCM have regulated aspects of sport diving and unless challenged in the High Court, will continue to do so.
Until recently, divers were generally free to dive wherever they pleased and whenever they pleased. Logical restrictions did apply, such as in genuine nature reserves and busy harbours. During discussions with the MCM, a very different picture of the future emerged.
One official described a future scenario where diving would be generally banned along our coasts and only allowed in a few specific areas designated for the sport. To participants in a sport where freedom and exploration are part and parcel of the activity, this scenario was viewed with absolute horror.
A DIVING BAN WILL NOT PROTECT ABALONE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Thank you very much for your support in opposing South Africa's proposed diving bans!
With your help, Underwater Africa has collected a total of 4213 signatures.
This success is all the more remarkable given the comment period, which took place over South Africa's Christmas holidays. Some 2572 signatures were collected on the petition website and another 1641 from a paper-based petition.
We'd like to keep you informed about current and future issues that affect divers and the environment. Please visit our website at www.uwa.org.za, and register there if you have not done so already.
Thanks again for showing that you care, and standing up for your beliefs.
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Muddy Waters: Techniques for Low-Vis Diving
That happened to me in the Galapagos Islands. Beautiful day, clear water and suddenly we encountered a wall of green. Instantly visibility decreased from 60 feet (18 m) to less than 3 feet (1 m). It even happens in Hawaii. On days when it rains heavily in the mountains you often get a brown-water line where mountain streams empty into the Pacific. Longshore currents whisk the muddy water down the coast, quickly overwhelming a number of popular dive sites. On rare occasions divers might be greeted by 100-foot (32-m) visibility when entering the water and before the dive is over be literally feeling their way back to the boat.
Many divers, especially those accustomed to clear water, become uncomfortable when faced with limited-visibility conditions. Even if you know that visibility is going to be less than optimum and have dived in those conditions before, it is easy to lose your way. So what do you do if you encounter turbid water conditions and become disoriented?
The first rule of any stressful diving situation is to remain calm — stop, think and act. Unless you are in immediate danger, cease all activity and try to relax — take controlled deep breaths and force yourself to exhale slowly and fully. Repeat this until the initial wave of anxiety passes.
Once under control, consider your options. Unless you have completed a limited-visibility diving specialty course, you may not know how to react to being disoriented in turbid water, but you have to do something.
Begin by checking your gauges — air supply, depth and bottom time. If you run low on air or are near your planned bottom time limit, surfacing may be the safest solution. However, in severely turbid water sometimes you may momentarily have difficulty discerning up from down.
The one sure way of telling is by observing a tiny amount of water inside your mask — it will always pool on the downside. So if water is accumulating anywhere other than in the bottom skirt of the mask, you are not right-side up. It may be necessary to let a little water into your mask to perform this test.
In most disorientation situations, a diver can tell up from down by observing the direction of his exhaled bubbles (photo 1). Bubbles will always float upward, except in rare cases when the diver is experiencing a downwelling current. I have observed this only twice, once at Costa Rica’s Cocos Island and again at Blue Corner in Palau. Downwellings are not uncommon at these venues but are rare most everywhere else. These situations do, however, confirm that watching your bubbles is not a completely fail-safe way to determine up from down.
When disoriented in turbid water, swim into the current to avoid being swept away from the area you are diving. Observe your exhaled bubbles to verify the direction of the current. The bubbles in photo 2 are drifting backward as they rise; these divers are swimming into the current as they should.
Swimming into the current helps you avoid ending up downcurrent from the exit site or far away from the boat. Going beyond the site while swimming into the current is not a concern; you can always drift back after surfacing.
In good visibility many divers do not navigate by compass except when finding a site such as a wreck for which they have compass bearings. Since the water is clear, natural navigation techniques usually work well. However, before descending I always take a just-in-case compass reading toward shore. That way, I’ll never get caught swimming aimlessly in the wrong direction if I become disoriented or lose my way. By following the compass heading eventually I will end up on shore.
Another good habit to form, even in good visibility, is checking the depth beneath the boat. Upon reaching the bottom when descending, take a quick glance at your depth gauge. And as you swim away take a compass heading for the anchor location. If turbid water moves in and you become disoriented, you’ll have two references.
In turbid water your gauges — depth, compass, timing device and pressure gauge — are your eyes. When you descend into turbid water or anticipate the possibility of worsening visibility, plan to follow a compass course throughout the dive (photo 3). Combine depth, time and direction to navigate the site and safely find your way back.
Due to the absence of references, a constant depth is challenging to maintain in turbid water. The best solution is keeping a close eye on your depth gauge. The divers in photo 4 are slowly ascending, constantly checking their depth gauges so they don’t exceed the safe ascent rate.
The buddy system also takes on renewed importance in turbid water. To avoid becoming separated, most buddies stay especially close when they can’t see beyond arm’s length. In zero visibility it is a good idea to maintain physical contact or use a short lead line — each buddy holding an end — to stay together.
If you become separated from your buddy listen intently for his bubbles and do a couple of slow 360-degree rotations while looking for your buddy’s bubbles and light beam before completing the standard lost buddy routine.
Divers who become disoriented in turbid water sometimes forget or intentionally omit the safety stop while ascending. Even when you are anxious about getting to the surface, it is still important to make a complete safety stop. Keep a hand on your buoyancy compensator’s inflation/deflation control and pay special attention to your depth gauge. Unless you are running low on air, complete the stop, followed by a slow, in-control ascent for the final 15 feet (5 m) just as you would in clear water.
Any diver, regardless of experience level, can become a victim of disorientation in turbid water. Remembering to remain calm, using your gauges — depth, time, compass and air — and not deviating from safe diving practices will eliminate the anxiety often caused by poor visibility.
By: I´M A DIVER
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