I remember very well some 26 years ago wandering into the offices of Sub Aqua Scene Magazine near Victoria Railway Station in London. The Editor (Len Charlton) would be sat at his desk writing the latest adventure in a room not that much bigger than a cupboard. All Len’s creations were written by hand using just pencil and paper. I on the other hand had one of the latest electronic typewriters and used two fingers to type it took hours if not days to write a story and then usually had to start from scratch again as I had made a number of errors.
How equipment has changed over a very few years. Now I can sit at the PC, rattle off a lot of incoherent twaddle, move this, move that, have it spell and grammar checked before a read through and alteration of fonts/size of print. When I was happy I would save it onto a disc with a few digitalised pictures (far better than sending off original slides that could be damaged or lost). This being a web-based magazine a whole monthly edition can be emailed to head office in about 10 seconds. Technology. Many may moan but it has made my life a damn sight easier!
Away again!
You say to me, “what a life, you’re away again, diving all the best places in the world and staying in the best hotels”.
All I can say is try it for about 6 months, it is really a complete pain in the proverbial! Every hotel room has the same layout, the same outrageously expensive minibar, the same horrible mould growing in the bathroom (haven’t they heard of bleach?) and dive centres that promise all and then fail to deliver!
Well that’s my little moan off the chest, so to speak.
Hey you divers I was out in the TRNC (Turkish Republic of North Cyprus) about 2 weeks ago (May/June 07) for a week. If you have not ventured there before the diving is nothing like that experienced over the border in the South there are fish there!However one must-do-dive in the South, is the wreck of the Zenobia just out of Larnaca. This Ro-Ro car ferry is just something else! The one good thing - you can also dive the Zenobia even if you are staying in the North - as the border is open. A Tip - Amphora Dive Centre regularly take divers down to dive this wreck.
I traveled out with Cyprus Turkish Airlines which do give divers an extra baggage allowance for their kit FOC. Although a lengthy trip because all aircraft traveling into N. Cyprus have to land in Turkey en-route I could not complain the flight crew were the tops, the in-flight meal usually tasting of burnt-microwaved plastic was, can you believe really very good and they didn’t skimp with the free-drinks trolley. However, on arrival I was left dumped and discarded at the airport by the transfer agent because to quote, wasn’t on his list! I read him the riot act before jumping on a minibus operated by a rival holiday company (Anatolian Sky) at their invitation, many thanks guys!
I completed the grand total of 2 dives in a 1 week trip, not much you might say! You betcha! But at the moment I will say nothing, wait to edition 3 when my story of the trip will be revealed.
Photo by Simon Jannson
Today the 16/6/07 I´m in the Canaries!
Tenerife to be precise. I have spent the last week in the office sorting out the usual bits and pieces but tomorrow, hey I’m going for a plop!
My ´plop´ is a dive that I rate as one of the ten best in the World! Diving with the Rays of Los Gigantes and boy are they big! If you ever manage to do the dive don’t for one second think that you will see just a few rays, you will be surrounded by them, many tens of them from the Black Atlantic stingray to Eagle ray, Butterfly ray and many others. These Rays will swoop down and land on you, on your fins, over your knees, on your chest and on your head. In some ten years there has never been an incident at the site. In the same area are Seahorses and it has been known for the occasional Shark to turn up!
And here comes the beauty of this being a web based magazine, within just hours after the dive you can read all about my little plop! and if I really get my act together perhaps a picture or two.
Photo by Sheila Widdrington
18/6/07 What a disaster! In the morning the ocean was calm, by lunchtime the wind had started to get up and there were white horses riding the waves, so diving had to be scrubbed! No big problem I´ll be doing it sometime this week for sure.
20/6/07 Hot News from Malta! For a number of years the Maltese Government have been scuttling (cleaned down) Boats and Ships as part of the Artificial Reef Programme and for divers. The first boat to be put down was the tugboat ‘Rozi’ at Cirkewwa.
Photo by David Oldale
Well, two more are going down this year; both being Maltese Navy Patrol Boats. With one, the P29 (an ex-minesweeper from East Germany originally named the Boltenhagen)Â being put on the seafloor at Cirkewwa (near the ‘Rozi’ pictured above) on the 7th. July. The other is due down in Sept/Oct. I have seen both these vessels before clean-down in the dockyard late last year and they are impressive! Holiday Diver will be out there to record the sinking and be one of the first to dive. If you have never witnessed a scutttling before - my advice - book your flight and accommodation now as July is the height of the season and dive the new wreck. Take it from me this will be a tremendous DIVE at one of Malta’s best dive locations!
20/6/07 The Ocean has gone flat so, I could delay no longer. We (Holiday Diver staff) took the RIB out in the channel between La Gomera and Tenerife (Stingrays Tomorrow) and were surrounded by pods of Pilot whales. We just plopped over the side (no scuba it upsets them) and shot a few pictures - wow! There were mothers and calves with the large males keeping a damn good eye on us - It was just unbelievable!
Photo by Sheila Widdrington
If nothing else I have proved that we can dive, take a few pictures and download all into the Magazine within an hour or so. What other dive-mag has ever achieved that? None that I know of! I have stories still waiting to be published in other dive publications from over a year ago - and they were classed as urgent, old news or what! Editors Note:- Before getting into the water with Whales and Dolphins in these waters written permission must be obtained from the relevant authorities - there are very heavy penalties for transgressors. We have that permission!
22/6/07 At 1830 yesterday evening the Holiday Diver Team were out over the Ray Site at Los Gigantes (Tenerife). Flat calm with no current - just my ideal diving conditions! I had two cameras to play around with - the INTOVA digital with no-flash (on test from CPS Partnership) and my trusty Nik 5. Whilst only 6 Rays decided to make an appearance we were surrounded by so many thousands of other species. 
Photo by David Oldale
I just glanced up to notice one massive shoal quickly part, in cruised 3 one and a half metre long Amberjacks - unfortunately, not quite close enough to rattle off a couple of shots. That said - it was an awesome dive late in the day! And the little ITOVA Camera - look at the shot above - natural light (no flash) depth - 21 metres. I don´t think it performed too badly but, you will just have to wait for the test report - coming shortly!
Stingrays - 23/6/07 Out again this afternoon - just 3 divers in the water. We were immediately bombarded by many large Black Atlantic Stingrays and Eagle Rays. At one point I decided to lay flat on the sand to get a picture of Sheila and Stingray with the sun´s rays streaming down from the surface. Three Stingrays had another idea - with the first landing right on top of me with the other two in turn piling on top of the first. I could not move for some moments! It was certainly different! But what a dive - that you can read in Holiday Diver shortly.
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