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Kevin Patience's new publication on maritime casualties on the Kenya and Tanzania coast is well produced and illustrated with over 300 photographs of the ships that were wrecked and / or ran aground on this apparent idyllic tropical coast.
In a period covering over four hundred years 264 merchant and naval vessels get a mention. Kevin admits there are probably others he has not discovered, but after six years of research he called a halt. This is by no means the total number of vessels wrecked or stranded on the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania - but rather most of the known casualties, including many which survived to sail another day and includes, entertainingly, details of casualties on the great inland lakes, Kioga, Tanganyika and Victoria.
For each major casualty there is a picture of the ship, technical details with a brief description of service and events and in many cases its final voyage. Where this book wins, is in the gathering of many fascinating accounts of ships that became casualties on this perilous part of the East Africa coast with its reefs, currents and limited safe anchorages.
An interesting appendix covers the tugs that have been based in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam over the years, which in many cases went to the aid of the stricken vessels. The research has taken the author to many of the places mentioned and in some cases he has dived on and identified a number of the wrecks, apart from a first hand involvement in some of the salvage operations.
One of the lesser-known vessels mentioned is the William Mackinnon, and named after the founder of British India Line and president of the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEA). The 70 ton vessel was assembled in Scotland in 1890 to ensure it all fitted together and then dismantled, and transported to East Africa by sea in pieces. The parts were carried overland from the coast to Lake Victoria, except that in the case of the William Mackinnon most of the parts never made it. The IBEA folded, and the vessel parts were acquired by Uganda Railway Committee. An amusing piece tells how porters carrying the 3,000 boxes of parts defected, fell ill and died "with the result that the steamer was strewn across the African countryside," many of the copper and brass fittings being stolen and turned into jewellery. Eventually, in 1900, the ship was completed at Kisumu with replacement parts and sailed on until condemned and sunk in 1929.
The author spent twenty five years in the diving and salvage business in the Middle East and East Africa and has undoubtedly put much effort into research for this book, returning in many instances to confidential salvage records, and some of those who survived the incidents described. For those who have holidayed and dived this fascinating coast with its wrecks, this book is a must. A 276 page hard back book.
Peli Products have responded to popular demand with the launch of the 1510 Carry On Case.514 x 289 x 193 mm (147mm base + 46mm lid)The 1510 Case is the maximum size permitted as a "carry on hand baggage" by most airlines. This case allows the user to securely protect, and easily carry, valuable belongings (computers, photo equipment/film, electronic devices) while travelling. It comes with a new effortless-release extendable handle and rugged wheels so that it can be effortlessly rolled through airport terminals and plane aisles.The 1510 also features outside padlock receptacles, which have new metal reinforced padlock protectors to ensure that your case cannot be easily cut or pried open. Features new rubberised handles, front and end and extendable handle and wheels. As with all Peli Protector cases, the Peli 1510 offers strength and performance against extreme conditions, rough handling, dust and water, and carries the legendary you break it - we replace it" lifetime guarantee. Excludes shark bite, bear attack and children under five!
Some words stick in your mind. I remember checking into a rather exclusive hotel in the Scottish Highlands run by an ex-New York banker who was inclined to wear plus-fours and play the part of the Laird. It all seemed a bit twee.
One of the guests interrupted the occasion by rushing into reception from the lounge, where some form of parlour game was in progress. He wanted to check the meaning of the word "meretricious". I wondered whether he was referring to our host?
As it was, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, and forgave the ex-New York banker his little bit of whimsy. Meretricious means false, tawdry, bright and attractive on the surface, but not what it appears to be. One could make that mistake by going on first impressions with the Oceanic GT regulator.
It does look a bit plastic and tinsel, with the nasty, shiny, stuck-on label on its CDX-5 first stage and a very lightweight plastic second stage. Well, that's how it struck me on the surface. How did it do once I got it well below that? I found it superb!
The Oceanic GT has about the most lightweight second stage you will find, and with its orthodontic mouthpiece it was very comfortable indeed. It's derived from the successful Oceanic Gamma but without any of its annoying switches.
I have never noticed the need for a venturi plus/minus control, and as for a breathing-resistance adjustment knob, why would anyone want to crank up the cracking pressure on a properly maintained regulator?
If I want less air I simply demand less by inhaling less forcibly. It is a demand-valve, after all!
The unit is easy in the mouth and just as easy when it comes to getting at its interior to remove any grit or detritus that might have made its way inside during a rough shore-entry. The mechanism inside looks simple but nicely finished, and the front of the regulator complete with its rubber diaphragm fits back together without fuss.
The CDX-5 is the latest in a line of successful diaphragm-type first stages. It has two high-pressure and four low-pressure ports. Although we at Diver have proved the simpler and cheaper Oceanic piston first stage to be almost beyond criticism when it comes to performance, the guys at Oceanic in the UK prefer to sell diaphragm valves, as so many of their customers are likely to throw themselves into a lake after purchasing a new regulator.
No, I didn't mean that! I meant that they like to try a new regulator at a cold freshwater inland site, and diaphragm-style valves are generally less likely to give problems with malfunction due to freezing than piston types.
I tried the Oceanic GT several times, to a depth approaching 50m. It was always unobtrusive in the way it worked. The small exhaust-T managed to direct the exhaled bubbles well away from my face, and when at times I found myself working really hard and heaving heavily, the supply of air it gave me continued to be as smooth and diffuse as it had been when I'd been hanging around in the shallows.
There was never any tendency to gush or flutter, which can happen in these circumstances with some other valves.
I am not an ANSTI machine. My impressions tend to be merely subjective or, as Michael Winner would say: "Calm down, it's only an opinion." However, I did use the Oceanic alongside another regulator and was thus able to make a direct comparison. That regulator was the Atomic B2, and regular readers will know that I hold that item in the highest esteem. The performance of the Oceanic GT with CDX-5 first stage appeared to match it.
Do I have any complaints? Not about the valve. But the high-pressure gauge that was supplied in a console with depth-gauge and compass alongside the GT was a heavy enough lump to clout the most nimble buddy after a dive - so I left it on the dive-deck of Red Sea liveaboard mv Excel and used a nicer one instead.
Meretricious-looking or not, the Oceanic GT does the job.
BCs come and BCs go but some seem to stay forever. At least, some names do, even if the manufacturer does improve the product by stealth year by year, without making any fanfares or grand announcements. If an owner of an original Mares Vector Chrome were to pick up the 2004 version, I bet he would hardly recognise it as the same thing.
For a start, the BC now has MRS, QAS and BPS!
Yes, I know, but scuba-diving equipment manufacturers all love these indecipherable abbreviations. MRS stands for the "mechanical release system" of Mares' patented integrated-weight pouches. QAS stands for the "quick adjustment system" of the waistband harness. BPS stands for the "back protection system", or cushion, that goes between the hard backpack and the diver, and BC stands forÉ well, never mind.
Despite poking fun at its name, I like the Mares integrated-weight system enormously. The weight pouches are slotted in on a track and each is retained by a spring-loaded clip that engages with a fixed stud.
I would have said that there's no danger of dropping a loaded pouch unless you want to do so. However, overloading them with 5.5kg each, as I had to do while diving in a heavyweight semi-dry suit and floaty aluminium tank in a wintry Red Sea, I tended to pop them free from their retaining studs during bumpy Zodiac rides. On two occasions I started my dives with a hard-swimming descent to 20m to pick up a wayward weight-pouch.
This MRS system is an optional extra, but despite these tribulations I would still heartily recommend it. The difference in comfort between using this and a weightbelt is amazing and there is none of that feeling of swimming with heavily loaded saddle-bags, because the weights are securely stowed and are kept tucked into the diver's horizontal body.
The QAS allows you to adjust the length of the cummerbund easily to suit your fit. Each side simply passes through a slot in the side of the backpack and doubles back on itself to be held in place by a large slab of Velcro. The BPS cushion does not drink water when submerged and it too is attached to that shaped backpack by small tabs of Velcro. The pockets are usefully roomy and have large-gauge zips. Five large stainless-steel D-rings and two smaller ones are strategically placed.
There are three dump-valves, one at each shoulder and one at the lower back. The one on the right shoulder is operated by a pull-cord that is threaded down through the shoulder-facing to a toggle quite low down at the front. I found it very convenient to use this, and tucked the corrugated hose out of the way under the sternum strap. This valve, together with the one at the lower back, serves as an over-expansion valve too.
The other shoulder-dump is operated by pulling on the corrugated hose, and this has the usual Mares Ergo direct-feed inflator at the free end. In either event, there is never any need to raise the hose to dump air and let water back in the other way, so the BC stayed uncannily dry inside during my 15 or so dives with it.
The material used is a heavyweight-thread Cordura 1000 material on the outside and a softer 420 denier nylon on the inner surfaces. The BC is quite slim-fitting. It leaves you feeling sleek in the water, and there is nothing to flap, but this is at the expense of maximum lift.
I estimate that there is only about 12.5kg in the medium-size version but, as a rule of thumb, for single-tank diving you should not need more lift than there is weight on your belt or in your integrated-weight system, so that will do for me. Remember, that part of a BC that is above the water while a diver is at the surface contributes nothing towards lift at that time.
IT DOESN'T OFTEN HAPPEN, BUT WHEN IT DOES, I GO PREPARED. What? Me, diving in cold fresh water? It can be as cold in the water at Stoney Cove in winter as almost anywhere in the world. So what's my choice of regulator under these dire conditions? For a February trip to this Midland Mecca for divers, I took a Mares Proton Ice with a coldwater kit fitted.
I hadn't left the shore before the regulator on the other side of my tank H-valve started playing up, gushing and roaring like a burst pipe. I won't mention the brand. The Proton Ice, however, behaved impeccably.
So why did I choose that regulator and that model? The Proton Ice comes with the V32 first stage, which is a direct descendent of the MR22 supplied with the Mares Abyss and the Mares Ruby. It has merely been pared of excess metal and hence weight.
It has six ports, four medium-pressure and one over-sized to accommodate the wide-bore hose of the second stage. The high-pressure ports are sensibly angled away from the route of the other ports so that hp transmitters and hp hoses are not squeezed by others.
It has Mares' patented "Dynamic Flow Control", which minimises pressure drop and with it temperature drop during the inhalation phase of breathing. The valve also has a spherical core seal system which avoids abnormal wear.
Ever concerned that I have the best experience, Justin from distributor Blandford Sub-Aqua kindly fitted an optional coldwater kit, too. This ensures that the works of the diaphragm regulator stay dry and the diaphragm itself stays lubricated and flexible, reducing the chance of malfunction because of icing.
The Proton Ice second stage is made of metal, including the mesh grid at the front, but is otherwise similar to the standard Proton. The even newer Proton Metal has a traditional shiny finish rather than the rather avant garde frosted look of the top-of-the-range coldwater model.
I imagine there will be some hairy-arsed members of the diving public who would rather be seen dead than using a regulator finished in pale blue and misted metal!
So what's special about metal? Divers started having trouble with free-flows in freezing conditions only once regulators had been developed to provide today's massive flow-rates, and makers advanced to lightweight plastic construction.
The coldest water is usually warmer than 0°C (it's very hard to swim in ice). But the air supplied by your regulator can be very cold indeed, because that's what happens when a gas is depressurised, just as your tank gets hot when it's pumped.
Start off your air supply at, say, 4°C, a temperature common in freshwater sites in winter, and it can become very cold as the pressure drops from more than 200 to 8-15 bar at the first stage, depending on your depth.
Any water in or around the first stage could turn to ice crystals, which can jam the mechanism.
There is another temperature drop at the second stage, and this very cold air can be warmed up only by the water surrounding it. Metal conducts heat better than plastic, and although there may not be much heat in the water but there is a lot more than there is in the air passing through the regulator.
The metal parts of the regulator serve to conduct this heat to warm up the air. The Proton Ice has heat-exchangers on the hose, too, but I think this is more to ape the fashion of other manufacturers who add heat-exchangers where their second stages are made of non-heat-conductive thermoplastic.
Mares goes further by directing the main supply of air away from the works of the second stage by means of the venturi bypass tube or VAD (Vortex Assisted Design).
I have found this design very effective in avoiding exponential free-flows, and the designers at Mares don't think it necessary to furnish their regulators with venturi ± switches or breathing-resistance adjustment knobs. You just stick them in your mouth and breathe. All the clever stuff was done when it made the regulators.
I did everything wrong when I tried the Proton Ice. I left my tank in my car overnight so that it was well-chilled. I took some heavy breaths from it while standing at the shore before diving - a surefire way to introduce ice into the main body of the second stage and affect the demand-valve mechanism. It didn't.
I cannot guarantee that a Mares Proton Ice will not freeze up on you, given even more extreme circumstances, but if you buy one and it happens, please let me know.
http://www.divernet.com/equipment/0504divertests.shtml
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