“Don’t Touch The Coral” If you have ever been diving or snorkeling by a beautiful coral reef, you would have heard the strict instructions not to touch, or break the delicate coral which takes years to grow.  We are increasingly aware of the threats to our underwater ecosystems caused by bleached and damaged coral, but did you know about the increasingly popular movement of “Coral Gardening” which is helping to restore healthy coral reefs?

Causes of Coral Destruction

Coral has been measured to be declining at an increasing rate with roughly one quarter of reefs worldwide already damaged beyond repair.  Cyclones, pollution, warmer waters, and ocean acidity, as well as competition from seaweeds and predators are some of the main culprits.  Of course Scuba divers and snorkelers also can take some of the blame if they accidentally break coral, or contribute to pollution through use of destructive sunscreens. Destructive fishing methods such as dynamite fishing, or bottom trawling play a big part of the destruction in some areas. Coral mining is also an issue in some countries, where the living coral is harvested for use in bricks, building, road construction, and to be sold to tourists.

Coral Gardening – Aquaculture of Coral

Coral Reef Farming is the concept of extracting segments of larva of live corals from a reef and then proceeding to grow them in a nursery until adulthood. The technique involves treating coral as if it were a plant, leading to the name ‘Coral Gardening’. Coral Gardening has been enjoyed by many who have a coral display in an aquarium, and there are businesses who grow it for this purpose.  Now Coral Gardening is taking off as a popular conservation effort to restore and create beautiful coral gardens which help to provide the important part of the ecosystem for many underwater species.

How are Coral Gardens made?
Coral can either be reproduced sexually, or asexually by budding polyps. In the first method, spawn is collected, collonised in tanks then into floating nurseries in the ocean. The next step is to transplant it into the sea and secure it, then wait for it to grow!  The Coral can be secured with cable ties, rope frames, and other inventive measures to hold the coral in place.

The more current method is to source coral seedlings from reef colonies or stray coral fragments, by harvesting coral branches, fragments, or nubbins (pieces of coral pruned from the tips). This fragmentation is the most practiced method.

Become a Coral Gardener!

Although you may not go out and set up your own home coral gardening facility, there are places all around the globe where you can become involved in the process. Volunteer projects are available in places such as Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, etc… You can learn more about coral conservation and restoration by getting stuck in, and join an educational dive, such as a Project AWARE Reef Conservation Course where you can incorporate learning to recognize a reef in distress to you dives. Be sure to research the facility you plan to volunteer at to ensure you are working towards the greater good, in a sustainable manner. Remember it isn’t always necessarily hands-on; doing things like educating locals on how to preserve the reef can go a long way! Find out more about actions you can take within your own community too!   

In the meantime, here are some good dive practices to help you help the reefs! Consider taking our Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty to perfect your positioning in the water to avoid damaging vulnerable marine life! Fish ID is another awesome specialty that will help familiarize you with the underwater world; conservation starts with education.

If you would like to learn more ways to help the underwater environment, get in touch with us at Dive HQ Christchurch – 103 Durham Street South – 03 379 5804 – and we will introduce you to Project AWARE!

To all outdoor adventure enthusiasts (and divers), 2016 is going to be the year where the action camera market will reach greater heights. Of course we all know that “Gopro” is the first camera we think of when it comes to action and sport cameras, but how long will Gopro make its stand as the best action camera in the market? Will they still continue making their action camera the top of the line, or will they end up like Kodak? Without further ado here are my top 5 action cameras for 2016!

5:  TomTom Bandit

Taking more of a barrel design than the common box shaped design mimicked from a particular camera *COUGH COUGH GOPRO COUGH*, the bandit has a very unique arsenal. Sure 4K at 30fps does sound like the new norm at this point, and 16mp still images sounds cool and all, but a USB Battery and Memory Stick that can be used to upload videos to your computer and be charged at the same time? Absolutely genius. The “Batt-stick” is a USB and battery for the camera, and it can support a Micro SD Card, that once it’s chipped in, there’s no need for SD Card adapters/converters. In addition, the camera does come with Wi-Fi and a Gopro Mount Adapter to mount this camera to any convenient attachment you may find in retail. A separate accessory available for purchase is a special dive lens that will make the camera water proof to 50 metres. Read more about the TomTom Bandit, here.

4: Intova X2 and HD2

 (Left: HD2 – Right: X2)

Going back to what Intova has previously done with their action cameras is very interesting, and makes them one of the best specifically for divers. They have the standard high definition of 1080p at 30(HD2)-60(X2) frames per second, can take 8mp(HD2)-16mp(X2) still photos, have an integrated LCD screen at the back to view images, but now also have a 150 lumen light built in, used to help improve photo and video quality when underwater. For me as an underwater photographer, I love the concept of an action camera with a built in flash, and these guys were the first to do it and are extending it further. Along with that, they are waterproof to 100m, have a removable battery that can be charged, built in Wi-Fi (for the X2) and require a Micro SD card up to 32GB(HD2)-64GB(X2).

3: Sony HDR AS50

In my experience using the Sony HDR AS30V, right off the bat I can confidently say I love the built in stabilization that they offer, nothing can beat smooth video for an action camera that is facing the toughest conditions. However when it came to diving, I wished they created a more usable dive housing that you could take down to 40 meters or more and still have access to all the function. After talking to Sony about this – because they are very open to feedback – they have surprisingly answered my prayer for a better dive housing… and thus fourth the Sony AS50 was born. Unlike its predecessor, this action camera now shoots 4K at 30fps, this also includes 4K time lapses and the high definition we know and love, can shoot at 120fps meaning that you can film your subjects in slow motion at the highest definition. The camera has built in Wi-Fi that can be access via the Playmemories app, and it has GPS to show off where you have been diving and how deep you have been.

2: Nikon Keymission 360

Trying not to be fully biased between which one is better – Canon or Nikon – but in terms of Nikon’s history, they had made the Nikonos series film cameras, that allowed photographer in the 1970s to photograph images underwater! Going to the modern era, they have created the AW130, which can go down 30m underwater with no dive housing and the AW1, which is the only mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that can go down 15m with no housing. Now this October, Nikon is introducing the new Keymission 360. As implied it is a 360 degree action camera, shooting at 4K with built in image stabilization. It too will be able to go to a depth of 30m with no additional housing and has built in Wi-Fi connection. At this stage I do not know what Canon will do to compete with that, but I will assume that they will make a “good” action camera and then slap their branding on it just so people will buy it. And I know, this made me sound very bias that Nikon is better than Canon… but now for the final action camera for this list. Find out more about the Keymission 360 here.

1: Olympus TG-Tracker

We have all heard and seen the Olympus Tough Series cameras and they are the best in terms of waterproof cameras, but their first action camera, the TG-Tracker may be the “badass” of action cameras! Slightly bulkier than any other camera in this list, it comes with a variety of gadgets on hand. A flip out LCD Screen, a 60 Lumen LED Light, Waterproof to 30m without a housing, and a GPS Tracker that can record your deepest dives much like a dive computer… Now that is what I call an action camera! Of course much like its competition, it shoots 4K at 30fps and 8mp still photos, built in Wi-Fi to replay your moments and double check on depths and time you were underwater, and a 204 degree wide angle lens that will put most action camera lenses to shame. The camera also comes with an attachable pistol grip to hold the camera more steadily, and will make you feel like you are in a Sci-Fi movie on your next dive.

You can find a detailed breakdown of the Olympus TG-Tracker here.

Which Action Camera is on your wish list? Do you think Gopro has finally met its match?

Feel free to leave a comment on what you think about these awesome action cameras.

Thanks to Diploma Student Patrick for sharing his top action camera picks with us!  

Beuchat is a brand which lives and breathes its passion for the sea and whose history is intertwined with that of spearfishing. Through its innovations, it has made a major contribution to the birth and development of spearfishing. Beuchat’s latest development and innovation is the Trigocamo camouflage wetsuit with the new Braca Concept.  Beuchat are the first to break new ground creating a camouflage comprised of actual photographs assembled in 3D using trigometric calculation software.

How was this done?  An area of the seabed was selected and was scanned by rail-mounted cameras that take a series of photographs. Around fifty photos were selected to be assembled by computer using trigonometric software which digitalised the images in 3 dimension.

From these visuals, Beuchat extracted the images to be printed on the Beuchat Trigocamo fabric.  As a result each element in the camouflage is authentic and no two are the same. No two rocks are repeated. This means that each suit is unique. This video explains the process and shows you the Rocksea in action!

This innovation and development means that the Beuchat Rocksea range of suits all have the Trigocamo innovation making it the first of its kind-  an exclusive three-dimensional camouflage suit.

Using soft neoprene Elaskin X 8.6 which combines maximum comfort and durability with open cell interior for maximum warmth.  Ergonomically cut for maximum comfort, with special contours on the rear of the suit to avoid pockets developing on the back and between the shoulders. A 360deg one-piece face seal for water tightness and durability, matching neoprene hems on the wrists, ankles and face, and a Lycra hem on the jacket. Elbows and knees are reinforced with anti-abrasion Supratex. Camouflaged padded stemal reinforcement gives the wearer greater stability and comfort when carrying long and powerful weapons.

Not stopping at the camouflage as a new innovation, Beuchat have continued the development and come up with the Braca Concept. What is this you may ask?

The Braca concept is a new patent from Beuchat revolutionising spearfishing apparel. They have invented a simple, effective, hygienic and invisible solution to the problem of how to pass water without removing your suit. This is called the Braca concept.

It’s a triple baffle system that provides a perfect seal and is extremely comfortable thanks to the absence of a zip or Velcro. It offers a fly opening system that is simple to use and hygienic as well as discreet.

Pierre Roy and international spear fisher was one of the testers of Braca Concept. Pierre said using the traditional squeeze bottle which he had been using for over 15 years, had the disadvantage of being uncomfortable and not at all discreet when nature calls. Using the Braca Concept is different, and when he used the system for the first time while on a hunting dive with friends they did not even notice that his suit had a new system. Pierre showed them the new system but they were sceptical that it was not waterproof. So to prove it to them that there is no sealing problem he jumped into the water several times and showed them that not a drop of water seeped inside.  

In 1953 Beuchat developed the wetsuit for the spear fisherman. This now made spear fishers more comfortable and protected so that they could enjoy their passion. Beuchat continues to be leaders in innovation and development worldwide. Safety, reliability, and durability are at the heart of Beuchat’s research and this is reflected in these latest innovations. The Trigocamo camouflage wetsuit with the Braco Concept is definitely part of this revolution.

If you are into spearfishing, or wish to get started, check out our Spearfishing Page here!

Article by:  Dive NZ

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