Presentation Previews

Theatre Presentations, Seminars and Workshops at OZTeK2013 - listed alphabetically by presenter - will include:

Within just 15 years, 100-metre dives have become a regular territory for wreck divers. With knowledge and new technology, and by pushing boundaries, dives in excess of 200-metres in a very hostile environment are now taking place. As we go looking for new wrecks in deeper water, we are starting to venture to the edge of the continental shelfs, and beyond. New dangers have appeared and new methods are required to battle raging currents, and vast distances from shore. Sydney Project members - after 10 years and 5 shipwrecks - are now venturing into this hostile environment to uncover new shipwrecks that were previously out of reach. This is a new adventure like no other, and wreck diving like never before.

The objective of this GUE project was to explore and document the light cruiser USS Atlanta resting at a depth of 130m off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. In order to do so special production housings for our high definition cameras and 200watt HMI underwater production lighting systems was required. This successful outcome has revealed the beauty of this majestic war ship for all to enjoy.

Over the years, underwater cave surveying and mapmaking, has evolved from the traditional compass and tape measure tools to stereo video cameras. These instruments compliment sonar & laser pointers, pingers & thumpers and gps to help us construct maps, 3D images and even virtual cave models.

This presentation follows our work through a number of underwater caves, beginning with Piccaninnie Ponds, in South Australia, and the Pearse Resurgence, in New Zealand, and then a look at images and data collected from expeditions in the Mt Hypipamee Crater FNQ, some exciting results in Tank Cave Mt Gambier and current work with the Camooweal Caves Qld..

When Kevin Deacon takes the stage at OZTeK in March 2013 he will bring 50 years of experience capturing images underwater in the oceans of the world. Kevin will reveal techniques and equipment that has helped him capture award winning images published Worldwide over the past five decades. He will also debut for the first time a whole new genre of images using the new and as yet little known BLACK LIGHT equipment revealing images of marine life behaviour rarely if ever seen before.

In 1963 this self taught 15 year old diver entered the water equipped with scuba, a camera, 12 shot roll of film & 12 flashbulbs. He was destined to become one of Australia's most successful UW photographers and dive industry identities. Kevin is also recognised as Australia's pioneer Underwater Photography Trainer and his presentations have applications for everyone, from a Free Diver on a snorkel to a Tek Diver on a rebreather.

In 1942 the Imperial Japanese navy swept the oceans to the north of Australia clear of Allied warships. Famous ships such HMShips Exeter, Encounter, the Dutch Cruisers De Ruyter and Java as well as our own HMAS Perth fell to the guns and torpedoes of the 5th Cruiser Division and the Heavy Cruiser Haguro and her sisters. After 300 years of Naval dominance, the Royal Navy was chased out of the Pacific and Indian Oceans with her tail firmly between her legs.

In 1945, with the European war waning and all the major German capital ships sunk or disabled, the British returned to the Pacific and Indian Oceans looking for revenge.

In May 1945 they got it when the Haguro and her consort were trapped in a classic destroyer action in the Malacca Straits.

Discovered in 2003, the Haguro has been rarely visited due to the renowned fierce currents and poor visibility. In 2010, under the auspices of the Explorers Club of New York, we conducted an expedition to explore the Haguro and to conduct a hull survey to try to unravel her final moments. Along the way we were to look for HMS Porpiose (the last British submarine lost during the war) and visit the light cruiser HIJMS Kuma as well as scan for the positions of Haguro’s sisters, Takao and Myoko.

This is the story of that expedition.

On March 26th 2012, underwater explorer and film director James Cameron piloted the Deepsea Challenger submersible to the deepest spot in the world’s ocean – 10,900m in the Marianas Trench. The man ultimately responsible for Cameron’s safety while inside the submersible was Australian based cave-diver, John Garvin.

John’s team were responsible for designing, making, installing and then testing all of the critical components inside the tiny 42’ diameter pilot sphere. Using the latest closed circuit rebreather technology, the sub’s life support system borrowed heavily from lessons learned in technical diving. John’s presentation gives a unique insight into how the Deepsea Challenger pilot sphere came together – and puts you in the pilot seat on a voyage to the bottom of the ocean

Max’s latest film projects: The SS Catterthun, the story of Seal Rocks and the legendary wreck of the Catterthun and The San Francisco Maru, part of an upcoming documentary, a glorious journey from bow to stern on the queen of Truk Lagoon

A workshop presentation on the new CCR

A look at the history and evolution of technical diving project planning; reviewing past projects and all the key elements of what it takes to run a successful project.

After several years of planning and diving the Pearse Resurgence in New Zealand, Craig Challen and Richard "Harry" Harris both pushed the cave beyond 200m in depth. The final dive resulted in a decompression time of over 16 hours in the 6 degree water. Craig and Harry will describe how such dives were planned, how the risks were mitigated and what they believe are the factors limiting safe exploration beyond such depths. They will give a dynamic and interactive talk where there will be plenty of time to ask about the "whys" and "hows" of such ventures!

On the 10th of December 1942, Japanese Mitsubishi bombers flying from Saigon engaged and sank the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and Battlecruiser HMS Repulse. Dispatched from the UK to help protect Singapore from the rising threat of Japanese invasion, these warships formed the main element of the ill-fated Force Z. After a brief but fierce battle to save themselves from waves of aerial torpedo and high altitude bomb attacks, the pride and pinnacle of British naval technology was sent to the bottom of the South China Sea. The loss of these vessels and 840 of their crew represented the single greatest loss the British Navy had suffered in a single action and heralded the impending fall of Singapore.

In the early 1990s, the popularisation of ‘technical’ diving opened the door to deep shipwreck exploration and sport divers began visiting these shipwrecks. In 2002, as part of an international team, British technical divers Gavin Haywood and George McClure stumbled upon the ship’s bell from HMS Prince of Wales half buried in the seabed. What to do? Recover the bell and return it to the Royal Navy or leave it there to be taken by trophy hunters. After consultation via satellite telephone with the UK Receiver of Wreck, the dilemma was answered for them. HMS Prince of Wales is designated a protected war grave and as British citizens, they were instructed to leave the bell in situ.

The diving expedition eventually returned to Singapore then onwards to their respective countries. Inevitably it was not long before the word of the bell’s location was spreading throughout the then small international technical diving community. It was there for the taking and rumours were now rife that a Japanese businessman was sponsoring a team to recover the bell.

On returning to work, George McClure, a senior life support engineer for Divex Ltd, the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of professional diving equipment, was invited by the Managing Director Derek Clarke to discuss how the expedition had gone. Explaining the story of the bell and the rumour of the Japanese expedition, determined to ensure the bell was returned to the UK, Derek instructed Paul Haynes, the Divex Defence Business Development Manager, to immediately start planning a return expedition to recover the bell. Illegal or not, that bell was going to be returned to the British Royal Navy. There was no time to loose; the legalities would just have to be sorted out after the event.

Concerned at the proposition of the bell ending up in Japan, George’s dive buddy Gavin wrote to Lord Clifford, the Chair of the Force Z survivors association explaining the situation. Writing direct to the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, on behalf of the Z Force survivors, Lord Clifford demanded full Government support for the civilian technical diving team who were returning to recover the bell. From 10 Downing Street instructions went to the UK Ministry of Defence, to Chief of Navy and onwards down to the Superintendent of Diving that the bell from HMS Prince of Wales was to be recovered with utmost urgency and returned to the UK. What followed was a dramatic race against time by a combined civilian and military expedition to recover and return the bell to its rightful home.

Paul’s talk will cover this unique operation, the unfolding drama and tensions as a clash of civilian and military diving culture inevitably rises to the surface on board a commandeered offshore support vessel designed neither for diving operations or for finding shipwrecks.

Was it an accident? A hoax? Or something more sinister? On a hot August evening, scuba diver Ben McDaniel slipped into the clear blue water of Florida's Vortex Spring - never to be seen again. His family believes his body is trapped below in an underwater cave, but the top search and rescue divers in the world have found no evidence of Ben.

Jill Heinerth's newly released documentary brings up important questions for the industry including the influence of social media in diving accidents. Jill will show a short preview of her new film and enter into an important discussion regarding the psychological issues that compel us to get involved in technical diving.

As an underwater cave explorer, Jill Heinerth’s daily pleasure is to swim through the veins of Mother Earth. As an environmentalist, her mission is to let the world know that trouble is lurking beneath our feet. Using photographs, stories and clips from her films, Jill will engage the audience with the excitement of cave diving while offering the audience tools to protect their water resources.

An invaluable presentation for those divers keen to learn more about sidemount diving techniques and configurations.

This presentation will focus exclusively on a new cave on the Roe Plains which was first dived on 6th October 2011. It currently has over 4,000m of surveyed passages and a maximum penetration of 1,250m. This cave has the largest passages and chambers discovered so far on the Roe Plains. With unique Root Mat draperies and bacterial colonies, this cave is a spectacular and complicated cave diving site requiring the application of cave conservation principles. A video of the cave's unique features will be shown together with the current map and details of the efforts made to date, the exploration team, the equipment used and logistics involved.

The seawater flooded (anchialine) caves on the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda contain extensive networks of underwater passageways inhabited by a diverse community of endemic, cave-adapted crustaceans and other invertebrates. While some of these species are primitive living fossils, others show affinities with deep sea fauna. Thus, these animals have likely been living in Bermuda caves for millions, if not tens of millions of years. However, massive stalactites and stalagmites in the underwater caves are proof that they were dry and air filled for long periods of time during low sea levels of the Ice Ages and sea water did not reenter them until at least 7,000 years ago. In order to find deeper cave habitats that could have provided a refuge, we initiated a three part project. First, the shelf edge of the Bermuda Platform and adjacent Challenger Seamount were mapped from 60 to 200 m depths with high resolution mutibeam sonar to identify possible deepwater cave entrances. Second, an ROV was used to investigate and video possible sites of interest. Third, teams of mixed gas rebreather divers explored sites as deep as 137 m, discovering glacial sea level notches, drowned reefs, vertical walls and natural bridge caves.

The longest underwater cave in the United States, outside of Florida, is located at the base of the Davis Mountains in the Chihuahuan Desert. Phantom Spring Cave is owned by the US Bureau of Reclamation as a nature preserve for several species of endangered fish. Although diving is normally prohibited, a scientific dive team from Texas A&M University and technical cave divers from Florida were granted permission to access this site. The cave consists of a series of phreatic, joint controlled passages heading both upstream and downstream from its single known entrance. Cave water is crystal clear and passage size averages 3-5 m wide by up to 15 m high in places. Although the first several kilometers of upstream passage were shallow with a maximum depth of 20 m, past this point and heading into unexplored territory, our team found the cave beginning to descend in a stair-step fashion. Reaching a depth of 72 m our team turned the dive, while the cave continued to descend and was getting even larger. A second expedition in January 2013 with additional helium for trimix will allow us to push the cave and hopefully unravel the mystery as to its source.

For nearly 25 years, Brian Kakuk has been conducting deep, solo, side mount and CCR exploration of blue holes and underwater caves in the Bahamas. Some of these sites are the most beautiful and scientifically significant underwater caves on earth. This presentation will highlight incredible crystal caves as well as addressing cutting edge research and discoveries of new and extinct life found nowhere else on earth.

Subjects include dive planning, independent cylinders vs. manifolded doubles, mixed teams (side mount, back mount, CCR), "same cave, same day" practices, Risk Assessment and Management.

Mars the Magnificent was the largest and most modern warship of its time. With its intimidating dimensions and previously unseen numbers of canons Mars struck fear in any opposing foe. In 1564 Mars led Erik XIV armada of warship in a bold attempt to crush the Danish and Lybish fleets thus ending the Danish dominium of the seas. A brutal naval battle ended in the loss of Mars and more than 1000 braves, Swedes, Danes and Lybish.

Richard Lundgrens will in his presentation take you 450 years back in time, to the time when tall ships of war ruled the seas and new naval tactics were put to the test at high cost and human sacrifice. Learn how the discovery was made after a 20 year long epic wreck hunt and learn about the latest scientific studies of what has become one of the worlds most interesting archeological wreck sites. Mars, the discovery that rivals Vasa!

Rod's first book was Dive Scapa Flow way back in 1990. Since then it has become the accepted bible of driving the legendary scuttled German High Seas Fleet wrecks from WWI lying at the bottom of the Flow. It's now in its 4th edition which takes in the tech diving wrecks there. Rod will be giving a presentation covering the Grand Scuttle, the salvage works from the1920's to the1970's and focussing on the main wrecks left there, the blossoming tech scene including the recent leaps in penetration exploration which have seen successful passages of the massive upturned battleships from stem to stern - often beneath the level of the seabed."

Rod's latest book will be launched at OZTeK2013 - so be sure to pick up a signed copy. Rod will be presenting about the Force Z wrecks, the tech diving that is possible on them, their current condition along with snippets from the new book.

On the 9th of April 1942, calamity struck HMAS Vampire and HMS Hermes off the coast of Sri Lanka in the form of 30 + Japanese bombers. After the raid was over 315 British and Australian sailors were dead and wreckage littered the sea. HMS Hermes lying on its side at 52m is now the graveyard for most of these courageous men. The Vampire is yet to be confirmed as found, although a wreck a few kilometers away recently discovered may solve the mystery of its whereabouts.

Helium has become an essential gas for technical diving as it can be used to reduce or eliminate nitrogen narcosis on deep dives and also reduce the work of breathing. Unfortunately, the lack of new helium production and government controls, which have kept prices artificially low, are causing shortages and commercial rationing around the world. What’s worse is that breathing gas applications only account for about 2% of helium usage, the bulk being medical imaging and manufacturing.

Some experts say that the price of helium could balloon by a factor of 10-20 times over the next decade. That would mean that an open circuit Trimix dive costing $85-100 today (to fill a set of double 100s), might cost you more than $1000 in the not too distant future, putting open-circuit deep diving out of reach.

My presentation will examine the worldwide market for helium including production, pricing and distribution, and the alternatives and how they will likely impact technical diving over the next decade. Get your rebreathers ready!

(This presentation will be delivered on both the Saturday and Sunday.)

With support from the CDAA and the Ashby family, an international team of GUE cave divers set out in July, 2012 to capture high definition footage of the deeper sections of the Shaft Sinkhole in Mt. Gambier, South Australia.

Dive team leaders Steve Trewavas and Casey McKinlay cover the logistics, planningand unique history of one of the world's most famous diving sites, including a video documentary prepared by Andrew Cronan.

We all know that rebreathers are well established in the Technical diving market, and we also know that training agencies and manufacturers benefit from rebreathers entering the recreational market. But is their introduction a welcomed breath of fresh air, or are rebreathers really designed for a small niche? We take a thought provoking look at exactly what is involved for Resort Dive Operators, Dive Stores, Charter Operators and above all - the consumer, to introduce rebreathers into the recreational market. What support will divers need? What cost/benefit will dive resorts be faced with? What are the increased risks? Comments will come from these very people, what their professional opinion is, and the hurdles they envisage. Will they embrace this change or find it simply too cost and liability prohibitive?

Aspects of the correct course of action on finding an unconscious diver underwater have been debated on internet forums: should you try to replace the regulator?; should you wait until a seizure is finished before ascending?; what procedures should be used for a rebreather diver?; should you try to complete some decompression on a decompression dive?; should you try rescue breaths in the water at the surface?; and others. The Diving Committee of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society recently completed and published a 2 year project to review these questions. This presentation will outline the committee's findings, and the arguments supporting them.

Decompression sickness arising in remote locations, and particularly presentation with mild symptoms, is a relatively common problem on technical diving expeditions to remote locations. Expedition leaders faced with these cases must then confront some difficult questions such as: how do we assess this diver?, who do we get advice from?; does the diver need recompression and if not, what treatment do they need?; and can they return to diving on this trip?. Some of the most important of these questions were addressed by the UHMS Remote Decompression Illness Workshop in 2004, and approaches to the others are being developed empirically on technical diving expeditions. This presentation will provide a snapshot of where the field seems to be on these matters in 2013, and some advice for dealing with this difficult issue.

The Buddy Inspiration, now known as the Inspiration Classic, was first sold in 1997 and transformed the way rebreathers were manufactured and started to transform the way all technical diving was done.

Martin Parker was the drive behind the development of the World's first productionised CCR and he looks at the hard won lessons over the years, where we are today and what the future has in store.

Simon Pridmore examines the characteristics and assets that a technical diver needs to possess in order to succeed in the sport. He argues, amongst other things, that one essential pre-requisite is an awareness of the lessons learned in the early days of the sport, lessons learned sometimes at great cost and which led to the establishment of technical diving standards and procedures. He cites a number of examples and asks if some of these lessons are in danger of being forgotten as technical diving becomes ever-more absorbed into the scuba mainstream.

Introduction of digital communication replacing analog wiring, multiple processing systems, advantages, redundancy etc etc and also explaining one of the first clear applications: the rEvo numerical scrubber life monitoring system

The Blue Holes of the Maldives have been legally off limits to divers until Blue Label obtained ministerial permission and commenced research expeditions in 2012. These deep time capsules hold unearthed insights into how the Atolls of the Maldives came into being and offer hope for their very future existence as a nation effected by climate change. Meanwhile, our efforts in Thailand continue to push some of the deepest caves laying infrastructure for future divers to explore some of of Asia's most interesting systems.

A fresh look at every CCR divers worst scenario, a CO2 breakthrough - with never before seen unique clinical data from tests dispelling some of the myths and surrounding the respiratory volume consumption of a impaired diver and corresponding strategies for the individual and team. Is the current thinking for volumes for bail out realistic, conservative or otherwise ?

Have you considered going on an overseas Wreck Diving trip but been putting it off because you are uncertain of what you need or what to expect?

Asia Pacific saw some of the bloodiest fighting during the Second World War and as such there is nowhere in the world with as many wrecks within the reach of divers. Japanese wrecks of Truk Lagoon in Micronesia, English Battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse off the coast of Malaysia, Japanese wrecks at Coron Bay, Philippines and many undiscovered wrecks in the Gulf of Thailand all add to the appeal of travelling and wreck diving.

This presentation will cover everything you'll need to know to ensure you are ready to take that trip and see for yourself these amazing wrecks. We will cover diver training, equipment choices, baggage restrictions, insurance, health, immigration requirements and more so you are fully prepared for your trip.

Designed to meet the needs of both Technical and Recreational Divers, Innerspace Systems new Pathfinder Closed Circuit Rebreather has a host of features and innovative designs packed into a small, lightweight package ideal for the travelling diver.

We will look in depth at the unit and its components, additional upgrades, options and training.

If you're contemplating purchasing a rebreather or upgrading your existing unit you shouldn't miss this informative presentation.

Martin tells the story behind the expedition to explore one of the largest and deepest Karst springs in the world, with all the challenges of deep CCR diving in very cold water and everything that can (and did) go wrong, including his DCS hit and the difficulties of the evacuation and subsequent treatment.

Deep diving can have its perils but sometimes things can go wrong in a way that just makes you laugh. Having run a number of deep diving expeditions around the world Martin will be talking about one deep wreck project in Russia and one deep cave project in France, focusing on the lighter side of all those little minor hiccups and diplomatic incidents in foreign ports that could only happen on a diving trip!

Cave diving photography can provide the evidence behind tall tales, or a useful shortcut for explaining underwater caves and exploration to new audiences. It's also a great way to fill your camera with water, dust and tiny bugs and lose your new strobe at the bottom of a big hole. From bumping the camera equipment down big pitches and changing o-rings in less-than-ideal conditions, to capturing the moment of underwater exploration at the end of the line, this presentation will take a photographic journey through underwater cave photography and cave expedition photography. With photos from caves across SA, WA, NSW, Queensland and Tasmania we'll cover the logistics of getting the camera to the water and negotiating tactics for persuading your buddy to model for you. From there it's about placing strobes to light the darkness and telling the story in pictures. Here are some thoughts on bringing home the shot...and your gear.

The search for a large underwater cave system anywhere in the Philippines has been conducted by numerous teams for over two decades without notable results. Here we present a short chronicle of the realities of exploring for virgin caves on a rugged and remote island in the central Philippines and a brief look at the successful results of an amazing journey.

Over a period of four years, our small and determined group have run expeditions where we operated days away from meaningful diving support, in an area rife with insurgency, often bereft of anything you would want to eat, and falling far short on accommodation where one would choose to stay on purpose.

In the process of discovery we have encountered the sincerest displays of hospitality and helpfulness, drawn crowds of fascinated onlookers expecting us to pull Japanese gold from the bowels of the earth, and pacified machete wielding farmers and Municipal employees who wished us behind bars.

The frustrations and sometimes hardships, have been balanced by the opportunity to investigate more than 20 potential underwater caves and springs in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and with the final success of the ongoing exploration and survey of two substantial cave systems including the Philippines longest underwater cave system. Here is how it happened…

The Polar Regions – the Arctic to the north and the Antarctic to the south – are the two points on earth farthest from the sun and thus most alien to life. They are also some of the most beautiful and fascinating places on Earth.

Peter’s presentation tells their story though images both above and below water and talks of the explorers both past and present. The Arctic and Antarctic are as far away from anything familiar as you can get. It invites your imagination, and then, in a dazzling sleight of hand—with its light, air, ice, weather and wildlife—humbles you as no other place on earth can. Come, listen and see how you can become a modern day polar explorer.