by Catherine

To truly make your dive buddy smile this Christmas, take inspiration  from these top ten ideas. I believe that the perfect gift should either inspire or be useful but can also be a reflection of you and your buddy’s journeys!

1. Mini Dive Helmet - This old-fashioned deep sea diving helmet has a pencil sharpener incorporated into the base. Buy Now!

2. Scratcher Map – Available in either Australia or Global. This map is like a giant scratchie, and using a coin you rub out every area you have ever visited, revealing the colour beneath. Perfect for well travelled divers and adventurers alike. Buy Now!

3. Pendant – Everyone has a favourite sea creature, and while this may not be for totemistic reasons, some divers may simply feel a connection with a particular playful animal, actively seek it out for their ‘to see’ list, or just feel that sense of joy when they see one in the wild. I have a seal totem, and my friend bought it for me at a second hand shop. It gets me through the cool winter months. Other animals include the manta ray Buy Now! and the sand dollar Buy Now!

4. Wind Gauge/Anemometer – The first thing I do every morning is put the kettle on and check the weather conditions. I do this by standing on the verandah barefoot in my oversized t-shirt, feeling the breeze/or lack of breeze on my skin and looking up at a crude ribbon tied to a stick on my next door neighbours garage roof. This particular one  however, is a lot more upmarket.  Buy Now!

5. Manatee (dugong) Tea Infuser – He just looks so happy bobbing around in your cuppa!  Buy now!

6. Personalised Shadow Box – This gift is easy to make and will have special meaning to any dive buddy. Click here for a step by step guide.

7. Dive Essentials Kit – Even though dive essentials kits are available commercially, it can still be more appropriate to make one. This way you can include personalised objects like your buddies favourite lollies, and humourous objects like an anti-wetsuit peeing device (a cork). Click here to get ideas for yours.

8. Journal – Imagine this journal, salt-sprayed and peeling, riddled with dive logs, GPS marks and wreck discoveries, sitting on a desk in a cabin on a vessel on the ocean. Now imagine the look on your buddy’s face this Christmas. Buy Now!

9. Subscription to a Magazine – The gift that keeps on giving! I buy dive magazines, or any magazine usually if I happen to be in the newsagents with a spare ten bucks. And I always enjoy that new ink smell, the stories, photography and inspiration, despite not buying it religiously. So if I were to receive one monthly, with no obvious effort on my part, well you can imagine!

10. Shark USB - I don’t know why but this appeals. Buy Now! 

A Shadow Box is a lovely way to reference a particular dive site, trip or experience that you have had with your buddy. With shadow boxes now so easy to come by in craft shops, getting this gift together in time for Christmas is even easier.

You will need –

*Shadow Box – 6×4 photo-sized and available painted or unfinished, check out ‘Spotlight’ or ‘The Reject Shop.’ (Sometimes op-shops may have old ones that you can adapt.)

*6×4 Photo – Pick something momentous or special, something that you and your buddy have enjoyed together.

*Paint – If your shadow box requires painting, or simply leave raw if on a time/money budget as it is effective either way. Paint shops might do a small sample for a reasonable price if you ask.

*Small Shells/Bits & Pieces – Little objects either local to the area you dived or with ocean qualities, but must be small enough to fit behind the glass. Craft shops often have little seahorse or anchor pendants in their beading section.

*Sand - A little bit of beach sand. Usually what you bring home in your shoe will be enough.

*Glue – Depending of the quality of the box, and if you use sand, it can be useful to use glue to seal the joins of the finished product.

What to do –

*Bring it all together, as personal or as individual as you like. Don’t forget that if you are painting the box, do this first and tape the glass to remove after the paint has dried. Another tip, is to ask for white borders when you get your photos developed, as it adds a little touch of professionalism.

I just found out that I was conceived on a tropical island during the coral spawning… Too Much Information?

But it explains a lot, as well as raising the question of who is my actual father (“Don’t ‘No, Dad’ me, I’m your polyp!”) …

But seriously, there has to be a link between my love and connection with the ocean to that particular… ‘event’. But then I would have to say my silliness is from Dad getting a crab on the INSIDE of his mask while snorkelling (how does that even happen??) that week. Or my bad luck, as their towels got stolen. Or my accident-prone-ness, from Mum hurting her toe on the first day of the trip. Or my randomness, the sock she had to wear over that toe (Which apparently went quite well with her bikinis).

I’ll stick with the coral spawning story, but either way I’m glad. The ocean soothes and heals me, excites and amazes me, and I feel that connection when I am diving and I appreciate it. I have since been to that island, and although it has changed since the 80′s (don’t try and guess my age), it is a beautiful place, a home away from home. I didn’t see the coral spawning though, ‘coz who wants to be reminded of their parents having sex?! Not me.

(Pic – Coral Polyps, Great Barrier Reef, Aus.)

Don’t be fooled by the low rating of ocean and diving content in this novel, I mean, just look at the cover! And she’s in a cocktail for goodness sake. I’m sold.

Helen Fielding’s quick-witted yet over excitable protagonist is reminiscent of perhaps the author’s most famous character, Bridget Jones. But I personally like Olivia Joules better. Coz she dives. But also, she just has more…. attitude? 

First of all, she does things like this, ‘Sixty feet below the surface, it was like being in a dream or on another planet. Olivia, dressed in a red swimsuit and diving gear, was on the edge of a precipice, a sheer cliff falling away a thousand feet into the abyss.’ And then describes backpackers like this, ‘The standard dress was faded, threadbare clothes which might have fitted when they left Stockholm or Helsinki but which, after six months of diving, rice and peas and dysentry, were now two sizes too big.’

Oh, and then there’s this -

Yes! There are a few well placed illustrations throughout the book, that bring frivolity to her seemingly ridiculous situations. Not since childhood have I been this excited about book illustrations.

So the plot is pretty much her racing around the world following a journalistic lead but thinking she is caught up in a terrorist conspiracy… Good Summer holiday read including ‘The white heat of Miami, the implants of LA, the glittering waters of the Caribbean’ and ‘the deserts of Arabia.’ (taken from the blurb). Definite chick lit, meaning guys may not relate to her as much, although she does talk about shagging a lot. 

Click here to buy!

One of the most common questions people ask me as a diver is, ‘Aren’t you scared of sharks?’ My answer? Yes and No.

This is especially true these days, as overfishing increases the sharks search for food in shallower waters. With our coastal culture, Australia is obviously going to have an increase in attacks, but I believe there are ways to lower the rate.

For divers, the comfort is in that a sharks eyes are towards the top of their head, and a diver swims below. (This possibly accounts for more surfer fatalities.) But in this scenario, the fear is not in the shark itself, but the predator between you and the surface, topped with a pulsing heart and a quickly depleting tank. But then I thought, is there an increase in attacks for other reasons that we have just failed to see amidst the horror? And for this reason I say,

“Bring back the fluro!!”

Black is the new… well… black! Everything is black (with the exception of increasingly sexist pink fins and regs for women) and the thing about black is, it is very seal-like. So, why do we insist on imitating one of the sharks favourite meals? Yes black is slimming, sexy, guaranteed to all co-ordinate, doesn’t fade etc. So how come I find such appeal in the old 80′s clips of divers in bright pink and green (and yellow and blue) ensembles! Even earlier in fact, is vintage retro diving at its best…

… How is that not the BEST thing you have ever seen in your life??

So embrace the fluro! You may leave the 80′s nappy style crotch tab horror though, nobody wants to see those EVER again. But bright colours, fandangled suits and clashing palletes is what I want. For the simple reason that in the marine world some fluro colouring means ‘poison’ and I’ve never seen a hot pink seal. So go get your fluro on.

(Photo credit – Asian Diver Issue 1/2009.)

There is a kit that I cannot live without. In addition to a first aid kit, or an emergency kit, is a Dive Essentials Kit that I believe can make a diver’s life that little bit easier. Rattling around in an old mask container, are an array of objects which accompanies me on boat dive trips or can easily be chucked in the car. Some of the items are useful in other situations too, but I love the fact that as a good scout, I can always ‘be prepared’.

1. Fave socks – Post dive numb feet is one of my personal hatreds, and is why I have added socks to my kit. I might be a little obsessed with socks for every occasion, (movie socks, driving socks, bed socks, cold air conditioning restaurant socks etc…) or, I might just have bad circulation!

2. Mask Strap – It has been said that the humble mask is the most important piece of diving equipment. As without it, all other gear is obsolete. A backup strap could prevent a dive holiday ending situation!

3. Mouthpiece – My buddy once hired gear at a remote dive centre, and the regulator mouthpiece had a sharp edge that caused uncomfortable stress to the dive, not to mention an ulcer. Taking a personal mouthpiece to any place you will be hiring can then be simply transferred over and save a lot of annoyance.

4. Cable Ties – Used to attach you spare mouthpiece to you reg, or attach bits and pieces to your BCD as replacement straps.

5. Emergency Numbers – My dive insurance company provides a waterproof tag each year of renewal, so a spare one in the kit could come in handy, though hopefully will never get used.

6. Seasickness Tablets – Be aware of increased effects on deep dives, but I still rely on them for long boat trips out. (Worst. DM. Ever.)

7. Bandaids- There are many other useful items which belong in a first aid kit, but keeping bandaids in the dive essentials is handy for small ailments.

8. Pen – Even if you aren’t a writer, a pen is the best tool. Filling out safety forms, jotting down dive deets, or maybe getting a number (wink wink).

9. Silicon Grease – Smooth out those wetsuit zippers. Popping a zipper at cold depth is sooo bad. Camera o-rings will also benefit.

10. Compass – I just like to know where I am. Because getting abandoned on a deserted tropical island can happen more easily than you think… (And one day, when I am very drunk, I will tell you that story.)

11. Wetsuit Wash – As with most products in this kit, bring a miniature! Perfect for one wash when you travel and don’t want to take the whole bottle.

12. Sunscreen – Yes, tan is nice. But BCD straps rubbing on red raw shoulders is not.

13. Toothpaste – For your mask! A new mask will often fog. This is because of a build up of production film on the lens. Rubbing a gentle exfoliating paste on the inside of the mask and leaving overnight will clear the fog! And be minty fresh. I take on trips regardless of the age of my mask, just in case. Especially in the tropics.

14. Chapstick – Guys and girls. Chapstick is a unisex item that makes everybody’s life easier. Deal with it.

15. Snorkel Strap – Snorkels can be an underrated tool, and will probably only prove itself useful if you don’t have one handy, or if the strap breaks.

16. 0-Rings - Never, ever, assume that an o-ring will magically appear if your current one splits. Especially miles from shore where o-ring trees are scarce.

17. Carabineer - Not just for rock climbing! Just make sure you buy aluminium ones (or solid gold, your choice) to stop rust.

18. Absorbent Pouches – Just in case your camera housing springs a leak or develops moisture in the tropics due to condensation. These are a quick fix to stuff inside the cavity. (Tip: Keep the sachets from shoeboxes to put in your kit).

19. Lens Cloth – Gentle cloth for cleaning your camera lens or parts. Or even to dust off your mask and avoid sand scratches.

20. SNAKES! Trust me, you will be the hero of the boat if you reveal a bag of these for the ride home. All those cotton-mouthed (oh! It’s a snake pun!) buddies will be stoked on life. Everyone loves a post dive treat!

Have I forgotten anything? We’d love to hear what other essentials are in your kits. Drop us a comment!

I can’t hear. Well… not very well. Sounds distort and surround me, hit me from all sides. It’s all wrong.

I turn full circle to find out where, but I can’t see properly, no peripherals. Nothing. Though the landscape is lush with plants; colour is dulled. Red disappears.

Then there’s the animals, communicating no doubt, by each emitting their own musk. It is wasted on me. Scent is mute. No fragrance, odour, stench. Nada.

And no taste. Mouth only concerned with one thing. Breathing. Guess that’s kind of important.

Only one sense left… Will it stay? As evidence that my body is still mine? That something that makes me human still resides? But no, even touch is different in this place. The pressure, the temperature, the gloves. I cannot feel.

My body is not mine here, there is no gravity, no senses, of distance, of which way is up, of my usual vices. Of humanity.

But it is beautiful here, and there is so much more to gain. I give up my body willingly.

Bubbles, travel ever upwards, the only evidence that underwater, I might still be human.

(Pic – Diver bubble trail, Solomon Islands)

When I’m reading a book about diving, I judge it in three main ways. Am I losing sleep over its un-putdownable-ness? Am I transported into a romanticised version of diving, with exotic location/treasure/action (corny and stereotypical, I know)? And, Do I learn new things about the ocean and diving that will inspire me?

‘The Dive – A Story of Love & Obsession’ by Pipin Ferreras, despite that it fulfils only two of my important personal factors, is still a book that I rave about. I recommend it to non-divers, such is the interesting content about human limits and behaviour.

Short synopsis – Pipin Ferreras and his wife Audrey Mestre, were freedivings’ power couple. They became obsessed with the competition, and pushing the limits of their own bodies, until Audrey’s attempt to break 166 metres on one breath ended tragically. Following the controversy and claims of sabotage, Pipin recounts his own story, and the love between him and Audrey and the ocean. The one-minded obsession of the human psyche in a foreign element is described here in breathless prose. Oh, and it’s a true story. Click here to buy!

Extended review – I feel the euphoric reason why people freedive and test their limits is described excellently.  I am not supposed to breath underwater (wow it’s a revelation!!). I do know this, I just defy it! But freediving is a much more extreme version of the sport. Not only that, the book describes the actual physical changes the human body must endure when diving to extreme depths on one breath. Terrifying! All rushing blood and shrinking lungs. It seriously does not build a case for an enjoyable afternoon in the ocean. BUT IT DOES! The novel, builds and builds, by describing Pipin’s autobiographical need to live, breathe and work the ocean. It is obsession in its purest form. So is reading it. I am also now a strong contender for a new sport; the ‘Read extreme book on single breath’ championships. Seriously, I had to remind myself to breathe normally. Pipin’s story describes how the ocean draws one in. It is inviting, terrifying and to beat it, to defy nature and survive under water at those depths is a victory against the element herself.

On a more personal level, Audrey herself, seemed like the kind of person you could meet in a dive shop and be instant friends with. Her at-one-ness with marine animals, her excitement and sense of adventure, her powerful obsession. Perhaps it is because Pipin has chosen to previously include in the book many archived photos of Audrey, (Diving with stingrays; Dancing underwater; Watching the sunset; Doing yoga) that her realness is so beautiful. She is not just a character in a book.

Autobiographical books about diving do stress the psychological fixation and passion of the ocean and the sport. And they recount accidents with descriptive reality, rather than having Flipper shoot in and save the day. This fascination of reading one is not a melancholic experience. It is not the macabre need for detail. It’s appeal is in the science of the sport, and the liberation from an ocean that can just as quickly assert her authority.