Cave Diving in Kilsby’s Sinkhole

Kilsby’s Sinkhole, in the quiet town of Mount Gambier in South Australia, is undoubtedly unique. Visibility can exceed 300 feet (100 m) and the cool, fresh water is clean enough to drink. Light rays hitting the water make the scene postcard worthy, and every view seems like something shot by a professional underwater photographer. So, what’s the problem? Until 2016, only a select handful of highly trained individuals could dive this magnificent site. Although Kilsby’s Sinkhole has since become more accessible, controversy still surrounds the site. What’s it all about, and who can dive here now?

Why was it exclusive?

When diving first became popular in the 1960s and 70s, eager divers wanted to discover every possible part of the underwater world. Cave and cavern diving in the small Australian town of Mount Gambier was an irresistible prospect. Unfortunately, this sort of diving is inherently dangerous for those without very specific training and experience. The tragic result was a multitude of dive-related deaths in the area. At this point, the government (in a rare instance) interfered in the local diving industry, demanding the establishment of a professional body to enforce cave-diving standards and training. The Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) was thusly born and henceforward, divers had to be members to enter any freshwater cave or cavern. Over the next 40 years, only a handful of divers died in these cave systems thanks to the regulations and training.

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Kilsby’s Sinkhole

The CDAA classifies the sinkhole as a cavern dive. Before 2016, divers had to undergo a rigorous five-day course to obtain a cavern-diver qualification — not an easy task. The dive site is spectacular, with a maximum depth of just over 180 feet (60 m). Divers can easily see the bottom before even stepping into the water. This is where the danger lies, however, as it can be extremely difficult for an inexperienced diver to gauge his depth and control an ascent. This difficulty has led to multiple deaths in the sinkhole.

The CDAA

The association does not own the sinkhole and other nearby cavern dive sites, but does manage access rights with landowners and government bodies. The agency also has independent diving standards and teaches CDAA courses, designed and refined over the last 40 years. Interested divers start with the Deep Cavern course (as mentioned above), and can progress through the Cave and Advanced Cave training.  

The controversy

In 2016, the owner of Kilsby’s Sinkhole passed away, although the family still owns the surrounding land. Citing insurance issues and various other factors, the family decided to make the site accessible to operators other than the CDAA and offer access to recreational divers, snorkelers and photographers. Anyone with an advanced rating and 50 dives would be allowed to explore the cavern. All diving was suspended temporarily at the site until interested parties reached a decision. The CDAA policy states that you must be a qualified cavern diver and refused to change these guidelines and thusly a rift began between the two parties, resulting in the banning of CDAA diving in the sinkhole.

Diving in Kilsby’s Sinkhole

There is quite a bit of dispute surrounding who can dive in the sinkhole. Only certain dive shops have access, and each one of these has its own rules, apparently provided by the Kilsby family. Controversial rules such as “no CDAA member” and “no sidemount diving” appear to be entirely up to whichever dive operator is running the day. Universal rules both require divers to use a Kilsby-approved divemaster and disallow them from going into the cavern areas at any time.

CDAA vs. Kilsby family — who is right?

Ultimately both parties have valid points. The CDAA contends that this style of diving is inherently dangerous and requires special training. The agency fears that the relaxed rules may lead unqualified divers to attempt more dangerous sites with dire consequences after they’ve been diving at Kilsby’s. The Kilsby family contends that as the sinkhole is on their land, they have the right to make their own rules. If dives are conducted safely under strictly enforced guidelines, they have a right to decide who dives and who doesn’t. Both sides, as mentioned, have valid arguments that are more in-depth than can be mentioned here.

What about divers?

The disagreement between the two groups has benefited one group though — all divers. While CDAA members might consider leaving that certification card at home while visiting, the qualification will certainly make their dives here safer. And other divers with the relevant experience but without a CDAA qualification can now see the magic that is Kilsby’s Sinkhole. Completing a cavern course entails a major commitment of time and money, and this dive now acts almost like a try-dive experience for cavern diving. If you stay within safe boundaries at Kilsby’s, you can find out if cave and cavern diving might be for you, or if rocks and freshwater aren’t your style. Both the CDAA and the Kilsby family want divers to have a fun (and safe) time here, so don’t let controversy stand in the way of an outstanding dive.

By guest author Matt Testoni

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Scuba Diving in Milne Bay

 

Milne Bay put Papua New Guinea on the global scuba-diving map back in the mid- 1980s, when Bob and Dinah Halstead built their liveaboard dive boat, the MV Telita. Scuba diving in Milne Bay today still takes some advanced planning, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

The area of PNG that we refer to as “Milne Bay” is somewhat confusing because there are two Milne Bays. The first is the large, sheltered bay on the southeastern tip of the main island of New Guinea, named after British Admiral Sir Alexander Milne. Then there is the much larger province of Milne Bay, which stretches out over 104,000 square miles (270,000 square km).

The bay itself was a major Allied airbase during WWII and the site of an epic battle with invading Japanese forces in 1942. Historians consider this battle the first time the seemingly invincible Imperial forces were decisively defeated.

Milne Bay Province is roughly the size of New Zealand, but only about 5 percent of that area is dry land. The rest is made up of the waters surrounding the 600-plus islands that comprise the province. Those islands fall in to four main groups — the Trobriands, the D’Entrecasteaux Islands, Woodlark Island and the Louisiade Archipelago.

How to get to Milne Bay

Port Moresby and Alotau, Milne Bay’s provincial capital, are only 217 miles (350 km apart). But the rugged, mountainous terrain of southeast New Guinea means that the sole road along the south coast stops at a village called Kupiano, roughly halfway between the towns.

The only truly viable option for getting to Milne Bay is by air from Port Moresby. Both Air Nuigini  and PNG Air service Alotau’s Gurney Airport (GUR) regularly.

Where to stay

If you’re scuba diving in Milne Bay, then you will have already decided on a resort-based or liveaboard trip, and so where to stay while diving is somewhat of a moot point. But if you’d like to see more of Milne Bay there are other things to see and do in Milne Bay when you emerge from the water, you’ve got a few options when it comes to accommodation.

If you are looking for a traditional experience that will give you a better understanding of Milne Bay, try Napatana Lodge, run by Gretta Kwasnicka Todurawai, known as a fantastic source of local and provincial information. Todurawai has an extensive network of contacts across Milne Bay Province and will go out of her way to help her guests.

Flinders University in Adelaide worked through Todurawai to produce a series of informational brochures on Milne Bay Province that offer some great insight into the region, how to explore it, what you will see, and where to stay.

If you’re looking for something a bit more mainstream, the Alotau International Hotel is right in the center of town and offers all the modern conveniences. Another option is the Driftwood Resort, in a scenic spot on the beach just outside of Alotau.

Logistics in Milne Bay

The Papua New Guinea currency is the kina, and $1 USD will buy you about three of them. Most visitors to PNG get kina at the ATM or currency exchange after arrival at the international airport in Port Moresby. There are a couple of ATMs at the banks in Alotau, but once you are out in Milne Bay Province, you’ll need cash.

Things to do in Milne Bay

Milne Bay Province is quiet and peaceful, widely considered the safest province in PNG. The provincial capital of Alotau is the only town of any size, with a population of about 15,000.

You’ll find the highlights of Milne Bay on the numerous islands that make up the province. Many of the villages on those islands have a fascinating matrilineal culture, where the women own the land and take a strong role in the overall community.

The province was the first in Papua New Guinea to embrace community-based ecotourism, establishing a village guest-house network across several of the main islands, which helps visitors experience local culture.

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Scuba diving in Milne Bay

There are two main options for diving Milne Bay Province. You can travel via liveaboard, which will make remote locations such as the East Cape Reefs and Nuwakata Islands in northern Milne Bay, and the sites around Samarai Island and the China Strait in the south accessible.

Alternately, opt for resort-based diving at either Tawali, on the north coast of Milne Bay or the more exotic and remote Conflict Islands Resort.

Tawali has the advantage of being a dedicated dive resort, and it’s reasonably close to Alotau and the airport as well. You’ll also have easy access to the numerous excellent dive sites on the north coast. There are numerous excellent dive sites on the north coast and Tawali dives them all regularly using its day boats. You’ll head out in the morning and head back later in the day, depending on how many dives you’d like to do.

The other option for land-based stays is the Conflict Islands Resort, which is a bit more up-market. The resort offers scuba diving as one of its recreational pursuits, although it’s not the focus as at Tawali.

Two liveaboards are based in Milne Bay, along with another two that operate here seasonally. The MV Chertan is based in Alotau. Rob van der Loos, who has been diving Milne Bay Province for nearly 35 years, owns and operates the boat. The Chertan has several itineraries covering both the northern and southern parts of Milne Bay.

The MV Spirit of Niugini is based at Tawali Resort and operates four distinct itineraries that all start and finish at the hotel. One of them offers the unique opportunity to dive the B-17F Black Jack wreck at Boga Boga on Cape Vogel.

Also operating periodically in the area are the MV Golden Dawn and the MV Febrina.

When to dive Milne Bay

Milne Bay is a year-round destination. The shape of the bay itself and the many islands of the province mean that you can always find sheltered locations.

But to dive Milne Bay at its very best, visit from November through late January, as that’s dry season for that part of Papua New Guinea. This means there will be minimal run-off from the rivers and streams, so visibility can be exceptional.

By guest author Don Silcock

Don Silcock is an Australian based in Bali. He has dived many of the Indo-Pacific’s best locations. If you’re interested in learning more about Milne Bay, check out the complete guide on his website.

 

 

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What is jewelry market week?

I’m headed out in a few days to one of the jewelry industry’s biggest events: Jewelry Market Week in Vegas.

If you’re not in the industry yourself, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. After all, the event really doesn’t have an official name – to most who go, it’s just “Vegas” or “the Vegas shows.”

My top Instagrams from Jewelry Market Week 2016.

Jewelry Market Week refers to the 10 day or so span in which most of the major North American jewelry trade shows have events in the same place, at the same time.

Continue reading What is jewelry market week? at Diamonds in the Library.

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What is the PADI Seal Team Program?

 

In our first article on dive programs for children, we covered PADI’s Bubblemaker program. In this, the second in our series, we’ll cover the PADI Seal Team program.  the second article in a multipart series on dive programs offered for children. Which program is right for your child? Read on to find out.  

PADI offers several certification levels for children. Bubblemaker and Seal Team programs are designed for the youngest students, starting at 8 years old. Here we’ll focus on Seal Team and the reasons you might want to choose this program for your child over the Bubblemaker program. We chose Seal Team instead Bubblemaker for our daughter, as she had been swimming since she was very small, was quite comfortable in the water, and had snorkeling experience already.  Since her dad and I were both divers, she was curious about diving and wanted to try it, so Seal Team was the best choice.

PADI Seal Team

Seal Team offers kids a chance to try on scuba gear in a confined-water environment, just like Bubblemaker. However, Seal Team offers a bit more action and excitement over a longer time. With Seal Team, students learn by completing “missions,” which include skills such as using a flashlight, taking pictures, and floating mid-water. The program offers continuing education through “specialty missions,” such as creature ID, night diving, search and recovery, wreck diving, navigation, buoyancy, and environmental awareness.

During classroom instruction, children learn about the mission and then complete a written challenge either before or after the pool dive. The missions are designed to keep kids’ interest, with cartoons, games, mazes and more. Unlike Bubblemaker, however, this program does require classroom instruction as well as pool work. Because of the complexity of some of the missions and skills demonstrations, Seal Team missions are only to be completed in a pool and not just any confined-water environment. 

Seal Team missions

The first five of the hour-long missions focuses on responsibility and respect in the water, and results in recognition as a PADI Seal Team Member. The next 10 missions result in a Master Seal Team Member designation, with opportunities to learn about creature identification, search and recovery, and skin diving, to name a few. The participant will receive a new decal for their logbook after each completed mission. 

The learning environment

The confined-water environment for Seal Team is deeper than for Bubblemaker, with a maximum depth of 12 feet (4 m). Your child must already be comfortable in the water to participate in Seal Team. As with Bubblemaker, the ratio of instructor to student is 6 to 1 or 4 to 1 with an Assistant Instructor. If the mission is deeper than six feet (2 m), the ratio drops to 2 to 1. So, although Seal Team seems geared for the slightly more advanced and mature child, the environment is still very controlled.

Learning to use gear

In Seal Team, the child learns to use the same gear as in the open-water certification course — mask, fins, snorkel, tank, BCD with low-pressure inflator, regulator, alternate-air source, and submersible pressure gauge. They’ll also use exposure protection and weights as appropriate.  Kids will also need a torch for the AquaMission Night Dive. Just as with Bubblemaker, many dive shops will use junior-sized BCDs, smaller mouthpieces, and sometimes, smaller tanks. While it’s not a PADI requirement to use smaller gear, it certainly makes it easier for a child to try scuba if the dive shop offers that option. Children in Seal Team courses learn basic scuba-diving skills, such as breathing underwater, clearing a mask, and recovering a regulator, as well how to use hand signals to communicate with the instructor. 

Counting Seal Team toward open water

Some dive shops will count Seal Team completion toward the child’s open-water course, once they are old enough. But if the child participates in Seal Team at age 8, there will be a two-year gap as the child waits to take an open-water course. As a mom, I would not recommend applying your child’s Seal Team experience to his open-water course if there will be a long gap. If your child is already 10 years old he or she is taking Seal Team coursework to test an interest in diving before committing to the open-water course, then makes more sense to count the Seal Team program as part of open-water instruction. Parents should discuss both options in detail with the dive instructor. 

Although Seal Team is available to 8-year-olds, just like Bubblemaker, it’s a far more involved program. Your child should have the maturity and interest to stick with the course over several weeks to complete up to 15 missions and to log dives appropriately. Seal Team is a lot of fun and can help your child become comfortable with scuba. If either of you have reservations, however, it’s probably best to start with Bubblemaker. If your child comes out of the water excited and wanting more, Seal Team is a perfect second step.

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3 Common Window Treatment Problems and Their Solutions

Finding the perfect window treatment is important because it should complement your décor and furniture at home. Below, you’ll find three of the most common window treatment problems and their solutions to help you achieve the window treatment look you’re aiming for.

Image Source: Flickr

Light leaks and gaps in window treatments
Windows vary considerably in width and height, not to mention all the other details that will impact the fit, such as trim, molding and sill depth. If you’re experiencing significant light leaks and large gaps, then it’s possible your window treatment is the wrong size for the space or the product wasn’t installed in the window frame correctly.
Choosing a custom solution that includes professional measuring ensures your window covering will be fabricated to your exact window specifications. When combined with professional installation, this guarantees your new blinds, shades, shutters or drapery will fit perfectly and function as intended. Source: AngiesList

Not getting the length right
The length of curtains is pretty vital to a room. Too short, and it’ll look like you didn’t buy them long enough. Many will say long enough that they hover just above your floor; this will allow the look of length but without the dirt dragging possibilities. But those who want a really formal, lux look might consider too-long curtains that pool at the ground. Source: ApartmentTherapy

Problem: Lack of privacy outside.
If you’re lucky enough to have a porch, back deck, or balcony, you probably love spending time out there. While you love the extra space, you probably don’t love the wandering eyes of your neighbours.

Solution: Hang curtains outside.
Put up curtains outside to give some space and privacy between you and your neighbours. Not only does adding curtains outside create privacy, it also transforms the outdoor space into another living space. Bonus room without the reno. Source: Blog.HomeStars

If you’re experiencing problems aside from the ones stated above, let our experts help you out. Contact us!

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9, Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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3 Steps to Effective Off-Site, Non-Acute Biomed Equipment Management

In an age when continued growth and profitability for healthcare systems requires them to spread their footprint outside of their acute care setting, the building or acquisition of non-acute care facilities is only going to increase. Which means the management of those equipment assets increases as well. For theBiomed team tasked to oversee these facilities, as well as their own acute care setting, this poses operational challenges that can tax an already stretched department.

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SeaLife Unveils New Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam

 

SeaLife recently launched their first Fluorescent dive light, Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam in partnership with Fire Dive Gear, one of the world’s foremost experts in Fluoro diving and imaging. The light is available now for shipment, just in time for the upcoming dive season. Divers love fluorescent, or “fluoro,” diving for its spectacular show of color and impressive nighttime display of emitted energy, which they can see with specialized lighting.

How does fluoro diving work?

Here’s how fluoro diving works: The light’s royal blue LEDs emit blue light in the range of 450-460nm, which is in the approximate frequency range to “excite” the fish, reef and organisms into making a light-filled energy response. SeaLife adds a finely tuned and proprietary dichroic filter that pinpoints the exact light frequency to get the highest energy response from the underwater subject results. This filter reveals the vibrant fluorescent colors of underwater creatures.

Features of the Fluoro-Dual Beam

The Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam also features two switchable beams that easily transform the light from a blue fluoro 65-degree flood light to a white 800-lumen 15-degree concentrated beam with a push of a button, so divers can use it as a regular dive light as well. A rechargeable lithium ion 7.4V, 3400-mAh, 25Wh battery delivers power for two continuous hours at 100-percent fluoro emission. With its single-button operation, the light can quickly adjust between four brightness modes: 100-percent fluoro flood, 50-percent fluoro flood, 100-percent white spot, and 50-percent white spot. The Fluoro-Dual Beam also has an emergency signal mode, activated by holding the power button in for four seconds.

Two universal barrier filters also come with the light to improve fluorescent viewing and imaging. The mask filter fits over your dive mask and filters out the residual blue light emitted by the Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam — it’s the response from the sea creature you want to see, not the blue light. The second filter attaches to any underwater camera with a lens diameter up to 47mm. The user or person viewing the emitted light energy wears a yellow mask filter so they see only the fish or sea organism’s emitted energy and not the blue light from the Sea Dragon. A yellow camera lens filter serves the same function on an underwater camera.

The Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam is depth rated down to 330 feet (100m). The dual silicone O-ring battery component is independent from the Sea Dragon’s electronics, so the light will not be permanently damaged if water accidentally intrudes.

The Fluoro-Dual Beam includes a Flex-Connect Single Tray, Grip and Sea Dragon Ball Joint Adapter that connects the light to any underwater camera using the 1”/25mm ball-joint mounting system. Like all Sea Dragon lights and strobe, the Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam can easily be expanded with Flex-Connect trays, grips, and mounting accessories. The Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam includes Flex-Connect Grip, Single Tray, Flex-Connect Sea Dragon Ball Joint Adapter, mask and camera barrier filters for $499.95.

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SeaLife Underwater Cameras are made by Pioneer Research in Moorestown, NJ makes and were first introduced in 1993. In 2000, SeaLife developed the world’s first digital underwater camera. In 2007, SeaLife developed the first non-housed digital underwater camera, and in 2013 SeaLife introduced the powerful Sea Dragon Lighting system and its innovative Flex-Connect tray, grip, arm, and accessory system. By 2014, SeaLife introduced the Micro HD, the world’s first permanently sealed underwater camera, followed by the new Micro 2.0 in 2015. SeaLife cameras, lighting and accessories are sold and serviced in 64 countries around the world.    

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