News
Taking on Truk: The Nippo Maru (Watch Video)
In the last of three videos from their recent trip to Truk Lagoon, Richard and Hayley from Black Manta Photography share this incredible footage of the wreck of the Nippo Maru.
If you’ve ever penetrated a wreck you’ll know at times it’s easy to become disorientated – especially if the wreck laying at the bottom of the ocean is on its side. What feels like ascending to the surface and seeing your depth gauge reduce, can actually mean heading down a corridor to find there’s no exit.
Fortunately this isn’t the case with the Nippo Maru as she sits with only a 20 degree list to her port side, although in all honesty, when we were in the bridge with open widows all around us to view the engine telegraph, that very slight tilt did provide a slight sense of drunkenness. You’re level in the water and it feels like the rusting metal underneath you is too – but it isn’t, and you find yourself swimming at an angle to compensate (or was it just me??)
Built in 1936, the Nippo Maru served life as a cargo ship initially transporting bananas from Taiwan until she was requisitioned by the Japanese Navy in August of 1941 and used as a water carrier.
The Nippo Maru had only been in Truk Lagoon for 7 days when the Allied Forces attacked during ‘Operation Hailstone’. She was hit with three 500lb bombs around the stern area, and came to rest in 44-50m of water, so not one for the recreational single tanks divers!
Despite her 74 years at the bottom of the lagoon, she still has a number of treasure to be discovered from wheelchairs, hospital beds and beer bottles right through to the 3-man Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank weighing in at 10 tons still found on the port side of her deck.
There are plenty of artillery shells, and boxes of small arms ammunitions that litter the holds, along with hemispherical beach mines, but it’s the poignant reminder of the devastation that war brings with the well laid out gas masks – someone at some point would have worn that to cover their face. Quite hard hitting when you see with your own eyes.
Out on the deck at around 30m are a plethora of 47mm field guns. These anti tank guns had a reported muzzle velocity of 860m/sec (2700 ft/sec) and an incredible range of 6,900m… Now that is serious fire power!
Because of her depth this is more suited to the technical divers out there, and racking up double digits of deco time will be a necessity, however this is a beautiful wreck with so much to offer. This literally is Truk Lagoon at it’s very best!
For more from Richard and Hayley visit www.blackmantaphotography.com.
News
Dive Worldwide Announces Bite-Back as its Charity of the Year
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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