Welcome
Hello everyone – I hope you ’ re enjoying the summer . This month we ’ ve got some great stories for you , starting with our preview of the book Ghost Ships of the Baltic Sea , by Jonas Dahm and Carl Douglas . I ’ m going to go out on a limb and say this is the best collection of cold water wreck photographs I ’ ve ever seen , a supreme body of work amassed by a group of divers utterly devoted to their cause .
Often working at extreme depth , Jonas has been able to create pictures of supreme detail and clarity . The wrecks themselves are amazing , because conditions in the Baltic can preserve wooden hulls and decks .
In one example , a cannon juts from the perfectly preserved hull of the 17th Century Swedish Navy warship , Svärdet . Carl Douglas laughed at the memory of seeing this for the first time , “ Just like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean ,” he told me .
The Baltic team is unique , in that it is funded from a single source and operates independent of governmental bodies . This allows them a level of focus that few others can emulate . Instead of dispersing across the wreck on their individual missions , the divers work with Johan , strategically lighting the wreck with super-powered torches . If the viz isn ’ t good enough , they ’ ll keep revisiting the site until conditions are optimum . Often working at depth of 100m and deeper , they make the most of every minute .
Does this have any bearing on our own diving ? Well , I think there may be a lesson to be learned . Every year , BSAC clubs embark on expeditions and projects , and amass some superb material in the process . The lesson to be learned from the Swedish team is to appoint a lead photographer and support them , in and out of the water . Set up shots with divers ready to serve as models ; spare yourself the dispiriting images of divers ’ fins receding into the distance . Appoint a ‘ second ’ photographer to get above-water pictures of your team at the surface and entering the water .
Why go to such efforts ? Because here at SCUBA there is a place for your stories , to show what you ’ ve been up to , and what BSAC clubs do best . Having the latest kit and a talented photographer helps , but organising your team to work with a lead photographer will lift your final presentation to another level .
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Cover photo : The engine telegraph of the Cap Guir shipwreck , by Jonas Dahm .
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