Feb 23 - NextGen Diaries (primers, photographs, and photogrammetry)
Part 1 – the deepest pool in the world
I arrived in the United Arab Emirates with 0 hours sleep, over-caffinated, and still damp from my early morning swim in Dahab (instead of packing like a sensible person). However, my enthusiasm was higher than ever. For not only did we use the overnight layover in Riyadh productively (talking to 2019 NextGen scholar Annika at 3am, and uploading my deliverables as a GUE Media Creator at 5am); but we were going to Deep Dive Dubai!
I had first heard about Deep Dive Dubai (DDD) a few years ago when it first opened - and my interest was piqued ever since. I have a deep (lol) fascination with these type of pools as facilities for astronaut training [neutral buoyancy labs], space R&D, human physiology in extreme environments, and lastly as a way to explore tech diving in a controlled space. In particular, I am proud to be an exploration ambassador and sub-sea consultant for Blue Abyss, an upcoming future 50m pool. Indeed, this was MEANT to be the deepest in the world when built, but DDD beat them to it at 60m :D. But, when I knew DDD to be one of the global hubs of GUE activity - I had to visit (and to amalgamate these two passions!).
At the conference, I had already expressed my interest in visiting to Jarrod and Dorota - which would equally be useful as Dorota is my scholarship mentor (due to my location in Saudi prior). In addition - serendipity once again aligned as I mentioned photogrammetry during my introduction speech - ideally intending it for John Kendall (who was also my previous Fundies instructor). However, as soon as I came off stage, my now-friend Tito instantly recruited me to John’s photogrammetry class (having social-media-stalked me during said speech. I was impressed :D). Instead of the UK, John’s course was in… DDD at the exact time period I cited to Jarrod. MANIFESTATION QUEENS!
PSA - I always offset my carbon footprint on flights / transport as I am aware of the amount that I am travelling, and the air miles that I am doing.
Tito himself picked me up at the airport and… WE JUST WENT STRAIGHT THERE. AND I WAS NOT PREPARED. It is out of this world!! The sheer elegancy of the curving white facade, surrounded by water and glass, makes the whole place feel light and airy even as you descend below the ground levels. The dining area and meeting rooms are white and crisp, the media rooms are full of gigantic housings with strobes half the size of me, and the equipment room is Halcyon and Fourth Element galore. With the open room in view of many staff members, a comms room that looks like NASA Mission control (that many cameras), and an on-site hyperbaric chamber, you truly feel safe and relaxed. Throughout the levels, the gigantic windows that peek into blue are truly portals to other dimensions: underwater sunken cities, playgrounds, and an abyss to 60m. WOW. I truly felt A) like an imposter here and B) like Charlie when he gets to the Chocolate Factory, or Lucy when she finds Narnia (and indeed there are a few lamp-posts in DDD as well). Check out more information about Deep Dive Dubai, and the experiences they offer here. You need to go!
My arrival day was also fabulous, as I was able to also pick up my Halcyon Dive gear that I was able to choose, as part of my equipment budget for the NextGen scholarship. I would honestly have had to save up for years to afford these, so I am so grateful to the scholarship for making this happen! I chose a Carbon Fiber BP (so I can stop lugging around my steel one), lights, reels, spools - all housed in a fancy new expedition rucksack. Shout out to Orie for making it happen, and shipping it halfway across the world so I can test these in DDD. It finally arrived! :D
Part 2 – early morning editing, midday ITCs, and evening trainings
Whilst I was here, I was fortunate to be able to hop on any guided dives, media dives or DSDs as a backup - giving me the space to play with my camera gear again, taking photos and videos in the water. And when I wasn’t diving, I was observing topside media film productions, and slowly getting my bearing of Premier Pro for video editing (Nico I now know about keyframes!). With this, I was proud to make my first YouTube video (see it HERE). During this time, I also talked to Jesper Kjøller - editor-in-chief of Quest - about my story I wanted to write in an extended edition (my GUE Scholarship journey), and also Michael Menudo concerning articles topics I am planning to write for In-Depth. Watch this space!
An added bonus for virtually living at DDD, was the ease of access to their UAE GUE training sessions held on Sunday nights. I came out of these nights feeling super inspired and motivated. The fact that a group of unknown divers could come together - and instantly have a common connection in terms of diving values or gear configurations (falling into conversations about our favourite backplate material for example), made teamwork and friendships much easier. Equally, we were all there to learn, pick up tips, not be judged, and be able to practise and fail without judgements. I felt super safe admitting that I was scared to deploy DSMBs, or that I wanted to work on back-kicks, as I had a supportive environment. The desire to get better and acknowledge weaknesses is something that myself (having come to GUE from an outside agency) did not think was common in the GUE community, but I have now seen that it is. Maybe this is something that is not shared often on social media - more so their standards of “striving for perfection” - but this mistake-making content needs to be there (of which I will happily provide more of hehe).
And in the latter half of my time here, I was fortunate to learn all about the ITC process and practise skills with Gemma Thomas, an instructor visiting from Singapore. Being both a student, and hopefully a future-ITC-candidate myself (manifesting!!!), I got to understand both new skills and the ways of teaching said new skills. There is a lot that needs to be thought about - that is for sure! In a Rec 2 Instructor upgrade, we got to grips with line laying, navigation and rescues, whilst ITC classrooms drew on both lectures for gas analysis, field drills for backplate fitting, and in-water S-drill sessions. I was particularly good at these, as there was no need for students to “forget” certain steps; I did that anyway for them :)
Part 3 – Drysuits, Doubles, and DSMBs
I was exceedingly fortunate to be able to spend almost a month with Dorota (my Scholarship mentor); chatting about past and future endeavours, making interviews, and putting together a structured plan for my time at DDD. However, before we did that - we had to fix the thing I was trying to work on in January - MY TRIM. Unbeknownst to me, I was not taking into account the cushioning effect of the water on my legs. That, and coupled with neutrally buoyant fins and a wandering mindset, led to over-extending the legs, and over-arched back. Dorota was pivotal in fixing this with me - by not only showing me the problems, but giving me the tools needed to fix this. We did this in several ways. A) by understanding what my legs are actually doing in the water, vs what I think they are doing, B) going to pilates and movement classes to enhance my proprioception, and C) JETFINS. There was a great moment in my very first dive with her (actually my 200th dive!) where Doro kept writing on her wetnotes": “bend” your legs. Of course, I was totally confused, but when I “bent” my legs, I actually brought them down / into the correct place. The GoPro caught my instant flattened position - and gasp of comprehension - perfectly! Underwater proprioception in action. I was truly grateful of all the extra help - even if it did mean that all the early morning pilates sessions led to an exponential discovery and now slight addiction to oat milk cappuccinos.
Dorota, Tito and Gemma also helped me complete 2 x GUE Primers (Drysuit and Doubles) - with corded lights! I had already tried out Drysuit years ago - but we were both out of practise, and scared of it. (On my first try - I was told to use it as a primary buoyancy tool when donned - DON’T DO THIS - and I had a runaway ascent with gas in my feet). I had also completed a TDI Sidemount course with my friend Cristina Zenato, but the concept of doubles scared me. Firstly, could I reach the valves, and secondly, how could I lift it? Well - only one way to find out! In fact, we did not need to worry. Once I had gotten over the weight and the fact that it felt like my body was going to tip over - I ended up secretly liking Doubles a lot more! The added stability, and extra room for my head via the manifold helped my trim a lot - and the valve drill was easier than the single tank (I could reach this time!). Again, Doro lent me her Santi drysuit which fit me surprisingly well, and I truly appreciated the effect that good equipment can do for reducing fear. With lots of dives practising drysuit ascents, my fear for floaty feet was well and truly banished. YES! And finally, Tito was amazing in giving me all the trips and tricks to work the corded light and valve drills, whilst always being a willing buddy, even when I lost the ability to back kick when stressed. All in all, we definitely upgraded the skills we had in each area (and got new mask straps).
Part 4 - GUE Gas Blender and Photogrammetry
From the 13th - 17th February, I also took part in both the GUE Gas Blender and the Photogrammetry course taught by John Kendall. As someone who had never blended trimix and nitrox before, it was good to see the process behind it, and the use of GUE standard gases makes the calculations a lot easier. We all had a mini competition to see who could fill their tanks as accurately as they could (plot twist, I did NOT win). And then, after that - the real fun started. John immediately piqued our attention by showing us a 3D-printed skull, made from a model, which was in turn made from a series of photographs all meshed together in fancy ways (via making clouds and textures) using the software “Agisoft Metashape”. So cool.
Photogrammetry - the science of making measurements from photographs. Sounds simple you say? It was anything but! As someone who has started to take topside photos using DSLRs, the settings of focal length, aperture and shutter speed are different when thinking about underwater photos, and different again when considering photogrammetry. One had to be very precise when finning and taking photos at a constant rate, as the overlap had to be sufficient to get all the photos to “mesh” together. And of course, the subject matter had to work - using objects with high enough contrast points (patterns / textures / colours), for the software to differentiate between points. This was highlighted when our first models came out a bit “…melty”. Our mornings were spent doing almost 2-hour-long dives (I WAS ON DOUBLES TOO!), and the afternoons spent shouting at crashing computers. For myself, the hardest thing was trying to maintain balance, skill and positioning when holding a 20kg camera, which was (although almost neutrally buoyant) still heavy and threw me off a bit. However - we all worked together as a team to create a huge model of the 30m-tall tree in DDD. I felt like I was able to contribute even as the rec diver in a group of tech / cave divers and Instructors! (See my insta takeovers for more!).
Part 5 – THANK YOU
What can I say?? DDD was so magical and welcoming. I am exceedingly aware of how expensive and a once-in-a-lifetime these dives are, so to be able to spontaneously jump in the water whenever I wanted to (or even for an early morning swim session), is a privilege that I never got over. The ability to try out and test a plethora of gear from the best makers in the world (of drysuits, thermal protection and camera set-ups) opened my eyes into the enhancements that equipment can provide to one’s diving abilities. And the willingness of all the staff to host me / offer me lifts / dinners and drinks - really made me feel like one of the team. Most of all, I really appreciated making this little peaceful diving microcosm my home, and as a way to escape the huge towering skyline of bustling Dubai itself. The time flew by, and I was (again) offered the chance dive here again - WOW!
Thank you to Jarrod for making this happen, to Dimitri / Mustafa for putting me on any dives that I wanted at the beginning of my time here, John K for the Gas Blender / Photogrammetry training, Orie for the new gear, and Mila, Elmar, Jesper, Aoife, Jack, Jacques, Mohab, Charlie - again so many to mention. I learnt so much here, and I am excited to put these skills to use in the future (the final total was 4 GUE Foundational and Primer courses - Drysuit, Doubles, Gas Blender and Photogrammetry, and 4 days of Rec 2 Upgrade / ITC training and observations. See here for all course info! Finally, Tito for the endless source of fun, car-shares and being always hungry for dinner (no matter what the time!), and the entire equipment team for putting up with my daily endless questions, and my inability to deal with any type of wing re-threading it seems.
However, special shout-outs go to Dorota, Gemma and Nevcan. Doro for truly being by my side over past month, taking me to many a dinner / coffee run / pilates classes, and being a wealth of information on the foundational issues that will make me a better diver. Gemma for letting me tag along to all that she taught - and inspiring me to continue my dream of one day being an Instructor too! We are persevering. And Nevcan for being a great instructor, but also for LETTING ME LIVE AT HIS HOUSE FOR A MONTH!! I am so grateful! Sending so much love to all! For now, we are staying in the UAE but moving across the country for some marine biology… (via Oman of course). Let the visa run commence!
Some photos by John Kendall, Dorota Czerny, Gemma Thomas, Tito Sagaseta, Nevcan Uludas. Contact me for the specific credits of the photos used in the blog.