Historical Overview

Nov 2000, First coele

Nov 2000 Team

After our discovery:

In October 2000 a reflecting eye led me to investigate and I was surprised to see three weird, freaky looking motionless fish hovering under an overhang at 106m, which I believed to be the elusive coelacanth. In November 2000 we were back armed with cameras, Chris Serfontein and Dennis Harding filmed three coelacanths but, tragically, we lost our friend Dennis. The loss and find of the first filming of coelacanths by SCUBA divers in their natural habitat was covered in the Divestyle January/February 2001.

Dennis and Martin

The events followed in a chaotic blur. On the one side is the excitement and consequences of our discovery and on the other the tragic accident of Dennis and its consequences. Through all this we organised a further expedition for May 2001.

One of the major obstacles to our May expedition was to obtain the necessary permission. The coelacanth is listed in Appendix I of CITES list of most endangered species. Although a fascinating and mysterious beast of the deep, I still have problems with looking at a 1.8m scaly coelacanth in the same way as the huggable Panda. Special, new legislation was announced by Marine and Coastal management for the protection of the discovered coelacanth in the Marine Protected Area of St Lucia. In essence it is a preliminary management plan, preliminary as it lacks vital information regarding the population size and distribution. The plan aims to allow initial expeditions, which can provide this information. Despite that it would be very difficult for divers to gather the necessary information, the plan made provision for one expedition in 2001. It soon became clear that, despite other applications for permission, using submersibles and other methods, these costly expeditions would not materialise in 2001. We, relying on certain priority rights as the discoverers and the consensus that any further information will be useful, applied and four months later after several drafts, the text of the application and permission were finally approved, one week before the expedition.

While the struggle for the permit was going on I had to negotiate with film teams to cover the expedition, with the nagging uncertainty whether we will obtain the permission or not made this difficult indeed as it is a major undertaking for an UK based production house. Channel 4 of the UK and MNET decided to take the risk anyway.

DAN agreed to provide emergency assistance and have a helicopter on stand by during the expedition and Afrox kindly sponsored all our gas.

During all this we were training almost every weekend, trying new equipment and learning to use our underwater video equipment. Nuno Gomes was the dive leader and Craig Kahn our safety officer. All the divers were CMAS -SAUU qualified divers. We decided to standardise everybody’s equipment, an expensive, but wise exercise indeed. A basic dive plan and procedure were refined as we went along.

Typical Gear

After one of our training dives on air in Badgat, Erna Smith one of our team members and friend, after completion of the dive as planned, surfaced behind me unconscious. I towed her to the stairs, where Nuno took over the rescue effort in his calm and controlled manner. While I contacted DAN, with racing thoughts, for assistance, staff of the IANTD dive operation at Badgat provided desperate oxygen resuscitation. Despite everybody’s best efforts, we were unable to revive her. We later learned that she suffered from a massive cerebral embolism as she surfaced, a rare, but possible result of a patent foramen ovale, a hidden heart condition, which may allow gas bubbles to escape from the venous system to the arterial system with devastating effects.

While still coming to grips with Dennis’ accident, the sudden unexplained loss of Erna was a hard reality to deal with and I though to call the expedition off. The press also had a field day calling it the “Curse of the Coelacanth”. After we learned that it was a freak accident resulting from a heart condition, we decided to go ahead, to take care and that all of us will have to test for a patent foramen ovale, we all tested negative. Despite explanations for both Dennis and Erna’s accidents, I sensed a cloud hanging over the team, which is not good for our stress levels. The team had a discussion with Dr Frans Cronje and Dr Hermie Britz of DAN to help answer our questions and help us to deal with the tragedies.

2 May, we arrive at Sodwana psyched up and ready to dive for three weeks. Afrox delivered 20 medical grade oxygen and 20 ultra pure helium cylinders, the film crews with their boats were ready, Dr Hermie Britz of DAN and Chris Jacka with their boat filled with emergency equipment were ready. On my visit to the Sodwana office of Kwazulu Natal Wildlife to get our approved permit signed, we learn that our permit is refused due to bureaucratic bungling between Kwazulu Natal Wildlife and the Department of Labour. The Sodwana office, however, allowed us to dive under certain provisions. We were upset at this, as we were now not sure what we may and may not do, which was spelled out in the permit, but all was not lost, we could dive.

May 2001 Team 1

The build up dives started in low visibility at Diepgat canyon, the swell was enormous, Elphaus, one of our skippers proudly showing his hands to Timm after a launch – not shaking. At times, during some of the surf launches, I thought that we are going to spend the remaining expedition time recovering our expensive kit from the bottom. The diving during the first 9 days were spent adjusting and getting used to diving in the sea with two 18l backmounts, two 10l and one 7l side mounts, the camera and the host of other colourful decorations attached, clipped and suspended from to us. We were refining our dive plan and procedure until the whole team was comfortable. Problems did arise, on a 75m dive, me with the camera in poor visibility was almost caught out during the early part of the ascent when the weighted free floating shotline came loose from the buoy and pulled preoccupied and unsuspecting me into the depths. Fortunately, Pieter Smith saw the mass of coiling rope falling on us, realised my predicament, warned and helped me to the correct depth.

10 May, our dive plan was fine tuned and the team happy by the time we dived to 90m in the intriguing, massive Wright Canyon, probably the most likely canyon in which to find coelacanths with its 40m plus cave infested vertical walls. (The presence of coelacanths in this canyon has been confirmed by a submersible sighting of the South African Coelacanth Conservation and Genome Resource Programme in April 2002) The bottom time is 15 minutes. On a day, two teams of two deep divers will dive from separate boats. The second team will only dive when the first team reported that they are OK and the situation is stable. One deep support diver and two shallow support divers, one of which will be communicating between the divers and the skippers, will assist each team. At the end of the bottom time, the deep divers will swim out of the canyon, remove the emergency signal tape from the buoys, if all is OK, and deploy their buoys from the bottom. A little more line than the depth of the first deep decompression stop is dispensed from the reels and the buoy is allowed to drag the divers to their first stop. At this point the deep support diver will come down with spare air, to cater for any unforeseen air desires, and a free floating shotline. A little later the shallow support divers will join the divers and one will take a slate from the deep divers with a report to the boats on the surface. Nuno and Craig would normally dive first, and until their buoys surfaced everybody watched the area around the bubbles. After the dive the video footage was placed on the web by worldstream.com for video streaming.

A team Effort

No coelacanths were found in Wright Canyon in the short time spent along a small part of the massive cliffs, but they are there, going about their mysterious ways.

The evenings were spent at the Triton Diving bush camp mixing gas, fine tuning equipment, preparing the camera, planning, bickering, debating, tearing the ass out of each other, giving interviews with the film crews, the web guys and the media, and keeping log of our dives and progress.

11 May, spirits are high, the conditions perfect, we are going to dive in Jessor Canyon, near the area were we filmed them in November 2000. We planned for 110m. Our slates read “no coelacanths”.

Timm rehydrating during long deco

12 May, Timm and I approached a cave at 108m, a small entrance, which opened up a little and going at least 20m inwards bending to the right. This is uptown coelacanth real estate, I will find lots in here, I thought, I swam in for about 10m, couldn’t see the end of the cave bending to the right, saw no coelacanths, got squeezed between the roof and sandy floor, with failing courage I turned around and l swam hastily, with deteriorating elegance, out, glad to be in the open water again. Nuno and Craig were buzzed during their descent and at the bottom by a three meter oceanic whitetip shark, not very comforting knowing that you cannot surface for two hours no matter what.

Venter entering a deep cave at 104m

14 May, Timm and I were more fortunate, Timm’s slate read “Tell Robin Stobbs we found an old oily one!” we also found and filmed a pair of nesting puffer fish in a burrow. Finally, the first coelacanth of the expedition. Robin retired recently from the JLB Smith Institute for Ichthyology assisted during the expedition and is an avid researcher of the coelacanth saga. The team was ecstatic and the news spread to the media. The rest of the day was spent talking to woolly microphones and cell phones.

May 2001 An Old Oily One

Robin Stobbs

After their dive Craig complained of a shoulder pain, although minor, he was airlifted to Richardsbay for treatment as Hermie was taking no risks and also wished to test the emergency evacuation system in the event that something more serious happens.

The next day on the beach, while getting ready to dive, the perfect conditions holding, a Kwazulu Natal Wildlife official informed us that we have to come to their office, before we launch. Although a little worried, we hoped to be congratulated, but instead we were informed that head office released a press statement that we are being prohibited from further diving as we are disturbing the coelacanths. We were furious. How can this be? This exact point was one of the first points I raised during the application for a permit, and they assured me that the impact of divers on coelacanths are minimal and not even a consideration. It was the first time I saw the always calm and smiling Nuno pissed off. I contacted head office and pointed out that we have in writing from them that divers have minimal impact, but the press release was already out, the damage done. We also demanded the real reason for their sudden change of heart, with no avail. We enquired politely, threatened, turned into conspiracy theorists, moped and released our own press release stating our point of view. After three precious days set aside for deep diving, we got the green light, with only 2 days left to dive.

18 May, Nuno was packed to go home and not ready to dive. Timm and I had a good dive, filming empty caves.

19 May, Nuno and Gilbert Gunn, who took over from Craig, landed spot onto a coelacanth poised motionless on its head, close to the cliff wall. Gilbert filmed it up close for the full bottom time, the fish unperturbed probably thought that these creatures resembling an one-man band cannot see me, I will just sit tight. Timm and I, after a search of 3 minutes, found a massive female coelacanth, probably 2m, lurking inside a cave. She was fearless, rather curious and approached Timm head-on while he filmed it, I kept my distance thinking of the 3cm predator teeth and the cranial hinge allowing it to open wide and suck its prey into its mouth, imagine the news headlines.

Gilbert filming Nuno and their coele

Five documentary films, two international, by Channel 4 and National Geographic, and three national documentaries, covered aspects of the discovery.

The safe success of the expedition was the result of a team who executed every task in an unselfish, professional and safe manner. The strike rate of coelacanth encounters by the discovery team is nothing but remarkable considering the currents, depths, and small area of suitable habitat and lack of detailed maps of the sea floor.

We believe that there may be a large population of coelacanths in the area. In total, the divers encountered 9 coelacanths in ten dives deeper than 100m. The fingerprint white markings of the last one we filmed in May 2001 showed that it is one of the three filmed in November 2000. This may indicate that they stay in the area and are not just passing by. We have prepared a photo catalogue, which will be used as a base for further additions of individuals. We were fortunate to have skippers who are experienced with this type of diving in these canyons. Pinpoint dropping of divers in a four to five knot current to a specific spot 100m down in a large canyon on the continental shelf certainly contributed to our success. It also allowed us to do systematic searches despite the strong currents sweeping our marker buoys away. Further, coelacanths have been sighted in Jessor and Wright canyon by the submersible “JAGO” of the South African Coelacanth Conservation and Genome Resource Programme. Good news is that most of the coelacanths were seen in caves in a Pleistocene terrace level (prehistoric fossilised beaches), which is between 100 to 120m!

Although we had a privileged glimpse into the world of coelacanths, several mysteries beg to be solved. How old do they get? We know they give birth to live pups, but how do they reproduce and how often? Where are the never seen before juveniles hiding? Do they migrate, or move according to the currents and thermoclines? Apart from their anatomy and that they are nocturnal hunters, we know nothing at all.

The future:?

After the proof obtained by the divers in October 2000, the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Vali Moosa, during a press conference with the discovery team, announced that special protection measures will be taken to ensure protection of the discovered coelacanths. Kwazulu Natal Wildlife together with Marine & Coastal Management, in consultation with the discovery team and coelacanth experts drafted a management plan to ensure protection of the discovered coelacanths.

Once the population size and distribution has been determined by a submersible survey, the management plan will be adapted, depending on the findings. Importantly, depending on the findings, for technical divers, an area should be allocated for recreational technical diving. After the survey, the discovery team will have access to oceanographic data, high definition bathymetric maps and all video surveys by the submersibles.

The discovery team believes that all technical divers around the globe who are qualified and fit to dive deeper than 100m should have access to dive and observe these weird and mysterious beasts in their natural habitat and contribute to their conservation and to the understanding of their behaviour, biology and ecology. Scientists agree that divers can provide a constant stream of observation notes and films from such diving, which will be valuable long term scientific data, long after funds for expensive submersibles dried up. The observations by divers are also less intrusive than submersibles.

Venter searching an empty cave

The discovery team hope to establish a non-profit organisation to assist divers with access, permits, medical clearance, filming equipment, gas, logistics, high definition bathymetric maps, video surveys and information. The organisation will also maintain a centralised photo catalogue and database of all the data and video material obtained by the divers for scientific use and cataloguing and naming individuals. To be able to do these dives safely at minimum cost and logistical effort, will increase diver activity and contribute a great deal of knowledge.