AQUATEC - INERSPACE OPERATIONS

MARINE CONDITIONS	SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE CURRENT (SPEED / DIRECTION / TEMPERATURE) current (month / lat 33 / lon 135) (display) sea temperature: depth (month / lat 33 / lon 135) (display) KUSHIMOTO WEATHER
20.11.2007	Stella Polaris article in divernet.
02.10.2007	meeting at the Stella Polaris museum in Japan. (NEW PHOTOS)
01.10.2007	THE WRECK OF THE STELLA POLARIS IS FOR SALE. INTERESTED PARTIES PLEASE CONTACT AQUATEC AT ABOVE EMAIL.
17.07.2007	the full video at Google.
31.05.2007	WE HAD PLANNED TO START THE LAST DIVE ON THE "SCANDINAVIA" EX "STELLA POLARIS" AT 1130HRS. AT 0900HRS WE GOT CALLED TO BEGIN DIVE OPERATIONS IMMEDIATELY DUE TO STRONG WINDS. ARRIVING AT THE NANKI SEAMANS CLUB, CAPTAIN SHIMANO TOLD US THAT THE FISHERMEN REPORTED EXTREME STRONG CURRENT THIS MORNING. NOT IN THE BEST MOOD WE ASSEMBLED OUR EQUIPMENT AND HEADED OUT TO THE SITE. ARRIVING THERE I PUT ON A SINGLE SCUBA TANK TO DO A SHALLOW CHECK DIVE TO -15 METERS. SURPRISINGLY THERE WAS NO CURRENT AND VERY GOOD VISIBILITY. RETURNING TO THE BOAT I TOLD EVERYONE THAT THE CURRENT IS BLASTING AND WE CANNOT DIVE. LONG FACES - UNTIL I REVEALED THE TRUTH... WE PULLED ABOUT 20 METERS FROM THE DOWNLINE TO SHORTEN AND STRAIGHTEN THE WAY. THEN GOT ALL SET UP AND DAN BURTON AND I LEFT SURFACE. WHAT A FANTASTIC DIVE. 30 MINUTES WE DOVE THE FORWARD HALF OF THE AMAZING SHIP PHOTOGRAPHING AND VIDEO ALL DETAILS. THERE WAS A LOT OF LINES AND FISHING GEAR ALL OVER THE PLACE BUT WE CAREFULLY AVOIDED THE DANGER. TO OUR SURPRISE THE WHEEL HOUSE WAS COMPLETELY MISSING AND THERE WAS A LOT OF DAMAGE IN THE UPPER STRUCTURE. COMPASS AND TELEGRAPH WERE STILL IN PLACE. WE TOOK SOME SHOTS OVER THE SIDE OF THE SHIPS NAME, THE SPARE PROPELLERS, SWIMMING POOL AND ACCOMMODATIONS. MANY WINDOWS WERE BROKEN AND WE HAD A BRIEF LOOK IN THE DECK BELOW THE BRIDGE. THE FUNNEL WAS VISIBLE BUT THE DIVE PLAN GAVE US NOT ENOUGH TIME TO REACH IT. UPON ASCEND SUPPORT DIVER TANAKA MET WITH US AT -50 METERS AND WE GAVE HIM THE VIDEO CAMERA SO HE CAN HAVE A QUICK ROUND WITH HIS SCOOTER AROUND THE WRECK. AFTER A FEW MINUTES HE JOINED US AGAIN AND ALL TOGETHER WE FINISHED THE DECOMPRESSION TO THE SURFACE. WE WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY NOT TO ENCOUNTER ANY CURRENT AND TO HAVE A FIRST TIME VIEW AT THIS VIRGIN WRECK. BACK IN THE DIVE CENTRE WE WERE WELCOMED WITH GREAT CHEERS AND EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY THAT WE RETURNED SAFELY. OF COURSE THE EVENING WAS SPENT WITH A NICE DINNER AT THE HOTEL AND WITH LOTS OF SAKE, BEER, CHAMPAGNE AND GOOD WINE. UNTIL EARLY HOURS IN THE MORNING THE PRESS CONTINUOUSLY CALLED FOR THE NEWS AND THE RELEASE OF PHOTOS AND VIDEO FOOTAGE.
30.05.2007	1ST VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE "SCANDINAVIA" EX "STELLA POLARIS" RELEASED IN THE PHOTO + VIDEO SECTION. YESTERDAY WAS ALL DAY HEAVY RAIN WITH STRONG WINDS. ONE OF OUR SAFETY DIVERS HAD TO WORK - SO, NO DIVE. WE HAD ANOTHER MEETING WITH THE COAST GUARD WHO WAS VERY INTERESTED IN ALL THE DETAILS WE SAW ON THE WRECK. ONE OF THE DIVERS FROM A DIVE CLUB SHOWED US PARTS OF THE WRECK WHICH WASHED ASHORE DURING THE SINKING. IT WAS A SECTION OF THE STERN STEERING WHEEL AND A PLAQUE. LATER IN THE NIGHT MR. OTAGURO FROM THE NPO and mr. maeshima from the Stella Polaris museum VISITED US, TRAVELING FOR 9 HOURS ON THE TRAIN. they WENT OUT WITH US THIS MORNING FOR THE NEXT DIVE. at site they held a little ceremony to commemorate the great ocean liner and mrs. namikawa placed some flowers in the sea. SEA CONDITIONS WERE OK, GREAT VISIBILITY BUT ARRIVING ON SITE WE COULD SEE A STRONG CURRENT. DAN JUMPED OVER BOARD TO SWIM UP TO THE BUOY AND COULD HARDLY REACH IT. WE ABORTED THE DIVE. AGAIN WE SET OUT IN THE AFTERNOON TO SEE IF CONDITIONS HAD CHANGED. DONNING A SINGLE SCUBA TANK I DOVE ABOUT 10 METERS DOWN THE LINE. THE CURRENT WAS SO STRONG THAT I HARDLY COULD HOLD ON., GETTING WATER UP MY DRY SUIT SLEEVE AND A PURGING ON THE REGULATOR. FLYING BACK TO THE BOAT WE DECIDED TO TRY AGAIN TOMORROW AT 1100HRS WHEN TIDE IS ON THE LOWEST. IN THE AFTERNOON WE HAD ANOTHER MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES WHO WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH THE VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE WRECK.
29.05.2007 PRESS RELEASE NO. 2 (ENG / JAP)
PRESS RELEASE Scandinavia ex Stella Polaris Wreck Visited By Divers 29.05.2007, Kushimoto, Japan For the first time ever, an international team of divers from Austria, Britain and Japan touched down on the wreck of the Scandinavia ex Stella Polaris. The world famous passenger ship sunk last year off the coast of Kushimoto, Japan. With the help of Captain Shimano from the Nanki Seamans Club dive centre, Mrs. Namikawa as surface support and the Japanese safety divers Mr. Enamoto and Mr. Tanaka, media diver Dan Burton (UK) and deep diver Axel Schoeller (Austria) reached the wreck at -72 meters. They were using rebreather dive technology and were able to film and take video footage of the wreck. The dive was very difficult because the wreck lays in the strong Kuroshio Current. Hammerhead sharks were seen. Additional the dive site is in a busy shipping line. The divers returned from the depths of the Scandinavia wreck after a very demanding one hour dive. The team would like to give thanks to all the supporters in Japan and around the world to start this expedition successfully. Special thanks are given to the sponsors from OTHREE and YASUDA. The next dive is planned for the 30.05.2007. For film and photo footage, please contact Mr. Burton at: dan@underwaterimages.co.uk Or Mrs. Namikawa at: ０９０−９１４８−４２２８ -------------------------------------- プレスリリーススカンジナビア号（ステラポラリス）潜水成功～２００７/５/２９　和歌山県串本沖～海外のテクニカルダイビングチーム（オーストリア／イギリス／日本）が、昨年９月に和歌山、串本沖に沈没した歴史的・世界的に有名な豪華客船スカンジナビア号（ステラポラリス）に世界初の潜水を成功させた。チームメンバーは船長に島野さん（南紀シーマンズクラブ）、陸上サポートに並川、水中サポートとして榎本さん（熊野酸素）、田中さん（ブルークエスト）、撮影はダン・バートン（イギリス）、ディープダイバー　アクセルショラー（オーストリア）。その海域は黒潮の強い潮流にさらされており、ハンマーヘッドシャークなど危険生物が生息し、さらにタンカー、漁船の通り道にあり、潜水計画を立てることは容易ではありませんでした。潜水機器はリブリーザーを使用、万全の安全対策を立て、-72ｍに沈む船に到達しました。船の状況は、マストが一本折れており、複数のロープが絡み合っており、ダイバーはフロントデッキ、プール、ブリッジの見渡し映像を撮ることができました。ここに日本、世界からのサポートしてくださった方々にお礼を申し上げたいと思います。特にスポンサーしてくださったOTHREE.安田工業所に感謝いたします。次の潜水は　２００７年５月３０日を予定しています。プロジェクト情報は www.aquatec-innerspace.comにて写真付きで日々アップデートされております。映像、写真についてのお問い合わせはdan@underwaterimages.co.uk もしくは並川　０９０－９１４８－４２２８まで
28.05.2007	captain shimano organised an old anchor for the diver down system. in the morning all the dive gear was assembled and stored on the boat. it was a sunny day but with strong cold north winds of 4 bft. and rough seas. before lunch the team set out for the first dive of the "Scandinavia" ex "Stella Polaris" wreck. arriving at site, 3 nautical miles from Kushimoto, we passed over the wreck which appeared clearly on the depth sounder. circling we prepared to drop the anchor system with the downline but strong wind drift together with strong surface current made this operation difficult as we couldn't find the wreck again. due to a miss understanding command the diver line system was dropped but luckily stopped after the weights run for 10 meters. 90 kgs had to be pulled up again. after 2 hours of tracking, the wreck was found and the downline deployed. a check run with the boat confirmed exact placement of the line system. surface support manager mrs. namikawa informed the coast guard and chamber of the start of the dive operation. then the dive team got kitted up. media diver dan and myself entered the water at 1400hrs. after a lengthy down swim following 100 meters line and some current in mid water we reached the wreck. visibility was very good and there was barely any current. our anchor landed right next to the port bow of the massive wreck crossing the former tow line which floats up to -10 meters. several other lines from the wreck were in the way. the fore mast is broken. we could clearly see the anchor spill, forward deck, the swimming pool and the front of the bridge. dan took some video footage. as this dive was planned to check on the proper anchor placement only, we started the return after 10 minutes of bottom time. at -30 meters we met safety diver mr. tanaka, which reported via under water communications to top side that we are safe and that the boat can hook up to the line system. we had 30 minutes of decompression. upon return at the surface we were welcomed by surface stand by diver mr. Enamoto and the boat crew. the coast guard and chamber were informed that we are all safe and we returned back to base camp. it was an impressive first visit at this amazing wreck and the team looks forward for the next upcoming longer dives. the day ended in a massive traditional Japanese sake / beer / food / karaoke orgy celebration, resulting in public complaints and payments to stop dan Burton from singing.
27.05.2007	IN THE MORNING WE FINISHED THE COMPLETE DIVER DOWN LINE SYSTEM. THE EQUIPMENT WAS PREPARED FOR THE TEST DIVES AND AROUND LUNCH TIME WE PICKED UP SUPPORT DIVER MR. TANAKA WHO ARRIVED BY TRAIN FROM HIROSHIMA. ALL TEST DIVES WERE COMPLETED SUCCESSFUL. IN THE AFTERNOON WE SERVICED OUR EQUIPMENT AND MR. TANAKA UNPACKED HIS UNITS WHICH WERE SENT BY MAIL. HIS REBREATHER SYSTEM FILLED A WHOLE MINI LORRY OF ABOUT 1 TON (SCOOTERS, UW COMMUNICATIONS, MEGALODON, ETC...). THE DAY WAS FINISHED WITH A GENERAL MEETING BY ALL DIVERS, MRS. NAMIKAWA AND CAPTAIN SHIMANO FROM THE NANKI SEAMANS CLUB DIVE CENTRE. DIVE PLANS, EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, BOAT OPS, LINE DEPLOYMENT AND ALL OTHER DETAILS FOR TOMORROWS 1ST DIVE WERE DISCUSSED AND AGREED. THE SUPPORT PLAN IS THAT MR. ENOMOTO WILL BE SURFACE STAND BY DIVER WITH TWO NITROX 36 TANKS. SUPPORT DIVER MR. TANAKA WILL MEET US AT -50 METERS USING UNDER WATER COMMUNICATIONS REPORTING TO TOPSIDE ABOUT OUR DIVE STATUS WHICH IS RECORDED BY MRS. NAMIKAWA. SHE IS IN CHARGE FOR SURFACE LOGISTICS AND IS ALSO THE TIME KEEPER. MR. SHIMANO WILL BE THE BOAT CAPTAIN. A TRANSVERSE LINE WILL BE SET UP FROM THE BOAT TO -30 METERS TO THE DIVER DOWN LINE.
26.05.2007	the hot sun is back. the day was spent by servicing and getting all the rebreathers and bailout tanks ready. a failure of one of the sensors was detected but the problem was solved by soaking the connector in lemon concentrate. later we prepared the down weight by filling two bags with stones to a total weight of about 50 kgs. the bags were tied together and a rope for the chain and line attached. support diver ENOMOTO organised a floater with blink light for the surface marker. 3 test dives for the next day were organised which will take place in a -10 meter deep river near by, to simulate the current on the wreck, then at sea to -40 meters and finished with a dive in a tuna farm. later in the evening mr. ENOMOTO visited us at base camp with a case of beer and some best special sake. ...nevertheless the dives are still on...
25.05.2007	ALL DAY HEAVY RAIN. another meeting with the coast guard in Kushimoto to discuss diver safety equipment. the dive expedition plan is forwarded to the coast guard head quarters in Kyoto, which is producing a diver emergency rescue plan. then a meeting with the president of the department of fisheries to obtain a dive permission for diving in their fishing areas. he also gave us permission to fix the diver down line on the wreck for the duration of the expedition. all fishing vessels are informed about our dive and have to stay clear of the area. only requirement is to set a blink light on the surface buoy. starting to set up the rebreathers. at 1400hrs press conference with about 15 journalists from print and TV media, which request free film and photo footage. this was denied BY THE DIVE TEAM. following a meeting with boat captain and owner of NANKI SEAMANS club dive shop Mr. shimano to prepare 70kg of down weight MADE OF sandbags filled with stone gravel. THESE ARE joined TO a four FLUKE anchor and 2 meters of DETACHABLE chain with a quick snap shackle. it is planned to deploy the diver line with down weight, anchor and chain on the wreck and then disconnect the line from the bags and anchor, securing the line with chain directly to the wreck.
24.05.2007	FINALISATION OF WRITTEN DIVE EXPEDITION PROJECT PLAN FOR AUTHORITIES AND TEAM MEMBERS.
23.05.2007	TEAM ARRIVES IN KUSHIMOTO. LUGGAGE WEIGHT PER DIVER IS 60 KGS. MEETINGS WITH COAST GUARD WHICH INFORMS TEAM THAT FRONT MAST IS BROKEN AND TOW LINE IS DRIFTING OVER WRECK up to -10 meters. MEETINGS WITH NANKI SEAMANS CLUB DIVE SHOP WHICH REQUESTS 2 MORE BACK UP DIVERS. MEETING WITH KUMANO OXYGEN CO. FOR GAS MIXING, CCR TANKS AND BAILOUT TANKS. OWNER MR. ENOMOTO JOINS TEAM AS BACK UP DIVER TOGETHER WITH MR. TANAKA FROM SEA QUEST. spoke with old fisherman on beach who then gave us for free the surface flotation markers for the diver downline. DIVE OPERATIONS ARE SCHEDULED FROM 28.05.2007 TO 03.06.2007 ARRIVAL OF 200M DOWNLINE AND 80KG SOFNO LIME. ORGANISATION OF 3 SURFACE MARKERS. VISIT WRECK SITE WITH BOAT AND CHECK CURRENT SPEED (NE 1.8KN). hammerhead SHARK IS SPOTTED AT SURFACE CIRCLING THE BOAT. WEATHER IS SUNNY AND WARM. SEA AND WIND IS CALM WITH SLIGHT SWELL FROM THE SOUTH. PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR THE 25.05.2007 AT 1400 HRS AT THE NANKI SEAMANS CLUB, KUSHIMOTO.
12.05.2007	THE PROJECT COSTS ARE about usd 20,000$. interested sponsors are kindly asked to contact us at above EMAIL.
11.05.2007 STELLA POLARIS PRESS RELEASE (ENG / JAP)
Press Release Stella Polaris Wreck Project – 22-30^th May 2007 On the 2nd September 2006 the famous first class luxury liner Stella Polaris sank off the coast of Kushimoto, Japan. The ship sank to a depth of -72m, and has never been dived by commercial or scuba divers. An international renounced technical dive team from Austria, Sweden, UK and Japan, will visit the wreck for the first time to photograph and film the wreck. The wreck is in a water depth beyond recreational diving and the sophisticated dive equipment will be state of the art rebreathers on mixed gas. Local mariners in Japan consider the dive site to be demanding and dangerous. The Stella Polaris wreck is situated in the Kuroshio current which is the second strongest tidal current in the world with speeds up to 4 knots. Additional shark encounters are anticipated. For more information about the project, please visit the official website at: www.aquatec-innerspace.com For project sponsorship, media enquiries, images and video of the wreck and its project please contact Dan Burton at: dan@underwaterimages.co.uk Tel: +447767446250 ---------------------------------------------------------- プレスリリーススカンジナビア（ステラポラリス）沈船プロジェクト期日／２００７年５月２２日～３０日昨年２００６年９月２日、有名なファーストクラス豪華客船、スカンジナビア（ステラポラリス）が和歌山県、串本沖に沈んだことはご記憶に新しいことと思います。船体はー７２ｍの水深に沈み、以来、その海況の厳しさにより、潜水士やスキューバダイバーによって潜られ確認されることはありませんでした。この度、国際的に有名なテクニカルダイビングチームが、初めて海中の船の様子を撮影（ビデオ・写真）する為に来日致します。（オーストリア人、スェーデン人、イギリス人）この沈船の深度はリクリエーショナルダイビングの域を超えており危険なため、最先端の潜水機器（リブリーザー）と混合ガスを使用して行われます。地元の海をよく知る方達によると、その海域に潜ることは難しく、スカンジナビアの眠る場所は、最大４ノットの黒潮の荒波にさらされており、さらに、黒潮の豊かな恵みにより、魚影が濃く、多くのサメが生息していると思われます. この件に関してご興味をお持ちの方は、下記のサイトまで。 Axel Schoeller (アクセル　ショラー) www.aquatec-innerspace.com 映像、写真等の報道関係のお問い合わせはこちらまで。 Dan Burton（ダン　バートン） Tel: +447767446250 dan@underwaterimages.co.uk 日本語でのお問い合わせは並川　圭子０９０−９１４８−４２２８ keiko0o0@t.vodafone.ne.jp
10.05.2007	TANKS, BREATHING GAS AND SODALIME IS READY ORGANISED IN KUSHIMOTO. MEETINGS WITH PRESS, THE NPO AND COAST GUARD ARE ARRANGED.
09.05.2007	MANY INTERNATIONAL FILM, TV AND PRINT MEDIA SHOW INTEREST TO COVER THE EXPEDITION.
06.05.2007	the owner of the Stella Polaris gives permission to dive on the wreck and also to penetrate inside. movement or removal of wreck items is forbidden.
02.05.2007	the Japanese coast guard gives permission to dive the wreck.