Dive Pacific Iss 171 Oct- Nov 2019

SOUNDINGS
LOCAL NEWS
The Tane Mahuta of diving has fallen
Wade Doak 23 February 1940 – 12 September 2019
Thursday the 12th of
September was, I guess,
for most just another day
in this beautiful country.
But by day’s end many of
us were in shock at the
sudden death of one of New
Zealand’s most recognised
diving personalities and
conservationists, Wade
Doak.
This whole magazine
could be filled with
Wade’s adventures and
accomplishments.
I first met Wade and his
lovely diving buddy and
wife Jan in the early 1970s.
I recall a group of us
heading up north to dive.
My teenage spearfishing
mate Barry Andrewartha,
the publisher and editor of
Dive Log Australia and I think
the late Neville Coleman,
who later became renowned
for his marine natural history
photography and publications,
especially about identifying
Nudibranchs.
Happy days. Wade & Jan Doak, after Wade received the Wyland
Foundation - Dive New Zealand Magazine Recognition Awardone
person can make a difference. Presented at the NZUA’s
AGM, Tutukaka 8th April 2006
You can imagine how the
conversation went… diving…
diving… have you seen this or that
– just wonderful.
When my wife Petal and I started
publishing Dive Log New
Zealand in the late 1990s,
Wade was always on my
radar for articles and he
knew the magazine was an
excellent vehicle to spread
his love of the marine
environment and how it
needs protection.
I see in the December 1990/
January 1991 Issue #1 in the
news section: “Poor Knights
– Fear for Fish life”. It was
about the important species
being fished out. It reads:
“Wade Doak, who has been
diving intensively at the
Poor Knights recently during
filming for TVNZ’s Wild
South series said the ban
on using sinkers for fishing
was a farce considering the
methods now being employed
to catch fish” etc.
Issue #2 has a “Stop Press:
Friday January 1991 – Wade Doak
witnesses a yellow banded perch
that has been jigged at the Poor
LETTERS WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. Tribute to Wade Doak
Dear Dave,
Like you I have been saddened to
hear of Wade’s passing. He was one
of my very special friends and we
had corresponded since I was at
school and he at university.
I hope that, in addition to his
conservation work, he will be
remembered as an international
pioneer with regard to diving
equipment during his Dive
Underwater magazine days.
New Zealand was the first country
that accepted that a contents gauge
was always part of Scuba, and
reserves were purely a possible
back up. As you know, Rob Davy
made the first Compensator
which Wade and Kelly used and
publicised, such that it became
everyday dive gear.
And then he publicised the DCP
(automatic decompression meter)
which was the first generation
of dive computer and this also
became everyday equipment.
Those were all colossal strides and
should be remembered.
Quentin Bennett
Marine values survey. Please do it
Hamish Howard is a post
graduate student in Wellington
researching how our values
influence our perceptions,
attitudes and behaviours
towards the marine
environment. The aim is to learn
how we can all work together
more effectively to get better
outcomes for our seas.
So he has developed a survey
and you are invited to complete
it, at the link:
https://tinyurl.com/y5zh4sn6
More info on the New Zealand
Marine Values Survey is at www.
nzmvs.org. Its also on facebook,
twitter, linkedin, and instagram.
Send it on.
The survey takes about half an
hour and you can return to it at
any time (on the same computer/
device). And its anonymous even
if you provide your name and
email at the end.
8 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific