Philippines 'Pa-Aling' Compressor Diver

• Photographer
  Alex Hofford / Greenpeace,

AT SEA : INTERNATIONAL WATERS (HIGH SEAS POCKET No1) CLOSE TO BORDER WITH REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE (EEZ) Diver Joel Gonzaga of the Philippine fishing boat 'Vergene' works in and around a skipjack tuna fishing net using just a single plastic air hose connected to a rusty compressor onboard the fishing boat at surface, 12 November 2012. Perhaps the most dangerous fishing method of all, compressor diving is known in the Philippines as 'Pa-aling' diving. According to Gonzaga, who spends months at a time on board the 'Vergene', fatal injuries and deaths occur regularly. The most common cause of death from 'Pa-aling' diving is due to decompression illness, otherwise known as 'the bends'. Dangerous fishing methods such as 'Pa-aling' are a major contributor to the overfishing crisis in and around the Philippines.