SCUBA News 106

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SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 106 - February 2009
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
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Welcome to February's SCUBA News: thanks for subscribing. Congratulations to last month's competition winners, Alexandre Rodrigues and Robert Ayala. Your Red Sea Dive Guides will soon be in the post. This month we have brief notes on diving the province of Aceh, Indonesia, mostly provided by Dive Safari Asia. We don't normally feature articles written by diving centres; after all they are bound to be biased in favour of their area. However, in this case we thought it provided some useful information on a region most famous for being devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter, but should you wish to cancel your subscription please do so at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html

Contents:
- What's new at SCUBA Travel?
- Letters
- Diving Northern Sumatra (Aceh Province)
- Diving News from Around the World

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What's New at SCUBA Travel?
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Best Diving in Europe: Top Ten Dive Sites

See the top ten dive sites in Europe, as voted for by SCUBA Travel readers. The Zenobia (Cyprus) takes the top spot, closely followed by the Blue Hole (Gozo), Cirkewwa (Malta) and the Booroo (Isle of Man). Disagree with the list? Cast your vote at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveseurope.html

Diving in India

Read about some great diving in India in the new SCUBA Travel section. The best dive sites and recommended diving centres in the Andaman Islands, Lakshadweep Islands and Goa.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific/india-diving.html

More...

For regular announcements of what's new at the site see the Diving Board at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/

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Letters
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In reply to Liz's letter last month...

Hello Liz,

The best place to dive in Brazil is around the island of Fernando de Noronha. There are a lot of Dolphins over there and it's a really beautifull and tranquille island, totally unspoiled. I have been diving there with Atlantis Divers last October. Few minor points: it's a very expensive island and the dive centers take only a 20-30 minute pause between your two dives, so be careful with that. Also, the Brazilians are very friendly over there but they do not speak much English (if they speak any). So be prepared.

Kind regards

Frans Boers, Netherlands

From the Diving Board...

Australia Tour on the way…….looking for suggestions:
Hello everybody, we are young group pf students and are planning to visit Australia. The places that we have got listed are Sydney, Queensland and Brisbane. There is scope for more places as well and we are just preparing our schedule. I am here to take suggestions on as to what are the places worth seeing and how about the staying there? I would like to have any useful suggestions that might come on the way.

jimmy9183
Hi

Looking for a solid place to dive in May'09. Variety of sites that can be mixed with a nice beach holiday - Europe/Egypt.
Any advice appreciatted.

veester
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1533

Post your answer on the Diving Board or e-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk

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Diving Northern Sumatra (Aceh Province)
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by Dive Safari Asia
Additional material by SCUBA News

After decades of internal conflict and a devastating tsunami, the province of Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia opens its doors to tourism.

Aceh offers truly world class diving on pristine reefs, surrounded by unique heritage and cultural experiences with a rich blend of untouched natural reserves.

North Sumatra, Indonesia and the province of Aceh are well resourced to sustain adventure travel.

The province of Aceh lies at the very tip of northern Sumatra, the most western point of Indonesian territory. In previous years Aceh has been considered 'out of bounds' for many tourists due to internal conflict which made the area unsafe for travel, in addition to this struggle, in 2004 a devastating tsunami hit the shores of Aceh causing widespread destruction across the town of Banda Aceh.

On average approximately 2000 foreign visitors make the journey to the diving island of Pulau Weh (Aceh) each year. This has risen from just 81 in 2004 .

Over the past four years, this region has been rebuilding, and is now able to sustain safe adventure travel that encompasses amazing scuba-diving, wild and untouched natural reservations, rich and unique customs and way of living, and an overall amazing experience for the adventurous traveller.

Sharia Law which is the local custom-based and enforced law supports no fishing, absolutely no fish-bombing, and no collecting of any kind, over these pristine and perfectly preserved reefs. The local customs and traditions have persevered through political and cultural conflicts to ensure that the marine life not only remains protected for future generations, but for food supplies and sustainable rotations of living on what the earth provides - which is a primary way of life in this region.

Travel packages can be arranged with Dive Safari Asia anytime between February and August. Prices start at 950 pounds for a basic nine day package. We dive on pristine reefs in solitude led by local guides on the still volcanic isle of Pulau Weh, take advantage of the truly unique and rich cultures and traditions of the local township Banda Aceh and spend time in one of the last remaining places in the world to see wild Orangutans in their natural habitat. All trip packages are run and supported by Dive Safari Asia's strong relationships with an appointed team of local partners interested in sharing all that the surrounding cultures and natural resources have to offer.

Note though, that the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office still advises exercising caution when travelling to Aceh. "You should be alert to the potential for politically motivated violence and avoid large crowds, political gatherings and demonstrations". They also recommended that you avoid flying with any airline from Indonesia if an acceptable alternative means of travel exists.

The are 11 countries whose citizens do not need a visa to visit Indonesia, amongst them Thailand and Malaysia. Nationals of EU countries, South Africa, Australia, USA and 33 others and can get a visa upon arrival in Indonesia.

Contacts and Further Reading

SCUBA Travel Indonesia Section
Foreign Office Advice
Indonesia Visas
Dive Safari Asia
Lumba Lumba Diving, Pulau Weh
Rubiah Tirta Divers, Pulau Weh

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Diving News From Around the World
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If you would like to read the diving news as it happens, without waiting for this newsletter, then grab the SCUBA News feed from http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.xml It's free and automatically updates you with the latest SCUBA news via your web site, e-mail or any news feed reader.

New Book: Scuba Caribbean

This claims to be the first all-inclusive book providing an overview of the many islands in the Caribbean, plus the Bahamas and Bermuda. It provides information on dive sites, dive operators, pertinent island or country information and diver-friendly accommodation. Good reference for anyone looking for new SCUBA destinations in the Caribbean.

Explore the oceans in Google Earth

Google has launched Ocean in Google Earth, a new feature that lets you explore underwater in 3D and browse ocean-related content. Virtual travellers to Hawaii, for example, can examine underwater volcanoes, see videos about the marine life of the region, read about nearby shipwrecks and contribute photos and videos of favorite surf spots.

Europe launches shark protection plan

The European Commission has launched a Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. The aim is to rebuild shark stocks and to set down guidelines for the sustainable management of the fisheries, including where shark are taken as by-catch. The plan also hopes to increase knowledge of shark stocks and shark fisheries.

5 New Pygmy Seahorse Species Found

The Walea pygmy seahorse is one of five species named in a flurry of recent seahorse discoveries from coral reefs in the Red Sea and Indonesia. All five are less than an inch tall (2.5 centimeters) and are among the tiniest known vertebrates. It was thanks to the keen eyes of underwater photographers and divers that these secretive specimens came to light. The seahorses are the first to be discovered in five years. The Walea seahorse is named after an island in central Sulawesi, Indonesia - the only place it has so far been found.

Taiwan coral reefs "turn black" with disease

Coral reefs off the southeast coast of Taiwan have turned black with disease possibly due to sewage discharge, threatening fragile undersea ecosystems and tourism, a study has claimed.

Coastal fish farms pollute the Sea

Marine aquaculture can have some nasty side effects, especially when the pens are set near sensitive coastal environments. All those fish penned up together consume massive amounts of commercial feed, some of which drifts off uneaten in the currents. And the crowded fish, naturally, defecate and urinate by the tens of thousands, creating yet another unpleasant waste stream. New research shows "the icky stuff from the pens will travel farther, and in higher concentrations, than had been generally assumed".

Iron on its Route to the Sea-Floor: A New Path

Iron dust, the rarest nutrient for most marine life, can be washed down by rivers or blown out to sea or--a surprising new study finds--float up from the sea floor in the material spewed from hydrothermal vents. The discovery connects life at the surface to events occurring at extreme depths and pressures. The two worlds were long assumed to have little interaction. Iron trapped in this way does not rust. The metal's purity has practical value. Aquatic organisms metabolize pure iron much more easily than its rusted form. How much captured iron floats into surface waters remains unknown. But any that does would nourish ocean life more efficiently than the oxidized iron from regular sources.

Ocean Survey Finds Identical Species at each Pole

Hundreds of species live in both polar seas, despite an 11,000-kilometer distance in between. So finds the census of Marine Life. Among many other findings, the scientists also documented evidence of cold waterloving species shifting towards both poles to escape rising ocean temperatures.

EU wants "zero-waste, zero-emission" goal for ships

The European commission calls for an ambitious long-term "zero-waste, zero-emission" goal for ships. It intends to table draft legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions from ships if world governments failed to agree global reductions this year.

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