SCUBA News 29

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SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 29 - September 2002
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
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Hello and welcome to SCUBA News. My apologies for the 
late arrival of this issue which is due to the editor's 
holidays. This month many congratulations to our lead 
photographer - Tim Nicholson - both on his marriage last 
weekend, and on recently winning five awards for his 
underwater photos!

We hope you enjoy SCUBA News, but if you wish to cancel 
your free subscription you can do so at 
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html

This month
- What's new at SCUBA Travel?
- Your Letters
- Santorini Dive Report
- Diving News from Around the World 

If you have any diving news, comments on this 
newsletter, questions or dive reports we'd love to hear 
from you.Just fill in our Contact the Editor form.
__________________________________________________________

What's New at the SCUBA Travel Web Site?
========================================

Photo Gallery
  Our photographer, Tim Nicholson, has won several 
  categories in the annual "Isle of Man Splash-In" 
  competition - including the Best in Show award. Two of 
  the awards - Macro and Diver activity - were for 
  photographs which had to be taken in the week prior to 
  the judging. Tim, however, was most pleased by winning 
  the Overseas portfolio and the British portfolio, as 
  there were some extremely high standard entrants in these 
  two categories. To view some of his prize-winning Overseas 
  portfolio, see
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/numidiacoral.html
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/crustacean.html
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/numidia.html
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/anemone2002.html

Cuba
  Many thanks to Mick, Barbara, Steve and Bev, who all sent 
  us excellent information on Cuba. To read their comments
  go to
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html#Cuba
  
Dive Operators in Thailand
  We now list more diving operators in Thailand, including 
  some operating from Phuket.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html

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Your Letters
============

  Could you post a request for information from anyone 
  with direct (as opposed to second-hand) experience with 
  the Kimberley Explorer liveaboard out of Broome, WA, or 
  Rowley Shoals. Also, if anyone has any experience with the 
  Australian Christmas Island, which is off the NW coast of 
  the continent quite close to Indonesia.

  Thanks.
  Alan Gurevich

--

  My husband and I are planning a diving trip to Grand Cayman 
  Islands. We would like to know what time of the year is the 
  best to go and if someone has some budget tips as we've 
  heard it's very expensive there.

  Regards
  Kristin 

--

If you can help Alan or Kristin, please contact 
the Editor at news@scubatravel.co.uk

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 Manage your mailing list with Subscribe Me. Send 
 newsletters and announcements to your contacts and 
 customers. Visit
 www.cgiscriptcenter.com
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Santorini Dive Report
=====================

In July Sián Belton asked for information on diving in 
Santorini (Greece). She's now back and here is her report 
of her trip.

  Unfortunately I had an accident where I ripped the 
  muscles in my foot right at the beginning of my holiday 
  before I had the chance to book any diving which held me 
  back considerably.  However, there was no way I was going 
  to go home without at least trying one dive.

  I dived a site called Adiaviade and I was surprised how 
  good it was for the med.  The water was lovely and warm 
  and the visibility was around 26-30 meters.  There was 
  plenty of life down there, just couldn't name a lot of 
  what I saw.  What I can name is King Solomon's, Octopus, 
  Barracuda, Red Snapper and Grouper, but there was more!  
  There was also a lot of coral. Red, Vibrant Yellow and 
  Black.  Clams, huge shells with snails in, some anemones. 
  Apparently this was not one of the best sites, there are 
  plenty more, so I would recommend anybody try it out if 
  you go there.

  Apart from that the Island is a lovely place to go for 
  a holiday, with lots to do if you have not pulled any 
  muscles!!!

  Hope the information helps future divers wishing to 
  explore Santorini.

  Regards
  Sián
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Interview with Lauren and Michael Farley, Authors of 
Baja California Divers Guide
====================================================

When Michael Farley was managing a chain of dive stores in 
the southern California area in the early 1970's, many people 
came into the dive shops asking for information on Baja 
California diving.  There was at that time nothing published 
on the subject. He and his wife, Lauren, decided to  take an 
extended journey to the Baja Peninsula in 1977, together 
with their inflatable boat, compressor, dive tanks, Nikonos 
photo gear etc. After a year of diving and travels in Baja, 
which included living on islands with fisherman up and down
both sides of the Baja Peninsula, they returned to California 
intending to produce a small pamphlet for use at the dive 
stores.  However, the vast amount of information and photos 
that they had compiled led to the publication of our first book 
in 1978, entitled Diving Mexico's Baja.  They updated this 
several times, changing the title to Baja California Divers 
Guide. 

The book was the first guide book ever published on scuba 
diving in Baja California waters, and was a compilation of 
their actual, logged dives. As such, it became the bible 
and reference book for many years thereafter.  Lauren and 
Michael were pioneers in the field, producing photographs 
in the days of disposable flash bulbs that you had to 
carefully capture in a plastic bag after each photo in
order not to pollute the ocean; diving in pristine sites 
that very few if any divers had ever seen; discovering new 
dive sites by tagging along with shark fishermen on their 
daily net checks; and recommending conservation practices
such as not anchoring on coral reefs, and "taking only photos 
and memories" from the ocean instead of living shells and game.

From thousands of hours underwater Michael perhaps remembers 
most fondly a dive off the waters of San Jose del Cabo on a 
film trip with Howard Hall and Marty Snyderman near Gorda Banks Reef, 
over 15 years ago. "A 50 foot-plus whale shark appeared out of 
the depths and came towards us. At that time, we were one of 
a handful of people that had ever seen a whale shark underwater.  
It stopped abruptly in the water, and allowed me to approach 
it, exploring the entire length of its body. While I was 
hanging on to its first dorsal fin, it began swimming slowly, 
and I was surprised that instead of being brushed off by the 
water pressure, I was actually almost suctioned to the whale 
shark by the low pressure area of its movement with the water.  
I swam forward along its body, towards the head, got near the 
eyes and noticed that instead of cartilaginous membranes closing 
over the eyes like most sharks, it in fact retracts and extends 
its eyeball in its socket.  I found this fascinating and most 
likely was the very first person to actually observe this 
phenomenon up close. It left me with a sense of wonder, that this 
huge creature actually LET me interact with it and in fact 
initiated the contact...they are in fact so powerful that one 
has a profound experience of one's own insignificance and 
at the same time an extreme appreciation for all of those 
sea creatures that we still know very little about."

Lauren Farley's most memorable dive was off the Marisla Seamount 
near La Paz, where instead of just observing the large schools 
of hammerhead sharks at the base of the sea mount, she actually 
swam straight into the school with her buddy, Patti Whitfield, 
where she reports that it was "like being invisible inside
the school with huge, undulating prehistoric looking creatures 
moving in rhythm all around you, and there were so many that 
they looked like minnows as you looked up at the surface. A 
feeling of being in a large primordial bowl of soup outside of 
time."

After diving in many spots around the world for both 
business and pleasure, working on documentaries about 
sharks, manta rays, whale sharks, whales, etc...Michael 
and Lauren now enjoy running the eco-resort, Danzante, 
where they can introduce other people to the treasures 
of Baja California waters, where you never know what you 
will see...from a 250 pound marlin circling you, to 
hundreds of manta rays leaping out of the water, or a 
golden sea horse swaying in the surge simply wrapped around 
a piece of sea weed.

--

The full interview will be published shortly on the 
SCUBA Travel site at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/interview.html

Although currently out of print you can obtain a copy of 
Baja California Divers Guide from Amazon.com

For more information on the Danzante resort contact
info@danzante.com
_________________________________________________________

Diving News From Around the World
=================================

DIVE 2002 SHOW
  The Dive 2002 Show is at the NEC Birmingham (UK) on 
  12-13 October. Meet 250 leading suppliers of diving gear, 
  holidays, RIBs, leisure wear, training, etc - plus 
  continuous seminars and presentations by many of 
  diving's famous names.
  http://www.diveshows.co.uk/

BILLIARDS TOURNAMENT WRECKS RED SEA REEF
  Organisers of a billiards tournament have been 
  allowed to build on a protected islet in the Egyptian 
  Red Sea.  In theory, Egyptian environment laws forbid 
  any action that causes the deterioration of the 
  natural environment or its plant and animal life, 
  whether above or below water, and violators are subject 
  to stiff fines or imprisonment. But apparently billiards 
  players are exempt.
  http://www.metimes.com/2K2/issue2002-38/

DIVERS FIND TREASURE
  Welsh divers have discovered an 18th century wreck 
  containing a load of tin which could be worth over 
  £1 million. If the Receiver of Wrecks decides the ship 
  is of historical value it could go to a museum, with 
  the divers being paid the value of the cargo.
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2208362.stm

BASKING SHARKS DON'T HIBERNATE
  Contrary to what was previously believed, basking 
  sharks don't hibernate. Scientists studying the movements 
  of these giant fish used satellite technology to show 
  that not only did the sharks undertake extensive journeys 
  but also that they did not sink to the floor of the ocean 
  and go to sleep for months at a time.
  http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/09/09112002/

:ADV_____________________________________________________

 Log data from GPS, sonar and other instruments to your 
 database or mapping program with the free Windmill 
 software. For diving, marine archaeology, salvage, coral 
 reef monitoring, etc. Download your free copy at
 http://www.windmill.co.uk/gps.html
____________________________________________________ADV:

ASTRONAUTS DIVE TO MIMIC SPACE STATION
  A NASA crew are spending 5 days in an undersea 
  laboratory. During their stay they are working on 
  experiments, conducting "extravehicular activities" by 
  diving outside to simulate building segments of a 
  space station, and learning to work together.
  http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/

DIVERS UNCOVER ANCIENT HARBOUR
  Divers have found evidence of the oldest working 
  harbour in Britain, built centuries before the Roman 
  invasion. Timber pilings excavated from a deep layer 
  of silt on the sea bed have been dated at 250 BC. 
  The scale of the construction work was astounding, 
  and implied a large, skilled and organised workforce.
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/

EMERALD FOUND IN CONCH SHELL
  A part-time salvage diver collected a conch shell 
  from a 380 year-old Spanish wreck, and on later 
  opening it found a 40 carat emerald.
  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/

DEMA Show 2002
  October 22 - 25, 2002
  Exhibition of the Diving Equipment and Marketing 
  Association. Features educational seminars related to 
  the diving industry ann celebrities including Jean-Michel 
  Cousteau and free diving champion Megan Heany-Grier. 
  http://www.dema.org/
__________________________________________________________

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