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SCUBA News 33

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 33 - January 2003
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the first SCUBA News of 2003: I hope the New 
Year has started well for you.

Contents:
- What's new at SCUBA Travel?
- Your Letters (Koh Tao, Viet Nam, France)
- CITES, Whale Sharks and Western Australia
- Diving News from Around the World 

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

Should you wish to cancel your free subscription to 
SCUBA News please do so at 
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html
__________________________________________________________

What's New at SCUBA Travel?
===========================

Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines
  More comments on the Blue Corner Wall (Palau, Micronesia), 
  Kavieng (Papua New Guinea) and the Philippines.  See
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/philippines/

Diving Qualifications Compared
  We've a rough guide to equivalent qualifications from 
  different diving operators.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/qualifications.html

Top 10 Dives
  Puerto Galera is a new entry on our top 10 dives list.
  Add your votes and view the list here.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdives.html

SCUBA Diving Bestsellers of 2002
  Keeping with the list theme, see the most popular 
  diving items of 2002 at 
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bestsellers.html
__________________________________________________________

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

Dear Ed,

We've just returned from the most amazing diving holiday in 
Thailand.  We  all have fast-pace lives and wanted something 
as quiet and relaxing as possible.  Boy, did we find it!  
It takes a while to travel to remote Koh Tao island, but 
it's worth every km.  We found a real gem in New Heaven 
resort and dive-shop, run by Devrim.  This is NOT the place 
for those looking for partying.  They have two resorts, 
both very quiet, the one we stayed in can only be reached 
by longtail boat.  As a result it has the feel of a genuinely 
private beach, and I was often the only person on it, 
especially every morning at sunrise.  No frills here - 
just beach and mountain huts - but the food is great and 
Phi Kay who runs the resort is wonderful - looking after 
us as if we were family.  The amazing rates meant we could 
stay for two weeks.

As far as the diving itself goes, the dives were always 
organised around our preferences and diving levels.  We 
were often the only people on the boat.  Our dive-masters and 
instructors were very professional and the emphasis was always 
on fun and safety.  Devrim, who owns the diveshop, is one of 
those calm, gentle souls who spreads a feeling of life being 
good wherever he is.

So if any of your readers are looking for real peace, and 
indescribably lovely diving, this is the place to advise 
them to go.

Kindest regards,

Robynn

--

Hi

Could you perhaps post a request for information from 
the subscribers about diving in Viet Nam?  The only 
thing I can find is Rainbow Divers, who operate out 
of three locations:  Nah Trang near Da Nang, 
Whale Island nearby, and Phu Cuoc Island, which 
is in the Gulf of Thailand right at the 
Viet Nam/Cambodia border.

If there is any information on the type of diving, 
how it compares to other good dive spots in types 
of underwater life, coral condition, etc., I'd very 
much appreciate it.

Regards,

Alan

PS - Personally, I use Palau, Puerto Galera, P.I., 
and the Red Sea as my comparison sites - anything 
that comes near to them is going to be teriffic.

--

Have you dived in Viet Nam? Contact the Editor 
and I'll pass your comments on to Alan.

:ADV_____________________________________________________

 Save money on a vast selection of posters and prints: 
 whales, sharks, dolphins, fish, seascapes...
 Browse the offers at 
www.allposters.com
______________________________________________________ADV:


The following request for information was sent to the 
website, but as you might find the answer useful I've 
included it in the newsletter.

Dear SCUBA Travel

I have been an avide diver for 12 years - PADI advanced 
certified and have more than 500 dives but I stopped 
using a log book in 1993 or 1994.  It was too bothersome.  
Will this pose a problem in Southern France?  I hope not 
since I'm probably more capable than most who visit 
France and dive; especially since I do principally all 
of my diving in the NW US and Canada where conditions 
are many times less than perfect.

Please advise.

Matt

--

Matt

If you have your certification and a current (less than 
one year old) diving medical/certification from a doctor 
that is all you will need.  If you want to dive on the 
deeper wrecks (40 m 130 ft+) then they will want to see some
experience of those depths logged, and some recent dives.  
In France they also operate depth limits in relation to 
your qualification level, which are quite restrictive for 
CMAS 2 star divers (20 m), however you can dive deeper if 
accompanied by an instructor.

For more on diving in France see our French section
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/france/

__________________________________________________________

CITES, Whale Sharks and Western Australia
=========================================

This article was contributed by Beccy Ingerson of Coral 
Coast Dive Centre (www.ningalooreef.com), Western Australia. 
She can be contacted at ccd@telstra.com
 
--

Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, are 
famous for whale sharks.  The whale shark is actually 
widely distributed throughout tropical regions of the 
world, but Western Australia has become a popular 
destination to interact with these giants of the ocean.  
People travel from all over the world for the opportunity 
to snorkel with the largest known fish, some of which 
reach up to about 12 metres in length.  If anything, these 
animals are sharks' greatest ambassadors, negating the 
idea that all sharks have sharp, pointy teeth and are 
only interested in killing and eating humans.  Few 
experiences can be more awesome than swimming with such 
a huge animal which feeds entirely on plankton.

Unfortunately whale sharks have more reason to fear humans 
than humans have to fear them.  There is still a considerable 
trade in whale shark meat and the population has declined 
in recent years as a result of an increase in their commercial 
value.  Taiwan and Thailand are two large markets for the 
meat and fins.  Many countries of the Far East still 
place a high value on shark fin soup, a delicacy which can 
cost as much as $200 a bowl in Hong Kong.  As a result, many 
sharks suffer from the barbaric practice of "finning".  As 
the name suggests, the shark is caught, the dorsal fin removed 
and the shark then thrown back in the ocean to suffer a slow 
and painful death, usually by drowning.

A recent meeting of CITES, the UN Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species, voted to tighten the trade in both 
whale sharks, and another large shark species known in temperate 
waters, the basking shark, until scientists can find out whether 
they are endangered.  The critical decision was reached in the 
final hours of the meeting and only after going to vote for a 
second time to reach the required two thirds majority.  

The whale shark and basking shark have now been placed on 
CITES Appendix II.  This listing will enable the international 
trade of these species to be monitored so that the effects of 
this trade can be more effectively gauged.  It does not mean 
that either species is completely protected.  The measure 
requires countries to take the necessary steps to prove that 
the trade in the sharks is not having a negative effect on 
their numbers.  In spite of the size of the animals, little 
is known about the size of the populations of either species.

The proposal was rejected outright by pro-whaling countries 
Norway, Iceland, Singapore and Japan who feared that these 
restrictions would impact on commercially important fish 
species such as tuna.  Other countries including the 
Philippines, India and the UK argued that there are 
tremendous benefits to keeping the sharks alive, and 
illustrated the cost benefits of eco-tourism as 
opposed to unsustainable harvests of shark fins.  

The Philippines noted that whale shark populations had 
declined around the world in the period 1994-97:  70% 
in the Philippines itself, 48% in India and a 
staggering 99% in South Africa.

Whale shark sightings are extremely common on the 
Ningaloo Reef in the months of mid April-June.  A 
spotter plane communicates with boats as it spots the 
large shadow of a whale shark near the surface.  
Interactions are regulated by CALM (Conservation and 
Land Management), which limits the number of snorkellers 
in the water with a shark to a maximum of 10, forbids the 
use of flash photography and lists guidelines including 
how long a single interaction with a whale shark may last.  

--

The full version of this article, with more information 
specific to Ningaloo Reef, will be placed on the site in 
when we launch our Australia section.  Meanwhile, 
for more on Ningaloo Reef see Alan's article at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/australia/ningaloo.html
__________________________________________________________

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

THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL DIVE SHOW
  The weekend of the 1st and 2nd of March sees the LIDS at
  ExCel - Docklands, London.  In its 23rd year with over 
  250 exhibitors, the show features new equipment, holiday 
  destinations, presentations and seminars.
  http://www.diveshows.co.uk/

INDEPENDENT COMMISSION PRESSES FOR US MARINE RESERVES
  Vast zones off U.S. coasts must be declared off-limits to
  fishing to help reverse the depletion of marine life in 
  the nation's waters, a commission found.  Chairman Leon 
  Panetta cited a list of threats to marine life, 
  including the dead zone that forms in the Gulf of Mexico 
  where nothing can grow, the hundreds of non-native 
  species in the San Francisco Bay that are killing 
  native marine life, and runoff from agriculture and 
  cities that harms habitats.  
  http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2003/01/01162003/

RECOMPRESSION CHAMBERS IN IRELAND UNDER THREAT
  There are only two recompression chambers in Ireland 
  and both are threatened with closure. If this happens, 
  divers will have to be flown to mainland Britain or 
  even further if chambers are full.
  http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/

CLUB DIVE BOATS POWERED BY STEAM?
  Conventional outboard motors can be damaging to the 
  environment. They leak oil and have propellers that 
  can injure large sea creatures and divers.  However, 
  a revolutionary new steam engine may soon be powering 
  RIBs, dinghies and speedboats more efficiently, 
  cleanly and safely.
  http://www.newscientist.com/news/

EL NINO NEARS END
  El Nino, which has brought storms to many parts of the 
  world since last May, has more bad weather in store for 
  tropical Pacific areas before starting to fade around 
  mid-year, scientists say.  It has warmed sea surface 
  temperatures across much of the central equatorial 
  Pacific by 1.5 to two degrees Celsius.
  http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2003/01/01172003/

POLLUTION-FREE CORALS RESIST GLOBAL WARMING
  Increasingly coral reefs are exposed to both global 
  warming and pollution.  How do corals cope with this 
  combination of hardships? A recent study found that 
  corals exposed to increased inorganic nitrates were 
  more stressed by periods of high temperatures than 
  those in pristine areas.  
  http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00227/contents/

: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:

ONLY CONSUMERS CAN SAVE COD
  The Marine Conservation Society has launched the 
  second edition of its Good Fish Guide.  The guide 
  contains the latest scientific information on the 
  state of fish stocks as well as information about 
  how fish are caught and the environmental and social 
  impacts of fishing.  Copies are available from 
  mcsuk.org for £10 (inc. P&P) per copy.  Proceeds from 
  sales will be used to support projects to promote 
  sustainable fisheries.
  http://www.mcsuk.org/

NEW UK INLAND SCUBA DIVING SITE
  Vobster Quay, Somerset, is now open to divers.  The old 
  quarry has depths between 6 and over 35 m, and contains the 
  old crushing works, stone delivery tunnel and block house.
  http://www.vobsterquay.co.uk/

DIVE SCOTLAND
  For wide choice of gear, holidays and other diving 
  services and a whole range of free to enter seminars 
  visit Dive Scotland on 29-30 March at SECC, Glasgow.
  http://www.diveshows.co.uk/
__________________________________________________________

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