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SCUBA News 40

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 40 -  August 2003
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to SCUBA News.  This month we're excited to 
launch a new section on Sardinia. We also have an article 
by the UK Sport Diving Medical Committee on choosing 
sea-sickness medication.  Our creature of the month is 
the Octopus and we close, as always, with diving news 
from around the world.

We hope you enjoy this issue of SCUBA News 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
- Creature of the Month:
- Choosing Sea-Sickness Medication 
- 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.  Contact the Editor.
__________________________________________________________

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

Sardinia, Italy
  We're pleased to announce a new section on the SCUBA 
  Travel site on the Italian island of Sardinia.  Take 
  a look and let us know what you think.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/
  
:ADV_____________________________________________________

  Seimoa offers a luxury liveaboard experience at 
  surprisingly reasonable prices for up to a maximum of 
  eight guests in Phuket and Burmese waters.  If the 
  large 'factory' liveaboard is not your idea of a 
  relaxing holiday, Seimoa might be the boat for you. 
  http://www.mvseimoa.com/  http://www.divingburma.com/
______________________________________________________ADV:

West Papua, Maldives, Malaysia, Britain
  For new notes on diving Kri Island, Sipadan, Manta Point 
  and the English Channel see
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html

Live News Feed
  We now have a live diving news feed on the site at the 
  bottom of every archived newsletter.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews39.html
__________________________________________________________

Letters
=======

Dear SCUBA News

I was diving in San Rafael, France last summer and would 
like to go back again. However, I can't remember the name 
of the SCUBA place. It was in a campsite - can you suggest 
its name and if they have an e-mail address?  Also where 
is the best spot for diving in St. Raphael?

Thanks

Carla

Ed: Can anyone help Carla?  Send any information to 
news@scubatravel.co.uk and we'll pass it on.

__________________________________________________________

Creature of the Month: The Octopus
===================================================

The octopus is found all over the world: in warm and cold 
water, in deep oceans and in the shallows. It is an 
invertebrate, having no backbone, but is extremely 
intelligent. Unfortunately an octopus lives only two or 
three years.

Octopus solve problems by experience and trial and error. 
Once it has solved a problem, it remembers and can solve 
the same type of problem in the the same way but faster 
each time. For example, an octopus soon learns to 
unscrew jars to remove food placed inside. 

Octopus tend to spend the day inside holes.  Once you get 
an eye for it, you can spot their lairs by the pile 
of stones concealing the entrance, and crustacean remains 
nearby.

The octopus normally lives alone. When mating occurs, the 
smaller male stretches out a modified arm to the female. 
The arm has grooves along which parcels of sperm pass. 

The female octopus guards her eggs, hosing them with 
water to keep them clean and aerated.  In some species 
she might not eat during this time and die soon 
afterwards.  Some males don't fare any better, as they 
may be eaten by the female after mating.

Sharks, moray eels and seals all prey on octopods.  One 
escape strategy is to squeeze through the tiniest of gaps 
into crevices.  Others include camouflage - their skin 
changes colour and texture to mimic their surroundings - 
and ink squirted at the predator.

All octopus can inject their prey with venom, but some, 
notably the Australian blue ringed varieties, are 
extremely poisonous to humans.  Their venom paralyses 
muscles.  Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation will keep people 
alive until the venom wears off, 24 hours later.  The 
victim is fully aware of what is happening around them, 
but is unable to move or breath.

For photos of a pair of Octopus mating see
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/octopus_1.html
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/octopus_2.html

Further Reading:
http://www.australiancephalopods.com/index_octopus.htm

:ADV_____________________________________________________

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

Choosing Sea-Sickness Medication 
================================

This article is by the UK Sport Diving Medical Committee.  
Their information is regularly updated: in future please 
refer to 
http://www.uksdmc.co.uk/
for the latest version.

  The problem with sea-sickness medication is that some 
  tablets may make you drowsy and may therefore predispose 
  you to nitrogen narcosis. 

  It is strongly advisable to find the medication which 
  best suits your body.  First, you should purchase a type 
  recommended by your local pharmacist (such as Stugeron), 
  and take a test dose at a time when you are not driving 
  or diving.  If you become drowsy, you will know the 
  medication does not suit you and you must then try 
  another type.  This procedure should be repeated until 
  you find one which does not make you drowsy. It is 
  important to note that the one which suits you best 
  might not suit your buddy at all.  This is nothing to 
  worry about and is due to differing body metabolism. 

  Your initial dives on this medication should be 
  shallow. Depth should be gradually increased over 
  subsequent dives in order to minimise the possibility 
  of adverse effects on a deep dive.  Beware of the 
  possible additive effects of this medication with 
  prolonged use.  If any drowsiness is experienced, 
  you should not take a dose on that day. 

  At the start of a new diving season, prior to diving, 
  it is advisable to retest yourself in this way to 
  ensure that your chosen medication still suits you. 

For more medical advice see
http://www.uksdmc.co.uk/main/Diver%20information.htm
__________________________________________________________

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

DIVE SHOP SUED FOR TRYING TO PROTECT SHARKS
  A dive shop is being sued over a pamphlet claiming a 
  fishing charter is guilty of the needless killing of 
  Zambezi sharks and that the fishing has significantly 
  reduced the shark population in the area.
  http://www.themercury.co.za/

LACK OF SHARKS WORRIES BRITISH TEAM
  An expedition to find a great white shark in British 
  waters has ended without success.  More worrying was 
  the lack of native species.  "I would liken our trip 
  to going to a game park and discovering that someone 
  had killed all the mammals." 
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/

DIVER FINDS GUNS UNDERWATER
  A diver found 3 guns and an empty bank bag whilst 
  diving in Lake Quinsigamond, Connecticut.
  http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/

COMMENTS WANTED ON SEAHORSE PROTECTION
  The New South Wales Government (Australia) is inviting 
  comments on proposed protection measures for a unique 
  family of fish that includes seahorses, pipefish, 
  pipehorses and sea dragons. The closing date for 
  submissions is 26 September 2003.
  http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/gen/news/

REEF DECLINE NOT NECESSARILY NEW
  Global warming and pollution are among today's threats 
  to coral reefs, but new research shows the problem began 
  started when people first began killing off top predators 
  and large herbivores - a process that started thousands 
  of years ago in some places and just a century or so ago 
  in others. The Great Barrier Reef sometimes is said to 
  be largely pristine, but it's actually as much as a 
  third of the way toward ecological extinction!  The 
  research gives custodians of the world's coral reefs 
  a yardstick they can use to determine how far their 
  particular reef system has progressed along the 
  ecological "extinction continuum." 
  http://www.napa.ufl.edu/digest/stories/

: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:

PLANE WRECK DISCOVERED OFF TAIWAN
  Divers have discovered the remains of a WWII plane 
  off the west coast of the Pescadores.  This is the first 
  military plane discovered on Taiwan's sea floor.
  http://www.divenews.com/

IMPORTANT PIECE OF MARY ROSE WRECK DISCOVERED
  Marine archaeologists believe they have discovered 
  the front section of the Tudor warship Mary Rose.  If 
  the find is confirmed it would be "the most important 
  maritime archaeology find in England in the last 20 years". 
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/

DRAW FOR FREE CALIFORNIA DIVE
  The Sea Sabres SCUBA club, in Farnsworth California, is 
  offering a free dive to the winner of its prize draw.  
  Farnsworth is home to the rare Allopora californica or 
  Purple Hydrocoral. To enter the draw e-mail:
  freedive@seasabres.com.
__________________________________________________________

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SCUBA News
The Cliff
Upper Mayfield
DE6 2HR
UK

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