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SCUBA News 53~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 53 - September 2004 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to SCUBA News. First an apology for the problems with the web site at the start of the month. We changed Internet Service Providers and this went anything but smoothly. If you contacted us before the 3rd of September and haven't yet had a reply - please get back in touch. We hope you enjoy the newsletter, but should you wish to cancel your subscription you can do so at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html Contents: - What's new at SCUBA Travel? - Bookshelf: Dive - The Ultimate Guide to 60 of the World's Top Dive Locations - Diving for the Deaf (and Hearing) in Thailand - Creature of the Month: Coral Spawning - Diving News from Around the World __________________________________________________________ What's New at SCUBA Travel? =========================== Top 100 Dive Sites We've had a Top Ten dives list on the site for some time. Now, however, we've introduced the top 100 list. Is your favourite dive site there? http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveslong.html Most Popular Underwater Photos Page Updated The page showing the most popular photos on the SCUBA Travel site has been updated: turtles, emperor angelfish, octopus, stingrays and others make an appearance. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photo.html Philippines Dive Directory More diving centres are now listed in the Philippines Dive Directory. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/philippines/philop.html Diving in Argentina Thanks to everyone who sent in advice for where to dive in Argentina. We've printed your information at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html#Argentinia Netherlands Antilles Diving For more on the diving in Bonaire and Saba see. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html#Bonaire Notes on Diving the Andaman Islands, India New information on diving the Andaman Islands, and recommended dive operators is at... http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific.html#India __________________________________________________________ SCUBA News Bookshelf: Dive - The Ultimate Guide to 60 of the World's Top Dive Locations ================================== Monty Halls Dive - The Ultimate Guide to 60 of the World's Top Dive Locations Ultimate Sports Publications Ltd, September 2004 320pp. £20.00 0-9545199-1-4 Monty Halls' book describes 60 of the world's best diving areas, and highlights specific dives not to be missed whilst you are there. It also aims to provide independent travellers with the other information they will need, such as about water temperatures, visa requirements, the best time of year to go and addresses of dive centres and recompression chambers. In a large format, the book is generously illustrated with photos from many well-known photographers like Linda Pitkin. It describes 400 dives, grading them from beginner to expert and explaining exactly what you should expect from each. A map is shown for each area, with the dive sites marked. The key facts are distinct from the text so you can quickly find telephone numbers, "must sees", downsides, etc. Be careful trusting the wetsuit thickness recommended for various temperatures though. An ex-Royal Marine like Monty Halls might be happy diving in a 3 mm shorty wetsuit in 23 oC water, but for long dives I'd be much more comfortable in a full 7 mm wetsuit. Unusually, the book is part funded by adverts for a couple of resorts. One of these looked very similar to the layout of the main body of the book, but the word "advertisement" at the bottom of the page marks advert from text. Should you buy this book? If you enjoy visiting different diving destinations, and want to know more about the area and dives there than the diving operators get time to tell you, then this book is for you. It would also make a good Christmas present for diving friends, managing as it does to attractively combine maps, photographs and interesting background information with the dive descriptions. About the Author: Marine biologist Monty Halls has been leading diving expeditions for the past 10 years. A regular contributor to Diver Magazine, he has also presented a number of British television programs. You can buy "Dive" from the publisher (Ultimate Sports Publications Limited) for £20 + £4.95 Postage http://www.ultimate-sports.co.uk/books_sub.php?id=5 It is also available from Amazon.co.uk for £20 with free UK delivery http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0954519914/1286 The book is not released in America until 31 October, but you can order it now from Amazon.com for just $20.37 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1552979962/ __________________________________________________________ Diving for the Deaf (and Hearing) in Thailand ============================================= A deaf divemaster and a graduate of marine and freshwater biology, Naomi Hayim is helping teach deaf and hearing people on a sailing liveaboard in Thailand with the Worldwide Dive and Sail company. From personal experience, Naomi who has been a diver for 10 years has found herself in many frustrating situations whereby she was not able to understand everything that was being said in dive clubs. Unfortunately, this scenario was repeated around the world. In addition, when she first took up diving, she had to have one-to-one lessons as she found it too difficult to follow the classes and had to pay more money for this service. Deaf and HOH people need to be in an environment whereby they know they are guaranteed to understand what is going on around them. Together with Frank van der Linde (who owns Worldwide Dive and Sail), Naomi is determined to increase the level of access. The mix of experience and expertise between Frank and Naomi makes them well equipped to cater for the deaf and HOH market. What is even more unique is that this is a sailing boat, so you will be able to hoist the sails and sit at the helm of the yacht, apart from kayaking, swimming, fishing and snorkelling! And since this will be your home for a week, laptop computers, DVDs, digital cameras and stereos will make your stay even more comfortable. Dive courses, whether it is open water, advanced, or rescue will be taught in the clearest manner possible. Naomi and Frank will give you as much time to ensure you complete your courses successfully. Hopefully this will give everyone the initiative to take up this wonderful sport, and not let their hearing loss stop them. This is not only for deaf and HOH people, but for anyone who wishes to dive one of the best dive sites in the world - the Similan and Surin underwater world in Thailand. Its waters are frequented by manta rays, whale sharks and leopard sharks amongst the many. Naomi will attend the next one-week liveaboard trips this Christmas 2004 - 24th to 31st December and next Easter 2005 - 20th to 27th March and 29th March to 5th April. To take advantage of this service e-mail Naomi at naomi@worldwidediveandsail.com __________________________________________________________ Creature of the Month: Coral Spawning ===================================== In this issue, not so much a creature of the month as an event. In a few days time the corals in Curacao will spawn. Sometime between 9 pm and midnight, they will simultaneously release their eggs and sperm into the water. The types of corals that do this are called broadcast spawners. Individual coral species generally spawn on just one or two nights a year. In Curacao, the spawning takes place 2-4 days after the full moon in September and October. This year that means around the 2nd to the 8th of October. In other parts of the world, spawning takes place in different months. March in Western Australia, April in Singapore, July in Micronesia, August in Florida, November on the Great Barrier Reef, etc. (The Red Sea is the exception: none of the major coral species here reproduce at the same time.) The long-term control of spawning is thought to be the increasing water temperature - which speeds up the development of the eggs. When the water is warm enough, the state of the moon seems to play a part. Perhaps the corals wait until the tidal conditions are just right. By choosing a time of low tidal movement, they would increase the chance of eggs and sperm meeting. Another theory is that day length is important. The algae that exist within the coral may produce a chemical trigger when the length of the day or night is appropriate. Each coral species has its own spawning time slot - for example Acropora coral might spawn sometime between 9 and 10 pm. However, the spawning event itself takes only a few minutes. As well as being a fascinating spectacle in itself, the spawning means you see many other creatures rushing out to feed on this free lunch. Spawning is an indicator of the health of a coral reef. If corals are unhealthy or stressed, then they might not have the energy needed to produce gametes. The corals also have to be a certain age or size to be able to reproduce. Some Acropora species, for example, don't spawn until their branches are almost a foot long. Slow-growing species may not spawn every year. If you haven't witnessed coral spawning, it's well worth the effort to be in the right place at the right time to do so. Further Reading: ---------------- The Enchanted Braid, by Osha Gray Davidson John Wiley & Sons, 1998 Reviewed at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/enchanted.html The Blue Planet, by Alastair Fothergill, Martha Holmes, Sir David Attenborough, BBC Consumer Publishing, 2001, ISBN 056-33-8498-0 Available from Amazon Coral Reef Biology http://www.coris.noaa.gov/about/biology/biology.html For coral photographs see... http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photo5.html __________________________________________________________ Diving News From Around the World ================================= If you would like to read this news as it happens, without waiting for this newsletter, then grab the SCUBA News feed from http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsfeed.html It's free and updates you with the latest diving news via e-mail, your web site or any news feed reader. Israel Urged to Halt Fish Farming and Save Coral Reef A panel of experts from Israel and abroad have urged the Israeli government to immediately halt fish farming in Israel's Red Sea coastal waters, saying pollution from the fish cages is killing off a unique coral reef. http://www.enn.com/news/2004-09-15/s_27178.asp South African Divers Contest Permit Laws SCUBA divers are angry with new regulations that dictate they will soon have to buy permits if they want to dive in marine protected areas. From January next year, divers will have to apply for annual permits to dive at Aliwal Shoal and elsewhere. http://www.themercury.co.za/ Public Outcry Blocks Project Threatening Tioman Coral A public outcry has temporarily blocked a multimillion dollar marina project that environmentalists say threatens to destroy a delicate coral reef at one of Southeast Asia's favourite diving spots. http://www.zhb.gov.cn/english/news_detail.php3?id=9844 Hurricane Report Cayman Islands Report on damage to diving operations and resorts in the Cayman Islands. Most are expected to reopen in 4-6 weeks. http://www.sisterislands.com/ Phuket's reefs in danger (Thailand) Almost half of the 14.4 square kilometres of coral reef around Phuket has been destroyed and only 25 per cent remains relatively intact, said researchers at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Most of the damaged coral was located in popular diving sites for tourists, while the slightly more expensive island destinations of Koh Phi Phi, Koh Surin and Koh Similan displayed more moderate coral damage. Fishing is believed to be the major culprit of the ecological damage while a growing influx of tourists has also played a significant role. http://nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=3 Coroner advises divers to keep to the floor in Caves In his finding into the death of a scuba diver, Coroner Rod Chandler said Paul Anthony Saxby most probably was rendered unconscious after a wave surge threw him against the roof of the cave. http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/ Bone Necrosis Reported in Amateur SCUBA diver A case has been reported in the British Journal of Medicine of bone necrosis in an amateur sports diver. It highlights the need for an accurate diagnosis of diving related illness. http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;15388563 :ADV_____________________________________________________ Save money on a vast selection of posters and prints: coral reefs, sharks, dolphins, seascapes... Browse the offers at All Posters ______________________________________________________ADV: BCDs Recalled due to Slow Leaks Halcyon Manufacturing BCDs may have a slow leak and have been recalled. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/3702718/detail.html Pelagic Pressure Systems Recall BCDs Recently purchased Oceanic Reliant BCDs and AERIS AW3 BCDs have been recalled due to a faulty direct feed connection. http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/3324/ Seismic surveys may kill giant squid The mysterious denizens of the deep may, like whales, be damaged by humans surveying the sea bed, new research suggest. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996437 Octopus Choose Beer Bottle Homes Beer bottles are the preferred hideout for pregnant octopus, who squeeze themselves in to the neck of the bottle and lay their eggs on the safe glass walls inside. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/ Environmentalists sue over swordfish fishing National Marine Fisheries Service sued over decision to reopen commercial fishing for swordfish as it will harm albatross and endangered turtles. http://www.enn.com/news/2004-09-03/s_26870.asp Acid oceans spell doom for coral The increasing acidity of the world's oceans could banish all coral by 2065, a leading marine expert has warned. Professor Katherine Richardson said sea organisms that produced calcareous structures would struggle to function in the coming decades as pH levels fell. Human-produced carbon dioxide is radically changing the marine environment. CO2 levels are now said to be at their highest level for 55 million years. Most of it will eventually be absorbed by seawater, where it will react to form carbonic acid. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3605908.stm Curacao Coral Spawning 2-8 October Hilton Curacao Resort is offering a special week's package from £400 per person to see the coral spawning in Curacao. The package includes 7 nights accommodation, 12 boat dives including 4 spawning night dives and a day trip to Mushroom Forest, coral reproduction educational sessions with marine biologist Maureen Keunen and a farewell BBQ dinner. http://www.hilton.com/worldwideresorts.com __________________________________________________________ * Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/ * Reprinting welcomed with this footer included. We are happy for you to copy and distribute this newsletter, and even use parts of it on your own website, providing the above copyright notice is included, and a link back to our website is in place. Previous editions of SCUBA News are archived at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING Visit http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html and add or remove your e-mail address. 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