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SCUBA News 55~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 55 - November 2004 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to November's SCUBA News. We hope you enjoy it, 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? - Your Letters and the Diving Board - Bookshelf - Go SCUBA Diving for Free - Creature of the Month: Featherstar - Diving News from Around the World __________________________________________________________ What's New at SCUBA Travel? =========================== Recommended Diving Operators Our readers have recommended more diving operators this month in Baja California (Mexico), Thailand, Bali (Indonesia) and the Sinai (Red Sea). http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/baja/bajaop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/dahabop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/indonesia/baliop.html ADVERT:__________________________________________________ Escape to a private island! 50 km off mainland Belize, Turneffe Island Lodge is paradise for divers! Only 5 minutes from Belize’s best dive sites, we offer 3 dives a day, accommodation on a white sand beach, exclusivity and privacy! http://www.turneffelodge.com/ __________________________________________________:ADVERT Underwater Photo Gallery More photos are now in our gallery: turtles, anemones and feather stars taken in the Red Sea. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photo2.html Money Off Underwater Posters $5 off posters and prints: Doubilet's Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef, sharks, whales...go to http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/posters.html __________________________________________________________ Your Letters and The Diving Board ================================= Last month we launched the "Diving Board" - a place for discussion of all aspects of SCUBA diving. Many thanks to everyone who has registered there at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/ Some questions posted there haven't yet been answered. For instance, Kate Barker is looking for recommendations for an IDC around Koh Phi Phi or Phuket. If you can help Kate, post a message on the Situations Wanted board at http://scubatravel.co.uk/forum/ or e-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk and we'll pass your recommendations on. ADVERT:__________________________________________________ NEW FOR DIVERS TO THAILAND..."Discover Scuba Diving Thailand" is a series of 4 programmes exploring the various dive regions of Thailand. It comes in DVD format, six languages and is accompanied by a Booklet suggesting dive sites, dive centres, accommodation and activities to do when you're not diving...go to http://www.diveclubthailand.com/ __________________________________________________:ADVERT Letters - We've had an e-mail from Thomas Duecke asking for information about where in India you can go diving. If you have experience of diving in India e-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk. __________________________________________________________ Bookshelf: How to go Scuba Diving Anywhere in the World for Free ===================================================== Robert K Leah How to go Scuba Diving Anywhere in the World for Free 2004, e-book in pdf format 53pp. $27 US As the title suggests, this book helps people go diving as cheaply as possible. Many of the suggestions involve serious committment from the diver and a willingness to start a career abroad. However, the first chapter provides much useful information to anyone interested in getting free trips by organising a group diving tour. As the book (or "course", as the author prefers to call it) says "The simplest and most direct way to travel to a location of your choice is to host your own diving or other group tour. It is also the easiest method of obtaining free travel." To facilitate hosting groupt tours, you are given tips on writing press releases, getting deposits, placing classified ads, distributing flyers and talking to potential customers. Other methods of reducing diving costs involve: working as a diving instructor, teaching English as a foreign language, house swapping and flying cheaply. Many suggestions are specific to the USA. The book is in pdf format. It is short on illustrations but this makes for a quick download. Is it worth buying the book? If you are dedicated to achieving maximum diving for minimum cost, and prepared to put some effort into doing so, then probably. "How to go Scuba Diving Anywhere in the World for Free" is available from http://www.scubadiving4free.com/ for $27. For this price the author throws in a couple of additional e-books and offers a 90-day money back guarantee if the "course" doesn't save you money. About the author Robert K Leah has been a scuba and adventure travel enthusiast for nearly twenty years. A musician and recording engineer, he lives in Orlando, Florida and travels (free) at every opportunity. His favourite diving location is Roatan, Honduras. ADVERT:__________________________________________________ LOW COST TRAVEL INSURANCE: World Nomads offers qualified divers insurance which doesn't limit the depth to which you can dive. __________________________________________________:ADVERT __________________________________________________________ Creature of the Month: Feather Star =================================== Photos at: http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/featherstar.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/featherstar1314.html Feather stars, or crinoids, are so called because their arms look just like feathers. By day they keep curled up but on night-dives you see these pretty animals in their warm colours, with their feathery arms extended. You find them almost everywhere: in tropical, temperate and polar seas. Relatives of starfish, there are many different species of feather star. Some species have 5 arms, some 200, and others some number in-between. Feather stars have a tenacious grip and anchor themselves to coral, seaweed, sponges, etc. They can swim by sweeping their arms up and down, or crawl slowly on the tips of the arms which are bent right over to hold the body away from the sea bed. They spend most of their time though simply anchored in their chosen location, suspension-feeding. Their feathery branches are equipped with numerous tiny tube feet that catch floating food and flick it into grooves which run down each arm. The food is then transported down to the mouth in the centre of the body. Unlike starfish, a feather star's mouth is on the top side of its body. When food is plentiful, with strong currents carrying large amounts of plankton, feather stars will form large groups. They appear to have no particular predators. Look closely and you will often see another animal - such as a shrimp, crab or fish - living with the feather star. Next time you are night-diving it's worthwhile spending some time examining these lovely creatures. Further Reading: ---------------- Great British Marine Animals by Paul Naylor __________________________________________________________ Diving News From Around the World ================================= 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/newsfeed.html It's free and updates you with the latest diving news via e-mail, your web site or any news feed reader. ADVERT:__________________________________________________ Best selling underwater DVD: The Blue Planet. With up to 40% off and free delivery. Buy from amazon.co.uk or from amazon.com __________________________________________________:ADVERT Diving Medical Self-Assessment Works In March 2000, the Scottish Sub-Aqua Club switched from a medical examination for all divers to self-assessment forms. Seeing a doctor was only necessary if the diver answered Yes to any question. Analysis of incidents during three years of follow up confirmed that no incident occurred because of an undetected pre-existing medical condition. Self-assessment has therefore been pronounced a success. http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/38/6/754?ct Diver makes 1.2m pound explosion claim A former oil industry diver is seeking 1.2 million pounds in damages amid claims he was traumatised by a fatal seabed accident. A three-strong group working at a depth of 120 metres on a wellhead was told to remove the pipe with burning gear. The £60000-a-year saturation diver said the response to the briefing was: You are joking! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3997517.stm Dolphins prevent shark attack A group of swimmers have been protected from a great white shark by a pod of dolphins. Lifeguards training at a beach in New Zealand were menaced by a 3-metre shark, before the dolphins raced in to help. The swimmers were surrounded by the dolphins for 40 minutes before they were able to make it safely back to the beach. Marine biologists say such altruistic behaviour is not uncommon in dolphins. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4034383.stm Frigate sold to Divers for one dollar The New Zealand Government has sold a navy frigate for 1 NZ dollar, complete with a free tow from Auckland to Wellington. The ship will be sunk and used as a dive attraction off the capital's south coast late next year. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3610727 Ocean census reveals hidden depths The first systematic attempt to map the Earth’s last uncharted biosphere - the oceans - has so far logged almost a quarter of a million species, researchers have reported. And there may be ten times more species yet to find. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996700 Rare - but how rare? The body of a whale resembling a giant dolphin that washed up on an eastern Australian beach has intrigued local scientists, who agreed that it is rare but are not sure just how rare. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=304 EU Calls for Ban on Dolphin-Unfriendly Sonar The European Parliament has called for a ban in European waters of military sonar equipment blamed for killing and injuring dolphins and whales. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28260991.htm Rare Complication of SCUBA Diving: Facial nerve palsy A facial nerve palsy, as a result of middle-ear high pressure, is a rare complication of SCUBA diving. It may occur as a result of an acute pressure change in the middle ear during ascent in divers who have experienced difficulty clearing their ears during the descent. http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;15509373 Ocean Management Systems Recall SCUBA Manifolds Undersized o-rings in some manifolds from Ocean Management Systems could cause a loss of air from the cylinder. Suspect manifolds have a rotating cross bar with 3 O Rings per side and will be replaced for free. http://www.omsdive.com/manifold-recall.html Why is the sea blue? Why is the sea blue? The traditional answer is that it reflects the sky. But that doesn't explain why water inside caves also appears blue. New Scientist magazine explains. http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw1135 More Than 60 Nations to Protect Sharks Over 60 countries have agreed to ban the killing of sharks for their fins in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that conservationists hope will increase protection of threatened species around the world. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=429 Divers find Prehistoric site - South Africa Divers have discovered several cave sites along the Cape Peninsula coast, South Africa, where ancient lost civilisations might have lived. http://www.news24.com/News24/ Breath-Hold Diving Accidents may be due to Misperception of Time A misperception of elapsed time may be a contributing factor in free diving accidents which involve inexperienced breath-hold divers. Both exercise and hypoxia affect human ability to estimate time, as shown in this recently published research. http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;15497368 Former Rodale's Scuba Diving editor claims age discrimination David Taylor, 54, former executive editor of Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine, has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Emmaus publisher Rodale and one of its senior vice presidents. http://www.mcall.com/business/local/ Divers about to Rewrite History Divers off the Pembrokeshire coast (UK) may be about to re-write history after discovering an unidentified shipwreck. Until now it was widely believed that no ships were lost when the French invaded in 1797 - the last foreign invasion of mainland Britain. But items found off Strumble Head appear to be from a large warship dating back to the Napoleonic era. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/ __________________________________________________________ * 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. CONTACTING THE EDITOR Please send your letters or press releases to: The Editor SCUBA News The Cliff Upper Mayfield DE6 2HR UK ADVERTISING Should you wish to advertise in SCUBA News, please fill in the form at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsad.html PUBLISHER SCUBA Travel, The Cliff, Upper Mayfield, DE6 2HR, UK Subscribe To SCUBA NewsOur newsletter, SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011), is absolutely free. It is a monthly publication, delivered by e-mail. To receive your copy fill in your details below. We will never pass your e-mail address to any third parties, or send you unsolicited e-mail. You will receive an e-mail confirming your subscription. If you don't receive this you have probably entered your e-mail address incorrectly - revisit this page and re-subscribe. Send us your Press Releases
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