SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011): Issue 61

SCUBA News 61

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 61 - May 2005 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to SCUBA News. This month, in addition to our regular features, we've a guest article by Jim Reilly on diving in St Lucia. We hope you enjoy this issue, but should you wish to cancel your subscription you can do so at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html If you would like to reprint any of this newsletter you may do so, see the conditions at the end. Contents: - What's new at SCUBA Travel? - Your Letters - First Dive - Diving the Carribean Island of St Lucia - Creature of the Month: Seal - Diving News from Around the World __________________________________________________________ What's New at SCUBA Travel? ============================ Diving in Sardinia The Sardinia section of the SCUBA Travel site now has more five-star dives, recommended dive operators and accomodation options. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/ Wreck Diving in the Red Sea Want to know about the wrecks of the Northern Red Sea? Newly updated page with brief histories and descriptions. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/wreckdive.html ADVERT:__________________________________________________ POSTERS AND PRINTS: Save money on a vast selection of posters and prints - Doubilet's Red Sea, sharks, Great Barrier Reef, whales...browse the offers at http://www.allposters.com/ __________________________________________________:ADVERT New Rosalie Moeller Wreck Photos The Rosalie Moeller was sank in the Egyptian Red Sea in 1941. Her cargo was coal and she sits in around 45 m of water. The wreck is totally intact and very scenic. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photorosalie.html Recommnendations for Diving Operators You've been recommending more diving diving operators in Baja California. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/baja/bajaop.html __________________________________________________________ Your Letters and the Diving Board ========================================================== To All Friends We are slightly affected by Tsunami. Thanks for all the calls and e-mails. Our staff are okay and the boat too. We will be back on business for the next season in October 2005. Thank you. Hope to see you again. With all our love to everyone who has lost their beloved. Niti Viking Scuba Ton Sai Beach Railey Bay Thailand -- From the Diving Board... I have visited the Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba on many occassions in the past, firstly about 20 years ago when I backpacked that part of the world and now make regular trips to the area. I have always only ever snorkelled and have always meant to dive with certification. However, last time we went I did have an introductory dive down to 5 metres or so, which, once I got used to the buoyancy issue Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy was fantastic. So this time I intend to be returning with PADI Open Water certification. There are options of course as to whether I get my referral in the UK prior to going. Recently though I've seen that PADI have introduced a course taking just 2 days. Surely isn't this a short cut and a danger to health? Anyway, any thoughts on that would be appreciated. Also, concerning certification abroad compared to referral here has anyone any thoughts on this too, for example, time, standard, cost, likelihood of failing. Matt To reply to Matt visit http://scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=103 -- We had a very good response to the information requests from last weeks letter writers - thank you very much to everyone who responded with information and action. __________________________________________________________ First Dive (After Car Accident) =============================== Recently, for the first time after my car accident, I went diving in Walt Disney's EPCOT tank. They have a huge saltwater sea aquarium that's got 3 megafilters connected to it to get out any undesirables. In fact, I had to wear ALL of THEIR things and the only thing I was allowed to bring into the tank was a prescription mask (if I have one). The dive was a lot of fun. You wouldn't know it was a tank. It really felt like I was diving in the ocean. The tank had 6 clear plexiglass partitions where people could see you (the divers) with the sealife. The divers actually become part of the show. One guy (at the bar) actually took my picture! At that moment I felt great because I used a walker (due to a major car accident I had) to get TO the water and the guy at the bar had no idea -- I felt like my old self again. Also on the dive they have what they call an igloo. It's an area that you can safely take off your mask & take out your regulator and actually have a conversation with another diver...all due to air being constantly blown in. This dive was also DVDed. I'm glad that my first dive (since the car accident) was now on DVD. Jodi McMasters Florida -- Did you have a memorable first dive? Tell us about it - e-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk _________________________________________________________ Diving the Caribbean Island of St Lucia ======================================= by Jim Reilly (Note: this is a condensed version of the article, for the full thing with pictures see http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/americas/stlucia.html) Our Us Airways flight touched down on time and clearing the airport was quick and easy. Outside we saw a driver holding the Ti Kaye sign and were quickly on our way. And on our way, and on our way, and on our way...St Lucia is a country of steep, high volcanic mountains and narrow valleys. It took almost 2 hours to travel (non-stop) what appeared to be an as-the-bird-flies distance of about 10 miles. During the drive, for the first hour, we marveled at the wondrous scenery. But the swaying of the van side to side as we navigated the roadway began to wear us down. During the last hour the trip began to feel as if it were a mild punishment. We arrived at the resort worn out and wondering if we could even walk in a straight line. In the resort we stared at a breathtaking view of the ocean bordered by the flowering plants edging the resort. Slowly we regained our stability and our strength. Ti Kaye has 33 wooden cabins notched into the rain forested and landscaped hillside. The cabin was beautiful. Breakfasts and dinners are served in the very graceful open sided dining/bar facility. Gentlemen were asked to wear pants to dinner (so as to not offend the English guests, I was told by management) and we were asked to make dinner reservations each morning. Evenings we preferred to dine outside on the patio and enjoy the stars. Prior to our trip, I emailed the resort�s dive shop and learned that dive reservations were required 24 hours in advance. So Saturday, after unpacking, we raced down to the dive shop, signed the release forms and asked for reservations for a Sunday dive. We were told the boat �had problems�. So, I asked for a shore dive. This was confirmed. But Sunday, when our gear was brought down to the shop, I was told there were no dive masters available. I was not happy and eventually a phone call was made and we were told to be ready for an 11:30 AM shore dive. And so, at the appointed hour, we met Terri (not his real name), the manager of the dive shop. Terri told us he was not happy. He had set the day aside to play with his son. But he would take us on a 45 minute shore dive, because business was business. We suited up, entered the water and began a shallow dive following the reef along the cliff. Initially, we saw mostly tired coral and sand. Then the creatures started to appear, many unusual or new to us: burr worms, several types of eel swimming free in the daylight, more urchins than I�ve ever seen in my life, a cloud of small fish which enveloped up for minutes. On and on we swam following Terri who appeared to be engrossed in his own dive as he enjoying the sightseeing and took lots of photos - 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 50 minutes; finally Terri turned the dive. On the way back more good things to see, including our first frog fish. Surfacing in chest high water near the dive shop, Terri proclaimed �What a great dive�, and it was. All 72 minutes of it and we all had plenty of air in reserve since the dive was shallow, 40 feet a the deepest and mostly in the 30 foot range. We looked forward to more diving Monday. Monday's dive was off shore at the base of the Pitons. Magnificent site. Back roll and under. We swam a reef with few fish and not very interesting coral. We saw a lobster, a small one. Not very exciting. Not at all like our wonderful shore dive yesterday. To get back into the boat we had to swim into a group, the boat approached with a rickety ladder hooked over the side. No rails extended over the gunwale, so when you climbed the ladder there was nothing to use to pull yourself up so you could conveniently step into the boat. Again, you had to flop into the boat. This boarding method resulted in a certain slowness in boarding, meanwhile since the Captain was also the boat crew, the boat d rifted closer and closer to the rock lined shore. Over and over, the obat had to be repositioned closer to the divers and away from the rocks. Eventually we decided that St Lucian diving was an adventure. Sometimes a bit too much of an adventure. By law, we were told, all non-residents must be escorted by a licensed dive master. The next day we learned why. We dove another site with OK coral and a few fish. For thirty minutes we cruised following the dive master. Then, all of a sudden, we were swept to sea by a stiff current. Calmly, Scuba Steve motioned for us to gather together. He pointed into the blue and we saw a thin rope. He signaled us to grab it, which we did - we were all experienced divers. Whipping like clothes in a storm, we endured our safety stop. Then he motioned for us to grasp the hand of the person next to us while maintaining gripe on rope. Finally, at his command, we released and rose to the surface together. On the way back to the resort, I asked Steve what he would have done if one of the divers had missed the rope. Would he have abandoned the group to recover the diver? Would he have abandoned the unfortunate diver? Scuba Steve wisely chose not to answer. That afternoon the divers staged a revolt. We insisted on a shore dive form the resort�s beach. Reluctantly, the dive shop agreed and everyone had a wonderful dive. Eels everywhere, lobsters, good sponges and coral, lots of smaller fish. Easy, relaxing diving. As we walked the beach on our way back to the shop, we asked why we could not do shore dives like that - even the same dive - every day. After all, the critters one sees changes so why not dive the same location? Scuba Steve, who did not run the dive shop, acted mute. After a day off and a wonderful personalized tour of Soufriere, the National Botanical Garden (world class as was our all-personality, but very informative guide, Alexander the Great), a volcano and finally to a relaxing soak in a hot spring - all arranged by Ti Kaye, we resumed diving. We took a short boat ride and enjoyed a dive near the Pitons, although recovery after the dive was made interesting as we repeatedly had to swim away from a shallow reef, which the current was determined to ground us into. Then, a fun shore dive along the same course we dove two day ago. Again, lots of things to see and gentle waters to dive in. We had two decent dives and our sales resistance was down. When asked, we all signed up for the night dive, after all, Scuba Steve was gaining our respect. We assembled at the shop at 7. Four experienced divers and three newer ones, we�d never dove with before. To my surprise the dive was to be lead by Terri, who we had not seen since Sunday. After everyone geared up, Terri told us the �Plan�. After donning fins and mask in the surf, we were to swim to deeper water and assembled into a group. Once everyone was assembled, together we will all descent to the sand. After everyone checked their pressure and gear and signaled OK, we will go 20 minutes, then the dive will be turned. If anyone has a problem, there will be a sea kayak on the surface to assist. Just ascent and the rest of us will continue with the dive. Everyone will be at dinner by 8:30, no problem. The dive was a cluster from the gitgo, to use American slang. Once everyone was in, Teri descended without warning or announcement. Folks followed once the noticed he was gone and others were descending. The same leaderless situation existed underwater. As I descended I saw part of the group following the dive master on the tour, while other checked their gear and read pressure gages. Eventually a gaggle was formed and we settled in to enjoy the dive. We saw large crabs we�d never seen in daylight and squid florescent and not scared of us. I actually got within a few feet of one and it finally swam away slowly. Eels, lobsters, a large spotted fish - interesting stuff. Further and further from the beach we moved, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes. Terri was having fun taking photos and sightseeing. We learned later that at 48 minutes into the dive one of the newer divers simply ran out of air, scampered to the dive master and together they ascended. Terri as he rose signaled everyone to ascend. Mystified, we got to the surface to discover no sea kayak, a current running against our return to the shore and very little semblance of a group. The new divers simply went to the surface, while the older, more experienced divers, did decompression stops. By the time we older divers got to the surface the younger, stronger divers were on their way swimming back to the beach. All of the older divers had plenty of air, so we asked to descend and swim underwater (where there was no current) back towards the beach. Terri denied our request. We asked to swim face down, breathing our air so we could out-swim the current. Permission denied. We were instructed to swim on our backs. After 15 minutes one of the older divers was pooped. Terri yelled and signaled and eventually a sea kayak came out from the beach to tow the diver ashore. We learned later it was a hard go, the boat was never designed to tow a diver. That left two of us swimming to shore and Terri ahead of us, were we could not see him. After another 15 minutes my dive partner was tired. Terri shouted encouragement, phrases like �Well, Madam, if you had worn a snorkel, I would have had a Kayak tow you ashore.� And other comments suggesting it was our fault that we were so far from shore. Eventually, he grabbed her tank stem and began to tow - but we learned the next day (from him) that he had injured his leg ligaments and did not have enough swimming power to overcome the current by more than a little. We could see the lights of the resort. We could also see that we were not making headway. I began to think of the movie �Open Water� although I was sure the good St Lucian fishermen had eaten all the sharks. Eventually the Kayak returned. I gave them our camera with its bulky strobe. I decided to rely on my rescue training so I turned over, reg in mouth, and added my strength to my partner�s tow. I also used my light to see the bottom, steering us from reefs and obstacles. We made it to shore. We were the last ashore. No one said anything. My partner and I stripped off our gear and stowed it in our lockers. Driven by anger about the dive we flew up the 164 steps, showered and changed and went to dinner. It was 10:30. Our swim back to the beach must have taken well over an hour. I told everyone that tomorrow, before we leave the shore, Terri would call us over, tell us what a bad dive it was, how we could all learn from it, and then blame it on us. We laughed, but my guess was correct. Our summary feelings about St Lucia are mixed. It is certainly a beautiful place, populated by a friendly folks. The resort was very comfortable, very relaxing. The tours arranged by the hotel were very special, world class, magical. The diving was fine, but there was a mysterious insistence to dive remote sites which were less interesting than sites very close to the resort itself. This was not only our opinion, the dive boats from other resorts daily dove our resort�s cove and nearby dive sites. Clearly Terri needs a refresher course on diving leadership and courtesy, but Scuba Steve and the rest of the dive shop staff were professional. But as wonderful as the St Lucia experience was, it was also hard. Driving place to place was a chore. Going from the resort to the beach was a chore. Diving in that boat and with the unpredictable currents was a chore. But at the same time, St Lucia was an adventure. Perhaps, in balance, St Lucia is more suited to younger travelers than young-at-heart tourists. ADVERT:__________________________________________________ LOW COST TRAVEL INSURANCE: World Nomads offers divers low-cost travel insurance which doesn't limit the depth to which you can dive. For more details visit http://www.worldnomads.com.au/ __________________________________________________:ADVERT _________________________________________________________ Creature of the Month: Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus ==================================================== For a photograph of a grey seal, see http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/seal.html Grey seals live in the North Atlantic Ocean. Half of the world's population are found on and around British coasts, and numbers here have doubled since 1960. The northeast Atlantic population (from Portugal to Norway and Iceland) is considered to be Endangered by the 2000 IUCN Red List. In many countries the seals can legally be killed for damaging fishing nets. Grey seals come ashore to breed on exposed rocky shores. The females arrive at the breeding sites first, to give birth. When the males come ashore they compete for space nearest to the females. The oldest males get the best positions, but there is little fighting. They feed mainly feed on fish, but will also sometimes take squid, octopus and crustaceans There are frequent calls for culls of grey seals - particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland - by fishing interests who claim that seal predation is the reason behind reduced fish stocks and that a reduction in the number of grey seals would result in an increase in the amount of commercially landed fish. There is however no scientific evidence to support this argument. There is a great variety in grey seal coat coloration and shading. Adult males, and some older adult females to a lesser extent, have a recognisable long "Roman" nose with wide nostrils, giving the species its name "horsehead" in Canada and its Latin name that translates as "hooked-nose pig of the sea". Their lifespan generally ranges from fifteen to twenty-five years, but the oldest recorded living grey seal is 46 years old. Further Reading: ---------------- Seal Conservation Society http://www.pinnipeds.org/species/grey.htm Grey Seal Conservation Society http://www.greyseal.net/ University of Michigan Museum of Zoology http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ __________________________________________________________ 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 automatically updates you with the latest SCUBA news via your web site, e-mail or any news feed reader. Professional Divers Risk Hearing Defects New reseach suggests that a mild hearing impairment can occur in young professional divers due to occupational and other noise exposure. Diving is associated with pressure effects and noise exposure that can impair hearing. http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;15828636 Cardiac Output and Gas Exchange Impairment in Divers New research shows that dives are associated with moderate impairments in cardiac output and gas exchange. Some of these impairments appear to depend on the posture of the diver after the dive. http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/ Problems with Octopus Systems: New Report The British Health and Safety Executive have published a new report highlighting safety concerns with octopus systems. It was shown that SCUBA single demand valve systems cannot be relied upon to meet breathing requirements when used as part of an Octopus system, even though they work correctly when part of a single reg. http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr341.htm World's largest fish is shrinking The world's largest fish, the solitary whale shark, is getting smaller. This has led to concerns that the future of this highly migratory fish may be threatened. Researchers don't know exactly why the fish is shrinking. But they speculate that over-fishing in unprotected international waters, injuries caused by collisions with sea vessels and a drop in the average age of the fish could be reasons. http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/ Oil tanker sinks off Southern Thailand The marine ecosystem in Thailand's upper southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan has been put jeopardy by an oil tanker which capsized just four kilometres from the coastline of a national park. http://www.mcot.org/query.php?nid=38574 Oceans Absorb More Heat than Earth Gives Off Climate scientists armed with new data from deep in the ocean and far into space have found that Earth is absorbing much more heat than it is giving off, a conclusion they say validates projections of global warming. Lead scientist James Hansen described the findings on the planet's out-of-balance energy exchange as a "smoking gun" that should dispel doubts about forecasts of climate change. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7640 New Australian reefs discovered Australian scientists have reported the discovery of coral reefs stretching 100km (62.5 miles) in the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the north coast. Sonar mapping equipment has produced an accurate picture of what was previously hidden from the gaze of satellites. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4472161.stm ADVERT:__________________________________________________ LOW COST SEAFLOOR MAPPING: Log data from GPS, sonar and other instruments to your database or mapping program with the free Windmill software. For diving, salvage, coral reef monitoring, etc. Download your free copy at http://www.windmill.co.uk/gps.html __________________________________________________:ADVERT Irish Sea dolphins have five times EU toxin levels DOLPHINS and porpoises stranded on Irish beaches have been found to contain high levels of a chemical used in the manufacture of polystyrene, according to a new study of Europe�s coasts. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-1612822,00.html Increase in dead zones starving the world's seas Dead zones, where pollution has starved the sea of life-giving oxygen, are increasing at a devastating rate. The annual "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico - starved of oxygen, and thus killing fish and underwater vegetation - has appeared earlier than usual this year. This is just one sign of a rapidly growing crisis. The number of similar dead zones in the world's seas has doubled every decade since 1960, as a result of increasing pollution. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/ Whales led astray by magnetism Increased solar activity causing disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field may cause whales to run aground in the North Sea, say researchers. Analysis of whales stranded between 1712 and 2003 shows that more are stranded when solar activity is high. They argue that whales may be like pigeons and dolphins in having a magnetic sense. Pigeon enthusiasts are well aware that the birds can go astray during times of high solar activity, when disturbances in the magnetic field confuse them. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4538959.stm Longline Fishing Pillaging the Pacific A rash of recent scientific reports have documented not only the decline of large predatory fish such as tuna, shark and billfish by as much as 87% since the 1950s but also warn of the extinction of the leatherback sea turtle in the next 5-30 years. Longlining is considered by scientists one of the biggest threats to these species. http://www.enn.com/aff.html?id=610 Western bluefin tuna nearly extinct Marine scientists are calling for commercial fishing limits to protect western Atlantic bluefin tuna, whose numbers have fallen 80 percent since the 1970s. http://www.sciencedaily.com/ Tsunami damage helps UN to price the unseen value of Coral Reefs The Indian Ocean tsunami disaster has helped the United Nations to begin putting a price on the world's plant and animal species, which are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate. Pricing such "environmental goods" is expected to encourage economists and governments to factor them into calculations about economic wellbeing. http://news.ft.com/cms/s/ Maritime Archaeological project ADMAT, the Anglo-Danish Maritime Archaeological Team, and ADMAT USA will be running a Maritime Archaeological project on a 1760's shipwreck in the Florida Keys this summer which is open for divers. http://www.admat.org.uk/ Reef Rescue Campaign Launched Reef Rescue of Palm Beach County, Florida announced a letter writing and petition signing campaign to stop the uncontrolled release of nutrients from the Delray Beach sewage outfall. The outfall pipe discharges onto a coral reef tract. The current NPDES permit allows the release of up to one million gallons per hour (24 mgd) with no control on the concentration of nutrients discharged. The permit expires December 2005. To sign the petition visit http://www.petitiononline.com/lyngbya Underwater Photography Exhibition A collection of images by award-winning underwater photographer Robyn Churchill is being featured in an exhibit entitled 'Wonders of the Aquatic World' which is currently on display at the IGFA museum in Dania Beach, Florida. The exhibit will also open at the Elliott Museum in Stuart, Florida on May 28th. __________________________________________________________ * 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 web site, providing the above copyright notice is included and a link back to our web site 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

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