SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011): Issue 62

SCUBA News 62

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 62 - June 2005 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to SCUBA News. 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, as long as you include this notice and a link to our web site. * Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/ * Reprinting permitted with this notice included. Contents: - What's new at SCUBA Travel? - Your Letters - Interview with Diving Author Tom Repko - First Dive - Diving St Lucia: Another View - Creature of the Month: Masked Butterfly Fish - Diving News from Around the World __________________________________________________________ What's New at SCUBA Travel? ============================ Underwater Photo Gallery of the Thistlegorm The wreck of the Thistlegorm is one of the best dives in the Red Sea. A British vessel, it was attacked from the air and sunk in 1941 whilst carrying a cargo of war supplies - motor bikes, train carriages, trucks. See our photos at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photothistlegorm.html Diving Forum Newsfeed Posts at our Diving Board are now available as an RSS newsfeed. Add http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/rss.php to your newsfeed reader. (To view the Diving Board go to http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/) New Entry Into Top Ten Dives of the World: Sha'ab Rumi South Sha'ab Rumi South, Sudan has made it into our list of the top ten dives of the world. A narrow plateau starting at 20 metres stretches out for 50-75 m then drops off at 40 m to 600 m on all sides. One of the best places for hammerheads in the Red Sea. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdives.html Diving the Andaman Islands after the Tsunami "Fabulous coral gardens, unrivalled diversity in hard coral, gin-clear water and great for snorkelling." One of the comments on diving South Button Island, Havelock Island and Minerva Ledge after the Tsunami. Find new dive operator ratings and dive descriptions. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific.html#Andaman Dive Shops in Thailand Find more recommendations for diving centres in Thailand at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html __________________________________________________________ Your Letters ========================================================== Hi I need information about a short diving course in Al-khobar Or dammam Thanks and Regards Hussein - Do you know of any diving centres in Al-khobar Or Dammam? If so e-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk - From the Diving Board... Dive Centre on idyllic island offshore Malaysia requires Dive Master for day-to-day operation of dive activities http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116 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 __________________________________________________________ Interview with Diving Author Tom Rapko ================================================== Tom Rapko is the author of Diving the Seamount (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595320856/1286). In this his first novel he conveys his enthusiasm for the Baja lifestyle and for SCUBA diving. We asked Tom about his book, his writing influences and his diving. "Diving the Seamount is the product of my love for scuba diving coupled with arguably the finest diving destination in the world--although I haven't been to the Red Sea or Southeast Asia yet! I wanted to capture and share the experiences I enjoyed on the seamount with other scuba divers. Underlying all of this was a desire to illustrate the viability of the Baja Mexican lifestyle I found so appealing. In a world seemingly consumed with materialism Baja offers simplicity, truth, and freedom. Without a doubt the greatest influence on my writing would be John Steinbeck--his ability to capture subtle nuances in prose and wit have always inspired me. Additionally, I really enjoy Tolstoy and the use of his plot structure that follows a character's development and ultimate purpose through the course of a novel. When the conditions are right my favorite dive is on the seamount due to the enormous diversity of life, the challenge of blue water diving, and the opportunity to dive on what used to be a volcano. My second favorite is off the coast of Zanzibar, third would be Cano Island in Costa Rica. My worst diving experience was in the Marshall Islands. The boat captain decided to join the us on the dive. When we surfaced the boat was almost fully submerged. Fear is a good motivator, so we were able to eventually re-float the boat and use a back-up engine to get to shore. I have a rough concept for another book that needs to be ironed out and written. This book will be set in Costa Rica. Oddly enough it deals with bananas, genetic engineering, and jungle scuba diving. Costa Rica is indeed a "lost" paradise where everything seems so primordial in the remote regions--it provides a perfect backdrop for a story with elements of beauty and something sinister too." About the Author ================ Tom Rapko is an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer who received his initial Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Open Water certification at the age of 16 in the brisk, murky waters off Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA. For the next two years he dove the surrounding New England waters exclusively. Following graduation and relocation, Tom settled reluctantly in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In spite of the desert environment, a combination of profitable economic conditions and fortuitous career opportunities provided Tom with frequent world travel. In 2000 Tom completed his PADI Divemaster certification, and by the time of his relocation back to the Boston area in 2004 had amassed over a thousand career dives in such locations as Australia, Baja California, Belize, Costa Rica, Crete, Florida, French Polynesia, Galapagos, Kwajalein Atoll, Maui, New Zealand, South Africa and Zanzibar. In the Spring of 2004 Tom published his first book "Diving the Seamount", based on his experiences over the course of three years and ten trips to a Baja, California to which he developed a strong and lasting affinity. - Diving the Seamount is available from Amazon.co.uk at http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595320856/1286 and from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/ __________________________________________________________ First Dive ========== This is an account of the first open water dive of Isabelle, my girlfriend. At that time, I was certified with a first level CMAS and had about 10 dives. It happenned in Ko Chang, a Thai island at the boundary with Cambodia. We spent our third day in Ko Chang, on a dive boat whose crew was fully German. The leader was the real incarnation of M. Clean, with a "chtrong sherrman aKsent". Isabelle went snorkelling and I for a 2 tanks scuba diving. The first tank was of no interest : low visibility (about 5 meters), loss of a diver after 15 minutes, and end of the dive after the missing diver has been found : the worst dive I had ever made... at that time... During the lunch, M. Clean inquired why I was diving while isabelle was not. We explained we had a test once in a swimming pool and that Isabelle did not feel confident yet and was waiting for the proper time to go further. So Mr Clean was sure that HE was the guy to make it happen. He had another guy ready to have hist first open water dive and Isabelle could be the second one... free and satisfaction guaranteed... This experience would definetely help her to get rid of her fear of scuba-diving. M. Clean was quite an easy-going fellow that inspired confidence : Isabelle agreed. Isabelle was quickly equipped. Perhaps too quickly because, once she had jumped into the water, it appeared that her BCD, prepared by Mr Clean, was not tightened properly. Nevertheless, a few minutes later, Mr Clean had fixed the problem and Isabelle seemed to be pretty OK. Then, they swam away from the boat... about 50 yards away... I decided it could be good for Isabelle to be near me, so I put a mask and fins and swam to them. When I arrived, it was pretty clear that M. Clean was not exactly a delicate instructor : after some technical advice, he was trying to take Isabelle under water by pulling her arms, next by the legs... Meanwhile, Isabelle was asking for a bit more time to adapt and, when pushd, was expressing it by kicking M. Clean. After a few more minutes of "patient" attempts, M. Clean decided to take care of the second beginner - who has paid for his dive - and left us alone... 300 yards from him and 300 yards from the boat... This is far from the rules of scuba-diving to leave in the middle of nowhere one first degree CMAS diver with a non-certified beginner... B ut that is the way it is with M. Clean! ShatisfaKtion Karantee! All finally went well once Isabelle had adapted to the equipment. While we were returning to the boat, Isabelle even went about 3 metres deep to look at some fishes face-to-face. But of course, after such an experience, she remained reluctant to experience her next dive for long time. A very subtle woman instructor in French Polynesia succeeded in taking her for a third and first good experience. Isabelle will surely go for certification one day. Gerald, France -- Did you have a memorable first dive? Tell us about it... _________________________________________________________ Diving St Lucia: Another View ============================= Last month we published an article by Jim Reilly about St Lucia (http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews61.html). This prompted the following letter about a more positive Caribbean diving experience. - Dear Scuba News I am surprised by Jim Riley's review of St. Lucian diving. I guess it goes to show that, in the Caribbean, not all dive shops are created equal. My husband and I stayed at Anse Chastanet resort that is also on the west coast of St Lucia and just a few kilometres south of Ti Kaye (Anse Cochon). Our experience was very different than Mr. Riley's. We dove with Scuba St. Lucia. It is a dive operation right on the beach of Anse Chastanet. We had come to Anse Chastanet to do our Open Diver Certification and they made the experience wonderful. Our dive instructor was the fabulous Mr. Victor Antoine, a man who has completed a world record of 20,000 plus dives in his life time. He was patient and very safety conscious. Once we were officially certified, we signed up for 8 dives. We dove the following sites: Coral Gardens, Jalousie, Trou Diable, Grand Caille, Fairyland, Anse Chastanet Reef, Turtle Reef and the Lesleen "M". Scuba St. Lucia had proper dive boats (unlike the "water taxi" apparent in Mr. Riley's photographs) with railings and ladders, a boat crew and very safety conscious dive leaders. We received briefings before going in the water about the maximum depth (60 feet) and length of the dive as well as instruction on how to communicate when running low on air and safety stops. Once in the water, the dive leader waited for all to enter, and we descended together as a group. I agree with Mr. Riley that the underwater sights were truly spectacular. He should know that sharks have not been fished out by the St. Lucian fisherman but rather that they do not inhabit St. Lucian waters. Once we signalled that we were low on air, the dive leader signalled that our dive was over and that we needed to complete a safety stop. When we finally surfaced, there was a boat waiting for us and the crew assisted us by taking our fins and helping us onto the boat. There were dives with strong currents including Fairyland and the Lesleen M wreck sights. However, our dive leaders ensured that we always stayed together and were safe. I would recommend Scuba St. Lucia. They were excellent to dive with and their years of experience showed. Looking at the pictures included with Mr. Riley's review article, the first red flag for me as a diver is the "water taxi" dive boat. Although the west coast of St Lucia has generally calm, gentle waters, it is still an ocean where currents can change without notice and can place divers in danger. In addition, the Anse Chastanet resort was small and quiet with friendly staff and great Caribbean food. As it is located in a small quiet bay with calm waters, it was easy to just swim and relax in the water for hours. We can't wait to go back and do some more diving and drink a little more Camilla's Voodoo. Sincerely, G&J Grueber - Have you dived St Lucia? If so, let us know what you thought. 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 www.worldnomads.com.au/ __________________________________________________:ADVERT _________________________________________________________ Creature of the Month: Masked Butterfly Fish, Chaetodon semilarvatus ============================================= For photos see http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/maskedbfly.html The Masked or Golden Butterfly fish is very common throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Around 23 cm long, it is large for its family. You generally see them in pairs or large groups around coral, at depths of 3 to 20 m. Once mated they become territorial and patrol their space aggressively. They are easy for divers to approach and photograph. Butterfly fish or Chaetodontidae are small, colourful fishes with a continuous dorsal (back) fin. Chaetodontidae means bristle teeth and indeed they do have small, brush-like teeth. Most species are active during the day, resting among corals or rocks at night. Further Reading: ---------------- Coral Reef Fishes, Indo-Pacific and Caribbean http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/fishbook.html __________________________________________________________ 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. BSAC To Reduce Minimum Age for Learning to Dive BSAC (British Sub-Aqua Club) are to reduce the minimum age for Junior Diving Members to 12 years old from the current 14 years old. http://www.bsac.org/etalk/etalk0605a.html Researchers Document Tool-Use by Dolphins A group of dolphins living off the coast of Australia apparently teach their offspring to protect their snouts with sponges while foraging for food in the sea floor. Researchers say it appears to be a cultural behavior passed on from mother to daughter, a first for animals of this type. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7892 Samui gears up to treat divers' health problems A private hospital on Thailand's southern tourist resort of Koh Samui is gearing up to treat the specialist medical problems experienced by a number of the 100000 divers who visit the island each year. http://www.mcot.org/query.php?nid=39007 WWF Says Japan Scientific Whaling a Sham Japan should stop harpooning whales for scientific research, the WWF environmental group said in a report denouncing the slaughter as a cover-up for commercial sales of the mammals' meat. Japan should instead collect whale skin samples for genetic analysis using non-lethal darts. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7944 Ocean Experts Call for International Action on Marine Protected Areas Thirty-eight of the world's foremost ocean experts have issued a joint statement urging the nations of the world to fulfill their commitment to the future of the oceans through active support of Marine Protected Areas. http://www.enn.com/aff.html?id=677 Ecuador Lifts Galapagos Sea Cucumber Fishing Ban Ecuador has lifted a ban on the fishing of lucrative sea cucumbers from the Galapagos islands in a move that environmental groups have said could threaten conservation efforts. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7852 Dolphins Dive to Over 600 metres Scientists tracking 3 dolphins have been surprised by the depths they reach and the distance they travel. http://www.forbes.com/prnewswire/feeds/prnewswire/ Two Die at Stoney Cove An inquest into two deaths at a British quarry has been opened and adjourned. Leicestershire Police said the incident was not being treated as suspicious. There have been six deaths at the former quarry in the last five years. About 60000 divers each year use the diving centre, which has diving depths from 7m to 36m. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/ Study Says Raw Sewage Killing Coral Reefs Raw sewage discharged into the ocean kills coral reefs at an alarming rate, a new US Virgin Islands study says. Coral reefs are far more likely to develop disease and die when exposed to bacteria and nutrients in raw sewage than coral in unpolluted areas, according to a study published in the Caribbean Journal of Science. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7834 ADVERT:__________________________________________________ MAP SEWAGE DISPERSION WITH FREE SOFTWARE. For more information see... http://www.windmill.co.uk/fluorescence.html __________________________________________________:ADVERT Overfishing Threatens Vietnam's Marine Life Throughout Vietnam, unsustainable fishing techniques are overexploiting marine resources. Cyanide and dynamite are both used widely to catch fish. Cyanide has extremely detrimental effects on all living organisms in the surrounding environment and dynamite does irreparable damage to coral reef systems. http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=28743 Divers Recover Second Cannon from Blackbeard's Ship Researchers say they've pulled up artifacts ranging from a 25-hundred-pound cannon to a captain's toilet and wine glasses from the ship wreckage about two miles off Atlantic Beach. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/news/ Delayed treatment of bubble related illness in diving The basic treatment of diver with bubble related illness consists of recompression in medical hyperbaric facility. However transportation of injured diver to chamber can last for several hours. During that time the process induced by gas bubbles spread out and finally result in activation of many pathophysiological events. Currently approved standard of treatment before starting recompression consists of normobaric oxygenation, intravenous or oral fluids and general stabilization of the patient condition. http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;15881547 Hong Kong Disneyland Keeps Shark Fin Soup Customers who want shark fin soup at Hong Kong Disneyland will be told about the harm done by the industry that supplies the fins. Activists have however been urging Disneyland to take shark fin soup off its menus as millions of sharks are killed each year for the traditional delicacy. http://www.enn.com/biz.html?id=692 __________________________________________________________ * 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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