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SCUBA News 66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 66 - October 2005
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to issue 66 of SCUBA News. If you would like to
reprint any of this newsletter please do so, but please
also include the following notice and a link to our web site.
* Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/
* Reprinting permitted with this notice included.
Should you wish to cancel your subscription to
SCUBA News you can do so at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html
Contents:
- What's new at SCUBA Travel?
- Your Letters
- Bookshelf: Recent SCUBA Bestsellers
- Creature of the Month: Hermit Crab
- Diving News from Around the World
__________________________________________________________
What's New at SCUBA Travel?
============================
Top 100 Dive Sites
All change in the Top 100 Dives of the World list.
New entrants include The Canyons, Honduras and The Point,
Layang - Layang. The list is compiled from votes of
readers of the SCUBA Travel web site. See the full list
and cast your vote at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveslong.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
www.allposters.com
__________________________________________________:ADVERT
Diving in Greece
SCUBA diving restrictions in greece may soon be lifted.
Find new areas for diving and the most highly rated
dive operators.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html#Greece
Diving the Andaman Islands, India
Planning a trip to the Andaman Islands? We've more
recommendations for the dive operators there.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific.html
Dive Centres in the Red Sea
Find an Egyptian diving centre with the newly updated
directory.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/
__________________________________________________________
Your Letters
============
From the Diving Board...
I'm looking for any dive info on western coast of Italy
from Naples to San Remo, WW2 wreck dives especially.
Anyone who could supply me with info?
Thomas
Replies to
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=209
--
Hello there
I am currently a divemaster and have been diving on and
off in my holidays from uni for 4 years. Now I've finished
I'd like to go off and train as an instructor. Ideally I
dont want to just have a quick two week course and be
done with it, but would like to work as a divemaster whilst
living there and complete the course in a kind of internship
style.
Having been to diving islands like Utlia and Koh Tao and
loved the laid back backpacker way of life, plus the frequency
of new people and buzz of these places, I would love to visit
similar places to do my instructors.
Does anyone know of how I might go about this or where such
places exist!!!!?? Any suggestions of where is a good place to
do an IDC would be helpful too.
Thanks for you help.
Glyn
Replies to
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=205
ADVERT:__________________________________________________
LOW COST TRAVEL INSURANCE which doesn't limit the depth
to which you can dive. For more details, and the
chance to win a $4000 (Aus) prize, visit
http://www.worldnomads.com.au/i
__________________________________________________:ADVERT
__________________________________________________________
Bookshelf: Bestsellers of Third Quarter 2005
============================================
These are the best selling SCUBA books and DVDs of the
last few months.
1. Dive Atlas of the World: An Illustrated Reference to the Best Sites
by Jack Jackson
300 pages detailing some of the world's best dive sites.
2. Dive: The Ultimate Guide To 60 Of The Worlds Top Dive Locations
by Monty Halls,
Describes 60 of the world's best diving areas, and
highlights specific dives not to be missed whilst you are there
3. Collins Pocket Guide: Coral Reef Fishes
by Ewald Lieske, Robert Myers
A compact, guide to over 2000 species of fish you might
see whilst diving on coral reefs.
4. Lonely Planet : Sardinia
by Paula Hardy,
Guide to the Italian island of Sardinia
5. Sardegna (Michelin Regional Maps)
Sardinia has obviously been a popular destination for
holidays this year (--)
6. The Blue Planet DVD
The BBC television series on DVD - action shots of the
intriguing behaviour of the underwater world with commentary
by David Attenborough.
7. Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Baja California
by Walt Peterson
Guide to the dive sites of Baja California.
8. World War II Wrecks of the Truk Lagoon
by Dan E Bailey
The definitive guide to Truk Lagoon.
9. Lonely Planet: Diving and Snorkelling Bali and Lombok
by Tim Rock, Susanna Hinderts
Guide to the dive sites of Bali and Lombok, Indonesia.
10. Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World
by Tim Ecott
Tales of the characters and episodes in the history of
diving: the sponge divers, the second world war saboteurs,
the free divers, etc.
__________________________________________________________
Creature of the Month: Hermit Crab, Dardanus species
====================================================
For a photo of a Hermit Crab see
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/hermit.html
Hermit crabs scuttle about the sea-floor using someone else's
shell for a home. They always use empty shells and never
kill the original occupant.
When the crab becomes to large for its shell, it looks for
another. When it finds a likely looking one it will
try it on. If the shell doesn't fit, or is too heavy,
the crab returns to its old shell and continues it search.
Where there is a large population of hermit crabs and
a shortage of shells, the crab will accept a sub-standard
home: maybe a cracked or uncomfortable shell. But in good
conditions it will be very particular about the new shell
it chooses. Two hermit crabs will fight for the possession
of an empty shell, or even a shell inhabited by one of the
combitants.
Some of the Dardanas species of Hermit crab stick sea
anemones on their shells. This camoflauges the crab and
the stinging cells of the anemone protects the crab from
predators such as octopus.
The anemone also benefits from the arrangement. It becomes
effortlessly mobile and shares the crab’s meals.
Dardanas species are nocturnal with dark-adapted eyes.
Look out for them on night-dives in the Indian and
Pacific oceans.
Further Reading:
----------------
Invertebrate Zoology, by Robert D Barnes, ISBN 0-0302-5982-7
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/0030259827/1286
__________________________________________________________
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.
Diving Restrictions Lifted in Greece
Greek MPs have passed in principle new laws to lift
restrictions on SCUBA diving. They hope to help make
Greece one of the most popular worldwide destinations
for scuba-diving holidays. In past years, recreational
diving was strictly restricted in Greece in order to
deter antiquities smugglers, with diving only permitted
in specific, closely-watched locations.
http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/
No More Shark Fishing in Red Sea
A recently issued Eyptian decree will finally ban
shark fishing in the Red Sea. This gives the conservation
association HEPCA the legislative means to put a stop to
the dozens of shark massacres that are reported daily
throughout Egypt's Red Sea coastline from Hurghada to Marsa Alam.
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5918
Shark Travels from Africa to Australia and Back
A great white shark, nicknamed Nicole, has made the
journey between South Africa and Australia and back
in under nine months. The new research published in
Science is the first proof of links between
populations of different continents and has major
implications for fishing policies.
http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/
Avoid Diving When Pregnant
An article in the latest edition of the Ob. Gyn. News
says Scuba diving should be avoided throughout pregnancy
as it puts the foetus at increased risk for decompression
sickness secondary to the inability of the fetal pulmonary
circulation to filter bubbles.
http://www.obgynnews.com/
Melting of sea ice speeds up in Arctic
After four years of record lows in the extent of sea
ice, researchers say the trend can no longer be blamed
on short-term variability. Sea ice in the Arctic reached
a record low this summer, accelerating a melting trend
evident for a quarter-century. The figures reinforce
previous forecasts that the Arctic is likely to be free
of ice during most summers by about 2080.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8071
Coral Reef Survival: Increased Carbon Dioxide Threat
Increases in carbon dioxide are bad for corals - no
matter how you look at it. That's the conclusion of
two researchers in the September issue of the Journal
of Geophysical Research-Oceans, who investigated the
effects of doubling carbon dioxide on two coral species
that are important reef builders in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
http://www.enn.com/aff.html?id=873
Licences may be needed to Dive Australia
THE NSW government is considering establishing an
annual licence for scuba divers similar to that required
by recreational fishers. Primary Industries Minister said
the scheme would involve the creation of an independent
scuba diving trust, made up of industry members, who
would allocate licence costs to programs to improve
amenities for divers.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/
Colossal Squid Caught at Surface of Ocean
A colossal squid has been caught in Antarctic waters,
the first example of retrieved virtually intact from
the surface of the ocean. "Now we know that it is
moving right through the water column, right up to the
very surface and it grows to a spectacular size."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2910849.stm
SCUBA Diving for Individuals with Disabilities
There has been a growing interest in SCUBA diving in
the disabled population for rehabilitation and recreation.
A review published in the American Journal of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation discusses medical issues
relevant to individuals with disabilities who wish to
participate in SCUBA diving.
http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/
Unregulated aquarium fishing worries divers
Marine biologists and divers are growing worried about
the unregulated harvesting of fish and other marine
creatures in Hawaii. Robert Wintner is the owner of
the dive shop Snorkel Bob's. He says Hawaii's reefs
are being strip mined by aquarium collectors.
http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=6475
Caribbean Corals Hit by Warm, Storm-Spawning Seas
Corals in the Caribbean are being damaged by the same
warm seas that have fuelled Hurricanes Rita and Katrina,
according to the WWF conservation group. Corals off
Florida, Barbados, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and
Cuba seemed to be undergoing the worst damage, known as
bleaching, since 1997-1998.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=8888
Divers Conducting Coral Reef Study
A new, state-funded study is analysing the health of
coral reefs off Florida's coast. Scientists hope the
results will change the way reefs are cared for
worldwide. The data will show scientists for the first
time the health of the entire reef -- about 300 miles --
and identify the healthiest areas that are least
affected by bleaching.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=8708
Sewage killing coral reef, divers say
Florida: State environmental regulators are
investigating a pump that's dumping treated sewage into
the Atlantic Ocean after recreational scuba divers said
it was killing a coral reef. The plant has a permit to
pump about 13 million gallons of treated sewage a day
through the pipe. Palm Beach County officials have told
plant officials to begin monitoring water near the pipe
and the reef and try to come up with a way to lower the
amount of nitrogen being pumped into the ocean.
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/
Divers call for crocodle warning devices
Divers in northern Australia are calling for development
of crocodile warning devices following the second fatal
attack in under one week. The numbers of crocodiles have
increased rapidly in recent years, due to a ban on hunting
passed in the 1970s. The deaths have also caused debate as
to whether limited limited hunting should resume.
http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/
Essential emergency equipment for divers
The FlashPac is a waterproof (to 50 m) torch/strobe
for emergencies. Attach to yourself or equipment.
The FlashPac was awarded an Honourable Mention by the
judges at the National Marine Manufacturers Innovation
Awards in Las Vegas
http://scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=262#262
AquaMarine Diving - Bali
Are offering 3 prize draws at Booth 316 Asia-Pacific
Pavilion of the Birmingham Dive Show, and 10% discount on
trips.
http://www.AquaMarineDiving.com/
NZDE - New Zealand
Also at the dive show offering prizes are the New Zealand
Dive Experience.
http://www.nzdivexperiences.com/
Complete Diving Manual
Just published, the Complete Diving Manual by
Jack Jackson. From basic diving certification topics and
techniques to advanced technical diving.
http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/
__________________________________________________________
* Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/
* Reprinting welcomed with this footer included.
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SCUBA News
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