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SCUBA News 78

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 78 - October 2006
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to SCUBA News.  There are many books with
glossy photographs of coral reefs, but this month we 
review a new publication featuring the diving in 
temperate waters. 

We hope you enjoy this issue although 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
- Bookshelf: Cool Waters, Emerald Seas
- Creature of the Month: Long-Spined Sea Scorpion
- Diving News from Around the World 
__________________________________________________________

What's New at SCUBA Travel?
===========================

Dive Operators in the Red Sea
  SCUBA Travel readers have recommended more diving 
  centres operating in the Egyptian Red Sea. Find those 
  given the 5 fish rating.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/redop.html

Best Selling SCUBA Books
  The best selling SCUBA diving books of the last 
  three months are now listed at
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bestsellers.html

Find a Cheap Flight and see Arrival and Departure Times
  The SCUBA Travel site now lets you find the cheapest 
  flight to diving destinations.  It also provides 
  information on the arrival and departure times for 
  flights around the world.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/flights.html

Money-Off Vouchers for Underwater Cameras
  We're pleased to be able to offer you money-off vouchers
  for cameras and accessories bought at Jessops.com. 
  Vouchers valid from now until the end of the year.
  http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/presents2.html#Kit
__________________________________________________________

Your Letters
============

Red Sea

   Due to a medical problem my wife needs oxygen 2 hours 
   each day. The airlines say we can take a empty oxygen 
   cylinder with us.  Can I get it filled at one of the 
   dive centres in Sharm-el-Sheik.
    
   Yours Sincerly 

   Derrick
-

Asia v Mexico

   Hello 

   My girl friend and I would like to have a dive holiday  
   mid Dec to mid Jan.  We would like to go to Asia or 
   Mexico, do you have any suggestions?

   Corin
-

E-mail us if you have any advice for Derrick or Corin, or 
post a message at the Diving Board
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/

--

From the Diving Board...

Red Sea
   
   Has anybody dived near the Suez Channel, around 
   Zafarana, Egypt? 

   Ralita

   http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647
   
ADVERT:__________________________________________________

 FREE ADVERTISING: Post a month of diving-related 
 adverts for free at the Diving Board Forum.  For 
 anything related to diving, travel or the underwater 
 world.
 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=5
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__________________________________________________________
  
Bookshelf 
Cool Waters, Emerald Seas: Diving in Temperate Waters
======================================================

John Collins
Atrium, 2006
200pp. £19.95
0-9535353-8-X

John Collins shares his enthusiasm for cool water diving 
with this book of 120 exquisite photographs.  He captures 
the extraordinary colour, form and diversity of life in 
temperate waters, and inspires you to get your kit and 
visit the dive sites illustrated.

A coffee-table format book, each chapter starts with a 
beautifully-written essay extolling his dive areas and 
underwater encounters. The photos are interspersed with 
quotes from diving pioneers, authors and naturalists like 
Jaques Cousteau, Rachel Carson and Philippe Tailliez.

Cool waters are those from 4 to 20 oC, from the tropics 
to the polar regions. The author illustrates the richness 
of the North Atlantic around Ireland and Scotland, and 
the Pacific waters of Vancouver, Tasmania and South Africa. 
As Collins says, 
  "Most new divers are surprised to learn that our cool seas 
  are the ocean's most productive...they create the ocean's 
  richest ecosystem."

Collins portrays subjects from jellyfish to great white 
sharks as well as some beautifully composed marinescapes 
with fish-tank clarity.

A couple of things I would have liked to see are an 
index of places and things photographed, and Latin names 
for the creatures pictured. However, the common name of the 
animal and its location are given.

About the Author

John Collins is lives in Kinsale on Ireland's south coast 
with his wife and two daughters where they operate a 
family-run pharmacy. A passionate photographer from his teens, 
he started diving at college in Dublin and was immediately 
was keen to photograph the underwater world. Many of his photos 
have been successful in competitions and widely published. 
John Collins is a graduate of the New York Institute 
of Photography.

Cool Waters, Emerald Seas: Diving in Temperate Waters is 
available with 5% off from 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/095353538X/1286
For a signed copy visit the 
author's web site at http://www.johncollinskinsale.com/.

For more diving book reviews, and interviews with authors
see http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/interview.html
__________________________________________________________

Creature of the Month: Long-Spined Sea Scorpion
===============================================

For a photograph of a Long-Spined Sea Scorpion, 
Taurulus bubalis, see 
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scorpioniom.html

Unlike scorpion fish in other parts of the world, the 
spines of this inhabitant of the temperate waters are not 
venomous. It is a master of camouflage with an irregular 
outline and mottled pattern.  It can also mimic the 
colour of the surface on which it is resting. You 
can't, therefore, rely on colour to identify the 
species.

You can distinguish them from the similar short-spined 
sea scorpion by the barbel at the side of its mouth.
(For a photo of the short-spined sea scorpion see
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scorpion.html/)

Bottom-dwelling, the sea scorpion lacks a swim-bladder 
and moves clumsily. However, it can eat crustaceans and 
fish in a single quick lurch. It will often stay very 
still when approached, just watching its potential 
prey.

These fish breed in spring and lay clusters of orange 
eggs in crevices or amongst seaweed.  They grow up to 
175 mm long.  You will see the Long-spined sea scorpion 
in shallow seas from Iceland to Portugal to the Gulf of 
Finland and the Northern Mediterranean.

Further Reading:
Great British Marine Animals by Paul Naylor
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/britishmarine.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.

Four times more sharks killed than officially reported
  Three to four times as many sharks are killed for 
  their fins as are reported in the official figures. 
  If the estimates are correct then the nubers being 
  caught are very close to, and may even exceed, the 
  maximum sustainable levels.
  http://tinyurl.com/yfnhv9

Swarm of subs set to uncover the ocean's mysteries
  A fleet of 100 robotic submarines could in five years' 
  time be roaming the vast unexplored stretches of the 
  world's seafloors and helping unlock their mysteries.
  Only 5 per cent of the ocean floor has been explored 
  in detail, which means there may be numerous new 
  species and geothermal processes waiting to 
  be discovered. 
  http://www.newscientisttech.com/

ADVERT:__________________________________________________

  LOW COST TRAVEL INSURANCE covering diving to 50 m.  
  For more details visit http://www.essentialtravel.co.uk/ 
  and quote ref 100534 to ensure you get the best deal.
__________________________________________________:ADVERT

Invading algae's sweet touch spells death for coral
  Corals may be vulnerable to the same processes that 
  cause tooth decay in humans. Healthy coral lives 
  symbiotically with single-celled algae. However, 
  scientists have shown that sugars released by the 
  algae diffuse into the coral and fertilise bacteria, 
  making them pathogenic. 
  http://www.newscientist.com/

Save the UK Marine Reserves
  British environmental group, The Marine Conservation 
  Society, needs the support of UK divers to convince the 
  Government that marine conservation must be at the core 
  of the Marine Bill. Have your say in how our seas are managed 
  and protected and add your name in support of 
  Highly Protected Marine Reserves
  http://www.marinereservesnow.org.uk/

Changing storms increase coastal erosion by 10 times
  Changing storm patterns caused by global warming could 
  dramatically increase the effects of coastal erosion. 
  Rather than eroding the shore uniformly, scientists have 
  found that waves remove sand from beaches in some regions 
  and re-deposit it elsewhere.  Significantly, the sea 
  encroached some areas 10 times further than would be 
  expected from rising water levels alone.
  http://www.newscientist.com/

Climate Change to Cost Trillions if No Action Taken
  The cost of global warming will run into trillions of 
  pounds and the environmental and social costs will be 
  incalculable, a survey has revealed.  The report also 
  reveals the comparatively small amounts of money needed 
  to keep temperatures in check.
  http://tinyurl.com/yb9lz4

Germany to Put Global Warming Back on G8 Agenda
  Germany will make fighting climate change a top priority 
  when it takes control of the G8 next year and will try 
  to persuade the United States of its importance.  The 
  US, responsible for one quarter of all man-made 
  greenhouse gas emissions, is the only G8 member not to 
  have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. 
  http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11331

Scientists look to place a pro-science president
  Frustrated by their government's position on the 
  environment, climate change and stem cell research, 
  a group of US scientists have decided to take matters 
  into their own hands and actively promote the election 
  of a president in 2008 who is more receptive to science.
  http://www.newscientist.com/

Madagascar Coral Reef Massively Damaged
  A new survey of reefs along Madagascar's southwestern 
  coast found massive damage from coral bleaching, 
  including some reefs that lost up to 99 percent of 
  their coral cover. 
  http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/

United Nations to Consider Deep Sea Trawling Ban
  The United Nations needs to stop the destruction of 
  deep sea ecosystems by banning fishermen from trawling 
  nets on the ocean floor, Australia, New Zealand and 
  Palau have said.
  http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11379

Shark Finning Banned around Namibia, Angola, South Africa
  A fisheries organisation for the protection of marine 
  resources along the coastlines of Namibia, Angola and 
  South Africa has banned shark finning. It 
  http://allafrica.com/stories/200610090260.html
__________________________________________________________

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