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SCUBA News 79~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 79 - November 2006 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to SCUBA News. We hope you enjoy this issue which includes an article on diving the Malaysia island of Tioman. However, 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 - Diving at Tioman Island, Malaysia - Creature of the Month: Splendid Toadfish - Diving News from Around the World __________________________________________________________ What's New at SCUBA Travel? =========================== Diving in Iceland We now have notes on diving in Iceland. Silfra (the name is a variation on the word Silver) is a deep crack in the lava in the National park Thingvellir in Iceland. It is a large fresh water spring conducting water from the nearby glacier Langjokull into the lake Thingvallavatn. The clarity of Silfra's water gives the diver the feeling of flying above the bottom and on sunny days when there are slight small waves on the surface the light breaks into its rainbow of colours creating a beautiful display of colour. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe.html#Iceland Diving in the Philippines We've reorganised our Philippines section to make it easier to use. The Philippines has extremely rich coral reefs and some fantastic diving. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/philippines/ Diving in Malaysia Find more dive operators and dive sites around Tioman and Sipadan Islands. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/malaysia/ Gifts for Divers Find the right gift for your diving friends and family. Get ideas at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/presents2.html 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/commercial.html __________________________________________________:ADVERT __________________________________________________________ Your Letters ============ From the Diving Board... Hi, I'm planning my next dive holiday for the latter half of July 2007 and Id like to hear of any recommendations for excellent dive sites. I've dived in the Maldives which was breathtaking and also Egypt which wasn't that good, but I think I was a bit unlucky with the time of year I went and the location I chose. I've also dived in Majorca earlier this year which was freezing and rather average - (again I could have just been unlucky). I realise that the Maldives will probably be hard to beat for sheer variety and colour of marine life and environment but I'm sure there are many other places out there that are equally spectacular. I'll be going with my wife who also dives and while we enjoy diving the holiday needs to be able to offer other tourist offerings and relaxation, - (so 5 dives a day for a week is not what we are looking for). We're planning on going for a week to ten days so Australia, New Zealand and South America are probably out and although we both love the Far East I've read mixed reports about diving and generally the weather - wet or storm season - in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand at this time of year. The Seychelles looks a reasonable offering from what I have currently read as does the British Virgin Islands but any other ideas for a wow factor scuba experience in July would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=694 Add your comments at the Diving Board - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=694 __________________________________________________________ Diving at Tioman Island, Malaysia ================================= by Graham Collins Tioman is the third largest Malayasian island, off the east coast of the Malaysia peninsula. The island is about 38 by 19 km. There is a road which extends about 3-4 km past the airstrip and ferry terminal and a couple of kilometers either side. The coast is a marine park with a limit of 2 miles offshore for commercial fishing, though this is not effectively enforced at present. Getting There _____________ We went from Singapore from where there are two ways to get to Tioman. We flew with Berjaya Air from Seletar airport, which is a 35 minute flight. The weight allowance though is only 10 kg per person, so only do this if you are prepared to hire the diving gear on Tioman. The cost of a return flight is around 280 Singapore dollars, around £90. The alternative is to take a bus or taxi to the Mersing Ferry Terminal in Malaysia, and then take the ferry. There are a variety which take between one and three hours to get to Tioman. Berjaya Air also fly from Kuala Lumpur. Staying There _____________ There are a number of dive centres on the island. We picked Tioman Dive Centre. The centre is owned by Julian and Yeen, and currently managed by Andrew and Rosarii, who are all keen on making Tioman a sustainable diving location. The dive centre itself is on the beach within the grounds of the Swiss Cottage Chalets, which provide low cost accomodation suitable for most divers. A little more luxury may be found at the Babura Hotel complex about 50 meters along the beach. For those who also need a golf course, the Berjaya Resort complex is a short taxi ride further out along the road. We stayed in a beach front chalet which has a double bed, optional single extra single bed, and a toilet and hot shower area. Tioman Dive Centre can arrange accomodation and airport or ferry terminal pick-up for divers. The village of Tekek extends along the road from the airport area to Tioman Dive Centre, so there is a good choice of restaurants within a couple of minutes walk, as well as shops selling beer, liquor, cigarettes, basic toiletries, sun creams, mosquito repellant etc. Located between the tropical forest and the sea, there are mosquitos, but not malaria, and sand flies from the beach. Simple precautions will help minimise the number of itchy patches on exposed skin. * Diving ______ The diving around the Tekek area of Tioman is typically between 15 and 25 meters deep, and being normally flat calm with limited currents, the diving is suitable for all grades of qualified diver. The season runs from early February to the end of October; the out of season time is associated with unpredicatable weather during the monsoon. Typically visibility is between 15-20 meters, but sometimes drops to 5 meters for no very obvious reason. Dive sites (with the exception of the outer islands) are only a few minutes boat ride away from the dive centre, so three 50-55 minute dives per day is the norm with Tioman Dive Centre. There are a few small wrecks of wooden fishing boats, which provide a focus for fish life, and lots of coral. Turtles are frequently spotted, but sharks are less common. There are black-tip reef sharks around but they are shy, and there are also some Coral Cat small sharks. The area is an excellent place for nudibranch spotting, and for other invertebrates. On our visit we dived at: Tom Yam wreck (depth 22m) - lots of fish life including lionfish on the wreck and a school of juvenile barracuda patrolling above. Ringgis Island (depth 12m) - dived here twice, saw 3 turtles and a black-tip reef shark (twice) and some fully grown barracuda Pirate Reef (depth 12m) - very close to the dive centre, brief glimpse of a turtle Sawadee (depth 26m - although the seabed is at 30m) Here there are 2 wrecked fishing boats close together. The visibility was very poor, more UK than tropical, so we stayed on just one wreck. There was a large stonefish resident and large barracuda above the wreck, and many other shoaling fish Soyak Island (depth 10m) - about a 15 minute ride in the boat and is a very scenic dive Timok Island (depth 12m) - again a 15 minute ride from the centre, excellent for nudibranch spotting. Soyak Wreck (depth 25m) - another fishing boat just out across a sandy bottom from the island itself Ringgis Wreck (depth 22m) - by now the visibility had improved considerably so we were able to lots of fish life and many nudibranchs on and around the wreck. Hidden Reef (depth 16m) - A reef complex close to Ringgis Island, but on this dive covered by a current. We came across 2 lost commercial fishing nets caught on this reef, showing the 2 mile fishing limit is being ignored. We understand that these nets will be removed by Tioman Dive Centre in the near future. Tekek House Reef (depth 10m) - just out from the dive centre, this shore dive is very scenic and interesting. Dropping to 10-12m out on the sand most of the site is at around 8m. There are turtles that are often present, and a whole variety of corals and fish life. We greatly enjoyed diving with Andrew and Rosarii during our stay, and we think they have done an excellent job during their year in charge, but we understand they will be continuing their travels after the 2006 season. We hope that the next managers of the dive centre will be able to carry on the good work and keep the dive centre both an excellent and efficient base for diving but also an ecologically aware one. by Graham Collins For contact details for the Tioman Dive Centre, and other dive operators on Tioman, see http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/malaysia/malayop.html 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 __________________________________________________________ Creature of the Month: Splendid Toadfish, Sanopus splendidus ===================================== Toadfish are found on the sand and mud bottoms of coastal waters worldwide. They usually have broad heads and drab colours, and look something like toads. The Splendid Toadfish, though, is different. As you can see in the photo at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/splendidtoad.html, the Splendid Toadfish is attractively patterned in purple. Most of its fins are edged in yellow with the pelvic fin being entirely yellow. It also has a yellow mouth. Also known as the Coral Toadfish, Sanopus splendidus generally lives on sand under crevices or coral heads in clear water, 10-25 m. It hunts at night, preying on small fishes, snails and polychaete worms. The Splendid Toadfish was thought to be only found in Cozumel (Mexico) but sightings have also been reported in Belize. However, it is not widespread and is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www.iucnredlist.org). This means that although it is not Critically Endangered or Endangered it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. __________________________________________________________ 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. New Act Protects More Wrecks From November 1st a new act protects designated wrecks and sites from divers in United Kingdom waters and, in some cases, from UK divers in foreign waters. There are two levels of protection offered by this Act: Protected Places (wrecked vessels or aircraft) and Controlled Sites. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/ Mystery Submarines Discovered in Scottish Waters Wrecks of two submarines have been discovered off the coast of Orkney in an area where there were no reports of wartime sinkings, a coastguard official says. A survey team examining the sea floor around the islands discovered the wrecks lying in about 70 metres of water to the east of Sanday Sound. Grainy images of the submarines were captured using a three-dimensional sonar device, but their identity and nationalities are not known. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1657392006 UN Warns Asia Faces Marine Pollution Crisis The fasting growing economies and populations of East Asia are putting the region's marine ecosystem under increasing stress, the United Nations has warned. A new study finds 90 percent of Asia's sewage is discharged into the marine environment waters without treatment, threatening fisheries, mangrove forests, coral reefs and coastal wetlands. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2006/2006-10-17-02.asp Toadfish Eavesdrop to Avoid Becoming Dinner Fish can eavesdrop on the calls of dolphins to avoid getting eaten, a new study suggests. A bottom-dwelling fish found off the coast of Florida called the gulf toadfish is prime prey for dolphins, which often listen to toadfish calls to find their targets. In fact, 80 percent of bottlenose dolphin diets containing sound-producing fish. Results show that when the toadfish heard dolphin pops or combinations of pops and whistles, they drastically reduced their calling rates. http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/061103_fish_hearing.html Accelerating Loss of Ocean Species Threatens Human Well-Being A study published in the November 3 issue of the journal Science shows that the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean's ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants, and rebound from stresses such as over fishing and climate change. The study reveals that every species lost causes a faster unraveling of the overall ecosystem. Conversely every species recovered adds significantly to overall productivity and stability of the ecosystem and its ability to withstand stresses. http://www.physorg.com/news81707368.html Plastic Debris Affects World's Marine Life It is probably a common conception that marine debris consists of just a few pieces of rubbish scattered along the strand line of beaches and is of no harm to anyone. Unfortunately, according to a new report from Greenpeace, this is not the case. Marine debris has become a pervasive pollution problem affecting all of the world's oceans. It is known to be the cause of injuries and deaths of numerous marine animals and birds, either because they become entangled in it or they mistake it for prey and eat it. The scale of contamination of the marine environment by plastic debris is vast. It is found floating in all the world's oceans, ever everywhere from polar regions to the equator. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/ Fishermen, Facing Declining Stocks, Turn to Sharks Declining fish stocks mean that in some parts of the world fishermen are increasingly turning their attention to sharks, where a lack of regulation further threatens many species' survival. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11610 Toxic boat paint pollution must stop Member countries of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), including the UK, are perpetuating pollution from the Arctic to Antarctic that is contaminating wildlife and entering our food chain. Only 17 out of 166 member countries of IMO have ratified the legislation. However, the majority of the shipping industry supports a ban, with only the unscrupulous operators still using it. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/ Beaked Whales Dive Deepest Beaked whales repeatedly make long dives as deep as 2 km in search of squid, making their average foraging dives deeper and longer than any other air-breathing animal. http://jeb.biologists.org/ 25 countries protest Iceland's whale hunting 25 nations have protested against Iceland's resumption of commercial whale hunting despite an international ban. The nations include France, the US, Germany, Britain, Italy, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and New Zealand. By tradition, Icelanders do not consume fin whale meat, leaving only Japan as a potential buyer for the meat. But Japanese ambassador to Iceland Fumiko Saiga publicly announced his country did not want the meat, citing current whale meat surpluses in his country. http://www.teluguportal.net/ Sweden Tops Climate Change Efforts, U.S. Near Bottom Sweden, Britain and Denmark are doing the most to protect against climate change, but their efforts are not nearly enough, according to a report released Monday by environmental groups. The United States - the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases - ranked at 53, with only China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia doing worse. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11653 Belize Barrier Reef Suffers, Global Warming Blamed Much of the 200 miles of Belize's coral reef has been "bleached" in the last decade and some scientists warn it is likely to die, a victim of global warming. Reefs across the Caribbean have been hit particularly hard, making them vulnerable to deadly diseases. Belize lost nearly half of its reef, a World Heritage Site, in 1998 when global warming and the "El Nino" weather phenomenon combined to cause the highest sea temperatures ever recorded worldwide. http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11549 Diving with Giants: The World's Best Pelagic Dives Jack Jackson continues his output of books of the world's best dives. His new offering features the best places in the world's oceans and seas to dive with pelagic species: the big creatures of open water. These include sharks, manta rays, dolphins, whales, barracuda, and so on. http://www.amazon.co.uk/ __________________________________________________________ * 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. 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