SCUBA News 240
(ISSN 1476-8011)
29 June 2020

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SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 240 - June 2020
https://www.scubatravel.co.uk
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I hope you are keeping safe and well. Countries around the world are slowly starting to reopen and diving once again looks possible. Will you be going abroad to dive? Let us know.

What's New at SCUBA Travel?

	Best Red Sea diving - St John's St Johns, in the far south of Egypt, has some of the best diving in the Red Sea. International flights will resume on 1 July. LEARN MORE…
	Why dive New Zealand? Possibly the most successful country in the world at dealing with Covid-19, New Zealand has some great diving. Find out what it has to offer. LEARN MORE…
	Spain Reopens to Divers Spain & the Canary Islands are now open to travellers from the EU (apart from Portugal) and the UK. Visitors from Portugal can go from 1 July. LEARN MORE…

Creature of the Month: Whitetip Reef Shark, Triaenodon obesus

For many, the presence of a shark makes a dive, and the Whitetip Reef Shark is the one you are most likely to see in the Indo- and Eastern Pacific (Red Sea, Australia, South Africa, Maldives, Philippines, Costa Rica, Galapagos, etc.). Easily recognised by the whitetips on its dorsal fin and tail, and its relatively slim body, it is harmless unless provoked. You often see it resting on the bottom - particularly in channels or caves.

As its name suggests, the reef shark prefers shallow water. This, and its lazy day time habits, are why it is so often seen by divers.

The shark hunts at night, sometimes in packs. It finds moving fish by homing in on the small electrical impulses they emit. However, even inactive fish are not safe as the shark can smell them. It prefers medium sized fish like damselfish, wrasse and parrotfish. These hide themselves deep in the coral, out of reach of the Whitetip's large head and mouth. Other foods include octopuses and crustaceans.

It takes around 5 years for the Whitetip Reef Shark to mature and give birth to live young. Litters of two or three pups are normal, which can live for 25 years.

Class: Chondrichthyes > Order: Carcharhiniforms (Ground Sharks) > Family: Carcharhinidae (Requiem Sharks)

Diving News From Around the World

Our round up of the best underwater news stories of the past month. For breaking news see our Twitter page or RSS feed

	World Nomads resumes selling scuba diving travel insurance With cover down to 50 m and many other activities covered.
	Bluewater University Launches as a New Online Portal for Underwater Education Bluewater University is the first online platform that is fully dedicated to providing live virtual classes in all things related to underwater - including underwater photography, underwater video and dive travel.
	Sculpture takes the Great Barrier Reef's temperature 'Ocean Siren' changes colors in real time to reflect ocean temperatures at Davies Reef, part of Australia's ailing Great Barrier Reef
	Scientists warn against 'greenwashing' of global coastal developments The world's waterfront cities should not be deluged with apparently green developments because they can still cause damage to the marine and coastal environment, scientists have warned.
	Where are South Africa's great white sharks? White sharks have disappeared from False Bay and Gansbaai, two sites off South Africa where they have historically been commonly sighted.
	Malta's Diving sector in dire straits as virus dries up activity Lifting of the flight ban in July unlikely to reverse this worrying trend, a survey has found.
	Former NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan breaks new water by diving 36,000ft to the lowest point on Earth Former NASA astronaut and geologist Kathy Sullivan has become the first woman to dive to lowest point on Earth, known as Challenger Deep, inside the Mariana Trench.
	Report on New Caledonia's coral reefs offers a glimmer of hope for the future Scientists on the Global Reef Expedition surveyed and mapped New Caledonia's most remote coral reefs - some for the first time
	When can you travel to dive again and where can you go? Countries around the world are easing their covid-19 lockdowns. Which areas might soon be open for divers?

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Photo credits: Tim Nicholson, Jill Studholme, Kristin Riser, Jianye Sui

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CONTACTING THE EDITOR
Please send your letters or press releases to:
Jill Studholme
SCUBA News
The Cliff
Upper Mayfield
DE6 2HR
UK
news@scubatravel.co.uk

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