5215 Crooked Road, Parkville, MO 64152 816-741-5151 / FAX 816-741-6458 email [email protected]

Dive Observer

Teachers Make a Splash in Dry Area.

Scuba Used As a Classroom Tool

By Gene Gentrup

More and more these days, the value behind transcends its recreational and industrial roots. Jumping into the water with a , mask, fins and regulator does more than relax a workaholic or bring home a steady paycheck. It invigorates people who need a boost of self-esteem. It proves itself as a therapeutic weapon for people with disabilities, as they try to rebuild strength and mobility. It has helped us increase our understanding and awareness of the fragile marine environment.

Now a school in California has advanced scuba diving another step — as a classroom tool. Eighth-grade teachers at St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades, California, have each spring since 1994 demonstrated how scuba diving can help kids understand science, math and computers. The program is called Diving Educational Enrichment Project and has proven so successful that in 1997 it received a National Association of Middle Schools Team Teaching Award.

Bruce Harlan, a certified diver and a St. Matthew’s science instructor, and some other teachers hatched the idea in 1993 on a ride home from a conference. The group had an ongoing friendly contest in which they would jokingly collect educational buzz words — the kind of snobby acronym verbage presenters like to use to sound good — and started to compose a lighthearted presentation using nothing but these words. When Harlan crafted "Diving Educational Enrichment Project," something inside him struck a nerve.

"The more we talked, the less of a joke it became," he said. Harlan and math teacher Bobbie McCuskey nurtured the idea and Harlan floated it to his contacts at ScubaHaus, the through which he became certified. They liked the proposal and the dive store has been a major supporter ever since. The program started in the following spring term.

The hurdles that the organizers feared might kill the project — insurance and liability issues — were no big deal, after all. The dive instructors at ScubaHaus carried their own insurance, as did the school.

The program has been required for all eighth-graders but no one is required to actually don scuba gear and jump into a swimming pool. "Some kids have issues such as asthma that rule them out," Harlan said. "But this is an academic program. Diving is only the theme." Students must choose a diving topic, research it, choose an experiment, carry it out and assemble a Web page which serves as sort of an electronic lab report. Topics include Boyle’s Law, , Dalton’s Law, navigation, Henry’s Law and illness (DCI), sound and hearing underwater and .

Over a period of two months, students meet for about 90 minutes four days a week and 45 minutes the fifth day. The eighth-graders "get wet" four times in a pool at St. Matthew’s but late in the spring term travel to Pepperdine University for an all-day field trip. The pool there is 16 feet deep and more accommodating to some experiments such as those testing Boyle’s Law. While no student is required to dive, all have chosen to do so for the last years. Few ever turn down the chance, Harlan said.

Harlan covers the physics of diving in his science class. He also lectures about buoyancy and the connection between scientific laws and safe diving. Two other teachers handle mathematics in which students are introduced to navigation and orienteering. Students gain insight into the geometric concepts used by divers and pilots to determine position and direction. Diving physiology is woven throughout the program. Topics such as DCI and relate the physical laws to their effects on the human body. The focus is on the circulatory and respiratory systems. Students also work in pairs to research, design experiments and present their findings on a computer. Another teacher helps students design their first Web page using their experiments as the content. The students’ experiments can be viewed at the school’s Web site at www.stmatthewsschool.com/deep.

Outfitting the students for their time underwater is a responsibility shared by ScubaHaus and the students. ScubaHaus loans rental equipment and provides instructors. Students must provide their own gear including mask, fins and snorkel. They are encouraged to buy equipment based on how well it fits, not how it is priced. Families concerned about costs are urged to share equipment with students using the pool on different days. ScubaHaus lets students exchange their gear after it has been used.

The program has proven popular at the school. Since DEEP started in 1994, the number of kids who have gone on to become certified divers is 15-20, a total Harlan thought would be higher. But each year, right after the school year ends, several students take off on a school-related trip that conflicts with classes that ScubaHaus offers. Next spring, the dive store will offer weekend lessons for the eighth-graders at the beginning of the DEEP projects, Harlan said.

DEEP not only builds scuba diving interest among the students. Sometimes parents join or return to the scuba world because of their child’s experience. Count actor Tom Hanks among them. His daughter completed the DEEP program. Another actor, Mike Newman, had a role on the TV series Baywatch and in real life is a trained lifeguard. His child is a DEEP graduate and his wife is a teacher at the school.

Harlan said he thought more teachers would be interested in duplicating the program for their own school but so far interest has not been strong. The reason, he said, is that teachers might consider the liability and insurance issues too difficult to overcome.

"It’s not as difficult as it looks," Harlan said.

For more information about DEEP, contact Bruce Harlan at St. Matthew’s Parish School at (310) 454-1350, Ext. 502; e-mail him at [email protected]; or visit www.stmatthewsschool.com/deep.

Diving Notes and News MYSTERY SURROUNDS SINKING OF SOCIETY VESSELS

Anticipation for the two-ship sinking ceremony had mounted. The T-shirts were printed. A three-day weekend of dives, barbecue, music and flybys was set. But someone had other ideas for the Alberni Reef Society’s (ARS) "once-in-a-lifetime event" to sink as artificial reefs two Chinese fishing vessels off the coast of British Columbia. Just one day before the celebration was to start and three days before the sinkings, the boats in Port Alberni harbor sank under mysterious circumstances. Now the group will have to wait a few weeks to raise the vessels and probably sink them quietly, without fanfare, said Sven Juthans, vice president of ARS.

Divers probing the sunken boats found three seacocks open on one of the vessels and one seacock open on the other. A seacock is a valve below the waterline in the hull of a ship, used to control the intake of sea water.

Juthans said he is convinced someone opened the seacocks but is baffled as to why. The ships were going to be sunk June 10 in a cove in China Creek Park, south of Port Alberni, in water 40-80 feet (12-24 m) deep and about 150 feet (45 m) from shore. The final resting place for the vessels will be close enough to shore that divers will not need a boat to get there, a fact that Juthans mentions with pride.

"They’ll be the only artificial reefs in British Columbia accessible from shore," he said.

The suspicion surrounding the unusual sinking prompted another group, the Society of British Columbia (ARSBC), to declare its innocence. In a prepared statement, ARSBC President Jay Straith "affirmed no involvement" and said "We were distressed to learn two ships being prepared by the Alberni Reef Society had sunk at their dock … The Alberni Reef Society never sought our advice in preparing its ships. We are prepared to work with provincial and federal investigators, should the request be made."

Juthans said he does not think ARSBC had anything to do with the mystery but insists someone did. The society spent about $80,000 to clean the two ships. A protection indemnity policy will protect the society from the costs of raising the boats but it will have to pay a $1,000 deductible, Juthans said.

The two fishing vessels were among four seized three years ago off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The ships carried 600 Chinese illegal immigrants. The refugees were sent back but the boats stayed and were eventually purchased by the ARS. The society plans to prepare a third ship for use as an artificial reef. Juthans said the society cannot afford to strip the fourth ship so it has been given away.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNVEIL TREASURES FROM LOST CITY

Artifacts from the "most exciting find in the history of marine archaeology" are being shown by excavation leaders in Alexandria, Egypt. They have brought up some of the hidden treasures from the ruins of the ancient port city of Herakleion in water 20-30 feet (6-9 m) deep, 3.7 miles (6.4 km) off Egypt’s northern coast.

Archaeologists scouring the Mediterranean seabed have unveiled surface statues, coins and jewelry and what is considered the most remarkable find so far — an intact black granite stela, or tablet, similar to one found in 1899 now stored in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. Both feature an edict of Pharaoh Nektanebos the First imposing a 10 percent levy on Greek goods to finance a temple to the goddess Neith.

The existence of Herakleion was known only through Greek tragedies and legend. But last year French archaeologist Franck Goddio announced the discovery of the city. Goddio, who leads the international team excavating the site, said Herakleion is recorded as a key port at the mouth of the Nile River. Goddio said he believes the city was destroyed by an earthquake or other catastrophic event and submerged in the Mediterranean.

"It is the most exciting find in the history of marine archaeology," said Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egypt’s top archaeology body.

Ibrahim Darwish, director of the underwater department of the Supreme Court of the Antiquities, said as many as 20,000 pieces remain on the sea floor.

"Excavation could continue here for another 100 years, the site is that large," Darwish said of the excavation area, which measures about 0.4 square mile (1 sq km).

Industry

DIVE SAFETY EXPERT HONORED

James R. Stewart, a longtime San Diegan nationally recognized as an expert in , has been honored by the San Diego Oceans Foundation.

Stewart, who established the program at Scripps Institution of , received the Roger Revelle Award for his lifelong devotion to the advancement of safe scientific diving. The Roger Revelle Award is intended to recognize persons from science, academia, military, recreation and philanthropy who lead efforts to encourage stewardship of ocean resources. The award is named in honor of Revelle, the former director of Scripps and a driving for University of California at San Diego’s early development.

Among his many accomplishments, in 1967 Stewart was named for the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, responsible for evaluating and authorizing all NSF-supported scientists who wished to dive in polar regions. He has consulted NASA for underwater training for astronauts. He has also served the American Red Cross since the 1940’s in all aspects of , and as a director of the San Diego/Imperial Chapter for 30 years.

Stewart’s awards include the National Conservation Award from the Department of Interior. Upon retirement from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Stewart was given the title of Chief Diving Safety Officer Emeritus by the president of the University of California.

The San Diego Oceans Foundation leads community-supported projects that enhance ocean habitat and encourage sustainable use of ocean resources. Last year the Foundation sank the Yukon, a 366-foot retired Canadian destroyer escort, off Mission Beach, California. The artificial reef attracts marine life and scuba divers.

DIVE RESORT OPENS IN GRENADA

The dive center Grenada (formerly 1st Spice Divers) and the new Rendezvous Beach Hotel offer a new resort dedicated to ; the first dive resort on the isle of spice: Rendezvous Beach & Dive Resort.

The resort offers air-conditioned rooms in three price ranges, a freshwater pool at the ocean, beach bar, restaurant, boutique, minimarket and Internet access.The multilingual staff speaks English, German, Dutch and French.

For more information, phone 011 (473) 444-1126; fax 011 (473) 444-1127; e-mail [email protected]; or visit www.rendezvousresort.com or www.aquanautgrenada.com.

OCEAN EXPLORATORY WEB PAGE LAUNCHED BY NOAA

An ocean exploration Web page has been launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Visitors to http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov can follow the daily logs of scientists and explorers, download images, sounds or movies from expeditions, or investigate the Office of Ocean Exploratory library. The site was created to provide scientists, educators, the media and explorers with the latest information on NOAA’s major ocean exploration activities. Among the contributors to the site will be maine scientists, educators, students, historians, artists, musicians, authors and policymakers.

TEXAS WOMAN BREAKS TWO MORE WORLD RECORDS

Tanya Streeter has a habit of setting world records in the sport of freediving. In May, the Austin, Texas, woman set a world record in the salt water free immersion category, two miles off the coast of Pigeon, near Bouillante, Guadeloupe. Wearing a 3 millimeter two-piece wet suit and a noseplug, Streeter pulled herself down a rope 230 feet (70 m) in 1 minute, 16 seconds, grabbed the verification flag and pulled herself back to the surface for a roundtrip time of 2:28. Her time passed the old mark by 33 feet (10 m) set six years ago by Deborah Andollo of Cuba. Her record depth is 10 feet (3 m) shy of the men’s world record.

The dive was officiated by two representatives of Freediving’s international governing body, International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA). They verified that the dive met association regulations. Safety divers were placed at 230 feet (70 m), 164 feet (50 m), 98 feet (30 m), 82 feet (25 m) and 33 feet (10 m).

Streeter underwent a drug test for her performance, the first athlete in the history of the sport to do so in accordance with International Olympic Committee’s rules.

Later in May, Streeter set her sixth freediving world record in another event, this time breaking her own mark in the salt water constant category. Wearing a 3 mm, two-piece wet suit, 3 pounds (1.5 kg) of weight around her wrists, fiberglass/carbon fibre combination longblad fins and a noseplug, Streeter kicked down to 230 feet (70 m), grabbed a tag and returned to the surface in 2:36. She beat the record she set in September 1998 when she reached a depth of 220 feet (67 m)

DISCOVERER OF TITANIC ASSISTS IN HUNT FOR LAKE HURON SHIPWRECKS

The man who discovered the Titanic in 1985 is helping government officials map shipwrecks in Michigan’s Lake Huron.

Robert Ballard of the Institute for Exploration (IFE), has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the state of Michigan to map many of the estimated 116 shipwrecks in NOAA’s new Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Lake Huron.

Ballard’s Institute for Exploration (IFE), based in Mystic, Connecticut, is working with NOAA and the state to use sidescan to survey and map the deepwater shipwrecks in the 448-square mile sanctuary/preserve. To date, fewer than 40 of the estimated 116 shipwrecks have been discovered there.

Ballard is the founder and president of IFE, a nonprofit institution devoted to deep-sea archaeological research. IFE’s programs focus on the themes of human history, natural history in deep environments, and underwater vehicle development.

"This is the first snapshot in the bigger picture of mapping, exploring and ultimately managing the many resources of the sanctuary/preserve," said Dan Basta, director of NOAA’s office of National Marine Sanctuaries. "The fact that Ballard’s Institute for Exploration is conducting the sanctuary’s inaugural project speaks volumes about the significance of these shipwrecks that lie beneath the surface of Thunder Bay."

During the Thunder Bay survey, which started in June, the IFE collects data around the clock, weather permitting. IFE uses its new custom-designed underwater tow sled, known as ECHO, to collect sidescan sonar data. ECHO is cable-connected and towed by the R/V Lake Guardian, a 180-foot U.S. Environmental Protection Agency vessel from Milwaukee. Sound waves from the sonar tow sled travel through the water until hitting an object on the lake bottom. The waves bounce back to the tow sled, creating a picture of what the bottom "looks" like. About one-third of the sanctuary/preserve was covered.

The summer’s project is the first phase in mapping the entire sanctuary/preserve. Future phases involve completing the mapping and exploring potential new shipwreck discoveries either by diving or using a remotely operated vehicle. The Thunder Bay project is also being supported by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration, a new program of exploration and discovery of the oceans and Great Lakes.

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve was designated in October 2000 to protect a nationally significant collection of underwater cultural resources. The mission of the National Marine Sanctuary System is to conserve, protect and enhance the biodiversity, ecological integrity, and/or cultural legacy of selected marine and Great Lakes areas.

Ballard has been involved in several high-profile marine archaeological expeditions including discoveries of the largest of ancient Roman ships ever found in the deep sea; the oldest ships ever found in the deep sea, two Phoenician ships from the 9th century B.C.; and a highly preserved 1,500-year-old wooden ship in the anoxic waters of the Black Sea.

Environment

ORDER REGARDING MARINE PROTECTED AREAS WILL BE RETAINED, COMMERCE SECRETARY SAYS

A directive to strengthen existing marine protected areas (MPAs) and build a system of MPAs will be retained by President George W. Bush, a member of his administration said.

Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans said that the Bush administration will carry out Executive Order 13158, issued more than a year ago by President Bill Clinton.

MPAs are considered powerful tools to help protect fish habitats, rebuild fisheries stocks, provide recreational opportunities such as diving and preserve other valuable natural, and even cultural or historic, ocean resources.

Clinton’s order directs the departments of Commerce and Interior to inventory all U.S. MPAs and make the inventory and other information available via a national MPA Web site. The Web site address is www.mpa.gov. The order also directs the Commerce Department to establish an MPA Advisory Committee to provide input from nonfederal members on how to best carry out the order. Evans said the panel will include academic, state and local, nongovernmental and commercial interests.

The executive order also directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a National MPA Center to help provide the science, tools and strategies to build a national system of MPAs.

Evans said the President’s budget includes 43 million in first-time financing to support marine protected area activities consistent with existing law. Congress still must approve the expenditure.

The commerce secretary cited the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys as a successful MPA designation because organizers followed a well-planned process and secured grassroots support. "The Dry Tortugas MPA offers a model for the years ahead," Evans said.

(For more information, see "Tortugas 2000: Ensuring the Survival of the Florida Keys," Dive Training, March 2000.)

WHITE ABALONE AN ‘ENDANGERED SPECIES’

The marine mollusk known as the white abalone has been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service announced the listing.

The population of the marine invertebrate once found in the millions from Point Conception, California, to Punta Tortugas, Baja California, Mexico, is now estimated to be fewer than 2,600 animals.

"Because white abalone is in danger of going extinct in the foreseeable future," said Bill Hogarth, acting director of NOAA fisheries, "we need to protect and intervene to spur recovery of the species. Listing under the ESA makes any kind of harvest a federal violation and calls for developing a plan to recover the species."

Since the late 1960s, white abalone abundance has dropped by more than 99 percent. Its population fell from 2.22 to 4.24 million animals to about 1,613 to 2,540 today. White abalone was once easily harvested by divers along the California coast and quickly became a delicacy in West Coast restaurants. By the mid- 1970s, commercial harvesting had reduced the white abalone populations to very low levels, and the state of California began to prohibit harvest. Illegal harvest was identified in the status review as a significant threat to white abalone because it is highly prized and in demand as food.

While abalone population surveys vary in timing and spatial coverage, results indicate that the density of white abalone has declined by several orders of magnitude since 1970. Furthermore, the data on white abalone suggest that the animals are too far removed from each other to allow successful fertilization for natural recovery of the population. NOAA fisheries plans to develop a recovery plan that might include bringing together wild white abalone population clusters and developing other improvements in reproduction techniques. NOAA fisheries will appoint a recovery team that will draft a recovery pan for public comment.

BOOKS

Florida Diving Guide Updated The latest edition of Diving Guide to Underwater Florida is available. The 10th installment from Ned DeLoach includes directions and details for more than 600 of Florida’s best dive sites. The 352-page publication features 50 maps for dive locations and Loran-C and GPS numbers for offshore navigation. Reefs, wrecks, springs, caves, fishwatching, lobstering and are featured in the book considered popular among weekend travelers because it includes spring dives and beach dives easily accessible by car. DeLoach first published Diving Guide to Florida Springs in 1971. In 1973 he introduced a companion piece, Diving Guide to Florida Keys. Several years later, DeLoach combined the two books and added information about the state’s east and west coasts to create the first edition of Underwater Florida. The book is available through dive stores and bookstores or from New World Publications at www.fishid.com.

Underwater Video Guide Updated

The second edition of a guide to shooting underwater video has been published. A revamped equipment chapter that focuses on the latest in digital formats is the featured change in Jim Church’s Essential Guide to Underwater Video, released by Aqua Quest Publications. Step-by-step instructions help beginners and more advanced users will learn how to improve their storyboarding, editing and production skills. Also included are guides to shooting trips on live-aboards, and trips to Grand Cayman and Truk Lagoon. The 212-page book, with 90 color photos and six illustrations and charts, is available in dive stores and bookstores, and from Aqua Quest Publications at (800) 933-8989.

Lonely Planet Publishes Bahamas Dive Book

"Diving & Bahamas" has been published by Lonely Planet Publications. The book, written by Michael Lawrence, offers readers 175 pages of information including 15 full-color maps and 108 dive sites.

The guide explores wreck dives, historical and modern, most sunk purposely for divers and the film industry for movies such as "Jaws" and the James Bond films. Besides information about diving and snorkeling, the book details out-of-the-water recreational activities including nature preserves, historicla sites, sailing, fishing, golf and casinos.

Readers also can learn about the natural wonders of blue holes, the third largest in the world and habitat to dolphins and sharks. The book is available through dive stores and bookstores or by calling Lonely Planet Publications at (510) 893-8556.

Southern California & the Channel Islands Focus of Book

Lonely Planet also explores "Diving & Snorkeling Southern California & the Channel Islands." The 144-page book, written by David Krival, includes 15 full-color maps of an area known for its giant kelp forests and ’s sunken ships in San Diego. Readers will learn where to find blue and humpback whales feeding, gray whales en route to Baja, pods of porpoises and the sea’s most intriguing predators, blue and mako sharks.

The book encompasses the Channel Islands National Park, one of the last wild preserves in North America. Also included are 60 dives off the Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands, the Southern Channel Islands of Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara, San Nicholas San Clemente, and the Cortes Bank and San Diego.

For more information about the book, contact dive stores or bookstores, or call Lonely Planet at (510) 893- 8556. TREASURE HUNT IN TEXAS TO AID CHILDREN’S CENTER

Dive stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area plan a September treasure hunt as a fund-raiser for Cook Children’s Medical Center. The medical center is where physicians are treating Haylee Franks, a 16-month- old girl who suffers from congestive cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart) and will need a heart transplant. Haylee is the daughter of Jonathan Franks, owner of ScubaDiveTexas.com in Cleburne, Texas, about a 30- minute drive south of Fort Worth. Franks said the underwater treasure hunt is tentatively scheduled for September 14 but a site for the hunt has not been secured.

All proceeds will be given to Cook Children’s Medical Center. A Web site for the event will be set up soon, Franks said. For more information, phone Harold at Sand and Sea at (972) 690-3483, or Larry at Two Dive Four at (972) 406-2996.

ABSTRACTS ACCEPTED FOR UI 2002

The Underwater Intervention Committee is accepting abstracts for technical papers for presentation at the UI 2002 convention, scheduled from February 27 to March 2 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Authors interested in submitting papers should contact Howie Doyle, technical chairman, at (281) 440-0278; fax (281) 440-4867; or e-mail a 100-word abstract to [email protected]. The deadline for submission is October 31.

Exhibit space is still available. For information, contact Ross Saxon at (800) 316-2188. Underwater Intervention is co-sponsored by the Association of Diving Contractors International and the ROV Committee of the Marine technology Society. For registration information, visit www.underwaterintervention.com or call (800) 316-2188.

ANYONE FOR CHOCOLATE LOBSTER?

The fourth annual Cabrillo Chocolate Lobster Dive is scheduled for Saturday, September 22, in San Pedro, California. Certified scuba and skin divers compete in the waters off Cabrillo Beach in search of solid milk chocolate lobsters.

The event is limited to 500 participants who will be eligible to win more than $35,000 in prizes. Grand prizes will be announced at Scuba Show 2001 in Long Beach, California. Proceeds from the event benefit the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Spring Outdoor Classroom which teaches children about the marine environment.

Entry forms and other information are available online at www.cabrilloaq.org, by phone at (310) 548-7562, Ext. 9039, or through dive stores and dive clubs. A $25 preregistration fee includes free parking and lunch. Registration after September 7 costs $28 plus $6.50 for parking. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is operated by the City of Los Angeles’ parks and recreation department.

HMCS CAPE BRETON TO BE SUNK OCTOBER 20

October 20, 2001, is the scheduled date for the sinking of the former Canadian Navy ship, the HMCS Cape Breton, the latest project of The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia. The ship was built in 1944 and measured more than 440 feet in length and 55 feet across.

The HMCS Cape Breton will be sunk off Snake Island, 1.9 miles (3 km) east of Departure Bay in Nanaimo. The project is a partnership of the ARSBC, the Nanaimo Dive Association and Tourism Nanaimo. The target depth for the deck of the Cape Breton will be 60-65 feet (18-20 m), making it more accessible to divers at shallower depths.

The sinking site at Snake Island lies near a rocky shoal within an area demarcated with navigation markers that is well-known and avoided by shipping traffic. Snake Island has a reputation for a diverse dive area with the existence of the HMCS Saskatchewan — already sunk there as an artificial reef — and a 60-foot (18-m) reef on one side and a more than 400-foot (121-m) wall dive on another side. The area is "somewhat" protected from northwest storms by Snake Island but is exposed to weather from the southeast in the winter.

For more information about the project, visit www.artificialreef.bc.ca.