X-Ray Magazine :: Issue 27 :: December 2008

Holiday Gifts & Stocking Stuffers for Divers Indonesia Mimic Octopus White Sea GLOBAL EDITION White Whales December 2008 Number 27 Profile The Taylors Rebreather Divers’ Seven Deadly Sins NORTH COAST Underwater EAST COAST Photography LIBERTY WRECK No Flash Portfolio Pierre Sentjens Bali1 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 COVEr PHOTO By LaWSON WOODS DIRECTORY X-RAY MAG is published by AquaScope Media ApS Join Kurt Amsler’s efforts to save Indonesia’s endangered sea turtles Frederiksberg, Denmark Sign the petition & donate to the cause at: www.sos-seaturtles.ch www.xray-mag.com PUBLISHER SENIOR EDITOR Goby. Photo by Andrea Ferrari & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Symes Peter Symes [email protected] [email protected] contents SECTION EDITORS PUBLISHER / EDITOR Andrey Bizyukin, PhD - Features & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Arnold Weisz - News, Features Gunild Symes Catherine Lim - News, Books [email protected] Simon Kong - News, Books Mathias Carvalho - Wrecks ASSOCiaTE EDiTOrS Cindy Ross - GirlDiver & rEPrESENTaTiVES: Cedric Verdier - Tech Talk Americas: Scott Bennett - Photography Arnold Weisz Scott Bennett - Travel [email protected] Fiona Ayerst - Sharks Michael Arvedlund, PhD Russia Editors & Reps: - Ecology Andrey Bizyukin PhD, Moscow [email protected] COrrESPONDENTS Robert Aston - CA, USA Svetlana Murashkina PhD, Moscow Enrico Cappeletti - Italy [email protected] John Collins - Ireland Marcelo Mammana - Argentina South East Asia Editor & Rep: Nonoy Tan - The Philippines Catherine GS Lim, Singapore [email protected] CONTriBuTOrS THiS iSSuE Kurt Amsler ASSISTANT EDiTOrS Scott Bennett & rEPrESENTaTiVES: Andrey Bizyukin, PhD Malaysia Editor & Rep: Mathias Carvalho Simon Kong, Kuala Lumpur Natalia Cherviakova [email protected] Andreas Ferrari Simon Kong Canada/PNW Editor & Rep: Catherine GS Lim Barb Roy, Vancouver Yann Saint-Yves [email protected] Pierre Sentjens David Silcock GirlDiver Editor & PNW Rep: Peter Slezak Cindy Ross, Tacoma, USA Gunild Symes [email protected] Peter Symes Valerie & Ron Taylor ADVERTISING Cedric Verdier International sales rep: Arnold Weisz Arnold Weisz Lawson Woods 24 36 39 47 49 plus... [email protected] Ba l i Re v i s i t e d Li ber t y Wrec k Ba l i ’s Ea s t Co a s t Mimic Oc t o p u s Ho l d i a y Gi f t s EDITORIAL 3 MarkETiNg MaNagEr: In d o n e s i a Tu l a mbe n - p h o t o s In d o n e s i a Ba l i - p h o t o s f o r Di v er s NEWS 5 Asia-Pacific rep: Yann Saint-Yves b y Sc o t t Be n n e t t b y La wre n ce Wo o d s b y Da v i d Si l c o c k b y An d re a s Ferr a r i e d i t e d b y Ca t h er i n e GS Lim Simon Kong (Malaysia) [email protected] WRECK RAP 16 u n i l d y me s [email protected] & G S TRAVEL NEWS 21 Further information: French speaking territories: contacts page JELLY TALES 52 Mathias Carvalho at www. xray-mag.com 55 68 83 TURTLE TALES 5 4 [email protected] Pr o f i l e : Be l u g a Wh a l e s Po r t f o l i o : EQUIPMENT 6 2 Th e Ta y l o r s h i t e e a u s s i a Pi erre Se n t j e n s Canada W S , R BOOKS & MEDIA 65 Wendy Jankovic b y Ma t h i a s Ca r v a l h o b y An d re y Bi z y u k i n , PhD e d i t e d b y Gu n i l d Sy me s [email protected] WHALE TALES 72 Not yet subscribed to BUSINESS DIRECTORY 82 columns... X-RAY MAG? Sign up now! SUBSCRIPTION It’s FREE! QUICK! EASY! X-RAY MAG International Edition in English is FREE 60 66 77 click here... To subscribe, go to: www.xray-mag.com Rebre a t h er Di v er s ’ Sh a r k Ta l e s : UW Ph o t o & Vi d e o : COVER PHOTO: Liberty Wreck, Bali, Indonesia, by Lawson Woods Se v e n De a d l y Si n s Bi t s & Bi t e s No Fl a s h b y Ce d r i c Ver d i er e d i t e d b y Pe t er Sy me s b y Ku r t Am s l er (CONTiNuED ON PagE 4)

2 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 Amsterdam Barcelona Cape Town Copenhagen Kuala Lumpur London Moscow Orlando Oslo Paris Ravenna Sao Paulo Singapore Vancouver Warsaw Editorial

Be Blessed

What a year it has been. The port and I have not far to the most ordinary dive makes me US elections, a sudden flip-flop seaside, the local coastline is a feel much better than before I in the global economy and a far cry from a dive destination went in. growing sense of urgency that full of colourful corals and ex- we have to act now, if we are otic wildlife. But I can take the It only takes a short while, to save the coral reefs, the metro to the beach, so some- once I submerge, before I sharks, tunas and what else. times we go there in our lunch- have left all the worries and break and watch the ships go everyday stress behind. Then There can be little doubt that by and the seagulls fish while and there I rebuild a connec- we live in exciting yet chal- contemplating how people in tion with nature that is so easily lenging times. But it is in such times now forgotten lived on lost when you live in a bustling times that we should reflect the same spot eking out a live- city. That is where I regain a and count our blessings. lihood from the ocean. It was perspective of what really not long ago that researcher matters. It is not things, but the Diving and all the experiences found the remains of a Stone living world around us and the it has given me certainly count Age settlement on that same people we love. as mine. Among the highlights spot. Some 10,000 years ago — Peter Symes are some incredible close en- somebody else had their lunch Editor-In-Chief counters and interactions with there, too. wildlife, adventures to some of the most beautiful spots on I can also go diving there. It the planet, archaeological is mostly coarse sand with finds and meeting a lot of very some patches of kelp interesting people. and beds of seaweed. It is certainly not a It is not about having a lot of spot that will be fea- money, so we can go jet-set- tured on National ting to another continent. It is Geographic or about treasuring all those small BBC Wildlife. Some simple pleasures that playing would call it bor- around with water and in wa- ing. But I always ter can give us. I live in a Euro- see something pean capital, and while it is a new. And even the

In the ocean you never know what you will come across. This little fella was dis- covered by researchers working with the Census of Marine Life. It turns out that many deep-sea octopuses evolved from a common ancestor, whose closest living relative still exists in the Southern Ocean. What do you know?

3 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED OUR WORLD-UNDERWATER Enjoy pure ease 37th Annual Our World-Underwater Consumer Dive & Travel Show February 20-22, 2009

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4 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Click on image to watch video (requires online connection)

News edited by Peter Symes & Arnold Weisz NEWS ThisA hybridsea plant-animal? slug is solar powered Elysia chlorotica is The slug feeds by sucking the cell con- genes it has “stolen” from the algae it found in the sea slug carries the DNA a green sea slug, tents from the intertidal algae Vaucheria. eats. ( SOurCE: PuBMED CENTraL) from the algal cells to the sea slug’s cells. with a gelatinous Most of the cell contents are simply However, Rumpho says her team does digested by the slug. But the slug is “Stolen” genes not have any evidence for this yet. leaf-shaped body, also able to keep the chloroplasts—the In their latest experiments, Rumpho and In another surprising twist with far reach- that lives along the photosynthesising “factories” from the colleagues sequenced the chloroplast ing implications, the researchers also Atlantic seaboard algae—alive and operating and func- genes of Vaucheria litorea, the algae found the algal gene in E. chlorotica’s tioning within its own body by storing that the sea slug feed on. They suc- sex cells, meaning the ability to maintain of the US. What sets them in the cells that line its gut. ceeded in demonstrating that if the sea functional chloroplasts could be passed it apart from most slug used the algal chloroplasts alone, it to the next generation. The researchers other sea slugs is But that is not all. Here is the really inter- would not have all the genes needed to believe many more photosynthesis genes its ability to run on esting twist: Young E. chlorotica, which photosynthesise. are acquired by E. chlorotica from their were fed with algae for only two weeks, They then turned their attention to the food, but still need to understand how solar power. have been shown to survive for the rest sea slug’s own DNA and discovered it the plant genes are activated inside sea- of their year-long lives without eating, contained one of the vital algal genes. slug cells. apparently surviving on the photosyn- Its sequence was identical to the algal thetic production from the assimilated version, indicating that the slug had Further reading: Solar-Powered Sea Slugs chloroplasts. But how can than be pos- probably acquired the gene from its ■ sible when the isolated chloroplasts only food. contain enough DNA to encode about “We do not know how this is possi- There are two major groups of solar-pow- ten percent of the proteins needed to ble and can only postulate on it,” says ered slugs. One group, the sacoglossans, This sea slug keep themselves running? The other nec- Rumpho, who told New Scientist that are essentially herbivores who remove resembles a nudi- essary genes are found in the algae’s the phenomenon of stealing is known as intact plastids from the plants and keep branch, but does nuclear DNA. kleptoplasty. them alive and functioning in their own not belong to One possibility is that, as the algae bodies. that suborder of “So, the question has always been, how are processed in the sea slug’s gut, the The second group are essentially carni- gastropods. It is do they continue to function in an ani- gene is taken into its cells along with the vores, or related to carnivores, and they instead a mem- ber of the closely- mal cell missing all of these proteins,” chloroplasts. The genes are then incorpo- nurture single-celled plants [zooxanthellae] related suborder says Dr Mary Rumpho of the University of rated into the sea slug’s own DNA, allow- in their bodies. In most cases they have sacoglossa Maine and an expert on E. chlorotica. ing the animal to produce the necessary ‘stolen’ the zooxanthellae from their origi- The answer she found is as simple as it proteins for the stolen chloroplasts to nal cnidarian hosts, such as sea anemones is stunning. The sea slug has acquired continue working. or soft corals. SOurCE: SEa SLug fOrum ■ its photosynthetic capabilities thanks to Another explanation is that a virus

5 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Dr Furu Mienis with Lophelia colony Atlantic Deep Water Coral Reefs revealed Imagine descending in a sub- Mienis studied the development of the growth of cold-water corals and come is the creation of a kind of high- marine to the ice-cold, ink- carbonate mounds dominated by the carbonate mounds. The meas- way between the nutrient-rich, sunlit cold-water corals in the Atlantic urements were made using bottom zone at the sea surface and the deep, black depths of the ocean, Ocean at depths of six hundred to a landers, observatories placed on the dark strata where the 380-meter high 800 meters under the surface thousand meters. These reefs can be seabed from the NIOZ oceanographic tops of the mounds are found. This of the Atlantic. Here, the found along the eastern continental research vessel, Pelagia, and brought allows the cold-water corals to feed tops of the hills are covered slope from Morocco to Norway, on the back to the surface a year later. on algae and zooplankton that live in Mid-Atlantic Ridge and on the western the upper layers of the sea. Lophelia in large coral reefs. Dr Furu continental slope along the east coast Food highways pertusa and Madrepora oculata are Mienis, a researcher with the of Canada and the United States. Cold-water corals are mainly found the most important coral species Netherlands Organisation Mienis studied the area to the west of on the tops of carbonate mounds in found on the European continental for Scientific Research, stud- Ireland along the edges of the Rockall areas where the current is high due slopes. Trough. to strong internal waves. These waves ied the formation of these In her research, Mienis analysed are caused by tidal currents and lead Carbonate mounds unknown cold-water relatives environmental factors like tempera- to an increase in local turbulence that How the carbonate mounds were of the better-known tropical ture, current speed and flow direc- results in the seawater being strongly formed was investigated by using a corals. tion of seawater, as these determine mixed in a vertical direction. The out- piston core from the research vessel to

6 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Cold-water corals reefs can be found along the eastern news continental slope from Morocco to Norway, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and on the western continental slope along the east DIVE INDONESIA coast of Canada and the United States IN A NEW LIGHT! NEW! Rose fish are found off the coast at depths of 100 to 1000 metres; juveniles may be found in coastal waters such as fiords. The adults are slow moving, gregarious fish, of some commercial importance OUR MAIN DESTINATIONS Komodo take samples of up to 4.5 meters The mounds were found to be Mienis, her supervisor Tjeerd van warming offshore industries and bottom Alor & Flores of sediment. These cores were built up from carbonate debris Weering and NIOZ associate and the trawlers. A number of European then cut into thin slices that were and sediment particles caught in researcher, Gerard Duineveld. resulting areas containing cold-water coral Maluku analysed separately—the deeper between coral branches. These acidification of reefs have thankfully already Raja Ampat the layer, the older the sediment. cold-water coral reefs have, the oceans also obtained protected status. Cendrawasih Bay The samples studied were aged therefore, not developed as a pose a threat: organ- This research was funded by Manado & Lembeh up to 200,000 years old. result of leakage of natural gas isms are less effective the Netherlands Organisation for Togian & Banggai Large hiatuses found in the from the sea bed. at taking up carbonate Scientific Research (NWO) Wakatobi core were possibly caused by However, that may well from seawater that is and the European Taka Bone Rate & Selayar major changes in tidal currents. be the case in the Gulf of too acidic. Science The groups of carbonate mounds Mexico. This area is cur- This is true not only for Foundation develop in the direction of the rently being studied from corals but also for (ESF). ■ strongest current and their tops the American research some species of DIVE THE CENTRE OF are of equal height. vessel, Nancy Foster, by algae that are a BIODIVERSITY WITH ARENUI source of food for The Boutique Liveaboard the corals. Other activities on the seabed that can cause damage to the coral Threats reefs Climate are change has exerted a consider- able influ- ence on the growth of corals and the Lophelia are cold- development water corals that grow in the of carbonate deep waters throughout the North mounds. For exam- Atlantic Ocean. L. pertusa reefs are ple, corals stopped home to a diverse community, however the species is extremely slow growing and growing during ice may be harmed by destructive fishing prac- ages. Present-day global tices, or oil exploration and extraction Hexadella is an encrusting sponge

7 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Tropical fish spotted news off Rhode Island

Edited by Through weekly studies with a trawl boat, Michael Symes a University of Rhode Island professor has proven an increase in the tropical fish pop- ulation in the Narragansett Bay, possibly caused by a four-degree increase in water temperature. Professor Jeremy Collie studies bottom- dwelling fish populations and trawls weekly in and at the mouth of Narragansett Bay to collect data about the local fish. He has recorded more than 130 marine fish and invertebrate species. Among these are 31 tropical fish species, and the number is on Marine invasive species the rise. However, he said, “The tropical fish are rare occurrences.” Collie studied the size of fish species compared to water temperature in vari- advance 50km per decade ous years, and found a link between higher water temperature and smaller body size, A rapid, climate change-induced northern migration of invasive marine spe- Lionfish have which could have a negative effect on cies is one of many research findings presented during the recent First World migrated north the fishing industry. The region’s native spe- along the eastern cies could be negatively affected by the Conference on Marine Biodiversity held in Spain in November. US seaboard increase in temperature. A slight change of water temperature may be responsible for During the sessions investigators tions at the Conference, organised principal discoveries of modern oce- the decreasing populations of species such reported that invasive species of by the Spanish Council of Scientific anography. These submarine volca- as cod and winter flounder, and increasing marine macroalgae spread at 50km Research (CSIC), addressed the loss noes sustain high densities of fauna sightings of tropical and temperate-water per decade, a distance far greater of marine biodiversity and its conse- which, with specific adaptations, live fishes. than that covered by invasive ter- quences, whereas the rest covered independently of solar energy. Collie believes that current practices in restrial plants. The difference may be the exploitation of marine living “Since their discovery, more than the fishing industry may also be to blame due to the rapid dispersion of mac- resources, as well as exciting discov- 500 hydrothermic vent-species have for this unusual ecological distribution of roalgae propagules in the ocean. eries of novel ecosystems in extreme been described, most endemic, as marine organisms. The eggs of these tropi- “The impacts of the pressure of ecosystems, particularly in the deep well as 200 cold water seep species cal fish are carried up to 2,000 miles north, climate change are particularly dra- sea. and 400 morphological species of along the eastern coastline. Tropical storms matic, according to results presented chemosynthethic ecosystems which churn the seas and create warm eddies at the Conference, in the abrupt Deep Sea Discoveries form on the carcasses of whales,” that carry the eggs away from the Gulf deterioration of the Arctic and Deep sea research has increased points out Ramirez. Stream. Occasionally, small warm-pockets coral reefs,” said chief scientist and greatly in the last decades thanks For instance, on the mud volca- of water confuse the navigational systems co-chair of the Conference Carlos to technical developments like sub- noes in the Cadiz gulf 13 new species in marine organisms and result in misguided Duarte. “The convergence of pres- marines, remotely operated vehicles of polychaetes (marine worms) are migrations. sures on the ocean is leading to a (ROV) and autonomous vehicles described as well as a new genus, Earlier this year in Jamestown, scientists, global erosion of marine biodiversity (AUV). One of the coordinators of Bobmarkeya, which, due to its char- divers and fish-lovers gathered from July to where climate change may deliver the deep sea program in Spain, CSIC acteristic appearance, owes its September along the rocky coast of Fort the coupe de graçe for a cata- researcher Eva Ramírez, is study- name to Bob Marley. ■ Wetherill State Park to view the non-native strophic collapse.” ing the hydrothermal vents which, marine species. Tropical fish such as the Almost half of the 450 communica- discovered in 1977, are one of the Invasive species of marine macroalgae snowy grouper, spotfin butterfly, and the spread at 50km per decade, red lionfish have been sighted frequently over the last 16 years. ■

8 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Florida’s $5.5 Billion Reef Economy at Risk From Climate Change news Rare Corals Resort to Hybridisation For Survival A comprehensive new analysis of business generated by Florida’s coral reefs warns that more than 70,000 jobs are at stake Rare coral species are sav- ing themselves from “A business-as-usual approach to climate millions of fishermen every year. Catches extinction by hybridis- change could mean a lot less business for of reef-associated species in South Florida ing with other coral Florida,” said Jerry Karnas, Florida project account for US$158 million in annual sales. species, according director at Environmental Defense Fund, to research pub- which commissioned the report, Corals Terry Gibson, the Fishing Editor of Out- lished by Australian and climate change: Florida’s natural door Life magazine and a co-author of scientists. The treasures at risk. the report with University of Miami Profes- authors conclude sor Hal Wanless, noted that “from scuba that a number of Florida boasts the only shallow-water cor- diving in the Keys to charter fishing boats rare Indo-Pacific al reefs in the continental United States in Miami-Dade to commercial fishing in Acropora species —and those reefs are a centerpiece of Martin County, reef-related sales amount are the products of South Florida’s economy. Like coral reefs to more than $5.5 billion each year.” recent hybridisation worldwide, Florida’s are under siege from events, and highlight a range of environmental challenges that EDF’s Karnas said quick federal action to the significance of could lead to huge economic losses in limit greenhouse gas emissions can help hybridisation in coral the state. protect Florida’s reefs and the state’s diversification. ■ economy. “We need Congress to cap The groupers, snappers, jacks, angelfish, global warming pollution. This report and spiny lobsters that thrive on coral shows that doing nothing is the worst op- reefs also make Florida a destination for tion for Florida’s economy.” ■ Florida Town Will Apply Electric Current to Stimulate Coral Growth The town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in need. “There are no peer-reviewed pa- “There’s not south Florida plans to install a cluster of pers that I’m aware of that really docu- electrified artificial reefs off the beach ment that corals grow faster or better much evi- and run a low-voltage current through on it,” said Richard Dodge, executive dence to say steel frames to stimulate the growth of director of the National Coral Reef Insti- Blue Coral of Okinawa corals, creating habitat for fish, crabs tute at Nova Southeastern University. it’s worth and other marine creatures. Shaped like putting the Joins Threatened List airplane hangars, the six undersea struc- John McManus, director of the Na- tures each would stretch six feet along tional Center for Coral Reef Research electricity The International Union for the Last year, a large community the ocean floor. Two buoys with solar at the University of Miami, said there’s through. Conservation of Nature (IUCN) of blue coral covering an area panels would deliver electricity through no doubt steel frames will grow coral, has expanded its Red List of of about 1,000 square meters insulated cables. if only because they provide a surface Threatened Species to include was found in Oura Bay in Nago, off the murky floor of the ocean. But It’s prob- blue coral, which is found in the Okinawa Prefecture. The coral The electric current, too weak to harm while a mild electric current stimulates waters off Okinawa Prefecture. is about four kilometers from the swimmers or fish, draws dissolved cal- coral growth initially, he said it’s unclear ably not The IUCN, comprising govern- planned relocation site for the cium carbonate and other minerals whether the benefit continues after the going to do ments and environmental con- US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air from seawater, helping corals build their coral has thickened enough to block any harm. servation groups around the Station. skeletons. the current. Most important, he said, world, released the new study at Another community of blue there have been no studies comparing It might do a recent general meeting held in coral exists off the coast of But some scientists aren’t sure a jolt of electrified steel structures with identical some good.” Barcelona. Ishigakijima island. ■ electricity is what South Florida’s reefs structures without electricity. ■

9 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Zooplankton Eyes May New Species of Isidella Bamboo Coral Consist of Only Two Cells Why Sand is Bad News for Corals Planktonic mollusc larva. Australian ecologists David Bellwood the algae less appealing to the fishes. This image by and Chris Fulton studying rates of her- The reasons why sand turns off the fish- Dr Matthew bivory by coral reef fishes on algal turfs. es’ appetite are unclear. Hooge, Algal turfs are thick mats of sand and According to Dr Bellwood, “...it may University of algae that envelope the rocky surfaces be that the sediment acts as an antac- Maine took 2oth prize in where a coral reef would grow, effec- id and gives the fish indigestion by pre- Nikons micro- tively preventing a degraded coral reef venting their stomach acids digesting scopy image from re-establishing itself. their food. Or it may simply be that fish, contest in 2007 The key to the success of the algae in like people, don’t appreciate a mouth- preventing the re-establishment of coral ful of sand and mud.” ■ Larvae of marine invertebrates—worms, sponges, is the presence of sand, which renders jellyfish—have the simplest eyes that exist. They consist of no more than two cells: a photoreceptor cell and a pigment cell. These minimal eyes, called Elkhorn and Staghorn eyespots, resemble the ‘proto-eyes’ suggested by Charles Darwin as the first eyes to appear in animal evolution. They cannot form images but allow the Corals Gain Protection animal to sense the direction of light. This ability is crucial for phototaxis—the swimming towards light Elkhorn and stag- exhibited by many zooplankton larvae. Myriads horn corals pro- of planktonic animals travel guided by light every vide the branching day. Their movements drive the biggest transport framework for reef of biomass on earth. ■ A spectacular new species been spotted by marine scientists creatures in search of a safe place to of coral has been discovered growing to heights in excess of live, eat, and grow. thriving in veritable forests on one meter. They are so abundant The preservation the peaks of undersea moun- they create oases for numerous and recovery of It Pays to Protect the Seas tains off the coast of the Pacific other deep sea creatures. The these threatened Northwest. The large candelabra corals were discovered at depths corals is essential to or fanlike “bamboo corals” have of 2,300 to 3,300 feet (700 to 1,000 the conservation of Rudolf de Groot, an entire ecosys- of Wageningen tem. Both elkhorn Univeristy, the and staghorn cor- Netherlands, has als were listed as threatened under put a price tag the Endangered on the beneftis Species Act in May derived from the 2006 protection of coastal ecosys- meters) in the NOAA’s Fisheries Service will increase its The rule will prohibit the import, export, tem. famous Alvin protection of threatened elkhorn and take, and all commercial activities involv- He has calculated that effective protection of submersible. A staghorn corals in Florida, Puerto Rico, ing elkhorn and staghorn corals, includ- 20-30% of coastal ecosystems costs between 5 and paper officially and the US Virgin Islands through a ing: 19 billion dollars per year, but can generate bene- describing the new new rule to prohibit activities that result fits in terms of improving the surrounding fish stocks, species as well as giv- in death or harm to either species. The • collection or any activities that result in exceeding the costs. As the actual expenses to ing it an official scientific new regulations take effect on Nov. 21. the corals’ mortality or injury, maintain the currently unsustainable fishing indus- name will appear in the late “These corals were once the • anchoring, grounding a vessel, or drag- try are between 15 and 30 billion dollars per year, December issue of the jour- major reef builders in Florida and the ging any other gear on the species; the Dutch researcher estimates that creation of nal Proceedings of the Caribbean, but now more than 90 per- • damaging the species’ habitat; the network of Marine Protected Areas would be a Biological Society of cent of their populations are lost,” said • discharging any pollutant or contami- more efficient way to boost the fishing industry than Washington. ■ Roy Crabtree, NOAA’s Fisheries Service’s nant that harms the species. ■ the direct financial assistance they now receive. ■ southeast regional administrator.

10 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED For all your diving needs...... Underwater Photo-/Videography Dive Centre Dive Travel Online Shopping! news Best Value for your currency! WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!

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SCUBA SYMPHONY S103A Centrepoint Bandar Utama Bioreactors fuelled by algae 47800 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Tel: +603-77107197 Algae is an intriguing biofuel prospect Fax: +603-77251197 because they are the fastest growing Email: [email protected] plants on the planet. Other great virtues Web: http://www.scubasymphony.com GPS:N 3 08.313,E 101 36.613 Marine is that unlike corn-based ethanol, many algae offer a strains can be grown in salt water on vast renewable marginal land. Algae only need carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to make Researchers at the Center for energy source for their own food and chemical energy Biorefining of the University countries around the through photosynthesis. Algae makes oil that can then com- of Minnesota estimate that world that have a suitable bust, and it can be used to make lubri- algae produce 5,000 gallons of cants. It only takes a fraction of the

coastline available Sym ES space when it is grown in bioreactors, oil per acre (56,825 litres P ETE r and you don’t take something from the per hectare). food chain. But scientists caution that while the By comparison, corn yields 18 Seaweed Seen as a Future Green Energy Source possibilities are interesting, the unintend- ed consequences of cultivating algae on gallons, soybeans produce 48 gal- Seaweed farms off Scotland’s The idea is that kelp would be har- involve developing some kind of aquatic a large scale must also be considered. lons and palm trees yield 635 coast could help the country cut vested and placed in a large digester version of a combine harvester so that The process of growing algae for fuel gallons per acre. to be broken down by bacteria to banks of kelp could be cut quickly and production creates a lot of waste and its carbon emissions, produce form methane or ethanol. This could without too much human input. it requires significant energy to maintain Prof. Charles Trick, University of Western biofuel and provide valuable then be burned for electricity or heat. Kelp forests are dense and fast-growing the viable mass-culture required for com- Ontario and a specialist in aquatic sci- habitats for the marine life. Comparatively few residues remain—sea- so they should have no problem recov- mercial-scale algal operations. There is ences and microbial ecology, thinks the weed contains much smaller quantities ering from periodic harvesting. Norway also the risk of the algae escaping from focus on algae is déjà vu. Such farms could produce sustainable biofuel of tough lignin and cellulose than land has similar seaweed stocks to Scotland, a commercial farm into the environment, “Much work—good work—was done while avoiding the problems of producing plants—but what is left over at the end and harvests 130,000- overwhelming the natural in the 1970s. Algae, biofuels and power it on dry land according to research by the can be used as a fertiliser. 180,000 tonnes per “Algae grows 10 times faster environment and intro- cells were all developed because of Scottish Association for Marine Science. One Seaweeds are extremely productive year sustainably. than sugar cane — so try to ducing algal toxins. Some the oil embargo. The difference now, of the most serious problems is that growing plants, with natural stands of brown kelp Another benefit is that algae have a potent neu- he says, is that major oil companies are crops for biofuel takes up agricultural land thought to produce between 16 and 65 the seaweed farms imagine mowing the lawn three rotoxin that can cause behind biofuels. And there is a sense of that could be used for food, driving up food kilos of biomass per square metre each would provide valua- times a day and you have your paralytic shellfish poison- urgency. prices. Biofuel crops’ heavy use of water is also year—a great deal compared to land ble habitat for marine growth rate.” ing if mussels or the clams “The demand is now driven by India a concern, and Scotland’s cool, wet climate plants like sugar cane, which produces animals, helping that accumulate toxins are and China,” Trick says. “We have to do is poorly-suited to growing energy-rich crops. just 8-18 kilos in the same area. increase biodiversity. ■ —Mark Huntley, consumed. things differently.” ■ Seaweed could get around these problems. Getting these harvests would probably Royal Dutch Shell

11 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED The sight of Octopuses share ‘living ancestor’ ink squirts news Many of the world’s deep-sea octopuses make squid evolved from a common ancestor, whose clos- swim for est relative still exists in the Southern Ocean, a study has shown. The research into the evolu- their lives tion of deep-sea octopuses was part of a pro- gramme called the Census of Antarctic Marine Life. Researchers suggest that the creatures evolved after being driven to other ocean basins 30 million years ago by nutrient-rich and salty currents.

Dr Jan Strugnell, a biologist at Queen’s University Belfast, used all of that material and data to investi- gate the deep-sea octopuses. Through DNA studies, which she carried out, Strugnell looked into the relationship between different deep-sea octopuses and how they originated.

Strugnell traced the timeline for the distribution of deep-sea octopuses 30 million years back to a common ancestor. Image and background info “Ink courtesy of Dr James Wood, The species could all be traced back to a shal- who will assume the position low-water octopus that lived in the Southern as Director of Education at the Ocean. Today, the creature’s closest living Aquarium of the Pacific in Long relative (Megaleledone setebos) can still be Beach, California, on 19Jan 2009 alarm!” found in the icy waters around Antarctica. Strugnell’s work also enabled her to identify how changes in the region’s ocean played When squid see ink squirted by “When fish bleed, the scent of their blood either added a dose of ink a pivotal role in the development of the new another squid, they interpret it has been proven to alert nearby fish of to a squid’s aquarium, to a species, especially the emergence of a danger, so I wondered if ink was nearby unoccupied aquarium “thermohaline expressway”. ■ as a signal for danger. also being percieved that could be seen by the squid. In both as some form cases, the Caribbean reef squid took Animals respond to preda- evasive action. By also responding to ink tory attacks with distinc- tive behaviours, signals or displays. Cephalopods, with their complex nervous systems, pro- of alarm,” duce many behaviors, one says marine biologist, introduced into an adjacent but different of which is ejecting ink when James Wood, of the Bermuda aquarium within view, it was obvious that attacked by predators Institute of Ocean Sciences. vision contributed to the alarm response. Meanwhile, ink that had the dark mela- It is assumed that the main reason squid Squiddish for yelling “watch out” nin colouring removed had no effect on squirt ink is to hide and escape from Wood and colleagues collected ink from squid behaviour. Together, these obser- Watch a dem- predators, but inking may also serve as individual squid by scaring them with a vations clearly indicate that the trigger is onstration on an alarm cue for other squid to pick up. shake of their aquaria. The team then a visual and not a chemical signal. ■ YouTube

12 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED “We could not be more pleased with the positive feedback of this year’s show. With the current worldwide economic chal- news lenges, a number of DEMA members, retailers and exhibitors were apprehensive at the very beginning of the show. Yet, it became apparent when attendees entered the exhibit hall and disconnected from outside negative influences, they could con- duct business in a direct and productive manner. ” —Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA “Closing at 100 points up”

After a while most dive expos tend to look alike. Huge halls with harsh lighting, hard DEMA 2008 floors and long isles. The interesting bits are in all the individual booths Going into the 32nd DEMA, I think mal, “and that’s who we want to reach.” Continuing to be many other dive professionals The social highlight of the DEMA Show the largest trade 2008 was the 20th Annual DEMA Awards event in the shared my sentiments of trepida- Party held on the evening of October 24 world for com- tion of what effects the financial at the Riviera Hotel and Casino Ballroom. panies doing crisis was going to have on the It proved to be an unforgettable night of business in the expo. It was only weeks before music, delectable food, fun and live enter- scuba diving, tainment with industry peers dressed to ocean sports the dam burst wide open and sent impress as the red carpet was rolled out in and adventure/ stock markets worldwide into nose celebration of both past and present SCUBA dive travel indus- dives and yo-yo bounces. But I diving industry “Legends” who have helped tries, DEMA Show was in for a nice surprise. influence and introduce the underwater 2009, the 33rd world through movies, television and film. Annual DEMA Legends Zale Parry, Stuart Cove, Chuck Show, will take I have participated in some 15 DEMA expos, Nicklin, Pete Romano, Al Giddings, Gavin place November but this one stood out as odd one. There McKinney and their families joined Awards 4-7, 2009 at the weren’t very many significant new innova- Party attendees at the glitz and glamour Orange County tions or developments in terms of products event decorated in complete Hollywood Convention or new destination—the ones we found are style! Party attendees were greeted at the Center in described under the usual sections of this Ballroom entrance by two 8-foot Scuba Orlando, FL. magazine—but the atmosphere were very Tom Ingram presents Clement Lee with Diver “Oscar” statues and VIP tables were More than 650 energetic and positive with a lot of trading the 2008 Reaching Out Award adorned with brilliant “diamonds” etched exhibitors from going on in the booths. Most other people with respective company logos. It appeared around the I spoke to also expressed their positive sur- This year’s show was bigger by some 50 virtually every seat was occupied to hon- world and thou- prise. It was a world apart from the gloomy exhibitors, and according to DEMA’s presi- our the recipients of the 20th Annual DEMA sands of dive news on the economy you could watch on dent, Hornsby, there was a higher percent- Reaching Out Award, Clement Lee and and travel indus- TV back at the hotel. age of buyers on the show floor than nor- Marty Snyderman. ■ try professionals are expected to gather at next year’s show. ■ X-RAY MAG’s “GirlDiver” Cindy Ross (of GirlDiver.com) reporting from the floor 13 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED US Airmen extend enlistment Dr Sylvia Earle award- news underwater ed the 2009 TED prize ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - Lt. Col. Anthony Davit, 554th RED HORSE Squadron commander, administers the oath of enlistment to Master Sgt. Chad Craig, 25 feet under- water off Gab Gab beach.

“We’ve got to somehow stabilize our connection Barack Obama on protecting the Oceans to nature so that The US president-elect lays out steps the United States should take to protect in 50 years from now, 500 years, ocean health during his presidency 5,000 years from now, there will still Oceans are crucial to the earth’s developed an ambitious plan to should take a more active role. be a wild system ecosystem and to all Americans reduce U.S. emissions of green- I will work actively to ensure that and respect for because they drive global weath- house gases 80 percent below the US ratifies the Law of the Sea what it takes to er patterns, feed our people and 1990 by 2050. Convention—an agreement sup- sustain us.” are a major source of employ- We need to enhance our ported by more than 150 coun- ment for fisheries and recreation. understanding of the effect of cli- tries that will protect our eco- As president, I will commit my mate change on oceans and the nomic and security interests while Sylvia Earle, called “Her Deepness” by the New administration to develop the kind effect of acidification on marine providing an important interna- Yorker and the New York Times, “Living Legend” of strong, integrated, well-man- life through expanded research tional collaboration to protect by the Library of Congress, and “Hero for the aged program of ocean stew- programs at NASA, the National the oceans and its resources. My Planet” by Time, is an oceanographer, explorer, ardship that is essential Oceanic and Atmospheric administration will also strengthen author, and lecturer with a deep commitment to    to sustain a healthy Administration (NOAA), the regional and bilateral research research through personal exploration.      marine environ- National Science Foundation and oceans preservation efforts Earle’s work has been at the frontier of deep ment. (NSF), and the United States with other Gulf Coast nations. ocean exploration for four decades. Earle has Global climate Geological Survey (USGS). Our coastal areas and beaches led more than 50 expeditions worldwide involv-      change could I will propel the US into are American treasures and are ing more than 6,000 hours underwater. She was have cata- a leadership position in among our favorite places to live the captain of the first all-female team to live strophic effects marine stewardship and and visit. I will work to reauthorize underwater, and in 1979, Sylvia Earle walked un- on ocean ecol- climate change research. the Coastal Zone Management tethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than SeaCure™ Custom Mouthpiece ogies. Protection Stronger collaboration across Act in ways that strengthen the any other woman before or since. is moldable and remoldable. of the oceans is US scientific agencies and collaboration between federal In the early 1990s, Dr Earle served as Chief one of the many internationally is needed agencies and state and local Scientist of the National Oceanographic Created by an orthodontist, reasons I in basic research and for organizations. The National and Atmospheric Administration. At present, SeaCure is designed to fit have designing mitigation strate- Marine Sanctuaries and the she is explorer-in-residence at the National gies to reverse or offset Oceans and Human Health Acts Geographic Society. your mouth, teeth, and the damage being provide essential protection for Earle remains a dedicated advocate for gums . . . PERFECTLY. done to oceans and ocean resources and support the the world’s oceans and the creatures that live coastal areas. research needed to implement in them. Her voice speaks with wonder and Available at your local dive center. The oceans are a comprehensive ocean policy. amazement at the glory of the oceans and with a global resource These programs will be strength- urgency to awaken the public from its ignorance and a global ened and reauthorized. ■ about the role the oceans plays in all of our lives responsibility and the importance of maintaining the health of for which the —Barack Obama the seas. ■ www.seacure1.com US can and

14 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Training NAUI’s 2009 Just Why should you Dive Calendar is now read this book? bulletin available! Poseidon Discovery Because you are not a fish! Edited by The Just Dive Calendar is back Rebreather becomes an Arnold by popular demand! NAUI is Weisz happy to introduce the 2009 IANTD approved CCR Just Dive Calendar—available C O mm ONS Kurt Sjöblom of Poseidon Diving now for a limited time only! Systems, and IANTD’s Training

This calendar features impres- Wikim ED ia Director Joe Dituri today sive images from the second announced that IANTD will begin annual “Just Dive” Photo PADI Thresher Shark Specialty offering training on the new Contest. There will only be one This unique course was written by TSD founder, Andrea Poseidon Discovery rebreather, printing of this calendar and Agarwal, with the help of the TSD staff. Between them, they effective immediately. The it is a limited time offer. Order have thousands of dives with thresher sharks on Malapascua rebreather itself is the latest in the yours now at www.naui.org ■ Island, Philippines—the only place in the world known for daily Cis-Lunar range (it’s the Cis-Lunar sightings of this beautiful shark. The course will teach partici- Mk VII) and they are very pleased pants about sharks in general, and focuses on thresher sharks to be one of the first training in particular. Students will also learn about the habitat of the agencies to approve the unit and thresher sharks in Malapascua and how to dive with them begin offering courses on it. in an appropriate manner. During the course dives, students www.iantd.co.uk ■ search for sharks and identify behavioural patterns, markings, and gender. The course emphasises shark conservation issues and discusses the measures taken to conserve the sharks. SSI introduces online www.malapascua-diving.com ■ training program  Understand your land-orien- This interactive online training tated reflexes. DAN Dive Medicine for Divers Course program is consistent with the SSI philosophy of keeping the SSI  Beat your subconscious fears. In response to ongoing requests, The first three modules are: Dive Center as the recognized DAN, in cooperation with its hub of the sport diving commu-  Learn how to breath in a natural way. international partners, has devel- • Basic Examinations — This nity. SSI took the time to study oped a new education program module teaches how to evalu- online training and tailored it to  Make the most out of your dive called Dive Medicine for Divers. ate a diver’s respiratory and maximize the benefits for the dive in a relaxed manner. Ex PED i T ONS This new modular program cardiac function using a steth- retailer. This online academic pro- includes sections on fitness to oscope. gram is offered to the consumer This book is a valuable guide to dive, safety planning, decom- • Fitness to Dive — This module and the SSI Dive Center FREE. novices, as well as to experienced Wa TE r P OO f pression illness, barotrauma, gas discusses what it means to be The program is focused on driv- divers and diving instructors. toxicities, equipment-related physically fit enough to dive ing new consumers to SSI Dive Once you have comprehended your problems and diving maladies and the conditions that can Centers where long-term relation- body, mind and emotions you will PADI Polar Diver Specialty Course that aren’t pressure-related. keep divers out of the water. ships are developed. This type of feel (nearly) like a fish in the water. This PADI Specialty Course The PADI Polar Specialty Course The first three modules of this • Safety Planning — This module an approach to online training can only be taken with includes: program were released this includes processes and pro- will allow dive centers to provide Waterproof Expeditions in • It is an adventure; fall. Now many DAN Instructors cedures to make your dives customers a whole new element The author Monika Rahimi taught Antarctic, below the Antarctic • You will experience a unique mari- can offer these programs. It safer and also discusses how of convenience at no additional diving for 30 years. Convergence or below 60 time environment and wildlife; will include a selection of skills to deal with the aftermath of cost. SSI Dive Centers are excited Benefit from this experience. degrees, or in the Arctic, • You will be diving in an area that learned with an instructor, a dive accident, including tak- about implementing this pro- above the Arctic Circle. The very few divers have explored; instructor-led lectures, video ing care of the diver’s equip- gram and increasing new student To order at: course is designed to be an • There will be no crowd and programs and self-study informa- ment for an investigation and acquisition. www.divessi.com ■ www.amazon.co.uk (England) introduction to polar diving peaceful atmosphere; tion. taking care of the rescuers www.amazon.com (USA) and help the student diver • There are challenging photogra- afterward. ■ develop the skills, knowledge phy and filming, new motives and Author's E-mail: [email protected] and techniques necessary for sceneries. ■ In 2009, DAN will release additional modules for this program. diving in polar environments. www.waterproof-expeditions.com www.diversalertnetwork.org

15 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED wreck The Vandenberg soap rap You may look, but don’t touch opera continues The USS Oriskany is considered the world’s largest artificial reef. Once a mighty aircraft carrier, she was sunk 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola, on 17 May 2006. A veteran of two wars, the Mighty Edited by O’s flight deck lies at 135 feet deep and is considered an excep- Mathias Carvalho tional destination for scuba diving and spearfishing.

And therein lies the snag. That through the Gulf of Mexico in Thunderous impact Service Bureau, commented that depth is already five feet outside August 2008, the vessel shifted A May 2007 report by the Haas the Oriskany’s depth shift now The state of Florida is poised to city has to be executed and the current recreational diving about ten feet Center, concluded that the offers safer conditions, because contribute up to US$1.6 million to additional details are pending. limit, although it is maintained deeper. And with- Oriskany’s impact on the fewer divers will be tempted to satisfy a shipyard lien so a 524- A federal judge recently ordered that it can be reached with a out proper equip- After Hurricane in Escambia and Baldwin reach the flight deck and will foot decommissioned Air Force the auction of the ship after moderately safe dive profile. ment and training, counties’ local economy remain at shallower and safer missile tracking vessel can be a contractor failed to pay “People just had to touch it,” that depth can Gustav went created a dive-related depths. scuttled as an artificial reef off Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk, said Eilene Beard, chairwoman be dangerous to through the expenditures drive, gener- As the Oriskany’s highlights are the Florida Keys, Key West officials Virginia, for cleanup of the vessel. of the Escambia County Marine most sport divers. Gulf, the vessel ating an economic impact well above the flight deck mark, said. Key West City Commissioner Bill Advisory Committee. “And we’d “That extra ten of US$3.6 million in local with the majority of marine life The money to complete the Verge predicted the Vandenberg say, OK, bounce down there feet made a huge shifted about 10 output, 67 additional jobs, circling through the upper towers Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg project would be towed from Colonna’s and touch it and get back up difference,” said feet deeper. and $1.4 million in local of the vessel, divers may still profit is to come from an Office of Shipyard in Norfolk, to Key West here so you don’t use all your Jim Phillips, a local income. But after Gustav, from a wonderful experience. Tourism, Trade and Economic in December, with a scuttling to nitrogen.“ dive shop owner. business slowed down, “It might be a little less attrac- Development grant. But a con- take place in February 2009. ■ “What makes the aircraft carrier according to Beard. tive, a little less of a tease,” tract between the state and the Deeper concerns different than any other ship out Keith Wilkins, deputy director of Wilkins said. “But inadvertently, After Hurricane Gustav went there is that flight deck.” Neighborhood and Community it’s also a lot safer.” ■ Burning the Midnight Oil Peter Garrett, former singer of the Museum in Launceston, Tasmania, rock group “Midnight Oil “ and where three of the 29 funded current Australian Minister for the projects will be carried out. Environment, Heritage and the “Shipwrecks are virtual under- Arts, announced that AU$440,000 water libraries of information from in funding from the Australian our past, and the secrets and Government’s Historic Shipwrecks insights our shipwrecks hold tell Program will be used to protect a story about our nation, reveal- the nation’s underwater cultural ing information about the people heritage. The announcement was that traveled to our shores and made the times in which they lived. With during a vast maritime heritage, it is vital a visit that we act to preserve Australia’s to the historic shipwrecks and their arti- Queen facts for future generations”, he Victoria declared. Garrett added that each wreck is a precious record of Australia’s past, a marker of some Iron of the most significant events of Knight their history. ■ Artists impression of USS Oriskany resting on the sea bed MaTHiaS CarVaLHO (1943) ► Famous Australian shipwrecks

16 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED wreck Artificial reefs rap Divers reach SS Portland

The SS Portland wreck, New The ship was never seen again. Pieces of England’s worst maritime disas- the upper decks, along with 38 bodies, ter, received its first visitors after subsequently washed up along the Cape going down 110 years ago just Cod shore, but the location of the ship- north of Cape Cod. A team of wreck itself remained a mystery for nearly five recreational scuba divers from 100 years. Massachusetts has become the With the sinking of the USS Kittiwake, first to directly explore the wreck. The Portland is the most important of slated for June 2009, the Cayman Lying at 460 feet—twice the the New England historical shipwrecks, Islands will create an exciting new dive famous Andrea Doria shipwreck’s, according to Stellwagen Bank National attraction and artificial reef, while pro- this extreme depth has prevented Marine Sanctuary’s officials, who also viding much needed relief for some of any human visitation—until now. confirmed that the divers’ photographs the most frequently visited dive sites. match previous video footage obtained “There are more artifacts than I’ve ever The original perfect storm by remote-controlled cameras, mounted The USS Kittiwake, a de-commissioned seen on any wreck. They’re everywhere One of the last of New England’s luxuri- on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) naval ship, will be sunk on the north —plates and dishes and mugs and sinks ous, paddlewheel-driven coastal steam- used to positively identify the wreck in end of Grand Cayman’s world famous all over the bottom,” said Bob Foster, ers, carrying approximately 192 passen- 2002, during a government sponsored Seven Mile Beach, providing underwa- the leader of the three dive expeditions gers and crew, the Portland left Boston survey. ter enthusiasts of all skill levels with a made between August and September bound for Portland, Maine, on 26 Nov. new year-round diving destination that 2008. 1898, but was hit by a fierce storm on Protected grave site is both easy to access and a thrill to the way—one of Divers on the wreck are not allowed to explore. the worst in New remove or disturb any artifacts, given its England history historical value, as well as its status as a “Our sea-faring heritage, our strong and later known grave site. interest in presenting varied tourism as the Portland Dives are limited to 10-15 minutes of offerings and our belief in preserving the Gale. bottom time, followed by up to four hours environment, all played a major role in Approximately of decompression. “It’s a lot of effort the decision to acquire this latest diving 150 additional for a little time to explore the wreck,” attraction,” said the Minister of Tourism, vessels were lost adds Foster, “but even a short visit to the Hon. Charles E. Clifford, in the hurricane Portland is absolutely worth it.”

NOAA force winds, A veteran of numerous New England The USS Kittiwake was originally commis- A side scan sonar which claimed wrecks, Foster announced the dives in sioned as a Chanticleer-class submarine image of SS. 400 lives. Wind October and posted photos of the wreck rescue ship in the United States Navy Portland and water from site at www.bostondeepwrecks.com. ■ during World War II. Now it will join the the storm MV Captain Keith Tibbets, a Russian Watch NOAAs “Live destroyed Frigate sunk off the coast of Cayman Broadcast from the dozens Brac in 1996, as one of the greatest arti- Steamship Portland” of homes ficial reefs in the Caribbean. and even changed the Speaking for the Cayman Islands course of riv- Tourism Authority, USS Kittiwake Project ers. Manager Nancy Easterbrook noted, Diving Steamship “The Kittiwake has been a labor of love Portland in the and extremely hard work for more than Stellwagen Bank five years, and we all look forward to Sanctuary seeing water-based tourism in Grand Cayman stimulated by this new under- Book on water attraction, suitable for both divers Amazon and snorkelers.” ■

17 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Centenary Shipwreck Celebration In December 2008, the town of Warr- it had steel masts and wire rigging.” He submerged reef, about 150 meters out nambool in Victoria, Australia, festivities added, “Most of the sailing ships of the to sea. It must have been an incredible will take place for the 100th anniversary time had wooden masts and hemp for spectacle. The ship was stuck on the of one of the greatest shipwrecks of what rigging. The steel tubing on the Falls of rocks, with only the stern submerged, is known as “Shipwreck Coast”. The Falls Halladale would have made it handle leaving its bow and sails in full view. The of Halladale went down in full sight of the heavy seas a lot easier without causing crew escaped unharmed, rowing ashore townsfolk gathered at the shore, after much damage.” and seeking refuge at the nearby Bay of hitting a submerged reef of the coast of Islands homestead. Peterborough, almost 100 years ago. One foggy day a long time ago The 2085-tonne ship was bound from Centenary organizer Rex Mathieson It was a morning with a heavy mist that New York for Melbourne and Sydney, described the wreck as one of the last prevented any visual forewarning, as carrying 500 sewing machines, 6500 gal- “great” sailing shipwrecks. “What makes the ship neared the southwest Australian lons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene and the Falls of Halladale more unique is that coastline on 13 November 1908. 56,763 American slate tiles. Little remains Confused, the captain miscal- of the wreck, as explosives were used culated the ship’s position. As during salvage operations and the vessel the fog lifted, the ship—with full came apart over the years, due to the sails—was only a few hundred coast’s strong swells and winds. meters from shore and surging “It was in full view for months,” towards a rocky outcrop. Within Mathieson declared. “It took a while to minutes, the ship had struck a become fully submerged. When you dive the wreck, it looks like a demolition site The Shipwreck Coast is aptly to the untrained eye. The steel hull is no named, with more than 200 longer intact, and it’s pretty much unrec- wrecks along its length. Many ognizable.” occurred in the goldrush years of The Falls of Halladale was the second the mid-19th century, as sailing last sailing ship to sink off Shipwreck Coast. ships bringing hopeful immigrants The last one was the Antares, which sunk foundered on the rocky cliffs and reefs of the southern coast. near Nirranda in 1914. ■

Celebrate & discover Byron Bay underwater during • Underwater Photo & Video Shootout Competition - over $20,000 in prizes a week of marine themed fun, arts & activities - • Marine Visions international art competition - over $5,000 in prizes over $30,000 in prizes to be won! • Marine Wildlife Presentations • Loads of marine activities including: snorkeling with turtles, kayaking with dolphins, night dives, introductory SCUBA dives, discover the wreck of the Tassie II • SeaDoo Seascooter adventures • Underwater Camera and other equipment try-outs • Underwater Naturalist Course with Underwater Pioneer Neville Coleman • Underwater Photography Clinics with Mathieu Meur from Singapore • Underwater Film Festival ByrOn Bay • BBQs, dinners, and Underwater Party 27 aPril - 3 May 2009 Contact festival organisers: Tim & Wandy Hochgrebe Ph 02 6680 9134 underwaterfestival.com.au

Festival MajOr MajOr Dive in, explore, discover Organisers Partners sPOnsOrs

Full colour: SD logo in 100C 50M; text in 100K 18 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED

Black

reverSe white Bad Mojo, Good Mojo

Donald Keith, president of the Texas-based Ships of Discovery Marine Archeology Institute, have uncov- Britannic ered the remains of a Spanish slave ship bound to Is Back In Business Cuba’s sugar cane fields, which sunk off the Turks and His Majesty’s Hospital Ship Britannic isn’t a name with Caicos Islands, in 1841. which everyone is familiar. Nor did it inspire a million- dollar blockbuster movie feature like its famous sis- “My interest went beyond the The Trouvadore, carrying 193 archives in Britain, Cuba, the local trades, subsequently allow- ter, the RMS Titanic. At the time of its sinking, HMHS historical conservation,” explained African captives, went down Bahamas and elsewhere, com- ing them to settle on the islands. Britannic made fewer headlines, and It has since been Simon. “Diving has become a after hitting a reef. According to pleted the story and provided The ship’s 20 crewmen were forgotten. But modern technology and the renewed part of it. I have to work with historical documents, 192 African clues of the location of the ship. arrested and sent in chains to divers to get what I require as prisoners managed to swim The remains of a wooden brig- Spanish authorities in Cuba for interest in the Titanic has also turned a few eyes much as they have to work with ashore. The crew shot and killed antine, locally known as the trial on what was then a hanging towards this lesser glamorous, but very historically me to get what they require. one African woman, but the oth- Black Rock Wreck, were located offense, though their fate is not significant vessel. “I bought the ship for marine ers were freed in the Turks and near the area indicated in the known. conservation. It’s also the con- Caicos, where Britain had abol- letter. “The people of the Turks and Britannic was completed at discover what caused the ves- serving of the artifacts. We want ished slavery eight years earlier. Caicos have a direct line to this Belfast’s Harland and Wolff ship- sel to sink, either a German tor- to create some sort of unique Researchers dramatic, historic event—it’s yard, two years after Titanic was pedo or a mine. After the war, attraction around the world. It will Seim, Keith how so many of them ended up lost in 1912. It was also built as the log of the German U boat combine science, history archae- and other being there,” Keith added. an olympic-class passenger liner, U73—which roamed the area— ology,” he said. archaeolo- Researchers are still looking for but before carrying a single fare- revealed that it had laid 12 mines And the site will possibly gists were able a list of English names given to

paying passenger, was comman- in the Kea Channel, just two miles become a viable attraction for Offi CE to determine the slaves that was sent by the deered as a hospital ship serving from where the Britannic lies. tourists, as plans are already that authorities island’s officials to the authorities, in the allied effort during the First As it lies on its starboard side, under way to start regular subma- on the islands which would provide an essen- World War. which took the impact of the rine visitations, each taking just apprenticed tial piece of information to the On 21 November 1916, just off explosion, it’s still impossible to ten minutes to reach the bottom. Pu BL i C RECO r DS the marooned islands’ current inhabitants’ his- the Greek coast, there was a determine what took the vessel “That’s much quicker than the Africans to tory and possible descendants. ■ sudden explosion near the bow. to her grave. McKimm’s docu- two-and-a-half hours required to NOAA Within 55 minutes, she went to mentary shows the seabed at the dive to Titanic,” said McKimm, the bottom, a victim of enemy location where the mines were who has visited both sites. “After i ON a L A r CH i VES, action. supposed to be and reveals what being lost for more than half a Na T

Thirty lives were lost when two they found there. century, the Britannic could soon Bri T i SH lifeboats were smashed by a Better built and hypothetically be the biggest must-see attrac- One of the earliest photographs of still-rotating propeller. More press- a lot safer, the Britannic should tion in the Mediterranean. It’s a Africans being rescued from a slave ing wartime matters caused the have remained afloat a lot long- very spectacular wreck and a ship by the British Royal Navy tragedy to be soon forgotten er. Nevertheless, she sank three very special one.” until French explorer Jacques times quicker than the Titanic. The Cousteau found it again in 1975. probable reason is that special Greek interest The discovery was made pos- It now lies at a depth of over 100 watertight doors were left open On a different note, Greek biolo- sible after 1993 when Keith meters. amidst the panic to abandon gists are fascinated by the wreck, and Grethe Seim, founder of ship. But this remains one of those as it has become a “living” artifi- the Turks and Caicos National Underwater Museum mysteries that generate all the cial reef in what is a very barren Museum, came across an BBC News correspondent Mike allure of wreck exploration. area of the Aegean Sea. Taken letter at the Smithsonian McKimm joined a Greek scien- That is precisely what drove its over by a wide variety of marine Institution, written by an arti- tific expedition and dived to the current owner, Simon Mills, to pur- life, it is turning into a natural labo- fact salesman from the island. Britannic to bring back dramatic chase the shipwreck in 1996 and ratory for scientists who want to It reported the shipwreck, footage of one of the world’s has since worked to protect it learn more about how such reefs back in 1841, and the sale of largest wrecks. while still allowing divers access to might benefit the marine biodiver- kava kava glass-eyed dolls. The expedition will also try to the ship. sity of the local sea-bed. ■ Further research on historical

19 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED silver

www.seacam.com travel news ActiVentures announces the opening of their new

Edited by resort in Anilao Batangas Scott Bennett Long regarded as the birthplace of the centre of marine biodiversity, the modations, all meals, 18 boat dives Philippines diving, Anilao’s waters resort provides an enticing fusion of and unlimited shore diving, a day trip have been a magnet for diving exotic island culture and sophisitca- to Puerto Galera dive sites, all land enthusiasts attracted by its flourishing tion, a mere 2.5-hour drive south of and sea transfers, conservation fees coral reefs and prolific fish life. Manila. and personalized ActiVentures Dive Bangladesh becomes ActiVentures is proud to announce With offices in San Francisco and Professional Service for the duration the opening of the Acacia Dive Manila, ActiVentures offers pre-set or of your trip. Prices start at US$1650.00 Resort, a luxurious dive resort fully customized dive tours that are excluding international airfares. For unmatched by no other in the area. unrivaled in service and attention to more information, contact: a new dive destination Nestled right in the heart of what detail. All inclusive eight-day, seven- has been recently deemed to be night packages include accom- [email protected] ■ Abundant corals and clear waters have catapulted Bangladesh’s only coral island into a major tourist attraction

island’s beaches are fringed with Bangladesh to possess a coral reef. A coconut palms, a far cry from the total of 234 species of fish have been perception most people have of this recorded from the coastal waters populous Muslim nation. “It’s a para- along with an abundance of mol- dise for us,” said Nahreen Akhtar, a luscs and nudibranchs. In addition, mother of two, who works for a pri- the island is an important nesting site vate bank in Dhaka and was holiday- for endangered olive ridley and green ing on the island. turtles. Efforts are being made by local authorities to ensure protection A decade ago, fewer than 200 peo- of the turtles as well as the rare corals ple made the crossing to visit the that are found there. island and most returned before night- Recently introduced scuba diving fall. Now, more than 3,000 tourists, a has been incorporated into a bid to majority of them Bangladeshis, arrive attract more tourists, and there are each day. “I enjoy bringing people plans to bring water skiing and other here, and they are pleasantly sur- sporting facilities to the island. prised when they see all the beauty. “Bangladesh could earn millions of It’s a shame this is not more known to dollars every year if it promotes Saint the world yet,” said Filip Engsig-Karup, Martin. People love coming here,” a Danish tour operator. “When I take said S. M. Kibria, a local tour operator. people from Denmark to Bangladesh, Getting to Saint Martin involves fly- everybody is amazed, because the ing or taking a bus to Cox’s Bazar, impression they have got about this about 400 km from the capital Dhaka, country is quite different from the real- and then catching a bus to Teknaf, ity,” he said. which is another 100 km away. From Laying approximately 14km off sands of local and foreign visitors daily Teknaf, ferries run daily to Saint Martin, Bangladesh’s southernmost town of thanks to its panoramic beauty and Characterized by large areas of sand around three hours to reach the Teknaf, the tiny island of Saint Martin pristine marine life. Locally known as dunes and scattered mangroves, island. Most tourists visit the island from in the Bay of Bengal attracts thou- Narikel Jinjira (Coconut Island), the Saint Martin is the only island in November to March. ■

21 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Dive into X-RAY MAG’s travel Curaçao gets deep-sea submersible Library of Issues! Willemstad – Curaçao will soon be having a new attraction: Download past issues FREE Edited by Substation Curaçao, a deep-diving submarine capable of cruis- Scott Bennett ing at depths in excess of 300 meters. Tourists can shortly experi- ence the fascinating and spectacular underwater world in the Dutch Caribbean.

Substation Curaçao will be the only expected during the first quarter of safe, certified and secured deep div- 2009. ing tourist submarine in the world. The For more information, please call waters off Curaçao have been de- +5999 461 6666 or +5999 6638205. If scribed as “gin clear”. Extraordinary you are in Curaçao, please drop by fish and shipwrecks can be observed the Sea Aquarium, Bapor Kibra z/n. even at unsurpassed depths. The website www.substationcuracao. It is expected that the first subma- com will be launched in two months rine (for three persons, including pilot) including information about Substa- arrives in Curaçao in December this tion Curaçao, pictures, a virtual tour, year. It will be used temporarily until safety measurements, etc. Visitors the official five-person submersible can also make their online bookings (including pilot) will be in on the island, through this site. ■

Diving Honduras in a homemade sub In Honduras, a US entrepreneur takes tourists into the deep in his homemade and uninsured submarine. In Roatan, Honduras, the 34-year-old “Without them,” he says, “I wouldn’t American entrepreneur, Karl Stanley, have been able to stay in business.” regularly takes passengers to depths But while many admire Stanley’s of 1700 feet, deeper than any other entrepreneurial resolve, others are tourist sub in the world, in an unin- concerned by his cavalier attitude sured and homemade submarine. towards risk. The enterprise has prov- After nearly 1,000 dives over the en to be anything but risk-free, with past decade, Stanley has managed assorted mishaps including cracked to accrue an enthusiastic clientele. windows, being wedged in a cave, Stanley conducts about 100 dives entanglements in lobster traps and a year and charges US$1,500 per small onboard fires. person for a five-hour shark dive, not “The guy’s amazing—he’s really including the time it takes to prep cool,” says Richard Boggs, techni- the sub or haul a horse ahead as cal superintendent at yacht bro- bait. kerage firm Camper & Nicholsons To help cover operating costs, he International. “What disturbs me is also collects a rare type of mollusc that he’s taking down people who called a slit shell, which lives below don’t fully understand the risk. That’s 300 feet. Stanley devised a way to just wrong, morally and ethically. rig a net on the end of a pole and It’s illegal everywhere but the Third snags the creatures, earning him up World, and for very good reason.” ■ www.xray-mag.com to $3,000 each. SOurCE: CNN MONEy

22 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Scandinavian Airlines Mafia Island—another demonstrate “greener” coming dive destination? landing procedures A new gateway for those who wish to discover the last remain- New landing procedures that ing unspoilt islands of the world is reduce the amount of fuel Mafia Island, which is located off burned, as well as lowering emis- the delta of the Rufiji Islands in the sions and noise levels, have been southern region of Tanzania. This validated in “green” flight trials island is 120km from the city of Dar performed with Scandinavian es Salaan in Tanzania, and it’s one Airlines Airbus 330s. SAS estimates of the six districts of Pwani Region in the continuous descent approach Tanzania. (CDA) to airports can result in an estimated annual fuel reduction The Mafia Island’s economy is pri- of 95 tonnes per aircraft, equal- marily based on agriculture and DOmiNiCaNTODay ling a 290-tonne reduction in CO2 fishing. Fishing is controlled in the emissions and a reduction in air- southern area of the island within port noise levels by 3-5 decibels. ■ Punta Cana Resort inaugurates Taino Underwater Park the confines of the Mafia National MV Spree moves Marine Park. Dominican Republic – The destination Punta Cana Resort and Club took the Fat Canadians get a break Spree Expeditions have announced that the company first step to create the Underwater Park Igneri / Taino, in Playa Bonita, with The island served as an important Canadian airlines must pro- is moving the award-winning liveaboard scuba diving the laying of the first two sculptures of a total of 12 that will complete the stop for the dhows (tradiional sail- boat MV Spree to the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys for exhibit. ing vessels) of Arabs and Persians vide free extra seat for obese full-time operation based out of Key West beginning May The project is headed by the artist, Thimo Pimentel, with the support of the who plied their trade in the Indian or disabled passengers. 2009. Punta Cana Group’s Ecological Foundation. Ocean waters from the gulf to The sculptures were deposited 50 feet in depth and one of Mozambique and Madagascar. The Canadian Supreme Court has MV Spree offers Sport Diving Charters and Technical them has the image of a Taina maid in an offering Consisting of one large island (394 ruled that Canadian airlines can- Diving Charters. Sport diving charters to the Dry Tortugas representing Atabeira or Mother of the Waters, sq km) and several smaller ones, not charge extra for an obese per- run for three, four or five days, and offer up to five dives and the second is a Domene with picto- Mafia Island attracts many scuba son who needs an extra seat or a each day. The MV Spree also offers three-day and five- graphs representing the god Huracan divers, sport-fishing enthusiasts, and disabled person who needs day “keys krawls,” featuring the wrecks and reefs of the (Hurricane). ■ other tourists. space for a wheelchair lower Keys. In recognition of the beneficial role that nitrox or attendant. plays in diver safety, nitrox is free Chole Bay, Mafia’s protected on all charters. Gujarat to launch whale deep-water anchorage and the shark watching project original harbour, is studded with Canada’s For technical divers, the MV Spree islands and beaches. The largest airline is offers specialized technical diving to attract tourists refreshingly clear protected now trying to figure charters to the Key West Ghost waters provide wonderful out which obese and disa- Fleet and the deep wrecks of the India – Tourists visiting Gujarat will now get a chance to snorkeling, sailing and bled passengers will be eligible for Dry Tortugas. ■ watch whale sharks in their natural habitat near Saurashtra swimming. Chole island excursion the additional seats at no charge. coast, with the “Whale Shark Watching Tourism” being is packed with numerous ancient Air Canada spokesman Peter launched in the state. The state Forest Department will also ruins, and it is a good starting point Fitzpatrick said they are developing be celebrating the Whale Shark Day in Porbandar every year. for Mafia Island tours. detailed eligibility rules for these This year, it is being celebrated on the day of the launch of the free seats. The ruling Thursday project. The horseshoe-shaped Chole Bay is applies only to domes- an ideal site for snorkeling, under- tic flights and will be About 1,200 to 2,000 whale sharks visit the Saurashtra coast water photography, and scuba implemented on every year. The whale sharks migrate from the north coast of Sri diving. The Mafia National Marine 9 Jan 2009. ■ Lanka to the Gujarat coast. The best time for whale shark watch- park, of which Chole Bay is part, ing is between November and May. extends to Kinasi Pass Wall. Kinasi Pass is a sheltered reef comprising The government plans to invite domestic as well as foreign private of several species of hard and soft entrepreneurs to develop infrastructure along the coastal line, such corals. The reef supports a wide as accommodation for tourists, restaurants and souvenir shops. ■ variety of marine life. ■

23 X-RAY MAG : 27 : 2008 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED