Image via robertpaulyoung

The Crystalline Waters of the Cook Islands was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Skunk Clownfish

via Adam Gerritsma

Barrier Reef Anemonefish

via mattk1979

Yellowtail Clownfish

via brian.gratwicke

Tomato Clownfish

via brian.gratwicke

Clown Anemonefish

via mtarlock

Orange Clownfish

via jiazi

Pink Skunk Clownfish

via chillitpv

Sebae Anemonefish

via mileswu

Maroon Clownfish

via brian.gratwicke

Clownin’ Around With Anemones was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Brigitte Bardot Offers Herself in Trade for Paul Watson’s Release

Brigitte Bardot Offers Herself in Trade for Paul Watson’s Release

In an effort to secure the release of Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, from detainment in Germany, retired actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has offered to take his place. The 77-year-old Bardot said in a statement that she has always supported Watson and his activism against the cruelty and slaughter of marine animals, and that she is willing to take his place in prison because she is his accomplice. Watson has been detained in Germany since last week, due to a warrant issued in 2002 by the Costa Rican government accusing him of attempted murder in relation to events that occurred during the filming of Sharkwater, a documentary exposing shark exploitation in Costa Rica and Ecuador. Bardot has actively campaigned against the mistreatment and slaughter of animals for many years, earning a vessel in the Sea Shepherd’s fleet named after her, as well as fines in her native country of France for her opposition to Islam’s ritual slaughter of animals.

Japanese Deep-Diving Submarine to Study Endangered Eels

A team of researchers from the Japanese Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology will be putting a deep-diving submersible into the waters of the Pacific Ocean near Guam in order to study the pre- and post-spawning activities of Japanese eels, which are endangered to the brink of extinction. The manned submersible, which can dive up to 6,500 meters, will be operated mainly at a depth of 200 meters during the daytime to search for the eels and record their activities in order promote studies on the eels’ preservation. At night, an unmanned deep ocean floor survey system called the Deep Tow will be used, which is towed with a cable and records data through the use of affixed sonar and cameras.

Puget Sound Porpoise Deaths Raise Alarm for Ocean Health

The third harbor porpoise to wash ashore on Whidbey Island in the last week has raised alarm among experts, who wonder if the animals were ill, or if their deaths are a symptom of an ailing ocean. Due to the decomposed state of the porpoises upon their discovery, a necropsy that would normally be performed is rendered useless. A scientist with the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network has taken samples of blubber from the cetaceans to test it for contaminants that may possibly be in the water. In early May, eight porpoises washed ashore over the course of a week in the San Juan Islands, an area just north of Whidbey Island. No cause has yet been determined in any of the cases.

The Daily Reel: May 18, 2012 was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

This unique conference will address the major issues surrounding rebreather technology, and its application in commerical, media, military, scientific, sport and technical diving.  RF3 has two key objectives; an emphasis on safety and the much needed peer review of the state of the art.  As a RF3 delegate you will be part of this important process.

I am a PADI instructor with only one rebreather pool dive under my belt, so I claim to be no expert and know I’ll learn plenty during this three day conference.

But we want to help you, the divers of the world.

Rebreather Animosity

When we post news or articles about rebreathers, the response is typically along the lines of “it’s certain death”. However, in seeing devices like the Hollis Explorer as well as early pieces of the PADI rebreather courses, this is not a niche that plans to go away and is working diligently to become as safe as possible.

When BCD’s were introduced, people thought they were dangerous. Now they’re standard gear.

When dive computers were introduced, people thought they were dangerous. Now they’re standard gear.

When nitrox was introduced, people thought it was dangerous. Now it’s incredibly common.

Will rebreathers be next?

What Do You Want to Know?

Post your questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to get answers from the leading experts in rebreather design, training and use. This is going to be a busy conference, so we may not be able to get answers to every question, but we’ll do our best.

We’ll be live-tweeting, so follow us on Twitter or check the stream below. We’ll be posting on Aquaviews daily throughout the conference, so if you’re not a big Twitter fan, you can catch our summaries here.

Rebreather Forum: An Evolution in the Diving Industry was written by Nick Bostic for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Survivor of Boat Lost at Sea Sues Princess Cruises

Survivor of Boat Lost at Sea Sues Princess Cruises

A young Panamanian fisherman has filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruises for failing to rescue him and two of his friends that had become stranded in the Pacific Ocean, an ordeal that resulted in two other men’s deaths. Passengers aboard a Princess cruise ship were bird watching on the vessel’s deck when they noticed a small fishing boat indicating signs of distress. Despite informing staff members of the boat and being assured that the message would be passed on to the captain, they were astonished to see no attempt to perform a rescue. All three young men were alive at the time of the sighting, but two succumbed to exposure and severe dehydration in the following days. The lone survivor was nearing his own death when he was finally rescued near the Galapagos Islands. The passengers who spotted the boat will be offering their testimony on behalf of the survivor. A representative for Princess Cruises stated that the message never made it to the captain or the officer of the watch. He also expressed regret over the incident, and noted that Princess Cruises had been involved in more than 30 rescues in the last ten years.

Manila Will Not Recognize Chinese Fishing Ban

Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, has stated that it will not recognize a fishing ban imposed by Beijing in parts of the South China Sea, due to the fact that the areas established overlap the Philippines’ own 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Philippine government is interested in establishing its own restrictions in an effort to support marine conservation.

Spearfishing Diver Sentenced For Illegal Lobster Poaching

A pair of spearfishing divers were apprehended by Orange County Fish and Game Wardens on January 15 for poaching lobsters caught in the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve. The two men had 47 California spiny lobsters in their possession, more than 3 times the legal catch limit. Additionally, 42 of the lobsters were under the weight limit set forth by the law. The legal catch limit is 7 per day, at 8 inches or more, and they can only be caught by hand, or with baited hoop nets. One diver claimed responsibility for the entire incident, allowing the other diver to come away without even a citation. The responsible party was sentenced May 4 to seven days in jail, $20,000 in fines, had to relinquish all of his gear, and is now banned from protected areas in California. He was the first to be prosecuted since laws establishing marine protected areas went into effect on January 1.

The Daily Reel: May 15, 2012 was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

German Fish Deaths Blamed on Human Urine

German Fish Deaths Blamed on Human Urine

A fish population of Eichbaum Lake, located in the German port city of Hamburg, has experienced a mass die-off in the last two weeks, with more than 500 fish casualties reported. Fishermen’s advocates are pointing the finger at recreational swimmers’ habit of peeing in the lake, at an estimated half a liter per swimmer per day, which introduces algae-producing phosphates into the water. Swimmers and fishermen are consequently embroiled in a feud, especially in light of the failed use of anti-phosphates to amend the imbalance. Until the killer algae outbreak has been addressed, swimmers are banned from using the lake.

UK Aquarium Has Vegetarian Shark

An aquarium in the Birmingham area of the UK has an unprecedented situation on their hands: a nurse shark that has eschewed its carnivorous ways for a vegetarian lifestyle. Staff at the National Sea Life Centre noticed that the 6-foot female, called Florence, was stealing pieces of lettuce that were intended for the turtles she shares a tank with, and eventually refusing to eat fish altogether. They’ve begun hiding pieces of fish in sticks of celery, hoping she will compromise for the sake of her nutrition. Hilariously, one staff member stated, “We wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed by the flesh-eating hammerheads in the tank.”

Illegal Fish Dumping May Be a Big Problem in New Zealand

Fish dumping, also known as high-grading, is the practice of selecting the best specimens from a catch and dumping the dead undesirables back into the sea, and despite their laws, New Zealand may have a bigger issue with it than they think. Check out the recent report exposing its frequency:

The Daily Reel: May 14, 2012 was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Image via Snap®

The Stunning Reef Life of the Andaman was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Image via USFWS Headquarters

A Great Sacrifice was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Zeagle Diver Tool Kit – $78.50 FREE SHIPPING!

When you can find a package deal on accessories that cover all your needs, it’s a cause for celebration. That’s exactly how we feel about this diver tool kit from Zeagle. It includes a dive knife and EMT shears, both of which are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. A dive knife is certainly one of those essentials that can help you in a jam, but the EMT shears offer another level of safety by enabling you to cut through just about anything that you might become entangled in. The blade of the knife is serrated on one side and straight edged on the other, and has an integrated line cutter. Both of these very useful items come neatly packaged in a heavy duty nylon sheath that easily attaches to the shoulder or waist strap of your BCD. But Zeagle doesn’t stop there — the back of the sheath features a dive slate, which can come in handier when hand signals just won’t cut it!

Aquatec Balanced Power Inflator with Integrated Horn – $59.95 FREE SHIPPING!

We especially love accessories that can multi-task, like this power inflator with integrated horn from Aquatec. As we recently discussed, an audible signaling device is a valuable accessory, for use during your dives as well as topside. Some divers don’t like the idea of more things hanging off their BCD, screwing up their profile, or falling out of a pocket, which is an understandable annoyance. That’s why this accessory kicks so much tail — the device is part of a power inflator! The horn works both below and above the surface, and allows for inflation, deflation, and signaling with one grip. No digging for it in a pocket, or constantly tucking it back in so it’s not dangling. Easily installed on nearly any BCD on the market, this is one smart accessory.

AquaSketch Minno Wrist Slate – $39.95 FREE SHIPPING!

This is about as cool as a dive accessory gets. Dive slates are very useful for teachers, students, or anyone else who has the need to communicate relentlessly, even underwater. This wrist slate can improve your dive profile simply by being an accessory that stays in close contact with your body — no pockets, no lanyards. Up to 8 feet of waterproof vellum can be contained in this slate, which gives you a fresh writing surface with just a turn of the knob. The surface is phosphorescent, making it useful for night dives or low visibility, and the erasable vellum scrolls can even be scanned into your computer for easy access to information. The pencil and eraser are attached to the device, so you won’t have to worry about them slipping through your fingers into the abyss. This wrist slate has definitely appeared in a few of our daydreams about SCUBA gear!

SCUBA Accessories You Know You Want was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Image via TRF_Mr_Hyde

A Mother’s Love was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World