SCUBA Diving News

Belize barrier reef in Danger

2009-07-02T12:22:00.002+01:00

UNESCO has added the Belize Barrier Reef to its list of world heritage sites in danger. The reef was added as a world heritage site in 1996 as the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, with offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries. The main problem with Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System concerns mangrove cutting and excessive

Third of Pelagic Sharks Threatened with Extinction

2009-06-25T10:14:00.007+01:00

The first study to determine the global conservation status of 64 species of open ocean (pelagic) sharks and rays reveals that 32 percent are threatened with extinction, primarily due to overfishing, according to the IUCN Shark Specialist Group.“Despite mounting threats, sharks remain virtually unprotected on the high seas,” says Sonja Fordham, Deputy Chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and

Poseidon Recall Diving Wings

2009-06-24T16:18:00.003+01:00

Poseidon are recalling their Besea W50 Diving Wings (also known as a BCD or stab jacket). The inner bladder inside the diving wing can break, causing the wing to fail as a buoyancy device. This poses a drowning hazard to divers.The recall involves the Poseidon inner bladders with batch number 5445 sold with the Poseidon Besea W50 wings. The inner bladder is located inside the outer cover of the

Scientists predict Large Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

2009-06-24T15:37:00.002+01:00

University of Michigan scientists say this year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" could be one of the largest on record, continuing a decades-long trend.Most likely, this summer's Gulf dead zone will blanket about 7,980 square miles, roughly the same size as last year's zone, ecologist Donald Scavia said. That would put the years 2009, 2008 and 2001 in a virtual tie for second place on the list of the

Snorkeller killed by shark at St Johns, Egypt

2009-06-03T16:19:00.002+01:00

A female French tourist was attacked and killed by a shark while snorkelling at the Saint John's reefs in the Red Sea. The first fatal shark attack in Egypt for five years.The woman's leg showed visible bite marks, and medics said she probably bled to death before being lifted to the surface.The shark was an oceanic white tip. Although inexperienced divers sometimes confuse it with the white tip

Protecting the oceans makes economic sense

2009-05-24T08:06:00.004+01:00

Protecting the oceans through marine protected areas can provide higher and more sustained income through tourism and controlled fisheries than continued exploitation. This is the result of IUCN’s new compilation of case studies about the economic benefits of marine protected areas, launched on World Biodiversity Day at the 2nd International Marine Protected Area Congress. “Marine protected

Endangered right whales found where they were thought extinct

2009-05-21T10:30:00.004+01:00

Using a system of underwater hydrophones that can record sounds from hundreds of miles away, a team of scientists has documented the presence of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an area they were thought to be extinct.The discovery is particularly important, researchers say, because it is in an area that may be opened to shipping if the melting of polar ice continues, as expected.Results

Manage corals and minimise climate change

2009-05-21T09:51:00.005+01:00

A better assessment of the threats to coral reefs along with improved management will give corals a much higher chance of survival in the face of warming oceans, says IUCN's latest report.“We already know that climate change is destroying coral reefs through warming waters that cause coral bleaching and through acidifying oceans that hinders coral skeleton growth. We also know that if we want to

New initiative to reduce shark deaths

2009-05-19T17:19:00.005+01:00

Today, the Shark-Marina, a not-for-profit company launches its strategy to prevent the deaths of millions of vulnerable and endangered species of shark. The initiative aims to win over the fishing community by working with game fishing societies, tackle manufacturers, competition sponsors and marinas to form community conscious policy.In the last five years over half a million sharks on average

Basking shark mystery solved

2009-05-19T12:13:00.008+01:00

Once thought of as a strictly cool-water species, basking sharks migrate to tropical waters each winter, according to research published in the June 2009 issue of journal Current Biology. "While commonly sighted in surface waters during summer and autumn months, the disappearance of basking sharks during winter has been a great source of debate ever since an article in 1954 suggested that they

World's Largest Leatherback Turtle Population Found

2009-05-18T14:11:00.004+01:00

An international team of scientists has identified a nesting population of leatherback sea turtles in Gabon, West Africa as the world's largest.The research, published in the May issue of Biological Conservation, involved country-wide land and aerial surveys that estimated a population of between 15,730 and 41,373 female turtles using the nesting beaches.The study highlights the importance of

Caribbean Big Fish Disappearing

2009-05-06T21:44:00.004+01:00

Sharks, barracuda and other large predatory fishes disappear on Caribbean coral reefs as human populations rise, endangering the region's marine food web and ultimately its reefs and fisheries, according to a study published today in the journal PLoS One.While other scientists working in the Caribbean have observed the declines of large predators for decades, the new study by Chris Stallings

Ocean-Going Robotic Submarine Returns

2009-04-22T11:49:00.004+01:00

Scientists are celebrating the first successful deployment and retrieval in Australia of a remotely controlled, deep ocean-going robotic submarine destined to play a central role in measuring changes in two of Australia’s most influential ocean currents.Under the joint CSIRO Wealth from Oceans National Research Flagship and Integrated Marine Observation System (IMOS) project, the underwater ocean

SCUBA Travel release last quarter's bestseller list

2009-04-20T14:08:00.002+01:00

SCUBA Travel have just released their list of best selling diving books and DVDs of the last quarter. Yet again the Dive Atlas of the World keeps its top spot. The previous quarter's position is shown in brackets. Dive Atlas of the World: An Illustrated Reference to the Best Sites by Jack Jackson300 pages detailing some of the world's best dive sites. (1) Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die:

Antarctic marine biodiversity data now online

2009-04-01T13:24:00.002+01:00

New web portal provides free and open access to information on antarctic marine species. The SCAR-MarBIN portal lets users browse, see and search different types of data, including over 2000 photos and videos. Entries are geo-referenced so users can discover what is found where. The database now offers access to over one million records from 120 datasets. This was one of the ambitious objectives

Crabs feel and remember pain

2009-03-27T13:16:00.005Z

New research published by a Queen's University academic has shown that crabs not only suffer pain but that they retain a memory of it.The study, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, looked at the reactions of hermit crabs to small electric shocks. It was was carried out by Professor Bob Elwood and Mirjam Appel from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast.Professor

Underwater photography competition: enter now

2009-03-26T13:11:00.003Z

2009 is the 31st year of the International Festival of Underwater Photography, Films and Children's Artwork. The festival is open to both amateurs and professionals. You may enter by uploading photographs at http://www.paftachov.cz/en/www/. The deadline for accepting the works April 22nd 2009. The photographic categories include: wide-angle image without a diver; wide-angle image with a diver;

Deep-sea corals live thousands of years

2009-03-24T12:13:00.005Z

Deep-sea corals are found on hard substrates on seamounts and continental margins worldwide at depths of 300 to around 3000 m. Deep-sea coral communities are hotspots of living things, both in terms of numbers and diversity of species. They provide critical habitat for fish and invertebrates. According to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, newly

Fins evolved from gills, research suggests

2009-03-24T09:06:00.002Z

The genetic toolkit that controls the development of gills in sharks, is the same as that used by animals to build fins and limbs, according to research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Andrew Gillis, lead author of the paper, says "This new finding is consistent with an old theory, often discounted in science textbooks, that fins and (later) limbs evolved from the

97% of Divers disturb seabed: Males worst offenders

2009-03-17T13:21:00.008Z

Most SCUBA divers disturb the seabed, Spanish researchers say. A study published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science found that nearly 97% of divers in marine protected areas (MPAs) made contact with the bottom. Inexperienced, male divers carrying a camera or torch were the worst offenders.Creating a marine protected area tends to increase diving in that vicinity. Scientists from the University

BSAC Photographic Competition 2009

2009-03-16T14:36:00.004Z

To run from March to the end of November, the British Sub-Aqua Club are now inviting monthly submissions for their 2009 photography competition. Each month between now and November, BSAC will select between 9 and 15 shots to go forward to the grand final.There are three entry classes: Open, Open newcomer and BSAC newcomer. The newcomer class is for people who have never won a photography

Survey Reveals Top 10 Dive Sites in Europe

2009-03-11T11:55:00.005Z

Europe boasts some world class dive sites, with great visibility and masses of underwater life. In a recent poll of SCUBA Travel readers, these were voted the ten best dive sites in Europe. Disagree? Then cast your vote.The Zenobia, CyprusThe pristine wreck of a huge ferry. Lying on its port side, the wreck starts at about 15 m and descends to 42 m. Fabulous dive. Possibly the best shipwreck dive

Loss of small fish may be starving the oceans

2009-03-03T19:46:00.004Z

According to a report by Oceana, there is widespread malnutrition in fish, marine mammals and seabirds because of the global depletion of the small fish they need to survive. These "prey fish" underpin marine food webs and are being steadily exhausted by heavy fishing, increasing demand for aquaculture feed, and climate change. The report finds that 7 of the top 10 fisheries in the world target

Faulty Sensor causes Arctic Sea Ice Error

2009-02-26T11:33:00.007Z

A faulty sensor has caused a slowly growing underestimation of Arctic sea ice extent by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The underestimation reached approximately 500,000 square kilometers (193,000 square miles) by mid-February. The problem arose from a malfunction of the satellite sensor. Sensor drift, although infrequent, does occasionally occur.The daily updates of sea ice

When fish farms are built along the coast, where does the waste go?

2009-02-17T12:12:00.004Z

If you are a fish eater, it's likely that the salmon you had for dinner was not caught in the wild, but was instead grown in a mesh cage submerged in the open water of oceans or bays. Fish farming, a relatively inexpensive way to provide cheap protein to a growing world population, now supplies, by some estimates, 30 percent of the fish consumed by humans. Two hundred and twenty species of