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The endangered grey nurse shark is its own worst enemy, its young eat each other in the womb, so Australian scientists have a radical rescue plan to artificially inseminate and breed the ocean predator in test-tubes. The grey nurse is one of the fiercest-looking but most docile marine creatures, and despite it being declared endangered in 1984 and its habitat protected, it could become extinct along Australia's east coast within 20 years, scientists say. In a process called intra-uterine cannibalism, grey nurse embryo pups develop a jaw and razor-sharp teeth very early in their development and cannibalise siblings in the womb. The sharks have two wombs in which a dominant pup will consume its siblings, leaving only two surviving pups every two years when the shark breeds. "It is not breeding quickly enough. It is being caught out in the wild and it is not recovering from the fishing pressures on the east coast," said Melbourne Aquarium curator Nick Kirby. Nicknamed the "labrador of the sea" due to its docile nature, grey nurse numbers plunged after being wrongfully blamed for many attacks on swimmers off Sydney beaches and it was brutally hunted until the 1960s. Their plight has now become critical. Breeding programmes have been used to conserve the endangered cod trout in Australia, the Mexican grey wolf and Californian condor, but scientists here say this will be the first attempt at shark breeding. Melbourne Aquarium this month artificially inseminated Lonnie, a 2.6 metre (8.5 feet), seven gill shark with the sperm from a male tank mate. It will take several months to see the first signs of any pregnancy, but if successful the insemination technique could be used on the critically endangered grey nurse. "We are using our seven gill shark as a surrogate species because they are more common and easier to work with than risking the grey nurse shark," Kirby told Reuters. A common problem trying to breed sharks in aquariums is their reluctance to mate. No seven gill sharks have been born in captivity in Australia and only eight grey nurse pups have been born in Australian aquariums in the past decade. To inseminate Lonnie, scientists had to first use ultrasound to determine the female shark was ovulating and then sedate a seven-gill male shark, named Gonzo, and internally massage its guts to stimulate the production of sperm, which was then injected into Lonnie's reproductive tract. "We expect in two or three months to do an ultrasound to check the embryos and eggs development," said Kirby. "After fertilisation we are talking a year for pups to be born and with seven gills there could be 60 or more pups." Artificially inseminating grey nurse sharks will not avoid intra-uterine cannibalism, so marine scientists at the New South Wales (NSW) state fisheries department have come up with a radical plan to breed the embryo sharks in individual test tubes. "Once the embryos have developed to a certain size (10 cm) they actually have a fully functional set of jaws and teeth, then they swim around and cannibalise their siblings," said fisheries marine biologist Nick Otway. "We have to bypass this cannibalistic phase. Once the animal gets through that stage it fends for itself. It just swims around the womb eating, we just have to feed it," Otway said. With only one embryo pup surviving in each womb, the female shark then produces unfertilised eggs for it to feed on until it grows to about one metre (three feet) in length and is born. Each pup consumes an estimated 17,000 pea-sized unfertilised eggs. Scientists plan to harvest embryos from pregnant female grey nurse sharks in the wild, then raise them in specially built artificial uteri in fisheries laboratories. The A$250,000 (US$189,400) government funded shark test-tube plan has a 10-year timeframe as scientists must first learn how to create an artificial shark uterus and develop artificial uterine fluids and artificial eggs to feed the shark pups. Once built, the artificial uteri will be tested with embryos from non aggressive sharks so as not to risk grey nurse sharks. Scientists will then develop the surgical procedures to harvest embryos from female sharks in the wild and insert the embryos into the artificial uteri. Grey nurse (Carchatias taurus) numbers are declining worldwide, with populations off South Africa, the U.S. east coast, South America, Japan and New Zealand. Otway believes current tagging techniques to keep track of grey nurse sharks will be used to help harvest embryos. Identity tags will tell scientists which female sharks are likely to be pregnant, they will then be caught in a plastic float and ultrasound checked to confirm pregnancy. If they are pregnant they will be lifted into a tank onboard a ship and flipped onto their backs, which causes tonic immobility, or catalepsy, just as it does in chickens, enabling embryos to be either flushed out or extracted with forceps. Unlike other sharks which must be constantly moving forward to force oxygen-enriched sea water through their gills, grey nurse sharks can pump the water through gills enabling them to remain stationary. This will help scientists keep them in a fixed position while extracting embryos, and if necessary, to administer a sedative over their gills. Once inserted into the artificial wombs the embryos will be fed artificial shark eggs until they reach birth size and then released into the wild. "If we do not do this the animal is going down the gurgler (drain)," said Otway. "This animal will not survive on the east coast of Australia unless we can do this." Celebrities including comedian Ruby Wax and actor Richard E Grant have signed up for a new reality TV show. Four stars will confront a great white shark in the programme, which has been commissioned to mark the 30th anniversary of Stephen Spielberg's Jaws. Producers of Celebrity Shark Bait have also netted Ex-Emmerdale star Amy Nuttall and former Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson. The celebs have to pass a two-day scuba diving course before facing their fears in cages plunged into shark-infested waters. The one-hour special will air on ITV1 in September. HMAS Brisbane scuttled off Queensland coast Former warship HMAS Brisbane was sent to its watery grave in spectacular style when it was sunk off Queensland's Sunshine Coast in a blaze of smoke. With a series of 38 controlled implosions, the 133-metre-long ship settled at its final resting place 2.5 nautical miles east of Mudjimba Island as tens of thousands of spectators aboard more than 1,000 boats watched on. The former destroyer will become the state's newest dive attraction with the aim of generating $22 million in tourism each year. Canadian artificial reef expert Roy Gabriel said 30 kilograms of explosives helped scuttle the 3,370 tonne ship within about two minutes. Three fireballs were set off on top of ex-HMAS Brisbane "just for show" before the underwater explosions finally sent the destroyer down. "It was a phenomenal event," Mr Gabriel said. "Everything went exactly as we planned and exactly as I hoped it was going to go. "The boat is perfectly on the bottom sitting bolt upright." Queensland Premier Peter Beattie pushed the plunger which set off the explosion as ex-HMAS Brisbane crew watched from nearby boats. The Brisbane, nicknamed The Steel Cat, undertook two tours of duty in Vietnam in 1969 and 1971 and was one of four Australian warships to serve in the 1991 Gulf War. It was also the first of a fleet of Australian navy ships to arrive in Darwin following the devastating Cyclone Tracy, which killed 65 people in 1974. Outside of war and disaster zones, HMAS Brisbane played a key role in joint exercises with the United States in both Australian and American waters. The ship was launched on May 5, 1966 and commissioned on December 16 1967 and was the second vessel of that name to serve in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). A Charles F. Adams class guided-missile destroyer, it was the third ship of that class to be bought by the navy and formed part of the First Australian Destroyer squadron based at Sydney's Garden Island naval dockyard. The ship's final captain, Commodore Campbell Darby, commanded the destroyer from December 1999 until it was decommissioned at the end of 2001. With a motto "We aim at higher things", four former Brisbane officers were promoted to the rank of Admiral or Rear Admiral - a feat considered unique for any ship in the RAN.
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Belize Barrier Reef in danger from Climate change - UNESCO The UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC), at their meeting in Durban, South Africa last week recognised “the impacts of climate change are affecting many and are likely to affect many more World Heritage properties” and that “early action” is needed to respond to these threats. The Committee accepted a U.K. proposal to host a meeting of the expert group, including the petitioners, which will report next year, on a response to the threat. The petitioners refer-red to, included the Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (BELPO), as well as advocates from Nepal and Peru. The BELPO petition, filed last November, asked the World Heritage Committee to declare the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage site “In Danger” and take remedial steps to protect it. Though UNESCO did not make any decision on whether to put the Belize Barrier Reef and two other World Heritage Sites [Everest (Sagarmatha) National Park, in Nepal and the Huascar?n National Park, in Peru] on the UN danger list, the fact that climate change is now on the World Heritage Committee agenda is a step in the right direction. The reality is that damage continues to take its toll on the reef and other world heritage sites around the world. Our commitment is to preserve these places for future generations and the longer we delay, the worse it gets. Candy Gonzalez on behalf of BELPO, the Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy, said: “The reef system is under enormous stress from the changing climate, hurricanes, uncontrolled development, disease and other degradation. Though many Belizeans have worked in various ways to try to keep safe the sites, to protect the reef, and to revitalise the areas that have been badly damaged, it is very difficult when too many people look only to gain something today with no care as to what is left for the future.” The World Heritage Convention legally requires all countries “ to pass intact World Heritage Sites to future generations .” This will not happen unless urgent action is taken. The thrust of the campaign is to focus on the fact that urgent action is needed now. Secrets of life deep under the Arctic ice cap They resemble aliens floating in the blackness of space. Ruby red, bright orange and pale blue, these creatures are indeed from another world: a dark, cold sea, void of natural light which lies thousands of metres below the Arctic ice caps. A historic expedition to Earth's most inhospitable environment has revealed that the Arctic Ocean, far from being barren, is teeming with diverse and abundant life, including creatures previously unknown.
The Hidden Ocean expedition saw 24 scientists from America, Canada, Russia and China travel onboard the ice-cutter Healy to the Chukchi and Beaufort seas as well as the Canada Basin, a vast bowl walled by steep ridges and lidded with ice. "The Canada Basin is one of the world's most isolated ocean areas," said Dr Rolf Gradinger, head of the Arctic Census of Marine Life. "Several creatures brought aboard are unfamiliar to expedition experts and may well prove new to science." Among the thousands of samples on board the scientists' vessel when it returned to port on Tuesday after its 30-day voyage were a pelagic snail, a new species of comb jelly and startling sea anemones, all of which were found in the Canada Basin. Early findings among the samples are a suspected new species of jellyfish, benthic bristle worms, and the first squid and octopuses ever found in the area. The scientists were also surprised to discover two species of sand flea-like crustaceans known as amphipods, which had never before been found in an ice environment. "Overall, the densities of animals are much higher than expected," said Dr Bodil Bluhm of the University of Alaska. "It now appears possible to confirm that the rich biodiversity surprising deep-sea explorers worldwide also exists in deep Arctic waters, the most under-studied area of the ocean world." The problem with research in Arctic waters is the perilously inclement weather. For most of the year, the ocean is locked in ice and only accessible during the brief polar summer. In order to maximise the weather window, the scientists worked in shifts around the clock and took samples from 14 different locations, five of which involved lowering equipment to depths of 3,300 metres below the ice. The research team used an armoury of equipment to suit the environment including a remotely operated underwater vehicle, special cameras adapted for use under ice and scuba divers equipped in dry suits to protect them from the freezing temperatures. Dr Russ Hopcroft, of the University of Alaska, said modern technology had opened a window on Arctic seas for the first time. "The imagery obtained of the mid-water and seafloor show many life forms such as soft-bodied zooplankton, deep sea cucumbers and soft corals," he said. "The few explorers in this area before us had no adequate tools to collect or see these creatures. What continues to fascinate and motivate us all is the chance to record species never known before, to accurately map their range and understand their rapidly-changing habitat." The research aimed to discover what sea life existed at different depths and how the water temperature, its salinity and the level of nutrients it carried affected the various life forms. The scientific findings on these inaccessible marine species will help to measure the impact of climate change. It will also allow scientists to figure out the consequences, should the polar caps continue to recede, on the northern oceans and how it will affect energy exploitation, fishing and shipping. The Hidden Ocean project was funded by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA), which has taken part in the Census of Marine Life, a massive project involving more than 1,000 scientists from 72 different countries. The idea is to assess the diversity, distribution and abundance of ocean life and examine how it changes over time. Research in this field is building towards 2007-8, which has been designated as the International Polar Year. Then there will be an unprecedented international collaboration in which thousands of scientists will pull their resources to understand this landscape of ice which is becoming uniquely vulnerable to global warming. In 2002, the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula collapsed and 500 billion tonnes of ice, about the size of the American state of Rhode Island, broke up in less than a month, a speed which scientists described as "staggering". A project similar to Hidden Ocean, but exploring the Antarctic Ocean was also announced yesterday and will run from December 2007 until March 2008. Two hundred scientists from 30 countries will be involved in exploring the Southern Ocean, surrounding Antarctica, for life at depths of 4,500 to 5,500 metres. Dr Ron O'Dor, chief scientist of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life, said: "DNA research made possible through this project may allow us to reconstruct the history of marine evolution." Annual rubbish survey one of the worst for marine life Environmentalists carrying out a survey of rubbish washing ashore at Cape Arnhem on the Northern Territory's Gove Peninsula say it is one of the worst years for marine turtle strandings. Conservation volunteers, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) staff and local Dhimurru rangers collect the rubbish from a nine-kilometre stretch of the beach each year. Volunteers and staff from NT Parks and Wildlife collected nearly 20,000 pieces of rubbish, most of it made of plastic. WWF spokesman Damian White says this year's survey found nearly four tonnes of rubbish, including more than 1,000 rubber thongs, many with bite marks in them. Mr White says it has been a particularly lethal year for marine life. "During our survey we found two new turtles stranded in nets, they were juvenile hawksbill turtles and evidence of other bones and bits of pieces in nets that the Dhimurru guys had actually recorded previously," he said. The amount of rubbish is in line with surveys done at the site in previous years but Mr White says new types of rubbish are appearing. "For the first time this year, we found a lot of these little foam wrappers or pieces of them scattered all over the beaches, very, very common in the high tide mark," he said. "Potentially animals can eat these things and it's just another form of increasing pollution due to overpackaging." He says collectors also found a startling number of plastic cups, similar to those used on aeroplanes. "These
are about 375 millilitre cups of water and now we've never seen
them in this number - there was over 1,000 of them on this particular
site and that's very new," he said.
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Dive Bus, Curacao hits the road!
The Dive Bus is Curacao’s newest dive operation, run by English PADI MSDT couple Mark & Suzy Pinnell, with a very simple philosophy: no crowds, no boats, no fuss, no bother, no worries. Mark explained: ‘We’ve been lucky enough to work and dive all over the world and when we set up The Dive Bus, we wanted to include the best things we’d found and avoid the worst. So besides making the whole trip as easy as possible for divers, the other important thing was space. Nobody likes cattle boats and crowds whilst diving; it’s supposed to be fun and relaxed. The Bus itself is really comfortable and when we get the beach, our customers have all the space they could possibly want.’
The dive bus! ‘The shore diving here is so good and so easy that you just don’t need to boat dive,’ said Suzy. ‘Our divers seem to love the fact that they also get to spend a day out on the beach.’ The original plan was of only targeting certified divers didn’t last long. ‘People kept asking us to certify them!’ laughed Mark. ‘They seem to prefer to learn on a beach rather than inside a classroom. Which is just fine by us.’ The Dive Bus is already a Project AWARE Eco Operator. ‘One of the very first things we did was sign up with CORAL and Project AWARE,’ said Suzy. ‘Both organizations helped us out tremendously and we were thrilled to receive the Project AWARE Environmental Achievement Award within our first few months.’ The companies website is as fun, informative and up to date as possible. ‘There’s a lot of information on there about dive sites, dive trips and Curacao generally, and the Gallery is full of photos which people seem to love.’ said Suzy. For
more information, please visit www.The-Dive.Bus.com. |
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Biart Company informs of development of the most trustworthy diving simulator 'Diver: Deep Water Adventures'. Click all screenshots to enlarge.
The depths of world ocean have been always attracting a man, as if embraces of a fatal beauty. Thousands dare-devils sent on a meeting to adventures. Attracted by treasures of the sunken ships, the mysterious nature, and the legends.
In the game you should plunge into underwater life and accomplish the enormous quantity of unforgettable tasks. Nevertheless, to earn for living with diving, you'll be able just after graduating from the courses and becoming the professional diver. Special attention in game is given to the reality. Any underwater mission represents a real place and event. For example, in one task you will have to moor in passage Kattegat for searching and rising of the documents from the sunken submarine of the Second World War.
Game is positioned as trustworthy diving simulator which will be interesting not only for fans of immersion to the depths of the seas and the ocean, but also for the people who have little in common with this pastime. Features:
Appearance of the project on PC is planned for the end of 2005. Click here to view the website. We hope to review this software as soon as it is available. |
Major Egyption Diving Resort hit by Bombs Sharm-El-Sheikh, the popular diving resort in the Sinai, Egypt, was hit by several car bombs at 01:00 local time (22:00 GMT). Bombs went off in the Old Market area was followed by two blasts in the Naama Bay area. At least 62 people are confirmed dead although reports are still coming in. This is the first attack on Egypt since 1997 when 62 tourists and Egyptians were killed in Luxor. The attacks follow on just days after the second bombings in London. Divers have freed a basking shark that got caught in fishing nets off the south Cornwall coast. The 12ft (3.7m) long gentle giant had got stuck in gill nets at Roskilly, near Penzance, on Thursday when she was spotted by luck. Three divers were carrying out a survey of the eelgrass beds for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Using two knives, they freed the lifeless shark in about 15 minutes and it had just enough energy to swim off. Steve Adams, the diver who first spotted the shark, said: "Initially we thought the shark was dead and it was a really sad sight, but then we realised that her eyes and mouth were moving and that she was still alive." Fellow diver Jonathan Smith said: "Once free of the net, the shark was belly-up and it did not appear that she would survive. "However, once we turned her the right way up, her recovery was surprisingly fast. "Seeing her finally swim off into the blue was one of the most amazing experiences of my life." Joana Doyle, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "Gill nets create an impenetrable barrier from the seabed up to a few metres below the surface. "It was pure luck we found her." She added: "The amount of gill netting around the Cornish coast has increased dramatically and there is no way of knowing how many nets are down at any one time." Another basking shark was found dead last weekend at Perranporth in Cornwall after it had apparently become entangled in fishing gear and been cut loose. New screensaver from John Easley John Easley has once again created a screensaver with some impressive underwater images. If you are interested you can check it out here.
One of John's great images Fishguard Sub-Aqua Club find of the possible Napoleonic shipwreck from 1797 invasion attempt. Richard Hughes, the club's diving officer, has told us: "The chap we're dealing with is Steve Webster of Wessex Archaeology, we have had much discussion on the era of the wreck and until recently it was looking doubtful whether it was from the era of pre 1797 ... but we have now discovered in parallel but unconnected research that the French were using this type of iron technology in ship building as early as 1670 .... it seems we are back on the tracks of a possible French vessel" Documentary film crew, Fishguard SubAqua Club and Wessex Archaeology have been working together to uncover mystery shipwreck off Strumble Head. Celtic Diving was engaged to supply boat charter and the underwater camera unit. This production called "Llongddrilliad Jemeima" should be broadcast in 2006. |
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Search underway for 4 Danes, British-Canadian diving instructor off Zanzibar Rescue workers were searching by air and water for four Danes and their British-Canadian diving instructor who disappeared off Zanzibar, Denmark's ambassador said. A Danish woman and her two sons, another Dane and their instructor failed to surface at a designated spot while diving off Pemba, an island in the Indian Ocean archipelago, said Ambassador Carsten Nilaus Pedersen. "They were supposed to surface after 45 minutes but they did not come up there," triggering a search-rescue operation that began Friday afternoon, Nilaus Pedersen said. "It seems there was an unexpected strong current - that is the hypothesis." Rescue workers found a life jacket on Sunday the 17th on a sand dune that appears during low tide, and there were unconfirmed reports that a second life jacket was found Monday, Nilaus Pedersen told The Associated Press. The discovery "is good. It also gives us hope," Nilaus Pedersen said. A Danish diplomat was sent to Pemba's main town of Chake Chake, he said. The missing Danes have been identified as Lisse Lotte, Simon Lowesten, Gabriel Lowesten and Dannie Schov, and their diving instructor as Neil Clark, acting regional police chief Ameir Juma Ameir said. A Canadian hometown for Clark was not immediately available. The identities were confirmed by Helena Sayiles, manager of Swahili Divers, a hotel that is part of a dive centre used by the missing divers. Police officers and members of Zanzibar's Special Unit for the Prevention of Smuggling were involved in the search-rescue operation, Ameir said.
Emperor Divers’ Hurghada, a PADI 5 Star Centre, has become the first National Geographic Diving Centre on the Egyptian mainland. The award is only given to a PADI 5 Star Centre or a PADI Gold Palm centre that meets a higher standard than that normally required by PADI. All instructors are qualified to teach the National Geographic Diver course, which requires more dives and skills such as peak performance buoyancy skills, navigation, flora and fauna identification and marine awareness. Ideal for both novice and experienced divers, this course is a fun way to learn about the underwater environment and is designed to promote underwater exploration, marine conservation and underwater photography. In addition to the PADI Open Water training, the course includes advice from National Geographic experts on preserving coral reefs, protecting species and respecting historical sites and aquatic habitat. The culmination of the course is the Exploration Project. This practical experience will change the way you dive and give a new appreciation of our underwater world and how to preserve it for generations to come. Emperor Scuba Schools, Hurghada, has joined an exclusive élite within the Industry, an achievement of which you and your staff can be truly proud,” said Simon Chance, Manager, PADI International. For
full information, go to www.emperordivers.com. Regaldive launches liveaboard in Tobago Tobago is one of our most popular destinations and it’s diving has a deserved reputation as some of the finest in the Caribbean, with wonderful coral reefs and thrilling drift dives. Until now, Tobago has been relatively undiscovered as a liveaboard destination but that’s all about to change!Regaldive has just introduced a new liveaboard in Tobago - the MV Wind Dancer - and to celebrate, we are offering a saving of £100 pp on a week's stay this June. Dive with large schools of jacks and barracudas, angelfish, grouper, snapper, turtles, stingrays and one of the largest brain coral colonies in the Caribbean. Visit the Regaldive website for more information. All year round flights to Marsa Alam Regaldive are delighted to offer you flights this winter to Marsa Alam for the first time. As many of you have discovered this season, flying directly into Marsa Alam means you can spend more time in the water and less time on the road! Flying directly into Marsa Alam cuts down on transfer time considerably and means much better access to the wealth of pristine dive sites away from the crowds. This season’s direct service from Gatwick to Marsa Alam will now continue all the way to May 2006. Regaldive will be offering our complete range of liveaboard and shore-based packages throughout this period. Visit the Regaldive website for more information. Big Blue Planet is a new, free web resource for all scuba divers. It brings together all the different information about all the dive locations on our planet into one place. So far they have more than 400 different locations from around the planet with more being added every day. From white ice diving in northern Russia, to live-aboards on the Australian Great Barrier Reef, every conceivable diving experience is covered! This is a tremendous resource for divers and accessible from any location via the web. See
where you could dive next: www.bigblueplanet.com. |
Longwood Releases Specialist 2005-2006 Brochures Longwood Holidays, the UK’s leading specialist Tour Operator to the Red Sea has launched 2005-2006 Egypt & Jordan and Red Sea Diving brochures, offering the great value holidays, dive packages and comprehensive range of hotels the company is renowned for, as well as a number of exciting new features. New for the 2005-2006 season are single traveller weeks, perfect for divers travelling alone. Designed to bring like-minded individuals together, these packages offer affordable single packages. Single traveller diving courses and packages are only open to other Longwood single travellers, and the hotels included (in Sharm el Sheikh and Dahab) have been selected for their friendly, sociable atmosphere. “There’s a greater demand for single packages amongst divers than in most other areas of the travel industry,” commented Daniel Lion, Longwood Holidays Dive Product Manager “These are not just single people keen to meet others with similar interests, but also regular divers whose partners or families don’t share their passion. This programme we’ve set up is fairly unique and meets the specific requirements of this area of the market.” The new single traveller weeks are available as either of 2 options; for learners, the ‘Learn to Dive’ package, including PADI Open Water course; and for qualified divers a 5-day diving package with boat or shore diving options. Longwood has consolidated its popular liveaboard programme in 2005 with exclusive UK representation of the illustrious VIP ONE. The luxury motor yacht offers exceptional first-class service on its tour of the Northern Red Sea’s most exciting locations. With fully air-conditioned interior comprising large double cabins with private en-suite and shower, saloon, dining room, bar and outside deck for sunbathing or barbecuing, the VIP ONE offers a high level of comfort to complement an exhaustive itinerary. Following last year’s successful introduction, the exclusive Diamond Diving Service is also back for the 2005-2006 season, and with features such as free nitrox, hostess service and limited places, is bound to be popular with regular divers. The philosophy behind Longwood’s diving brochures has always been the point of difference between the specialist operator’s service and that of other operators. Designed as a travel guide to diving in the Red Sea rather than as a promotional publication alone, the brochure offers practical advice, destination information and detailed reviews of all dive courses, sites and carefully selected dive centres & schools. The brochure also features a number of attractive offers and incentives designed to save divers money when pre-booking courses and packages. Accompanying the Red Sea Diving brochure is Longwood’s Egypt & Jordan brochure, providing information on hotels, flights and holidays to divers and non-divers alike. New for this year are a number of new hotels in Taba and Sharm el Sheikh, adding to the operator’s already comprehensive coverage of these two resorts. In response to agent demand, Longwood is also offering its biggest ever flight programme this year, with departures from Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, and new for this year, Birmingham. Order a brochure online at www.longwoodholidays.co.uk. Longwood specialist brochure (click to enlarge) Grenada’s tourism intact following hurricane Emily The Grenada Board of Tourism reports that Hurricane Emily, a Category One storm that impacted Grenada on Wednesday, July 13, 2005, did not result in any damages to its hotel sector. The Grenada Board of Tourism also reports that all hotels are functioning as normal, as well as the established tourist sites and attractions, restaurants and dive sites. Grenada’s Carnival, set for August 8th and 9th, and the Carriacou Regatta, scheduled for July 24th – August 1st, will be held as planned. While some damage was reported on the northern portion of Grenada, as well as the sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, it is anticipated that within the next 24 to 48 hours all public utilities in Grenada will be fully functional. Electricity, water and telephone services have been restored to most households. The Point Salines International Airport is open and flights are operating on schedule. Banks, financial institutions, supermarkets, hospitals, pharmacies, and other businesses have likewise resumed normal operations. Overall, the rebuilding and refurbishment plans as a result of Hurricane Ivan, which have been in progress, continue as planned. Accordingly, by the end of 2005, 90% of Grenada’s hotel rooms will be available for occupancy. According to Minister of Tourism Senator Brenda Hood, “The resort areas in the southern parts of the country are fully operational, and we will continue to work diligently with Carriacou and Petite Martinique to prepare for the upcoming season. Given the known resilience and positive attitudes of the Grenadian people, we are confident that Grenada’s tourism product will maintain its high quality and character.”For further information, please contact the Grenada Board of Tourism at gbt@caribsurf.com. Dive Snow Fish travel have a new South Pacific guide available. In the guide you should find a lot of useful information and lovely images in this guide on diving in Fiji, Vanuatu, Niue, Liveaboards, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Click here to visit the link.
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News archives :May
22nd to July 21st 2005. To return to zerovisibility home, click here. |
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