| Divers
find French invasion wreck Until now it was widely believed that no ships were lost when the French invaded Fishguard in 1797 - the last foreign invasion of mainland Britain. But items found off Strumble Head appear to be from a large warship dating back to the Napoleonic era. Sub-aqua club members have discovered copper drift pins, large pieces of iron, a swivel gun and three cannons. Strumble Head has a legendary reputation for wrecking trading ships and is just as dangerous today as it was hundreds of years ago The finds have sparked interest from a number of official bodies, including the historic buildings agency Cadw. The wreck, which lies in 30m (98ft) of water, was found by chance last year by Richard and Rebecca Hughes of Merlin's Bridge, near Haverfordwest. Because of strong currents and poor weather they and other members of the Fishguard Sub-Aqua Club were unable to return to the site until this summer. After several false starts they eventually located the wreck and over the course of several dives have started to get an idea of the importance of their discovery. Mr Hughes, the club's diving officer, said: "Strumble Head has a legendary reputation for wrecking trading ships and is just as dangerous today as it was hundreds of years ago. |
MLA rejects Ningaloo marine zones plan The Labor Member for Burrup, Fred Riebeling, has spoken out against his own party's proposal to extend marine sanctuary zones along the Ningaloo Reef in north-west Western Australia. The Exmouth and Coral Bay communities have expressed concern that the expansion of protected areas will affect the towns' tourism prospects and residents' lifestyle. Mr Riebeling says he recently sought feedback on the proposal from people in Exmouth - 80 letters were received and 98 per cent of those were against the plan. He says there is no public support for the northern expansion of sanctuary zones and nominated areas north of Yardie Creek should be abandoned. Mr Riebeling says he is not afraid to speak out against the State Government. "If I think the Government's heading down the wrong track I will stand up to them," he said. "It's
something I don't do lightly. It's something I do because
this particular proposition would actually change the way
people live in the Pilbara." |
| No
more sharks at Asda One of the UK’s biggest supermarket retailers, ASDA, has removed shark from 190 stores in response to a sustained email campaign by Bite-Back, the marine conservation organisation. Until this week, ASDA was selling close on 100,000 portions of mako and big-eye thresher sharks every year. Whilst neither of the sharks sold by ASDA is currently endangered, Bite-Back says consumers are quickly learning to regard big pelagic fish such as sharks, swordfish and marlin with the same reverence as lions, tigers and leopards. Currently, around the world 270,000 sharks are being killed everyday to keep up with public demand and, unless this figure falls, some marine groups predict that 20 shark species could be wiped out by 2017. Five times world champion freediver and international ambassador for Bite-Back, Tanya Streeter, said: “We cannot continue to slaughter sharks at current levels without it having a profound effect on the balance of the oceans. Today’s news sends a clear signal to the world that consumers believe sharks belong in the oceans and not on the dinner table.” As a direct result of the Bite-Back campaign, tens of thousands of people have been able to lobby retailers with the message that it is no longer acceptable to see threatened species on fish counters or menus. Deli & fish buying manager for ASDA, James Cawthorne, said: “Although the sharks sold by ASDA were sourced from ethical suppliers, we understand the emotive issues and are happy to help set a new agenda for shark conservation amongst the retail industry, by publicly removing these items from our fish counters.” Whilst it is hard to believe that the UK has any fascination with eating sharks, 3,300 tons of shark meat and fins were consumed in Britain last year, contributing to the rapid demise of some species. For the past three years ASDA has been the only major supermarket chain to sell shark. Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “The decision by ASDA to stop selling shark is an incredible example of social responsibility from a retail giant. It is an enlightened and bold move that helps shift the overfishing debate from government to the high street, where people can vote with their wallets.” Bite-Back was launched in 2002 with the goal of reversing this rapid slide towards extinction by turning the supply-and-demand principle on its head. The marine conservation organisation encourages shoppers and restaurant-goers to simply stop buying or ordering sharks and other threatened fish species and to register their concerns with retailers. It says without the demand, the incentive to hunt these awesome creatures is removed. This latest breakthrough for the campaign comes just days after Bite-Back inspired Sainsbury’s to remove pre-packed swordfish and marlin from its supermarket shelves. Both species are widely regarded as being overfished to meet rising consumer demand. Earlier this year, Bite-Back prompted 24 restaurants in the Wagamama noodle bar chain to remove mako shark from its menus. View old story here. Click here to view the Bite-Back website.
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| Australian government unveils reef marine park plans The Queensland Government will create the longest marine park in Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef. It will stretch along more than 3,600 kilometres of coastline from Bundaberg in the state's south-east to the tip of Cape York in the far north, and will take effect from November 5. Environment Minister Desley Boyle has told State Parliament the changes complement the Federal Government's new reef zoning plan. People who fish in rivers, creeks and mangroves will not be affected by the fishing restrictions. Federal Treasurer Peter Costello says the Government will not go back on its commitment to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The National party says the Federal Government won control in the Senate partly because of the 28,000 people who voted for the Fishing Party in Queensland, which campaigned against fishing exemptions to one third of the reef. But Mr Costello has all but ruled out changing fishing bans on the reef. "As part of that there are areas where fishing is not allowed and other areas where licences have been bought back and we are paying compensation to those fishermen," he said. "Now, you can always argue at the margins as to where the zone should be, but the deal is a deal we entered into to protect that wonderful asset and we won't be reopening that deal as a whole." Meanwhile, multiple license holders will be able to sell off some licences and apply for business restructuring for their remaining entitlements under the latest change to the federal reef closure compensation package. Environment Minister Ian Campbell says the amendment will increase the options for operators holding multiple licences with different business partners. Senator Campbell says the deadline for adjustment package applications has been extended after the changes. The deadline for restructuring assistance will now be November 15. |
Submissions
closing for Ningaloo reef plan Public submissions have now closed on the management of Ningaloo Reef, in north-west Western Australia, with environmentalists urging people to have their say. The plan will decide the size and location of sanctuary zones plus proposed extensions to the marine park. Under the State Government's draft plan, it is proposing to extend the park to include the whole reef and increase sanctuary zones where fishing would be banned from 10 to 28 per cent. However, Paddy Cullen from the Wilderness Society says this will not save Ningaloo Reef. "Well, it sounds good on paper, but in actual fact it doesn't even reach the lowest benchmarks set by scientists...at least 50 per cent of the reef should be saved in no-take areas or sanctuary zones and that this is a fair balance between recreational fishers and conservation," he said. For information on Ningaloo reefs conservation click here.
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| The Deep's conversation work attracts United Nations interest Just two years after opening, The Deep Hull’s £45.5 million Millennium Commission lottery project has amazingly now already forged strong links with the United Nations. This latest development is a direct result of the powerful impact of Project - Coral Rescue, the Deep’s long term project to protect the threatened North Sea corals. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is showing great interest in the conservation and research work being carried out at The Deep and has asked to be linked to The Deep’s own website. UNEP is the world’s foremost intergovernmental environmental organisation - one of their main functions is to provide governments with impartial scientific evidence to assist with environmental policy making. Deep
assistant curator Katy Rigby explains, "Being recognised
as a world class centre for research into our native corals
is an enormous Research
and conservation are ongoing year round activities at The
Deep. Project-Coral Rescue is the public face of this work
and runs throughout October and is aimed at raising awareness
of the threats facing our native corals. It is a surprise
to most of us that the North Sea is home to endangered coral
reefs. We are far more familiar with the threats facing
corals in warmer climes. Project-Coral Rescue is highlighting
the plight of two North Sea species – the reefbuilding
white coral Lophelia pertusa and the pink sea fan, Eunicella
verrucosa. |
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| Whitetips
return to Elphinstone Emperor divers have just finished another trip to the Brothers & Elphinstone, and to their great pleasure, they have discovered that the Oceanic Whitetip sharks are back at Elphinstone! First thing in the morning they had one shark circling the boat. For the second dive they dived on the south plateau and encountered no less than three sharks hanging around together. Last September/October they had four sharks there for about six weeks, so they are hoping the earlier appearance this year means they might stay for longer. For more information visit their website here.
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Warship
Attracts many under the Sea The number of dive boats visiting the wreck of the 113 metre long Scylla was up 276 per cent in the seven months since she went to the seabed off Cornwall. The ex Royal Navy Leander Class frigate was sunk in Whitsand Bay, east Cornwall, after being bought for £200,000 by Plymouth’s National Maritime Museum. “Since Scylla’s placement under the waves seven months ago, the area has proved even more popular and has drawn the largest crowds ever known,” said a Museum spokesman. Later this year web-cams on the Scylla will beam images of the underwater world back to the aquarium. And early next year, the aquarium will be launching their six-man submarine. It will give passengers an all-round view of the Scylla and its residents as it takes a one-hour trip around the new reef. Click here for more information. |
| Dive
all year round in the tropics....in Milton Keynes!
Imagine, outside the rain hammers down, the British winter evening is drawing in as the city street lights flick on. Inside, brightly coloured fish flash past as you dive in warm tropical water and explore caves and a shipwreck in the one of the world's most advanced indoor diving paradises. Dive Dome is a unique £25 million project to design, build and operate the first indoor diving leisure centre in the UK. Located in Milton Keynes, 10 minutes from Junction 13 on the M1, Dive Dome will be a state of the art 27 metre deep warm clear water diving lagoon with beaches and a cave system. The lagoon will contain an array of tropical fish, rays, coral and other flora and interchangeable sunken wrecks. Other attractions will include a fully equipped gym and spa, a comprehensive range of diving and marine leisure retail outlets as well as a variety of restaurants, café's and bars. Dive Dome will be a members club, but non-members will be allowed selective access on a 'pay-as-you-go' basis. The centre will provide a facility that offers experienced and novice divers an unmatched marine experience in a safe and controlled environment. In addition to diving during the day, night dives will be offered so that divers can experience the beauty and tranquillity of the reef and wrecks with the benefit of our advanced lighting systems. The man-made sloping beaches will lead to the lagoon containing specially formulated heated salt water to give Dive Dome an authentic feel. The beach will provide easy access to the dive sites as well as a snorkelling paradise in shallow waters providing an exciting interactive marine experience. Click here to go to their website. |
Dramatic shark photo wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. This spectacular photo was taken by US photographer Doug Perrine, off the east coast of South Africa. The judges’ were unanimous in selecting the image from among 18,500 entries, sent from over 50 countries. Perrine took the photographe during the annual sardine run. Suring this massive migration huge shoals of sardines migrate up South Africa’s east coast. “The sharks would charge through the baitball, bursting through the other side or shooting clear out of the water, their mouths stuffed full of fish,” says Perrine. “So intent were they on feeding that they often bumped me as they rushed past. It was one of the most intense experiences of my life.” The winners of the competition, organised by the UK's Natural History Museum in London and BBC Wildlife Magazine were revealed on Thursday. The 90 shortlisted images are on display at the Natural History Museum from 23 October until 17 April 2004. Click here to see the image.
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| Mozambique
experience special offer- Manta Ray or Whale shark guarantee!
Offering some of the best diving anywhere in the world. Mozdivers are offering a guarantee which many places could not deliver. We know that this may sound a little risky, but it’s not. The chance of being in Tofo for a week and not having a Manta Ray or a Whale Shark encounter is virtually impossible, and we are fully confident in our ability to deliver not only what we are promising, but much more. What we have come to realize is that there are many dive destinations that claim to have the best diving in the world. We know for fact that Tofo is one of the world’s best diving destinations. What we are offering is this. We will guarantee that any client who dives with us on one of our ten day tours, from September 1st, 2004, through March 21st, 2005, and does not have either a Manta Ray or a Whale Shark encounter, we will refund the client 1000 Euro. For the exact conditions of this offer visit their website here.
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New
website advertises jobs in the diving industry.
www.diversjobs.com is the latest website to be created to cover Diving Industry jobs such as dive masters and instructors. This website keeps track of vacancies and people looking for work in the diving industry. To visit the site click here.
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| Scuba
diving website new photo competition. www.scubadiving.com has announced its latest photo competition. Enter the 2005 Scuba Diving Magazine Photo Contest You could win cash and prizes AND get your photo published in Scuba Diving magazine! $5250 in cash plus travel, gear, and photography prizes for photos submitted in these categories: Wide-Angle, Macro, Marine Life, Wrecks, Topside/Diving Lifestyle. Click
here
for more information. |
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News archives :
October 19th to October 31st 2004.
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