This year’s diving spectacular at the NEC in Birmingham will house over 300 suppliers of the very latest diving equipment, dive and leisurewear, training organisations, holiday resorts, destinations plus much more. Packed full of ideas and inspiration, the show will give experienced and wannabe divers the chance to see what’s hot, what’s new and where to go for the best diving in the coming season.

The popular Dive Show free presentation programme has once again attracted many of the sport’s top names. Richard Lundgren will be talking about ‘Baltic Wrecks’, Leigh Bishop and Theresa Telus will be speaking about ‘Lost Liners’ and the freediver Patrick Musimu will be visiting the show to talk about his recent successful world record attempt. There will also be a session on digital photography, hosted by a panel of experts, who will give visitors to the show advice on how to take the best underwater pictures.

The popular Try Dive pool will again provide the opportunity for visitors to get hands-on experience, and for divers who want to try the latest rebreather kit, the BSAC Rebreather Pool will be a must.

Tickets to the show cost £7.50 each if booked in advance (£10.50 on the door) and £2.00 for children under 12. Visit www.diveshows.co.uk to buy tickets online or call the advance booking line 020 8977 9878.

DIVE INTO THE BIG BLUE AT DIVE 2005

There’s no better place to take your first breath under water than at Dive 2005 at the NEC. The show, which is taking place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October, will be packed full of over 300 diver training organisations, holiday companies, diving equipment suppliers and leisurewear retailers, plus there’s a free ‘Try Dive’ Pool for visitors wanting to find out how easy it is to learn to dive.

But if getting your hair wet doesn’t appeal to you there are still plenty of opportunities to hear first-hand from diving and marine-life experts in the free seminars running alongside the show. Heading up the exciting two-day programme of talks and presentations is one of TV’s most engaging natural history specialists, Nigel Marven. He is being joined by Miranda Krestovnikoff, who starred in the recent BBC series Coast, and Monty Halls, whose Swimming with Giants tour will shortly be shown on Channel 5.

Just by visiting Dive 2005 you could also win a fantastic holiday to the Commonwealth of Dominica – the nature island of the Caribbean. If your name is drawn out of the hat at the show, you and your partner could be jetting off for a fabulous two-week, two centre holiday to the island which has a reputation for some of the best diving in the Caribbean.

Tickets to Dive 2005 are incredible value. And, what’s more, if you buy them in advance you can save £3.00. Tickets booked online or via the ticket hotline will cost just £7.50 – on the door you will pay £10.50. To take advantage of this fantastic discount you can visit www.diveshows.co.uk to book online, or you can call the ticket hotline on 020 8977 9878 to order your tickets.

Beaver Sports to distribute Seac Sub

Beaver Sports are proud to announce their appointment as distributors for the celebrated Seac Sub range. Through their speedy service and competitive pricing, Beaver has earned a place in the hearts of British divers who voted them No. 1 UK Brand. With this in mind, Beaver was a natural choice as the distributor for Seac Sub for the UK and Ireland.

Seac Sub consumers can look forward to Beaver's hassle free customer service and with a purpose built warehouse extension nearing completion, this will enabling a much improved service for the Seac Sub line.

The Seac Sub range not only offers great value for money but the equipment provides divers a whole new level of quality, sharp looks and functionality.

"We're hugely excited to be taking on board one of the true institutions of the diving world. The Seac Sub kit not only looks the part, but more importantly, features such as 'Variable Geometry' fins and 'Air Control' BCD systems shape a high tech range that is well designed, professional and very desirable." - Ashley Watkins, Marketing Manager.

"The Beaver range, along with the Seac and Tigullio collections work particularly well together and provide us with a highly competitive range offering a fantastic choice of quality products and is available to dive stores across the UK and Ireland." - Dean Martin, Sales Manager.

See your local dealer or visit the website at www.seac.co.uk. For further information contact Beaver on 01484 512 354 or E-mail sales@beaversports.co.uk.

TV STARS LINE UP FOR DIVE 2005

This year’s Dive Show at the NEC in Birmingham will be packed full of familiar faces more usually seen on our TV screens. Heading up the exciting two-day programme of talks and presentations at the show on 29 and 30 October is one of TV’s most engaging natural history specialists, Nigel Marven. He is being joined by Miranda Krestovnikoff, who is starring in the current BBC series Coast, and Monty Halls, whose Swimming with Giants tour will shortly be shown on Channel 5.

This trio of TV stars will be talking each day to visitors at the UK’s annual diving extravaganza at the NEC. Each year over 300 companies exhibit and over 17,000 experienced and wannabe divers visit the show to buy the latest kit, book their holidays and listen to the experts giving presentations in the free seminar theatres.

Freediving and cave diving are also on the bill at Dive 2005, and are sure to be big crowd pullers. One of the world’s top cave-divers and author of the cavers’ bible ‘The Darkness Beckons’, Martyn Farr, is constantly travelling to unexpected parts of the world and returning with stirring tales of his adventures. Martyn will be showing film footage and will be discussing his exploits in his daily presentation.

Patrick Misumu, the current holder of the freediving world record, will be taking a deep breath and speaking for an hour about his recent record breaking dive to 209.6 metres. Wreck specialists Leigh Bishop and Teresa Telus will be giving divers a virtual underwater tour of famous wrecks such as the Lusitania and the Britannic and Richard Lundgren will be speaking about Project Oland Wreck Survey, which is revealing wreck after wreck in amazing states of preservation in the Swedish Baltic Sea.

The hustle and bustle of the exhibition halls is sure to get the pulses racing amongst visitors who are looking for kit to buy, holidays to book and new leisurewear to don when they are not in the water. And, for visitors new to the sport of diving, there is a Try-Dive pool where they can do a spot of ‘bubble blowing’ to get used to breathing and swimming under water.

Tickets to this year’s Dive Show cost £7.50 if booked in advance or £10.50 on the door). Visit www.diveshows.co.uk to book online or call the ticket hotline on 020 8977 9878. Tickets bought in advance for eight people or more will automatically be entered into a free draw to win a £5,000 Red Sea holiday from leading tour operator Regaldive. And, every visitor to the show can enter the grand prize draw to win a fabulous two-week holiday to the island of Dominica – the nature island of the Caribbean.

For more information about Dive 2005 visit www.diveshows.co.uk or call 020 8943 4288.

Grenada builds back better

The Grenada Board of Tourism reports that efforts to rebuild and enhance the tourism industry in Grenada continue to progress at an accelerated pace, one year after the visit by Hurricane Ivan. With new and enhanced attractions available, most of the hotels now open, and exciting events lined up for the months ahead, the Grenada Board of Tourism is pleased to welcome visitors to the “Spice Island of the Caribbean” as the high season fast approaches.

“One year into the rebuilding of Grenada, all hands are on deck to ‘Build Back Better’ and recreate a destination that truly reflects the capacity of Grenada to deliver services that exceed visitor expectations,” said Naline Joseph, Head of Marketing for the Grenada Board of Tourism.

According to the Grenada Board of Tourism, the Grand Etang National Park’s Welcome Center, Belmont Estate, Leapers Hill, and Fort Frederick are among the tourist attractions that are currently being enhanced. The buildings at Grand Etang, including the welcome center, interpretation center, gazebos, toilets and rails, will be ready before the end of October. At Fort Frederick, repairs have been made to four industrial toilets, roofs, vendors’ booths, as well as the replacement of the wooden gate. Leapers Hill will be ready by December 15th. A gazebo, rails, and interpretation center with toilets are close to completion. The third phase will involve the construction of vendors’ booths, a bridge, and a foot path.

The tourism product mix has been further enhanced with the introduction of adventure river tubing as Grenada’s newest attraction and new video and audio equipment for the whale-watching experience with First Impressions. Tourism Services Limited, a company specializing in Grenada adventure jeep and mountain biking, is now offering adventure tubing tours at the Balthazar River. The 60-90 minute tour package is $45 per person and includes equipment, safety briefing and refreshment.

Training for taxi drivers, water taxi operators, ground tour operators, tourist vendors, managers, workers, and owners of hotels, as well as construction workers, received major priority during the summer. “This was structured to ensure that the beginning of the new tourist season will take place in an environment that is equipped with fully trained and highly motivated service providers and stakeholders,” said Joseph.

Currently, as it relates to the accommodation sub-sector, 1,087 rooms are available for occupancy. This constitutes approximately 68% of the room stock on the island. By the end of 2005, 90% of the pre-Hurricane Ivan room stock will be functional. Among those that will commence operations are the newly upgraded 80-room Coyaba Beach Resort and the 64-room Spice Island Beach Resort. Recent months have also seen the reopening of the renovated Blue Horizons Garden Resort and the Grenadian by Rex Resorts. The brand new Ki Ki Apartments, offering 17 apartments, also debuted recently near True Blue Bay.

The cruise aspect of the industry is being upgraded as the second phase of the new cruise ship port and terminal project nears completion. The inclusion of duty-free shopping facilities and other commercial retail outlets in this multi-million dollar project will enhance the experiences that arriving passengers will have in Grenada.

In preparation for Grenada’s hosting of matches during the Cricket World Cup in 2007, the reconstruction of the National Stadium will begin in October. In the meantime, a host-home program is being organized to boost the level of accommodations that will be available to visitors while in Grenada.

Visitors will also be happy to know that Grenada and Carriacou will host two wonderful special events in the months to come including the Cricket Classics, set to take place at Progress Park in St. Andrew from October 13th – 18th, and the Carriacou Parang Festival, which is slated for December 16th – 18th.

Pulau Payar To Be Temporarily Closed To The Public Next Year

The Malayisan government is planning to close Pulau Payar to the public for three to four months beginning next year to protect the coral reefs and marine life and to enable cleaning works to be carried out on the marine park.

Acting Menteri Besar Datuk Mahdzir Khalid said the park would be closed when during the monsoon season besides ensuring that all boats entering Pulau Payar had certificates, which were currently not required.

Studies by a company on the physical and biological aspects of the island found that 10 zones suffered damages on the coral reefs and marine life in Pulau Payar, he told reporters after chairing the exco meeting at Wisma Darul Aman here.

Mahdzir said the company, Satang Environmental Sdn Bhd, had presented a preliminary report to the state government and stated that the damages on the coral reefs in the marine park was between eight and 83 per cent in 10 zones, an average of 25 per cent, believed to be caused by man.

He said the state government was seriously considering the preliminary report on the first phase of the three phases of the study from September to Nov 15, this year even though the damages were still considered not critical.

Hence, he said among the other measures included setting up a committee headed by exco for Culture, Arts and Tourism, Nawawi Ahmad, to search for the best way and solutions to solve the problem.

"The state government will ask for the opinion from the marine experts in Universiti Sains Malaysia on the problem," he said.

Mahdzir said the chalets in Pulau Payar were expected to be occupied by the researchers beginning next month and the state government would be upgrading other facilities such as clean water supply and toilets.

He said the researchers conducting their studies could stay overnight at Pulau Payar while tourists could only make day trips to the island.

Cozumel Selected To Host 2nd Annual Mexico Underwater Dive Show

As one of the top dive destinations in the world, its no surprise that the island of Cozumel has been selected for the second year in a row to host "Mexico Underwater," the country's annual international dive show. The 2006 Mexico Underwater event will take place June 1-3, 2006. Hosted once again by the Cozumel Tourism Board and the Mexico Tourism Board, the show will offer industry professionals the unique opportunity to explore Mexico's amazing underwater environment and learn more about the natural treasures surrounding the country, while experiencing first-hand the fascinating marine life of Cozumel.

"With the island's longstanding reputation as a world-class dive destination, Cozumel provides the perfect setting for this underwater display of Mexico," said Raul Marrufo, director of the Cozumel Tourism Board. "We're honored to host Mexico Underwater again and look forward to sharing the beauty of both Cozumel and Mexico with divers from around the world."

The second annual dive show is open to the public and will include educational seminars, news on dive technology, equipment information, travel opportunities, new product demonstrations, and plenty of free time for diving.

Seminars will be presented each day in the afternoon hours, leaving the mornings free for show participants to get in the water and personally experience the famous reefs of Cozumel. A range of interesting topics will be covered during the show, including diving in Mexico's underwater caverns and craters, discovering sunken ships and Spanish galleons, and marine conservation efforts, which are of great importance to the country.

Offering the latest news in diving, Mexico Underwater's goal is to establish a valuable world-wide annual event for dive enthusiasts, wholesalers, operators, instructors, environmentalists and other members of the dive community, including travel writers and photographers.

Exhibit space is available for attending dive operators and wholesalers wishing to showcase products and services at the show. Many of the hotels and resorts on the island will be offering special accommodations rates and packages to show participants during Mexico Underwater. Dive operators will also be providing attendees with special discounts on dives during this time. For additional information about the Mexico Underwater dive show visit www.mexicounderwater.com

For more information about dive in Cozumel, visit www.islacozumel.com.

Reef's giant shade plans

Metres of shade cloth could cover our precious Great Barrier Reef in future to protect it from coral bleaching. The major tourist asset may need to be shaded as a last resort to save the living corals off Townsville, a CRC Reef scientist has said.

CRC Reef research director Dr David Williams said experiments were being conducted with shade cloth at Agincourt Reef off Port Douglas. It is a desperate practical measure being taken to sustain the reef while other research into coral bleaching is undertaken.

The popular coral reef is one of many which has been damaged due to long, hot summers which have left stunning corals laid bare and bleached.

Dr Williams said tourist operators and government bodies may work together to combat the phenomenon which has the potential to cripple Queensland's tourist trade. Dr Williams said CRC Reef and tourist dive operator Quick Silver was conducting the research off Port Douglas.

High water temperatures and sunlight are the major cause of bleaching.

"It may be possible for tourist operators to temporarily protect coral in hot periods," he said.

"This is a pilot experiment which has had some success.

"Having shade out for part of last season is helping the problem.

"It is an early stage thing but we hope it will make a difference in the short term.

"It may be possible we will do something similar here."

Dr Williams said large numbers of corals had died on the Great Barrier Reef and it was time to look for a practical and immediate response to the problem.

"We can also maximise all other factors on the reef such as improving water quality and managing fisheries.

"The reef has shown it can respond well if it is not dealing with multiple stresses."

Researchers will pay particular attention to the research happening in the North this year and will determine whether Kelso and John Brewer reefs off Townsville would benefit.

James Cook University researchers have been leading the way in the area with new remote sensing technology.

The instrument is the brainchild of JCU physics Professor Mal Heron and will allow researchers to predict the ocean's movements.

Prof Heron said half a million dollars had been given to the research team to conduct studies into coral bleaching.

"The HF radar will help us predict in the short term, and help us understand the processes better, that is, the physical parameters which drive the coral bleaching," he said.

Whale shark ecotourism contributes to economy

Swimming with whale sharks is contributing to the economy of the Philippines. According to government statistics, some 7,000 tourists travelled to Donsol, some 500km southeast of the capital, Manila, in 2005 to visit the “gentle giants”, earning some PHP35 million (or US$623,000).

The revenues accrued in the Philippines, however, are only a fraction of the whale shark tourism earnings of Ningaloo Reef in Australia and Gladden Spit Marine Reserves in Belize. Ningaloo generated US$7.8 million over a two-month period, while Belize profited US$1.35 million in just six weeks.

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest living fish, measuring up to 14m and weighing in at 125 tons. Despite its name and enormous size, the whale shark is not a whale, but classified in a family of its own — Rhincodontidae — with its closest relatives being leopard sharks and nurse sharks.

“The influx of tourists increases every year and this opens economic opportunities at the grassroots levels,” said Ruel Pine, WWF-Philippines’ Community-based Ecotourism and Coastal Resource Management Project Manager.

“Whale shark ecotourism has created 300 jobs in the municipality related to tour services, ranging from whale shark spotters to van drivers. However, out of the revenue earned over the six-month ecotourism season, Donsol’s local economy only retained 20 per cent in terms of shared benefits.”

A new WWF business plan development study shows that the capacity of ecotourism to generate income and employment for the local economy in Donsol was significantly reduced as a result of inadequate tourist facilities and other infrastructure.

“The study will assist policy-makers and implementers to improve the financing structure that will ensure investment for coastal rehabilitation, which in turn will enhance the value of ecotourism and its management,” Pine said.

“The much-needed business plan will help prevent economic leaks locally by identifying and supporting more community-based enterprises.”

WWF-Philippines, together with the Philippines Department of Tourism, is encouraging households to join home-stay programmes, and is looking into diversifying the local tourism portfolio.

WWF-Philippines is calling for an improvement to the pricing structure when visiting whale sharks so that generated income can go back into conservation activities. Currently, the local government invests little in marine conservation. WWF is also working with local fishing communities on a fisheries management plan which will address such marine issues as illegal fishing and the exploitation of fishery resources — issues that could effect the whale shark's habitat and overall future in Donsol’s waters.

Underwater Digital Video Expands the Role of Filmmaker to Sport Divers Around the World

Underwater filmmaking may just be the most challenging type of nature photography. Three experienced underwater cameramen share their secrets in a new book with novices and aspiring professionals.

Sport diver Steve Barsky always wanted to be an underwater filmmaker, but until underwater housings were built for digital video cameras, and editing software became readily available, that world was always out of reach. Although Barsky had been a commercial oilfield diver and is a professional underwater still photographer and writer, movie making seemed just too impossible.

“It was just too expensive to shoot in film,” says Barsky, “and the cost of shooting underwater is even worse.”

When the digital video revolution took place, Barsky saw the chance to make inexpensive films on a shoestring budget. In most cases, the crew was just himself and his marine biologist wife, Kristine. Their first film, California Lobster Diving, was 45 minutes long and is very popular in the sport diving field. Barsky went on to make another 45-minute video for a Swedish manufacturer of dry suits for professional divers, and has completed 3 other projects of similar length.

Realizing that there were many divers who wanted to learn how to make underwater videos, and there are few schools that teach the subject, Barsky teamed with two fellow underwater cameramen and friends to create a book on the subject. Hammerhead Press of Ventura, California recently released underwater Digital Video Made Easy.

Lance Milbrand, the second author on the book was nominated for an EMMY for his work as director of underwater photography for Survivor: Palau 2005. He has also shot the 2003 television special, Island Castaway, for National Geographic Explorer.

Mark Thurlow, the third member of the diving trio, shoots the Behind the Scenes featurettes for Howard Hall’s IMAX films, work on the underwater shots for Titanic with James Cameron, and has been involved with numerous other underwater theatrical productions.

The three authors are both objective and honest about their experiences in underwater filmmaking, teaching the novice based upon their own mistakes and triumphs. The book has information for the person who hopes to do nothing more than make films of their last dive trip, as well as for the person with professional aspirations.

According to Howard Hall, IMAX Director and underwater cinematographer, “Seldom has such an elite group of authors come together to produce a text for the sport diving industry. Besides being an accomplished underwater cameraman, Steve Barsky is a professional writer with numerous books about diving to his credit. I’ve been fortunate to work with both Lance Milbrand and Mark Thurlow on many motion pictures for television and IMAX theaters. Lance has produced video productions for numerous clients, including National Geographic. Mark has directed the underwater videography for all of the “making of” videos for our IMAX productions. These authors bring a wealth of insight and experience to Underwater Digital Video Made Easy. It’s a “must have” for anyone aspiring to produce professional quality underwater video.”

For more information, or to download a free sample chapter of the book, visit Hammerhead Press at www.hammerheadpress.com.

Why a whale shark's spots could help save its skin

Why a whale shark's spots could help save its skin Computer software developed by astrophysicists to locate stars and galaxies in the night sky could help save the whale shark - whose spotted skin is like a starry sky - from extinction, according to new research published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology.

Together with Australian marine biologist Brad Norman and JAVA programmer and software specialist Jason Holmberg, astrophysicist Dr Zaven Arzoumanian of the Universities Space Research Association and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland discovered that a pattern-matching algorithm developed by astronomers to locate celestial objects could be used to identify individual whale sharks.

The sharks' spots are analogous to bright stars in the night sky, allowing the trio of researchers to adapt the star pattern recognition technique to the characteristic markings found on the largest fish in the sea.

"This is an example of space technology finding an important application here on Earth," says Arzoumanian.

According to Arzoumanian: "The contrast of white whale shark spots on darker skin is well suited to a machine vision technique known as 'blob extraction', which measures the locations and dimensions of pixel groups of a single colour. The spatial relationships between these groups, represented by a set of x, y coordinates, form the basis for a unique identifier for each shark."

In the same way that individual whales can be identified by the shape and markings on their flukes, photographic identification of individual whale sharks through their spot pattern "fingerprints", as well as other markers, has long been possible. However, the full potential of photographic identification has rarely been exploited because of the unmanageable task of making visual identification in large data sets, so using pattern-matching to automate the process is a major advance.

Once photographed, the technique means a whale shark has been "virtually tagged". According to Norman: "Identifying individuals repeatedly through photography can also inform biological observations such as age of maturity, growth rate and foraging ecology."

The authors, devoting their own time and resources, have set up the ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library to act as a single repository for whale shark photographs taken by divers and tourists as well as researchers. "The implications of this computer-aided identification technique and web-based photo library for management and conservation of whale sharks may be profound," Norman says.

Without knowing more about the population size, structure and evolution of migratory species like the whale shark, it is impossible to know whether conservation efforts should be directed locally or internationally, or whether marine reserves are effectively protecting them.

Whale sharks are listed as "vulnerable to extinction" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Up to 20 metres long, the whale shark is the world's largest fish and lives mainly in the warm water belt north and south of the equator. Whale sharks pose no danger to humans as they are filter-feeders.

Cousteau and his incredible Trojan shark

Deep beneath the waves a weird fish has swallowed the grandson of the late Captain Jacques Cousteau, the ocean explorer. Fabien Cousteau, 36, is these days to be found inside the belly of a submersible built in the shape of a great white shark. It might seem a foolhardy enterprise, but Cousteau is using the robotic fish to get as close as possible to real great whites, the most ferocious killers of the sea, in the hope of filming them without disturbing their natural behaviour.

The “Trojan shark”, built from steel and plastic, is 14ft long and was created by a Hollywood prop expert at a cost of £115,000.

“The whole point,” says Cousteau, “is to fool them into thinking I am a shark.”

It is hardly the most comforting of environments in which to get cosy with the predatory fish. Cousteau’s diving contraption is covered with Skinflex, a malleable material mixed with glass beads and sand to simulate the texture of shark skin, right down to the ugly scars that commonly disfigure the biggest great whites.

The head swings open on hinges to allow Cousteau to enter the body. There he lies flat, holding a joystick in each hand to control speed, left and right movement and pitch — “just like a fighter plane”, he says.

The shark’s eyes are camera lenses and a third camera is positioned in a rubber “pilot fish” clamped, in another lifelike touch, to the underbelly of the submarine.

A “pneumatic propulsion system” invented by the American navy powers the shark’s tail. It enables it to move quietly and without creating bubbles.

“Bubbles make noise the sharks would feel and hear,” explains Cousteau. “It’s an artificial stimulus that could spook them or alter their behaviour in some way.”

Unsettling great whites is inadvisable. They have been blamed for three deaths this year and numerous attacks on swimmers and surfers. Some have been known to attack the metal cages used by divers. In the image popularised by the Steven Spielberg film Jaws, a great white is even thought capable of biting a small boat in half. With the Trojan shark, Cousteau is protected by a stainless steel skeleton made from 2in thick ribs beneath the shark’s skin.

Perhaps because of their fearsome reputation, the great white remains little understood. Scientists have yet to establish where they breed, how long they live and how big they can grow. The largest on record is 21ft.

Cousteau’s device has enabled him to study the fish with unprecedented insight. Over the past few months he has been filming great whites from Mexico to Australia for American television. His findings contradict popular conceptions.

In fact, he says, “great white sharks do not go around chomping up boats”. Instead he claims they are “very timid creatures”.

Cousteau, who spent school holidays on expeditions with his grandfather aboard the Calypso, was partly inspired to build the shark by the cartoon character Tintin. In an adventure called Red Rackham’s Treasure, the boy detective takes to the deep in a shark-shaped submarine.

NAFO vows to ban shark finning

The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, which is a member of the North-west Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), has welcomed the outcome of the organisation’s annual meeting, held in Tallin – Estonia – last week. The constructive atmosphere in which the meeting took place bodes well for the strengthening of NAFO’s role in protecting fisheries resources in the area under its responsibility.

It was decided to launch a reform process, in line with the conclusions of the Ministerial Declaration of last May’s Ministerial Conference, held in St John’s, Canada. The aim is to strengthen NAFO’s decision making process, fisheries management and control capacity. A Working Group will review the NAFO Convention so as to make proposals for next year's annual meeting. The Contracting Parties confirmed the continued implementation of the 2003 Greenland halibut recovery plan which will see a reduction of the total allowable catch (TAC) from 19,000 tonnes this year, to 18,500 tonnes in 2006.

There will be a move towards adopting an ecosystem approach by introducing a voluntary system for the collection of data that would allow for the location and protection of seamounts and cold water corals. A ban on shark finning, already in force in some regional fisheries organisations, will be put in place by NAFO.

Finally, NAFO will adopt a procedure to blacklist fishing vessels from non-contracting states fishing in the area under its responsibility. The issue of applying trade sanctions will be examined at the 2006 annual meeting.

Greek recreational scuba diving bill

A merchant marine ministry draft bill lifting restrictions on recreational scuba-diving was passed in principle by both main parties on Wednesday, during discussion in a parliamentary committee.

MPs stressed that the new laws would help make Greece one of the most popular worldwide destinations for scuba-diving holidays and bring in significant revenue.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology party expressed reservations about whether the new laws adequately protected submerged archaeological remains, however.

In past years, recreational diving was strictly restricted in Greece in order to deter antiquities smugglers, with diving only permitted in specific, closely-watched locations.

Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis stressed that all measures in the bill were fully harmonised with Community law and aimed to allow full exploitation of the favourable weather conditions prevailing in Greece for the greater part of the year, as well as its natural, historic and cultural attractions, to draw the recreational diving sector.

The minister also announced that he intended to table an amendment for the subsidisation of insurance contributions paid by staff on cruise ships and another obliging ships to have a doctor on board.

Diver dies in suspected crocodile attack

A man is believed to have been killed by a large crocodile while scuba-diving off Australia's remote north coast on Thursday, the second fatal crocodile attack in five days.

The 56-year-old man was diving with a friend at Trepang Bay on the Cobourg Peninsula, north of tropical Darwin, when he was attacked.

The police said he had sustained injuries consistent with a crocodile attack. His body, which was recovered on Thursday, was taken to Darwin for examination to determine the cause of death.

They praised the man's unidentified friend who reported him missing after he failed to surface from a dive.

Despite the shock of the attack, the friend marked their exact location with a distress beacon before calling for help, which arrived several hours later. He told the police he had seen a large crocodile in the area after the attack.

"Despite the pressure, the man did everything possible to help in the search for the diver," said Superintendent Dean McMaster.

Plans were announced on 21st September for the Ministry of Defence, in consultation with English Heritage, to fund for a final archeological dive on the wreck site of the Tudor warship Mary Rose.

This year the team of divers, directed by the professional diving archaeologists at the Mary Rose Trust at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, hope to raise an anchor and section of the bow of Henry VIII's flagship which foundered in the Solent off Portsmouth in 1545. Diving begins on Saturday 24th September and will continue until 14th October. It is hoped to raise the bow section on Tuesday 11th October, the anniversary of the recovery of the hull in 1982. The Mary Rose Trust are currently inviting anyone interested in witnessing the raising on the 11th October to contact them to book seats on an organised leisure boat.

MOD-funded dives on the wreck site began in the summer of 2003 and were linked with plans for the basing in Portsmouth of the Royal Navy's new
generation of much larger aircraft carriers.

The chosen option for a newly dredged, deeper channel is now unlikely to directly affect the wreck site, but the previous dives had left vulnerable timbers on the seabed. This last MOD-funded dive on the Mary Rose will fulfil English Heritage requirements for the long-term management of the site. The most important timbers, particularly the ship's stem, the major timber in the bow, will be brought to the surface for conservation together with an anchor from the warship uncovered in 2003-4. Other sensitive but less exposed remains, whose extent has not yet been established, will be re-buried on the seabed to preserve them from decay and the ravages of marine organisms.

Commenting on the MOD decision to fund this latest dive, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, John Lippiett, said: "I am delighted with this news. It will be an exceptionally important dive for the Mary Rose and the recovery of two vulnerable items from the seabed - the stem timber and the anchor - will mean that we can rebury the remaining timbers to keep them safe."

"Future generations will no doubt return for further excavations, but the site will be well protected. The stem is of huge significance and will help historians, archaeologists, and our many visitors, to have a far greater understanding of the Mary Rose as a ship. The dive illustrates that the Mary Rose project continues to capture the imagination and with plans imminent for the building of a new Mary Rose Museum in the Historic Dockyard our need for public support remains critical."

Christopher Dobbs, Maritime Archaeologist at the Mary Rose Trust comments on the stem timber: "The stem timber is a particularly significant timber in a ship as it defines the shape of the hull at the bow. This is a vital piece in the Mary Rose jigsaw that had been lost until now. For the last 23 years we have been displaying the hull in our Ship Hall without the bow and when this timber is conserved and put on display, it will be much easier for the public to see the shape of the ship".

New Philippines diving holidays!

Philippine Travel Ltd (PTL) have announced a new range of package dive holidays in the Philippines and Palau.

This is the largest holiday collection in the Philippines, featuring every major dive operator in the area. The range includes: Liveaboards, Safari's, Wrecks, Reefs, Whaleshark & Dugong sighting trips.

Whether viewing the sunken Japanese fleet in Coron's crystal clear water or swimming with Dugongs in Northern Palawan, divers will be enthralled by the marine life of The Philippines. Now considered by many experienced divers to be the best quality dive destination in the world. Its diversity and beauty is unmatched by any other region.

From a days diving close to Manila for USD$145, to a Liveaboard trip to Palau for around USD$2000, PTL have a dive holiday to suit all discerning dive travellers. PTL are the foremost dedicated Philippines specialist tour operator, PTL are an ATOL licenced agent, International flights and all Philippines travel arrangements can be provided.

The range of dive holidays can be viewed on Philippine Travel Ltd's website here.

PTL will be at the World Travel Market's 'Wow Philippines' stand in October and at the Dive show in Birmingham in November.

Open Water repeat?

Two British divers rescued from Australian waters have spoken of their six-hour ordeal. Gordon Pratley, 31, and his fiancee Louise Woodger, 29, from Suffolk, became separated from their dive group on the Great Barrier Reef are were found siz hours later exhausted and suffering from hypothermia nearly 10km from where they entered the water.

Asked how it felt to be rescued, Mr Pratley said: "It was as good as it gets - as good as winning the Ashes."

The pair said they had never given up hope.

He said Louise had seen a reef shark, which is relatively harmless, but the couple were on the lookout for the larger sharks like the tiger shark.

Speaking from her home in Mildenhall, Suffolk, Miss Woodger's mother Jane said: "The first I knew was when I received a call from her, telling me she was safe.

"It hasn't really sunk in. They had finished working in Sydney and were travelling before heading back home at some point next year."

The couple had joined a local tour and went diving on Wheeler Reef, about 90km (55 miles) from Townsville. But strong currents pulled them away from the rest of the group.

When they resurfaced, they realised they could not see anyone else from their party, said Richard Boulton from the Townsville Coastguard. Mr Boulton said the divers did not try to struggle against the strong current but inflated their life jackets and clung to each other. The skipper of their boat immediately noticed they were missing and alerted the police and coastguard to launch a search by sea and air.

The couple could see the rescue helicopters and boats but could not attract their attention.

Finally, the pair were found by their original dive boat and brought back to safety.

Miss Woodger worked as a nurse at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and Mr Pratley worked in Newmarket before they decided to travel to New Zealand and Australia in 2002.

Police say Japanese woman has died while scuba diving in Australia

A Japanese woman died while scuba diving off Australia's east coast, police said Saturday.

The woman, aged about 30, was not breathing when she surfaced from a dive off Lady Elliot Island in Queensland state, police said in a statement.

Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, was diving with four other people.

Further details were not immediately available.

Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay at the southern tip of Australia's Great Barrier Reef that is popular as a dive and snorkeling spot.

Australia may license scuba diving

Australia is considering an annual licensing fee for scuba divers.

The new plan follows criticism of an earlier government proposal to establish per dive fees for scuba diving in areas that need to be protected from human impact.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the new license system would help protect the critically endangered grey nurse shark and would be simpler and fairer than requiring divers to pay a per dive fee.

"The state government was previously considering introducing a fee to dive in these areas but the licence system will be simpler and fairer – instead of paying a fee for each dive in the habitat sites, divers will now have an annual fee," Mr Macdonald said.

Macdonald told reporters that dive industry representatives have expressed support for the new plan.

Win! 2 VIP tickets to the raising of the Mary Rose bow section!

WIN! 2 VIP tickets to this event are available to the first person to phone Joanna at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and quote "Zerovisibility website". You can contact her at 023 9275 0521.

Note the tickets do not include travel to Portsmouth, accomodation or food, only the tickets. That said this is a great opportunity to witness real history!

COME ON BOARD FOR DIVE 2005!

If you are not the first to phone you can still attend and the tickets are £25 each. Watch history take place: book your seat on the boat!

Find out more about at www.maryrose.org.

Images from previous dives

Regaldive Offers - El Gouna

Travel to El Gouna with Regaldive between 2nd September and 15th December to take advantage of the following diving offers*:

Book one PADI Open Water Course or Advanced Course and get a second HALF PRICE!

Develop your diving skills with a Nitrox Course (PADI EANX Speciality Course) for a reduced price of £45 or a DPV (PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Speciality Course) for just £40 when you book 5 days diving in El Gouna with Regaldive.

For more information, please visit www.regaldive.co.uk.

*These offers are subject to availability. Course prices include certification.

Secrets of largest fish revealed

Hi-tech electronic tags on whale sharks, the world's largest fish, have revealed how and where they find food. Researchers in Belize have tracked the sharks as they dive almost a kilometre in search of food, and find shoals of spawning fish in order to eat the eggs. The sharks grow to 20m in length, and are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

The researchers believe their findings will help to plan tourism operations around whale sharks in a way that does not harm the creatures themselves.

These new, unprecedented insights into the whale sharks' world come from the Belize Barrier Reef, the world's second largest barrier reef system and a site given UN World Heritage status.

"Our study showed that sharks dive much deeper than previously believed, reaching depths of over 1,000m in search of food," said Rachel Graham, of the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

"Water this deep is only a few degrees above freezing; and this explains why tropical whale sharks have an insulating fat layer just below their skins, something which has perplexed scientists for years."

During the night, the sharks generally remain in shallow water, feeding off plankton, and reserving deep dives for the heat of the day. Around the time of the full moon, Cubera snappers come together near the shore to spawn, forming huge masses of writhing bodies in a "soup" of freshly-released eggs.

For the whale sharks, this is a feast, and they swim through the egg soup time and time again, filling their giant mouths with snapper caviar. This habit of surfacing during spawning allowed the scientists to attach electronic tags to the whale sharks.

Scuba diver missing in another PADI night diving course accident

A scuba diving student has gone missing while participating in a PADI night diving course.

In the second PADI night diving course accident within the past month, two of ten course participants tried to abort the dive due to rough seas at Vulcan Rock, off the Hout Bay coast. As they tried to get back on the boat, one of the divers drifted off into the darkness.

The National Sea Rescue Institute has deployed several boats and a helicopter to search for the missing diver.

Diver sues aquarium after shark bites ear

A 24-year-old man is suing Shanghai Changfeng Park after a shark in its aquarium bit his ear and head while he was scuba diving.

The Putuo District People's Court held an evidentiary hearing in the case last week.

Zhang Liang is seeking 415,000 yuan (US$51,235) in compensation, including 400,000 yuan for mental anguish. Zhang said he went to the park with two friends to dive with sharks in the aquarium on the afternoon of July 17.

Zhang, who is a certified scuba diver, and his friends were accompanied by two diving coaches. After their 15-minute dive was up, the coaches gestured to the three men to swim to the surface of the aquarium.Zhang said at that point a 3.5-meter-long shark swam up to him from behind and bit the right side of his head and his ear.

The bite needed three stitches to close and doctors pulled a shark's tooth from his head.

"I was very lucky. If the shark had bitten my head strongly, I would have died," said Zhang. "Now I suffer from a serious mental disease as I often have visions of sharks."

He claims the park should have had one dive coach for each diver and should have provided protection equipment such as a helmet. He also said the sharks were being fed at the time of the attack.

"The feeding will stimulate the sharks to attack people," said Zhang. "The park runners, who should know sharks are a fierce animal, have the obligation to protect visitors' security."

Park managers said Zhang didn't follow instructions from his coach and he made his ascent too quickly, running into the shark. It has agreed to pay his medical bills, but not compensation for mental anguish.

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