Divers’ Lodge, one of the leading diving operators in the Red Sea, is delighted to announce the appointment of a Group Marketing Manager for the first time.

Jane Rankin is based at Divers’ Lodge in Hurghada with responsibility for marketing operations for the diving centres in both Hurghada and Sharm-El-Sheikh. Jane has many years experience working in marketing in the watersports industry and joins Divers’ Lodge from her previous role as Marketing Manager for UK-based specialist diving tour operator Regaldive.

This new marketing appointment heralds an exciting time of development for Divers’ Lodge, who are already well-known for their diving expertise throughout the Red Sea. Divers’ Lodge has been established since 1993 and the team is credited with being the original Technical Diving pioneers in the region.

Divers’ Lodge is the largest TDI facility in the Middle East and a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Resort. Both diving centres in Hurghada and Sharm-El-Sheikh offer a complete programme of Technical and Recreational diving including courses, daily diving and safaris. In addition to offering PADI training, Divers’ Lodge also offer TDI and SDI courses for both diver and instructor levels. Divers’ Lodge is also one of the few diving centres with BSAC accreditation in the Red Sea.

Divers’ Lodge is based at the Intercontinental Resort & Casino in Hurghada and at the Intercontinental Garden Reef Resort in Sharm-El-Sheikh.

New website coming soon at www.divers-lodge.com.

Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam is being launched as a new destination on the South Red Sea, the main objective to be different than other existing destinations in Egypt. It is being positioned to be among the famous International tourism destinations recognized for their class, style and charm and should be perceived as the Puerto Banus of the Middle East.

Port Ghalib is spread over 8 million square metres of land and is situated 67km south of Qseir and 70km north of Marsa Alam. Port Ghalib has an ideal location as its proximity to Luxor (280km) and Aswan (350km) providing the opportunity to mix sun, sea and antiquities. Port Ghalib has moderate weather all year long. This new community will provide hotels, real estate opportunities, residential properties, commercial outlets, retail opportunities and solid infrastructure. It’s strong point will be its access by its proximity to Marsa Alam International Airport which is only 5km away, 10 mins drive, providing access to Hurghada, Cairo and European markets.

The Coral Beach Diving Hotel managed by Millennium Hotels & Resorts will be the first hotel at Port Ghalib.

Location

5km from Marsa Alam Airport approx 5 minutes by car On Corniche of Port Ghalib Marina – easy access for Diving.

Emperor Divers has a new Photo Gallery on its website – and if you enter your photos you could win a 7-day liveaboard holiday.

Simply enter your Red Sea photos into one of the three Red Sea competition photo categories. The best in each will win £100 to spend at Emperor Divers' online shop plus an Oceans T-shirt. The overall winner wins the liveaboard holiday!

The judges are renowned underwater photographers Maria Munn and Mark Walker. The winners will be announced at the end of 2005. Anyone can enter, you don't have to have dived with Emperor Divers, but you could well be joining them on one of their new luxury fleet of liveaboards if you win the big prize worth over 900 Euros.

If you don't want to enter, then simply post your photos in the relevant General categories and tell your pals to take a look!

For more details, please www.emperordivers.com – the Photo Gallery is situated in the Forum. And check the website for details of forthcoming professional Red Sea photo trips with Emperor Divers.

Barracuda shoaling (click to enlarge)

Surfer calls for shark cull after narrow escape

A surfer has called for a shark cull after punching and kicking a Great White to escape an attack off South Australia.

Jake Heron, 40, suffered leg and arm wounds in the attack, in which his surfboard was bitten in half by the shark.

"It's the top of the food chain ... nothing affects it," he said.

"The numbers are going up, it's time they started controlling them."

Heron was surfing 40m out at Fishery Bay, 30km south of Port Lincoln, when he was attacked.

"I looked around and saw a big black body ... and then felt the bite," the father of two said.

"The shark grabbed my board and I was just punching and kicking it.

"The board popped up, I swam to it and a wave came along. I knew I had to get in and that was all that was going through my mind."

Great White

Every year more than 20,000 dolphins are killed in Japan; some are harpooned at sea whilst others are killed in the so-called drive-fisheries; a method in which entire pods of dolphins are driven ashore into shallow coves, surrounded by nets and then butchered in the most brutal way imaginable. Most of the dolphins are sold as meat for human consumption, however some are captured live and sold to marine parks who financially support these hunts, by purchasing animals to restock their facilities, these dolphins then live out their lives in featureless concrete tanks in the name of "entertainment".

Over 50 organisations are participating in this peaceful international protest worldwide. The Marine Connection are co-ordinators of the London segment of this protest involving 15 UK groups concerned with the welfare of marine mammals.

The protest will be held at the Japanese Embassy in London, on Saturday the 8th October at 12 Midday.

Further information is available on our charitys' website at the following link. http://www.marineconnection.org/news/general/8_October_daydetails1.html

New dive holiday packages for Palau and the Philippines

Philippine Travel Ltd 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 and Whaleshark sighting trips.The range can be viewed on Philippine Travel Ltd's website here.

Commercial diver tragedy in the US

A grieving family is fighting for safety standards to be improved after their son died in a diving tragedy in the US.

Jonathan Chapman, who was born and raised in the UK in the Maidenhead area. He was working as a commercial diver in Louisiana when he became entangled in a boat’s spinning propeller while underwater. According to a Louisiana coroner’s report the 31-year-old was pulled into the propeller’s path in just 10ft of water and died as a result of his injuries.

Now his family is planning to sue the company he worked for and start a campaign to stop similar deaths occurring. Unlike scuba diving, commercial divers use connecting pipes to provide air.

Mr Chapman was diving from a liftboat, a vessel which hydraulically hauls itself out of the water on stilts to form a stable platform for diving operations. But the family claims on the day of his death the liftboat was not elevated and the propellers directly under the diving platform remained submerged.

Trawling 'causes coral reef damage'

Deep water trawling is causing widespread damage to cold-water coral reefs of Ireland and the UK, it has been claimed.

Marine biologist Dr Jason Hall-Spencer revealed spectacular images of curious organisms living among the corals a kilometre deep off the west coast of Ireland.

The footage, taken during recent international expeditions exploring the reefs, also shows compelling evidence of coral damage.

Dr Hall-Spencer, who is presenting the evidence at the start of the British Association Festival of Science at Trinity College, Dublin, said: "Few people realise that we have such interesting, previous and dramatic habitats right on our doorstep.

"Some of these areas have yet to be explored, but even before we have had the chance to see their treasures, they are being bulldozed by deep-water trawling. It is crucial that we take steps to protect the coral reefs before it is too late."

In March 2004, Europe's first deep-water conservation area was set up in a coral-rich region discovered off Scotland in 1998.

However, there remains no protection for Ireland's reef areas, said Dr Hall-Spencer, from the University of Plymouth.

He is now looking at new technologies which could help prevent further damage to the coral reefs, such as satellite tracking to monitor the activities of off-shore fleets.

Explore hidden depths in Regaldive’s new brochure

Discover underwater wonders with the experts

Award-winning specialist dive tour operator Regaldive has launched its new brochure with an expanded product range for 2005/06. The brochure features three exciting new world-class dive destinations, new worldwide liveaboards and additional hotel and flight options in the Red Sea.

New brochure (Click to enlarge)

Director Andreas Elia comments: “Regaldive has always offered a range of diving holidays to suit all tastes, but our new brochure is jam-packed with more diving options than ever before. For the first time, we are able to offer a real mix of relatively undiscovered destinations like Bali, Komodo and Oman, alongside more established options in the Red Sea, and around the world. I’m sure divers will agree that this is our most exciting product range to date.”

Worldwide

Bali is renowned for its friendly population and beautiful scenery and it is also home to some of the best shore-based diving in the world. Highlights include the coral islands of the Bali Barat National Park and the mangrove-bordered Secret Bay.

Komodo is one of the ultimate undiscovered destinations, reached on a liveaboard boat from Bali. The Komodo National Park is the largest protected marine zone on the planet and divers can enjoy an incredible diversity of dive sites and see the renowned Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat.

In addition to Komodo, Regaldive is now offering liveaboards in a number of other worldwide destinations, including Tobago, Djibouti, Pemba, the Maldives, Thailand and the Galapagos.

Just seven hours away from the UK, the Sultanate of Oman has recently opened its borders to travellers and is rapidly gaining a reputation for the superb quality of its diving. Oman benefits from warm waters and prolific marine life, offering fantastic and varied diving for all levels of experience.

The Red Sea

Regaldive’s most popular destination is still the Red Sea, and the new brochure features an extended range of holiday experiences for both divers and non-divers. A highlight of the new programme is year-round flights to Marsa Alam in the southern Red Sea. This tranquil region is perfect for those who want to explore the pristine dive sites away from the crowds, and take advantage of the new luxurious liveaboard options available.

Regaldive is now offering private transfers, throughout the Red Sea, at a small supplement, as well as many new accommodation options including luxury hotels in the popular resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada.

The new brochure also features a comprehensive range of diving courses, everything from learn to dive through to professional and technical training. Divers can save money in most resorts with an exclusive Regaldive buy one get one half price offer on 4, 5 and 6-day dive packs and PADI Open Water Diver Courses. Red Sea holidays booked before 30 September also qualify for free N. J. Heritage insurance on new brochure price bookings.

Visit www.regaldive.co.uk for further information or to request a brochure.

Boy struck by giant tropical fish

A four-year-old boy fishing off the west Wales coast with his parents was knocked over by a metre-long tropical fish which leapt aboard their boat.
The Grey family were fishing off the coast of Pembrokeshire when the ocean sunfish - weighing around 30kg - landed on top of their son Byron.

"It knocked him flying," said Vivienne Grey, from Little Haven.

Sunfish - the world's largest bony fish - are native to warm, tropical waters and are less common in the UK. Mrs Grey and her husband Andrew had taken Byron and his brother Owen, 12, fishing for lobster in their 14ft boat. They were about 150m off the coast of Little Haven when the incident happened.

"My husband said he was glad we went with him, because he's sure we wouldn't have believed him if he'd come home and told us about it," she said.

"We spotted the fin of the sunfish in the water and, because we knew they were rare, we thought we'd take the boat a bit closer to let the children have a look.

"But as we got closer, it just disappeared. The next thing we knew, it had leaped out of the water and landed in the boat, right on top of Byron.

"We grabbed him from under the fish, and both boys were just shouting to their dad to get the fish out of the boat.

"It was very heavy, but Andrew managed to lift it and heave it over the side.

"Luckily, Byron got away with cuts and grazes.

"I didn't realise there were fish that big in our waters."

The experience has not put the family off sailing, and the boys were back out in the boat within days.

Marine-watchers said several sunfish - which normally live in warm, tropical waters - had been seen off the Pembrokeshire coast in recent months.

Cliff Benson, who runs Sea Trust, the marine branch of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, said sunfish could grow up to 3m long and weigh up to 1,360kg (3,000lb).

"We get them through the summer months, but normally all people see is the distinctive grey fin," he explained.

"They float about eating jellyfish, and our waters are particularly rich in jellyfish at the moment.

"They're not considered dangerous. In fact, only one man has ever been killed by a sunfish - and that was because it landed on him and squashed him."

Great white suspected in shark attack

Whenever there's a fatal shark attack in Australia, the chief suspect is usually the feared predator, the great white.

Wednesday's attack on marine biologist Jarrod Stehbens off Adelaide's Glenelg Beach was no exception. While authorities remain uncertain what type of shark took Mr Stehbens as he was diving in search of cuttlefish eggs, shark expert Andrew Fox says it's likely to have been a great white, also known as a white pointer.

"The great white shark is really the only large predatory shark that's capable of actually taking a diver," Mr Fox says.

The great white is found all around Australia's southern coast but favours the waters of South Australia as a prime hunting ground.

Great whites are a protected species in Australia and are regarded as endangered around the world.

But they have attained a terrifying status in Australia following a number of fatal attacks in recent years.

Before Thursday, the most recent in South Australia was in December last year when 18-year-old Nick Peterson was attacked while being towed on a surfboard behind a boat off Adelaide's West Beach - just one kilometre from the site of the attack at Glenelg.

A great white was also suspected of killing boat skipper Geoffrey Brazier, 26, taken as he snorkelled in WA's Abrolhos Islands in March last year.

According to shark expert Rodney Fox, who is Andrew Fox's father, SA's Spencer Gulf is probably the best feeding ground in the southern ocean for white pointers.

Mr Fox, who survived a savage attack by a great white and has spent much of his life studying sharks, says he has seen more great whites in that area than anywhere else in southern Australia.

"It's probably the best restaurant in the whole southern ocean," he once said.

Great whites grow to up to seven metres, have huge and powerful jaws and are also capable of reaching speeds of up to 16kph - more than 10kph faster than the average swimmer, experts say.

Great whites are now a protected species in Australia and laws prohibit its hunting.

Last year, Australia announced it would push for a global ban on trade in great white shark products.

Australia said it would nominate the shark for listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

New Scuba Diving T-shirts

If you’ve ever bemoaned the lack of T-shirts that express your passion for scuba diving, it’s time you check out the cool tees from Dive Junkie!

The designs found on these casual T-shirts reflect scenes and experiences close to every diver’s heart. These are depicted with humour, sometimes with a touch of seriousness, at times with some degree of nostalgia — but always with lots of heart. What you won’t find are meaningless loud t-shirts!

This apparel label resulted from a month-long road trip that took two friends from Singapore to Thailand, through Malaysia. Both are divers who were dissatisfied in their careers and sought a better solution to the dreary nine-to-five regime.

Along the way, a firm friendship was established, and together with it, the concept for T-shirts that divers could identify with.

And so they founded Dive Junkie, and filled their drawing board with scenes they encountered during their dives. But the designs are more than just pretty pictures conjured up during a decompression stop.

While some designs brought the beauty and wonders of the underwater world to the surface, others strive to bring home a serious message. An example of this is Barcode Shark, which shows a shark trapped behind a barcode strips, a statement representing the commercialisation of these majestic creatures.

“We loved the idea that T-shirts can be conversational starters and ice-breakers,” said Jasmine Yeo, co-founder of Dive Junkie. She and her partner, Cavin Song, opted to concentrate on a scuba-diving theme as a start because both are avid divers.

The precision with which all Dive Junkie T-shirts have been made mirror the meticulous care all divers take with their diving gear. All T-shirts have been made with 100% fully combed cotton fabric knitted from 25-singles ring-spun yarn. Weighing in at 200 gsm, they have been pre-shrunk and possess reinforced stitching at the collars, shoulders and sleeves to enhance its durability. The lycra-ribbed collars ensure that they retain their shape after numerous washes.

In short, Dive Junkie T-shirts are comfy to the max and made to last.

Of course, these diving-theme T-shirts can be worn by anyone, even non-divers. Cavin and Jasmine are happy to just introduce the sport of diving — or just the excitement about it — to anyone keen to experience it. Certainly anyone can possess a love for the sea; such attitudes are not reserved solely for the diver.

Based in Singapore, Dive Junkie is currently expanding into other parts of the world. At present, its T-shirts are sold all over the world via its online store, and are physically sold in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

South African shark diving under attack

A victims' group has called for an end to South Africa's booming sport of cage diving to see great white sharks that it blames for increasing shark attacks.

The Shark Concern Group accusation put conservationists, environmentalists, scientists and tour operators at odds over the growing extreme sport particularly popular among British tourists, The Times of London reported.

Craig Bovim, a marine engineer and surfer who survived an attack, formed Shark Concern Group to end baiting sharks to lure them close to caged divers.

"We don't know enough about the risks. Until we do, we should stop it," said Bovim.

However, Wilfred Chivell, a marine environmentalist who runs a Gansbaai, South Africa, shark-watching business, said the claims do not measure up.

"I'm dead certain shark tourism and cage-watching has had no effect on a shark's behavior towards humans," Chivell said.

While there were virtually no shark attacks off South Africa for 20 years, there have been five this year. Two were fatal.

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