Help Prevent Shark-Finning In Palau
July 2, 2009 – Reader Jason Calvert brought this piece of news to our attention just the other day.

“For a few months now there has been some talk on diver forums about the new bills to relax Palau’s strong conservation laws and allow shark-finning and tuna export through particularly destructive fishing methods to occur.”

If you’ve ever dived Palau’s waters you’ll know one of the big features is seeing sharks on almost every dive. For a country like Palau, which relies heavily on tourism (of which dive tourism constitutes a significant portion), to even entertain the idea of allowing shark-finning is unthinkable. If you want your voice to be heard sign this petition started by Shark Savers.

AquaMarine Diving – Bali MIDE Specials
July 1, 2009 –Are you going to be in Kuala Lumpur for MIDE, Friday July 3 through Sunday July 5? If so, make sure to visit the AquaMarine Diving - Bali booth (B13) to take advantage of these special offers:

1. To enter the grand prize draw, a 3D/2N safari!
2. Or book a spot on these attractively priced deals:

a) 5D/4N, US$360/MYR1,275/pp. (Save US$198/MYR700/pp.) Pay 50% deposit at MIDE ‘09 and receive a free Mares wetsuit in Bali!
Day 1    Arrival in Bali, transfer to Tulamben (2.5hrs). Free afternoon or night dive (if enough time). Overnight in A/C room at Paradise Tulamben.
Day 2    0700 hrs, early dive on the USAT Liberty shipwreck. Two day dives in Tulamben Bay, one free afternoon or Night Dive. Overnight Paradise Tulamben.
Day 3    0730 hrs check out, transfer to Padangbai (1hr 15min). Three day dives at Nusa Penida including mola mola sites. Transfer to Candidasa (15min), overnight Grand Natia Cottages.
Day 4    0830 hrs, transfer to Padangbai. Three day dives at Nusa Penida including Manta Point. Overnight at either Grand Natia Cottages or Wida Hotel, Kuta.
Day 5    1200 hrs latest check out time. Transfer to the airport.

Valid until 12/31/09. Terms and conditions apply. Includes: 4N accommodations; breakfast; 11 dives; full gear; land+boat transport; lunch on diving days; PADI diver insurance; towels; all local fees, tax, porters.

b) 4D/3N, US$290/MYR1,030/pp. (Save US$165/MYR585/pp.) US$10/pp donated to Project AWARE!
Day 1    Arrival in Bali, transfer to Candidasa (1.5 hr). Overnight Grand Natia Cottages
Day 2    0830 hrs transfer to Padangbai (15 min). Three day dives at Nusa Penida including Manta Point. Overnight Grand Natia Cottages
Day 3    0830 hrs check out, transfer to Padangbai. Three day dives at Nusa Penida including mola mola sites. Transfer to Kuta (1hr 15min). Free Balinese massage. Overnight Wida Hotel. Day 4    1200 hrs latest check out time. Transfer to the airport.

Valid 08/21/09-09/06/09 (although knowing AquaMarine Diving – Bali, if you ask nicely, they may extend the dates for you!). Terms and conditions apply. Includes: 3N accommodations; breakfast; six day dives at Nusa Penida for mola mola and at Manta Point; full equipment; land + boat transport; lunch on diving days; PADI diveriInsurance; towels; all local fees; tax, porterage.

Fish Species Has Ability To Learn
June 21, 2009 – Although worlds apart, the way fish learn could be closer to humans’ way of thinking than previously believed, suggests a new research study.

A common species of fish which is found across Europe including the UK, called the nine-spined stickleback, could be the first animal shown to exhibit an important human social learning strategy. The researchers suggest these fish might have an unusually sophisticated social learning capability not yet found in other animals, called a “hill-climbing” strategy.

This ability of picking the best quality food patch by comparing how successful others are at getting food from it against their personal experience has not been shown before in animals, say the scientists.

Caribbean Reefs Flattened In 40 Years
June 10, 2009 – Forty years was all it took for Caribbean reefs to change dramatically. Research reveals that the corals have been replaced by shorter rival species — and points to climate change as at least partly to blame.

Most of the reefs have lost all the intricate, tree-like corals that until the 1970s provided sanctuary for unique reef fish and other creatures, as well as protecting coastlines by sapping the energy of waves.

Study Links Stranded Marine Animals To Toxins
May 30, 2009 – In a study recently published in the journal Environmental Pollution, Eric Montie, a University of South Florida scientist who did most of his research while a doctoral student at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, found high levels of man-made chemicals in the brains and fluid surrounding the brains of marine mammals.

Working with the Cape Cod Stranding Network, Montie went to marine mammal strandings in 2004 and 2005 and retrieved the freshly dead or euthanised carcasses of 10 dolphins and a young grey seal. He used a magnetic resonance imaging machine to capture a detailed picture of their brains, to establish a baseline for future research on how chemicals could be affecting their neurological development.

Seahorse, Slug Top List Of New Species
May 29, 2009 – This is for field editor Steven Schwankert, who’s always bemoaning the fact we feature pygmy seahorses so much. We do this because they’re popular, as evidenced by this fun article about 2008’s top new species.

Heat-Tolerant Corals May Resist Climate Change
May 21, 2009 – Once again SDAA is ahead of the curve: In Issue 2/2008, field editor Ethan Daniels wrote a piece questioning whether coral reefs were doomed (as many were predicting) with Earth’s rising temperatures, or if they would adapt. Here’s some evidence pointing to the latter.

Stanford University scientists have found evidence that some coral reefs are adapting and may actually survive global warming. “Corals are certainly threatened by environmental change, but this research has really sparked the notion that corals may be tougher than we thought,” said Stephen Palumbi, a professor of biology and a senior fellow at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment.

“The most exciting thing was discovering live, healthy corals on reefs already as hot as the ocean is likely to get 100 years from now,” said Palumbi, director of Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station. “How do they do that?”

Scientists Uncover Leatherback Turtle Population
May 19, 2009 – An international team of scientists has identified a nesting population of leatherback sea turtles in Gabon, West Africa, as the world’s largest. The research, published in the May issue of Biological Conservation, involved country-wide land and aerial surveys that estimated a population of between 15,730 and 41,373 female turtles using the nesting beaches. The study highlights the importance of conservation work to manage key sites and protected areas in Gabon.

Leatherbacks are of profound conservation concern around the world after populations in the Indo-Pacific crashed by more than 90 percent in the 1980s and 1990s. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists leatherback turtles as critically endangered globally, but detailed population assessments in much of the Atlantic, especially Africa, are lacking.

SDAA Available In German Language
May 18, 2009 – Beginning in July with Issue 5/2009, Scuba Diver AustralAsia magazine will be available in the German language. Readers will need to simply register and log in at the Web site to view the e-magazine, in its entirety, in German, for free.

“We want to increase the scope and accessibility of the magazine,” said publisher John Thet. “It’s the 12th most widely spoken language in the world, but the percentage of Germans who dive is disproportionately large and growing stronger every year.”