In recognition of a growing interest in our region from divers abroad, a new German language version of Scuba Diver AustralAsia is now available on-line for readers to enjoy entirely free of charge.

A new world record was set last week for Most People Scuba Diving Simultaneously, at Malalayang Beach in Manado, Indonesia. Organised by Sail Bunaken 2009 to coincide with Indonesia’s 64th Independence Day, a total of 2,486 divers broke the previous record of 958, established in the Maldives in 2006.

July was the hottest month on record in the world’s oceans, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 130 years of record-keeping, the temperature last month was about 0.6 degrees Celsius higher than the average, raising concerns over a recurrence of the 1997 mass coral bleaching event.

The bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef caused by climate change would not only destroy one of the world’s greatest natural wonders but would also cost Australia AU$37.7 billion over the next century and devastate tourism in the north, a study has found.

The spread of invasive species is a big topic nowadays, especially in the Bahamas apparently. Here in Asia we’re experiencing the spread of some species – to wit, the Banggai cardinalfish, which originates from the Banggai islands in Sulawesi but has since spread throughout Indonesia (and which now is also a popular aquarium fish all over the world).

The second of two research ships bound for a huge “island” of plastic debris – called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – in the Pacific Ocean leaves San Francisco today. Ocean currents have pushed the refuse together in an area estimated to be larger than the State of Texas.

A tense new film shows Japanese fishermen luring thousands of wild dolphins into a hidden secret cove in Japan where activists say they are captured for marine amusement parks or slaughtered for food.