This month in the scuba bulletin:
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Underwater Photo Contest
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Riviera Maya Dive Alliance announces the 2nd Riviera Maya Underwater
Photo Contest |
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Breaking news
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A New Species of Invertebrates has been Discovered in the Antarctic |
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Travel news
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Professional Diving, Resort and Travel Expo in Hong Kong 16-18 July |
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Equipment news
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Mares introduces the ideal wheeled bag for divers who travel |
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Education news
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DAN Reminds You to Update Your Emergency Info |
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Marine Conservation
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Make a personal contribution to save our planet |
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New offers from the last minute board
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Grab the opportunity to dive with sharks in South Africa
Get PADI certified in Daytona Beach. Florida
Embark on a liveaboard trip in the Maldives |
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From the web
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The Scuba Trust is a charity organised and run by volunteers. Their aim is to help individuals with disabilities (and their friends) learn to scuba dive. |
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Diving business
owner and webmaster corner
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Care
about your internet presence |
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| Canon Riviera Maya Scuba Photo Contest |
It is with great pleasure that the Riviera Maya Dive Alliance announces the date of our second no entry fee* Xcuba Ha Photo Contest during the week of 4th - 11th of December 2010 in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Take Advantage of low airfares and the excellent exchange rate value for the Peso. Enjoy free learning experiences and workshops. Every participant is going to win a prize, guaranteed. We welcome novice photographers as much as we welcome professionals. Check out our free underwater photography workshops in the schedule section.
Enriched Air Nitrox is available on all dives for trained nitrox divers.
PADI & SSI Underwater Photography specialty training programs are available throughout the Xcuba Ha. PADI & SSI Instructors can get their Underwater Photography Specialty Instructor rating at the end of the event.
To read more. http://www.divingphotocontest.com/
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| Breaking news
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New Species of Invertebrates Discovered in the Antarctic
On board the German oceanographic ship and through various expeditions carried out between 1996 and 2008, two scientists from the University of Seville (US) have discovered six new gorgonia (colonial marine invertebrates made up of tubular bodied polyps with eight tentacles) in the Antarctic region, in the Eastern Weddell
Sea. These discoveries reveal the great diversity of the Antarctic that is still unknown.
The polyps of the new gorgonia discovered, Tauroprimnoa austasensis and Digitogorgia kuekenthali, in the region of Austasen, in the Eastern Weddell Sea, and to the south-east of the Falklands and Isla Nueve (in Chilean Patagonia) respectively, are small and elongated. Both species stand out for the number, shape and layout of the scales of calcium carbonate that cover the polyps, and for the type of ramification of the colonies.
"The Tauroprimnoa are characterized by being colonies in the shape of a brush, with simple branches and whose polyps arranged in whorls, have only four marginal scales. The rest of the polyp is covered by five longitudinal rows of scales. The sight is reminiscent of a bull, hence the name," Rebeca Zapata-Guardiola, main author of the study and researcher in the department for Physiology and Zoology at the US, said.
The study, which has been published in the journal Polar Biology, shows that Digitogorgia type gorgonea have the same characteristics as previous ones, except for the digitations in the distal region of the scales of the polyps, and the absence of spines on the eight marginal scales and on the eight rows filled with scales that cover the polyp.
To read full article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526093610.htm |
| Travel news |
Professional Diving, Resort & Travel Expo is now in Hong Kong
DRT SHOW 2010 will hold on the 16th-18th July 2010 the DRT SHOW.
This is an International Diving, Beach Resort and Travel Expo.
It's believed to be the largest and most successful Dive Expo for diving, water
sports, beach resort and travel in Asia.
DRT SHOW is very much an effective diving, resort and travelling event to both trade and consumers, we are the ONLY Dive Expo support by Hong Kong Underwater Association (HKUA) and China Underwater Association (CUA), we will also take this opportunity to promote the positive conservation to marine environment such as protect our ocean and marine life.
DRT SHOW is targeting 30 thousand consumers and hundreds of dive operators from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Fiji, Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Palau, Maldives, Australia, Italy, German, France, and USA. We are confident that the DRT SHOW 2010 will become the most successful Diving, Resort and Travel Expo in Asia Pacific. FREE Admission.
To read more: http://www.divingandresorttravelexpo.com/
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| Equipment news |
Mares is proud to introduce the ideal wheeled bag for divers who travel:
The ideal size to carry on board
• Telescopic handle
• Extremely lightweight
Cruise Captain is the ideal bag for divers who travel, but that's not all! Its elescopic handle and sturdy wheels make it very convenient for travel, and thanks to its compact size it can be used as carry-on baggage. The expandadble pocket with zipper and side buckles offers plenty of room to conveniently stow diving equipment.
To read more: http://www.mares.com/product_detail.php?id=537®ion=ALL |
| Education news |
DAN Reminds You to Update Your Emergency Info
DAN® reminds you to take a minute to make sure all of your emergency information is updated with the new DAN Emergency Hotline number: +1-919-684-9111.
Already effective, the new phone number consolidates emergency services. It replaces the need to decide whether to call DAN, a medical facility or TravelAssist® for emergency evacuation or other travel assistance. Simply call DAN at the new hotline number, and all emergency assistance will be triaged and facilitated from there. Emergencies do not even have to be dive-related.
The DAN Emergency Hotline remains available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be reached by collect call or from outside the United States. As always, in the case of an immediate life-threatening emergency, contact 911 (or the equivalent emergency response system), and then call DAN.
New Hotline Checklist
It’s amazing how many places the DAN hotline is listed. To help ensure you update all of your resources, use this checklist to get you started. Please take a look and make sure the new hotline number (+1-919-684-9111) is updated on the following:
Your dive equipment (including DAN Tags and tank decals)
Your logbook
Emergency assistance plan(s)
Cell phone(s)
Information furnished to family and dive buddies
Travel information
Business cards and/or certification cards
Any other emergency resource or protocol outline
To read more:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/News/Article.aspx?newsid=985635198 |
| Marine Conservation |
What you can do to save our planet. Make it personal
The problems facing our oceans are complex. But working together, we can make a difference. The opportunity is now, while we can still reduce the downward trend. With your help, we can change the course for our oceans and coasts and the people who depend on them. Here's how you and your family can help:
1.Reduce your plastic consumption. The most frequently collected items during beach cleanups are made of plastic — think reusable shopping bags, water bottles and utensils.
2.Make informed seafood choices. Keep a copy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood guide in your wallet or text Blue Ocean’s FishPhone to help you choose sustainable seafood at the grocery store or a restaurant.
3.Dispose of chemicals properly. Never pour chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil or paint into the drain or toilets. Check with your county’s household hazardous waste program to properly dispose of or recycle chemicals and keep them out of rivers and oceans.
4.Choose green detergents and household cleaners—or make your own! Besides being better for your own health, these products are safer for the environment since what goes down the drain can end up in our oceans.
5.Get the dirt on your beachside retreat. Before you stay in a hotel on the coast, ask staff what happens to their sewage and swimming pool water, and if they source their restaurant fish from sustainable sources.
6.Find out the source of your food. Buying local, organic food reduces your carbon footprint, supports the local economy and reduces the amount of pesticides and fertilizers that end up not just in your stomach, but as run-off in rivers and oceans, too.
7.Fill your yard with native species. Reducing the amount of grass in your lawn by planting native shrubs and flower beds will provide a better habitat for birds and other wildlife and require far less water and fertilizer, which can seep into the oceans.
8.Keep your beach visit clean. When visiting the beach, stay off fragile sand dunes, take your trash with you and leave plants, birds and wildlife for everyone to enjoy. Find a Conservancy coastal preserve near you.
9.Choose alternatives to coral. Whether shopping for jewelry, household décor or accessories for your fish tank, do your part to leave fragile coral reef habitats untouched by buying products that aren’t made of real coral.
10.Celebrate our oceans. Whether you live inland or on the coast, we are all connected to the ocean; take the time to organize or participate in activities that restore and celebrate the ocean, and help support The Nature Conservancy’s ocean conservation work.
To read more: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/marine/activities/ |
| New offers from the last minute board |
Here are a few of the ads featuring in the last minute board:
South Africa
Price: 120 EUR
For the great and best experience with white sharks, 99 percent.
guarantee to see sharks. Don't miss the chance!
http://www.gooddive.com/board/classifieds.php?a=2&b=430
Daytona Beach, Florida
Price: 195 US$
Any time your in Daytona Beach, Florida or in the Central Florida area,
contact us for the experience of a lifetime. Getting certified with PADI
Master Scuba Diver Instructors is so easy. It is a total of 24 hours of
course time that can be split into 4 mornings. Once your certified it is
for the rest of your life you can dive anywhere in the world.
http://www.gooddive.com/board/classifieds.php?a=2&b=427
Maldives
Price: 1155US$
Departure every Saturday to Saturday. Price includes: All above rates
quoted in US$ Per Pax 7 night none-commissionable inclusive of: -
Meeting at Airport . All Applicable Taxes per person per day. Full board
meals (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) per person per day 3 dive per day
including tank, weight & dive guide Return Transport (Airport /
Liveaboards / Airport) Island Hopping ...
Nbr. of available places 16
http://www.gooddive.com/board/classifieds.php?a=2&b=433
Check the board http://www.gooddive.com/board/classifieds.php regularly for new great deals.
If you have a great offer don't hesitate to post it. This service is free!!
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| From the web |
The Scuba Trust
Founded in 1996 by Brenda Carey, Leon Golding and Rikki Singh, its initial aims were to act as a focal point for the organisation of scuba diving holidays abroad for people with disabilities. It has now grown into one of the UK's leading dive organisations to help individuals with disabilities (and their friends)
learn to scuba dive.
The aim of the Trust is to provide a level playing field by arranging training and obtaining funding to subsidise applicants who, due to disability, encounter difficulty in finding suitable instruction and who may face a greater outlay for training and recreational diving after certification.
The number of 'Friends of the Scuba Trust' currently stands at 285. The Scuba Trust relies on donations to ensure we can continue our work of levelling the playing field to enable our disabled friends to learn to snorkel and scuba dive. We have now trained some 400 people to scuba dive and enabled them to to enjoy a wider and fuller life.
Become a Friend The Scuba Trust is a charity organised and run by volunteers, We rely on donations to enable us to achieve our aim of helping individuals with disabilities (and their friends) learn to scuba dive. The Trust is also dependant on the support and help provided by the diving community
To read more: http://www.scubatrust.org.uk/index.html |
| Diving business owner and webmaster corner |
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For many the season has started now.
Did you care about your internet presence?
Did you post your special offers and last minute in the last minute board? Remember it's at no cost.
http://www.gooddive.com/board/classifieds.php?a=5&b=384
Did you put new posts in the forum? New posts are always on top. Did you enter new posts about your new dive sites and new discoveries on your home reef? Show that you are still alive and kicking! Posting in the forum shows your expertise and skills. Make sure your profile has a link to your website and it's attractive.
Don't forget, a question is initiated by one person but thousands will read it.
http://www.gooddive.com/forum-scuba-diving/
Have you improved your listing to the top of the list in the directory? It will bring you 10 times more visitors than the normal listing.
http://www.101scubadiving.com/directory/directory.html
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