An underwater dreamland

The untouched coral reefs of Raja Ampat are full of surreal marine life: sea horses smaller than your fingernail and sharks that walk on their fins. Darryl Leniuk treks to Indonesia to discover one of the worlds great little-known diving destinations


The light at the end of the tunnel draws me downward. I exit the undersea cave 30 metres below the surface to find a reef teeming with tropical fish and soft coral. But it's not the coral that catches my eye; it's the divers with expensive cameras pressed against fan corals two metres across. They hover motionless, strobes flashing.

Nyoman, the divemaster of my group, beckons and points to a branch on the fan. I press my mask in close, and finally I spot the attraction: A pygmy seahorse, the world's smallest type, is dwarfed by Nyoman's fingernail. With the same knobby pink texture as the coral, it camouflages so perfectly I have trouble focusing my eyes on it, though it's only centimetres from my nose. It sways in the current, its tiny tail coiled around the fan, its miniature mouth gulping invisible plankton.

It's a small miracle of nature and one of the many wonders here at Farundi Island in the Raja Ampat archipelago — a remote group of islands in the easternmost part of Indonesia that has recently been protected as a marine park...[The Globe and Mail.com]

Why do scuba divers wear rubber wet suits?

Answer: Divers wear chloroprene rubber wet suits, a type of clothing invented around 1950. When the inventors of wet suits decided on a material, I am sure they considered different types of cloth, since this is used to make swimsuits. But cloth does not have the kinds of properties offered by rubber and it allows water through it.

Rubber, in contrast, is a very interesting material. It stretches a great deal, even more than cloth and compared to other materials, such as metal, it is very soft. Metals and many other materials cannot stretch as far as rubber, something we know from personal experience. It is an insulator (something that will not conduct heat or electricity), and it is waterproof. It stretches so far because it is a polymer, a kind of plastic...[The Ithaca Journal.com]

Tidal power scheme to launch in Scotland

Underwater turbines which harness the power of the tides to generate electricity will be placed at three sites.

Scottish Power Renewables has identified the Pentland Firth, the Sound of Islay, and the North Antrim coast off Northern Ireland - as the most suitable for the underwater turbines.

Each site will have between five and 20 1MW machines which could lead to a combined output of 60MW - enough to meet the energy needs of 40,000 homes.

Environmental impact assessments are already under way and ScottishPower expects to have planning applications submitted to the Scottish Government and Northern Irish Assembly by next summer and the turbines could be online by 2011 producing the world's largest tidal stream project.

All will use the Lànstrøm tidal turbine, claimed to be the most advanced tidal turbine in the world, following four years of testing off Hammerfest, the northernmost town in the world, in Norway...[Telegraph.co.uk]

A primitive fish lures scientists to Maine

The Mount Desert Island Biological Lab has been perched on the Maine coast for nearly a century, in a sort of eddy beside the main tourist route to Bar Harbor.

Scientists still do their lab work in shingled cottages at water's edge, but it is not the scenery that has drawn 70 principal investigators from 29 states and 10 countries here this year.

The big attraction is the primitive minishark that graces the lab's logo - the spiny dogfish, bane of commercial fishermen everywhere.

On a recent morning in Dr. Patricio Silva's lab, six internal medicine residents from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston were preparing for study little bits of dogfish tissue, pale pink and about the size of a pinky finger.

These inconsequential-looking organs are shark rectal glands, which pump excess salt from sharks' blood.

With one artery, one vein, and a single duct to excrete the salt, they are elegant models for studying salt-transport mechanisms. And as such, they help researchers understand, on a cellular level, the salt imbalances at the root of human conditions such as hypertension, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure. In the late 1950s, this gland was where the abnormality present in cystic fibrosis was first understood...[Boston.com]

ROV certified for Peak Performance Buoyancy...

MIT researchers have designed a new robotic underwater vehicle that can hover in place like a helicopter -- an invaluable tool for deepwater oil explorers, marine archaeologists, oceanographers and others.

The new craft, called Odyssey IV, is the latest in a series of small, inexpensive artificially intelligent submarines developed over the last two decades by the MIT Sea Grant College Program's Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Laboratory. The Odyssey series revolutionized underwater research in the 1990s by introducing the thrifty and highly capable underwater robots. But the previous Odyssey vehicles still had one significant limitation: Like sharks, they could only operate while continuously moving forward...[MIT News.com]

Exploring virtual shipwrecks

Ever wanted to explore Europe's shipwrecks without donning your wetsuit? The Virtual Exploration of Underwater Sites (Venus) project is already working on it.

Organisations specialising in archaeology, underwater exploration, virtual reality and digital data preservation, including the University of Hull, are working on the project to map out the shipwrecks around Europe's coastline.

Just a handful of wrecks around France, Italy and Portugal have been mapped so far but the project is already producing images such as the one above that shows the vessel from which users will be able to start their virtual shipwreck tour...[Silicon.com]

Diver repays debt by saving veteran’s medals from Thames

A Teddington-based diver showed his appreciation for an old debt by helping recover seven irreplaceable medals belonging to a 93-year-old war hero.

Distraught pensioner Charles Brown accidentally dropped his precious medals, including an OBE and one from Dunkirk, into the Thames during an annual cruise run by the Dunkirk Little Ships Association (DLSA) on Sunday, September 14.

Despite holding out little hope that he would ever see them again, the Dunkirk veteran was “more than delighted” almost a week later after hearing that Frenchman and member of Teddington Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Jean-Phillipe Trenque, had recovered them.

Mr Trenque said: “There he was 70 years ago trying to free my country so I thought it was the least I could do to spend a few minutes looking for his medals.”...[Richmond And Twickenham Times.co.uk]

Hate finning to a far-offshore reef, and can't afford a scooter?

Note: This is to be filed under "nifty", and is no way being recommended as a device for diver delivery, and particularly is not recommended for use in areas which it could damage reef or other underwater structure

Remember that pogo stick your parents gave you for Christmas when you were a kid? Remember how hard it was to stay on and not fall off the darn thing?

Well you and thousands of others may now be able to live their childhood dream of being able to bounce more than a couple of times in a row by taking a ride on the world's first ever underwater pogo stick...[InventorSpot.com]

The Seattle Sling Dry Bag keeps your cams dry and afloat

The Seattle Sling CA-2001-BLK, the first case produced by Made Products after the Lowepro acquisition, is meant for all you adventurous types. The claim to fame is the case’s zipper-less dry bag center compartment that will obviously work great ’round water, but also hanging on the beach or cruising Dakar by keeping your camera’s dry and dust free. Your gear should stay protected with obviously Lowepro-designed compartments and side padding, along with providing convenient front tripod straps. The Seattle Sling can be thrown over your shoulder and carried, as the name implies, sling-style during rain or shine. Yours for $149 right now either at Amazon or CameraArmor.com...[CrunchGear]

Underwater photography at photokina

One of the reasons why photokina is always worth a visit is that the fair brings new photography and imaging trends to life. This will also be the case in 2008, when visitors will be treated to the first-ever “Underwater Imaging World at photokina”. Covering more than 250 sq. meters, the experience-oriented event in Hall 5.1 will showcase the fascinating world of underwater photography. In cooperation with the partner organizations ColorFoto and Taucher.Net, first-time exhibitors from the underwater photography sector and established companies from the photography and imaging industry will be showing enthusiasts of this trend how they can shoot good images of the underwater world...[LetsGoDigital.org]

Divers no match for mussels

In most places, the hunt for invasive species is a figurative term. But not in Kankakee's Haigh Quarry, where a small group of scuba-diving volunteers armed themselves over the weekend with air tanks, dive fins and a steely resolve to remove as many of one non-native species as they could find.

There could not have been a less charismatic quarry in this quarry. It is infested with zebra mussels.

The mussels, which have upset the ecosystems of lakes, quarries and rivers around the Great Lakes by encrusting everything and clearing water of nutrients, hide in Haigh Quarry's gravel bottom and form a crackly surface on boulders. They try like crazy to cover the abandoned mining equipment under fathoms of green-blue water in this abandoned, flooded quarry that has become a laboratory for scuba students...[ChicagoTribune.com]

Why Tubbataha Reef is a World Heritage site

Tubbataha Reef off remote Cagayancillo Island in Palawan was the first natural site from the Philippines inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list in 1993, an inscription so appropriate for an archipelago like the Philippines where the sea is the principal life-giving force, the center of people’s lives.

Why is Tubbataha of World Heritage quality?

The Unesco World Heritage Committee that reviews all nominations to the World Heritage list says that it is one of the most outstanding coral reefs in the region, with one of the densest groupings of coral and marine life in the world.

It further affirms that in the 33,200 hectares of the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park is seen a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species.

The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-meter perpendicular wall encrusted with marine life. Also, it has extensive lagoons and two coral islands...[Inquirer.net]

Timmy primed for dive on Lusitania

A Fermoy man is set to play a central role in helping to solve one of the longest running mysteries in Irish maritime history.

Timmy Carey (pictured right), a member of the Blackwater Sub Aqua Club, will be among a team of divers that will next week attempt to descend to the wreck of the Lusitania off the Old Head of Kinsale.

The ill-fated liner sank after being torpedoed by a German UBoat in 1915, with the loss of more than 1,200 passengers and crew.

For 93 years mystery and controversy has surrounded the demise of the luxurious liner.

The latest dive is part of a multi-million project being financed by the wreck’s American owner F Gregg Bemis to find the answer to two key questions that have dogged historians for almost a century.

Why did the ship go down within 20 minutes of being torpedoed; and was, as many have suggested, she carrying munitions to aid the allied war effort?...[The Corkman.com]

Hawaii reefs in good shape

Nationally, coral reefs are in bad shape. But Hawaii’s coral reefs are doing better than others, and Molokai’s reefs are among the best in the state.

“The reefs here are doing well, they are tough reefs,” said Eric Brown, a marine ecologist at the Kalaupapa National Historic Park.

According to Brown, most of Hawaii’s coral reefs have low levels of local stressors and are both resilient and resistant, making the reefs “tough.” The results of the 2008 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show that Hawaii’s reefs are doing well because of their remote locations and favorable water temperature conditions. This creates areas where they thrive and live without disease...[Molokaitimes.com]

Scientists name 100 new shark and ray species

The Maugean Skate Zearaja maugeana, a new species from Bathurst and Macquarie Harbours in Tasmania is seen in this handout photo released by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO on September 18, 2008.

Scientists using DNA have catalogued and described 100 new species of sharks and rays in Australian waters, which they said on Thursday would help conservation of the marine animals and aid in climate change monitoring.

More than 90 of the newly named species were identified by scientists in a 1994 book "Sharks and Rays of Australia" but remained scientifically undescribed.

One rare species of carpet shark catalogued was found in the belly of another shark.

The new names and descriptions will now feature in a revised 2009 edition of the book by Australia's peak scientific body...[Reuters.com]

First black Navy master diver honored with ship named for him

Carl Brashear was a man with unwavering determination to serve as a Navy diver – and to return to the water even after losing a leg.

Thursday in San Diego, the Navy’s top officials gathered to honor Brashear at the christening and launch of a supply ship bearing his name. Also in the crowd was Senior Chief Petty Officer John Allen, a diver from Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Several years ago, he spent just a few minutes with Brashear, but it made a big impression.

Brashear joined the Navy in 1948, and became the service’s first black deep sea diver in 1953. Injured in a salvage operation in 1966, Brashear had his left leg amputated. Undeterred, he became the first diver in Navy history to be restored to full active duty as an amputee. He later became the first black master diver in the Navy.

Brashear, who retired in 1979, was portrayed in the 2000 movie Men of Honor by Cuba Gooding Jr. He lived in Virginia Beach until his death in 2006...[HamptonRoads.com]

To Dive for...

You might find yourself needing a built-in depth gauge on your watch so you can accurately measure how far underwater you are. Or, given that most of you are not wearing fins and a breathing apparatus, maybe you’ll just like the gauge because it’s the kind of sexy “complication”—in watch-geek parlance—that horology aficionados drool over.

Officine Panerai’s latest version of the Luminor diving watch comes with a pedigree that excites the brand’s stalkers (often called “Paneristi”) who snap up limited editions like this one. Developed from their role as instrument suppliers to Italian Navy frogmen during World War II, the Luminor 1950 saw Panerai combine watch and depth gauge in a single instrument for the first time...[WSJ Magazine]

German divers set underwater table football record

Teams of German divers spent a total of 30 hours playing table football under water in a giant glass aquarium in the town of Kassel to set a new world record, the organizer said on Wednesday.

Harald Foeste, the head of the Kassel diving and water sports centre, said there were 60 teams with two divers on a side playing the 30-minute matches that lasted a total of 30 hours from Monday until late on Tuesday.

Foeste said there was no reason for the dive, which eclipsed a record in the Guinness World Records list of 26 hours set in June in another German town near Wiesbaden.

"It was just for fun," he said.

A special waterproof table and a weighted steel ball were used by the divers. The large aquarium was set up in an exhibition hall and there were large crowds watching, Foeste said...[Reuters India]

The legendary shipwreck that claimed life of 18th-century's 'Marilyn Monroe' and £200,000 worth of jewels

A legendary British shipwreck shrouded in mystery and tales of treasure and tragedy for over 200 years has been discovered by a couple of divers.

Treasure hunters, tempests and an infamous beauty all surround the story of the Nancy, who was dashed to smithereens one stormy night in February 1784.

When the ship crashed into the jagged Western rocks of the Isles of Scilly it took with it British opera diva Ann Cargill.

The silken-voiced maiden's life and death were a sensation in London at the close of the 18th Century her beauty and scandalous behaviour were renowned - she was the Marilyn Monroe of her day.

When the Nancy was wrecked at Scilly, a fortune said to be 'beyond the dreams of avarice' was also sent to the bottom of the sea...[MailOnline.com]

Underwater Museum for Egypt Sunken Treasures?

Cleopatra's palace sank long ago into the Mediterranean, but visitors to Alexandria, Egypt, may eventually view the complex's remnants via the world's first underwater museum.

A site for the museum has been proposed near the New Library of Alexandria, where the famed queen of Egypt is believed to have sheltered herself with her lover Marc Antony before taking her own life.

In early September the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, announced it is funding a team to determine if such a museum is feasible.

If built, the museum could display treasures and monuments of her palace, which once stood on an island in one of the largest human-made bays in the world but were submerged by earthquakes from the fourth century A.D. onward...[National Geographic]

Fantastic Photographs Of Fluorescent Fish

Due to absorption of ‘red’ wavelengths of sunlight by sea-water, objects which look red under normal conditions appear grey or black at depths below 10m. This has contributed to the belief among marine biologists that red colours are of no importance to fish.

Nico Michiels, from the University of Tübingen, Germany, led a team of researchers who captured the striking images in the article which, as he describes, “Shows that red fluorescence is widespread among marine fish. Our findings challenge the notion that red light is of no importance to marine fish, calling for a reassessment of its role in fish visual ecology”.

The authors identified at least 32 reef fish species belonging to 16 genera in 5 families that fluoresced visibly in red. Because the light is coming from the fish themselves and not filtering down from the surface, the red glow remains visible at depth and is easily seen at close distances...[ScienceDaily.com]

Under the Sea: New Coral Reef Exhibit at Academy of Sciences

The Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit was unveiled to the media at a press conference on August 28 at the California Academy of Sciences.

For the first time the media was able to see architect Renz Piano’s 212,0000-gallon tank, which contained the many species of fish and coral reefs of the Philippines.

The tank is the deepest and largest of it’s kind in North America.

Kent Carpenter, a scientist from the Smithsonian Institute and Dr. Terry Gosliner from the Academy said that the Philippines have the highest marine biodiversity in the world.

The Philippine media was encouraged to spread the word about the exhibit to the Filipino community to become more active participants stating that “the preservation of their coral reefs in any way possible.”...[AsianWeek.com]

Divers go deep to overcome disabilities

Jennifer Choi bobbed to the surface of a Pennsylvania lake, dropped the scuba regulator from her mouth and addressed instructor Martha Katz.

"I'm done?" she asked expectantly.

"You're done," Katz responded with a big smile.

What Choi, a 26-year-old New York University doctoral student from Westbury, had done at the Dutch Springs quarry was complete her 13th dive and her advanced open-water scuba diving certification.

Thousands of people every year do that. What made Choi's accomplishment more unusual is that she is paraplegic. Born with spina bifida, she has been unable to walk since age 9. But she didn't let that stop her from learning to dive...[Newsday.com]

Dive shaken - not stirred

The Omega Seamaster James Bond Limited Series watch, featuring the classic gun barrel emblem. This James Bond edition will be one of the first 007 watches to feature Omega's new Co-Axial Escapement: the proprietary Omega technology that considerably reduces friction in the heart of the watch mechanism and offers improved long-term reliability and accuracy. Performance is further improved by a free-sprung balance that allows for more precise adjustments of the watch. The mechanism is sealed into the case by a screw-down back on which the series number of each Limited Series watch is engraved as well as an embossed 007 gun logo.

The 41mm stainless steel case houses the automatic Omega caliber 2500 with a 48-hour power reserve.

The James Bond Limited Series comes on a comfortable brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet and is fitted with a safety clasp with the engraving of the 007 logo.

There will be 'only' 10.007 pieces made...[OmegaWatches.com]

Record breaking underwater camera to be showcased to public

A revolutionary underwater camera, which has plunged to record breaking depths below the surface of the North Sea, will be showcased to members of the public at a key science event in Aberdeen next week.

The only kit of its kind in the world, the eHoloCam is a 3D holographic camera used to capture images of underwater organisms and living particles to provide scientists with a greater understanding of marine life.

The camera produced the deepest hologram ever to be recorded, travelling 450 meters below the surface of the North Sea, when it was deployed by the RV Scotia, a research vessel owned by the Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen in March 2007...[PhysOrg.com]

Divers find 100-year-old shipwreck in Lake Baikal

Divers in Irkutsk have discovered an ancient ship that sank over 100 years ago on the bottom of Siberia's Lake Baikal, a team member said on Thursday.

The ship, thought to have been built in the late 18th or early 19th century, was found in the southern part of the lake at the depth of around 30 meters.

The vessel's hull, constructed without iron nails, is 16 m (52 feet) long, 5 m (16 feet) wide and 4 m (13 feet) deep. There is a hole in the right side of the hull and divers believe the ship sank during a storm.

They also discovered suspected human remains.

The expedition to the depths of the world's deepest and oldest lake was organized to search for historic artifacts linked with the Krugobaikal Railway, which saw numerous train crashes in the 19th century.

"We knew that this was the site of many train crashes and launched [the expedition] for this reason. As a result of the search, we ran across the sunken ship," Andrei Bobkov, a member of the diving team said, adding that the discovery was a complete surprise...[Russian News and Information Agency]

Eerie Underwater Sculptures

Jason de Caires Taylor is an artist that creates unique underwater sculptures that focus on natural ecological processes.

He has a series of work called Vicissitudes that "depicts a circle of figures, all linked through holding hands. These are life-size casts taken from a group of children of diverse ethnic background. Circular in structure and located five meters below the surface, the work both withstands strong currents and replicates one of the primary geometric shapes, evoking ideas of unity and continuum.”...[InventorsSpot.com]

Regulator recall

About 6,000 Titan DIN 1st Stage scuba regulators and Titan/Conshelf DIN scuba adaptors, made in France by Aqua Lung USA. Over-tightening of the DIN retainer during installation can cause it to break and the regulator can detach from the scuba cylinder, posing a drowning hazard to divers. The company has received one report of a DIN retainer breaking under pressure. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled regulators have serial numbers lower than 6062501 stamped on the side of the body. The recalled adaptors are marked "300 BAR MAX" on the side. The recalled products were sold at authorized Aqua Lung dealers nationwide from January 1997 through this month. Details: by phone at 877-253-3483; by Web at http://www.aqualung.com or http://www.cpsc.gov...[Associated Press]

Scuba Steve

'Scuba Steve' will make its appearance at the upcoming 'Mooood Swings' show at the LiFT Gallery this Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. Here's what Slobot has to say about his latest creation “Scuba Steve is a shark hunting robot. His chief concern in life is causing humans and sharks to live in peace. If a shark won’t listen to reason, then Scuba Steve pulls their teeth out (but still lets the shark live.)”..[BioVinyl]

Underwater photography on the cheap

In the prior installment of the Macworld Video, Chris Breen offered up a number of suggestions on how to share your movies and photos with friends. Working backwards, as I often do, I thought I'd offer up some suggestions on how to get your images ready for sharing.

But not just any images—underwater images in particular.

That's right; this week's focus is on underwater images—a bit of a primer on how to get into underwater photography on the cheap (because that's the only way I can do it!).

And finally I’ll demonstrate some simple editing techniques in iPhoto to make those underwater pictures look their best...[Macworld.com]

Underwater photographer's work on display at PHCC

Film has given way to digital. The work of darkrooms is now done on desktops.

But to this day, the key piece of equipment in Burton McNeely's photo bag is the plexiglass camera casing that he custom built in 1968 so he could take pictures underwater.

Lens controls are on the left. Trigger is on the right. And McNeely can manipulate the settings without taking his eye off the viewfinder — so he never misses his shot.

Through the half-inch thick window of the shoebox-sized casing, McNeely has captured countless images of life on — and under — the water, sometimes with diffuse light, never with distortion. And after 40 years, he still swears by his plexiglass creation.

"It's still in use today," said McNeely, 83. "I just had to convert it to use it for digital."

Thanks in part to that casing, McNeely carved a lucrative niche for himself as an underwater photographer...[Saint Petersburg Times]

Oldest Skeleton in Americas Found in Underwater Cave?

Deep inside an underwater cave in Mexico, archaeologists may have discovered the oldest human skeleton ever found in the Americas.

Dubbed Eva de Naharon, or Eve of Naharon, the female skeleton has been dated at 13,600 years old. If that age is accurate, the skeleton—along with three others found in underwater caves along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula—could provide new clues to how the Americas were first populated.

The remains have been excavated over the past four years near the town of Tulum, about 80 miles southwest of Cancún, by a team of scientists led by Arturo González, director of the Desert Museum in Saltillo, Mexico (see map of Mexico).

"We don't now how [the people whose remains were found in the caves] arrived and whether they came from the Atlantic, the jungle, or inside the continent," González said...[National Geographic]

Fans Of All Things Underwater Get New Digital TV Channel

he UnderwaterChannel.tv (UWC) is launching a new free to watch TV channel available globally on your computer and the worldwide web starting on September 1, 2008. The UWC will feature professionally produced video from international underwater filmmakers covering a broad range of subjects from natural history, wreck diving and cave diving, marine conservation, expeditions, creature encounters, and scuba adventure.

The UWC’s debut will include Splash!, a monthly program featuring internationally-known divers from locations around the world. Each month Splash! will feature a variety topics: resort reports from around the world, bite-sized topical stories, interviews and equipment reviews, an underwater master photography class, and a feature that highlights interesting underwater species.

The UWC’s website will host blogs and forums, program information, background information on the hosts, and UWC competitions.

The seven “faces of the UWC”, divers who will regularly present a variety of content, span the globe:

Mark Addison – South Africa based intrepid shark researcher
Julie Andersen – USA based environmentalist and shark angel
Sara Campbell – world champion free diver based in Dahab
Simon Enderby –Malaysia based underwater cameraman and photographer
Monty Halls – UK based explorer best described as an “underwater Indiana Jones”
Miranda Krestovnikoff – UK based zoologist, author and TV presenter
Roger Munns – Malaysia based underwater cameraman and photographer
“I’m thrilled that the concept of the Underwater Channel has been met with such enthusiasm from so many key figures in the dive community not just in the UK but wider Europe, USA and Asia Pacific too,” said UWC founder and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Nicholas Claxton. “The global diving community is young and internet-savvy. This is the birth of a pioneering venture which will cater for their passion online and hopefully persuade armchair divers to take the plunge!”...[Divemaster.com]