Stronger Shark Finning Ban Endorsed by European Parliament

Stronger Shark Finning Ban Endorsed by European Parliament

GetUp! - Help Save the Great Barrier Reef

GetUp! - Help Save the Great Barrier Reef

Suunto DX Launched!

Suunto DX Launched!


 

GoPro: Director's Cut - Shark Riders

Real-life mermaid swims with whales

Underwater swimmer Hannah Fraser has been fascinated with mermaids since she was three years old. Hannah, 36, an Australian who now lives in LA, made her first mermaid tail at the age of nine, after seeing the film Splash with Daryl Hannah. Now she works as a model, actress and performer, swimming with whales, dolphins, stingrays and even sharks.

Stunning: Photographer Ted Grambeau captured beautiful photographs of 36-year-old Hannah Fraser swimming with whales in the wild to promote their conservation.

Hannah can hold her breath for up to two minutes and swim to depths of 45 feet, allowing her to move like a real mermaid, without the restraints of diving gear.In these images she is seen swimming with humpback whales off Vava'u Island, Tonga, to promote marine conservation and oppose whale hunting.

Hannah and her then husband Dave Rastovich, a surfer, were upset and frustrated after International Whaling Commission meetings where whaling nations were allowed to continue their slaughter under the guise of 'scientific research'.'It was depressing and we wanted to go somewhere to connect with the whales and to raise awareness,' said Hannah.

The couple flew to Tonga with photographer Ted Grambeau, who was able to capture beautiful images of humpbacks swimming with Hannah, in scenes documented by filmmaker Bali Strickland. 'A baby humpback was curious and actually came up to me,' said Hannah. 'The whales were singing so loudly and the baby whale was squealing, which sounds even louder under the water. It was a very powerful experience.'

Many photographs for anti-whaling campaigns show brutal acts including harpooning and whales being winched onto ships, which can be too horrific for ordinary observers. But Ted's images appear in the children's book, The Surfer and the Mermaid, and aim to inspire whale conservation. He added: 'All the shots of Hannah are really poetic - really just surreal, beautiful shots.'

In 2007, Hannah swam in the sea in Taiji, Japan, with 30 surfers, celebrities and musicians, in an attempt to halt the ruthless slaughter of thousands of dolphins by local fishermen. Hannah remembers: 'Half of the dolphins had been caught and the others were roped off in the middle of the bay to be herded towards the fishermen.

Deep blue: Hannah is seen here swimming with humpback whales off Vava'u Island,

Tonga, to raise awareness of marine life and oppose whale hunting

'Instead of being frightened, the dolphins were trying to come closer to us in their net, as if they knew we wanted to help them. 'But at this point the fishermen were hitting us with sticks and moving their boat propellers towards us. We couldn't get any closer and we couldn't save the dolphins. 'It was indescribable to see this happening and have to abandon them. I cried for hours afterwards. It was hard to be part of the human race at the point.'

Two years later, in 2009, Hannah swam in her tail with 14ft Great White Sharks off Guadalupe island, Mexico. 'I thought if I was going to be a professional mermaid I'd have to face my fear of sharks,' she admitted. After trying out the shark-infested waters in scuba gear, Hannah was about to put on her mermaid tail, when one of the sharks became trapped in the diver's cage. 'Luckily the shark freed itself in time. But it made me realise it was safer not to use the cage,' she said.

'I got my tail on and got into the water. I was supposed to be surrounded by divers, but in the mermaid tail I swim much faster than anyone else. I realised I was on my own, but I stayed calm.'

She added: 'Another time a shark turned round and came towards me, so I made a scary face and screamed at it in the water. Amazingly I scared it off. I felt invincible for months afterwards.' Filmmaker Rob Benavides is currently shooting a documentary about Hannah's life, which will feature her work as a model, diver, and sea-life campaigner. 'One of the imperative messages in marine conservation right now is over-fishing,' she said. 'We should be asking countries to better regulate their fishing industries.

'We shouldn't be eating any fish, but if any it should be only little ones. Large fish take years to grow and reach maturity. If we continue taking them from the ocean it will be a long time before stocks are replenished.' Hannah Fraser is featured in a new children's book Last Night I Swam With A Mermaid by Kimberley Muller.

Inspiration: Hannah says she made her first fish tail after seeing Daryl Hannah play a mermaid in the 1984 film Splash

Immersed Senses

Improving the limitations of current scuba diving system, designer Adam Wendel has come up with a futuristic device named the “Immersed Senses” that changes the way the diver sees, hears, and breathes underwater, allowing them to become a part of their surrounding environment. Immersed Senses is the future of underwater diving and exploration. Featuring a LED flashlight to let the diver to observe the dark depths of the ocean, the mask also includes a large OLED glass display to offer a panoramic view of the surroundings. The OLED enclosed helmet also allows the extracted oxygen to flow freely throughout the helmet, as if you are breathing on land without any breathing apparatus.

While an interactive OLED display gives access to underwater GPS maps, therefore allowing the diver to navigate efficiently throughout the ocean’s landscapes. The OLED also offers software that can identify all species of fish, coral and other ocean dwelling creatures that diver is currently viewing. With Immersed Senses, experiencing the underwater world is now fully interactive. In addition, the OLED screen depicts important info such as oxygen toxicity, nitrogen levels and even body heat to keep the diver well informed and safe.

Made in haptic glass, the device concept touts futuristic technology to the core. An optically clear glass with microscopic pours keeps water molecules out, yet it allows sound waves to pass through. Sound travels six times faster underwater than on land, however it is nearly impossible to interpret where the sound is coming from. The haptic glass interprets the sound wave orientation then displays the source and direction on the OLED display.

Water leakage is eliminated with the use of a silicone lining that seals the helmet to the skin. The silicone’s flexibility affords the diver to explore with comfortable movements. The orange side panels assist in internal circulation of the extracted oxygen. The rear of the helmet contains an electrolysis reactor that extracts oxygen from saltwater. The breathable oxygen is circulated throughout the helmet, creating a revolutionary underwater breathing experience.

Immersed Senses operates by a battery that utilizes a centrifuge mechanism to pull oxygen from seawater that begins the electrolysis reaction. Saltwater is extracted into the bottom reservoir that reacts with hydrogen gas. The saltwater is then charged by a positive and negative anode/cathode that generates breathable oxygen. Two internal devices help to circulate the oxygen to the diver’s mouth and nose.

The diver then breathes in the oxygen and out carbon dioxide, which exits the helmet. The battery and stored hydrogen can keep a diver submersed for up to 8 hours. The Immersed Senses revolutionizes how a human can breathe underwater, as well as interact with the OLED display offering a panoramic view of the deep sea.

Dubai's Planned Underwater Hotel

Dubai shipbuilder Drydocks World has signed on with Switzerland’s BIG InvestConsult, on behalf of partner Deep Ocean Technology (DOT), to become the sole construction contractor of the futuristic Water Discus Underwater Hotels in the Middle East. Tailored to the luxurious lifestyle, aspiring divers and marine life enthusiasts, the patent-protected concept by DOT is comprised of disc-shaped volumes that are both above and below the water’s surface, exploring the depths of the ocean while taking advantage of the warm climate.

The single water discus module works as an independent structure, with the possibility of joining other modules to create a larger resort complex. Each module consists of two discs; one disc is submerged ten-meters underwater and the other floats five to seven-meters above the sea’s surface. Both parts are connected by three structural “legs” and a vertical shaft containing a lift and stairway.

Enormous panes of glass frame the vibrant sea life within each of the twenty-one private rooms, located in the underwater disc. A special lighting system is integrated within each room, allowing visitors to illuminate the water world and view the sea creatures. Adjacent to these rooms is an underwater dive center and a fully stocked bar.

The above-water disc is comprised of a restaurant, spa, a special recreation area and a multifunctional lobby that is built inside an enormous swimming pool. The swimming pool can be accessed by the roof, along with a rooftop garden and the helicopter pad.

The safety of the occupants is placed at high priority. The structure is designed to withstand the most adverse weather conditions. And, in the event of any danger, the underwater disc will automatically surface. However, one must question the safety of the marine life if this hotel is constructed. DOT highlighted the fact that each disc is sized according to the local condition and has the ability to be relocated if “any changes in the environmental or economic conditions occur”.

Technology: Lech Rowinski (Technical University of Gdansk)
CEO: Arkadiusz Majerski
CFO: Jacek Zdrojewski
Company’s Development : Grzegorz Malenczuk
Architecture: Pawel Podwojewski
Executive Creative Director: Pawel Podwojewski
3D Artist: Dimitriy Belozertsev at MOTYW

Reference: Deep Ocean Technology, World Architecture News

Sexy Diver - Jessica Alba

Do you want to be a sexy diver? Need to get fit? Now we have the reason why Jessica Alba looks like this. So how can you become the next Jessica Alba thanks to Scuba Diving…

Think of the amount of calories you loose while scuba diving.

Here we go:

Shapely legs: Swimming with fins (flippers) is like water-based weight-training – firming the front of the thighs as you kick down and the back of the thighs as you kick up. 4 stars

Weight loss: Surprisingly good for burning energy. Someone weighing approximately 70kg (11st) burns 13 calories a minute while scuba diving, so a 45-minute dive would use 585 calories. 3 stars

Cardiorespiratory fitness: According to the British Thoracic Society, scuba divers tend to have larger-than-average lungs and an increased vital capacity (the maximum volume of air exhaled after inhalation). 4 stars

Upper-body strength: The back, shoulders and arms get a certain amount of work lugging around equipment, but once in the water, the upper body gets off lightly. Arms are usually folded across the chest or kept by the sides. 2 stars

Convenience: Even if you decide to dive in the Australia, it’s still an equipment-heavy, location-specific, expensive sport that requires a licence, and therefore tuition. 1 star

I can SEA clearly now

Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd Marine Wildlife Conservation Society has been released. He was bailed from a Frankfurt jail pending a decision on whether he will be extradited to Costa Rica, where he is wanted for supposedly endangering a Costa Rican fishing vessel whilst filming a documentary back in 2002.

On Friday (18th) a Frankfurt court ruled that he could be released on bail for around £200,000. A mystery donor stepped in and he was released on Monday (20th).The Captain was relieved to be out, “I didn't expect something that happened 10 years ago to sneak up on me in Germany.”

Watson must remain in Germany while the extradition case gets haggled over.

Luckily for Paul the Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla was in Germany on an official visit trying to drum up more foreign investment from Chancellor Angela Merkel. By the time she had arrived in Berlin more than 400 Sea Shepherd supporters had shown up to greet her.

Sea Shepherd called for a global day of action on Wednesday (23rd) asking people to go and stand outside German Embassies and protest. Demonstrations took place outside the German embassies and consulates in Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, US, South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Costa Rica and many other countries.

Keep checking SEA SHEPHERD website for news and updates.

Packing Tips for Photographers

Text and Photography by Stephen Frink and Barbara Doernbach

It used to be so easy to get to distant dive locations with virtually any amount of camera gear needed to do the job. Load up a dive bag, a clothing bag, maybe a big roller case for topside cameras to go on the airplane with you--then stuff the rest in a giant hard case. Some shooters had different strategies, maybe an Igloo cooler with the lid duct-taped down to make it look like a cargo of dead fish rather than live cameras, hoping to avoid theft. But the common feeling was that overweight was an after-thought, and if we got charged at all, it would be maybe $50. But as Mr. Dylan once sang, "the times they are a-changin'," and as fuel costs force airlines' bottom lines deeper into the red, they pass some of those costs along to their passengers in the form of baggage fees. Underwater photographers get hit especially hard, so for shooters feeling the pinch, here are five tips for packing, planning and navigating baggage restrictions on your next dive trip.

1) Check the Airline's Specific Baggage Limitations

To emphasize how significantly times have changed, I just came home from an otherwise terrific trip to the Red Sea. To get there, I went via London on an international carrier, which wasn't overly restrictive. But I connected with a charter flight to Marsa Alam, Egypt--low-cost charter flights with few amenities are a common choice for divers traveling from Europe--and that carrier was extremely restrictive in its baggage allowance, with astronomical overweight charges. What's the lesson here? Know what you're in for ahead of time. Domestic U.S. flights, which may include flights to the Caribbean and Mexico, international flights and charter flights often have different baggage allowances and fees. For each carrier you're ticketed with, check the web site for updated information about baggage allowances and fees for the type of flight you're on so you can pack and budget according to the most restrictive leg of your trip.

2) Budget for Overweight Charges

The overweight charge on my charter flight to Marsa Alam was about $6.81 per pound. Each passenger was allowed 55 pounds for the combination of dive gear, clothing and camera equipment. Normally I travel with two 60-pound cases, one hard case for housings and strobes and one dive bag for gear and clothing. That's 120 pounds, and then I have a wheeled carry-on case for my topside cameras that weighs another 40 pounds. If I traveled as normal, I'd have been 105 pounds overweight, paying $715 in overweight fees, each way. Sometimes, you'll get lucky. Going to Marsa Alam, I didn't get charged any fees, but I took that to be luck-of-the-draw in getting a generous gate agent because other travelers with the same amount of baggage or less got thoroughly hammered. On my return flight, I got one particularly strict baggage inspector who hit me with $600 in overweight charges. Pack and weigh your bags well ahead of time, and do the math to figure out the maximum cost in fees you may incur. Then budget this amount into the cost of your trip to avoid spending more than you planned. A handy little travel tool is Balanzza--balanzza.com--a lightweight digital scale that will tell you exactly what your bags weigh, in pounds or kilos.

3) Pack Selectively

Not every shoot requires the same gear, and it's rare that one destination requires every piece of equipment I have. For the Red Sea I shot predominantly wide-angle because the area's signature scenes are massive schools of fish and lavish soft coral formations punctuated by brilliantly colored tropical reef fish. All these features were so compelling there was no way I was shooting macro. So I left my flat port and macro lenses at home. If overweight charges will be a problem, plan your shoot according to the best photo opportunities at the destination, and leave the rest behind.

4) What to Pack and Where

Underwater photographers need to accept that airlines are going to make money any way they can, and hitting us for overweight is likely to be the their easiest, quickest revenue-generator. To avoid being lambs-to-the-slaughter, we need to get clever in terms of how we pack. The most fragile and irreplaceable items should come aboard as carry-on. At the very least, carry-on a single digital camera body and a few primary lenses, as well as a laptop computer and portable hard-drive. Ideally, you would carry-on your housing as well--you might be able to rent a strobe on location if your checked baggage is lost or delayed, but you'll need the camera-specific housing. Having said that, I usually check my housing, just because it is big and heavy, but if you use a smaller, lighter housing, get it in your carry-on if possible.

5) Save-a-Camera Kit

When planning your packing strategy for a photo trip, don't forget your contingency plan. A good tool kit for field repairs can help minimize redundant equipment. If you can fix certain parts of your setup, you may be able to avoid the weight and expense of a spare. Here are some basic suggestions for your Save-a-Camera kit:

• Spare camera body - If the worst happens and your housing floods, you can dry out the housing and go back to work. But the delicate camera electronics will most likely get fried. A second camera body of the same configuration allows for quick replacement of drowned gear, and makes those topside shots easier if your only camera isn't already encased in a housing.
• Tools should include a small crescent wrench, vise grips and/or pliers, jeweler's screwdrivers, a pocket knife, small flashlight, air bulb, lens cleaning cloth and a device for cleaning dirty sensors. I use a brush from visibledust.com
• Extra cords for the strobes, and if possible, a third strobe head so you've got a back-up for dual strobe work.
• Spare O-rings for your housing and strobes, and extra O-ring grease, are must haves. And always make sure you use the type of grease recommended by the O-ring manufacturer. Mixing and matching different brands can cause O-rings to swell and fail.

Scuba Pro's Meridian Dive Computer

SCUBAPRO’s Meridian combines a classy timepiece with an advanced dive computer. The housing is made of marine grade 316-L stainless-steel with a two-toned brushed finish. The display uses bold digits and icons, and is flanked by four control buttons for navigating through the system. A full-featured wristwatch on the surface, when it comes time to hit the water the Meridian lets you choose between Scuba, Apnea or Gauge modes. All modes use an eye-pleasing reverse display backlight and can be equipped with optional heart rate monitors. After the dive, profiles and other data can be downloaded using SCUBAPRO’s LogTrak software, compatible with both the latest versions of Windows and Mac. Bottom Line: As a luxury watch and muscular data cruncher, the Meridian offers state-of-the-art performance, both under water and on the surface.

For more information:
http://www.scubapro.com
Find this product at your local SCUBAPRO dealer

NSW Acts to Protect Hammerhead Sharks

New South Wales Australia is heading an effort to save two species of hammerhead shark from extinction.

The NSW government has passed legislation to protect the great and scalloped hammerhead sharks in NSW waters, two species whose numbers are being endangered by local fishing and an appetite for shark fin soup.

An ammendment to the Fisheries Management Act 1994 lists the great hammerhead shark as vulnerable and the scalloped hammerhead shark as endangered under the act.

“The listing of these two species is a big leap forward in the conservation of these sharks in NSW waters,” said Alexia Wellbelove of Humane Society International. “These listings will ban the sale and possession of these threatened species and help to provide a safe haven for them in NSW waters.”

Great and scalloped hammerhead sharks are caught in the NSW Ocean Trap and Line Fishery, targeted by recreational fishers as well as being caught in the shark nets off NSW beaches. HSI has consistently called for the removal of bather protection nets off NSW beaches due to the impacts they have on protected species such as the grey nurse shark and hammerhead shark.

“Hammerhead sharks are targeted worldwide for their fins which are of high value. Efforts are underway globally to better conserve our shark species and this is a great first step taken by NSW to protect these sharks,” continued Ms Wellbelove. “We call on the Federal Government and other States to also consider listing these species to ensure they can be afforded the full protection they deserve, and now have in NSW, whilst in all Australian waters.”

Data from NSW, Queensland and international waters suggests that hammerhead sharks have declined by between 75% and more than 90% in less than two generations, representing a very high risk of extinction in the near future.

Notes: The final determinations of the Fisheries Scientific Committee for the great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran, and scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, are available at http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/species-protection/fsc/final

Plastic Trash Altering Ocean Habitats

A 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment, according to a new study led by a graduate student researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

In 2009 an ambitious group of graduate students led the Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX) to the North Pacific Ocean Subtropical Gyre aboard the Scripps research vessel New Horizon. During the voyage the researchers, who concentrated their studies a thousand miles west of California, documented an alarming amount of human-generated trash, mostly broken down bits of plastic the size of a fingernail floating across thousands of miles of open ocean.

At the time the researchers didn't have a clear idea of how such trash might be impacting the ocean environment, but a new study published in the May 9 online issue of the journal Biology Letters reveals that plastic debris in the area popularly known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has increased by 100 times over in the past 40 years, leading to changes in the natural habitat of animals such as the marine insect Halobates sericeus. These "sea skaters" or "water striders"—relatives of pond water skaters—inhabit water surfaces and lay their eggs on flotsam (floating objects). Naturally existing surfaces for their eggs include, for example: seashells, seabird feathers, tar lumps and pumice. In the new study researchers found that sea skaters have exploited the influx of plastic garbage as new surfaces for their eggs. This has led to a rise in the insect's egg densities in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

Such an increase, documented for the first time in a marine invertebrate (animal without a backbone) in the open ocean, may have consequences for animals across the marine food web, such as crabs that prey on sea skaters and their eggs.

"This paper shows a dramatic increase in plastic over a relatively short time period and the effect it's having on a common North Pacific Gyre invertebrate," said Scripps graduate student Miriam Goldstein, lead author of the study and chief scientist of SEAPLEX, a UC Ship Funds-supported voyage. "We're seeing changes in this marine insect that can be directly attributed to the plastic."

The new study follows a report published last year by Scripps researchers in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series showing that nine percent of the fish collected during SEAPLEX contained plastic waste in their stomachs. That study estimated that fish in the intermediate ocean depths of the North Pacific Ocean ingest plastic at a rate of roughly 12,000 to 24,000 tons per year.

The Goldstein et al. study compared changes in small plastic abundance between 1972-1987 and 1999-2010 by using historical samples from the Scripps Pelagic Invertebrate Collection and data from SEAPLEX, a NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer cruise in 2010, information from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation as well as various published papers.

In April, researchers with the Instituto Oceanográfico in Brazil published a report that eggs of Halobates micans, another species of sea skater, were found on many plastic bits in the South Atlantic off Brazil.

"Plastic only became widespread in late '40s and early '50s, but now everyone uses it and over a 40-year range we've seen a dramatic increase in ocean plastic," said Goldstein. "Historically we have not been very good at stopping plastic from getting into the ocean so hopefully in the future we can do better."

###

Coauthors of the study include Marci Rosenberg, a student at UCLA, and Scripps Research Biologist Emeritus Lanna Cheng.

Funding for SEAPLEX was provided by the University of California Ship Funds, an innovative program that allows a new generation of scientists to gain valuable scientific training at sea, Project Kaisei/Ocean Voyages Institute, the Association for Women in Science-San Diego and the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. The NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program (2010 Always Exploring expedition) and National Marine Fisheries Service provided support for the 2010 samples. Other study support was provided by Jim and Kris McMillan, Jeffrey and Marcy Krinsk, Lyn and Norman Lear, Ellis Wyer and an anonymous donor. Other support was provided by the California Current Ecosystem (CCE) program, part of NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program.

Underwater Photography at it's best

‘Untitled’ – Sweetlips in an unspecified location

Photograph: Jose Alejandro Alvarez/Barcroft media

‘Are you looking at me?’ – Jack fish in Sipadan, Borneo, Malaysia

Photograph: John Hill/Barcroft Media

‘Continental trench’ – A diver in a continental trench in Silfra, Iceland
Photograph: Magnus Lundgren/Barcroft Media

‘Harlequin shrimps’ – Harlequin shrimps in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Photograph: Francesco De Marchi/Barcroft Media

‘Lion Fish’ – A lion fish with schooling glassfish in the Red Sea, Egypt

Photograph: Amir Stern/Barcroft Media

‘Multitude’ – schooling catfish in Indonesia

Photograph: Acevedo Eduardo/Barcroft Media

‘Hitting sailfish’ – Sailfish attacking schooling fish in Port St Johns, South Africa
Photograph: Alexander Safonov /Barcroft Media

‘Schooling Jacks’ – Diver and schooling jackfish in Indonesia

Photograph: Maria Rivarola/Barcroft Media

‘Stargazer’ – Stargazer in Blue Heron Bridge, Florida

Photograph: Keri Wilk/Barcroft Media

‘Struggle for freedom’ – Baltic herring inside a net in Baltic Sea

Photograph: Karel Bernard/Barcroft Media

Thanks to Keri’ – Juvenile flying fish in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Photograph: Michele Davino/Barcroft Media

‘Underwater Sadness’ – A sea turtle caught in a net in Sea of Cortez, Mexico

Photograph: Ramon Dominguez/Barcroft Media

Diving Apps for iPad owners

With the iPad growing in popularity (nearly 25 million of them around now) it was only a matter of time before divers would see dedicated iPad apps, we take a look at five of our favourites…

1) Dive Log $11.99

One of the more expensive iPad apps, but that reflects in it’s quality. Also available for your iPhone, Mac or Windows computer. Add dive locations, air mixes, bottom times and site statistics. Use photos of buddies, interact with Google Maps, capture GPS co-ordinates and build up a comprehensive dive log that can be easily accessed on multiple devices.

Dive stats are nicely presented; giving you overall bottom time, average depth and a host of other dive statistics. If you’re a tech geek and want something a little less soggy than a paper log book, Dive Log is worth every cent.

2) Dive Training $FREE

Most divers would have seen this magazine knocking around their local dive shop. Dive Training has a twenty year legacy dedicated to education-based articles. Well written and informative there is always something worth while in every issue for divers of all experience.

The App is free, as are the issues (at time of press) so there really is no reason to not have this on your iPad. Navigation is easy, but pages are taken directly from the print product, so don’t expect flashy animations and video content. It’s simple, effective and well worthy of your time.

3) London Diving Chamber

Firstly, you don’t have to be in London to benefit from this iPad diving App, the overall focus of which is health and medical attention. The LDC App has several simple elements, a pre-dive checklist focusing on physical checks, a simple but effective log book (not as comprehensive as the Dive Log, but a handy addition if the price tag of $11.99 puts you off the above) and a directory of medical terminology.

The LDC App can help you locate a Hyperbaric chamber, either by entering an area name, or by automatically using your current GPS location. Chambers can then be pin-pointed on Google Maps, incredibly good for making emergency action plans or when visiting new, unfamiliar dive sites.

Finally they offer “Diving Incident”, a series of yes and no questions that help determine a medical problem within a diver. I’d recommend a PADI Rescue Diver course before searching in your dive bag for an iPad, but it’s a good learning tool if nothing else. Add to this a comprehensive A-Z of diving medical terms and you have an excellent, free iPad app worth it’s weight in led.

4) Earth Periodical $FREE

If you’re a diver, there is more than a fair chance you have a keen interest in conservation and exploration. Earth Periodical is a new, free magazine made just for you. Now in it’s second issue the magazine offers unique interactive content, original articles by experts, video content and interactive an quiz. All for free. What more could an avid carer of our planet ask for? Put simply it’s aim is to educate, entertain and inspire people. From saving sharks, to space shuttle Discovery, from natural history news to equipment reviews. EP aims to give you something interesting. Perfect for your surface interval or when you’re waiting for tanks to get filled.

5) My Reef Aquarium 3D HD $2.99

iPads do fun stuff. You need a balance between serious dive logs and entertainment. My Reef Aquarium 3D HD is basically an interactive aquarium for your iPad. Choose your tank, the background image and the fish that inhabit it. Feed the fish, knock on the glass to get their attention or simply sit it on your desk and day dream about your next dive in the Caribbean.

If you have young kids, this App will be the best thing you ever buy. Whether they are a year old or closer to ten, My Reef 3D HD will have them glued, interacting and best yet, quiet for hours! Worth the price alone.

Other Apps of interest:

iMixer EANx (FREE)

DIVE Magazine (Free App, pay for issues)

101 Most Popular Dive sites of the Red Sea ($9.99)

Navy Diving Manual ($4.99)

Is Your Sunscreen Killing Corals?

With the summer season fast approaching, there has been a resurgence of concern over water-enthusiasts’ sunscreens potentially harming fragile coral reef systems. The need for sun protection is undeniable but as swimmers, divers and general ocean-lovers, how do we ensure that the products we out on our body are not harming corals?

In this article, I’m going to present you with all the facts and evidence linking coral bleaching and degraded reefs to swimmers’ sunscreen and determine the legitimacy of these claims.

The Claim

Four common sunscreen components can activate dormant viruses in coral’s symbiotic algae, known as zooxanthellae, that live within the reef’s tissues. The UV filters implicated are butylparaben, ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3 and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor. These ingredients, commonly found in many chemical sunscreens, are touted to cause complete coral bleaching at very low concentrations.

These sunblock chemicals stimulate viral replication until coral’s zooxanthallae explore, releasing viruses into the surrounding seawater, where they can infect neighboring coral reef systems. Claims have been made that about 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunblock from swimmers wash-off into the world’s oceans annually, and that up to 10% of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.

The Evidence

The study by an Italian team of scientists, R. Danovaro, L. Bongiorni, C. Corinaldesi, et al., published in Environmental Health Perspectives is the one piece of research done in support of sunscreen chemicals killing zooxanthallae and subsequently causing coral bleaching.

The Set-up

Coral branches of Acropora spp. and others were taken from tropical reefs in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Red Sea.

In situ and laboratory experiments were conducted by adding sunscreen aliquots and common UV filters to the corals. Using epifluorescence and microscopy, the zooxanthellae were monitored for viral infection and transmission.

The Findings

The Italian group of scientists found that the sunscreen ingredients killed coral and zooxnathallae withing 4 days by stimulating viruses (a 15-fold increase was observed in infection).

Experiments applying various sunscreen SPFs and concentrations to several coral species from different sites all proved to bleach corals.

The researchers concluded that based on a theoretical estimate of number of tourists using sunscreens in reef areas that up to 10% of the world’s coral reefs could be at risk for bleaching via sunscreen wash-off.

Also of note, R. Danovara et. al found that the coral bleaching effect was not dose-dependent, so reefs exposed even to very small concentrations of sunscreen are at risk.

The Verdict

Previous research has indicated that sunscreens can potentially bioaccumulate in the food chain and there may be a breakdown of sunscreens into toxic substances, until this most recent study, a link has never been shown between swimmers’ sunblock and coral reef bleaching (Leon-Gonzalez, 2011; Morohoshia, 2005).

Currently, there has only been one study published linking sunblock chemicals to the death of coral reefs published by R. Danovara, et al. And while published in a peer-reviewed journal, meaning the article has been critically assessed by a panel of scholars in the author’s, more studies will be needed to effectively conclude that swimmer’s sunscreens are putting 10% of the world’s coral reefs at risk of bleaching.

A completely in laboratory experiment cannot possible conclude that 10% of the world’s reef systems (outside of the experiment’s specific lab conditions) are at risk for bleaching from swimmers’ sunscreens.

I have no doubt under the exact laboratory conditions utilized in this study that corals will bleach. Corals are highly sensitive organisms and prone to bleaching at the slightest stress (sensitivity varies by species of course).

First, fracturing corals into nubbins and transporting them out of their ocean environment is always a risky business. It is very difficult to maintain corals (especially less hardy species such as Acropora) in lab conditions. The coral pieces used in experiments may have bleached with the addition of sunscreen aliquots because they were already highly stressed from the transport or due to other factors of the lab set-up (improper water temperature, poor water circulation, etc.). This may not be the case, but it was not discussed in the paper.

Second, the experimental set-up of immersing hands covered with sunscreen agents in a small water volume containing the coral pieces subjects the corals to a much higher concentration of sunscreen than they may experience out in the open ocean.

R. Danovara does indicate that even at low toxicity levels of sunscreen agents, corals may bleach. However, I’d like to see the results replicated a number of times and then more testing done in the ocean to confirm that sunscreen wash-off and the amount it is diluted in the sea actually causes reef bleaching.

A coral expert at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), Robert van Woesik, also questions whether the conditions utilized in the study truly reflect those found in nature.

This study certainly does have large implications for marine scientists running lab experiments with corals or managers of coral nurseries, as clearly a chemical sunscreen could cause bleaching and mortality of your coral specimens during testing in small water volumes.

However, until more research comes out, I’m still a firm believer that other human-induced pressures, such as pollution, sedimentation, overfishing and global warming, are much larger contributors to reef degradation than swimmers’ sunscreens.

Eco-Friendly Sunscreens

Even though I’m not in full agreement with the study discussed above, I do agree that ingredients in chemical sunscreens may be bad for human health as well as have the potential to bioaccumulate in the food chain.

If you’re looking for “reef safe” greener sunscreens, as I have been, I’ve got you covered! Whether you believe in the potential impact of chemical sunblocks on corals, you can reduce any risk to reef and ocean systems by choosing only sunscreens with physical UV filters (ie. titanium dioxide and zinc oxide). There are also a couple eco-friendly chemical sunscreens, just be sure to avoid sunblocks with octylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3, parabens or octocrylene.

Here are my sunscreen recommendations:

• Badger produces some great natural, water-resistant sunscreens and is rated highest for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group.
• Caribbean Solutions has another reef-safe, natural sunblock.
• Loving Naturals produces a zinc-based sunscreen with 100% natural ingredients.
• Reef Safe (made by Tropical Seas) claims to be completely for marine life.
• And of course, staying in the shade and wearing hats and cover-ups are also great ways to protect yourself from the sun