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

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

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.

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

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

Get Rid of the Blue in your Scuba Photos

Are you sick and tired of your photos coming out Blue? You may be new to underwater photography so you should no one simple trick. What is it? White Balance!
You need to make sure you white balance underwater at depth. Think of you camera as if the lens is the eye and the complex system in it is a brain. When humans dive underwater the color spectrum is altered and this is the case for your camera.

Adjusting your whit balance underwater tells your camera that what is white underwater. You need to make sure you have a white card with you during your dive. Adjust your white balance for the depth you are photographing at, make sure that if your depth changes by more than 10ft/3m you need white balance again. Note if you are using a strobe then shoot the white balance card at full power. Your strobe or flash emits light at a certain color temp, usually 5500K, similar to sunlight, but it depends on the strobe. Most strobes are between 4800K and 5600K. The color temp of the light will change as it passes through water, and reds are filtered out. Remember to switch your white-balance back to auto when using the flash, otherwise your photo will look very red.

If you are lighting up a close subject with your strobe or internal flash, your color temp should be set to Auto. If you are not happy with the color you are getting, which may happen in low-end compact cameras, you can try setting it to sunny or flash, which are both around 5500K. Setting the white balance to cloudy (6000-6500K) when using strobes will usually result in photos that are a little too orange, unless the subject is a few feet away.

White Balance Mistakes:

• Any white balance mistakes can be easily corrected if you are shooting in RAW
• Setting a manual white balance, and then forgetting to switch to auto white-balance and using your flash or strobes will result in a nice red photo, oops!
• Taking an ambient light shot underwater , and leaving the white balance on auto, sunny, or flash will result in a mostly blue photo void of color, especially if you are deeper than 10-15ft deep.
• Make sure you increase the contrast of your ambient-light photo afterwards in photoshop.

GoPro HD HERO camera: Holly Beck and the Whaleshark