For news, articles and updates on scuba diving, travel and the marine environment. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/ http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubaicon.gif http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/ 61 45 More comments where to dive in Saudi Arabia have been added to http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/divesaudi.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/divesaudi.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/divesaudi.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/eu-subsidises-fishing-crooks.html Fishsubsidy.org has published a list of 41 law-breaking fishing vessels - from Spain, France, Belgium and the UK - who have received EU subsidies to the tune of over 16 million Euros. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/eu-subsidises-fishing-crooks.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/eu-subsidises-fishing-crooks.html Inspired by comments from their readers, SCUBA Travel have added a page to their dive guide site on diving Mozambique. Comments include "fantastic", "amazing" and "the best diving anywhere". http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/africa/mozambique.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/africa/mozambique.html The increased frequency and intensity of oxygen-deprived "dead zones" along the world's coasts can negatively impact environmental conditions in far more than just local waters. In the March 12 edition of the journal Science, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science oceanographer Dr. Lou Codispoti explains that the increased amount of nitrous oxide (N2O) produced in low-oxygen waters can elevate concentrations in the atmosphere, further exacerbating the impacts of global warming and contributing to ozone "holes" that cause an increase in our exposure to harmful UV radiation. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/uomc-az031110.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/uomc-az031110.php SCUBA Travel have revamped their diving destination directory to make it easier to find what you are looking for. Now arranged by country, sea, ocean and continent. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.html The king of Japanese sushi and sashimi may disappear from menus after Europe joined the United States on Wednesday in arguing for a ban on trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna. The 27 European Union (EU) nations agreed, despite opposition from Mediterranean island Malta, to urge a United Nations (UN) body that lists endangered species to vote for a ban when it meets in Qatar, starting on Saturday. http://bit.ly/cPE4hS http://bit.ly/cPE4hS The giant Marble Ray is three metres long. It is not aggressive but watch out for the spines on its tail. You see the Marble Ray in the Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to southern Japan, Micronesia and tropical Australia; and in the Cocos and Galapagos islands in the Eastern Pacific. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/marble-ray-is-creature-of-the-month.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/marble-ray-is-creature-of-the-month.html The ongoing El Nino of 2010 is reducing the numbers of pelagic fish, according to scientists at NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/2010-el-nino-reduces-marine-life.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/2010-el-nino-reduces-marine-life.html SCUBA Travel guide now includes Charna Island, Pakistan. Diving window is end of September until March. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific.html#Pakistan http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific.html#Pakistan The latest issue of SCUBA News is now available at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews118.html. This month: best dive spots in 97 countries, diving Mozambique, wreck photo gallery, 10 tips for underwater photographers and all the diving news from around the world. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews118.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews118.html The barnacle, a key thread in the marine food web, was thought to be missing along rocky coasts dominated by upwellings. Now a research team headed by Brown University marine ecologist Jon Witman has found the opposite to be true: Barnacle populations thrive in vertical upwelling zones in moderately deep waters in the Galapagos Islands. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/barnacle-dinner-in-galapagos.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/03/barnacle-dinner-in-galapagos.html The calving of a massive iceberg off east Antarctica last week has prompted fears that the event could alter the salinity of the surrounding ocean, with damaging effects on marine life and global ocean currents. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18595-massive-antarctic-iceberg-threatens-ocean-circulation.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18595-massive-antarctic-iceberg-threatens-ocean-circulation.html A preview of the Census of Marine Life has revealed that the project has discovered over 5,000 new species. The final report from the decade-long census will be released in October 2010. A major aim of the census is to provide the scientific support for the establishment of a global network of marine protected areas to prevent damage from fishing and other human activity. Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, a marine biologist from the UK's University of Plymouth, said that delicate coral reefs were under threat from deep-sea trawling. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8523389.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8523389.stm Read rave reviews of the diving around Sipadan and Sabah at the SCUBA Travel Malaysia directory. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/malaysia/malayop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/malaysia/malayop.html Underwater photography is the most challenging type of photography one can undertake. It is also one of the fastest growing segments, due to the rapid drop in the price of underwater camera housings over the last 10 years. UWPhotographyGuide.com is the first free comprehensive online guide to underwater photography to assist divers and photographers in learning this difficult art. http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/?scubatravel.co.uk http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/?scubatravel.co.uk In just ten years life in the Sea of Cortez (Mexico) has declined at a shocking rate. The cause is highly destructive new fishing methods. Traditional hook-and-line fisherman have been put out of business by vastly more damaging gill net fishing and hookah diving. Hookah fishermen use surface-supplied air through piping that allows them to walk along the seafloor for long periods of time. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/02/sea-of-cortez-threatened.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/02/sea-of-cortez-threatened.html Rising ocean temperatures might leave coral reefs in seriously hot water - without clouds for protection. Five years ago Graham Jones and his team at Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, demonstrated that algae living in coral tissue produce a gas called dimethyl sulphide (DMS). When released into the atmosphere, DMS helps clouds form over coral reefs. Jones says that the clouds block sunlight and cool the sea. His team have now discovered that a rise in ocean temperature of only 2 degrees C causes some algae to stop producing DMS. As a result, fewer clouds will form over the coral, thinks Jones, allowing more sunlight to shine on the water, warming it still more. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18547-warmer-seas-may-rob-corals-and-rainforests-of-clouds.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18547-warmer-seas-may-rob-corals-and-rainforests-of-clouds.html SCUBA Travel have added many new images to their wreck diving photo gallery, including those of the Carnatic in the Red Sea. http://scubatravel.co.uk/photo4.html http://scubatravel.co.uk/photo4.html An examination of mineral deposits in a coastal cave on the Spanish island of Mallorca shows evidence of rapid rises and declines in sea level as the planet warmed and cooled. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/41012 http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/41012 New science is confirming old whalers' tales of seas teeming with the beasts - and undermining claims that it's time to reload the harpoons. Old chronicles tell of populations of whales hundreds of times greater than today. Such tales have long been dismissed as exaggerations, but could they be true? Have humans killed such a staggering number of whales? New genetic techniques for analysing whale populations, alongside a growing archive of fresh historical analysis, suggest so. Taken together, they indicate that we have got our ideas about marine ecology completely upside down: whales may once have been the dominant species in the world's oceans. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527461.200-lost-leviathans-hunting-the-worlds-missing-whales.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527461.200-lost-leviathans-hunting-the-worlds-missing-whales.html Trumpetfish, Cornetfish or Flutemouth? Whatever you call it, Fistularia commersonii is the SCUBA Travel creature of the month. The long, tubular fish you see hovering in the waters of the Red Sea, Sea of Cortez, Indian and Pacific Oceans, waiting to ambush prey like the lionfish. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bro_Trumpet_fish_26_03.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bro_Trumpet_fish_26_03.html The United Nations (UN)-backed wildlife trade agency said Friday it supported a proposed ban on the international trade in bluefin tuna, a delicacy in Asia, which is due to be examined by 175 countries next month. Japan has opposed the ban proposed by Monaco, which would classify the fish as a species threatened with extinction, CITES officials said. http://tinyurl.com/yassw3j http://tinyurl.com/yassw3j More than 1000 jumbo flying squid, or Humboldt squid, have been landed the shores of California since Thursday night last week, prompting concerns that this season's rising ocean temperatures due to the El Nino effect could lead to a squid invasion unparalleled for nearly a decade. http://tinyurl.com/ygque3f http://tinyurl.com/ygque3f SCUBA Travel have added more on diving the Gulf of Thailand to their Thailand dive directory. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaigulfop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaigulfop.html Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term, according to new research published today in the Journal of Heredity. The study shows for the first time that some virgin births can result in viable offspring. http://bit.ly/6nWGWx http://bit.ly/6nWGWx Completely revised edition of "Scuba Diving" is now available. A reference book explaining the techniques of diving: bouyancy, diving physiology, dive tables, dive planning, etc. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736079009/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736079009/rss1-21 Researchers have found that Red Grouper dig out and maintain complex structures at the bottom of the sea. They remove sand, exposing hard rocks that are crucial to corals and sponges and the animals that rely on them. The work demonstrates that Red Groupers modify their environment, much as beavers do, creating habitat for many other animals including lobster and commercially important fish. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/red-grouper-create-home-for-many.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/red-grouper-create-home-for-many.html A pretty tube anemone, the burrowing anemone is sometimes confused with tube worms. Like the worms they have attractive tentacles with which they capture prey, and when disturbed they shoot back into their tubes. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/creature-of-month-burrowing-anemone.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/creature-of-month-burrowing-anemone.html A new genetic analysis of Antarctic minke whales concludes that population of these smaller baleen whales have not increased as a result of the intensive hunting of other larger whales - countering arguments by advocates of commercial whaling who want to cull minke whales. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/minke-whales-should-not-be-culled.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/minke-whales-should-not-be-culled.html Discover more about the diving and dive operators in Tenerife and elsewhere in Spain, at SCUBA Travel's newly updated site. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe/spain.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe/spain.html Big Brother is a tiny island in the middle of the Egyptian Red Sea. It is a world class dive site deserving of the new dedicated photo gallery at the SCUBA Travel site. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photobrothers.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photobrothers.html New acoustic sensors are being used in research and conservation projects around the world, with some very important practical results. Among them is improved monitoring of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an effort to reduce ship strikes, a leading cause of their deaths. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/acoustic-tools-help-whales.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2010/01/acoustic-tools-help-whales.html Norway has some beautiful dives and SCUBA Travel have added to their list of Norwegian dive operators. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe/norway.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe/norway.html Increased release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making seawater more acidic and is threatening ecosystems and species. It is also reducing the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide and regulate climate. According to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), deep and immediate cuts in emissions are needed to stall the acidification of oceans and prevent mass extinction of marine species. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/12/iucn-warns-of-acid-oceans.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/12/iucn-warns-of-acid-oceans.html This is billed as the first field guide to all known species of shark. Colour plates illustrate all the sharks and there are helpful tips for differentiating between species. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691120722/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691120722/rss1-21 Hong Kong shark fin merchants have reacted angrily to a US study that said meat from endangered species was being sold in the city's markets to make a popular soup. In the new study for the journal Endangered Species Research, US scientists said they had used DNA testing to trace the geographic origin of shark fins on sale in Hong Kong. They found 21 per cent of the fins came from endangered scalloped hammerhead shark stocks in the western Atlantic. But the Hong Kong Shark Fin Trade Merchant's Association said its members had not done anything illegal. "The study is exaggerated," a spokesman for the association told AFP. "We are not doing anything against the law. The sale of endangered scalloped hammerhead shark fins has not been made illegal here." http://bit.ly/5mF4ZF http://bit.ly/5mF4ZF SCUBA Travel have extended their diving in Brazil section and included more Brazilian diving operators. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/americas/brazil.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/americas/brazil.html Populations of numerous migratory fish species - those that move between freshwater and saltwater during the course of their lives - have declined by a shocking 95 percent. The analysis showed that the once-abundant allis shad, a member of the herring family that lives most of its life in coastal waters but migrates into rivers to spawn, plummeted by 99.9 percent in the Rhine River in the Netherlands between 1886 and 1933; the same species dropped by 99.4 percent in the Minho River in Portugal between 1925 and 1988. The European eel's population plunged 95.4 percent in the Ems River, which flows through the Netherlands and Germany, and in the Vida River in Denmark between 1960 and 1997; it decreased by 99.5 percent in the Yser River in Belgium between 1974 and 2004 http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/12/shocking-95-decline-of-fish-populations.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/12/shocking-95-decline-of-fish-populations.html New book explains the techniques, tips and equipment needed to safely dive with Trimix. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0956376304/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0956376304/rss1-21 The wreck of the Rosalie Moeller lies in the Red Sea at 46 m. She is almost totally intact with many fish: a very scenic dive site. New underwater photos of her are now up on the SCUBA Travel site at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photorosalie.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photorosalie.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photorosalie.html Back for a 2nd editon, Footprint's best-selling Diving the World includes many of the world's top warm water dives. Nothing for the cold water enthusiasts though. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/190609876X/ASIN/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/190609876X/ASIN/rss1-21 Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that live down to 5000 meters (around 3 miles) below the ocean waves. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/11/scientists-discover-new-deep-sea.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/11/scientists-discover-new-deep-sea.html Planning to dive in the south of France? More dive operators are now listed on the SCUBA Travel France section. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/france/franceacc.html#diveop http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/france/franceacc.html#diveop SCUBA Travel have launched a "pic of the day" feature where to showcase their best underwater photos. You can find this on Twitter (http://twitter.com/SCUBANews) and on their brand new Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCUBA-Travel/211507355743). http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCUBA-Travel/211507355743 http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCUBA-Travel/211507355743 Jack Jackson's Dive Atlas of the World has been at the top of the SCUBA Travel best-seller list for the last 5 years. A new, revised edition has just been published and is currently available with 50% off from Amazon. Just in time for you to add it to your Christmas list. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1847735703/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1847735703/rss1-21 There is some terrific coral in Jordan's Red Sea. For details of the dive sites there visit SCUBA Travel's newly updated guide. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/jordandive.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/jordandive.html The latest offering from bestselling author Jack Jackson is published this month, World Adventure Dives is a photographic guide to 35 "fascinating diving experiences". http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/184773541X/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/184773541X/rss1-21 Swarms of miniature robotic ocean explorers could one day help predict where ocean currents will carry oil spills. The robot swarms could also aid in development of marine protected areas by following currents for determining critical nursery habitats and for tracking harmful blooms of algae. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/11/swarms-of-ocean-robots-to-monitor-oil.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/11/swarms-of-ocean-robots-to-monitor-oil.html More reviews of SCUBA diving books are now on the SCUBA Travel site at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/interview.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/interview.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/interview.html Just released and beautifully illustrated, describes exceptional dive sites around the world. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/0470744928/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/0470744928/rss1-21 A tracking study of white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean shows they follow a rigid migration route across the sea, returning to precisely the same spot on California coast. Over tens of thousands of years, this behavior has made the population in the northeastern Pacific genetically distinct from other white shark populations. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/11/tags-reveal-great-white-sharks-beat.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/11/tags-reveal-great-white-sharks-beat.html More great photographs of the underwater life around Britain are now on the SCUBA Travel site at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photouk.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photouk.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photouk.html SCUBA Travel are pleased to release their list of best selling diving books and DVDs of the last quarter. The list has remained remarkably static, with the top 3 books retaining their places. Perennially popular, the Blue Planet makes a re-entry. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bestsellers.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bestsellers.html Ocean observatories will give people a never-before-seen view of the world's oceans. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/nsf-launches-ocean-observatories.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/nsf-launches-ocean-observatories.html The wreck of the Ulysses lies at 27 m in the Straits of Gobal, Egypt. A popular dive, new photos are now on the SCUBA Travel site at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photoulysses.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photoulysses.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photoulysses.html The state government of Western Australia is creating a marine park to protect and manage a key nursery of the world's largest humpback whale population. The marine park is to be at Camden Sound, about 400km north of Broome. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/western-australia-to-protect-whales.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/western-australia-to-protect-whales.html SCUBA Travel have added more dive sites and centres to their Sardinia diving directory. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/sardop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/sardop.html The pretty plumose anemone is the SCUBA News creature of the month. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/creature-of-month-plumose-anemone.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/creature-of-month-plumose-anemone.html Scientists have recorded the first observations of how albatrosses feed alongside marine mammals at sea. A miniature digital camera was attached to the backs of four black-browed albatrosses. The still images recorded from the cameras show that albatrosses associate with marine mammals in the same way as tropical seabirds often do with tuna. In both cases the prey (usually fish) are directed to the surface and then it's easy hunting for the birds http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/albatrosses-feed-with-killer-whales.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/10/albatrosses-feed-with-killer-whales.html Thailand Divers are offering SCUBA News readers a discount on diving courses, day trips and liveaboards to the world famous Similan Islands. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews113.html#Thailand http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubanews113.html#Thailand The intense noise produced by seismic surveys affects Blue Whales, making them call much more frequently. http://tinyurl.com/mbpnlp http://tinyurl.com/mbpnlp When you mention killer whales, the image of one ambushing a terrified seal often springs to mind. But there are populations of killer whales who live exclusively on fish. And not on just any fish: they are very specialised in which fish they will eat. If their chosen fish declines in numbers, the whales decline in numbers too. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/09/killer-whales-die-without-chinook.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/09/killer-whales-die-without-chinook.html Madagascar hosts the world's largest continuous coral reefs. The Madagascar dive operator directory is now completely revised at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/madagascar/ http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/madagascar/ http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/madagascar/ There is a new dive waiting off the coast of Comino: former Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) Patrol Boat P31. The wreck is 52 m long and lies at 18 m. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/09/new-wreck-dive-off-comino-malta.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/09/new-wreck-dive-off-comino-malta.html This new book covers the full spectrum of conditions and ailments that affect divers. Diagrams highlight key aspects, such as ear barotrauma, while therapeutic decompression tables complement the chapters on acute decompression illness, deep diver rescue and emergency ascents. Written by an experienced diving medical officer who has been a board member of DAN (Divers Alert Network) Southern Africa since 2001. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/1770077537/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/1770077537/rss1-21 Discover the 100 best dive sites in the world, according to SCUBA Travel readers. Newly updated list at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveslong.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveslong.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveslong.html Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is among the healthiest coral reef ecosystems in the US Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, according to a new NOAA report. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/08/healthiest-us-coral-reef-is-in-gulf-of.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/08/healthiest-us-coral-reef-is-in-gulf-of.html Brand new page on the SCUBA Travel site about the diving in the Maldives. With more underwater photos, recommended dive sites and diving centres. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific/maldives.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific/maldives.html The fish that pulls faces as part of its courtship ritual is SCUBA News's creature of the month. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/07/creature-of-month-dragonet-callionymus.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/07/creature-of-month-dragonet-callionymus.html Just published, guide to the wrecks of the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Dahlak Islands. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/8854404667/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/8854404667/rss1-21 UNESCO has added the Belize Barrier Reef to its list of world heritage sites in danger. The main problem with Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System concerns mangrove cutting and excessive development. The reef is also the country's top tourist destination. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/07/belize-barrier-reef-in-danger.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/07/belize-barrier-reef-in-danger.html If you like driving around the desert in 4x4's and jumping in the water from the shore to find a complete contrast between the desert above and thriving life below then go to Dahab on the Egyptian Red Sea. To help you SCUBA Travel have updated their directory of dive centres in Dahab. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/dahabop.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/dahabop.html The first study to determine the global conservation status of 64 species of open ocean (pelagic) sharks and rays reveals that 32 percent are threatened with extinction, primarily due to overfishing, according to the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/06/third-of-pelagic-sharks-threatened-with.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/06/third-of-pelagic-sharks-threatened-with.html Once thought of as a strictly cool-water species, basking sharks migrate to deep tropical waters each winter, according to research published in the June 2009 issue of journal Current Biology. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/once-thought-of-as-strictly-cool-water.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/once-thought-of-as-strictly-cool-water.html Using a system of underwater hydrophones that can record sounds from hundreds of miles away, a team of scientists has documented the presence of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an area they were thought to be extinct. The discovery is particularly important, researchers say, because it is in an area that may be opened to shipping if the melting of polar ice continues, as expected. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/endanged-right-whales-found-where-they.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/endanged-right-whales-found-where-they.html An international team of scientists has identified a nesting population of leatherback sea turtles in Gabon, West Africa as the world's largest. The research estimated a population of between 15,730 and 41,373 female turtles using the nesting beaches. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/worlds-largest-leatherback-turtle.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/worlds-largest-leatherback-turtle.html Sharks, barracuda and other large predatory fishes disappear on Caribbean coral reefs as human populations rise, endangering the region's marine food web and ultimately its reefs and fisheries, according to a study published today in the journal PLoS One. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/caribbean-big-fish-disappearing.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/05/caribbean-big-fish-disappearing.html Gallery of photos of Spotted Dolphins swimming in the Red Sea. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photodolphin.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/photodolphin.html According to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, newly applied radiocarbon dating of the deep water corals Gerardia and Leiopathes species show that their growth rates are extremely low, and that individual colonies live for thousands of years. The longest-lived specimens were Leiopathes species (black corals) at 4265 years old. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/03/deep-sea-corals-live-thousands-of-years.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/03/deep-sea-corals-live-thousands-of-years.html Most SCUBA divers disturb the seabed, Spanish researchers say, with inexperienced males carrying a camera or torch being the worst offenders. A study published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science found that nearly 97% of divers in marine protected areas (MPAs) made contact with the bottom. http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/03/divers-disturb-seabed-scientists-say.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/03/divers-disturb-seabed-scientists-say.html You can now follow SCUBA News updates on Twitter, the micro-blogging service. http://twitter.com/SCUBANews/ http://twitter.com/SCUBANews/ Discover the best dive companies and dive sites in Italy at the newly updated SCUBA Travel site. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/ http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/ See the top ten dive sites in Europe, as voted for by SCUBA Travel readers. The Zenobia (Cyprus) takes the top spot, closely followed by the Blue Hole (Gozo), Cirkewwa (Malta) and the Booroo (Isle of Man). Disagree with the list? Cast your vote at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveseurope.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveseurope.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveseurope.html Marine aquaculture can have some nasty side effects, especially when the pens are set near sensitive coastal environments. All those fish penned up together consume massive amounts of commercial feed, some of which drifts off uneaten in the currents. And the crowded fish, naturally, defecate and urinate by the tens of thousands, creating yet another unpleasant waste stream. The wastes can carry disease, causing damage directly. Or the phosphate and nitrates in the mix may feed an algae bloom that sucks the oxygen from the water, leaving it uninhabitable, a phenomenon long associated with fertilizer runoff. New research shows "the icky stuff from the pens will travel farther, and in higher concentrations, than had been generally assumed". http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/02/when-fish-farms-are-built-along-coast.html http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/2009/02/when-fish-farms-are-built-along-coast.html Read about some great diving in India in the new SCUBA Travel section. The best dive sites and recommended diving centres in the Andaman Islands, Lakshadweep Islands and Goa. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific/india.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/pacific/india.html This new technical guide provides a comprehensive overview of the principles underlying decompression theory. This book aims to bridge the gap between introductory books and source scientific information. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/1905492073/rss1-21 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/1905492073/rss1-21 British National Newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, has published a list of the "Top 10 links for aquatic life". See if you agree with their list at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/3394841/Top-10-links-for-aquatic-sites.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/3394841/Top-10-links-for-aquatic-sites.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/3394841/Top-10-links-for-aquatic-sites.html Fancy a warm charitable glow when you buy insurance? From now on if you purchase World Nomads travel insurance via SCUBA Travel, we will donate to the Footprints charity of your choice. http://www.worldnomads.com/af.aspx?affiliate=SCBTVL http://www.worldnomads.com/af.aspx?affiliate=SCBTVL Hand-picked diving books: guides to diving around the world, stories of the history and pioneers of diving, books featuring great underwater photography and some just stories about diving. http://astore.amazon.co.uk/1286 http://astore.amazon.co.uk/1286 For just 2.45 GBP a month you can advertise your new SCUBA products, late deals and special offers on the "Diving Board". This special introductory price is guaranteed for the lifetime of your subscription. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=5 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=5 You can now use either php or Javascript to display this news on your own web pages, absolutely free. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsfeed.html http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsfeed.html