SCUBA News 264
(ISSN 1476-8011)
July 2022

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SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 264 - July 2022
https://www.scubatravel.co.uk
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Welcome to SCUBA News. This month a disturbing account about how dive sites that used to be full of fish now have almost none.

What's New at SCUBA Travel?

	Komodo - one of the best diving destination in the world For sharks, manta rays, eagle rays and loads of life with wild currents head for the north-east of Komodo. READ MORE…
	Guide to diving the Canary Islands The rugged Canary Islands are one of the most popular dive destinations in Spain, offering diving at UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and marine reserves teeming with life. LEARN MORE…

Hawksbill turtle is creature of the month

Critically endangered, the hawksbill turtle lives throughout the world's tropical seas. In the last 100 years their numbers have declined by 80%. However, where countries protect them, and enforce the protection, populations recover.

When they leave their beach nest, most hawksbill hatchlings swim to the open sea. They stay here for up to 5 years, after which they migrate to their coral reef homes. Here you see themn resting on ledges before swimming to the surface to breath.

Hawksbill turtles don't reach sexual maturity until between 14 and 35 years old. Females then return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs.

The temperature of the nest determines whether the baby turtles will be male or female. Higher temperatures mean more females. Turtles have evolved to nest when temperatures favour equal numbers of male and female hatchlings, but if this is already the coldest time on their beach, then birth ratios will shift to females is temperatures rise further.

A female turtle lays eggs only every 2 to 5 years. In her breeding year though, she lays several clutches. Males may visit several rookeries, so a male-female imbalance might not be critical for the turtles.

Hawksbill turtles are endangered because of our actions like harvesting tortoiseshell, loss of habitat, light pollution and by-catch. As they grow slowly and take years to mature, populations have difficulty recovering.

They are called Hawksbill Turtles because of their pointed beak which they use to scrape sponges from the reef to eat.

The largest populations live in northwest Australia, the Solomon Islands and Indonesia. In the Atlantic, Mexico, Cuba and Barbados are Hawksbill turtle hotspots.

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Diving news from around the World

	Mexico bans white shark diving at Guadalupe until December Divers who have booked liveaboards to Guadalupe during this time are being offered credit notes for future trips or a choice of different destinations. Some boats, but not all, are offering full refunds.
	Reef-World Foundation launches Green Fins in Japan Japan is the 14th country to implement the Green Fins initiative - a UN Environment Programme aiming to reduce the threats associated with diving and snorkelling on the marine environment.
	Why do seals have whiskers? Seals have highly sensitive whiskers that enable them to hunt effectively even in poor visual conditions.
	Sea urchins’ secret to surviving marine heatwaves Sea urchins can pass heatwave resistance on to the next generation, according to a recently published study.
	Divers: Join the Great Shark Snapshot Take part in the Shark Trust's community science project and to help gather vital information about global shark distribution. During the last week in July 2022 they want buddy pairs, dive centres, clubs and boats to record as many shark, ray and skate sightings around the world as possible.

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SCUBA News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. This means we are happy for you to reuse our material for both commercial and non-commercial use as long as you: credit the name of the author, link back to the SCUBA Travel website and say if you have made any changes. Some of the photos though, might be copyright the photographer. If in doubt please get in touch.

Photo credits: Tim Nicholson, Jill Studholme, Kristin Riser, Jianye Sui

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CONTACTING THE EDITOR
Please send your letters or press releases to:
Jill Studholme
SCUBA News
The Cliff

DE6 2HR
UK
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