SCUBA News 278
(ISSN 1476-8011)
September 2023

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SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 278 - September 2023
https://www.scubatravel.co.uk
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What's New at SCUBA Travel?

	Crossing over between dive agencies Thinking of changing from PADI to SSI, or NAUI to CMAS? We answer your questions and compare qualifications from 38 different Scuba training organisations. READ MORE…
	Best Diving in Belize? The Blue Hole is the most famous Belize dive site - but there are others even better. LEARN MORE…
	Welcome back AquaMarine Diving to the SCUBA Travel Community Dedicated to ensuring you experience Bali's best diving. Quote 'ScubaTravelUK2023' to get 10% off published price, free rental gear and an AquaMarine Goodie-Bundle. LEARN MORE…

10 Last Minute & Early Bird Liveaboard Deals - Save up to $2000!

We bring you news of the latest dive boat deals, specially selected for us by Divebooker.com, the liveaboard specialists. Including 5, 6, 7, 10 and 14 night trips.

1. Seadoors, Philippines, SAVE 15%, Price from USD 1798 per trip per person 18-24 November
2. Carpe Diem, Maldives, SAVE 30%, 21-28 October. Price from USD 1,736.
   
3. Cocos Island Aggressor, Cocos Island Adventure, 02 - 12 Dec 2023 and 10 - 20 Jan 2024 (10 nights), SAVE 25%, Price from USD 6,599 4,949 per trip per person
4. Jelajahi Laut, Indonesia, Maluku and West Papua, 28 Oct - 11 Nov 2023 (14 nights), SAVE UP TO 20%, Price from EUR 4,143 per trip per person
5. Turks & Caicos Explorer II, , Provo, West Caicos, French Cay, 8 - 25 Nov 2023 (7 nights), SAVE $1200, Price from USD 3,195 1,995 per trip per person. Valid for new reservations only, booked, and deposited between August 10 and September 15, 2023. Cannot be combined with other discounts or credits.
   
6. Humboldt Explorer, Central Archipelago, Darwin And Wolf Islands, 11 - 18 Dec 2023 (7 nights), SAVE $2000, Price from USD 6,195 4,195 per trip per person * Valid for new reservations booked and deposited before September 15, 2023.
7. Palau Aggressor II, The Best of Palau, The Best of Palau, 09 - 16 June 2024 (7 nights), SAVE 25%, Price from USD 3,535 2,651 per trip per person
8. Nautilus Under the Sea, Baja California 8-13 October 2023 - 5 nights in the Sea of Cortez, SAVE USD 400. Ex-research vessel refurbished for small groups of divers. USD 1595 per person.
9. Sea Pearl, Seychelles Book before 31st January for 20% off 2024 trips.
10. Ghani, St Johns, Red Sea 23 - 30 December 2023 (7 nights), SAVE 29%, Price from just £ 729 per person for this fabulous trip to some of the best diving in Egypt.
    

Creature of the month is the Orange Clubbed Nudibranch, Limacia clavigera

You can easily recognise this lovely little nudibranch by the orangy-yellow "clubs" around its body, curving inwards over its back.

They are normally up to 20 mm long, but Norweigen scientists have reported seeing some as large as 40 mm.

This nudibranch feeds on encrusting bryozoans like Electra pilosa and Membranipora membranace. These tiny boxes of creatures live in a colonies on kelp and other seaweed.

The three feathery appendages at the back are its gills.

The nudibranch's rhinophores, which it uses to smell or taste, are yellow tipped and lamellate or folded. These ridges increase their surface area and expands their chemoreception capabilities.

Like all nudibranchs, Limacia clavigera is hermaphrodite - both male and female at the same time.

Until recently Limacia clavigera was thought to be widely distributed, from the Atlantic coast of Europe, including the British Isles, to the Mediterranean, Azores and Canary Islands. It had also been reported in southern Africa. However researchers now believe that these sea slugs living so far apart may actually all look very similar but are six different species. Limacia clavigera is the North Eastern Atlantic species. The others have been classified as the smaller L. inesae, a new species living from the Med to the Canaries, and four other Limacia species in southern Africa.

Whichever species you see, it is always a delight.

Read More

Nudibranchs and Sea-slugs of the Isle of Man. Tim Nicholson.

Jessica A. Toms et al, February 2021 Marine Biodiversity 51(1) Disentangling species of the genus Limacia O.F. Muller, 1781, from southern Africa and Europe using integrative taxonomical methods, with the description of four new species. Mar. Biodivers. 51, 1 (2021).

Evertsen, J. and Bakken, T. 2002. Heterobranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from northern Norway, with notes on ecology and distribution. Fauna norv. 22: 15-22

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Diving news from around the World

	New Scuba System increases bottom time New Avelo scuba set promises to: Increase bottom time, give effortless neutral buoyancy, improve air consumption and reduce weight and bulkiness. Sounds great - anyone tried it?
	Revealed: Why the UN is not climate neutral The UN claims to be almost entirely climate neutral, yet that claim is based on buying millions of carbon offset credits that experts say do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
	Big teeth, bigger data Researchers are testing how well shark sanctuaries work, using public fishing data. Unlike some other marine protected areas that ban commercial fishing entirely, shark sanctuaries still allow some fishing. The stress on the sharks of being caught and released results in unintended shark deaths.
	The Octopus Boxing Guide Why did the octopus punch the fish? The answer, sometimes, is "out of spite"..
	Light pollution threatens coastal marine systems Offshore effects are still largely unknown
	NOAA Identifies Seven Nations for Illegal Fishing Activities The 2023 report identifies Angola, Grenada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, The Gambia, and Vanuatu as nations and entities participating in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Two were also identified for issues related to shark catch.
	Hypocrisy is threatening the future of the world's oceans A few powerful nations are undermining progress towards global ocean sustainability. French and Spanish ships harvest up to one-third of tuna in the Indian Ocean with unsustainable fishing methods. Conversely, Chile has designated 41% of her waters for protection
	Mystery as Female Hammerhead Sharks Found Gathering Under Full Moon Strangely, no males seem to be invited to these gatherings, new research in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science reveals.
	Ocean Film Festival anniversary tour arrives this autumn Plunge into a night of ocean adventure! The Ocean Film Festival World Tour is bringing a new collection of captivating ocean-themed films to venues around the UK this autumn.
	Ready for a Trip? 4 Travel Blogs to Check Out in 2023 With the aid of travel blogs, finding new places to visit and organizing great vacations has never been simpler. (We love this because we're in it!)
	Stunning Underwater Photography Collection Underwater photography captures unique marine life and breathtaking environments, offering a mesmerising perspective that unveils the underwater world's hidden beauty

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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: Alan De Witt, Rudmer Zwerver, Howard Chew/DepositPhotos, Denis Riek, The Global Ocean Surface Ecosystem Alliance (GO-SEA) Field Guide (CC-BY 4.0), Tim Nicholson, Jill Studholme

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