Ocean Ecology & Dive Health..

10 Things You Can Do Today!

1. Avoid purchasing souvenirs made from coral or any threatened or endangered marine species. 2. Support the establishment of coral reef protected areas and encourage better protection and management for those that exist. 3. While traveling, choose resorts and tour operators that properly treat all sewage and wastewater. 4. While operating a boat, navigate carefully to avoid contact with coral reefs and other vulnerable ecosystems such as seagrass beds and maintain engine equipment to prevent oil and gas spills. 5. As a diver or snorkeler, choose tour operators that use mooring buoys or drift diving techniques whenever possible rather than anchors that can cause reef damage. 6. Make wise choices in selecting seafood by avoiding menu items that are caught or farmed using destructive or unsustainable practices including reef-killing poisons, explosives, and illegal equipment. 7. Avoid purchasing tropical wood furniture or products obtained from clear-cut tropical forests causing siltation damage to coral reefs. 8. As a diver, practice buoyancy control skills in a pool or sandy area before diving near a coral reef. Make sure your gauges and equipment are secured to avoid accidental contact with the reef, and never touch, stand on, or collect coral. Be an A.W.A.R.E. diver. 9. Report all damage of coral reefs to dive operators and scientific or conservation groups that monitor coral reef health. 10. Enroll in an AWARE-specialty course with a PADI professional to increase your knowledge about coral reefs and other aquatic environments. (Project AWARE Specialty, Underwater Naturalist, AWARE-Fish Identification, Peak Performance Buoyancy, and AWARE-Coral Reef Conservation.)

Environment Issues

(This Report's credit goes to "Dive Newswire")

Special Environmental Alert - Pacific Leatherback Turtles in Danger


PACIFIC LEATHERBACK TURTLES APPROACHING EXTINCTION - A CALL FOR HELP TO AVOID THIS!!!


Imagine coming eye to eye and hand to flipper with the largest marine turtle AND the largest reptile on earth. And THEN REALIZING THAT WHAT YOU SAW, TOUCHED, FILMED AND COMMUNICATED WITH --- THESE GIANT TURTLES --- ON DESERTED, REMOTE BEACHES WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT MAY NEVER BE REPEATED OR SHARED.

This is a subsequent realization that International film maker, author and photographer, Larry McKenna (www.happycatproductions.com) encountered during two of his solo Expeditions in July and August, 2005 to the very remote beaches of Irian Jaya, Indonesia. What he observed has prompted a “Call to Arms” to save the largest Sea Turtle and reptile from extinction.

The dive community is getting involved in this effort. Atomic Aquatics, Amphibico Housings, Wyland, and the Wyland Foundation and others have already pledged to support the effort.

The Leatherbacks, sea birds and many marine creatures are hooked or snagged by the long liners and left to die (convenient label is “by-catch” to confuse us of what that means). The turtle is an air breather, just like us. It must surface regularly to breathe. When snagged below the surface, it drowns just like we would.

There are LESS than 10% of sharks and less than 5% of the Leatherbacks left in the oceans as you read this alert. IF these top of food chain creatures disappear the entire symbiotic ocean relationships vanish.

Of a GREATER concern to divers is to recognize the primary food of this Giant Leatherback (over 7 feel long and over 1,000 lbs weight), the jellyfishes, will blossom and wreak havoc. Swarms have already invaded Australia reefs. 37 divers/swimmers this season have been stung by 1 specie to which no cure is available. This will spread as the Leatherback population diminishes.

The adult nesting female population has seriously diminished at sea and by wanton/useless killings on the beaches. The population of the females which return to lay eggs is alarmingly low. The decline will continue UNLESS WE step in to provide this species a future.

Global warming with higher seas and hotter temperatures are cooking the eggs in the nests before they can hatch. The babies are not going to the seas in sufficient numbers to assure survival. There is probably between 2 to 3 years left before ALL Pacific Leatherbacks disappear --- GONE!!!

The remedy that WE can affect is to immediately begin activities to improve the nesting conditions and the hatching rates as they were through 2003. Pre 2004 the hatch out rate was about 80 to 85%. Now because of the damages summarized, the rates are between 10 and 15%. FAR, FAR too low to put sufficient stocks back to the sea while the U.N. and others can grapple with the political issue of long lines.

This recovery MUST be a “People Activity”. WE can, with donations and volunteer help, reverse the beach conditions and KNOW we have helped this specie survive. Help is needed RIGHT NOW!

IF you wish to know more AND become a Donor; a Sponsor; a Volunteer and help our group carry forward to correct the nesting issues, please: Examine our Web Site: www.leatherbackturtles.org Lots more data and information is available there.

The survival of these “Giants of the Seas” is a global population critical issue.

Hunting & Collecting Restrictions

    In October 2002, the Department of Fish & Game have impose restricted areas for taking fish within the Channel Isl chain, in Southern California. Also, Lingcod, sheephead and other rockfish are closed for the rest of the year! Keep in touch with DFG to fully understand how this will impact your trip.

    As as side note, these DFG decisions were decided without all representatives in attendance, and are more biased towards the commercial fisherman. It is our job to monitor this progress and vote against laws that take away our access in favor of commercial interests. We all want to protect the environment- so let's do this wisely!

Latest Fishing Restrictions: www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/fishing_map.html
 

Blue Water Aquatics, a California Bay Area Scuba Dive Center located near sunnyvale, santa clara, palo alto, cupertino, saratoga, in the san francisco bay area. Dive Club - blue water divers for all Bay Area Divers, online shopping at Divingear.com. Padi & ANDI training agencies offering general dive training, scuba lessons, technical diving & freediving. Services include air fills, nitrox, dive equipment repair & scuba rentals. Equipment sales in scuba equipment, snorkel equipment, drysuits, wetsuits for any water sports from Body Glove, bare, dui, cetacea, cressi-sub, dive-rite, riffe, oceanic,  Oms, weezle, sherwood, poseidon, aeris and others. Equipment we carry include regulators, buoyancy compensators, used scuba gear, tanks, drysuits, fins, snorkels, spearguns, wetsuits, scuba tanks & more