Jan
10
Whale sharks, which grow to weigh as much as two or three adult elephants, are thriving in waters off Western Australia, a new study of underwater images suggests.
Up to 65 feet long (20 meters), the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the world’s largest living fish species — and also the largest shark. Though hefty, this shark is known as the “gentle giant” for its non-predatory behavior. Rather than tearing through meaty flesh of prey like many sharks, this fish, with its broad, flattened head and tiny teeth inside a giant mouth, eats tiny zooplankton, sieving them through a fine mesh of gill-rakers.
Relatively little is known about the health and migratory behaviors of whale sharks, which live in tropical and warm seas, including the western Atlantic and southern Pacific.
Jan
2
3 of the best scuba and snorkeling destinations (Australia included!
Filed Under Australian Dive Sites | Leave a Comment
Snorkeling and scuba diving are often favourite activities for those taking holidays in tropical regions. There are plenty of destinations that will provide a great experience for both first timers and experienced divers in warmer regions where the waters are clearer and warmer than in the UK. Here’s a list of three particular popular scuba and snorkeling destinations to whet your appetite.
The Great Barrier Reef, North Eastern Australia
With some 1,580 miles of coral reefs sitting out from the coast of North Eastern Australia, this region has perhaps the best reputation for snorkelling and scuba diving in the world. It’s the world’s largest coral reef system, composed of some 3,000 individual reefs, and because of its sheer size there are a number of great places to stay lining the coast. However, Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands account for around 85% of the tourism in the region, and they are the best equipped areas for a holiday. From Cairns it is necessary to get a boat out to the reef because it lies offshore. Often these will take you to a pontoon out at sea from which you can dive from, and it’s not uncommon to see giant clams or huge Maori wrasse. In the Whitsundays, meanwhile, you won’t always have to get a boat, as the reefs are closer to the shore. Highlights in this archipelago include Daydream Island, which is home to an outdoor aquarium, and an incredible network of reef lagoons. For flights to Australia see www.cheapflights.co.uk.
Nov
27
Dive boat out of control
Filed Under Strange things... | Leave a Comment
A DIVE boat carrying 88 passengers sped out of control towards Cairns Inlet after the captain was whacked unconscious with a metal bar.
I’ve been at sea for 35 years and I’ve never heard of a captain being hit over the head at the wheel and losing control of his boat, it’s just crazy,” he told The Cairns Post yesterday.
“This is a very fast vessel we’re talking about … I was knocked out and it was still going at 26 knots aimed right at Cairns Inlet, with no one at the wheel. It’s amazing that we did not hit a pylon or something like that.”
Mr Clifford was allegedly hit on the side of his face with a metal bar by a passenger about 3pm as the Osprey V returned to Cairns Marina.
The blow knocked him unconscious.
Other crew members in the wheelhouse struggled with the attacker, trying to subdue him as he allegedly went on a violent rampage – assaulting one of them, hitting windows and bulkheads and smashing a bar fridge.
The boat was unmanned for at least 30 seconds before a crew member took control.
Police are still looking for the weapon used in the attack.
The alleged attacker, 36, will face Cairns Magistrates’ Court on December 11 charged with grievous bodily harm and assault.
Police are expected to allege the man consumed several alcoholic drinks on board the dive boat before the attack.
Oct
27
Diving with grey nurse sharks.
Filed Under Diving NSW | Leave a Comment
by: Genevieve Swart.
I am 20 metres underwater, gazing at three grey nurse sharks and breathing heavily into my scuba gear. The three-metre sharks hang in a current, drifting with the immense grace and lazy power of a sleek predator.
To the casual observer, it might not be clear who is most endangered in this situation. The answer is unequivocally the sharks.
With fewer than 500 grey nurses surviving off the east coast, future generations of Australians may never see these critically endangered creatures anywhere other than an aquarium.
I’ve come to South West Rocks, five hours’ drive north of Sydney, to dive with the sharks - a trip inspired by the book Last Chance to See, by Douglas Adams and zoologist Mark Carwardine.
Adams, better known as the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was also a dedicated environmentalist and in the late 1980s teamed up with Carwardine to make Last Chance to See for BBC radio, reporting on rare creatures such as Asia’s komodo dragon, Africa’s mountain gorilla and New Zealand’s flightless parrot, the kakapo.
Australia did not earn a chapter in the book but not for lack of opportunities. I call Kat Miller, manager of the Threatened Species Network, a community-based conservation program of WWF Australia and the Federal Government. Is there a last chance to see endangered Australian animals in the wild? In a few days I have been sent a list including the spot-tailed quoll, the unlikely sounding tree kangaroo and the regent honey eater. But the grey nurse shark, or Carcharias taurus, stands out: it’s NSW’s most critically endangered fish and I’ve been fascinated by sharks since a cage dive in South Africa with great whites. There’s nothing like staring into the cold eye of a shark to feel like a blip on the radar of evolution. So I call the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, which recently sent its eco-warriors into legal battle for the shark. The council appealed against the Federal Government’s environmental approval for the Ocean Trap and Line Fishery - and asked the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to mandate marine sanctuaries and changes to fishing gear.
Oct
27
‘HMAS SYDNEY now easy to find’
Filed Under Wreck Diving | Leave a Comment
A local engineer says he has dramatically narrowed the search area for the long-sought wreck of HMAS Sydney off the WA coast, making the grave of hundreds of dead Australian sailors easy to find.
A looted dog kennel, some empty lifejackets, liferafts full of German sailors and an abandoned float are the keys that have unlocked our biggest sea mystery, says Greg Bathgate.
Mr Bathgate, of Shenton Park, has done a painstaking research job which he says has pinpointed two big wrecks,the other is the German raider HSK Kormoran.
Next week he will publish a book that details his carefully-calculated wreck locations, the result of 10 years of work.
His Eureka moment came when he brought together the drift patterns of widely-dispersed flotsam that had been picked up by rescue ships after the Sydney was sunk in a fight to the death off the WA coast in 1941.
‘I calculated everything, there is no guesswork,’ he said. ‘Everyone has been trying to find the Sydney. I started 10 years ago but really got into it three years ago when I retired.
‘My family is sure glad I’ve found it!’
Aug
30
However, a study by the Sydney Aquarium Conservation Fund has found that for every threatening shark caught in the nets, up to 40 harmless marine creatures are trapped, including dolphins and turtles.
Aug
30
Plan needed to ensure marine life recovery after foreign fisher scourge
Filed Under Conservation | Leave a Comment
The Federal Government must urgently introduce a strict management plan to ensure the recovery of marine life in a special fishing zone near Broome, Fisheries Minister Jon Ford said today. He raised the issue in Darwin at a meeting of fisheries ministers to discuss illegal foreign fishing. Mr Ford acknowledged that great headway had been made in combating illegal foreign fishing in Australia’s northern waters, ever since the scourge was highlighted by the WA Government and other northern States and Territories more than two years ago. However, the Commonwealth still needed to tackle the unprecedented destruction of marine life in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Box where Indonesians were allowed to do traditional fishing, using non-motorised boats in an area off the WA coast.
Aug
30
EXPERTS fear a turtle discovered by adventurer Steve Irwin, which can breathe underwater through its backside, could be nearing endangered status.
Elseya irwini, named after the Crocodile Hunter and his father Bob, is one of the largest freshwater turtles in Australia and can weigh around 6kg.
It’s also colourful, with a yellowish head, pink nose and blue-grey eyes.
Irwin and his father found the turtle on a family camp in 1990 after Bob Irwin hooked the animal on a fishing line.
They took photos and later handed them to a turtle expert who confirmed it as a new species - but only after the death of Steve Irwin while filming on the Great Barrier Reef on September 4, 2006.
Aug
27
Port Stephens fisheries officer nets prize winning snaps
Filed Under Underwater Photography | Leave a Comment
Port Stephens-based fisheries officer Justin Gilligan believes Nelson Bay has one of the top five destinations in Australia for scuba diving, and he has pictures to prove it. “A lot of people aren’t aware that these creatures are actually living under the water or at your front doorstep here in Port Stephens and in Newcastle,” he said. The sea horse population is particularly strong in Port Stephens, according to Mr Gilligan.
We’re lucky enough to have a fairly big and stable population here within the marine reserve at Fly Point and Halifax, so it’s a pretty good spot to go and see one if you wanted to,” he says.
Last year Justin Gilligan won the prestigious British Underwater Image Festival - Young Photographer of the Year Category, which was sponsored by National Geographic Magazine.
Aug
18
Navy sinks HMAS Sydney hopes
Filed Under Wreck Diving | Leave a Comment
ROYAL Australian Navy ship has found “nothing of interest” at a wreck site off the West Australian coast that newspapers last week claimed was the resting place of HMAS Sydney.
Navy sources confirmed that HMAS Leeuwin, a hydrographic survey ship with sophisticated scanning and sonar equipment, had completed its sweep through an area off Dirk Hartog Island, 800km north of Perth, and had reported its findings to Canberra last night.
Fairfax newspapers, the Seven Network and The West Australian claimed last week a group of local enthusiasts had discovered the wreck of the Sydney, which went down in November 1941 with all 645 crew.
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