This Happy New Years event is brought to you direct from Manila with connection to all our partner destinations in the Philippines and Micronesia.

It is 2009 in Palau NOW… HAPPY NEW YEAR from Sam’s Tours!

I am still waiting for some info…from Palau but if something arrives later I share it with you no worries. I about and hour Asia Divers has hopefully something and for sure I share Manila with you…
Our first report was from Chuuk about an hour ago, they are ahead of us, Palau is next and of course the Philippines. The Alcohol has taken its toll… they all having a great and fantastic time at the Dive Centers and Resorts, but I try my very best to connect with them all. Please stay tuned and if you missed it tonight then check it tomorrow afternoon, I don’t think morning is a good Idea in particular for our divers, after all we should NOT go diving after a heavy night. So, sit back and have a relaxing day at the Beach, go snorkeling or sleep all day, it is after all your well deserved vacation.
Remember Safety First!
Happy New Year from the virtual office of the Philippine–Micronesia Alliance and all the partners. The Divers Choice.
GD

This Happy New Years event is brought to you direct from Manila with connection to all our partner destinations in the Philippines and Micronesia.

That is how they celebrate in Chuuk at the Truk Stop Hotel and Dive Center, it is 2009 in Chuuk NOW…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Our first report is from Chuuk due to the time difference then Palau and of course the Philippines. If for some reason we don’t get anything live from some of our partners I have only one explanation…the Alcohol has taken its toll… they all having a great and fantastic time at the Dive Centers and Resorts, but I try my very best to connect with them all. Please stay tuned and if you missed it tonight then check it tomorrow afternoon, I don’t think morning is a good Idea in particular for our divers, after all we should NOT go diving after a heavy night. So, sit back and have a relaxing day at the Beach, go snorkeling or sleep all day, it is after all your well deserved vacation.
Remember Safety First!
Happy New Year from the virtual office of the Philippine–Micronesia Alliance and all the partners. The Divers Choice.
GD

Just arrived direct from Chuuk or better know as Truk Lagoon
the ultimate destination in Wreck Diving.

New Years Eve in Chuuk – Truk Lagoon

Here is a photo of our guests with some of our staff competing with the locals for loudest group in a flatbed truck.

Those who have spent New Year’s Eve in Chuuk, or Truk Lagoon, all say the same thing about the experience –
IT’S LOUD…
We don’t have fire crackers or fire works but what we have thousands of young men and women walking and riding around in trucks beating and banging on anything that will make noise. There is a beat, and sometimes chanting, that goes along with this activity but one thing is consistent – IT’S LOUD, IT’S VERY, VERY LOUD.

The Truk Stop Hotel & Dive Center has 10 divers in the hotel over the Christmas Season and they were guests at the hotel Christmas Party and now have experienced New Years Eve in Chuuk. Our Guests are:

From Germany: Werner and Carola Behrens

From Finland:Ismo Visa
Pekka Kemppairen
Jari Nurmi
Teppo Ilmanen
Sanna Elden-Pehrsson
Harri Pehrsson

From America:Mitchell Hall
Howard Gaiser

Truk Stop Hotel & Dive Center Wins Best Float in Christmas Parade
December 20 (Saturday), 2008

The Rotary Club of Chuuk organized a Christmas Parade with floats from various local businesses and organizations.

Besides the float from Truk Stop Hotel & Dive Center, the Rotary Club, Xavier High School Alumnae Association, Health Services, a local youth group, and a missionary radio station entered floats in this Christmas Parade held on Saturday, December 20, 2008.

All the floats meet at the Tunnuk Church and drove about 3 miles to Neauo Village in South Field. Along the way the occupants of each float waved and threw candies to those who lined the road to watch the parade.

There were three (3) judging stations along the parade route and when the event was over and the judges had conferred, the Truk Stop Hotel & Dive Center was chosen as the best float and awarded a $60.00 cash prize.

One of the hotel flat bed trucks was the base for the Truk Stop float and decorated with palm fronds, paper & ribbons, plus a small Santa on the roof. A boom box played Christmas music as the float moved slowly along.

Rowana, a massage therapist from the Philippines and employed at the Truk Stop dressed up as Santa and waved the whole 3 miles to Neauo Village. Melba Stinnett Aisek, hotel manager, and 2 of her children rode in the back with “Santa” and did all the candy throwing along the parade route. Will Stinnett, attending college in the Philippines and home for Christmas rode in the back with other staffs and assisted in the candy throwing.

The Truk Stop Hotel is well decorated for the holiday season and its Restaurant and Hard Wreck Café’ & Bar will be open New Years Eve to ring in the new year.

Early Christmas Gifts for Palau...

We are proud of our partner destination and of course our partner Sam’s Tours who was recently awarded the Tour Operator of the Year. Now Palau in Micronesia has scored big, see below the details from Scuba Diving Magazine.

Is this a Palau Christmas Tree? hmm...
© Gunther Deichmann - aerial view at sunset
near the 70 islands, Palau, Micronesia

Here are the results of SCUBA DIVING MAGAZINE
Readers' Choice Survey:
SCUBA Diving Magazine Top 100
Readers' Choice Survey Jan/Feb 2009 Issue

Pacific & Indian Oceans

TOP DIVE DESTINATIONS:
1. Palau
TOP WALL DIVING:
1. Palau
TOP UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY:
1. Palau
TOP MARINE ENVIRONMENT:
2. Palau
TOP MARINE LIFE:
2. Palau
TOP VISIBILITY:
2. Palau
TOP WRECK DIVE:
3. Palau
TOP BIG ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS:
4. Palau
TOP MACRO LIFE:
5. Palau

You can help save Philippine reefs!

A while ago Gunther and I hinted at an amazing collaboration between several Philippine-Micronesia Alliance partners and Reef Check Philippines. It took several months to finalize the details but we are now ready to announce a unique and fantastic expedition for those who are interested in not only working alongside scientists,but directly contributing to the pursuit of data which aid in developing community-wide conservation initiatives and programs.  
 
Reef Check Philippines, Asia Divers/El Galleon Resort, SEAsia Kayak Tours & the PMA are proud to announce a Reef Check expedition to survey the magnificent reefs around Puerto Galera and Verde Island Passage. Please check the link below for further information.
Lee Goldman, Marine Biologist
http://reefcheck.org/involved/puerto_galera.php

Our partner a from Dugong Dive Center has just updated their website...now with a new Gallery, Videos by Dirk Fahrenbach edited and sound mix by Gunther Deichmann.
Other updates include some real cool images in the Photo Gallery by Omar, Dive Master from Dugong Dive Center plus all the details on the NEW Dive Boat Tashina are now available.
The first videos have been uploaded but soon we show you more from Mexico, Galapagos,Micronesia and of course the Philippines check the site occasional or subscribe to our Blog for more announcements soon.
Have fun and enjoy these truly amazing underwater video footage’s by Dirk or book your next trip to Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center in Palawan, the Philippines last Frontier.
View the Videos NOW @ http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/index.html

The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance is proud to be a sponsor and part of the Year of the Shark 2009. Since we are a multi lingual website we like to bring you some information about this project in different languages starting with Italian and German.
Thank you for your support and if we all work together we achieve a common goal...Stop the killing of Sharks.
GD

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SHARK 2009!

… was inspired by the finding that at the current rate of decline, certain shark species will be extinct in 10 to 15 years. In large regions, species that were once numerous have fallen to 1% of their original numbers. Studies of open ocean sharks estimate 80 to 90% of heavily fished
species are gone. Yet these intelligent animals, also called the “Wolves of the Sea” are still fished intensively, and finned for “shark fin soup.” The oceans have evolved over hundreds of millions of years with sharks as apex predators, so their loss will destroy oceanic health.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD:

http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org/
SAVE SHARKS FROM
E XTINCTION
The LET SHARKS LIVE shark protection network & think tank: http://groups.google.com.mt/group/let-sharks-live?hl=en


© Gunther Deichmann - Save our Sharks!

The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance is proud to be a sponsor and part of the Year of the Shark 2009. Since we are a multi lingual website we bring you some basic information about this project in different languages starting with Italian and German.
Thank you for your support and if we all work together we achieve a common goal...Stop the killing of Sharks.
GD
For more info and how to become involved with the Year of the Shark go to:
http://year-of-the-shark-2009.org/home.htm

2009 L’ANNO DELLO SQUALO

L’ANNO INTERNAZIONALE DELLO SQUALO
… e’ stato ispirato dalla scoperta che al ritmo odierno, varie specie di squali saranno estinte in 10-15 anni. In alcune regioni, le specie che un tempo erano numerose sono diminuite all’1% del numero originario. Studi di squali in mare aperto hanno dimostrato che l’80-90% delle specie pescate sono scomparse. Eppure questi animali intelligenti, anche chiamati “lupi del mare”, sono ancora intesamente pescati a le loro pinne usate per il piatto asiatico “la zuppa di pinne di pescecane”. Dal momento che l’oceano si e’ evoluto con gli squali all’apice dei predatori, il loro continuo
sfruttamento e la loro scomparsa danneggeranno drasticamente l’ecologia degli oceani.
AIUTA A DIFFONDERE IL MESSAGGIO:

SALVA GLI SQUALI

D A L L ’ E S T I N Z I O N E

2009
DAS
JAHR DES HAI'S

DAS INTERNATIONALE JAHR DES HAI'S
... wurde angeregt als bekannt wurde, dass bei dem derzeitigen Tempo verschiedene Hai- Arten in den naechsten 10 bis 15 Jahren aussterben werden. In einigen Schluesselregionen sind Arten, die bisher zahlreich zu finden waren, auf bis zu 1% ihrer urspruenglichen Anzahl reduziert worden. Studien, die sich mit Hochseehaien befassen, schaetzen, dass 80 bis 90% der stark gefischten Arten bereits verschwunden sind. Dennoch werden diese hochintelligenten Tiere - die so genannten „Woelfe der Meere“ -weiterhin intensiv gejagt, speziell ihrer Flossen wegen. Die Flossen werden den Haien oft bei lebendigem Leibabgeschnitten und landen inder beruechtigten "Haiflossen-Suppe".
HELFT MIT DIE BOTSCHAFT ZU VERBREITEN:
RETTET DIE HAIE VOR DEM
AUSSTERBEN

I have received this report from Allan Nash at Asia Divers in Puerto Galera Philippines... Diving the Maldives and the Galapagos Islands...read on below all Photos Courtesy of Asia Divers. Asia Divers is a Member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance...The Divers Choice!

A Great Month Of Diving With Asia Divers Travel
Galapagos Oct. 2 to 9. Maldives Oct. 19 to 28.

With any trip Asia Divers organize, it’s almost always a year or two before you finally have the fun to excitement of the trip. This month was a special month for Asia Divers and a very special month for me, as I had the pleasure of participating in both trips.

We set off the end of September for that long hard flight from Manila-LA-Miami, then down to Quito, Ecuador. Arriving in Quito was a pleasure, not so much as the flight was finally over, but to see a new and improved airport from the one I remember some five/six years before. It was a brief visit to the immigration and to my surprise; AA had in deed managed to, not loose my bags!

After a pleasant day and two memorable nights in Quito, eating Tapas and drinking some great reds, it was off to the Galapagos Islands. We soon arrived in San Cristobal and was quickly picked up and sent aboard the Galapagos Aggressor 1. A truly great welcome and orientation was given before we set off for our first checkout dive.

The dive was excellent, with sea lions and many sea stars littering the sea floor. This was a great time to put on that 7ml semi dry, hooded vest, gloves and all that you don’t use here in the Philippines, and work with getting your buoyancy right for the great dives that were to follow.

The first day was spent diving around St Cristobal and Bultra, great action with schools of fish, sea lions, eagle rays and a large school of hammerheads. The trip then took us up to Wolf and Darwin (where the big stuff is) an overnight trip that put us on our first dive mid morning. The fun began when we dropped in and seen our schools of Hammerheads. The dives we did around Wolf all consisted of Hammerheads, Mantas, Galapagos sharks, and a school of Eagle rays that seem to be following us on every dive. On one dive we had the pleasure of dolphins. The
Dolphins spent a good 10min. with us, playing and showing off in front of us, quite a spectacle.

Darwin was of course our favorite with all the whale sharks we seen. They say whale sharks only grow to 15m; I’m sure whoever has said that, they have never been to Darwin! I still say this whale shark is at least 18m, it has to be! The most memorable dive at Darwin (this trip) for me was the first dive when this enormous whale shark came from behind us and hovered over us for a few minuets. This fellow was not concerned about us at all.

The Galapagos is well known for its wild life. The number of Hammerheads, Galapagos and black tip sharks, Eagle rays, whale sharks, Penguins and so much more is some times mind-boggling.
On land the sea lions, seals and marine and land iguanas are just going about their business as if you were not there. The land tours we did were excellent, with all kinds of wild life from Blue Footed Boobies, Frigate’s to sea lions backing in the sun to iguanas lounging around with some fighting and others who obviously just did not care.
The Landscape was something special and one or two places really got your attention with the harshness and barren volcanic planes.

The island landscape changed, with some islands covered with larva and others with cactus and colorful vegetation.
It was a sad moment climbing aboard the plain to take us back to Quito. Back in Quito was a quiet night of reflection, wine and good friends, and then there was that terribly long flight back home.

We had a great time in the Galapagos and I’m very lucky to have made my second trip but, I can assure you, it will not be my last. Special thanks to the Galapagos Aggressor 1 crew and to Alison Pocket, Kenneth Svennerlind, Johan and Maria Lyrevik, Bob Andrews, Kevin Ella, Kevin and Debbie Painter, Larry Bird, Kjell Soderstrom, Suzi Denton, Brian King and our trusty organizer Peter Eaton.

And then there was the Maldives!

It was March/April this year we did a trip to the Maldives. We had such a good time and were looked after so well we decided on another trip. Moosa our trusting guide and new friend suggested August to October as the Manta Aggregation happened during these months. After checking with Manthiri bookings office we only had one chance, October 19 to 28, we immediately said book it, were on!
After a week to the day I arrived back from the Galapagos, I was off to the Maldives aboard Singapore airlines best. It restored my faith and interest in flying again after my friends from over yonder. Arriving in Male we took a hotel for the night and headed to the boat at 8am.

We reuniting with Moosa and the crew of the Manthiri, a quick introduction to our new friends onboard and it was off for our first dive, Manta Point. We had a great introduction with eight Mantas, this is what we came for!

The first two to three days of our nine-day trip was spent in the South Male area. The first few dives we did were everything we could have expected. Good visibility, Whale sharks and lots of life. Mantas occasionally, but great colours and formations. By the third day however, the weather started to turn and rain was upon us. We had to take shelter from the weather on the eve of the third day before crossing from South to North Male.
On day four we arrived in North Male, a place where the Manta aggregation has been seen on regular occasions. Our first dive was with nine Mantas, not as many as we had hoped for but still an excellent dive. This dive was done in a maximum of 9 meters and we stayed for 76min. Everyone was excited about the dives we did that day, even if the numbers of Mantas did not reach more than 12 at any one time.
The following days we traveled further north and visited an island where Moosa our guide is now building a house. We were received warmly by the people and felt a real sense of being.
The diving kept on getting better (not the weather) with some very good pinnacle formations and of course more Mantas. There were a couple of sites where the Mantas literally came to you. They made it obvious they had no fear of you and in some incidences you felt they were playing with you. What a great trip, another great time and one I’d be happy to repeat over and over again. We had a few days and nights at different resorts for a break from the boat.
Back home and I have to say, I feel I’ve been a very lucky person to do so much in just one month. Two great trips, great friends on both trips, and so much looking forward to my next dive holiday, who wants to come?

Congratulation to the Management and staff at Sam,’s Tours in Palau Micronesia for achieving this outstanding Award!


Sam’s Tours location in Palau Micronesia

It's official.......Sam's Tours wins PVA's
Tour Operator of the Year Award!



Sam's Tours - TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR!

The Palau Visitors Authority (PVA), Palau's official tourism board, announced their selection of Sam's Tours as "TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR" for 2008. The announcement and award presentation took place during the Annual Christmas Gala of the Belau Tourism Association (BTA), Palau's private sector tourism industry association, recently held at the Palau Pacific Resort.
Awarding winning is not new to Sam’s Tours which has been consistently recognized over the years not only by government and industry bodies for their commitment to development of sustainable tourism in Palau but also by their customers for consistent service excellence. In 2007 Sam's Tours received a Top 10 Sponsor Award from PVA for "their continual support and sponsorship" and in 2006 the private sector Belau Tourism Association recognized Sam's Tours with their Outstanding Member Award for their "dedication, support and commitment over the years to Belau Tourism Association and its objectives.”
The readers of a leading international dive magazine have recognized Sam’s Tours more than any other dive center in Palau or Micronesia with seven “Readers Choice Awards” since 1997 including a Gold List Award for top dive center, top staff, and top value.
Sam’s Tours is the first and only dive center in Palau to receive the Palau Conservation Society “Ten Year Partner in Conservation Award” and is a Corporate Sponsor of the Palau Shark Sanctuary, a shark conservation organization founded in 2001 by Sam’s Tours General Manager, Dermot Keane, to help bring an end to the destructive practice of shark-finning by foreign fishing fleets operating in Palau’s waters. The Palau Shark Sanctuary received a PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Environmental Education Gold Award for their work.
“Sam’s Tours has consistently demonstrated their long standing commitment to responsible tourism development, environmental preservation, and excellence in customer service and while recognition is not what drives us to excel, we sincerely appreciate the acknowledgment of our efforts by our industry peers and our valued customers alike” said Dermot Keane, General Manager, Sam’s Tours.

How the turtle's shell evolved...

Odontochelys semitestacea was probably aquatic
The turtle only had a shell covering its underside
A newly discovered fossil from China has shed light on how the turtle's shell evolved.
The 220 million-year-old find, described in Nature journal, shows that the turtle's breast plate developed earlier than the rest of its shell.

The breast plate of this fossil was an extension of its ribs, but only hardened skin covered its back.
Researchers say the breast plate may have protected it while swimming.

The turtle fossil, found near Guangling in south-west China, is thought to be the ancestor of all modern turtles, although it differs markedly; it has teeth rather than a bony plate, the shell only covers its underside and it has a long tail.
The fossil find helps to answer key questions about the evolution of turtles, Dr Xiao-Chun Wu from the Canadian Museum of Nature was one of the first to examine the fossil...read more and the complete article @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7748280.stm

Just arrived from Matt Weiss and Jason Heller at DivePhotoGuide...

An Underwater Photographer's Guide to Puerto Galera

Author: Matt J. Weiss / November 24, 2008 12:00AM MST Category: Photo
Article Tags:
Puerto Galera, Matt Weiss, El Galleon, Gunther Deichmann, Asia Divers, Muck Diving, South East Asia,
Author's Note-
It has been a while since the last installment, Bali, on my guide to Southeast Asia. The story can be seen here.

Many of the photos below are from our good friend Gunther Deichmann, who is a one of my favorite photographers and had too good of a library of Puerto Galera images to not include.

I’ve never had such preconceived notions about a destination as I did the Philippines. Shrouded in mystery…war…pirates - that kind of stuff. Conversations with people who had visited the Philippines left me with a feeling of exotic dread, the idea that the place was somehow different, even downright eerie. A quick Google search for “Manila” was no help. Things like “armpit of the world”, “urban sprawl”, “pollution and poverty”, were not uncommon descriptions. This misconception would soon turn into nothing less than photographic opportunity...read more click here

Diving takes some energy and after a good days dive with Asia Divers in Puerto Galera you need to have a nice meal.
This is easy now since El Galleon is part of Asia Divers.
We have just received word that their super modern and new Kitchen will take care of any hungry stomach.
So next time you in Puerto Galera check their new menu or even better book you next dive vacation with Asia Divers and stay at El Galleon I am sure you want be disappointed.
See below the info which has just landed on my desk…
GD

The restaurant already has some great new items on the menu and in time will have many more great mouthwatering suggestions.
The kitchen staffs are delighted with the many new and improved ways they can now cook and prepare for you.

El Galleons new and long awaited kitchen

It’s been most of 2008; El Galleon has ducked and weaved its way through the construction of its new kitchen. Many of our friends have seen the kitchen evolve into what has to be said, one of the best kitchens in the Philippines.

With the help of some very good and well-known chefs here in the Philippines, the design and flow of the kitchen is perfect. The Fagor equipment arrived all the way from Spain late October and was installed by end of the first week of November.

With Christmas approaching you can be sure our chefs will be hard at work to come up with meals you’ll find hard to believe exist in this pristine part of the world.

To you all, from all of us at El Galleon, Bon Apatite...

…read the full first hand report & your next destination maybe Truk Lagoon Dive Center.

From Shark Fins and dead Sharks to very much life ones in Chuuk, Micronesia and to be honest I like it like this much better. They have been cruising the Oceans for Million of years and still today and that is just so nice. I have just received this report from our Alliance Partner in Truk Lagoon (Chuuk) I briefly mention this a couple of weeks ago the discovery of this new Dive site in the Truk Lagoon.
From what I have read now I have to say, Wow! Fantastic! But then I am not that hot after a while diving the Wrecks anyway, this news is super cool, you certainly have the best of both worlds now.
Please read on what Kelvin Davidson and his wife, Anabel wrote, both are employed by the Truk Stop Dive Center which is a PADI Resort plus a IANTD and TDI facility…& a member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance. The Divers Choice!
Thanks to Kelvin and Anbel for sharing this with us.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - A very frisky Reef-shark. Could this be Truk Lagoon? This shot was taken on a different location in Palau, but according to this report Truk has got now some great action too.

…OK, so every scuba diver knows that Truk Lagoon is the worlds premiere wreck diving destination. And yes, more than 60 WWII wrecks were sunk during the 1944 Operation Hailstone and all are accessible to the scuba diver. Most people familiar with Truk Lagoon also know that we have more than 100 miles of surrounding outer reef which has gone basically untouched because the big draw in Truk Lagoon are the wrecks.

Well, the folks at the Truk Lagoon Dive Center are changing this mind set that Truk is only for wreck diving. They have been exploring the reefs off the wrecks and learned these areas are BIG FISH territory, with the bluest water imaginable and visibility that is often 60m/200-ft.

Students of history may recall rumors that the Japanese Navy would lay anti-submarine nets across the openings in the lagoon reef to dissuade allied forces from sneaking inside the lagoon. The Truk Lagoon Dive Center staff found one of these recently and it just happened to be anchored to a most magnificent seamount.

Currently going by the imaginative name of “Seamount No. 1”, this special place is just a 35 minute boat ride from the Truk Stop Hotel dock. Seamount No 1 is a circular plateau several hundred feet across and rising from the bottom of the lagoon at 60m/200ft all the way up to about 6m/20ft.

While a mixture of graduated steps, steep walls, and deep fissures make the site topographically interesting, what really makes this site special is the sea life it attracts. We dove this site about 4 times now and we always see huge schools of surgeonfish fighting for space with dark clouds of midnight snappers. Skipjack and large yellow fin tuna hunt side by side while swarms of big eye trivially engulf the passing diver.

Solitary bump head parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse graze the reef while man-sized dogtooth tuna cruise casually by, but it’s the sharks that keep bringing us back to this site time after time. White tip, black tip and grey reef sharks abound in the shallow waters while big 3m/10ft silvertip’s swim below 20m/60ft. These are big fish, not your typical reef shark, but rather heavyweights of the ocean and you can certainly feel their presence.

Inquisitive by nature, silver tips will repetitively pass very close to you (making the casual diver quite nervous but thrills the underwater photographer) and are found here in unusually large numbers with the occasional leopard shark basking on a sandy ledge.

But the real thrill is the Tiger shark, huge Tiger sharks that have been seen here on several occasions. Tiger sharks are perhaps the most graceful and magnificent of the apex predators in the ocean and move in such a relaxed manner, without a care in world and oblivious to everything that is not consider food to them – turtles are food to them and there is a lot of food around.

So, if you’re in Truk Lagoon and your “lust for rust” has been quelled or you just want a mid-week break, get out and see what very few people have every seen – some of the worlds best reef and walling diving and right in the middle of Truk Lagoon.

In support of the Sharks, please take a few moments and THINK! I have been in touch with “The Sharkman” and like to introduce you today to The Year Of The Shark - 2009 which need help and all our support for 2009.
“Let Sharks Live”
The Philippine - Micronesia Alliance. The Divers Choice...because we care!
GD

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SHARK in 2009

… was inspired by the finding that at the current rate, common shark species will be extinct in 10 to 15 years. In large regions, species that were once numerous have fallen to 1% of their original numbers. Studies of open ocean sharks estimate 80 to 90% of heavily fished species are gone. Yet these intelligent animals, also called the “Wolves of the Sea” are still fished intensively, and finned for “shark fin soup.” The oceans have evolved over hundreds of millions of years with sharks as apex predators, so their loss will destroy oceanic health.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD:
SAVE SHARKS FROM EXTINCTION
The LET SHARKS LIVE shark protection network & think tank:
http://groups.google.com.mt/group/let-sharks-live?hl=en

Sharkman's World Organization
(to save & protect sharks)
www.sharkmans-world.org
------------------------------------------
Sharkman's Blog
http://sharkmans-world.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------
The Shark Group On line List Forum
http://groups.google.com/group/The_Shark_Group?hl=en
------------------------------------------
Let Sharks Live Network
http://groups.google.com.mt/group/let-sharks-live?hl=en
------------------------------------------
Year Of The Shark - 2009
http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org

We have just received this info from one of our Alliance Parter Asia Divers in Puerto Galera,Philippines

Asia Divers New Dive Boat “Asia Explorer”

For many years Asia Divers relented in the opportunity to buy and operate outboard dive boats. Being in the Philippines, we believed people were happy diving from traditional outrigger boats. Many of our divers still do, however with the selective people we are receiving today the needs for a faster more elegant dive boat has become the need for many of our guests.

We are proud to announce our new 33’ twin 115hp Mercury out board engines has arrived. Modeled after a well-designed skiff, our dive boat seats sixteen fully equipped divers and fully loaded (two tanks per diver) can cruise at around 25mph. This gives us great flexibility for groups and a way to get people to dive sites not normally available.

The boat is called Asia Explorer for the very reason, it will enable us to take you to dive sites as far away as Anilao, Maricaban or, to Verde Island drop off/ Black Fish corner, the Buko’s and more. The boat is equipped with radar for night travel, fish finder with GPS capability to find those not so easy dive sites and soon some new ones.

The boat plans and construction were approved and monitored by Philippine Marina, now certified by Marina. It’s registered and we have a licensed captain to ensure safety and comfort is never compromised.

We look forward to having you aboard our latest addition to the Asia Divers fleet. Enjoy and safe diving.

An Octopus from Puerto Galera makes it into a major
105 page science Paper.

I supplied this image for research purpose some time ago and now it is published in a major study on Octopuses.
If you interested in Octopuses or if you are a Marine Biologist and like to read the complete article you find the address below.
To many pages to post here.
Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 2008, 46, 105-202
© R. N. Gibson, R. J. A. Atkinson, and J. D. M. Gordon, Editors
Taylor & Francis
Biology of the planktonic stages
of Benthic Octopuses
ROGER VillANUEVA & MARK D. NORMAN
Institut de Cičncies del Mar (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la
Barceloneta 37–49, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic 3001, Australia

Colour Figure 16 (Villanueva & Norman) Adult Octopus cyanea in camouflage display amongst soft corals,Puerto Galera, Philippine Islands. (Photo: Gunther Deichmann.)

Check out the speed and movement...

Once up on a time…

cruising at the Sinandigan wall in Puerto Galera and looking for unusual Nudibranchs.
All of a sudden and out of nowhere I got confronted by this giant Triggerfish charging me, I used my Camera Housing as a shield and sure enough…clonk …he hit it right on..
This Guy was serious and his nest must have been around in the area, I had stumbled into his territory unwillingly.
I moved slowly back but he kept coming at me… full speed, I managed to get off a few shots as he kept charging me. The image above is from this encounter and I was lucky to escape his Jaws, but the housing had a visible scratch on the side.
He followed me for a while almost to the surface and my Dive Buddy kept on laughing, it must have looked very funny to him fighting of this fish with my housing and strobes attached.
So if you go diving and you spot a Triggerfish watch out and circle around him you never know where his nest maybe, move back very slowly and keep an eye on him if charged.
Trigger Fish can cause some serious injury with their powerful Jaws and I have talked to divers who have not been so lucky or had a camera housing to protect them.

By the way, the Sinandigan Wall Dive site is a must for any Underwater Photographer looking for Sea slugs and Nudibranchs, check with your dive guide at Asia Divers for more details and make sure he keeps an Eye out for the unexpected Triggerfish at the same time.
GD

This is our first article on one of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance Members, by Lee Goldman our Marine Biologist

Spotlight on:

Sam’s Tours Palau, Micronesia...Crown Jewel of the Pacific

As a member of the Philippine - Micronesian Alliance, which seeks to combine the diversity and macro-abundant seas of the Philippines with the dynamic and rich meg-faunal realm of Micronesia, I am in a fairly unique position to write about many of the alliance partners. Over the past decade, my work has brought me into very close associations with many of the partners and I currently work directly with three of them (Club Paradise, Blue Horizons Travel and Tours, Asia Divers). I would like, however, to begin this series with the Alliance partner with whom it all started for me way back in 1998:
Sam’s Tours in Palau Micronesia. Sam’s Tours really doesn’t need a lengthily introduction. Almost every diver in the world is familiar with Palau and Sam’s Tours since they are often mentioned in the same sentence. Ask any diver where they most want to go and if Palau isn’t mentioned it’s because they have already been there or are new to the planet Earth. Every diver dreams of the day they can wave in the currents with thousands of reef fish including dozens of sharks at the famed Blue Corner or be swept along vertical walls adorned with a multitude of colorful corals, sponges, and anemones.

Sam’s Tours Website, click on the image and find out more

For me, though, Sam’s greatest asset is their approach to the diversity of tours that can be offered in Palau. Not just diving, Sam’s Tours offers guided trips to explore the magic within the Rock Islands via kayak or boat, fishing expeditions (both reef and deep sea), and land-based tours to the large volcanic island of Babaldoab or historic Pelelui.
Although I feel in love with the diving, it was the beauty and excitement of exploring within the Rock Islands that kept me there. Kayaking amongst the lush, jungle-draped limestone islands provided a sense of tranquility mixed with the excitement of encountering rare organisms, lost WWII wrecks, or colorful birds. It is probably why I gravitated towards the kayaking rather than the diving, and Sam’s Tours made it possible for me explore my own passions and translate them to my guests with their commitment to fostering this adventurous spirit in all of their guides and guests.
Simply put, whenever I talk with divers and we find ourselves talking about Palau, I make sure to tell them to spend time on top of the water amidst the Rock Islands as well as below among the huge schools of fish. And with Sam’s Tours, you can do it all.
By Lee Goldman,Marine Biologist

Scuba Channel
the scuba diving web tv

Dirk Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center and Club Paradise in Palawan,Philippines has his Videos now on the Scuba Channel, or go to our Podcast and Video section right hand side to view more Videos from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.
Or click this LINK
The Divers Choice!

Here is the LINK to the Scuba Channel

Congratulations from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance to DivePhotoGuide for winning Best Website At Antibes, the PMA is proud to be associated with DPG and congrats again to Jason Heller and his Team.

GD
PS. Stay tuned for an article by Matt Weiss soon on the DPG Website, about Puerto Galera in the Philippines.

© Gunther Deichmann - I thought it be appropriate to
use this image and Congratulate Jason and his Team.

DivePhotoGuide Wins Best Website At Antibes
Author: Jason Heller / November 01, 2008 12:00AM MDT Category: Photo
Antibes, Antibes 2008, Competition, Event, World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Awards
We were just informed by Gyula "Jules" Somogyi, live from the award show at the 35th annual World Festival of Underwater Images in Antibes, France, that DivePhotoGuide was awarded the the prize for best "Educational Website".

We are honored to receive this recognition from such a prestigious competition and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our readers from around the world as well as our exceptional team - Wendy Heller, Matt Weiss, Gyula Somogyi, Andrea & Antonella Ferrari, and Keri Wilk. You guys rock and I'm honored to have such an amazing bunch of people on our team who share an intense passion for underwater imagery and the ocean...read more @ DivePhotoGuide

I have picked up this Blog Post from SE Asia Kayak Tours and our friend Lee Goldman a member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.
From all of us at the PMA... Congratulations to Lee a member of the PMA, for becoming the Executive Director of Reef Check Philippines.
The PMA is proud to be part of the Reef Check Philippines and happy that the first Reef Check will be held at one of our Partners Asia Divers with El Galleon in Puerto Galera.

SE Asia Kayak Tours and Reef Check Philippines
10/10/08 | by asiakayaktours [mail] | Categories: Announcements

Well, its official. I am now the Executive Director of Reef Check Philippines. I am very excited about it and I look forward to working with the staff and board of directors in continuing to monitor our reefs and educate about the importance of them to our daily lives. I plan several tings for 2009. First, a Reef Check expedition to thoroughly survey the reefs around Puerto Galera. I have asked Allan Nash at El Galleon Resorts and Asia Divers to help us and they really went out of their way. We got a great price for a 10-day expedition and we couldn’t ask for better accommodations and service.

Oh wait, I’m supposed to talk about El Nido. Well, of course we are going to do something out there as well. I will be in touch with El Nido resorts to see if they want to help with conducting surveys on the reefs. and, of course, I will be asking for as much community involvement as I possibly can get. I am really looking forward to bringing the program to El Nido…and the dive shops there. Well, looks like I have another blog page to work with. I’ll spend more time talking about Reef Check on our website and keep the El Nido stuff here. Right now, it is very slow in El Nido. Rain has been persistent around the Philippines and although Palawan usually sees less than the other areas, it has gotten its share. I will visit there next month and will probably have lots to talk about while getting caught up on the local gossip

Soon Marine Biology with Lee Goldman
from SE Asia Kayak Tours


© Gunther Deichmann

Soon we start a new series with our Marine Biologist Lee Goldman who is also a member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance with his Eco Tours, SE Asia Kayak Tours.
Lee will start the series from a Marine Biologist’s point of View on each and every destination with in the PMA.

© Gunther Deichmann

Conservation, Marine Bio-diversity and Reef Check, Lee is an expert on corals but has a fast knowledge about all these other critters and marine life from the Pacific, Micronesia and the Philippines.
So, please stay tuned for some REAL MARINE LIFE soon...
GD

© Gunther Deichmann

The past week has been hectic with visitors,Thomas Schubert from Bali, Dermot Keane the GM from Sam’s Tours in Palau and on the weekend Bill Stinnett from Chuuk or better known as Truk Lagoon. During his visit Bill mention to me that they have found a new DIVE Site which is supposed to be as good as Blue Corner and Tiger Sharks have been spotted here.

This would certainly be a big welcome, if you tired of the fantastic wrecks then why not check this new site out. I am getting a more detailed report very soon and provide you with all the info then, so please stay tuned for more...
In the meantime check out dive-truklagoon for information on the Truk Stop Hotel and Dive Center a member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.
Check out the Videos/Movies and Podcast from Chuuk and our other destinations at our
Video Gallery just click this LINK.
The Divers Choice

http://www.dive-truklagoon.com/

See below some excerpts from the website:
The Truk Lagoon Dive Center offers up to 4 dives a day. Our private dock, dive lockers, rinse tanks and shower make diving with us easy and convenient. We have Bauer Compressors and use a Haskell for blending Nitrox and Trimix. Our expatriate PADI certified instructors take care of the technical and recreational diver with equal care and consideration.

The Truk Lagoon Dive Center has a comprehensive blending station that can provide any nitrox or trimix you require. Our Haskell booster pump ensures that there is no wastage of precious gas which saves you money.

We are the island's only supplier of medical grade oxygen so you can be assured of a never ending supply of quality oxygen. And, we maintain a large supply of Helium (at least 60,000 liters/21 cu. ft.) for those who wish to minimize the effects of narcosis at deeper depths and improve decision making at any depth.

The Truk Lagoon Dive Center is rebreather friendly and has a selection of rebreather cylinders available for those who do not wish to bring their own. We can also arrange to have Sodasorb and Snofolime on hand when requested to do so.

Dermot Keane the GM from Sam’s Tours had a stop over in Manila on his way back to Palau, he just attended the DEMA Show in Las Vegas in the US.
Thomas Schubert who I saw in Bali a week ago snowed in also on his way to Palau, his second home.
We had a great and for a change quiet evening the at the Café Adriatico in Malate talking about Bali and of course DEMA, more interesting NEWS soon from Sam’s Tours in Palau, I keep you posted in the next few weeks with the latest developments at Sam’s Tours in Palau Micronesia.
GD

Photo: Hermes Singson, good friends at the Cafe Adriatico in Malate, Manila
from left: Dermot Keane, Grace (my better half) GD and Thomas Schubert

I have just returned from Bali Indonesia and one morning took a stroll at the Harbor area in Bali.
Fish like Tuna been unloaded for commercial consumption but when I came across this Boat (see image below) my hair stood up.
Thousands of Shark fins been unloaded from this large vessel onto smaller Trucks at the Warf…this was just one Boat and I only watched for about half an hour before leaving with disgust.
How many more mornings, how many more boats, how many more Trucks… HOW MANY ARE LEFT?

© Gunther Deichmann - Why is he hidding his face?
Unloading massive amounts of Shark Fins in the
Harbor of Bali, Indonesia

If this happen in just a small Port of the world and I only watched for half an hour one Boat being unloaded then I don’t like to see the statistics for the rest of the world! Now more words needed, action is required.
GD

If you visit Asia Divers and El Galleon this time of the year make sure you bring your Camera along, you never know when you get this amazing sunset right in front of the El Galleon Beach Resort in Puerto Galera.
The image below is looking towards the Batangas area click on the image or this LINK for more images from the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance Destinations. The Divers Choice.

© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Tags: PHOTOGRAPHY, Puerto Galera

Breaking NEWS... not so nice for a change...WHY? WHY? This article has just been brought to my attention by Lee Goldman from the S.E. Asia Kayak Tours and a member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance. The Divers Choice.

We CARE ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENT.

GD

....although I spend time discussing issues revolving around the tourism in El Nido, the following issue takes supreme precedence as it directly affects concerns both personally, professionally, and globally. This email was forwarded to me by a friend who works in the tourism industry in Donsol.
Lee

Hey Guys
Sorry to depress you with these photos... They were taken in Donsol, Sorsogon (whale shark habitat), just two weeks ago by my friend Omar. The finned sharks are thresher, hunted by the hundreds...
The pink stuff in the bucket are little pieces of shark liver (from dog sharks) for squalene. Pictured here are of the liver from some 1,000 + dogsharks that were caught. They live at least 2 fathoms deep...
Please forward this article if you wish...thank you.

This is the way the fishermen earn in the off season. They sell it to middle men who bring it to Taiwan and Hong Kong. I’ve seen firsthand the hunting of dog shark and finning in Sorsogon and even Siargao but I am certain in happens everywhere.
What we can DO is raise awareness.
Please forward if you wish
Thanks,
Denise
www.ecorescue.org

Donsol, Sorsogon, Philippines is known internationally as being an area that attracts some of the largest congregations of whale sharks in the world. Originally hunted for their commercial value, the sharks have recently gained full protection status throughout the Philippines. This was largely due to the world-wide recognition they received from WWF and the incredibly positive response from the tourism industry (both locally and internationally).
Obviously the local fisherman, whom are harshly punished if they pursue Whale sharks, have found another animal to exploit, Thresher sharks. Unfortunately, this species has the same ‘vulnerable to extinction’ status as their cousins, the Whale shark. Just as unfortunate, they do not have the same protection in Philippine waters. That can change…

Local and international awareness campaigns proved their effectiveness in protecting the whale shark. It can be done with the Thresher sharks as well. Just a bit of education and an economic value larger than what can be provided by fishing them must be provided (the notion that protecting an animal for the sake of protecting biodiversity, especially in third world countries, is not a reality…misguided but true). Fortunately, there is both education and a real economic value already being recognized in other places within the Philippines. On the small island of Malapascua, Threshers sharks have gained protection due primarily to the recognition that they 'bring-in' more money as a live attraction for SCUBA divers than as a dead animal sold as parts to the neighboring Asian countries. Taking a page from Donsol, local operators developed community based awareness programs and contribute to the community by providing jobs and much needed infrastructure. The results have been positive for both sharks and people. In Donsol, the attention has been on the Whale shark, now help is needed to expand the attitude of protection to other species as well…

Lee Goldman

Lee Goldman, MSc
Marine Biologist
SE Asia Kayak Tours
www.asiakayaktours.com

Tags: Dogshark killing, Squalene, Thresher Sharks, Taiwan, Malapascua, Donsol Whalesharks, WWF

Alliance Partners in Shanghai China Dive
and Expat Expo September 2008

Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center attended the CDEX Dive Expo and at the Expat Show in Shanghai, from Friday 18th to 21 Sept.
Juergen Warnke and Dirk Fahrenbach have just returned from the Expo with some very good results. Both events where held at the same time in Shanghai and some booking coming in already, below some images from Dirk Fahrenbach.
One of the highlights was a Cocktail evening with JW and DOT. (Philippine Department of Tourism)

Tags: DIVE Expo, Expat Expo, Shanghai China, Tourism

Island hopping at its best...explore Palawan and beyond.

She has arrived...and ready for some serious island hopping in Palawan Philippines.
we have just gotten word that the very “SEXY TASHINA” is now at Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center.
Dirk Fahrenbach dropped these images of yesterday, now he is on the way with Juergen Warnke from Club Paradise to the Shanghai Dive Expo.

Dugong Dive Center Info...”The Tashina”

As of September one the Dugong Dive Center has the brand new Yacht “TASHINA” (Trimaran).
The Fiberglas Yacht is 16m long and equipped with a back up engine.
For daily dive trips the boat has a capacity of maximum 10 divers and for overnight trips a maximum of 6 divers.
The boat is ideal for private charter. Guest that like to have a private boat with dive guide and boat crew will have an individual dive cruise, they never forget.

You like to go as couple with a yacht across the Calamian Islands of northern Palawan? This is only on sample of individual cruising.
Trips to APO REEF NATURAL PARK or CORON BAY with its Wrecks from WW II or TARA ISLANDS are the 3 main destinations we still offer with our Dive Boat “Karen Claire”. This 12 years experience with those dive trips will benefit the trips with our new boat.
For more info contact: Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center @
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/
http://www.clubparadisepalawan.com/

Data Sheet (“Bust and waistline”)

200 HP Main Engine
40 HP back up Engine
Bauer Compressor
Deep/Fish Finder
GPS
Satellite Telephone
Simple Kitchen
Small Toilet with Fresh Water Shower
Open Air Shower / Fresh Water
Diving Platform
12 and 220 V
TV with DVD Player and SD Card Slot
Radio with JBL and Bose Marine Speaker
One Open Air Sitting Area with Table and Sun Roof
One Cabin Sitting Area with Table
One Double Bed
4 Single Beds.
6 Open Air Hammocks for sleeping under the Stars.

Published Rates:

120,-Euro per person per day. (min. 4 Guest)
Inclusions: Accommodation, Food, 4 Dives per day.
OR
Boat Charter
100,-Euro Boat Charter per Day
30,-Euro per hour Travelling (fuel charge)
Per Person:
50,-Euro / Day Diving per person
15,-Euro per person for 3 meals

Tags: Trimaran, Boat Charter, Yacht TASHINA, Pacific, APO REEF NATURAL PARK, CORON BAY, Dive Boat , TARA ISLANDS, Wrecks from WW II

I have just received this info from the National Geographic Traveler super cool images not only for Underwater Photographers but for everyone...you have to see these amazing images of sailfish...all the links are below.
Thanks Marilyn for sharing this with us.
Gunther

Hi Gunther, I thought you might like these photos of a large group of sailfish off Isla Mujeres in the Gulf of Mexico, attacking a huge bait ball of sardines. The sailfish work together to reduce the size of the baitball, and Nicklen shows them sticking their long noses into the swirling mass of sardines, then suddenly shooting up their sails and flashing wild colors to scare the bait fish:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/sailfish/nicklen-photography
The video shows the sailfish in action:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/player#/?titleID=1579853604&catID=1

Tags: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, Underwater Photography, SAILFISH, Sardines, Gulf of Mexico, Interesting News

Many thanks to our good friends at DivePhotoGuide for announcing our NEW updated website, thanks Guys.

We have just added some very intersting Videos to our collection, you find them in our Podcast and Movie section,or Click this Link
The file size can vary from 2.5MB to 21MB

All video clips are for DSL/Broadband and we reccomend a good connection, these new clip have been produced for Sam’s Tours and Truk Stop Hotel and Dive Center. View the World War II relics of Chuuk or also know as Truk Lagoon get inspirred by the History and dive the sunken Japanese fleet in the Pacific of Operation Hail Stone.
© Video’s by Gunther Deichmann & Dirk Fahrenbach, edited and soundtracks by Gunther Deichmann © 2008 all right reserved
GD

Tags: World War II, History War, Pacific War, Operation Hail Stone

You might have also noticed that we have made some change to our Blog Pages...full access to some videos from our destinations are now available on the right hand side: PODCAST AND MOVIES
There is now also a direct access to our Alliance Main Website via the New link top right hand side.
We are constantly updating our Blog and website, stay tuned or subscribe for the latest NEWS , Images and Videos.

Video © Dirk Fahrenbach edited and sound by © GD
Click on the images above and this will take you right to our NEW Podcast and Movie section.
Please have some patience some of the Clips could take several minutes to download, of course this depends on your connection.
The video has been compressed to fit within the web standards, but Broadband/DSL connection is recommended.

Tags: Video, NEW Video Gallery , Podcast, Dirk Fahrenbach, Underwater Video

Finally our NEW and improved website is up and running...more info, a cool Photo Gallery,easier direct bookings with all our Partners, easy to book and choose our dive,travel and adventure packages plus a lot more and all of this in nine languages. You might have to refresh your Browser and update your cache.
Please go ahead and check it out, our domain name is the same except for the facelift...www.alliancediving.com

You might have to refresh your Browser and update your cache.
Click on the screenshot and go direct to our updated website @
www.alliancediving.com

Amazing NEW find in the Pacific, Palau reveals new fish species...
for the images and Video please go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7564126.stm

Pacific dives recover novel fish...Marine biologists being filmed for a BBC TV series have confirmed an astonishing 13 new fish species on a single expedition in the Pacific Ocean.

The bright blue damselfish is finally in the hands of science.
The researchers have a further 15 animals they think may also be new to science but require additional study. The haul comes from deep dives made across reefs in Micronesia. The quest to find the novel fish is detailed in the series Pacific Abyss and includes the capture of a long-sought and spectacular damselfish. The team concentrated its efforts on waters referred to as the "twilight zone".
Sited some 60m (200ft) to 150m (500ft) down, this is a transition region between depths that still receive some sunlight during the daytime and waters that are in perpetual darkness.

The twilight zone is rarely explored, being below the activity of normal scuba activity but above the operations of most submersibles.
The scientists had to use sophisticated closed-circuit rebreather gear to avoid decompression problems. Even so, for safety reasons, their dives were strictly time-limited, and each sortie saw a quick scramble to net as many different fish as possible before the required slow ascent to the surface.
The newly described species include several new colourful damselfish in the Chromis genus; at least one new species of basslet (from the Plectranthias genus); an unusual hawkfish and a new species of butterflyfish.

The most spectacular recovery was of the bright blue damselfish found 120m down off Palau. This was described recently in the scientific literature by team-member Dr Richard Pyle, from the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The fish has been named Chromis abyssus in honour of the TV series.
The story is a more complicated one, however, because Dr Pyle first saw this fish more than a decade ago. Other researchers, too, had sightings, including one from a small submersible and another from a Remotely Oerated Vehicle (ROV).
It was during the BBC filming, though, that nine specimens were finally captured, allowing for an official scientific submission this year.
Discovery of a new fish species
Pacific Abyss starts its three-part run on Sunday, 17 August, on BBC One, at 2000 BST
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7564126.stm

Tags: Save our Planet, twilight zone, avoid decompression, sophisticated closed-circuit rebreather, Bishop Museum, basslet, Chromis abyssus , NEW Species, Discovery, DAMSELFISH, HAWKFISH, Butterflyfish, Abyss, Pacific Ocean

Matt Weiss is back in the US and preparing all the articles now for DivePhotoGuide and others...see below his first Intro/Guide and acknowledments to all the people and Dive Centers who helped in completing his enormous task.
The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance is proud to be a sponsor of this project.The Divers Choice.
Stay tuned or subscribe for the LATEST NEWS and the long awaited upgrade on our MAIN WEBSITE...

We are very happy to announce our NEW DIVE and TRAVEL PACKAGES... starting from July 2008.

An Underwater Photographer's Guide to Southeast Asia
Author: Matt J. Weiss / August 10, 2008 12:00AM MDT
Category: Photo

After 3 months in the field, and a brief stint manning the DivePhotoGuide booth at the Malaysian Dive Expo (MIDE) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I am finally home and in the process of preparing a series of articles about South East Asia, sometimes referred to as the coral triangle and the most bio-diverse marine ecosystems in the world. Therefore, this is also one of the most productive regions for underwater photographer and video. Of course in no way is this nearly a complete guide to Southeast Asia (that would take years!), but rather some recommended destinations to dive and shoot.
I will be providing comprehensive trip reports on the diving and photo opportunities in each location. I was fortunate enough to stay at some of the top resorts in each destination, and the articles will include some information on the resorts and their facilities. We intend for these articles to be fairly different from other trip reports. I plan to concentrate on all aspects of my trip, including some that are often overlooked, solely from an underwater photographer’s point of view – How was the camera room set up? How large were the rinse buckets on the boat? etc. This vital information is often ignored by non photographers, so I hope to cover all the idiosyncratic requirements that are very important for underwater photographers and videographers to keep top of mind while traveling..

You will see that a lot of my images are macro shots, with little coral around them. The reason for this is simple - I am very interested in the seemingly barren benthic environments that nurture a surprising amount of life. It is here that I found the smaller, interesting and charismatic critters that make you scratch your head and ask - “why?” It is my intention for each article to be informative by answering not only what and who, but also the how and why of the marine biology behind these environments.
Underwater photography stargazer Lembeh Strait
Did you know that stargazers (family Uranoscopidae) are represented by 50 species in 8 genre? This amazing animal was one of two species I found while searching the benthic environments of the Coral Triangle.
I will be covering the following destinations in the upcoming weeks. Each article will have a link back to this main page, where you can access each article as it goes live online.

Bali, Indonesia with AquaMarine Diving-Bali
Puerto Galera, Philippines with El Galleon Resort/Asia Diver
Palawan, Philippines with Club Paradise/Dugong Dive Center
Lembeh Straits, Indonesia with Lembeh Resort
Manado, Indonesia with Minahasa Lagoon Resort
Sipadan/Mabul/Kapalai, Malaysia with Borneo Divers

For any readers who are looking for ideas for your next dive trip, South East Asia is full of them, feel free to bookmark this page, and within the upcoming weeks, you'll find links to each of the destinations I've visited with a complete report on each. I certainly hope to bump into many of you as I return to these destinations in the future.
Happy Diving & more from Matt Weiss @
http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/an_underwater_

Tags: Matt Weiss, Indonesia, Philppines, Puerto Galera, Palawan, Asia Divers, AquaMarine Diving-Bali, Bali, Assignment, Southeast Asia, El Galeon, Dugong Dive Center, Cluba Paradise, Coral Triangle

In the wake of our coverage of the various shark tournaments and the damage they are creating, both physically to local shark populations as well as perceptually by glorifying the killing of sharks, we identified that Disney has violated their own code of ethics by continuing their involvement in the broadcast of the Quiznos Madfin Shark Tournament on ESPN2… more @
http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/disney_
responds_regarding_shark_tournament_involvement

This is my response to all the fuzz re. Shark Tournament in Dive PhotoGuide.
We are in full support of DivePhotoGuide; yes it is a big fuzz... but a downright disgusting one.

Unborn Shark, it's Mother and the Baby got
Murdered!

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann - shark embryo after Mother got killed.
Stop the killing it is Disgusting!

I have read the letter from the Walt Disney Guys…it says nothing!
As mention in my earlier blog this is not the way to educate our children about our environment.
Every living thing has a right to be on this planet, we humans are only infants in geological times, because we are more intelligent (are we?) doesn’t give us the right to wipe out everything…and don’t tell me this is sport…that is… make up the rest of the words.

The big white Hunter…with a trophy on the wall…yes soon there is nothing left out there except on these walls of a very few.

“Dad…what is that…? Son that is a shark…oh, I like to see that one…sorry son you can only see that on MY Wall…Why? Because there are non-left.
Dad why is that…?
OK son, lets change the topic... go out and play with your friends.”
Do I have to say anything else?
Editor PMA
GD

Tags: Sharks, Killing of Sharks

Truk Stop Hotel and Dive Center with Continental Airlines in Flight Media... Dive the amazing Wrecks of Truk Lagoon with Truk Lagoon Dive Center. Join the Continental Airlines Sweepstakes now..

© Gunther Deichmann - the Wrecks of Truk Lagoon, Chuuk Micronesia,
Dive with our Partner Truk Lagoon Dive Center for more info click this link.

Continental Airlines in Flight Media Associates Fly Away to Chuuk Sweepstakes

2008, at 11:23 am -"One Entry" |   | SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Continental Airlines In Flight Media Associates Fly Away to Chuuk Sweepstakes", url: "http://www.freestufftimes.com/contests/01/continental-airlines-in-flight

http://www.continentalflyaway.com/Prize: (1 winner) Destination Travel Package for winner and one guest to the featured destination of the month, Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. The prize includes round trip, coach air transportation on Continental Airlines for winner and Guest, (from major airport served by Continental nearest winner’s U.S. residence and the destination as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) plus hotel accommodations (one room/double occupancy) for four (4) nights at the Truk Stop Hotel. Trip must be taken and completed by August 31, 2009 and is subject to blackout dates, space availability, occupancy limitations and other restrictions may apply. This package cannot be combined with any other offer. This travel package certificate cannot be substituted is not transferable and must be presented upon check-in with proper identification. Average Retail Value (ARV) is $3,000.00. Actual ARV is dependant on available departure cities on the chosen week of travel. The bearer of this travel package certificate is responsible for any difference in price due to reserving any higher priced package, additional travelers, or a fee applied as a result of a change in the reservation, and is responsible for all airline and government departure taxes, incidentals, gratuities, optional travel insurance, personal spending and all other expenses not specifically listed. Trip winner and travel companion must have all necessary identification and/or travel documents required for travel outside the continental United States.

Tags: Continental Airlines, Media,Fly Away,Chuuk,Swepstakes,, Shipwrecks, Chuuk,Micronesia,Underwater Photography, The DIVERS CHOICE

BREAKING NEWS...

I am very proud to announce that the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance is NOW affiliated and in support of the Reef Check-Philippines the local chapter of Reef Check International, a non-profit organization. please read below our very first article from Lee Goldman, Marine Biologist and a member of the Alliance with S.E. Asia Kayak Tours. Very soon we fire up our complete and restructured Alliancediving.com website...amazing what is in store...you just have to stay tuned with The Divers Choice or subscribe to our Blog.
See below the screenshots of the Reef Check brochure soon available as a download on our updated site.
GD

Hi Gunther,
A while back I wrote about an upcoming project concerning the Philippines, the Philippine chapter of an international conservation NGO (Non-Government Organization), and two members of the Alliance.
Well, we’ve finished the details and are ready to announce our project. Reef Check-Philippines is the local chapter of Reef Check International, a non-profit organization that designs coral reef monitoring protocols and conservation action plans. Monitoring our reefs is essential to caring for them, and helps to make assessments on reef health and diversity. Ideally, the best people to monitor the reefs are the people in the community and active divers who not only have a vested interest in the health of world-wide reefs, but interact with them on a regular basis. Reef Check developed their monitoring protocols based on accepted scientific methods, yet made it easily understood by and effective for non-scientific based participants.
Our 10-day expedition will survey the reefs around Puerto Galera and the Verde Islands group. Puerto Galera is known the world over for its amazing diversity and the nearby Verde Islands group continually makes the biodiversity spotlight for its potential to be the center of the center of fish biodiversity within the famed ‘Coral Triangle’. For our base of operations, we chose Alliance partner, Asia Divers and El Galleon Resort in Puerto Galera. Of course, Asia Divers and El Galleon Resort are world class operations themselves offering top quality service, expertise, and professionalism as a PADI 5-star Resort. Pairing the location with an exceptional resort and diving service made for the perfect place to conduct our surveys to gather baseline data for continual monitoring.
This won’t be the first time I thank Allan Nash, Asia Divers, and El Galleon Resort for their interest and help in bringing this expedition together. We hope it is a huge success, as not only will the participants gain valuable skills, have fun, and dive in world-class sites, but the people of Puerto Galera and the Philippines will benefit from this on an exponential level.
The other member of the Alliance? Me, S.E.Asia Kayak Tours. My experience as a marine biologist and expedition leader was the perfect skill-set for the development of this expedition and I will continue to work with Reef Check Philippines on future expeditions around the islands of the Philippines.
For more information, please contact Lee Goldman at lee@asiakayaktours.com
Reef Check Philippines: http://www.reefcheckphilippines.org/

Tags: REEF CHECK INTERNATIONAL, MARINE RESEARCH, CORAL REEFS, Puerto Galera, REEF CHECK PHILIPPINES, WORLD WIDE REEFS

Announcement....just received from Fins Magazine and the Winner is...

Layang Layang, 27 July 2008 - Congratulations to the winners of the
Layang Layang Underwater Digital Photo Shootout 2008!

After six days of friendly competition among 34 competitors from 10 countries, a panel of three internationally acclaimed underwater photographers (Settimio Ciprianni, Stephen Wong and Rod Klein) selected winning images from entries submitted by contest participants.

Each of the participating divers undertook the challenge of creating beautiful and creative images during their dives around Layang Layang, with contest rules permitting everyone to submit up to three images in each of two categories — macro and wide-angle.

Given the world-renowned, rich waters around Layang Layang, as well as the determination and skill of the contest participants, it’s no surprise that Read more…

Letter from Fins Magazine...

Hi Alan, Tommy, Dermot and Bill
The Layang Layang Underwater Shootout 2008 has already finished. The results have been announced in FiNS Blog already. The feedback about PMA from the event was very good. Most of the participants feel like the three prizes from you are the most attractive. Some of them have just heard of Puerto Galera, Truk and Palau, but never considered to visit there. During the event, divers talked about the prizes, and talked about diving in Philippines and Micronesia a lot. In my opinion it was quite effective.

And here are the winners of your three prizes:

Puerto Galera by Asia Divers with El Gallean Beach Resort
and Blue Horizon Travel
Ms. Leander Maree Wiseman (Australia)

Palau with Sam's Tours
Mr George Russel Childress (USA)

Truk Lagoon with Truk Lagoon Dive Center
Mr Adam Daniel Butler (UK)

Tags: Layang Layang, Underwater Shootout 2008, PHOTOGRAPHY, Digital Photo , FiNS MAGAZINE, COMPETITION

Stay tuned or subscribe for the LATEST NEWS and the long awaited upgrade on our MAIN WEBSITE...

The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance web site is undergoing some major changes...we are working in the background and advise you as soon it is up and running...
We made some fantastic improvements not only for all the Alliance partners but for YOU the Customer...
Easy to navigate, great Photo Gallery from all or destinations, easy direct and Package bookings with our partner Blue Horizons Travel plus our new partner S.E. Asia Kayak Tours with packages and information. Real time weather forecast from all our destinations in the Philippines and Micronesia plus a lot more & all of this in nine languages.
When can you see all of this? Well, in approximately 10 days...but dont worry YOU be the first to know.
From the virtual office of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance
The Divers Choice!

We are very happy to announce our NEW DIVE and TRAVEL PACKAGES... starting from July 2008.

Tags: Website, Kayak Tours, The DIVERS CHOICE, Weather Forecast, PHOTO GALLERY, AIRLINES, TRAVEL AGENT

This article has just been brought to my attention by no other than our good friend Walter Ty, thanks Walter.

Fantastic Photo of a NEW White Whale from Down Under...

New White Whale spotted...

Courtesy By Alison Feeney-Hart
BBC News, Sydney

Migaloo has become something of a celebrity
A new white humpback has been sighted off Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia.
The newcomer, which was filmed by a television news helicopter, has excited marine scientists who think it may be related to Migaloo - to date, the only known all-white humpback whale.
Migaloo is somewhat of a celebrity down under. Why? "Because as far as we know, he is globally unique," said Professor Peter Harrison from the Whale Research Centre, Southern Cross University.
It now seems that Migaloo, (whose Aboriginal name means "white fellow") might have competition.

Although predominantly white, the new whale does have some black markings near its head and tail. So who is the newcomer?
A white calf was spotted with a normal humpback mother in Byron Bay two years ago. Experts say the new whale could be the offspring of Migaloo but further tests need to be carried out.
A record number of humpbacks have been spotted off the Australian coast this year on their annual migration north to their breeding grounds.
One thing scientists do agree on is that this second white whale has never been seen in these waters before...
more and the amazing photo @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7519263.stm

Tags: Australia, White Whale, Down Under, MARINE LIFE

This article is published in the current issue of Fins Magazine…

Discussions with Dirk and Dermot…
“Disclaimer: no person in their right mind should take anything in this column seriously.
We certainly don’t”

If you have a question about diving, life or anything at all that you’d like addressed (but not necessarily answered) by our resident know-it-alls Dirk and Dermot, email us at:
uselessanswers@finsmagazine.com. Selected question will receive a special gift.

As seen in the latest edition of Fins Magazine...
to read this issue go to:
http://www.finsonline.com/magazine/vol_7_3/

Dear Dirk and Dermot,
I was reading one of your answers the other day, and realized it made no sense. What exactly qualifies you to give advice to other people? And are you guys a couple?

-bothered in boracay-

Dear bothered in Boracay,
First of all, we’re not a couple. Dermot’s definitely not my type, and he certainly doesn’t look good in a skirt, despite what he himself might believe.
Second, when you spend all your time on a sun-drenched, idyllic tropical island like I do, you develop a unique perspective on life, which I am happy to share with others. Besides, I’ve found over the years that diver banter generally makes very little sense, so what difference does it make?


Dear bothered in boracay,
As an Irishman, I’m a natural born advice giver, having put in many years of intense apprenticeship at some of the world’s preeminent institutions of (senseless) advice giving…Irish pubs! You should give it a try.
As for whether we’re a couple or not… Dirk only wishes. I’m so out of his league.

Dermot Keane is the general manager of Sam’s Tours in Palau, and Dirk Fahrenbach is the owner of Dugong Dive Center, located on Dimakya Island in the Philippines.
Both Resorts/Dive Centers are members of the Philippines-Micronesia Alliance.

We have just picked up this interesting Blog and a response to the recent Nudibranch article...

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the
Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

© Gunther Deichmann - Nudibranch, Nembrotha kubaryana
from Puerto Galera Philippines diving with Asia Divers

How did he achieve this? That is a very good question…you might say Photoshop…but I have heard another story…moving a complete studio underwater, tons of equipment and of course a dozen or so assistants. Wow what a budget given to him by National Geographic, however there is no way that this could have been executed without moving the Nudibranchs from their original location…
As mention in my previous blog I have seen David’s other images and one can only admire him, absolutely fantastic there is no question about it…

…read the feedback from Marilyn an employee of the National Geographic Magazine who has shed some light on the subject… certainly an interesting topic, worth while talking about it... how far we can or cant go in today’s Photography. Now it is up to you and form your own opinion after you have viewed the mention Video or checked out the other supported link How did he do it? Find out @
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html
GD

I picked up this article from our good friend Walter Ty again, it made me laugh...GarageBand 400 Million years ago?
Not quiet... but very interesting reading and I thought I share this with you... oh boy, what they all discover these days...
I guess if you at Sam’s Tours in Palau with the fully equipped Digital Photo Center and have a Underwater Housing for your Soundrecorder then there is no problem to up load all of these fishy noises on to your IPod...have fun and thanks again to Walter for pointing out this interesting and amusing story...

Grunting fish have helped scientists to date the origins
of vocal sounds to about 400 million years ago.



Photo: Screenshot Courtesy of the BBC, click on the image
or use the link below for the video and complete article.

Toadfish and midshipman fish use a variety of different sounds to attract mates and scare off rivals. Now US researchers have found that the area of a fish's brain that drives vocalization is extremely primitive. Writing in the journal Science, they say it suggests that the ability to communicate through sound emerged very early in the evolution of vertebrates...read the complete article and watch the Video...
@ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7510443.stm

Tags: IPod, Digital Photo Center, GarageBand, IMac

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the
Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Picked up this interesting post from Gunther Deichmann’s Blog...
click here.

Last night I became part of an interesting 3-hour conversation with Marc Ambat and S M Jayabalan, both are scuba divers and take underwater photos. Marc is a Chief Technical Officer working at a Top Digital production House specializing in Video FX and Jaya is the GM of Sensing Technology Corporation. So there you have it, two very intelligent and super nice people, our conversation started like this…
I mention a recent article in DivePhotoGuide.com… National Geographic has put up an online gallery of amazing nudibranch photography from our good friend David Doubilet, from the June issue. The imagery is classicly Doubilet, putting a different perspective on these amazingly diverse and colorful subjects...read more @ http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/david_doubilet

Click on the Image and go direct to more of Omar’s Photos
Above Photo: © Omar D. Linsangan from
Dugong Dive Center, Palawan Philippines

This published article showcased the latest work of David Doubilet…amazing images of cool looking Nudibranchs (click the link for the images) http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/
How did he achieve this? That is a very good question…you might say Photoshop…but I have heard another story…read the complete story at: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/files/category-underwater-photography.html

Your browser doesn't support JavaScript or you have disabled JavaScript.

Tags: NATURE, PHotoshop, Openwater Course, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, Nudibranchs, PADI, Environment Education

We are also very happy to announce our NEW DIVE and TRAVEL PACKAGES... starting from July 2008.




Remember our sexy Tashina? How could you forget...well she is ready to go on her maiden Voyage to Palawan shortly...
This is the latest NEWS from Dirk Fahrenbach from the Dugong Dive Center at Club Paradise a few more days and then she is traveling with Dirk to Palawan.
I just received (only minutes ago) these latest images from Dirk, YES this sexy lady is floating and in the water.
Dugong watching and trips to APO REEF have just become a lot more comfortable and easier.
Stay tuned for some more updates on Tashina.
GD

The cool NEW Dive Boat “Tashina”from the
Dugong Dive Center in Palawan.

Tags: DIVE SAFARI, DIVE BOAT, APO REEF, DUGONG WATCHING

We are also very happy to announce our NEW DIVE and TRAVEL PACKAGES... starting from July 2008.





Dirk Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center dropped by a few days ago and gave me this CD… Dirk what I am going to do with that one?
There are some images from our Filipino Dive Master Omar on it, please have a look and give me your opinion. Sure…I imported the images into Aperture 2 and got a real surprise…wow these are real great…what camera is he using?

Dirk replied, Oh… one of these little small ones in some sort of Housing…
After I had a good look at the images I checked on the Metadata in Aperture 2 and found out the Camera Model, it is a Canon IXY.
After importing the images I only applied a few adjustments, mainly…cropping, Auto levels and a bit of contrast…since all the images had been in JPG I had some limitations, but Omar’s shots where that good anyway that little was needed for improvements.
I created a new project and after I am done can store this on my external drive in case we need Omar’s shots for some future publications, of course with his permission.

Great shots with such a small Camera, this gets to show you again what can be done with limited equipment, I guess in Underwater Photography you have to be a good Diver first, and Omar has that mastered for sure.
Hey, lets not underestimate these Dive Guides with perfect diving skills they can show even the most experience Photographer a trick or two…in particular in finding you this elusive critters, remember they dive these places all the time, so next time you at Dugong Dive Center have a chat with Omar or even better have a dive with him.
A big thanks to Omar for sharing his images with us, he has a lot more cool shots, these are only few of them.
GD

Tags: Gunther Deichmann, Aperture 2, Digital Cameras, Dive Master, Underwater Housing

We are very happy to announce our NEW DIVE and TRAVEL PACKAGES... starting from July 2008.





But that’s not all... we also working very hard to give the Alliance Website a total overhaul, this is done in the background and we anticipate to implement this within in the next four weeks.
Some very cool changes are taken place including the announcement of the International Environmental Organisation, you just have to stay tuned for all the up coming NEWS and updates.
GD

Tags: DIVE AND TRAVEL PACKAGES, NEW PRICES

S.E.Asia Kayak Tours presents a unique view into the Philippines Nature and Biodiversity for more details go to the new website @

http://www.asiakayaktours.com/

Very soon we be featuring S.E.Asia Kayak Tours on the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance web site including our NEW Dive and Travel Packages... we are working very hard to get this completed. We have also updated our Photo Gallery on this blog, check out the destinations from all our Alliance Partners.

Plus another major announcement shortly... an Environmental Organisation is joining us ...stay tuned or subscribe for the latest NEWS
from the PMA.
GD

It is a great honor to be associated with the Philippine-Micronesian Alliance. We are a new business that offers Divers, Snorkelers, and Outdoor enthusiasts a unique opportunity to enjoy the majestic wonders of El Nido and the amazing reefs in the surrounding waters. The unbelievably bio-diverse region of northern Palawan is home to one of the most magnificent places on earth; El Nido. The scenery in El Nido and the surrounding waters of Bacuit Bay is among the most beautiful in the world. Towering limestone cliffs footed by white sand beaches that slip into turquoise waters abundant with colorful and diverse marine life. With over 800 species of fish and 400 species of coral, the shallow reefs are truly a snorkelers’ and divers’ paradise.

Our goal was to develop an expedition that integrates kayaking, snorkeling, beach-combing, hiking, and sight-seeing into an interpretive, interactive, exciting and comfortable tour that exposes guests to the best of the marine and terrestrial life in Bacuit Bay, El Nido. Our tours revolve around the kayaking experience, often paddling for 3 – 5 hours per day and make many stops to snorkel among colorful coral gardens, explore tropical jungles, and relax on un-inhabited white-sand beaches where you can enjoy a freshly prepared lunch.

© Photo Lee Goldman - exploring Palawan’s Eco system by Kayak

Further, we tie together our daily activities with luxury campsites on beautiful white-sand beaches. Imagine a picture-perfect sunset on a secluded, private beach where you can enjoy sit-down, full service meals prepared by an internationally trained chef, have a massage after a day of fun and exploration and sleep peacefully under a sky full of stars with the sounds of water gently lapping at the shore. Awaken to a tranquil morning with a pastel-colored sky and watch dozens of species of birds begin their day.

© Photo Lee Goldman - Palawan’s spectacular scenery

Well, not only have we succeeded in developing this type of tour, we can deliver it with the top quality service clients of PMA have come to expect! We look forward to our time with the Alliance and further look forward to guiding clients around the remarkable area of El Nido.

Tags: Eco Tourism, Paddle

Instead showing our children the gory Shark cadavers we should remind them if we keep going like this there be nothing left in our Oceans.
Educating in schools is a good start…but not the way it is conducted at the…Disgusting Montauk Shark Tournament.
A message from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance
"We Care About Our Environment" & In support of DivePhotoGuide
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - for more environment related images go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/environment.html

'Only 50 years left' for sea fish'
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Natural protection
There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study. Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating.
Writing in the journal Science, the international team of researchers says fishery decline is closely tied to a broader loss of marine biodiversity.
But a greater use of protected areas could safeguard existing stocks. "The way we use the oceans is that we hope and assume there will always be another species to exploit after we've completely gone through the last one," said research leader Boris Worm, from Dalhousie University in Canada.

This century is the last century of wild seafood
Steve Palumbi
Should fish be off the menu?
Send us your comments "What we're highlighting is there is a finite number of stocks; we have gone through one-third, and we are going to get through the rest," he told the BBC News website.

Steve Palumbi, from Stanford University in California, one of the other scientists on the project, added: "Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood."

Spanning the seas
This is a vast piece of research, incorporating scientists from many institutions in Europe and the Americas, and drawing on four distinctly different kinds of data.
For the complete article go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm

Tags: Environment Education, Save our Planet, Oceans, MARINE Resources

Is this the way we educate our children today?
THINK!

Breaking NEWS!
I have just received this article from DivePhotoGuide...not very nice...it is disgusting!

NOT expectable... is this how we educate our children about Sharks, Oceans and our environment?
See below excerpts from an article by DivePhotoGuide for the complete story and more disgusting images go to:
http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/
GD

All photos below: Courtesy of Jason Heller and The Humane Society of the United States.

Montauk Shark Tournament Coverage
Author: Jason Heller / June 21, 2008 12:00AM MDT Category: Marine Conservation
Article Tags:
Shark Tournament, Montauk, Star Island, Sharks, Fishing

As most of our readers know, we have previously reported our intended coverage and call to action against the Montauk Shark Tournament and the subsequent death threats we have received. The authorities have been involved, and thank you for those who expressed concern. The local papers even caught wind of the situation. We are serious New Yorkers who are not afraid of standing up for what we believe in.

Is this education????

Montauk Shark TournamentOn June 14, 2008 we headed out to Montauk, New York to cover the 22nd annual Montauk Shark Tournament at the Star Island Yacht Club. Montauk is located in the Hamptons (although technically not a “Hampton” at the end of Long Island, about a 3 hour drive from New York City. It’s actually a quaint, laid back and beautiful beach getaway for New Yorkers that I’ve visited for many years. I’ve known about the Montauk shark fishing tournament for years, but never understood the scale and gravity of the event prior to being contacted by the Humane Society of America. This is arguably the largest shark tournament in the US, rivaled possibly only by the Oak Bluffs tournament held in Martha’s Vineyard. In 2007 the Humane Society successfully shut down another large American shark tournament in Destin Florida. During the 2006 event, a mutilated Hammerhead shark was put on display as children watched in horror.

The board of directors of the Destin shark tournament were shamed by the negative publicity generated by the Humane Society, Star Island Yacht Clubjournalists, and other concerned citizens. As they say, an image is worth a thousand words, and thankfully the Destin tournament ceased to exist. The organizers of the Montauk shark tournament must have taken this fact to heart, and confronted all the photographers shooting the event and threatened to remove us from the event because it was in fact held on private property. Remember the old adage “any publicity is good publicity”? Well, apparently not for shark tournaments.

http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/

Tags: Sharks, Killing of Sharks

Matt Weiss from DivePhotoGuide landed in Singapore...had a good connection and send out his first report read the whole article @
http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/matt_1

Matt Weiss: An Update From Southeast Asia
Author: Jason Heller / June 19, 2008 12:00AM MDT Category: Photo
Matt Weiss, Indonesia, Philppines, Puerto Galera, Palawan, Asia Divers, Fathoms, Aqua Marine, Bali, Assignment, Southeast Asia, El Galeon, Dugong Dive Center, Cluba Paradise, Coral Triangle
Note from Jason: Matt Weiss has been trotting around Southeast Asia on an extended assignment for DPG, visiting some of the most bio-diverse areas in Indonesia, Philppines and Malaysia. Internet access has been an issue but he finally as had a chance to check in from a quick stop in Singapore...

From the Philippines...© Matt Weiss - DivePhotoGuide

Regards from Singapore!

I finally have a pretty good internet connection so here's an update on my experiences so far...go to DivePhotoGuide for the complete article @
http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/matt_1

S.E.Asia Kayak Tours our NEW partner in the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance has just announced their new website, soon also on the Philippine-Micronesia website stay tuned for all of this plus our exciting New Packages next week.

For all the details and some great photos go to:
http://www.asiakayaktours.com/

WELCOME to S.E.ASIA KAYAK TOURS

Kayaking, snorkeling and luxury-camping expeditions in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines lead by marine biologist and naturalist Lee Goldman.

The unbelievably bio-diverse region of northern Palawan is home to one of the most magnificent places on earth; El Nido. The scenery in El Nido and the surrounding waters of Bacuit Bay is among the most beautiful in the world. Towering limestone cliffs footed by white sand beaches that slip into turquoise waters abundant with colorful and diverse marine life. With over 800 species of fish and 400 species of coral, the shallow reefs are truly a snorkelers’ paradise.

Click on the Screenshot above and go direct to the new site.

What better way to become more intimately familiar with the majestic karst limestone islands, fantastic reefs, amazing biodiversity, and stunning beaches than to kayak , snorkel and camp amongst them?

Our world-class campsites are located on some of the most breath-taking beaches, where incredible sunsets, sunrises, wildlife, warm showers, large walk-in tents, private comfort rooms and 5-star, professionally-prepared meals await you. Luxury camping at it’s finest!

Tags: Kayaking, Adventure Travel

I have just received this nice and interesting story from Dirk Fahrenbach at Dugong Dive Center in Palawan Philippines...

Finding Paradise
By Marlies R. Bosch, M.D.
Club Paradise, Dimakya Island, Northern Palawan

Let me share with you my story of how I unexpectedly found and lived in paradise...

I am a General Physician, taking a much needed break before I re-enter the busy halls and sleepless nights in a hospital for my specialty training. But on the morning of January 13, 2008, I read a small post on PinoyMD, a forum for Filipino Doctors, regarding a job as a Resort Physician.  I immediately sent my CV and that same day, I received a call asking if I could leave within the next 2 days. I've never stepped foot in Palawan and it has always been my dream to explore it. With roughly 10 years of studying to reach my dream of becoming a doctor, I rarely had time to tend to my dreams of adventure and travel. So I said "Yes!" 

  

I arrived in Club Paradise on January 15, 2008... and it was indeed paradise. It does give its name more than justice. It took only a little over than 2 hours to reach the island. I flew via Seair from Manila to Busuanga and upon landing in Busuanga, the Club Paradise jeepney took me and some guests for a 30 minute ride down the scenic road to Decalachao, where the resort's boat was docked.  From there, it was only a 30 minute cruise to the island.  Approaching the Club, Jessie, the Guest Services Officer, points to the island and says, "That is Club Paradise". I was excited. I felt a pull on each of the corners of my mouth that created a huge smile.  As we got nearer the island, the view was breathtaking.. with an ample expansion of the beach filled with powdery white sand, glassy waters accommodating my eyes to have a glimpse of the bottom, the glimmer of the sun's reflection on the turquoise sea and the distant view of smiles emanating from the resort's staff who were eager to welcome us.
I was not a guest, and I did not expect to be treated as one simply because I was there to work. Nevertheless, I have keenly observed the staff's indiscriminate rapport with all their guests.  And I could conclude from the beginning that anyone who comes to the island will graciously get what they came for.. may it be a honeymoon rendezvous, a much needed escape from the city, a well deserved break from work and business or some quiet time to reward oneself.
Club Paradise offers a wide array of activities. They offer day trips to Coron Island, Island hopping, sunset cruises and Safari tours in Calauit. Within and around the island itself, you can go snorkeling in the house reef and surround yourself with life underwater, you can stretch your muscles and go kayaking around the island or towards a nearby island, you can hike up to Eagle's point - the highest point on Dimakya which gives you a breathtaking view of the entire island resort, the open sea and the neighboring islands, you can play tennis, badminton, table tennis and billiards. There are even daily activities suitable for kids and families. In short, there is never a dull moment in Club Paradise. Food is always fresh and sumptuous, may it be served in the Restaurant, at the beach or poolside under a blanket of stars. You can enjoy an hour of tranquility while treating your body to a long overdue massage.  You can unwind at the bar and make friends with other vacationers who may have some interesting tales of their own.  And I've seen numerous guests who have grown attached to the place, crying upon departure.  And these guests always make it a point to come back. Club Paradise is also a well-established and well known Diving Resort.  The Dugong Dive Center has equipped itself with credible, courteous and professional instructors and divemasters with very high safety standards.  You can enjoy diving in the house reef which is home to a wide variety of marine life.  You can relax on the boat while it takes you on a diving trip to Apo Reef or Tara Islands.  You can have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of swimming with the Dugongs during Dugong Watching.  You can explore the numerous ship wrecks and relive history in your mind.  Or you can go to Coron Island and dive in Barracuda Lake where you can take pleasure from experiencing the extremes of a thermocline.  No matter which adventure you choose, it will definitely be worth your while.  And I assure you, you will surface with elation. Being in the resort everyday, I saw guests emerge from the water or come back from a diving trip with a big smile on their face. I even saw how old couples enjoyed diving as a recreational activity that they can both experience as a unit. I viewed my friend Omar's underwater photos and got inspired to see the life under water and swim with the fish. I watched the underwater videos of the Dugong Dive Center at the bar every single night.  I started drawing life under water as how the divers see it. And finally, I took the Open Water Diver Course and eventually the Advanced Open Water Diver Course whenever I could squeeze it into my schedule. And each time that I surfaced, I had such a feeling of elation. I saw what they saw, I saw them all with my own eyes. My drawings finally came to life. And nothing could make me happier. The self-sufficient island of Dimakya is home to a small community made up of staff and people from all over the world.  As for me, any beach is my home. But Club Paradise has left an indellible mark in my heart with experiences that I will forever cherish. Accepting the job in Club Paradise was well worth it. Working as the Resort Physician gave me a chance to get acquainted with the staff from all departments and guests as well.  Yes, I did leave my family, friends and loved ones behind, but I gained a lot more than what I've already had. I gained new friends, very good friends for that matter. They're not merely acquaintances who entertained me for the time being. They are friends who left a strong mark in my heart, friends whom I will always remember, friends whom I am very much looking forward to seeing again...wherever it may be. I gained experiences which I enjoyed for the first time. I dove from sunrise to sunset. My mind was always thinking on land, but once I entered the water, I lived for the moment, just enjoying everything in a different world. I forgot all my problems. And it lasted for some time even after I've surfaced. I enjoyed the most minute things that my eyes could see. And I was happy.
I am no longer connected with Club Paradise on a professional degree.  But I am still in touch with friends I made there, staff and guests alike.  I never wanted to leave the island. I never wanted to leave my friends. I never wanted to leave the simple life I had there. No pollution. No noise. No traffic. Just beauty and serenity. I will surely miss Club Paradise and everything in between.
Club Paradise... a place where you can enjoy both the beginning and the end of the day... a different sunrise and a different sunset each day...a place full of smiles... a place full of good people with interesting stories to tell, stories that you'll never forget, stories that are unique to paradise... a place where the bats fill the wildly colored sky and migrate to the mainland at sunset... a place where deer and monitor lizards roam... a place that is home to the turtles who come to the beach to lay their eggs... a place where the baby turtles hatch and feel the sand for the first time and soon enter the sea after being taken care of for a month or so... a place full of enchantment where love blooms and families are built... the place where people dread the day they have to leave...
For more information on Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center, visit their website at http://clubparadisepalawan.com

Real Time....
Fathers day…and as predicted Matt Weiss from DivePhotoGuide.com just strolled into my home.
Hi son… missing my Mac? He,he. Oh no… he is missing the Philippines already the great people and the fantastic diving, I am sure he be back, I can tell by the grin on his face…

Matt is back from Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center in Palawan where he spend some quality time with our good friend Dirk and the amazing Rolf.

Matt Weiss from DivePhotoGuide...
one of the very few people I allow to use my Mac...

Here is what he has to say…

Hello all, back at the Mac Lab that is Gunther’s office. Just had an extraordinary 5 days in Palawan at Club Paradise diving with the Dugong Dive Center. I knew the diving was amazing because I had witnessed the areas marine biodiversity in Puerto Galera and heard nothing but the highest compliments about Palawan’s oceans. However, neither me nor my memory card had any idea what to expect. In fact, in the house reef in less than 8 meters of water, I more than tripled my previous record by filling up my 4 gig memory card in 1 dive. The dive ended not because of air, temperature, or nitrogen issues, but because I had no room on my memory card and got the point where I refused to delete anything I had! I would not have been able to handle film days at Club Paradise. This is just the house reef, then there is also the wrecks and world class reefs and mangroves. The topside stuff also could not be beat-- thousands of bats flying into unbeatable sunsets, monitor lizards doing their mating dance in the mossy lagoons, rare owls above your beach front bungalows and well then you barely start to get the idea. That’s before even getting to the turtle releases and dugong watch. Interested in seeing photos of all this and hearing the full report? Stay tuned to DivePhotoGuide.com for the detailed, image rich article about Philippines and the rest of the coral triangle.

Matt Weiss

Tags: DIVEPHOTOGUIDE, Bats, Lizards, Eco Tourism, Underwater Photography

We are proud to announce our long awaited NEW Travel, Tour and Diving packages from all the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance destinations, available by the end of next week.
Stay tuned or subscribe to our blog for all the details and cool packages very,very soon.

I have also the pleasure in announcing our NEW partner Lee Goldman from S.E.Asia Kayak Tours...I have mention this in my earlier blogs but as of today it is official.

Welcome to Lee and Jasmine Goldman from S.E.Asia Kayak Tours with their new Eco and adventure travel tours, a great and exciting addition to the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.

Next week we announce the S.E.Asia Kayak Tours new website (asiakayaktours.com) and of course within a week or so you can find it on our alliancediving.com site including their exciting Kayak and Wilderness travel tour packages.
Bill Stinnett our partner from Truk Lagoon has dropped by also this weekend to say hi, a hectic week indeed with Matt Weiss from DivePhotoGuide.com returning tomorrow from Club Paradise too.

Tags: Kayaking, Asia Kayak Tours.com, S.E.Asia, PADI, Breaking NEWS

Check out DivePhotoGuide.com updates and info on Matt Weiss in the Philippines...

From DivePhotoGuide.com

Editor's note: Matt is on an extended 3 month assignment for us in Southeast Asia, and so far he's been to North Sulawesi, Bali and the Philippines. We just got this update from our good friend Gunther Deichmann from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.

Tags: Latest NEWS

I received a call from Dirk Fahrenbach at Dugong Dive Center in Palawan Philippines, Matt Weiss from DivePhotoGuide arrived OK. on his first day he got already some shots of Mandarin fish but I think he really is after these Dugongs, lets see what he comes back with next week and I hope to catch up with him on his way through Manila.
GD

Lucky Matt...I wish I could be there with him...Club Paradise and
Dugong Dive Center, Palawan Philippines


© Photos - Courtesy of Dugong Dive Center

Tags: DIVEPHOTOGUIDE, NATURE, Exploring The Philippines

9:30 PM Manila…the doorbell rang and Matt Weiss from DivePhotoGuide strolled into the office and my home.
Matt has just returned from Puerto Galera where he stayed with Asia Divers and El Galleon Beach Resort our partner in the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.
Matt and myself chatted all night long and I thought at one point doing a Pod Cast but that would have been way to long… he walked out of here at around 3:30 AM just in time for his flight to Club Paradise in Palawan at 11:30 this morning. At least he got a few hours sleep before his next journey, he is very excited to dive with the Dugong Dive Center and hopefully get a chance to see some Dugongs. See below a few lines I have ask him to write about Puerto Galera…but don’t worry the real stories and a lot more on the DivePhotoGuide Web site soon. I also hope to catch up with Matt upon his return from Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center in about a week.
GD

Matt Weiss and Gunther Deichmann, two Mac addicts having fun, my son Mark-Lee took the opportunity and recorded the "event" on his cell phone.

Regards from Manila. I just spent a few fantastic days exploring the marine biodiversity in Puerto Galera at El Galleon resort. The critter life there was fantastic and the dive guides were able to show me a few animals I had never seen before. What really amazed me was how different the diving was from Indonesia, despite being in the same ocean. I was disappointed to leave, but I have an excellent journey ahead of me in Palawan diving with Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center. I am looking forward to what surprises lie ahead! Keep an eye out for a full comprehensive story on each area of the Philippines as well as the larger story covering the macro life of the entire coral triangle. The stories will be on DivePhotoGuide.com soon.

Matt Weiss
DivePhotoGuide

Click on the screenshots and visit Asia Divers with
El Galleon Beach Resort in the Philippines

Tags: DIVEPHOTOGUIDE

Asia Divers with El Galleon Beach Resort and Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center are now featured on DivePhotoGuide.com, Matt Weiss the representative from Dive PhotoGuide is currently in Puerto Galera and chasing some critters. He be traveling to Club Paradise in Palawan and dive with Dirk Fahrenbach at the Dugong Dive Center after his assignment is completed in Puerto Galera.

Click on the screenshots and visit these two great
dive destinations in the Philippines

Tags: NEWS Articles, Puerto Galera, PALAWAN

Now here is an amazing story brought to my attention by Walter Ty and incredible discovery about our Cuttle fish or Sepia, they are even more Alien then what they look read the article below…

© Gunther Deichmann

- Alien afternoon in Puerto Galera Philippines, a great dive destination to see these Aliens... or venture to Club Paradise in Palawan and dive with Dugong Dive Center at their house reef you might encounter the yearly mating behavior of these amazing marine creatures.

Cuttlefish spot target prey early...
By Matt Walker
Courtesy BBC

Cuttlefish (Animal Behaviour)
Embryos exposed to crabs preferred them as prey later in life. It's a bit like something out of the famous sci-fi horror movie Alien.

Before they have even hatched, cuttlefish embryos can peer out of their eggs and spot potential prey. It is the first time any animal has been shown to learn visual images before they are born.

Ludovic Dickel and his colleagues at the University of Caen Basse-Normandy, France, made the discovery by placing crabs alongside cuttlefish eggs in a series of laboratory tanks.
Those embryos exposed to crabs preferred them as prey later in life, the scientists report in the journal Animal Behaviour.
The young embryos must be able to see through their translucent egg case, the scientists believe, and learn which animals are worth hunting even before they have hatched.

"This is the first time there is evidence of visual learning by embryos," said Dr Dickel.

Visual cues

Embryos are known to able to pick up chemical and auditory cues - unborn gulls, for example, learn to recognise the alarm calls of their parents whilst still in the egg, while salmon and frog embryos can learn the chemical signatures of the surrounding water before they hatch.

But until now, no one has looked at whether unborn animals can also learn visual images. Dickel and his team decided to study embryos of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, a relatively advanced ocean-going mollusc closely related to squid and octopus.
Cuttlefish (SPL)
Majestic but deadly: Cuttlefish are efficient killers

They harvested wild eggs, and placed them in tanks filled with sea water. Crabs, a common prey of adult cuttlefish, were also placed into the tanks, but enclosed in separate compartments. Crucially, the compartment sides were made of clear glass, so the crabs were in plain view of the eggs.

But the embryos could not smell or hear the crabs. Once the cuttlefish embryos hatched, they were instantly moved, to ensure they could not glimpse the crabs, and were not exposed to any other prey until they were seven days old.

They were then set free in a lab tank full crabs and shrimp, another cuttlefish delicacy…read the complete story and some photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7435757.stm

Tags: Alien, Cuttle Fish, Sci-Fi movie

Click the banner and go direct to Dugong Dive Center and Club Paradise

Club Paradise Awards for the best Producers 2007

Last week Club Paradise hosted an interesting event at the German Club in Makati, Manila. Awards for the most productive travel agencies where given out including to one of our partners Blue Horizons Travel (image below)
Other winners where Island Marketing, Schoener Tauchen, Orca Reisen and many more, airline representatives from Asian Spirit and Seair were also part of the evening.
A relaxed evening with live music, buffet and drinks surrounded by a tropical ambience.

From left: Arnie Bayag from Blue Horizons Travel
receiving the Award from Carmela Geisert
& Juergen Warnke


Juergen Warnke in full swing...

A Power Point presentation and welcome words from Juergen Warnke thanking all the producers started the evening, a special mention was given to the new airport and growing tourism in the Calamanes.
A great evening and the Club Paradise Family Raffle towards the end made this a very memorable evening for all attending guests.

 Juergen Warnke and the Ladies of the evening....

 

Tags: Event, TRAVEL AGENCIES, REISE AGENTUREN, AIRLINES

DivePhotoGuide &
the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance

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A joined venture between DivePhotoGuide and Alliance Partner Resorts in the Philippines, Matt Weis from DivePhotoGuide is arriving shortly to explore the marine biodiversity of Puerto Galera and Palawan.
Of course Matt is staying with Asia Divers and El Galleon in Puerto Galera and in Palawan we put him up at Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center.
We all looking forward to Matt's visit and his report once his Journey is completed, the articles will be published in the DivePhotoGuide later this year.
Thanks to all the Alliance partners who have contributed and make Matt's visit a enjoyable one.
Above some of our new banner Ads in DivePhotoGuide click on the banners and go direct to our Partners and DivePhotoGuide.com
GD

Tags: DIVEPHOTOGUIDE, Exploring The Philippines

We have just received this interesting article from Allan Nash at Asia Divers, who has just returned from an exploration trip in the Davao area, read on below and many thanks to Allan for sharing this with us. Did he see any Tiger Sharks?

Just click on the banners and go direct Asia Divers

Hi everybody, this is Allan I like to share a short story from my resent trip to Davao.

SAFARI TO THE EAST CAPE OFF DAVAO

It was May 19 when we boarded a plane for Davao city on our way to explore the Cape, east of Davao bay. Some weeks before the trip I was asked if I would join the trip as an advisor on the dive sites and fish life found in the area. Out of curiosity and the promise of big action, tiger sharks and strong currents I said, I’m on.

After arriving in Davao, checking ourselves in, we met up with Andrew Macdonald, Jane, Carlos, Peewee, Maeng and Frank the owner of Davao Scuba. After a very good brief of what we will be looking for (big action and tiger sharks) and how we intend to proceed, it followed with a tour of the dive centre and the boat we would spend the next few days on. It was to be roughing it as one would say, sleeping on a camp stretcher on the open deck of a Bunker and showering from a camp shower rigger from the roof, no mirror for the morning shave and little if any privacy with the exception from the bathroom toilet, Ha me hearty, those were the good old days!

We met the next morning at 4am and set off at around 5ish. The weather was perfect and as the sun rose we were well on our way heading east for the cape. Arriving at around 12:30 we were anxious to see the dive area and what the currents were doing. As expected, it was howling! We looked for a suitable place to jump in and take our first look at what the conditions would be like and if in fact the fish life was as prolific as we had been told.

After deciding on a course of action we developed a plan that incorporated the safety needed to be diving in strong currents and in a very remote area as it was. We entered in some howling current, descended to about 20 meters in waters that had at least 60m visibility and drifted along the back wall of this very long underwater extension of the cape. During the dive we seen a turtle and some very small reef fish, but no big fish! We were surprised to see little coral and an area that would have been half the size of a football oval completely dynamited without any life on it at all. Disappointment was setting in after our hopes of big fish and shark action. We ascended and gathered for a dive debrief and to recalculate our course of action for the following dives. The second dive was on the east side of the cape, this time much better reef life with some soft and hard corals, schooling fish at one point, and towards the end some big fish were spotted at around 40 plus meters, but little else except a screaming current.

After our first night of spaghetti Bolognese a couple of beers and a very early night, it was time to go over our plan for chumming the waters. Andrew and Jane had built this very elaborate system consisting of a bottomless plastic bucket and a metal waste paper bin lashed to the bottom of the plastic bucket with cable ties. With over P5,000 of fresh finely ground fish and large fish heads we set ourselves up to start the chumming process. We had thought that after four hours the chum we had placed would drift to a reef called Widows reef (70 plus meters deep and some 7k away) where it has been said some large tiger sharks would hunt the area. We had hoped the chum would draw these sharks to the cape, where we would be patiently waiting to see them. After an entire day of waiting and doing three dives we came to the conclusion, either we were not putting enough chum, not enough patience, or there was not tigers. In fact we had not even a small fish try and take our fish heads we had dangling over the side for hours! It was quiet an unhappy sight seeing this fish head dangling inches below the surface, and in my experience, had there been any sharks or pelagic, they would have been there for a feed.

Disappointed and exhausted, as we were after waiting for the sharks and wearing ourselves out fighting with currents during our three long dives, we decided we had had enough and retired back to the small bay to rethink our next move. We invited a local Barangay official to come and speak with us on the boat. She told us that the dynamiting and cyaniding had stopped some year and a half ago. However she also told us, as did the fishermen we talked to, confirmed the Taiwanese long liners had just finished fishing the area two week prior. With other information on the over fishing of the area and a brief explanation of what we thought would be appropriate action for her Barangay, (ruling the cape) we decided that any further dives would lead us to the same conclusion. The area needs at least three years of no fishing to bring back the fish and corals to an acceptable level where divers could be interested in diving the area. Shame as it may be, the cape has all the ingredients of an exhilarating dive area. If the sharks and fish had have been there, we would have with out any doubt said it could have been one of the Philippines premier dive destinations for big fish action, we certainly had the currents, that the fisherman can’t remove.

Setting our course back to Davao we decided to do a dive off Davao, one of the more popular dive sites called Lapot (spelling, sorry guys) a very advanced dive with again lots of current. The time of day we got there proved to be slack tide and we had almost no current, however what a fantastic dive it proved to be. Fantastic formations, sea fans and ferns with walls covered with soft corals. We did not see that much fish life, but I’m told, if there was current there would have been big fish! The fact is, the fish life we did see was everything from pigmy seahorses to fire gobies and lodes of other small reef fish, more than enough to satisfy the keen diver.

A very big thank you to Andrew and Jane for organising a wonderful exploration trip, even if it did not prove to be a great spot, it was in deed adventure and fun. Thanks to Peewee and Maeng for their company and great humour, I don’t think I have met with happier people. And not to mention the crew who took care of us and made sure everything worked and went well.

Allan Nash
PADI Course Director,
Asia Divers with El Galleon,
Puerto Galera, Philippines
Certificate IV workplace training

Tags: TRAVEL NEWS, DIVE SAFARI, DAVAO PHILIPPINES, PADI Course Director

This is the third part of a series by Lee Goldman, but before we go into details with his story, I like to thank Lee for providing us with these interesting articles.
I like to introduce also two NEW banners from two of our partners soon featured on our website and at DivePhotoGuide.com

Just click on the banners and go direct to their sites

Well, our last stop has us at one of the Alliance partners, Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center. Again we’d like to thank them both for a wonderful time. We stopped here for the rare opportunity to swim with, what else, Dugongs. While we did see one, it decided to play shy and swam away rather than being usually curious allowing guests of the resort to swim with them in their natural environment. The other major attraction here is Apo Reef, and we had one of the best days at Apo you can imagine. At first, we were concerned about the 3.5 hour banca ride in open ocean to the reef, but we had smooth as glass conditions the entire way out and back. And when I mean smooth as glass, there wasn’t so much as a ripple on the water. Dolphins jumped for us several times on our way out and upon reaching the reef, we were greeted by over 100 foot visibility and great conditions for snorkeling. Although we had a brisk current, it was just enough to allow us to see everything without the need for swimming. We just drifted over the hundreds of reef fish, including Pyramid butterflys and White-tail surgeon fish as they congregated in massive schools in the currents to feed. After a nice walk up in the lighthouse for a birds-eye view of the reef, we snorkeled the nearly current-less north reef and were treated to nice coral and plenty of reef fish. Turtles and sharks were spotted throughout the day. We returned, tired but excited at our day’s events.

Photo: © Lee Goldman - Strapweed Filefish

Overall, our first snorkeling and kayaking expedition to the Philippines was a huge success. Many might be wondering why I am so excited about snorkeling in the Philippines and perhaps even why this is being mentioned on a website that caters to divers. The obvious is that many divers are avid snorkelers, but more importantly, this trip is designed to expose divers to areas of the Philippines, especially El Nido, that they wouldn’t normally see. The whale shark portion, quite frankly, would appeal to any admirer of ocean critters as it is one of the best big animal encounters in the world. Thus, getting divers excited about this would not be hard. The main part of the trip is in El Nido, and since it is not known for it’s diving, it may be overlooked by many divers coming to the Philippines. I assure you though; it is one of the best the Philippines have to offer.

Photo: © Lee Goldman - yellowtail Coris (Coris gaimard),
juvenile phase belongs to the Wrasse family

Not only is it recognized as one of the most beautiful tropical destinations in the world (and this is Lonely Planet and Conde Nast Traveller saying this), but as a marine biologist who spent many years guiding in the Indo-Pacific, I can tell you that the snorkeling here is world class. One doesn’t need dive gear when everything is in less than 3 meters of water. There is incredible diversity and abundance of coral and plenty of rare fish in El Nido. In addition, there are juvenile fish that divers may only see as adults in the outer reef environment.
My point? If you are planning to visit the Philippines, it is more than worth your time to visit El Nido and camp, kayak, and snorkel among some of the most breathtaking scenery. Even the seasoned diver and naturalist will be amazed at the opportunities to see unique terrestrial and marine organisms.

Tags: Fish species, The DIVERS CHOICE, APO REEF, PALAWAN

dive-truklagoon.com the new domain name and website is almost completed, a bit more make up, a few more photos and text and them we are running, it is actually out there now.
Stay tuned and please remember the NEW Domain Name
dive-truklagoon.com
In the meantime feel free and check it out, as mention a few little things need to be done still but a complete list of all the wreck site is now at your fingertips not to mention the best equipped Tec diving center on the Island of Chuuk, Nitrox, Oxygen and Helium is readily available for all your technical diving…we are also very Re-breather friendly.

© Gunther Deichmann - the wrecks of Truk Lagoon

Truk Lagoon is recognized as the world’s greatest wreck diving destination and for good reason. More than 60 World War II Japanese war ships and aircraft were sunk during Operation Hailstone in February of 1944 and now rest peacefully on the floor of Truk Lagoon. All of these sunken monuments are accessible to the scuba diver – most at a depth suitable for the novice or sport diver.

© Gunther Deichmann - the wrecks of Truk lagoon

The Truk Lagoon is roughly 40 miles in diameter and encircles 14 major, populated islands. Weno Island is the Capitol Island of Chuuk State and home to the Truk Lagoon Dive Center. Our Dive Map will show that the majority of these wrecks are highly concentrated in just 3 areas – all within a few miles of each other. Travel time from the Truk Stop Hotel’s private dock to most of these wrecks is less than 20 minutes.

The Truk Lagoon Dive Center offers a two tank am or morning dive then additional one or two tank dives in the afternoon. The most commonly visited or favorite wrecks chosen by divers are:

http://www.dive-truklagoon.com/main.php

Tags: WWII WRECKS,, Lagoon DiVING, TECH DIVING,, REBREATHER,, HELIUM,, Micronesia, Dive Center, Pacific

See also Lee Goldmans other articles on this blog… now we bring you part two (2) from this amazing destination in the Philippines. Within the next few days we finish his Journey and publish part three (3), so please stay tuned or subscribed to our Blog @ http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/

© Gunther Deichmann - Nature at its best...pristine Jungle in Palawan
http://www.alliancediving.com/main.html

The main focus of the trip is the incredible area of northern Palawan; El Nido and Bacuit Bay. This is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been (and I worked in Palau, San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest, Belize…) so I have an idea what pretty is. We spent our time here snorkeling, kayaking, and camping.
While it is hard to say what activity is best in El Nido, for me snorkeling ranks up there at the top. There are over 400 species of coral in Bacuit Bay and in a recent survey lead by the world famous ichthyologist, Dr. Gerald Allen, they recorded over 800 species of fish, including several new species and records of fish. What make it so special are the gigantic islands in the bay that provide protection from potentially large ocean swells that may damage coral. Fields (and I mean fields) of staghorn coral, table corals that measure 3 meters in diameter, un-imaginable colors radiating from all types of hard and soft corals, beautiful and rare fish and all this in 1-2 meters of water! On our trip we spotted hundreds of juvenile fish with some of the guests favorites being the Humphead grouper, Zebra lionfish, Helmut Gurnard, and Javanese Damselfish. I am a coral guy, so to see such healthy and diverse coral gardens was the ultimate treat for me.
While most of the bay can be accessed boat, kayaking is the only way to see this place. Picture perfect shallow lagoons, intimate stands of mangroves, and paddling next to a 300m vertical cliff face that erupts from the water is a pretty amazing experience. We conduct our kayaking with complete boat support, so we transport the kayaks to our designated area. We had great weather; calm seas and cloudless skies. Our daily excursions were designed to go to places that not many other tour groups go and because we are camping out in the heart of the islands, we could easily time our visits between other operators.
We are also the only outfitter that provides luxury camping in Bacuit Bay. Our campsite provides large walk-in tents with mattresses, fans, lights; a dining tent with sit-down meal service; a chef (who did a fantastic job preparing 3 – 4 course breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals for us); a generator to charge batteries (and make fresh fruit shakes or margaritas); a comfort room tent and shower tent and we also had a certified masseuse there to help with folks whose muscles were in need of attention after a day of snorkeling and kayaking. Arriving at camp in time for the sunset was a great way to end the day. Of course, waking up to a beautiful morning amongst the islands was a great way to start the day as well. For those wishing to get the most they can from El Nido, our expeditions should not be missed!
Lee Goldman

Tags: NATURE, WILDERNESS, Snorkeling, Tauchen und Meer, TRAVEL NEWS, Tauch REISEN, Inselhuepfen,, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES, Island hopping,

We been notified today that the fish which has been a little mystery is now Identified by our Marine Biologist Lee Goldman, this and other interesting articles are brought to you by the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance. The Divers Choice.

The FISH Mystery is solved...


© Photo Lee Goldman - Carpet Eel Blenny Dottyback!

Hi Gunther,
the mystery is solved! I have identified the fish I photographed at Donsol. A very reclusive, cryptic fish that is not seen very often. It looks like an ell, but it's not. It looks like a blenny, but it's not. What is it? Of course, it's the Carpet Eel Blenny Dottyback! Dottyback? Aren't they the small cryptic reef fish that often have amazingly brilliant colors? Yes, that's them and this guy is the 'blacksheep' of the family. Not only is he very cryptic in their morphology, but at up to 45cm long, they are easily the largest. Well, another new one for me and happy to say that after almost 20 years of exploring the world's oceans, I can still be so easily entertained :)! ...and YOU are so right Lee

Tags: Science, Fish species, Discovery, Oceans, Environment, Rare MARINE Life, DIVING, Snorkeling, PHILIPPINES

Late News! I have picked this up from our Alliance Partner in Puerto Galera, Philippines, no other than Asia Divers with El Galleon, well done Guys.

© Gunther Deichmann - composite image
Global Warming & Save Our Planet.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Earth Day 2008 at Asia Divers! check this link http://asiadivers.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much to those who jumped in to “splash for trash” this past weekend. There was good and bad news for this year’s event. The bad was that the trash bags came back a wee bit empty; the good news was the trash bags came back a wee bit empty!! We hope this means that people are considering the environment more and throwing less into the water.
You can make a difference throughout the year by doing 2 simple things:

1) Consider your actions every day to minimize your eco footprint on our ocean planet.

2) Always inspire other divers to be responsible eco tourists.

It is our world, our water, our choice – thanks for getting involved.

Tags: Environment, Dive Center, The DIVERS CHOICE, Puerto Galera, PHILIPPINES, Earth Day

Hi Gunther,
This is Lee…Lee Goldman that is… I thought you might like this article and read about my recent experience in the Philippines...

Hi Lee, Gunther here…of course you always welcome and we are very happy to publish your real life stories, thanks Lee please keep it up, we appreciate your input very much.
See below the story which I have just received, thanks again to Lee Goldman, Marine Biologist, who always finds the time and supplying us with some interesting articles.

Who can Identify this Fish? Please help...


Photo © Lee Goldman, image taken in the Philippines

Snorkeling the Islands of Palawan. Okay, so the title sounds like we spent the entire time in Palawan, but our first 2 days of the expedition were snorkeling with Whale sharks in Donsol. Come ‘on, how can I invite guests to the Philippines and not expose them to one of the best big animal encounters a snorkeler can have!
This entry will be a quick one because how can I describe the experience? Amazing, exhilarating, sometimes exhausting. Because visibility often does not exceed 12 m, when you see a whale shark, it is an up close and personal encounter! The guides put you right near them and as they swim by, you are sometimes only a few feet from them. My guests all commented on how amazing it was that they actually had to swim away from the sharks rather than having to chase them down. Needless to say, our experience with the whale sharks in Donsol was exactly as it has always been promoted; come and swim with lots of whale sharks. We swam with no less than eight. We also had a chance to snorkel in the area. Due to proximity of the rivers, visibility was not optimal, but we didn’t miss a beat. Many varieties of fish and coral exist there and for most of my guests, new species of fish were checked off in their fish identification books. For one guest, an avid admirer of nudibranchs, a new species of Phyllidia was her treat for the day. As a guide who spent many years in the Philippines and Palau, you may think I had seen it all. No way, that’s what I love about the Philippines; new species of fish I may know but not seen, or in my case in Donsol a new species of fish I had no idea existed.
Even some of the better ichthyologists could not help me with the identification. I intend to pursue this one and will keep everyone updated as I know more. Anyone out there with a suggestion?
Lee Goldman

Our Philippine-Micronesia Alliance partner in Palawan Philippines is Club Paradise & Dugong Dive Center for all your travel arrangements and for Lee Goldman's Wilderness travel contact our partner in Manila Blue Horizons.

Tags: MARINE, Science,, Snorkeling, Kayaking, Whale shark, WILDERNESS, NATURE, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES

This report has just reached me this morning from our Alliance Partner Juergen Warnke at Club Paradise in Palawan, Philippines.

NATURE is a lot closer now....
BUSUANGA AIRPORT Palawan Philippines...

 

CLUB PARADISE, EL RIO Y MAR and the DUGONG DIVE CENTER

Busuanga Airport, landing point for CLUB PARADISE, EL RIO Y MAR and the DUGONG DIVE CENTER now has a 1500 meter concrete runway plus a 400 meter gravel extension.
 
This gives a new dimension to tourism in the islands of the Calamianes. Whereas before only 19 seater planes were able to land, Busuanga airport is now being served by the super fast 32-seater Do 28 (needs only 35 minutes to get there from Manila) and the 50 seater Dash-7.
 
Starting next week, May 17, 2008 the service of a 72 seater plane from Phil Airlines will begin daily flights. This will bring the total seat capacity per year to about 100.000 seats yearly. New hotels, lodging houses and resorts are under construction and on the planning board. Present room capacity of 400 rooms will be double within an year.                                                                   

© Gunther Deichmann - the spectacular marine life in Palawan

The Government has decided to pave the road from Coron to Busuanga Airport to modernize the road system and create more comfort for all travelers. Guests of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance and CLUB PARADISE, EL RIO Y MAR and DUGONG DIVE CENTER will get to their destination a lot faster and more comfortably now.
This will increase their time to enjoy all the exciting dive sites to see the Turtles, Dugongs, WWII Wrecks, a whole fleet was sunk in this area and of course beautiful reefs in this area.

Another great NEWS is, several Whale-sharks have been in sighted in the Coron, Palawan area, a good reason for planning your next trip to PALAWAN...the Philippines best kept secret...NATURE at its best.
 

© Gunther Deichmann - the WWII Wrecks of Palawan


© Gunther Deichmann - the WWII Wrecks of Palawan

Tags: DUGONGS,, Dive Center, WWII WRECKS,, Conservation, Wreck Diving,, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES, NATURE, Inselhuepfen,, Island hopping,

Just arrived on my desk posted by palautours.com blog

Late breaking NEWS from PALAU Micronesia!
...brought to you by palautours.com

Ban on live fish export becomes law in Palau Micronesia a step in the right direction to preserve Palau's natural environment and unique Bio-diversity.

See below excerps from a News Paper article by the
Horizon News Staff

With a stroke of his pen, president Tommy Remengesau, Jr. has put a stop to the export of live reef fish yesterday in Bai Mengeliakl,
Ngarchelong. Remengesau signed into law the Senate Bill.
President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. makes it clear, the significance of stopping the exportation of live reef fish yesterday.

Tags: Conservation, PALAU, NATURE, Protect, Environment

This blog was posted on the Palautours.com site, we like to share this with you since we are so close to each other... The Philippines & Micronesia.
Before you make all our travel arrangements check it out...why not stop over in the Philippines for a few extra days and Dive some of the best Bio diversity in
the world. Plan your trip as a combination Philippines - Micronesia then you have the very best of both worlds.
Think about it.

PalauTours.com Now... Welcome to Micronesia!
The colors of the Pacific...
(FSM - The Federated States of Micronesia)


Chuuk (Truk Lagoon) - Yap - Kosrae & Pohnpei
Click the image or the link below
http://www.palautours.com/micronesia.html

As promised... we have just updated the
palautours.com site changes and NEW additions are as follow;
Micronesia section is updated see the screenshot on this blog - a Palau and Regional map has been added -
in the Photo Gallery we have now provided caption on all the images for easy identification - Getting here is
been updated - some pages have additional text - plus we have changed some photos in various categories.
More to come by this weekend and an incredible update is in progress for the Dive sites of Palau, we will feature
most of the dive sites and not only the popular ones, a big undertaking but I am sure you enjoy it once that is done.
We try very hard to have our first listings up also by Sunday, please stay tuned or start subscribing.
Your Palau Tours Team

Tags: The DIVERS CHOICE, Tauch REISEN, TRAVEL NEWS, DIVING, PHILIPPINES, Dive MANTAS, Micronesia, PALAU, REISEN, URLAUB, Inselhuepfen,, Island hopping,

I have just picked up this Blog Post from the PalauTours Blog @ http://www.palautours.com
a very interesting NEW site which promise to be a huge source of information, I guess they still sorting out some issues but from what I have seen so far WOW.
If this site goes the way it looks already then what else do you need for your information on Palau and Micronesia.
The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance is keeping an eye on this one and we try to link up with them sooner than later.
Have a good browse, even it is not quiet finished but it is certainly very impressive.
GD


PALAUTOURS.COM
Your Tour Guide to Palau and Micronesia



© Gunther Deichmann - Kayaks in the Rock Islands, Palau
click the image and go to our Gallery @
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html

PALAUTOURS.COM is a unique and very informative site for
all Your requirements before traveling to Palau in Micronesia.

The site is fully up and running but we have to fix some minor glitches
and add some more exciting pages for you.
By this coming weekend we should have everything just about in place.

The interesting part is, not only Palau will be represented but we include
islands like Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae in due time.
Just stay tuned or subscribe to our RSS feed for the latest developments.

With these addition we bring you a lot closer to this amazing part of the world, You dont get any closer to Nature...above and below the waves.

To some extend these islands are still unexplored in parts hence the recent discovery of some unusual inhabitants (see our last blog) the scientist are still debating who and where these small people came from. PalauTours.com is trying to keep you well informed from this part of the World, not only on leisure activities, but news on Marine life, Science projects, discoveries and of course environmental related issues. If you have any interesting stories please dont hold back, send it to us, we love to publish it.



© Gunther Deichmann - Hotel, Resorts, Restaurant and Bar
Guide/Information
on Palau...click the image and go to Palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html



© Gunther Deichmann - Duty Free & Retail stores, Tour Operators
Government offices, Conservation & Medical services
plus a lot more...click the image and go to Palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html



© Gunther Deichmann - the World famous Blue Hole and
Blue Corner, Palau, plus many more different dive sites in our
Dive section including Dive Centers & Dive Resorts...
click the image and go to Palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html

We like YOU to use Palau Tours as your Resort, Hotel, Restaurant, Dive & Tour guide... YOU be amazed how beautiful this part of the world really is.
The Editor

Tags: Dive Center, DIVING, NATURE, Discover PALAU, PHILIPPINES, Puerto Galera, Exploring, Micronesia, Boracay, TRAVEL NEWS, Digital, Underwater Photography, Tauch REISEN, CRITTERS, Tauchen und Meer, Tauchen, UNTERWASSER

The NEW TRUK STOP HOTEL & TRUK LAGGON DIVE CENTER'S WEB site is almost completed, soon you can explore the wreck sites and facilities on the Net at the fullest. Discover the amazing Wrecks with our partner Truk Lagoon Dive Center... Your expert on wrecks and all technical diving in Chuuk Micronesia the only place on the island with a permanent supply of HELIUM...you just have to bring your Re-Breather we take care of the rest.
See below some excerpts from their new HOME PAGE...
GD

Part of the NEW HOME page...click on the image and go direct to Truk Lagoon Dive Center
http://www.dive-truklagoon.com/main.php

The Truk Stop Hotel & Dive Center is a PADI Resort Facility offering great accommodations plus an excellent, full service dive center for both the recreational and technical diver.
Truk Stop Hotel inventory of rooms include 2 apartments, 4 suites, 6 deluxe ocean view rooms, and 10 standard rooms. The apartments are air conditioned and fully furnished with kitchenette. All suites and rooms are air conditioned, have a balcony, private bath and furnished with a refrigerator plus TV/DVD player.

LOCAL TIME: 03:20:58 pm | May. 05, 2008

The Truk Lagoon Dive Center offers up to 4 dives a day (wreck, reef, shark, night), and our private dock, dive lockers, rinse tanks and shower make diving with us easy and convenient. We have Bauer Compressors and use a Haskel Pump for blending Nitrox and Trimix, and our expatriate PADI certified professional dive staffs take care of the technical and recreational diver with equal care and consideration.

Our Hotel Restaurant serves international, western style and local food daily from 6:00am till 10:00pm and offers inside dining in air conditioned, smoke free comfort or outside on our patio right next to the world famous Truk Lagoon. Enjoy our Wi-Fi broadband internet connection in the restaurant or on the patio – for FREE!

© Gunther Deichmann - the view from your room Balcony at night.
http://www.dive-truklagoon.com/main.php

The Hard Wreck Café & Bar is the favorite hangout for resident expatriates, the traveling businessman, island visitors and local residents and is the place to enjoy a friendly game of pool, your favorite beverage, karaoke with friends, or just rest up for your next dive or business meeting.
Other services available through the hotel include a relaxing, stress busting massage at The Body Shop, fresh breads, cakes and desserts from our Bakery, handicrafts & souvenirs from our Gift Shop, u-drives from our Car Rental fleet, and business services at our well equipped Conference Facilities.

Tags: TRUK LAGOON,, WWII WRECKS,, CHUUK MICRONESIA,, NITROX, OXYGEN, TRIMIX, Tauchen,, Lungenautomat,, TECH DIVING,, Wreck Diving,, HELIUM,, REBREATHER,, TEC DIVING,

DUGONGS at THE HOUSE REEF ...

CLUB PARADISE PALAWAN.


© Courtesy of Dugong Dive Center in Palawan, Philippines
click the image or the link below to visit the website @
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/

I have just received this report from Dirk Fahrenbach, yes three (3) DUGONGS right at the House reef at Club Paradise grazing the seaweed bed.
This is the only place in the Philippines where you can observe these amazing and gentle creatures in the wild, the area is well protected by a conservation Park.

Another article but not related to our Dugong sighting is that of a Auction where some fossilized Dinosaurs dung has been sold for some US$ 1000.00 very interesting reading...
GD

Dino dung snapped up at auction

Jurassic-era coprolite, or fossilised dinosaur dung

Two pieces of dinosaur dung have been sold at auction for $960 (Ł486) at an auction house in New York.
The fossilised dung, which resembles rock on the outside, and a colourful mineral inside, is 130 million years old, from the Jurassic period.
Auctioneers Bonhams of New York said it sold for twice the expected price.

The buyer is reported to be Steve Tsengas, the 71-year-old owner of a company that sells products to treat pet animal waste in Ohio.

Marketing tool... for the full story click the link below...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7377982.stm

Tags: Unerwater, DIVING,SCUBA DIVING, Science,, DUGONGS,, PHILIPPINES,, NATURE,, Island hopping,, Dive Center,, PALAWAN, HOUSE REEF,, Tauchen,, Exploring,, Inselhuepfen,

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!



To go to the Center click on the image
The Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art: ACCEA
" NPAK" in Armenian acronymis an alternative center for avant-garde
and modern art in Yerevan, Armenia

We have to take care of our PLANET and the ENVIRONMENT otherwise there be nothing left for our Children…
we all need to contribute & STOP Global Warming.

Some of Gunther Deichmann's images have been recently part of an international Exhibition in Armenia...for more detailed information some links below… many other international Photographers have contributed images for the Exhibition and environmental awareness, for a complete list of all the participants and sponsors including the WWF World Wildlife Fund in Armenia go to the provided links below…
I am happy and proud to have been part of this Exhibition in providing images creating awareness for our fragile environment.

Click on the image above and view the Exhibition
with images and slide shows from all
the international participants.

The image above was taken in Palau Micronesia it was used as the Cover
for the official Exhibition Booklet, for other environmental related images
by Gunther Deichmann click the link below:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/environment.html



WHY BURNING MY HOME...THINK!
Slide show of the images from the Exhibition by Gunther Deichmann
click on the link or image above.
http://www.davosstudio.com/Exhibition/Participants/Gunther%20Deichmann/

Tags: MARINE, WILDERNESS, DIVING

A real NATURE ADVENTURE through PALAWAN in the PHILIPPINES & beyond...
from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.

PHOTO: © Lee Goldman - Palawan at its very best...the camp site.
I wish I could be there...

Today another lad strolled into the office & not just anybody…my good friend and soon a new Alliance Partner Lee Goldman Marine Biologist and Expedition Leader of a great new Tour in Palawan Philippines.
Supported by Wilderness Travel and our partner in Manila Blue Horizons, Dugong Dive Center and Club Paradise in Palawan…the last frontier in the Philippines with spectacular limestone cliffs equal to Palau and Thailand.

Lee’s Expedition was also named as one of the
Best Adventure Trips 2008

A Masked Ball in the Philippines
http://www.concierge.com/ideas/

There be a lot more in the near future, you just have to stay tuned or subscribe to our blog…
A lot of exciting things are on the way…see below some of Lee’s Photos and text from his recent trip in April 2008, just completed…very cool and amazing…YOU should join him on his next trip and experience the Philippines like no other has done before…sounds familiar yes… STARTREK…but hurry bookings have to be made well in advance.
Gunther Deichmann

PHOTO: © Lee Goldman - "Alien Lights?" No Palawan!
Exploring Palawan by Kayak & in the evening
there is fine dining... under the stars.

Hi Gunther,

The first PHILIPPINES Expedition for WILDERNESS TRAVEL is in the books and as I have done in previous blogs I want to thank some of the Philippine-Micronesian Alliance partners, Dirk Fahrenbach at Dugong Dive Center at Club Paradise and Blue Horizon Travel for their help in making it a successful tour. The highlights? How about Whale sharks, fantastic snorkeling among fields of colorful corals and abundant fish, Apo Reef National Park, and great weather! The super-highlight? KAYAKING and LUXURY CAMPING in the middle of some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet; the limestone cliffs of El Nido, Palawan. Of course, our 5-star chef at camp helped in areas all marine enthusiasts are familiar with: growling stomachs at the end of a full day of fun…& there be a lot more very soon… this is only an appetizer.
Lee Goldman

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Like an ALIEN from a different WORLD...very cool…the image below is nothing in comparison from what this article has in store for you… Thanks to Walter Ty again.

Monster warning to protect oceans... about twice the size of a London Bus...& be careful when diving in NEW ZEALAND...YOU never know.

The landing of a colossal squid by New Zealand fishermen earlier this year offered a rare glimpse into the mysterious world deep beneath the waves. Scientist Mark Norman uses this week's Green Room to argue that it also shows how marine life is being destroyed before it is understood.

You be amazed to see this one…WOW!

© Gunther Deichmann - just like Aliens...
Squid under a Boat in Micronesia,
for more images from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance
destinations click on the Image above or this link.
http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/page2/page2.html

Colossal squid comes out of ice…
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent
Courtesy of the BBC

Colossal squid. Image: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
( go to the link below and view the image)
Dr Kubodera examines the eye of the smaller, partial colossal squid specimen
Technicians in New Zealand have begun to thaw a rare colossal squid specimen.

The operation to defrost the 10-metre (34 feet) long, half-tonne squid began on Monday afternoon in Wellington following a postponement of 24 hours.
The animal is now sitting in a bath of salt water. Once it is thawed, scientists will begin to dissect it.

Very little is known about colossal squid, which appear to live largely in the cold Antarctic waters and can grow up to 15 metres (50 feet) long.
"They're incredibly rare - this is probably one of maybe six specimens ever brought up," said Carol Diebel, director of natural environment at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa centre.

"It's certainly the one that we're being really careful about, completely intact and in really fantastic condition."
The Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni specimen was caught in February 2007 in the Ross Sea.

Big unknown

The colossal squid is remarkable for its size, but also for how rarely it has been sighted.
It was identified first in 1925 from two tentacles found in a sperm whale's stomach…
You have to read on...more images and text @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7367774.stm

Welcome back Dirk Fahrenbach… the lad just strolled into the office 5 minutes ago with some photos and information from the ADEX Dive Show in Singapore.
Great to see Dirk again even I am fighting a hangover from my Birthday Party at the German Club last night. Some of Dirk’s photos below…Oh boy… Dirk, you missed a great evening…
with the great and ever so cool Jazz Band "Johnny Alegre - AFFINITY"

Photo: © Hermes Singson - Juergen Warnke
from Club Paradise and the President of the German Club
introduces Johnny Alegre and band.

Now back to ADEX and Dirk; Allan Nash and Tommy from Asia Divers with El Galleon attended the show at the Philippine Department of Tourism Booth…Wow Philippines. According to Dirk the ADEX show was the very best he had attended compared to previous years, getting many requests for diving with Dugongs and on the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.
Jason Heller from Dive Photo Guide strolled around and Michael AW made his presents felt with a presentation for the up coming Celebrate the Sea Festival.

Our Philippine-Micronesia Alliance partners Dirk Fahrenbach from Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center
in Palawan with Allan Nash from Asia Divers with El Galleon Beach Resort in Puerto Galera Philippines...
posing with the Alliance brochure at the WOW Philippines Booth in Singapore 2008.



The WOW Philippine Booth at
ADEX DIVE SHOW Singapore 2008




Presentation on the Celebrate the Seas Festival
soon to be held in Manila at ADEX Singapore 2008

You have to forgive me today for not writing to much, I am still suffering a bit, but don’t worry more to come in the next few days including an article of some exciting new developments in Palawan…I guess you just have to stay tuned or subscribe to our Blog.
GD

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

My very special thanks go to Walter Ty for bringing this to my attention…
Sorry no Photos today but if you go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/
edinburgh_and_east/7360770.stm
There you find a cool Pod cast and a photo of this amazing little fish from the Amazon, discovery been made everyday and we are learning so much about our environment except how to take care of it…lets start now.
GD


No sex for all-girl fish species
Amazon Molly (Credit: Dunja K Lamatsch)
Courtesy of BBC

A fish species, which is all female, has survived for 70,000 years without reproducing sexually, experts believe.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh think the Amazon Molly may be employing special genetic survival "tricks" to avoid becoming extinct.

The species, found in Texas and Mexico, interacts with males of other species to trigger its reproduction process.
The offspring are clones of their mother and do not inherit any of the male's DNA.

Typically, when creatures reproduce asexually, harmful changes creep into their genes over many generations.
The species will eventually have problems reproducing and can often fall victim to extinction.

Scientists at Edinburgh University have been studying complex mathematical models on a highly powerful computing system to look at the case of the Amazon Molly.
Researchers calculated the time to extinction for the fish based on modelling genetic changes over many thousands of generations.

They are now able to say conclusively, for the first time, the fish ought to have become extinct within the past 70,000 years, based on the current simple models.
Scientists believe the fish, which are still thriving in rivers in south-east Texas and north-east Mexico, are using special genetic survival "tricks" to help them stay alive.

One theory is that the fish may occasionally be taking some of the DNA from the males that trigger reproduction, in order to refresh their gene pool.

Species tricks

Dr Laurence Loewe, of the university's School of Biological Sciences, said: "What we have shown now is that this fish really has something special going on and that some special tricks exist to help this fish survive.
"Maybe there is still occasional sex with strangers that keeps the species alive. Future research may give us some answers."
He added that their findings could also help them understand more about how other creatures operate.
"I think one of the interesting things is that we are learning more about how other species might use these tricks as well," he said.

"It might have a more general importance."
The Edinburgh-led study was carried out in collaboration with Dr Dunja Lamatsch at the University of Wuerzburg, now at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The research is published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.
More info and Photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/
edinburgh_and_east/7360770.stm



Species loss 'bad for our health'
The physiology of bears could lead to a better understanding of some diseases

A new generation of medical treatments could be lost forever unless the current rate of biodiversity loss is reversed, conservationists have warned.
They say species are being lost before researchers have had the chance to examine and understand their potential health benefits.
The findings appear in Sustaining Life, a book involving more than 100 experts.

It is being published ahead of a global summit in May that will look at ways to stem biodiversity loss by 2010.
"While extinction is alarming in its own right, the book demonstrates that many species can help human lives," said co-author Jeffrey McNeely, chief scientist at IUCN (formerly known as the World Conservation Union).


Societies depend on nature for treating diseases
Achim Steiner,
Unep executive director

"If we needed more justification for action to conserve species, it offers dozens of dramatic examples of both why and how citizens can act in ways that will conserve, rather than destroy, the species that enrich our lives."

Killing the cure
One creature whose potential benefits have been lost to science is the southern gastric brooding frog (Rheobatrachus silus), say the authors…more info and Photos at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7361539.stm

Walter Ty has done it again...thanks so much...from what I have heard the spawning is over...you lucky divers who had been in Palau during this time. Maybe the visibility was not so great to see all the other marine life...but then the coral spawning is something not to be missed...natures gift to man and a reminder that we have to take care of our environment...ironically the month of April is suppose to be the green month...I guess Palau has both, above it is green and below during the spawning it is all pink.
What a contrast!
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - Is this what it looked like in Palau???
For some real images go to the link provided below...
this is only an artist impression.

The annual mass spawning of corals on the Palau archipelago in the western Pacific has occurred right on cue. With Sunday night's full moon, coral polyps let forth a huge swathe of sperm and egg, to seed the next generation.

The event was short-lived - only about 30 minutes - but so vast in its scale that it turned the sea water pink. Scientists from Palau, Australia and the UK are studying the practicality of collecting coral larvae to help restore damaged reefs elsewhere.

See what a mass spawning at Palau looks like (Reefvid.org)
As we got into the boat for our trip to Luke's reef, I admit I was not really expecting to see the mass spawning on the exact night of the full Moon. All the visiting scientists here thought it was more likely the reproductive extravaganza would happen the next evening or the following one - based on what had happened the last two years. The only person who seemed sure it would happen on cue was Steven Victor, the Palauan director of the Palau International Coral Reef Center. Local knowledge was spot on, as it turned out.
Almost as soon as the boat engine switched off, we got a sense that something might be brewing... you have to see and read the whole story...and images
@ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7358423.stm

Again I have received this amazing and very cool information from our silent… well not so silent anymore friend Walter Ty…thanks Walter...read this amazing event just about to happen at one of our partners front door…Sam’s Tours in Palau Micronesia…catching corals…I wish I could be there…but if you get a chance to witness this amazing spectacle please let me know, tell us about your experience and if you have any photos please send us one or two, of course we give you all the credit for it.
You could do this right from Sam’s Tours Digital Photo Center, Wi-Fi connected with all the latest software on their iMacs including Aperture; a medium resolution jpg will do just fine, thanks.

Book your trip with our partner Blue Horizons to witness this spectacular event...but hurry it is very soon, Blue Horizons is a specialist for all your travel in the Philippines and Micronesia.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - a Turtle is cruising over
the reef in Palau Micronesia

Catching corals' spectacular moment
Courtesy of BBC
By Andrew Luck-Baker
BBC Radio 4, Palau

Luke's reef (BBC)
Luke's reef: Reared larvae will come here once they are ready to settle
The coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific are at the brink of one of the most spectacular and significant nights in their annual life cycle.
By the light of April's full moon on Sunday or, quite likely a night or two after, corals will be mating en masse.

Click the image above and go to Sam's Tours in Palau

Along the length of the island archipelago that makes up the Republic of Palau, millions of coral colonies will simultaneously release billion upon billion of eggs and sperm into the dark waters.
An hour or so after sunset, each spawning coral will discharge showers of sex cells, packaged in orange and pink blobs.
They will rise to the surface in such huge numbers that they may form oily slicks metres long.
If the sea conditions are right, spawn slicks can coalesce to be large enough to be visible from space.

Depressing need
Once on the surface, the packages burst open, liberating eggs and sperm for fertilisation.
Countless free-swimming coral larvae then develop and three or four days later, a few will have survived long enough to make it to the sea bed.

There they attach to a suitable hard surface and develop into single baby coral polyps. The next generation of corals on the reefs will be launched.
A team of marine biologists from Australia, Britain and the Philippines has come to Palau to take advantage of this wonder of nature in the cause of coral reef restoration.
The scientists are here to investigate the potential of an experimental technique known as coral seeding - in other words, collecting some of the spawn from mass mating events and using it to promote the growth of new corals on reefs in need of rescue.
The reefs around Palau are in good shape but elsewhere throughout the tropical world, many coral ecosystems are in a parlous state.

Plenty spare
Pollution, over-fishing and coral bleaching events, which are caused by marine heat waves, have reduced the amount of coral to the point where these naturally bio-diverse habitats are at varying degrees of degradation.
Many are nearing ecological collapse - some have gone forever, already.

Collection of Acropora corals (BBC)
Acropora is an important reef-builder and is common here

However, many reefs might be salvageable if they are first protected from pollution and overexploitation, and then are seeded with some surplus spawn from more vibrant reefs.
Most of the eggs and larvae from a mass spawning event are eaten or die before they get an anchor hold on the sea bed, so there is plenty of spawn to share around.
In the coming experiment on Palau, the scientists will not be using coral spawn produced on the open reefs.
Partly for practical reasons, they will harvest their spawn under more controllable conditions at the laboratory of the Palau International Coral Reef Center.

In the lab
On Saturday, I joined them on a trip to collect 10 dinner-plate-sized coral colonies from Luke's reef about 20 minutes speed-boat-ride from the Reef Center.
James Guest, from the University of Newcastle, UK, and Maria Vanessa Baria from the University of the Philippines dived to the sea bed, armed with hammers and chisels.

They were after a particular species of branching coral which forms large tables or shelves as it grows. It is this type which is one of the most abundant and most important reef builders.
It takes a few taps at the stony stalk base of each colony to break them free. Waiting on the boat to receive the corals was Andrew Heyward of the Australian Institute for Marine Science - one of the first biologists to describe the phenomenon of coral mass spawning in the 1980s.
The colonies were put straight into tubs of sea water, and once the tenth was on board, we headed back at a high rate of knots to the Reef Center.
Back at the Center, the coral were transferred with speed to larger tanks, filled with constantly refreshed seawater.

Setting up home
Now there's a lull before the spawn. The main event could happen Sunday or Monday or Tuesday night (Palau time). And some species will synchronously spawn the day after others.
When the captive corals in the lab release their eggs and sperm, the contained spawn will be transferred to children's paddling pools floating in the sea next to the lab.

Putting corals in a lab tank (BBC)
The spawning for these corals will occur in laboratory tanks

Over the following few days, the researchers will check the developing larvae to see how many are mature enough to settle down and become fixed baby coral polyps.
When sufficient numbers are good to go, the team will take the batch of larvae back to the reef and pump them over areas of potential colonisation.
The new homes for the larvae are artificial reef balls placed there specially for the purpose. They are domes of limestone concrete about a one metre wide and high.

Before the larva can be introduced, the reef balls will have to be covered so the larvae don't just float away.

Big question

So the team will dive the five metres to the sea bed and erect two-man camping tents made of fine mesh over each artificial reef structure.
The baby corals will travel from the boat through the zipped door of the tent via a hose pipe. Andrew Heyward says the aim of this experiment is to be "low tech or no tech".

He feels this approach is vital if the technique of coral seeding is ever to be used on any scale in developing countries.

Making up a coral nursery (BBC)
The approach has to be low-tech to succeed, the scientists believe
Twenty-four-hours later, the team will check to see how many of their "seeds" have settled by removing small tiles they've placed on the reef balls. They will do that again in a few months and after a year.

Each time they will compare the number of young corals with those on tiles from control balls which would have been settled by larvae born in the mass spawning on the reef.
Andrew Heyward points out that loading the dice in the larvae's favour before they settle is only part of the issue over whether coral seeding will work to restore reefs.
"If you boost the number of larval corals settling on a coral reef, so what? Does it make any difference to the longer term compared to an area where you did nothing?"
The answer will emerge in the next 12 months following this week's frenzy of mass reproduction on the reefs of Palau.

For the photos and the story go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7357121.stm

Hot of the phone... only minutes ago I talked to Dirk Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center in Palawan who is attending the ADEX show in Singapore other Alliance partners attending the show are Asia Divers from Puerto Galera with Allan Nash, according to Dirk the show is well represented with old friends like Jason Heller from Dive Photo Guide and many others...for sure I am getting some images in the next few days with a detailed report. Just stay tuned or subscribe.
GD

See below the latest NEWS from Fins Magazine...
MacDive Matchmaker

This information has been provided by Fins Magazine... click the link above for more information...

Saturday, 19th April 2008, 12:48 pm by FiNS Team

Realising that his beloved Suunto D9 and Mac computer were having communication issues, Singapore-based Kiwi Nick Shore created MacDive, a free application to help the two get along.
Nick says: “There wasn’t an application that had the functionality I wanted or the look and feel of a Mac application, and I thought it would be easiest to just start from scratch and make the exact app I wanted. Plus, this way I could make it free. I worked on MacDive in my spare time after work. It’s been a real labour of love. I know there are many divers who are also Mac users and who, like me, have been frustrated with the lack of options available for Macs. I hope MacDive will help make them happy.”
While developing MacDive, a number of divers in Singapore loaned him their Suuntos for testing. As a result, the application is currently compatible with the D9, D6, D3, Cobra, Cobra 2, Vyper, Vyper 2, Gekko, Vytec and Mosquito.
Nick plans to continue developing MacDive, adding support for more dive computer brands as well as additional functionality, and he’s keen to receive user feedback on where to take the application next.
At the same time, Nick is working on a project with two programmers and divers from Belgium and Canada to make it easier to develop applications for the majority of dive computers on the market.”First things first, though. I’ve got to get in the water and do some testing of my own!”
MacDive is available for free download at: http://thedoorisajar.org/macdive

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Dont know what I do without Walter Ty sometimes, he keep pointing me in the right direction...a coincident? Related? I guess sort of but then who likes to dive the waters of the Thames? The good news is... there is life even in this part of the world underwater, read this amazing story below.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - Spiny sea horse from
Puerto Galera Philippines

You might remember one of my earlier blogs on Sea horses from Asia Divers in Puerto Galera Philippines, see below or read the whole story in our archives under:
Did You Know?

Asia Divers & El Galleon in Puerto Galera Philippines, you might not witness the courtship behavior of the Sea Horse during your dive...but mark my words...
if you like these little critters then Asia Divers in Puerto Galera is the place.
I have been diving for many years there and you have to be "blind" not to came across them in the Sebang area, do yourself a favor, next time you dive with Asia Divers ask your dive guide to bring you up close with these amazing sea creatures in Sebang Bay...you want be disappointed. Hey, dont forget your underwater camera...you never know you might get lucky and see the courtship of this amazing critter.
Asia Divers is a member of the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance...
The Divers Choice.

Rare seahorses breeding in Thames
Short-snouted seahorse
Courtesy of the BBC

The short-snouted seahorses have been found at three locations.

Colonies of rare seahorses are living and breeding in the River Thames, conservationists have revealed.
The short-snouted variety are endangered and normally live around the Canary Islands and Italy.
Experts at London Zoo said the species had been found at Dagenham in east London and Tilbury and Southend in Essex, over the last 18 months.

The revelation coincided with new laws which came into force on Sunday to give the creatures protected status. The seahorses, or Hippocampus hippocampus, are now protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

They are usually found in shallow muddy waters, estuaries or seagrass beds and conservationists said their presence in the Thames is another good sign that the water quality of the river was improving.

Monitoring work
Alison Shaw, from London Zoo, said: "These amazing creatures have been found in the Thames on a number of occasions in the last 18 months during our regular wildlife monitoring work. "It demonstrates that the Thames is becoming a sustainable bio-diverse habitat for aquatic life. "It is not clear how endangered short-snouted seahorses are because there is little data known, particularly in the UK, so every scrap of information is valuable.

"Now they are protected conservationists are more relaxed about telling the world they are there." Both the short-snouted and long-snouted sea-horse are kept and bred in the aquarium at London Zoo in Regents Park. Aquarists are studying their life history and behavior so their wild habitats and requirements can be protected.

For more detailed info and photos go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7333980.stm

Late News... just received this press release from Dermot Keane Sam's Tours Palau Micronesia...please read below
the article in the online Scuba Diving Magazine...Bottom Time.

GD

Click on the image and go direct to
the Digital Photo Center

ALL - NEW DIGITAL PHOTO CENTER AT SAM'S TOURS IN PALAU

Sam's Tours' all new Digital Photo Center is fully equipped to cater to digital photographers of all interest levels, from those with handy point-and-shoot cameras to the most demanding digital photographers shooting in RAW format. Their six top-of-the-line Apple iMac workstations are loaded with terabytes and terabytes of storage, archiving and secure data backup systems, lots of RAM, and completely optimized for digital imaging with Apple Aperture 2 image management software, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Bridge, Toast, and topped off with DSL Wi-Fi internet access. No other photo center in Palau comes near!

Plus, you can rent new Canon SD850 Digital Cameras and Canon ZR830 Digital Minicams with underwater housings. Other camera-friendly improvements include an expanded "dry zone" for Camera Preparation and Charging and a new Camera Drying Station complete with towels and compressed air for post-rinsing camera care.

We dont like to talk always about diving and how great our destinations are ...No... we like you to be informed about our fragile environment and the latest NEWS... as a matter of fact keeping you in touch with the latest science and new discoveries is very important to us. We do care... a lot!
A big thanks' to Walter Ty for bringing this to my attention.


DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!


To watch this amazing video click the image

About 40 million years ago, when the Earth looked dramatically different to how it does today, a tiny arachnid was crawling around in the Baltic.
But the little bug was soon to meet a sticky demise. As it crept up a tree trunk, it encountered a blob of tree resin and its spindly legs rapidly became stuck-fast in the gluey trap.
Fast-forward a few thousand Millennia and the creature still sits in the same pose, preserved in a small lump of amber.
However, its location is now rather different from the prehistoric forest floor where it once roamed.

Terry Collingwood
I noticed something was in there hiding beneath a layer - it looked like a leg
Terry Collingwood

It can now found within the vaults of London's Natural History Museum - taking pride of place as the latest donation in the museum's palaeontology collection.
"You can just spend hours and hours looking at amber," said Terry Collingwood, who discovered the amber-encased creature.
The Rochester-based fossil collector had bought a batch of amber on an online auction site before noticing, on closer inspection, that one of the pieces looked a little unusual.

"I spent a long time looking at this piece and then I noticed something was in there hiding beneath a layer - it looked like a leg.
"So I started to work on the piece, polishing it and working to get those layers off.
"And then I eventually saw it - I realised straightaway that it was something special."

Stuck fast

He sent the mysterious creature off to the Natural History Museum to be checked out.

"When we looked at the amber under the microscope we could see it was a harvestman," said Dr Andrew Ross, collection manager of fossil invertebrates and plants.

Harvestmen belong to the arachnid class.

At first glance, with their eight legs, they look similar to spiders. But, while spiders' heads and abdomens are segmented, harvestmen's bodies and heads are fused together. They also lack silk glands - making spinning webs impossible.


Amber with arachnid (NHM)
Usually some of the legs will snap off as the insects try to escape the sticky resin, but this one must have got stuck fast
Dr Andrew Ross, Natural History Museum

Closer examination revealed that the specimen was rare, a species called Dicranopalpus ramiger, which is now extinct.

"This one is quite a young spider", explained Dr Ross. "Its body is the size of a pinhead and its legs are about 6mm long.

"But what is really interesting is that all of its legs are still intact - usually some of the legs will snap off as the insects try to escape the sticky resin, but this one must have got stuck fast."

Dr Ross said that fossil finds like this recent donation from Mr Collingwood were extremely important.
He said: "They are a record of something that lived millions and millions of years ago.
"Amber is particularly special. It preserves some of the smaller animals that you don't get preserved in rock.

"It gives us a fantastic insight into lots of prehistoric insects."
Mr Collingwood added: "I just love insects in amber. Knowing something is going to be at the Natural History Museum is just wonderful."

Check out this incredible video & click this link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7327038.stm

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Sharks could protect us from Typhoons and other bad storms…real amazing stuff from a researcher…and thanks again to Walter Ty for bringing this to my attention...
Super interesting article and one more reason why we should take care of our sharks and environment.
GD

STOP the killing of our Sharks,
slurping of this tasteless soup must STOP!

"They could protect us from disaster."

© Gunther Deichmann - a storm over the Pacific...
...can sharks give us some warning signs?

Sharks 'may predict the storms'
Lauren Smith Courtesy of the BBC

Lauren Smith studied dogfish, a type of small shark Sharks could be used to predict storms following research by a marine biology student.

Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her PhD studies into the pressure-sensing abilities of sharks.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists in future could monitor the behavior of sharks to anticipate severe weather fronts.
Research was partly carried out in an altitude chamber at the National Hyperbaric Centre in Aberdeen.
Miss Smith, originally from West Bromwich, had previously investigated the behavior of lemon sharks in the Bahamas. She then used their near relations, the lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University's altitude chamber at the National Hyperbaric Centre.

© Gunther Deichmann, Shark and Photographer,
that is how it should be...

Who can say if this could lead to sharks predicting weather fronts... but it certainly opens the way to more research, Lauren Smith. It is thought her work is the first of its kind to attempt to test the pressure theory.
It was prompted by an earlier shark habitat study in Florida, which coincided with the arrival of Hurricane Gabrielle in 2001, when observations suggested that juvenile blacktop sharks moved into deeper water in association with the approaching storm.

Miss Smith said: "I've always been keen on traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.
"I was delighted to have been able to explore this area for my PhD, particularly as it's the first time it's really been explored fully.
"How many other students get the chance to put a shark in a chamber to study its behavior?
"Who can say if this could lead to sharks predicting weather fronts, there's so much more we need to understand. But it certainly opens the way to more research."

The chamber's changes in pressure mimic the pressure changes experienced in and around the ocean, caused by weather fronts, and the protocol was approved by the Home Office.

Sharks were found to head for deeper water ahead of bad weather.
Miss Smith, who completed her first degree in marine biology and coastal ecology at Plymouth University, studied shark behavior in the wild at the Bimini Biological Field Station in the Bahamas.
It has been established that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
Work at the Bimini Shark Lab enabled her to observe shark behavior by placing data-logging tags to record pressure and temperature on juvenile lemon sharks, while also tracking them using acoustic tags and GPS technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal and temperature changes on dogfish, none of which were harmed, in the aquarium.

She also tested the pressure theory by recreating weather conditions at the chamber at the National Hyperbaric Centre.
She is due to complete her PhD and prepare papers for publication later this year and will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to expand her experience of shark research.

David Smith, of the National Hyperbaric Centre, described the student's research as "ground-breaking".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7311847.stm

The weird and wonderful… amazing things happen on our planet… courtships and rock an’ roll…

The courtship of the sea horses and now the Dolphins continuous…

I thought Valentines day was over…I guess not, here I am getting articles from Asia Divers in Puerto Galera and now a very interesting story from our silent supporter Walter Ty, thanks Walter we all appreciate your input.

The last blog has been on the mating and courtship of the sea horses…now we have some real weird ones from the Amazon river dolphin's courtship, some how all during the month of March… enjoy this cool story. Wave some branches at your girlfriend, and you be alright… maybe.

My blog is going to be a bit thin in the next two weeks, I am off to India for Apple, it is the World Tour of Aperture 2, my part is the intro into this sure amazing software in Mumbai.

Now enjoy the story…courtship about Dolphins…this is really wired stuff…
Amazing how much we learn everyday about our precious environment…lets keep our planet in one piece and green!!!
I have to sign off now, I am listening to Wishbone Ash…not Nash… sorry folks…to cool to miss… right Allan…who is Allan… you better check out the Point Bar in Puerto Galera you might run into him…they play the coolest music on the beach. The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance The Divers Choice.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - aerial over the Puerto Galera area
with the Point Bar, Asia Diver & El Galleon, red circle.

Now to our main story...Dolphin woos with wood and grass
Courtesy by Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
The Amazon river dolphin's unique courtship...

A South American river dolphin uses branches, weeds and lumps of clay to woo the opposite sex and frighten off rivals, scientists have discovered.
Researchers observed adult male botos carrying these objects while surrounded by females, and thrashing them on the water surface aggressively.
Writing in the journal Biology Letters, they say such behaviour has never before been seen in any marine mammal.
The boto lives in only two rivers, and numbers are thought to be declining.
A group of British and Brazilian researchers studied the dolphin's unique courtship behaviour over three years in the Mamiraua Reserve, a flooded rainforest area on the Amazon.
"You see them coming up with bits of wood or lumps of rock in a very ritualised manner," recalled Tony Martin from the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University.
They may be fairly numerous now, but they're going downhill fast and we can't see any end to it,Tony Martin.
"Quite often they'd slowly come up above the surface in a vertical posture holding this stuff in their mouths, then sink down rotating on their own axis.

"They would also throw it or smash it against the surface, and it does appear that the waving around and bashing is to impress the ladies; but at the same time there's a lot of aggression between adult males, and we have to infer that's part of it."
Professor Martin's group established that rock carrying and branch thrashing were almost exclusively the preserve of adult males, and that they did it more when lots of adult females were present.
Although the males were more aggressive towards each other at these times, they were never seen to hit each other with the rocks or plants.

Sound theory

Three years ago, scientists found bottlenose dolphins in Australian waters carrying pieces of sponge, either to help with foraging or to defend against predators.
But using objects for socio-sexual display is a novel finding.
"I naively imagined this kind of thing was seen in other mammal species," said Professor Martin.

"But I was quite surprised when I consulted friends and colleagues, and it turns out that only chimps do anything similar - and that's much less sophisticated."

How and why the boto evolved the behaviour is unclear; although as cetaceans communicate largely with sound, it appears likely that the displays also create an impressive auditory impact on females, rival males, or both.

Hooked on boto

This research stemmed from a larger project, Projeto Boto, aimed at conserving the Amazon dolphin and its habitat.

River dolphins are among the most threatened of all cetaceans; the baiji, a native of the Yangtze in China, may already have gone extinct in the last two years, while numbers of the Indus or blind river dolphin of South Asia are believed to be down to around the 3,000 mark.
Botos are increasingly turning up harpooned, their flesh used for bait
Compared to these species, the South American dolphin is in good health in its traditional haunts along the Amazon and Orinico rivers. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species suggests "there are probably tens of thousands of botos in total".

But the future does not appear secure. The Red List concludes that the boto is threatened by dams (causing fragmentation of their habitat) and pollution, such as from mercury used in gold mining.
"With growing human populations in Amazonia and Orinoquia, the conflicts between fisheries and dolphins are certain to intensify", it notes.
Projeto Boto has found that fishermen are increasingly catching the dolphins for use as bait to catch a fish, the piracatinga, which usually feeds on dead flesh.
Meat from the caiman, a close relative of the alligator, is also used for this purpose.
Projeto Boto scientists are regularly finding dead dolphins, either harpooned or entangled in ropes.
"We lost half of the animals from our study area in just five years," said Tony Martin.
"They may be fairly numerous now, but they're going downhill fast and we can't see any end to it."

For more on this story and some photos go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7313385.stm

I have received this interesting article from Anthony May via Allan Nash at
Asia Divers & El Galleon in Puerto Galera Philippines, you might not witness the courtship behavior of the Sea Horse during your dive...but mark my words...
if you like these little critters then Asia Divers in Puerto Galera is the place.
I have been diving for many years there and you have to be "blind" not to came across them in the Sebang area, do yourself a favor, next time you dive with Asia Divers ask your dive guide to bring you up close with these amazing sea creatures in Sebang Bay...you want be disappointed. Hey, dont forget your underwater camera...you never know you might get lucky and see the courtship of this amazing critter.
Asia Divers is a member of the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance...
The Divers Choice.

GD

© Gunther Deichmann - Spiny sea horse from the Sabang area,
Puerto Galera, Philippines

Sea Horse Courtship
by Anthony May

The Sea-horse is unique due to the fact that it is the male that gives birth to the young.

Male sea-horses impress females with a courtship dance. This dance involves young males pumping their specialized brooding pouches with water. It is usually the male with the biggest pouch that wins the girl.
Once a mate has been found the pair will meet at the same spot at dusk and dawn every day. This allows the male to prepare his pouch for the arrival of the female’s eggs.

When the egg is ready the pair will align themselves opposite each other and entwine their tails. Nose to nose they gently spiral up in to the water column and the egg is exchanged from the female to the males pouch. This has to occur at a depth at least six times their body length or the egg transfer will fail.

© Gunther Deichmann - Spiny sea horse from the Sabang area,
Puerto Galera, Philippines

The male then fertilizes the egg internally and around four weeks later the fry are ready to be born.

The male then pumps his pouch and hundreds of tiny sea-horses are forced out. A healthy pair will be able to repeat the process all over again in a couple of days.
Special thanks to Anthony May (The Sea horse Expert)

Have a moment please...think and pay tribute to John Bennett a legend in the Dive industry, a moment of silence and our thought to his family...we all miss you very much, from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance. See the letter and images below I just received from his good friend Mark Cox in Australia. Thank you so much Mark in sharing the photos and memories of this truly great man, we all appreciate this very much.
GD

"He was the the greatest diver that ever lived... a memorial yesterday for John Bennett who died 4 years ago 15th of March. A very sad day not just for the dive community but his closest friends & loving family ! Gabby, Josh & Katie. We gathered yesterday for a remembrance of this great man that lead the way for divers & pioneers of today, he was a LEGEND, we love him & miss him. The deepest diver in the world John Bennett, we will never forget you,
from Mark Cox, a good friend."

© Photo: Mark Cox, Australia


© Photo: Mark Cox, Australia

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Triple “D”

Triple “D”…Dirk…Dolphins & Dugongs all have something in common…

© Photo courtesy of Dugong Dive Center,
click on the image and visit the website.

Dirk Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center strolled into the office yesterday telling me about all those Dugongs in the area at this time of the year; I guess the Dugong month has started.

You should have been there the other day, he said… Wow…we where snorkeling with five of them and two days later another two posing for the cameras…now is the time to make a trip to Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center. Dirk mention to me that the best month of the year are March, April and May, Dugongs are always around in this part of the Philippines, but during these month’s there are more sightings.

I have also received some info from our supporter Walter Ty about an article on how a Dolphin rescued some stranded/beached Whales in New Zealand, this shows you only to well that we have to take care of our Oceans and Environment.

If a Dolphin can rescue or take care of other species... then that is amazing…what about us?
We need to do a lot more before it is to late! THINK!

© Gunther Deichmann - Monkey Mia Beach, north western Australia
For more images by GD click the image above or go to
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/stock.html

I have taken this image some 25 years ago in Monkey Mia north western Australia, wild Dolphins come close to shore at this beach…do they still do this today?
Don’t know. I guess one of these days I have to find out and make another trip to this beach again.
GD

Here is the article on the rescue of Whales by a Dolphin…

NZ dolphin rescues beached whales
Courtesy of the BBC

Moko the dolphin
Moko is well known locally for playing with swimmers in the bay
A dolphin has come to the rescue of two whales that had become stranded on a beach in New Zealand.
Conservation officer Malcolm Smith told the BBC that he and a group of other people had tried in vain for an hour and a half to get the whales to sea.

The pygmy sperm whales had repeatedly beached, and both they and the humans were tired and set to give up, he said.
But then the dolphin appeared, communicated with the whales, and led them to safety.

The bottle-nose dolphin, called Moko by local residents, is well known for playing with swimmers off Mahia beach on the east coast of the North Island.

Malcolm Smith
Mr. Smith said he gave the dolphin a pat to say thank you
Mr. Smith said that just when his team was flagging, the dolphin showed up and made straight for them.

"I don't speak whale and I don't speak dolphin," Mr. Smith told the BBC, "but there was obviously something that went on because the two whales changed their attitude from being quite distressed to following the dolphin quite willingly and directly along the beach and straight out to sea."

He added: "The dolphin did what we had failed to do. It was all over in a matter of minutes."
Mr. Smith said he felt fortunate to have witnessed the extraordinary event, and was delighted for the whales, as in the past he has had to put down animals which have become beached.

He said that the whales have not been seen since, but that the dolphin had returned to its usual practice of playing with swimmers in the bay.

"I shouldn't do this I know, we are meant to remain scientific," Mr. Smith said, "but I actually went into the water with the dolphin and gave it a pat afterwards because she really did save the day."

Read more and check out the photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7291501.stm

Just received this letter (see below) from Lee Goldman, Marine Biologist who leading a Wilderness Travel Expedition to the Philippine Islands, find out more about his Wilderness Travel Expedition, go to our previous Blog and click the link below.
http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/files/jan-2008.html

In his letter Lee expressed his sincere thanks to Jem from Blue Horizons Travel I like also to take this opportunity and thank Jem personally for his hard work and effort in helping to put together the super package and Prize for the Layang Layang Photo Contest a lot more details on this later, thanks Jem.

© Gunther Deichmann

Soon a new member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance, Lee will be joining us with his extraordinary and very exiting Kayak tours in Palawan and beyond, subscribe and stay tuned for the official announcement.
GD

His tour has just been in the top listing of the Concierge,
Best Adventure Trips 2008!
http://www.concierge.com/ideas/skiadventure/tour/detail?id=1729&page=11


Hi Gunther,

A while back you blogged about my excitement and appreciation for the significant inclusion of Club Paradise onto our new Wilderness Travel Expedition to the Philippine Islands.

I should also mention that another one of your Micronesian-Philippine Alliance partners has made important contributions as well. Jem Kemp from Blue Horizon Travel has been extremely helpful in arranging our flights to and from Legaspi, where we will continue on to Donsol for a couple of days snorkeling with Whale Sharks, and for all of the transfers for our guests when they arrive in Manila.

While it may sound easy, from my point of view, it helped to keep me from pulling even more of my hair out of my head while trying to coordinate all of the other activities for our 12 day tour. So, when coordinating 5 days of luxury kayak camping (that’s tents, supplies, equipment, personnel and their travel arrangement, the outfitting of our new boat, coordination of the daily excursions, food procurement, and contingency plans) became almost as much as I can handle, Jem came through by taking care of the guests in Manila, thus alleviating some of the weight from my shoulders.
Thanks Jem!
Lee Goldman, Marine Biologist and Tour leader

Photos: © Gunther Deichmann – Images from Palawan…the last frontier in the Philippines and a heaven for nature lovers, pristine beaches, crystal clear water surrounded by majestic limestone cliffs and spectacular diving… explore and discover this incredible part of the Philippines with Lee Goldman and our other Alliance partners. A pure natures paradise.

Click on the images above and see more photos from all our partner destinations.

Asia Divers our partner in Puerto Galera visits Palawan frequently for the wrecks in Coron Bay, Asia Divers with El Galleon Beach Resort is also a major sponsor of the Layang Layang Photo Contest,
for more info on Wreck diving with Asia Divers check out our previous blog from David Ross at:
http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/files/category-asia-divers-articles.html

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Cucumber Salad? No this one is very different... nothing to do with cooking or your favorite chefs Salad...however this could be very important for the future...and again another medical source from our ocean, we have to be so careful, protect and stop polluting our natural resources and Oceans. Read on below...

I also like to announce the Alliance partners who generously contributed to the Layang Layang Photo Contest in Malaysia, we announce the very cool prizes shortly on our Blog.
However the participating partners are in the Philippines: Asia Divers with El Galleon Beach Resort in Puerto Galera - in Micronesia Sam's Tours Palau and Truk Stop Dive Center and Hotel in Chuuk or better known as Truk Lagoon.
Our Travel agent and partner Blue Horizons in Manila made all the arrangement and chipped in also for the winners, a lot more in details soon on the website of Fins Magazine and more on our Blog...soon, very soon we let you have all the fantastic details.
YOU have to stay tuned or just subscribe, dont miss out on this great event.
GD

"Sea slug' inspires brain implant"
Courtesy of...
By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Sea cucumbers inspired the design of stimuli-responsive polymer nanocomposites with adaptive mechanical properties (Fred Carpenter)
The response of a startled sea cucumber has inspired a new material that could one day be used to build brain implants for patients with Parkinson's disease.
The material can rapidly switch from being rigid to flexible and vice versa.
Writing in the journal Science, US researchers describe how species of the sea creatures "tense" when threatened.

The new material mimics this ability, and could be used to make advanced brain electrodes which are stiff when implanted, yet supple inside the body.
Adding water changes the state of the material.
"The water acts as a chemical switch," Dr Christoph Weder, one of the team who developed the material, told the BBC News website.
This is important as the brain is around 75% water.

Chemical change
The material consists of naturally occurring nanofibres, or "whiskers", carefully embedded in a polymer.

The cellulose fibres, each just 25 nanometres (billionths of a metre) in diameter, are harvested from a different sessile sea creature known as a tunicate or sea squirt.
The nanofibres are taken from filter-feeding tunicates

"There are many sources of nanofibres such as cotton or wood [which could be substituted]," said Dr Weder.
The structure of the as yet un-named material mimics the skin of sea cucumbers which have collagen nanofibres embedded in a soft connective tissue.
"These creatures can reversibly and quickly change the stiffness of their skin," explained Dr Jeffrey Capadona, another member of the team.
"Normally it is very soft; but for example in response to a threat, the animal can activate its 'body armour' by hardening its dermis."

Changes to the stiffness of the sea cucumber's skin are thought to be triggered by chemicals secreted by the animal's nervous system that rearrange the collagen threads.
"Our architecture is the same, but the chemistry is different," explained Dr Weder.
In the absence of water, the nanofibres are held together by chemical links known as hydrogen bonds. This gives the material its rigidity.

There is a mechanical mismatch - the electrode is rigid but the brain is more like jello
Christoph Weder
When exposed to water, the water molecules "competitively bond" with the fibres. "The water also likes to stick to the cellulose," said Dr Weder.
This has an effect of "ungluing" the fibre-to-fibre bonds, and the material becomes about 1,000 times softer, with the consistency of rubber.
When the water evaporates, a network of cross-linked whiskers reforms, stiffening the material.

Brain aid... read the whole article and view the images @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7279088.stm