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

© 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

© 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)

© 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

© 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

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

You might remember one of our previous article, the issue on Shark feeding, below is a follow up article from Lee Goldman our consultant for marine environment and conservation.
Lee is also the one who is conducting the Kayak Wilderness Adventure trips in Palawan. (see below)

Best Adventure Trips 2008
A Masked Ball in the Philippines
http://www.concierge.com/ideas/

Thanks' Lee for your very interesting article we appreciate this very much and while I am on the subject Sharks here is a reminder...

Stop finning...Dont slurp this disgusting soup.



© Photo Courtesy of Sam's Tours Palau
Confiscated Shark fins in Palau, Micronesia

Sharks have been around for million of years and have survived... well trying to survive...we are entering their territory, respect and watch them from the distance.

I write in one of my next blogs an article on the Saltwater Crocodiles...captured...released...by some photographers who are seeking the "great shot." Easy done... they even tied them down with a string and retouch the rope or string in the computer...a practice in Palau and other places by some operators...totally unacceptable by myself. You dont nail your kids on to the floor either to get this great shot...or do YOU?
Let's leave our wildlife alone and develop the skill/technique to do this from a distance with out stepping into their territory.
The same applies for some underwater photographers who walk all over the reef, instead of swimming.
GD

See below the very interesting letter from Lee Goldman

Hi Gunther,
Several weeks ago I wrote a blog about shark feeding. I didn’t take sides. I presented the current arguments from supporters for and against it. I thought it was important to show that very few published studies exist that maintain any solid conclusions about shark feeding. In my blog, my only personal view concerned the ‘idea’ of shark feeding and, although seemingly popular in its appeal, how I believe it could detract from the overall diving experience at particular destinations around the world.
Out of respect, I waited a bit before I submitted this follow up in the wake of the tragedy that happened in the Bahamas. But I did want to respond, because clearly this situation was a direct result of the shark feeding activity. To those in opposition against shark feeding, this was a situation that solidified their platform and, in all truthfulness, gives them the good evidence they need to put a stop to this practice. To those who favor shark feeding, this is a tragic event, but isolated. Compared against the number of people who participate in shark feeding on an annual basis, this incredibly misfortune event represents a fraction of a percent.
Once again, I will not take sides. But, I do want to point out something that seems horribly wrong to me. Something that as a SCUBA Instructor, expedition leader, and tour coordinator is paramount to producing successful tours. Safety.
Before I get deeper into what I mean by Safety, I want to set it up a bit more. I received an article from Gunther about the accident in the Bahamas. In the article it mentions that although there seems to be more shark attacks (which the author claims is the result of an increasing exposure or encroachment of people into the sharks territory), there are comparatively fewer deaths than several decades ago. I will not debate the higher numbers of swimmers, but I do have another point of view against the reasons for lower deaths. The author asserted that our knowledge of trauma treatment has gotten so advanced, that the attention to highly traumatic wounds, such as shark bites, can be treated with a high level of success. Okay, fair enough. I believe that is an accurate statement. But I have something else to add, which, in all of my responder and wilderness first aid courses taught me as equally important: timing. Timing in the form of how fast can the victim get proper medical treatment.
Florida banned shark feeding from their waters. Whatever their reason is, right or wrong, agree or don’t agree, it is illegal. The response from the operators who provide this type of activity was to go farther offshore, to international (or Bahamian) waters where the activity is legal. See where I am heading? Going farther offshore to circumvent the law reduces the margin of safety. The margin of safety in this situation is clearly the ability to quickly evacuate the victim to a trauma center where their chances of surviving the attack are exponentially higher. The operator could have 50 years of experience with no customer having ever been attacked before, with a great first aid kit on board. The bottom line is that safety was compromised by making the hospital farther away, making the time for properly trained EMT’s to arrive longer, making the time for the victim to reach proper medical facilities longer…and making the conscious decision to do this so as to provide a service, but also to earn a living.
Again, being in the dive industry I know all about liability. I know the assumption of risk must be acknowledged by the participant. But there must also be a reasonable amount of safety built into the program. Traveling so far offshore and engaging in this type of activity is not reasonable to me. And remember, were talking about divers that are 100% exposed to the sharks. If this were a cage diving experience and something tragically went wrong, I would not be as concerned, because the cage is itself above and beyond reasonable safety. Accidents do happen. But what exactly was their safety plan. It sounds like they did all of the necessary things correctly, but were themselves a victim of their own decision to go farther offshore. Perhaps, there should have been a compromise for their activity? Perhaps there should have been a discussion like “okay, we have to go farther offshore, so we need to make it safer because we don’t have as direct access to evacuation and EMT care. Let’s put people in cages or…”. I don’t know the “or…”. If I was an operator, you bet I would.
I said I wasn’t taking sides and it may appear that I am. I assure you, I am not. I am merely pointing out a situation that must be addressed in order for this type of activity to continue. Similar to my approach to any high risk adventure that is made available to the public (usually a less-informed public) for a price, I am not in opposition, just asking for a higher margin of safety.
Please, my approach here could be dead wrong. I encourage anyone who disagrees with me to say something. Maybe the boat had a full service trauma room on board. Maybe an EMT was there. I don’t know. All I know is what was presented in articles and news reports. Thus, this is probably what the general public knows. And the general public doesn’t need anymore stories about sharks harming people; it needs more stories about people harming sharks.

Lee Goldmann - Marine Biologist

More and more elections this time of the year, we have had Putin and Russia, then in the US Obama v Hillary plus all the others, I think in Iran soon, it is all over the place not to mention the Shark vote from the other day on our blog and now Tubbataha Reef has been nominated as one of the seven new Wonders of the World.

Cast YOUR vote below!

The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance is supporting the conservation and protection
of this unique reef in the Philippines.

The 96,000- hectare Tubbataha Reef, Asia's best marine park, has been nominated as one of the seven new Wonders of the World.



© Gunther Deichmann - sharks are a common sight at the Tubbataha Reef

Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks. You can vote for Tubbataha Reef by going to this site: http://www.new7wonders.com/nature Search for the nominees and you will be asked to vote for 7 sites. The trick is, choose Tubbataha Reef as your first choice and for the other six, select the most unknown nominees. This gives more chances for Tubbataha to make it to the top 21 finalists. Presently, it's ranked top 29, up from top 35 last week.

Late breaking NEWS...

The Philippine - Micronesia Alliance proudly announces to be part of this years Layang Layang Photo Contest in Malaysia as one of the sponsors, we announce the operators and destinations very shorly on our Blog, incredible prizes for the winners of this years contest, stay tuned for more details in the coming days.
GD

ФИЛИППИНЫ - МИКРОНЕЗИЯ АЛЬЯНСУ ® 2008



ДОБРО ПОЖАЛОВАТЬ К НАШЕМУ ФИЛИППИНЫ - МИКРОНЕЗИЯ АЛЬЯНСУ ЭТО ТВОЙ ЛУЧШИЙ ПАРТНЕР ДЛЯ ПЕРВОКЛАССНОГО ПОДВОДНОГО ОТПУСКА

You have to check this article... very cool indeed, from Dive Photo Guide, one of our supporters in the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance. I guess it is very cool at this time of the year in Russia...but the girls are...
From Russia with Love... sounds familiar...yes, even more so once you see some of the images from the Golden Dolphin Show you have to see these Girls...
I have included below for our Russian readers an intro into the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance in their russian language. Enjoy the article from Dive Photo Guide and have your own opinion on the photos...brrrrrrrrr but so HOT..., well the russians certainly have a very different approach, how would that be in the tropics?
GD

2008 Golden Dolphin Photo and Film Festival in Moscow
Author: Jason Heller / March 01, 2008 12:00AM MST
Golden Dolphin, Moscow, Russia,
by Gyula Somogyi

February 14 - 17, 2008: Moscow was home to the VII Annual International Foto and Film Festival, the Golden Dolphin. The capital of the Russian Federation serves as a huge scene to this festival - the combination of the beauty of the underwater world and the rich city results a very colorful and lively festival and exhibition.

The big exhibition hall is in the Gostivny Dvor, just a few steps form the famous Red Square. The huge open air space accommodated all the booths, the movie theater booth and the photo exhibition as well.

Golden Dolphin Moscow Scuba Expo
Make no mistake: the heavy diving market of Russia is one of the biggest in the world! Several newspapers, tabloids, websites and diving clubs serve the demand of the diving community, especially in Moscow. Sim Magazine has chosen a very special way to promote the magazine, as you can see here below...you don't see this type of promotion in the US.

Read the whole article and check out some "Hot" images just click this link.

See below for our Russian friends, all our partners have their pages in russian, plus so many other languages to choose from...

ФИЛИППИНЫ - МИКРОНЕЗИЯ АЛЬЯНСУ ® 2008

ДОБРО ПОЖАЛОВАТЬ К НАШЕМУ ФИЛИППИНЫ - МИКРОНЕЗИЯ АЛЬЯНСУ ЭТО ТВОЙ ЛУЧШИЙ ПАРТНЕР ДЛЯ ПЕРВОКЛАССНОГО ПОДВОДНОГО ОТПУСКА

Огромная площадь теплых тропических вод Тихого океана между Филиппинами и Микронезией известна среди дайверов всего мира еще и своим богатым многообразием подводного мира. Более 1300 наименований рыб, более 700 видов кораллов... Здесь вы найдете бесконечное множество тем для подводных съемок, включая и удивительную коллекцию ...затонувших кораблей.

Наш ислючительный индивидуальный сервиc от первоклассных отелей для подводников на Филиппинах, Палау и рэк-лагун в Микронезии, а также разнообразие туристических маршрутов делает путешествия и подводное плавание в этом фантастическом месте Тихого океана еще интересней и удобней, чем прежде. Пережитые подводные впечатления останутся в вашей памяти навсегда.

Филиппины-Микронезия Альянс обладает лучшими отелями, которые могут быть предложены в этих местах. Наши партнеры подобраны нами так тщательно, чтобы помочь каждому подводнику провести первоклассный отпуск на самом высоком уровне профессионализма, безопасности и наслаждений.

Итак, передайте планирование Вашего отпуска нашим целевым экспертам. Мы озаботимся о том, чтобы Ваши тихоокеанские приключения стали единственными в своем роде впечатлениями. Сядьте поудобнее, расслабтесь и предоставьте нам спланировать отпуск вашей мечты, мечты каждого подводника.

Вашими партнерами в высоклассном подводном отпуске являются:

На Филлипинах - Asia Divers with El Galleon Resort, Puerto Galera, Club Paradise & Dugong Diving Center, Palawan Pinjalo Diver Resort, Boracay

В Паллау, Микронезии - Sam’s Tours, Palau Truk Lagoon Dive Center, Chuuk

The Reflection of Excellence continues...

Great NEWS! Soon to arrive...Aperture 2 at Sam's Tours Palau Micronesia...stay tuned for more updates from Sam's Tours Digital Photo Center.
Surviving for our underwater photographers has just become a lot easier in Palau, Aperture 2 is on it's way, ready for YOU to use.

Sam's Tours Digital Photo Center is the only one of it's kind in Palau, Micronesia and in the Pacific, check out my previous blogs or go direct to Sam's Tours DPC site click this link Sam's Tours DPC.

© Gunther Deichmann - that is how it looks on my personal iPOD

But we offer a lot more at Sam's, now you can upload all your holiday/vacation photos on your iPod, the staff at the DPC will be happy to assist you with all your requirements, the only thing you have to do... bring your iPod, but then who doesn't these days and once back home show your friends and family members on TV how great your last vacation has been. We take away all your hassles, you be organized back home, no more looking for hours on end where you stored these great shots... just switch on your TV and enjoy the show.

We can do the same with your video footage, at Sam's Tours you connected and can concentrate on your diving, we take care of the rest, surviving for all our underwater photographers has just become a lot more realistic and fun.

Now enjoy your vacation, dive the great dive sites of Palau like, Blue Corner and Blue Hole, dont feel like diving...no problem, join Sam's Tours on one of their great land tours by road or take a Kayak trip for a day or two, explore and discover Palau... "The Pearls of the Pacific." and a founding member of the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance. The Divers Choice.

For all the latest info and tips on Aperture 2 please visit Gunther Deichmann's Blog @ http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

GD