Again thanks to my source Walter Ty, I mention the Dolphin in my earlier blog, very interesting reading. Plus Orchids from the dinos time , a very interesting discovery.
GD
Rare dolphin 'sighted' in China

Yangtze river dolphin
An extensive survey in 2006 failed to find any sign of the baiji
The critically endangered Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, has been sighted in eastern China, Chinese media report.
Scientists had recently declared that the baiji was probably extinct.
An international team of researchers spent six weeks looking for the creature last year without a single sighting.
But earlier this month the baiji was spotted and filmed by a local man, and confirmed by Chinese biologists, says official Xinhua news agency.
"I never saw such a big thing in the water before so I filmed it," Zeng Yujiang from Anhui Province told Xinhua.
"It was about 1,000 metres away and jumped out of the water several times."

To read the whole story with photos please click the link below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6969226.stm

Orchids date to time of the dinos

The bee was found in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic
Ancient orchid pollen found attached to a bee trapped in amber suggests the "supermodels of the plant world" were blooming at the time of the dinosaurs.
The discovery indicates that orchids arose between 76 and 84 million years ago, making them far older than experts had previously thought.
Experts used the fossil pollen grains to estimate the ages of major branches of orchids living today.
Details of the research by a team in the US are published in Nature journal.
Despite being the most diverse plant group on Earth, orchids are rare finds in the fossil record.
The authors of the Nature paper describe a mass of orchid pollen found stuck to the body of an extinct bee that lived 15-20 million years ago.
The remains of the bee were trapped and preserved in amber from the Dominican Republic.
For more details on this story and photos please click this link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6969301.stm

Finally... for our Divers in France, Italy and Spain
It is done! Three new languages on the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance web site, choose your language and our partner destinations are there for you in your preferred language.
French, Spanish is active right now, Italian will be active within 48 hours.
This brings now the total languages to nine, for our divers in Poland we need a bit more time, but should be up by latest in October. We have also updated our links and added the latest published articles form the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance to our site under Alliance and the media there you have the option for some downloads as pdf files and read what people and the dive media has to say about our partners and destinations.

The other good NEWS is that we have another very active site, there you can find our Podcast, Photo Gallery and additional Blogs, the site has been active for quiet some time, but NOW we like to announce it. Check out all the Destination images from all our Partners and have a look at some of our Podcast videos which you can find also on YouTube.

Click here to go to our second site


Our annual Alliance meeting is all set for this coming friday our first partners from Palau Sam Scott and Dermot Keane, from Sam's Tours arrive later today.
I keep everybody posted and give you the latest news after our meeting.

If You feel like diving into the pacific be it in the Philippines or in Palau, Micronesia, then check out the great dive and travel packages on our site, for all your diving and travel needs. We provide you complete packages all year around in some of the best dive destination, a paradise for underwater photographers from Shark encounters to superb macro critters surrounded by a marine bio-diversity beyond your wildest dreams.
Your passion is diving... ours is service!
The Divers choice... inselhuepfen, islandhopping, wreck expeditions, wall diving, dugongs, dive with the Nautilus the "living fossil" or just stroll along our unspoiled beaches with media acclaims to be some of the best in the world.
Check it out now @ www.alliancediving.com

I have just found these articles at DivePhotoGuide.com a strong supporter on environmental related issues and supporter of the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance,
who's members are very active in the conservation and preservation of our marine environment, please check out these truly amazing stories, some of which are weird and strange but also sad. These are all marine related stories and if you a diver you find this very interesting reading without getting wet.
Direct links are provided below each story, for more detail info.

Weird Deep-Sea Creatures Found in Atlantic, you have to see these ones, real cool images!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08



Priceless Egyptian Whale Fossil Destroyed, the sad one.
August 27, 2007 - Scienceblogs.com
"Whale Valley officials have informed the authorities that people from two diplomatic corps vehicles destroyed the fossil," the source told AFP after the destruction was discovered around 150 kilometres (95 miles) south of Cairo. Two cars drove into the protected area on Friday and then refused to stop when asked to do so by wardens who nevertheless got the vehicles' registration numbers which the source said were from "a European country." "The damage is more than 10 million dollars," the source said. The site, known as Wadi Hitan (Whale Valley), was home to whales around 40 million years ago when the area was ocean. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to hundreds of of whale fossils...
More http://scienceblogs.com/afarensis/2007/08/27/


Rare Japanese Dugong Threatened By U.S. Military. Base, the worry some.
August 26, 2007 - Nationalgeographic.com
The rare Okinawa dugong has been classified as "critically endangered" on Japan's Ministry of the Environment Red List, the Japanese equivalent to the U.S. government's endangered species list, officials announced this month. About 100,000 dugongs—relatives of the manatees—live in the coastal waters of the South Pacific and Indian oceans. The Okinawa dugong is the northernmost population, and scientists believe only about 50 remain. Environmental groups say the dugong's addition to the Red List is long overdue and expressed hope that the new designation will come with stronger actions to protect the marine mammals... More http://news.nationalgeographic.com/

It is disgusting!
When will this madness stop!

I have picked up this blog post from Dermot Keane, GM of Sam’s Tours and Founder of the Palau Shark Sanctuary, Palau Micronesia. I dont get it, Why,Why!!!
The soup suppose to taste like nothing, NO, I have never tried it and never will, stop slurping down the Soup, Sharks have evolved over million of years, another "living fossil" and they have as much right to be here than you and me. Think!
GD

SHARK FINNING in Palau, Micronesia…the slaughter continues!

Apologies in advance for the long post. I’ll post some (shocking) pictures shortly, Dermot Keane.

Just last week around August 15, yet another Taiwanese fishing vessel, F/V Sheng Yi Hsing, was arrested in Palau for having illegally taken sharks on board. The vessel was arrested following a coordinated enforcement operation conducted by the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Australia and the United States Navy. The illegal catch consisted of approximately 94 shark carcasses, 10 shark heads and around 650 shark fins.

This is not the first time that Taiwanese vessels have been caught illegally fishing for sharks in Palau’s waters. It was going on as far back as 1995 when I first visited Palau as a tourist, and I’m sure for an even longer time before that! It is what inspired me in November 2001, to found the Palau Shark Sanctuary Fund to try to tackle the problem and I continue to this day to work towards ending this frightfully destructive and criminal practice.

In 2004, Palau received international recognition from the SHARKPROJECT for adopting some of the toughest anti-shark finning laws passed by any nation, probably until this present moment. This came about following the public burning of illegally captured fins by Palau’s President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. as a symbol of his tremendous outrage at such bold and wanton destruction of Palau’s natural resources.

To read the whole story please go to: http://www.samstours.com/blog

Dermot Keane and Sam Scott from Sam’s Tours showing the media what is happen
to confiscated shark fins, they getting burned! Photos courtesy of Sam’s Tours July 2002.

Great NEWS... for our Divers in France, Italy, Spain
and Poland.

The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance website is very soon featuring four more languages, the first one to be active will be French followed by Spain, Italy and Poland.This brings now the total languages to ten very soon. We have also updated our links and added the latest published articles form the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance to our site under Alliance and the media there you have the option for some downloads as pdf files and read what people and the dive media has to say about our partners and destinations.

If You feel like diving into the pacific be it in the Philippines or in Palau, Micronesia, then check out the great dive and travel packages on our site, for all your diving and travel needs. We provide you complete packages all year around in some of the best dive destination, a paradise for underwater photographers from Shark encounters to superb macro critters surrounded by a marine bio-diversity beyond your wildest dreams.
Your passion is diving... ours is service!
The Divers choice... inselhuepfen, islandhopping, wreck expeditions, wall diving, dugongs, dive with the Nautilus the "living fossil" or just stroll along our unspoiled beaches with media acclaims to be some of the best in the world.
Check it out now @ www.alliancediving.com

Photos: © Gunther Deichmann, http://www.deichmann-photo.com
Part two of the "living fossils". Do we have to go back in time? Actually not!

What has diving got to do with fossils? Not that much, except we still can find some creatures today who have been around million of years, most have evolved and adapted, they are relatives from the past.
Above are some images of Ammonite fossils with their close relatives of today.
Where can we find and see them?
If your next dive destination is the Pacific, Philippines or Micronesia, just ask you dive guide where to find these critters.

In Palau, Micronesia check with Sam’s Tours, arrange a Nautilus dive, or right in front of the dive shop you find plenty of squid, with Calypso Diving in Boracay, you can find some squid and octopus at Crocodile Island or take an easy dive right in front of the beach at night, lots of squid and the occasional octopus, but the squid is guaranteed.

Dugong Dive Center on Club Paradise, Palawan is a great location for cuttlefish at the house reef, check with the local guide for the best time of the year, the mating season, if you hit it right you can be part of this amazing mating ritual surrounded by dozens of cuttlefish at the house reef, right in front of the resort.

Diving in Puerto Galera is very rewarding, there you get almost all the these critters in the shallow water, no need to go deep, in Sabang Bay you find squid, octopus, cuttlefish and if you lucky even the flamboyant cuttlefish.

Truk Stop Dive Center in Chuuk, has a lot of octopus hiding in the wrecks from the IIWW, just ask your Guide to look out for some.
For all your travel arrangements check with our Alliance partner Blue Horizons and fly with our partner airline Asian Spirit.

Don’t forget to bring your camera and share your tale with your friends after the dive, hey, I dove with some “living fossils” today.
I try to bring you more “living fossils or their relatives” in the near feature, point you to the best dive locations within the Pacific, Philippines and Micronesia and if you an underwater photographer you sure going to love these locations. Dive with the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance and the “living fossils” or their closest relatives. A heaven for underwater photographers.
The Divers Choice.

The fossil sea spider has been brought to my attention by no other than Walter Ty, my constant supplier of Interesting news, again thank you Walter, we do appreciate this.

Before you read the whole story on the provided link, here is some information referring to the two images below, as you all know my background is Paleontology.
Image on the left: I have found this Ammonite some 40 odd years ago digging for Fossils near the German Town of Goslar, it is dated back to the Jurassic period some 160 million years ago.
The image on the right is a close relative of the Ammonite, the Nautilus that I photographed in Palau about four years ago; it is the surviving member from this cephalopod family.
If you ever have the urge to go “back in time” talk to Dermot Keane or Sam Scott from Sam’s Tours in Palau, they can make arrangement for a Nautilus dive, to bring you closer to one of the few and true living fossils. Contact Sam’s Tours at: www.samstours.com

Sam's Tours is one of the founding Members of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice in the Philippines, Asia-Pacific and Micronesia,providing divers with the ultimate in dive travel in this truly unique region with it's superb marine bio-diversity including the living fossil the Nautilus. Our Dive centers and resorts are fully equipped for your under water photography needs, photo work shops by professional marine biologists and photographers will be announced on our website and blogs shortly. We guide you, explain the marine life and make sure that you have a basic understanding of the workflow after the shoot with Aperture, Photoshop and iLife.
How to publish your images to the web and expose them to the world, but most of all, we like you to improve your Photography, take better images and having fun doing it, so stay tuned or subscribe to our blog for the latest NEWS.


Left: An Ammonite, 160 million years ago.
Right: 4 years ago in Palau, at the "Big Drop off",
a Nautilus, the "living fossil."
Photos: © Gunther Deichmann
for more images by GD please go to: http://www.deichmann-photo.com
to find out about his GDPhotoWorkshop just click this link.
Gunther is a Apple Certified Pro Trainer for Aperture

Fossil sea spiders thrill experts
The fossils from France are 160 million years old
A cache of exceptionally well-preserved fossil sea spiders have been described for the first time.
The eight-legged marine animals, which are known as pycnogonids, are only distantly related to land spiders.

The stunning specimens were discovered in 160 million-year-old fossil beds at La Voulte-sur-Rhone, near Lyon in south-eastern France.
Details of the finds are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Sea spiders are still with us today; scientists have described about 1,300 species of pycnogonid. They are characterised by eight extremely long legs and a prominent mouthpart.

While they may resemble land spiders, the pycnogonids form a distinct biological group.

Writing in Proceedings B, Sylvain Charbonnier from the University of Lyon, France, and colleagues say the new fossils fill a 400 million-year gap in our knowledge of these enigmatic creatures.

The team identified 70 sea spiders from three distinct species in rock slabs from the Jurassic La Voulte Lagerstatte. A Lagerstatte is a sedimentary rock bed rich in fossils or containing well-preserved specimens.

"This Lagerstatte is very important because during Jurassic times the water here was about 200m deep," Mr Charbonnier told the BBC News website.

Many other Lagerstatten from the Mesozoic - the era of the geological time when the dinosaurs walked the Earth - were formed from lagoons or relatively shallow bodies of water. This means that La Voulte Lagerstatte preserved many fossil creatures not found elsewhere.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6948161.stm

Hi everybody,
greetings from the virtual office of the Philippine-Miconesia Alliance, this one is just to cheer everybody up, hey your hard earned vacation should be fun.
For more on the fun part, check out this small, sort of a bit crazy Podcast and if you think that I have gone mad, then so be it.
I had fun doing this one, hope you enjoy it, I like to keep everybody tuned for some real cool videos-podcast from our friend Dirk Fahrenbach from
Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center, also very,very soon a super clip from Sam's Tours in Palau, Micronesia and a super special from our partner in Truk Lagoon,
Chuuk and we working hard on podcasts from all our other partner destinations.
So please stay tuned and subscribe, you dont want to miss out on all the serious footage, I am only filling in the blanks for now to keep you on your toes.
Have fun and enjoy, just click here.
GD

"Bubbles and aliens" © Gunther Deichmann

Aerial View of Blue Corner, Palau, Micronesia
© Gunther Deichmann, Courtesy of Sam's Tours
for more images on Palau and Micronesia click here.

Two of our Alliance partner destinations are featured in an article by the prestigious Forbes Travel Magazine.

It was pretty much the consensus among our panelists that Palau,
a group of over 200 islands in the western reaches of the Pacific Ocean is one of the best destinations for diving right now. Amy Christopher, Operations Manager of Ocean First Divers, an eco-friendly dive operation based in Colorado, calls Palau a "true one-stop shop." Corals, animals, caves, ship wrecks—this is the place.

Coron Island, Palawan,Philippines, is also the idea spot for those looking for the wreck diving rush. "The area is littered with WWII Japanese shipwrecks," says Jackson.

Our partner in Palawan is Club Paradise, and Dugong Dive Center and Sam’s Tours in Palau, Micronesia.

For all your travel arrangement check out our dive packages
(Blue Horizons)
and fly to our destinations with Asian Spirit.
Our other Philippine-Micronesia Alliance destinations are: Calypso/Pinjalo Dive Resort, Boracay, Philippines, Asia Divers with El Galleon Dive Resort, Puerto Galera, Philippines and Truk Lagoon, Chuuk, Micronesia. The Divers Choice.

Read more at Forbes Traveler @ http://www.forbestraveler.com/2007/08/07080701_story.html?partner=fp_scuba_spots

I had fun this afternoon, just put together this small Jam for the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.
Some nice images and a bit of Jazz, enjoy this small Podcast and stay tuned we have a lot of very exciting things coming soon.
Just click here to watch

So stay tuned or you might miss out.
GD

Just received this very interesting info about our coral reefs, please read the whole story the link is below for the whole story, another environmental message from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance. The Divers Choice. We do care!

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann

Swifter decline for coral reefs
Coral reef, AP
The Indo-Pacific region contains 75% of the world's coral reefs
Coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian oceans are disappearing faster than had previously been thought, a scientific study has shown.

Nearly 1,554 sq km (600 sq miles) of reef have disappeared each year since the 1960s - twice the speed at which rainforest is being lost.

The corals are vanishing at a rate of 1% per year, a decline that has begun decades earlier than expected.

Read the whole story at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6936634.stm

Is it really coming to this NOW??? Please read on below and check out the whole story, this Environmental info is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the environmental friendly divers and resort, in the Philippines and Micronesia. The Divers Choice. We care!

Rare river dolphin 'now extinct'

Yangtze river dolphin (Image: Stephen Leatherwood)
An extensive survey of its habitat failed to find any sign of the baiji
A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now "likely to be extinct", a team of scientists has concluded.

The researchers failed to spot any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as baijis, during an extensive six-week survey of the mammals' habitat.

The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.
If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.

Read the whole story at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6935343.stm

Hi everybody,

I have just received this nice unedited letter from Jamie, Diveguide.com who has just visit Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center in Palawan, Philippines, please read on below, thanks and enjoy.

Dear Gunther,
A statement from me:
As owner of Diveguide.com, an 11 year old dive travel website.  I have traveled the world promoting 
diving and dive resorts.  I can honestly say that Club Paradise is certainly a slice of Paradise. 
A private island, great diving, great staff, beautiful surroundings.  This property is great for couples, 
honeymooners and families.  I certainly would recommend this property to dive professionals I know 
in the industry!
I would like to thank Gunther Deichmann and The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance for introducing this 
part of the Philippines to me.
-Jamie Connor / Owner-Founder Diveguide.com

Photos © Gunther Deichmann, Palawan, Philippines
For more information on the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance please click this link

The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance virtual office like to thank Asian Spirit, Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center for making this trip an enjoyable one for Jamie.
Thank you all
GD
  
 

A friend of mine, who knows my interest in Fossils send me this amazing article/link, thanks to Walter Ty.


Fisherman catches 'living fossil'
Scientists are examining the Indonesian catch.

An extremely rare "living fossil" caught by a fisherman in Indonesia is being examined by scientists.

The 1.3m-long (4.3ft), 50kg (110lb) coelacanth is only the second ever to have been captured in Asia and has been described as a "significant find".
Read the whole story and photos @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6925784.stm

** Fisherman catches 'living fossil' **
A "living fossil" fish caught by a fisherman off the coast of Indonesia is examined by scientists.

BBC NEWS website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6925784.stm

SEPTEMBER PROMOTION AT BORACAY

The stunning island of Boracay continues to be a magnet for International and domestic toursists and the arrival of new hotels and resorts shows that it’s popularity is increasing.

The beautiful beaches, blue seas, clean air and of course vibrant nightlife all combine to provide a great holiday experience. On Boracay you can do as much or as little as you please each day. For sun worshippers the soft sands of White Beach, and the near deserted coves around the rest of the island are the principle destination. There are also a number of Spas on the island, where you can revive your mind and body after long weeks at work.

For the more active you can play golf at the 18 hole Championship Course set in the middle of the island with stunning views across to Panay, Carabao and other Visayan Islands. Windsurfers and Kite-boarders take advantage of the winds to fly over the blue seas at Bulabog beach on the East side of the island and you can also take in horse-riding, snorkelling, and jet-skiing during the daytime.

At night the island switches to party mode and the dozens of restaurants and bars open their doors until late for eating, drinking and dancing under the stars.

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann, www.deichmann-photo.com

It’s sometimes easy to forget as you watch the parade of beautiful fun loving people that one of the original attractions of Boracay just a few years ago was the quality of the scuba diving. Regular visitors to the island will know that all along the White Beach path are dotted a number of dive shops and centres offering a huge range of diving opportunities. Our partner’s, Calypso Diving, are one of the most established Dive Centre’s on the island and their PADI 5 Star IDC facility is recognised as one of the best in the Philippines

In fact the diving around Boracay is very under-rated and there is some superb diving just a few minutes away by boat. In front of the beach there are several dive sites which are perfect for novice divers here the chance to see perfect corals and amazingly coloured reef fish is a wonderful experience. Crocodile Island (there are no crocodiles – it’s named after the shape of the rock) at the south end of the island is popular with snorkelers but deeper down the divers have some of the best corals in the Visayas to themselves. The corals around Laurel are just as impressive.

At Fridays Rock you watch huge amounts of reef life move around you in the gentle currents and at Balinghai look for rays and frog fish.

Boracay has two world class dive sites for experienced divers called Yapak 1 and Yapak 2. Actually these are two deep walls on the north side of the island facing Yapak beach. Here the deep waters and sometimes strong currents bring in the bigger fish and sightings of sharks, rays and tuna are common.

Slightly further afield there are a great dives along the walls on the coast of Panay just 30 minutes to 1 hour from White Beach and the waters of adjacent Carabao have some spectacular underwater caves and coral gardens. Calypso Diving also organise overnight trips to Panagatan and Maniguin where the reefs are in pristine condition.

If you or members of your family have not dived before then consider taking a Discover Scuba Diving course with Calypso Diving. This is an introduction to the undersea world, usually takes about half a day and gives you a taste of how easy and enjoyable diving really is. The first thing you will do during the course is to spend time watching a video which gives an overview of what you will be doing in the water. Aferwards you change into a wetsuit and make your way to the swimming pool . Here a trained Instructor will help you on with your equipment and explain how everything works. You will also practise breathing underwater and a few basic skills to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable time. Once both you and the Instructor are happy and confident that you are comfortable you will take the next step in the course – a real dive in the open water!

You will jump on to a dive boat at White Beach and under the close supervision and support of your Instructor prepare for the dive. The Instructor, with the help of support staff, will assist you into the water and then accompany you on the experience of a lifetime. The course is not a training and certification course so that means you will not have to perform any exercises under the water – simply stay with your Instructor, they will look after you all the time, and watch the exotic underwater life. At first it seems very strange to actually breathe underwater and it takes a few minutes to get used to it. Within a short time though it will seem like the most natural thing and you will want to go diving again and again.

For many people the Discover Scuba Diving course leads straight on to the Open Water Course and here you really begin to understand diving and develop your skills. The blue waters and sandy beaches of Boracay are the perfect place to learn to dive.

Next time you go to Boracay don’t miss the opportunity to appreciate some of the natural beauty of the underwater world – in it’s own natural way it easily matches that above the surface.

Calypso Diving, situated in the heart of White Beach provide the full range of courses is available and teaching is in 0over 10 languages including Filipino, English, German, French and Japanese.

Calypso Diving and their resort, Pinjalo Villas Resort has a special September promotion: Stay for a minimum of 5 nights and receive one free Discover Scuba Diving course or two free fun dives. Full details are available from our travel partners www.bluehorizons.com.ph