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

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

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

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!

What has a Whale in common with India & Boracay..?
Well,,I have been to both places recently!

As you know I have just returned from Mumbai in India & Boracay
in the Philippines... and today I came across this very interesting article.

If you book a Safari trip with Calypso Diving in Boracay then you have a good chance to see them in Panagatan and if you go to Kashmir in India you might find some of their relative in sedimentary rocks as fossils.

Strange… I only returned from India and Boracay, and now this article rolled over my table… Coincident? Who knows…?
But did you know that Whales “lived on land” according to some new discoveries... check out this amazing article below...
GD

Photo Courtesy by © Rene Buob - a Whale shark near the surface
on a perfect day in Panagatan.

Whale 'missing link' discovered
Courtesy of:
By Helen Briggs
Science reporter, BBC News

Indohyus. The animal was small, stocky and about the size of a raccoon
The whale is descended from a deer-like animal that lived 48 million years ago, according to fossil evidence.

Remains found in the Kashmir region of India suggest the fox-sized mammal is the long-sought land-based ancestor of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Research in Nature indicates the animal lived mainly on land but dived into water to escape predators.
Whales are known to be descended from land-dwellers but the "missing link" has been a mystery until now…for more interesting reading and photos click the link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7150627.stm

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

© 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

© 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!

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

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

"Hi Mom, hi darling dont worry I am fine, the diving has been great lot's of sharks and awesome schools of fish and guess what I am sending you some photos with my next email...your..."

Click on the images and find out more about Sam's Tours Digital Photo Center - DPC
The Digital Photo Center is getting more and more popular and not only for Photographers, the iMac's are a perfect choice with their build in Camera.
Say hi and see your loved ones on Valentines day on a nice
20 inch iMac screen.

The Digital Photo Center at Sam's Tours Palau, Micronesia, is getting more and more popular not only with photographers but with customers who just like to say hi to their loved ones...great timing for Valentines day.
From the rental of Video Cams and small digital Canon Cameras...to the more pro, the ability to use Photoshop Elements or Aperture...Yes, you can do all your own editing or let Sam's Tours staff help you with the safe keeping and storage of your images...and now also available headphones for your connection and chatting away to your loved ones via Skype...
I guess iChat is only around the corner.
You are in the middle of the Pacific and can communicate with the rest of the world after your diving with Sam's Tours, now that is real cool.
The Survivor Micronesia series on TV may have shown you how fantastic Palau really is, and if you have missed Survivor Micronesia you can always check out some of my images on Palau and go to Gunther Deichmann's PhotoShelter Archive or to the PhotoShelter Collection for all other special selected stock images including Micronesia and the Philippines, just click on the links... Sam's Tours is also a founding member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance... very simply The Divers Choice. Top dive site and destinations, modern facilities and very, very connected with Wi-Fi and pro photography setups in the Philippines and Micronesia. We keep you in touch no matter how remote the destinations are...

Your passion is diving... ours is service... and the ultimate in island hopping.

Check out the images from our other destinations just click here.
GD

I have received today these images from Dermot Keane the GM at Sam's Tours, Alex one of the Girls and a new DPC staff prepared them for us, thanks Alex.

For our non professionals, Camera rentals with and without underwater housing,
if you like to explore Palau above and below the waves, Sam's Tours got you covered.
___________________________________

We have received this interesting article on Wreck and tech diving from Dave Ross, Dave is from Tech Asia/Asia Divers with El Galleon Beach Resort located in Puerto Galera, Philippines and members of the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance.

Coron with Tech Asia…. by Dave Ross Tech Asia

The year 2007 saw the closure of the last of the Coron Bay shipwreck identity mysteries. Tech Asia and its divers are happy to have played a small part in this final chapter.

Coron bay, in the western Philippines, has been a known diving locale since the 1980’s. Having been the scene of a September 1944 air strike by the USS Lexington lead Task Force 38, at the time, the longest range carrier based air strike in history. As diving opened up in the Philippines, the area necessarily attracted those with a nose for history and wreck diving. Of the principal wrecks, some were identified accurately and immediately. The IJN seaplane tender Akitsushima for example, reported sunk in the US After Action reports, is an unmistakable vessel. For the oilers and merchant ships present at the time of the raid, identifications were shakier. Partly this is the product of researchers trusting in the reporting of the post war authorities, charged with putting a positive ID on such a vast number of maritime casualties. Often the ship that best fit the action reports went down in the annals as the victim, and nobody involved at the time had any real reason to question any grey areas or anomalies. Reports from bodies such as JANAC were often taken as unquestionably accurate.

One of the men who took the keenest interest in the Coron story and her losses was Capt. Peter Heimstaedt, who in the early 90’s, dived, and exhaustively documented what he saw. He became a friend of ours through communications on other ships sunk in the Philippines, and kindly came to Puerto Galera in his free time to give a presentation on Coron in July of 2007. During the evening he showed us clear photographic evidence that the oiler thought to be Taiei Maru, was in fact the Okikawa Maru, and the ship once known as “Hector”, or the Tangat Wreck is the Olympia Maru.

The last vessel to have bred confusion, having been thought to be another of the many Taiei Maru’s, or another Olympia, was confirmed by Capt Heimstaedt in 2006 to be a vessel whose original name was Morazan, turned Ekkai Maru when she fell into Japanese hands in 1941. A source which convinced him of this was the excellent reference N582 Japanese Merchant Ship Recognition Manual of 1944, issued by the US Navy Dept – Division of Intelligence. He was sure his identification was solid, and passed this on to us, though had not yet returned to Coron to verify this with a dive.

How Tech Asia came to be involved in this story was through slightly unforeseen circumstances. Following Capt Peter’s talk we had two week of liveaboards on the M/B Rags II. The first week, in October 2007 had perfect weather, and the divers and the divers spent a lot of their time on the deeper and more exposed wrecks such as Irako and Akitsushima. However the November week was more influenced by the bizarre behaviour of Tropical Storm Lando, which crossed Mindoro, went all the way to Vietnam, then turned around and came straight back. The couple of days of unsettled seas it created caused the divers to divert away from Irako to more sheltered sites, the Morazan amongst them.

Always a man to seize an opportunity to bring a dive to life, our guide, Technical Wreck Instructor Sam Collett, seized the Peter Heimstaedt information and ran with it. Armed with all the commonly found Coron literature, plus` some 30’s photos of Morazan, he tasked the eight divers in his care with examining ten photographically observable features and comparing them to the ship itself. These ranged from the numbers, position, and spacing of portholes, to positions and style of air vents, railings, doorways and davits. Also some distinctive fittings on both masts, and bolt holes on the funnel where a letter “V” had existed. Morazan had operated under Vaccaro Brothers in the Honduras, and their logo appears in old photos. Everything observed by Sam and his divers matched Morazan to the last detail. Though merely confirming another mans research, the clear verification brought tremendous satisfaction to the day for the divers.

Following the trip, some internet browsing threw up an interesting history, starting life as the S.S. Manco, sold and renamed Morazan and working the Amazon for years before moving to Hong Kong, eventual capture by the Japanese in Shanghai, and a watery grave in the Philippines in 1944. From this history arose one more interesting observation. The hull of the ship still bears the letters “CEI……SH” , which for years has puzzled everyone. Whilst serving in Honduras and the Amazon, the ships home port was La Ceiba – just maybe these letters reflect the name of her former home port?

The Morazan/Ekkai Maru story is just a single chapter in two weeks of excellent, shallow ( it doesn’t always have to be deep and helium) technical diving that we managed to run. Great fun – I guess that means we’ll have to go back!
Dave Ross - Tech Asia

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Shark feeding... is it right or wrong...
do we have to interfere with our marine life for thrills?


© Gunther Deichmann - You can see action like this without the need for feeding...
Blue Corner, Palau Micronesia, shark dives with Sam's Tours are carried out the natural way.

I have received this article from a good friend and marine biologist, very interesting. I just returned from Chuuk Micronesia and during my stay found out that a dive guide had been bitten by a shark, yes he is is ok., but with scars to prove the story.
No, this is not fiction, this one is real, our dive guide (very experienced) went to a dive site where shark feeding had been carried out by some dive operator in the past (not Truk Stop Dive Center), he had not been in this area for a while and to his knowledge the feeding was not done for sometime, No he did not feed the sharks on this dive but somehow noticed the more aggressive behaviors of this normally docile animal, OK that is all I can say for now, read the story and opinion from a marine biologist view and YOU decide for your self what is right or wrong.
The Philippine -Micronesia Alliance does not support any shark-feeding or intervening in the natural Marine life. We do care about our environment!
GD

Just before I left Guam for my permanent move to the Philippines, I read an email sent out by a local dive shop advertising ‘Big animal encounters’ in Yap. Having been there a few times, I immediately conjured up images of mantas gliding by in channels leading from the outer reefs into the inner lagoons and a variety of reef sharks patrolling the reefs around the island. I clicked on the link to see what it was all about and was surprised to see that it involved shark-feeding. My immediate thought was ‘why they decided to start this practice’? I went to the website of the operator and found that they have been doing it for many years. My thoughts changed immediately to ‘why didn’t I know about this earlier’? I have been in the diving industry for many years in Micronesia, beginning my career as a guide in Palau. Again, why didn’t I hear about this? Certainly during my visits to Yap, and diving with the operator, I would have heard of this. But, no, I really didn’t up until two weeks ago when I read the email.
Dismissing the thought of not knowing about the attraction was much easier than why were they doing this in the first place. What about it was bothering me? As a Marine Biologist, and a dive Instructor still with important ties to the industry, I knew there was a fierce conflict between those that subscribe to the practice versus those that don’t.
Those that feel shark feeding is good cite the thousands of encounters with sharks (and these come from operators from South Africa to Australia to California to the Caribbean, to tropical Pacific) without incident. Further, they expound on the important considerations these encounters provide people, namely that the intimate experience which brings a greater appreciation for sharks, thus, ultimately, this is a way to increase conservation efforts. I kinda agree with this, especially in situations where unless there is a bit of shark feeding / baiting, most people would not have the chance to ever see these magnificent creatures (example: Great Whites in SA and AU, and pelagics of the California coast).
Those that don’t agree with shark feeding feel that it promotes an activity that could potentially cause harm to humans (whether it is those participating in the shark feeding program or nearby swimmers). Further, they argue that the feeding causes unnatural aggregations of sharks to the areas on the reef where the feeding takes place. Also, it may make the sharks ‘dependent’ on these feeding rituals and it could potentially upset their natural feeding patterns – which leads back to the potential attacks due to the association of food with humans.
Well, both sides have a point except that both sides are basing their information on un-proven points. When Gunther asked me to write something up, my first task was to do a literature search to see what the science has to say about this subject. There currently (to my knowledge) is nothing out there (yet) about this. Florida has banned the practice mostly due to ease fears from potential tourists (and rightly so, with my full understanding for their actions in tact) and in response to all of the media attention in 2001 about the now misrepresented ‘summer of the shark’. A number of fatal shark attacks were taking place off of the Florida coast. It got media attention due to the number of attacks that happened within a relatively short period of time. Yet, the total number of attacks never exceeded previous year numbers, thus, contrary to what the media was reporting, there was no exponential increase in shark attacks – and no reason to lay blame for the cause on any good suggestion to fall their way. Most importantly there was no scientific basis for Florida to come to their decision. Hawaii is putting legislation through the system to ban it but it has not been made into law. They are also working off of fears.
So, okay, now we have Yap. What make Yap unique among the other operators doing tropical reef shark feeding is that they are not bringing in unnatural aggregations of sharks…they’re already there. They are also not endangering local and visiting swimmers since the area where they are feeding is not a public or even visited swimming hole. So with the information, it really leaves the anti-shark feeding advocates with little left to argue with Yap about.
So why am I bothered by this?
It took a few more days of thought until it finally hit me. What’s bothering me is that by conducting shark feeding it loses the charm of being Yap. When we think of many areas in the world that have reefs, we rarely associate sharks with them (or rarely see them while we are diving may be a better way to put it), mostly because they are either fished out, not really prevalent in the first place, or wary of humans. Remember, shark feeding is a way to DRAW IN sharks so that customers, who would not normally see them, get a chance to see them. When I think about Micronesia, my mind drifts off to a place that is still raw with marine-life, including sharks. One does not have to bait them in for close encounters. Shark encounters are already going to happen. As divers, we know that nature is unpredictable and it is the chance to see the animals that gives us a thrill and an even bigger thrill when we get to see them. We hedge our bets on getting these encounters by visiting magical places like Micronesia and leave being overwhelmed by the entire experience. To me, shark feeding in Micronesia is, well, cheating the experience. It’s like having a full house in poker and cheating for four-of-a-kind…when you know that the full house is top hand. To me, Yap may gain some of the ‘benefits’ of shark feeding (mostly the ‘commercialization’ of shark encounters), but it loses some of its natural appeal. Now Yap can be lumped in with other countries promoting this experience, and for those who have been diving for many years, you know that most of these destinations may summon up ‘cattle-boat’ diving mentality as well as clearly being right ‘ON the beaten track’. Yap was not destined for this. Go there, it is absolutely worthy of being the far-flung, exotic, beautiful, customs-oriented island that you think of as Yap. Commercialization is the last thing you’ll think of when your there…but maybe not anymore.
Ahh, I could as easily be wrong or misguided as I could be right or spot-on when it comes to my thoughts about this subject and the island of Yap. This is just my opinion as someone who fell in love with this area after spending many years traveling and diving in other exotic locals. It was the raw natural beauty and the thrill of encounters with incredible marine life that kept me and continues to keep me entranced to this day.
From a Marine Biologist

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Scuba diving with us in the Philippines, Micronesia and the Pacific in 2008.
The Divers Choice.
scuba-uitrustings duik - plongée de scaphandre - Tauchen mit Unterwasseratemgerät - diving dello scuba - diving do scuba - salto de la escafandra autónom
Filippijnen - Philippines - Philippinen - Filippine - Filipinas - Philippines - Filipinas - Micronesië - La Micronésie - Mikronesien - La Micronesia
vreedzaam - Pacifique - pazifisches meer - pacifico

H a p p y H o l i d a y s


© Gunther Deichmann - Palau, Micronesia
Quiet again in Palau after the Survivor show/filming is over.
Select a beach and have a romantic Vacation, like the couples
on the three Coconut Island.
Click the image for more photos of our destinations.


Blog post from Sam's Tours Palau
SURVIVOR MICRONESIA - Officially Announced!

Surv