Local government officials recommend caution and extra training before diving the USS Oriskany May 31, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , add a commentThe USS Oriskany is the largest artifical reef in the world. It is a decommissioned US aircraft carrier and was sank on 17th May 2006. I have read many reports about the wreck and the fact that the flight deck is at a depth of around 130 ft (40mtrs) is somewhat of a disadvantage. It seems that some divers are viewing that as a challenge, but it is at a depth where single cylinders just don’t give you any time at all. Indeed, with a bottom time of 12 minutes, what is the point? The tower is at around 70ft (20 mtrs) which still is at the limit of the basic open water qualified scuba diver.
It is not surprising therefore that local government officials have recommended caution when scuba diving this wreck, which in my oinion, is good advice. Here is their statement;
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Sabah Tourism Officials and WWF Issue Reef Assessments from Sipadan May 31, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Conservation, News , add a comment
I think this story is about done to death now but here is a final snippet delivered to me this morning by DiveNewswire. An assessment has been made to the damaged area of Sipadan and a report has been prepared by the Director of Sabah Parks to WWF-Malaysia’s Vice-President Emeritus Tengku Dato’ Seri Zainal Adlin who is also the Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board. The report states that the area damaged covers 372.2 sq. metres ( 3,984 sq. feet ), representing less than 1% of Sipadan’s total reef area. Looking at the photo I doubt that many people would really dive that, as it would be an area where I imagine any boat traffic, no matter how light, would disturb the scuba divers.
The construction work on the island has now been suspended, and the scope and specifications of the basic facilities project are being reviewed. From this report by DiveNewswire;
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Ralph Erickson, PADI co-founder, dies aged 84 May 31, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : News , 3comments
Ralph Erickson, one of the PADI co-founders has died at his home in Texas, 25th May 2006. I didn’t really know much about the personalities of the co-founders until I read this quite detailed tribute to Ralph at DiveNewsWire. It is sad that it is occasions like this when one actually takes the time to learn about some of the great personalities and contributors to scuba diving;
In the summer of 1959, he started the Erickson Underwater Swimming School. With a strong desire to share his passion for scuba diving with others, Ralph attended the very first NAUI Instructor Training Course in Houston, TX in 1961 and became NAUI Instructor number 35. In the same year, Ralph wrote his own scuba instruction book, Under Pressure, which he used for his classes.
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Divers carry pathogens in their wetsuits carrying coral disease May 30, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Conservation , add a commentI saw this article at nature.com, which states that around 60% of the world’s corals are thought to be under threat from warming seas, overfishing, pollution and coral diseases. Researchers have wondered whether ocean-hopping divers are playing a part by shipping disease-causing bacteria from an infected spot to a pristine one.
Apparently, if a diver picks up a pathogen from diseased coral, then they can pass it from one reef to the next, as the bugs stick to wetsuits like glue.
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Novice Scuba Diver and Fisherman find HMS Resolution May 30, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , add a commentWilly at Divester points us to this article in the Independent regarding the find of the HMS Resolution, a 17th Century wreck. The Resolution was 121ft long and weighed 885 tons, and was report to have sank in the legendary 120mph “perfect hurricane” that ripped across the south of England during the night of 26 November 1703.
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GUE Cave 1 course report from Mexico May 30, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : CaveDiving , add a comment
Elsewhere at the deepstop Claire, Al, and Fraser recently returned from a Cave 1 course, instructed by Chris Le Maillot. Claire has written quite a comprehensive report, covering all six days of the trip.
Truly magical, flying above the halocline through dark passages, seeing the formations which have built up over thousands of years yet have not been seen by humans until recently. We negotiated a T in the mainline, each dropping a cookie to mark the exit. A second T was beyond our certification so we would have to turn the dive at this point, but as it was Al had problems with his ears so we thumbed it.
