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Source http://www.shark.ch and http://www.fishbase.org
3. Shark Feeding on Aliwal Shoal - Recent Developments
Since our previous newsletter, Marine Coastal Management has had an open meeting on the the shark feeding at Aliwal Shoal. The meeting was held on 18 June 2001 and attended by the Natal Shark Board, Kwazulu Wildlife representatives, dive operators, Wildlife Society of SA and other interested parties.
The meeting came to a decision that Tiger shark feeding will be allowed at a location 1 km south of current diving locations and will be regulated via operator permits. The feeding of Ragged tooth sharks will however not be allowed. An appropriate code of conduct will also be set to regulate the feeding activities. Aliwal Shoal will be made into a Marine Protected Area. The northern boundary is the SAICCOR pipe-line and the southern boundary south off Rocky Bay and 7 kms out to sea.
Another open workshop will be held on wednesday, 22 August 2001. For more information on either of these two workshops you can contact Andy Cobb at the following e-mail address andycobb@iafrica.com or you can contact us at willem@dpa-training.co.za and we will get you the information.
If you would like to air your opinion on this matter go to http://www.delportdupreez.co.za/diving/form.htm or follow the link from our home page.
So far the results are as follows:
Number of votes received = 47
Stop the feeding = 40 (85,1%)
Keep on feeding them = 6 (12,8%)
The other person was not willing to choose a side.
We will send all results and comments on to the relevant parties before the next workshop is held.
Special thanks to 50/50 and Divestyle magazine for mentioning the poll.
4. Book Review - Marine Shells of South Africa/ See Skulpe van Suid-Afrika
By Douw Steyn and Markus Lussi
This is book for all those people who love to collect shells and some divers might find it interesting as well. It features full colour photographs of all the shells, which occur along the coast of South Africa. Along with a description of the shell they also give a distribution map and sizes of the shell. Another interesting feature, more to collectors than to divers, is an indication of the rarity of the shell (this is measured in how often a complete shell washes up on the beach). It is a very handy guide for those divers who like to look at shells when diving and don't know their name.
Ekogilde cc publishes this book.
5. Forth Coming Events
Shark Feeding Workshop - 22 August 2001 (See article 3 of this newsletter)
Watersport Africa Show - 31st August 2001 - 2nd September 2001, SuperSport Park, Centurion, South Africa, for further information, please contact Ross Harris - 082 824 7204 or e-mail to watersport@rai.co.za or visit http://www.rai.co.za/watersport
6. Equipment Specials
We promised that we will inform you of all equipment specials as we become aware of them. Well here is a huge one:
There is a 25% sale on all SCUBAPRO and UWATEC products. To good to be true? The offer is in connection with Divestyle magazine. Around the July/August edition of Divestyle there is a black band which acts as a voucher for the purchase. The voucher is valid until 24 August 2001 and certain conditions apply. Definitely worth looking into.
Be on the look out for other specials as this is the time of the year that specials seems to pop up the most.
For more information's about specials or any equipment related queries contact Richard at info@oceandivers.co.za
7. Website of the month
The following site is our choice for website of the month:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com
As the official website for the National Geographic magazine, this site is very informative and a must to visit.
8. E-mail without a phone?
This sounds like it should belong in some kind of technical newsletter and definitely not in a diving newsletter. Well that might be true but lets think for a moment. Have you ever been to Mozambique for a diving vacation and was left without e-mail because there was no phone service available or had to cancel that vacation because you could not be in touch with the office. Well now you can break away from the office and still be in touch to ensure that the company doesn't go under without you. Here is how....
Bushmail is e-mail to and from the African bush via HF radio and the Internet. It provides a downtown office facility in the bush that facilitates data communications to and from anywhere in the world and all in under 10 minutes forwarding time. Stations installed in Botswana, Wilderness Safaris 14 camps, Moremi safaris, Landela safaris and 42 other African countries. You can sit under a tree in the African bush or under a Palm tree on an Island in the Mozambique Channel and send and receive e-mail to and from anywhere in the world. Its much cheaper than satellite communications, and in any case, short wave radio is still the most used means of communication in the remote areas of Africa.
Bushmail is used primarily by tourist operators, hunters, farmers, mining operators, missionaries, security organizations and even for e-mail communications between the world and 4X4 vehicles and houseboats. Also included among Bushmail users are explorers, adventurers, filmmakers and conservationists.
For more information contact: Atlantic / Bushmail Head Office Tel: (012) 342-0622 Fax: (012) 430-7922 or
mailto:skywave@lantic.net
9. How to manage Nitrogen narcosis
Nitrogen narcosis occurs when the partial pressure of the inhaled air is above 2.8 ATA. This usually occurs at 30m and deeper but has been recorded at 10m. It can also occur on a fast decent.
Some of the symptoms to watch out for are a general feeling of well being, changes in senses e.g. tunnel vision, changes in higher mental functions like the math ability of the person. Some other symptoms may also be a change in motor ability with uncoordinated and awkward movements.
Nitrogen narcosis disappears when the person starts to ascend and it leaves no permanent damage. |
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