"Do something for our oceans"
LATEST NEWS 2012, "SURFRIDER FUNDATION EUROPE"
http://www.surfrider.eu/es/inicio.html
Saturday 22 December 2012
Wednesday 24 October 2012
Monday 10 September 2012
Monday 3 September 2012
Thanks to: "Steve Jones", www.millionfish.com
It is estimated that around 100 million sharks are slaughtered every year to supply the demand for shark fin soup. Many species will become extinct in our lifetime unless this practice is stopped now. If you care, please visit : http://www.sharktrust.org/
Monday 13 August 2012
Thursday 19 July 2012
Wednesday 9 May 2012
"MINA MARY" STEEL OASIS
The "Mina Mary" The last steel oasis, in Bermeo (Spain)
http://youtu.be/ClpdQ7XIWpA
Sunday 6 May 2012
"Underwater Photography Magazine" Issue 66
"Underwater Photography Magazine" Issue 66, is now available free at:
http://www.uwpmag.com
Monday 23 April 2012
Wednesday 28 March 2012
"For a day without stress" by Rafa Herrero.
Calderón tropical / Pilot Whale.
http://vimeo.com/39259087
Monday 6 February 2012
SEAHORSE LIVEABOARD ON THE "BOOT SHOW 2012"
THE SEAHORSE LIVEABOARD TEAM, WILL LIKE TO THANK´S ALL OUR VISITORS AND FRIENDS, ON OUR LAST "2012 BOOT SHOW".SEE YOU ALL NEXT YEAR.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
"MSY SEAHORSE" with "STEVE JONES" in Cederawasih Bay, 2011
The Cenderawasih Bay Whale shark trips differ from the normal cruises in that for the majority of the time you will be diving for one particular subject only – and no prizes for guessing which! Nonetheless, there is still variety to be found in the diving on these trips, on the way to and from the locations where the sharks gather. The cruise I joined started in the regional capital, Manokwari, and before setting off south we explored some of the local wrecks. Firstly there is a large Japanese cargo ship lying on its side in around 25 metres of water. The holds are open and allow safe limited penetration where military cargo can be found, including armaments tractors, bombs and multitudes of bottles. For me however, the highlight of diving near Manokwari was the second site on our itinerary, known as the “cross wreck”. Lying upright in 20 metres of water this small but extremely colourful wreck is encrusted in yellow and red corals with healthy populations of fish dancing in the mild current. Not much is known about the wreck, but given the presence of depth charges still mounted in their racks on the stern deck, she almost certainly was sunk during World War 2. One dive was simply not enough and there was consensus amongst us to return to the site on the way back.
By day 2 we were halfway to our destination, allowing an opportunity to explore some of the rarely dived reefs enroute. The corals here are healthy, and given this bays unique ecosystem it’s possible to sight species you will not find anywhere else – the whole experience had an air of frontier diving.
By the time we awoke on day 3, the crew of the MSY Seahorse were already busy locating the “bagans” (traditional fishing platforms) that had the healthiest number of sharks beneath them. Several of the nearby platforms had whale sharks so it was possible over the coming days to split the dive groups onto different sites simultaneously, allowing us to get the maximum time in the water without overcrowding.
Negotiations with the fishermen concluded and in no time our tender boat arrived at the bagan with a group of eager divers. We could see the sharks beneath the boat before we even had our masks on and on the first dive we had three with us for the entire dive. Photographers are presented with an interesting dilemma, as there are so many image opportunities that it is easy to end up concentrating on none of them. I’d never previously experienced “opportunity overload” with this particular subject before, however with multiple sharks staying with us the entire dive and happy to repeatedly approach eyeball to eyeball, the photographer will very quickly need to develop discipline to only focus on the image they want to capture.
The sharks are attracted to the bagans by the nets full of anchovies that hang under the platforms. Many of the nets are in a poor state of repair and the sharks do not miss the opportunity for a free lunch, using their cavernous mouths to vacuum the unfortunate fish through the holes in the nets. Yet rather than persecute these sharks for competing with them, the Papuan fishermen embrace their company during their long, lonely stints at sea. They believe the sharks bring them luck and indeed one fisherman went underwater at night to cut a whale shark free after it had become caught up in the net, subsequently losing his entire catch. At a time when sharks are so heavily persecuted worldwide, witnessing this harmonious relationship was a glimmer of light in what can only be a grey outlook for these majestic animals.
We stayed with the sharks for four and a half days, each day presenting us with more and more opportunities. On the fourth day we had nine sharks with us simultaneously, the largest being 10 metres long. Any concerns I may have had of growing tired of the repetitive experience of this kind of diving did not materialise – we were all a little sad to leave the company of the sharks when it was time to head back to port. All of us were solemnly aware that with the way sharks are now being hunted, we may well be the first and last generation to witness this natural spectacle in such an intense way.
During the journey home we meandered up the seldom-explored Papuan coastline, finding some great critter sites and beautiful seascapes on the way. My only regret on the trip was choosing to sit out the last night dive in Manokwari bay. The video footage afterwards proved it had been an absolute critter-fest! The lesson here was don’t miss any dives on this itinerary!! :o)
On a final note I would say that before you consider this trip you should be fully at ease with two aspects. Firstly the focus is primarily on the whale sharks, so if you are the sort of diver that loves variety, this may not be for you. However, if you are a photographer or videographer who relishes the opportunity to go back with the same subjects again and again seeing your images improve every time, or somebody who simply adores the company of animals that, let’s face it, are pretty difficult to see in normal circumstances, you will love this trip. The second point is that the reef dives will be on largely uncharted sites and consequently there is no guarantee you will always have a truly world class dive. You need to take that as part of the experience that goes with diving in new areas – it’s also part of the excitement! One thing however is sure – diving with the whale sharks in Cenderawasih Bay is to experience one of nature’s great phenomenons.
Steve Jones
www.millionfish.com
Tuesday 17 January 2012
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