DiveBuddy.com Blogs

Koh Lanta Christmas Hotels 2010

AmazingLanta — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:44:46 CDT

Christmas 2010 may still be five months away, but already Koh Lanta hotels are nearly full over Christmas and New Year. There are only a few rooms left during Christmas and New Year at the most upmarket hotels on Koh Lanta, so if you’re looking to spend the festive season on Koh Lanta, it’s best [...] [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

K2 Sadness: Dolphin-Safe Tuna-are we being hoodwinked?

K2SCUBA — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:54:16 CDT

Dolphin-safe tuna: conservation success story or ecological disaster? By WhySharksMatter, on July 26th, 2010 I used to feel warm and fuzzy inside when I saw the dolphin-safe logo on my tuna. I felt like a decision I made was helping the environment- like I was making a difference. The commonly believed narrative about dolphin-safe tuna [...] Related posts:Belize declares all-out war on venomous invading lionfish Belize Marine authorities are waging an all-out war against the... Humboldt Squids Washing up on Oregon Beaches The Associated Press Numerous large squid are reportedly washing up... Scuba Diver Alert: Acid Water in Alaska Increased Ocean Acidification In Alaska Waters, New Findings Show ScienceDaily... [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

국!위!선!양!

ally — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:48:04 CDT

처음엔..그냥...장난이였드랬지.. 어디가서.. 누구하나.. 아는척하면... 다이빙하다 맥주라도 한잔 얻어먹겠지 싶어서...ㅋㅋㅋ 무턱대고 가입한.. divebuddy search site... 첨엔. 내가 동양여자라 관심을 보이며. 즈네동네 오면 꼭 hang out 하자며..쓰잘대 없는 간시미들이 많더니.. 나중엔 내가 올린 제주도 바다속의 사진을 보며.. 어떻게 한국에 그런 point가 있냐며.. 적극 관심을 보이는 사람들이 생겼다.. .nice pics didnt know Korea had such nice diving .Do people wear drysuits there it seems that the water can be quite cool is that true?? 게다가.. 운영자조차 한국의 다이브 포인트좀 소개해달라며 쪽지를 보냈다.. . Thank you for adding the dive site in Korea to the Dive Sites section on my site wondring if u could add a few more dive sites located in South Korea or on Jeje Island? I can’t find much information about dive sites in South Korea online so you’re help is greatly appreciated. When adding dive sites, can you make sure it’s a location that divers scuba dive at, not dive store locations. Also, if you can find out the coordinates (longitude and latitude) of the dive sites, that would be awesome! As much info as you can add for each dive site, the better (ie: photos, good description, web address with more info, etc.). Thanks for being a member and thank you for helping to build a good dive site section in your area. Sincerely, Greg Davis 근데 딸랑.. 제주도만 가본 내가 어딜 어떻게. 추가할꺼냔.. 게다가 이쟈식.. 한국에 다이브 사이트가 제주뿐인줄 아는거 -_- 그렇다고 내가 가본데라곤 제주 빼고 태종대 뿐인데 시야 50cm 에 손으로 더듬더듬하며. 10분만에 출수해서.. 겁나 술만 처먹었네...-_- 이딴거 올릴수도 없고. 이거 웬지. 국위선양을 위해. 여기저기 많이 다녀봐야 할꺼같잖아;; ;; 그리고 완전 귀여운 어느 아즈씨는.. 직접 번역기를 돌리며 .좋은 사진 Alli 잠수 신체에 오신걸 환영합니다 라니.... 아오..잠수신체.. 대박.대박.. ㅋㅋ 이젠.. 맥주한잔 문제가 아니라. 많은 다이버들이..한국..제주의 예쁜 바다를 볼수있게. . . . . . . . 장비사야겠다 -_- 아..결말이 이상해 -_-;

OceanicDreams — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:28:00 CDT

Hanli’s prose is pure poetry... Read this. [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

Just a reminder...

OceanicDreams — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:53:00 CDT

Just saw the post from The Dorsal Fin in reference to Shark Week with the following video embedded...a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done. [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

Divers and Dental Professionals Combine Work and Passion for Scuba Diving Through Fiji Project

MatavaFiji — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:07:27 CDT

By Mark Fischer Owner, HydroSports Dive and Travel Most people think of Fiji as an island paradise. But four airports, three types of aircraft, 19 time zones and 30 travel-hours from HydroSports (Keizer, Oregon) is the village of Kadavu Koro. Remote by both distance and time villagers have almost no access to medical or dental care. Located on the Island of Kadavu, Kaduva Koro is home to about 300 people. I have visited Fiji 12 times over the past 10 years. During my stays I was able to visit the village and local primary and secondary schools and received an education about the availability of health care at the village level. What I learned was that while care is readily available in cities, at the village level, care is scarce. Returning from that trip I decided to pioneer a Dental Mission. I partnered with Coach Ramey Stroud, a Mill City diver, and Stuart Gow, Director of the Matava Eco-Resort on the island of Kadavu. Together we identified dates for our trip, solicited the cooperation of Air Pacific, the national airline of Fiji, the Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association and the Fiji Ministry of Health. Salem Hospital generously shared information about our trip with their staff. I traveled with Dr. Mike and Mrs. Carrie Litchfield and Dr. Sean Hanson of Salem and Jim and Gina Jepsen from Ione, Oregon. Dave Beard from Tasmania met us at Matava and joined our team. Air Pacific allowed us each to bring an extra 50 pounds of medical gear. Mike and Sean had received hundreds of toothbrushes, toothpaste samples and dental supplies from their suppliers. Mike brought a portable dental station as well. Our arrival at Matava was met with excitement. Maggie, the Fijian concierge, let us know that he had shared the news of the American dentists arriving three weeks earlier with the village council. He had made arrangements for us to visit the village the next day to meet with the Chief, the Director of the School (whose classroom’s we planned to use for the clinic) and the village nurse (representative of the Ministry of Health). We took an open boat to the village, walked past sleeping dogs, feeding chickens, children playing, men unloading cinderblocks and women washing clothes. We sat on the floor of the Chief’s home. Maggie and the chief chatted, laughed, gestured at me a...

Nature Crimes: professor looks at how conservation can go wrong

RTSea — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:40:00 CDT

Now here is a different spin on current conservation strategies, one that takes a skeptical look at the overall approach taken by many western-style societies when it comes to implementing animal reserves and ecotourism operations. It may not be a perspective that you agree with (it made me squirm in my seat to read it), but as we move forward in our efforts to conserve animals and natural resources worldwide, it’s worth considering so that we can best insure that we’re on a fair course. As reported in The Guardian, in the new book Nature Crime: How We’re Getting Conservation Wrong, author and professor of international politics Rosaleen Duffy declares that, in many developing countries where endangered species or habitats exist, conservation efforts often penalize or even criminalize large segments of a population which can threaten their very existence. According to Duffy (who supports the need for animal and habitat protection), this can cause bigger long-term problems in keeping these disenfranchised groups in step with the program. The Guardian reports, "When wildlife reserves are established, Duffy says, local communities can suddenly find that their everyday subsistence activities, such as hunting and collecting wood, have been outlawed.At the same time, well-intentioned attempts to protect the habitats of animal species on the edge of extinction lead to the creation of wild, ’people-free’ areas. This approach has led to the displacement of millions of people across the world.’Conservation does not constitute neat win-win scenarios. Schemes come with rules and regulations that criminalize communities, dressed up in the language of partnership and participation, coupled with promises of new jobs in the tourism industry.’" Ecotourism is another area in which Duffy is critical. Developing ecotourism in areas with the promise of increased tourism and jobs, can in the end prove counterproductive when there is hotel development to support the tourism, work done to provide tourists with a "clean" experience (pristine white beaches, etc.), but a populace that does not fully benefit from the limited number of jobs that ecotourism can sometimes generate. "’Holiday makers are mostly unaware of how their tourist paradises have been produced,’ she says. ’They assume that the picture-perfect landscape or the silver Caribbean beach is a natural feature. This is very far from the truth. Tourist playgrounds are manufactured environments, usually cleared of people. Similarly, hotel construction in tropical areas can result in clearing ecologically important mangroves or beach building which harms coral reefs.’" Duffy’s thesis is that many conservation strategies are too optimistic and there certainly have been instances where the end results were not as anticipated for both, the environment and the community. So, I personally take what she says as more of a warning rather than an across-the-board indictment. Government, non-profit, and commercial organizations involved in conservation efforts - from reserves and protected areas to ecotourism - must be cognizant of how their efforts might inadvertently penalize subsistence-level groups which, in the long run, can undermine the success of the strategy. It’s a challenge getting the balance just ri...

Shark Week Education or Just Entertainment?

sharkdiver73 — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:59:00 CDT

[ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

Sharks Bite Back Without Biting: study finds deadly bacteria

sharkdiver73 — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:41:00 CDT

[ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

"I ain’t never seen so many gators in my life."

sharkdiver73 — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:32:00 CDT

[ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

K2 Uh Ooh: Surfer Attacked by Shark in North Florida

K2SCUBA — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:19:48 CDT

Surfer needs 300 stitches in foot after shark attack A surfer needed more than 300 stitches in his foot after being attacked by a shark. By Paul Thompson in Miami Published: 11:53PM BST 27 Jul 2010 Clayton Schultz has described the agonising pain as the shark clamped his jaw around his foot. “All I really [...] Related posts:K2 How To’s: Swimming with the Sharks! The nightmares I had in my yesteryears after watching JAWS... Great White Sharks now more endangered than tigers with just 3,500 left in the oceans By David Derbyshire Last updated at 11:57 PM on 20th... [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

K2 Uh Ooh: Surfer Attacked by Shark in North Florida [Digg]

K2SCUBA — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:22:54 CDT

Surfer needs 300 stitches in foot after shark attack A surfer needed more than 300 stitches in his foot after being attacked by a shark. By Paul [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

K2 Hmmm: Scuba Diving now deemed “Hazardous Activity” in Cali

K2SCUBA — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:34:04 CDT

SCUBA diving is now officially a “hazardous activity” that the government is not liable for, under a new law authored by Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point. The law, AB 634 was signed Tuesday by Governor Schwarzenegger and releases the state and local governments from liability in lawsuits associated with SCUBA diving. The bill passed in [...] Related posts:K2 How To’s: Scuba Diving for Dinner – Lobster! Bug diving as it is most notably referred to with... Scuba Dive the Beauty of the Sea of Cortez, Mexico Bring your Scuba Gear to an entrancing, exciting vacation city.... K2 How To’s: Scuba Watch – The All Purpose Dive Gear Are you aware of the different scuba gear? Better be... Diving in helmet first . . . oops, helmet last Football players wear them. So do people competing in hockey,... Proper Fit & Care of your Scuba Diving Wetsuit Hi! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe... [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

Matava supports Project AWARE as a Patron

MatavaFiji — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:01:00 CDT

I would like to share some fabulous news with you. Thanks to your donation, a newly opened Underwater Environment Community Resource Centre in Bai Tu Long National Park, Vietnam is giving underprivileged locals the chance to learn about threatened species in their region. The park has suffered from unsustainable exploitation of its natural resources, so raising community [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

The Official ImgBurn Website

MatavaFiji — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:58:00 CDT

The Official ImgBurn Website [ This is an external blog. Read complete blog here... ]...

UE Team finds unknown shipwreck

blacksambellamy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:24:36 CDT

On july 22, 2010 the UE team discovered another unknown wreck in the depths of Cape Cod Bay. Below we posted a larger image of the wreck which appears to be approximately 60 feet in length. Hopefully we will have a team in place by August to document the site and possibly retrieve artifacts for wreck identification. www.underwater-explorations.com ...