Monthly Archives: August 2008

Aircraft Carrier Artificial Reef

Thanks to Scott, here’s a piece from the New York Times on an aircraft carrier that is now acting as an artificial reef off  Pensacola in Florida. The ship is the Oriskany, which was commissioned in 1950 and served in … Continue reading

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Sydney Whale Calf Put Down

On Friday 22 August the whale calf that was separated from its mother was put down by the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service. The calf was starving to death and they felt that they had no choice, as there … Continue reading

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Whale Calf Lost in Sydney

Bad news for a month old humpback whale calf near Sydney, as it has been separated from its mother. It is in the Pittwater area and is attempting to suckle whale-sized boats in a desparate attempt to find food. A … Continue reading

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Wild Dolphins “Tail-walking”

Near Adelaide a group of wild dolphins have been seen “tail-walking”, which is not typical dolphin behaviour. Instead it is taught to dolphins in captivity as a trick at shows. It turns out that one of them female wild dolphins … Continue reading

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Pacific Abyss Team Find 13 New Species

Last year the BBC filmed a documentary called Pacific Abyss, where a number of renowned divers dived the waters around Micronesia. They were based on Big Blue Explorer, which I was fortunate enough to dive from a few years ago … Continue reading

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Phoenician Boat to Sail around Africa

The Greek historian, Herodotus, provides the first reference to a circumnavigation of Africa in around 600 BC, which was made by the Phoenicians. They were strong seafarers and traders who lived in the area that is now part of Lebanon … Continue reading

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Health Food Chain Stops Selling Shark Cartilage Capsules

Holland & Barrett, the UK’s largest chain of health food stores has stopped selling shark cartilage capsules.  This is partly as a result of a year-long campaign by Bite-Back which is a UK-based organisation dedicated to the protection of sharks … Continue reading

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Nice Wall south of Po Toi

Diving on the south side of Hong Kong is a bit of an acquired taste. Visibility tends to be worse than other areas of the territory. There can be stronger currents and there is the potential for more depth. You … Continue reading

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British Sub to Explore Cayman Trough

Autosub6000 is an autonomously controlled robotic submarine which is going to be used on 2 month-long expeditions to map the Cayman Trough. This lies between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and is formed by the Caribbean tectonic plate moving away … Continue reading

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Seals Navigate by the Stars

Researchers from the University of Rostock in Germany have used a simulated night sky to look for evidence that seals navigate using the stars. Seals often go on foraging trips that can take several days, and it looks as though … Continue reading

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