Monthly Archives: May 2009

WWII ship sunk as artificial reef off Florida Keys

The USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was originally named the USS General Harry Taylor. It saw service ferrying American troops to the Pacific in 1944. After the war it brought troops and holocaust survivors out of Europe. In the 1960′s … Continue reading

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Divers body found

The body of the diver who went missing off Bluff Island has been found. This from the SCMP: “The body of Ho Hing-tung, 45, a paediatric doctor at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, who went missing while diving in Sai … Continue reading

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Carl Spencer dies on the Britannic

Carl Spencer, a highly regarded British diver, has died after suffering severe decompression sickness after a dive on the Britannic. He had been leading a National Geographic Society expedition to film the wreck. Apparently witnesses saw him suffering convulsions while … Continue reading

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ROV to help define underwater borders

An ROV built by researchers in the Irish Republic has been designed to perform seabed surveys down to a depth of 1,000 metres. It is named Latis, after the Celtic goddess of beer and water, which sounds a strange, and … Continue reading

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Search to resume

Again, from SCMP’s brief section – “Search for diver to resume today A search for a diver who went missing on Sunday off Bluff Island in Sai Kung was suspended at 6.30pm yesterday and was to resume today. The man, … Continue reading

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Search for missing diver

Not got much detail on this, but the SCMP’s “In Brief” section has the following: “Rescuers search for missing diver A man in his 30s or 40s was reported missing after going diving at Ung Kong Wan in Sai Kung … Continue reading

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WWF concerned for Hong Kong’s dolphins

WWF is saying that the Hong Kong government should designate no-go areas in the sea off North Lantau, to try and protect the Chinese white dolphin. Their concerns are because the whole area is likely to be affected by major … Continue reading

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Komodo dragons venomous?

In what could be an important story for anyone planning on losing their dive boat in the Komodo area, the Guardian are reporting that the Komodo dragon is venomous. They are known for ambushing and biting their prey, but then … Continue reading

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Dolphins seen trying to kill newborn calf

“Calf” in this context refers to a dolphin calf, not a baby cow that happened to fall in the water. Several adult tucuxi dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) were seen attacking a newborn calf. Six adults separated the calf from its mother, … Continue reading

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RGS Lecture – Extreme Caving

On Tuesday 19 May 2009 THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY – HONG KONG is hosting  a presentation by Richard Gerrish on “Extreme Caving: Into the Deep”. It will be at  3/F British Council, 3 Supreme Court Road, with a Drinks Reception … Continue reading

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Coral Triangle discussed at World’s Ocean Conference

SCMP has an article today about the Coral Triangle. This isn’t some sort of Twilight Zone-type place like the Bermuda Triangle – an area of sea where coral mysteriously disappears, never to be seen again. In fact the aim of … Continue reading

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RGS Lecture on Hong Kong’s geological history

On Tuesday 12 May 2009 THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY – HONG KONG is hosting  a presentation by Dr Raynor Shaw and Professor Bernie Owen on “Hong Kong Landscapes: 400 Million Years of Geological History”. It will be at  2/F Olympic … Continue reading

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