Whale Sharks off La Paz
The
unusual and mysterious whale shark appears to be offering some
enlightenment of its behavior patterns in the La Paz area of Mexico's
Sea of Cortez. Recent sightings and encounters are allowing us to
understand this magnificent creature's habits.
The past perception was that whale sharks were migratory and visited La Paz only during the plankton blooms of late spring. However consistent sightings during most of the summer and fall of 1999 may lend a hand at proving that they were present all along. The number of encounters with these animals leads dive operators to believe that home is where the food is, and that home is the plankton rich waters of Baja.
Whale sharks are known as solitary creatures. Indifferent eating machines that gulp up small organisms as they cruise through the water. In the La Paz area there have been numerous sightings of whale sharks grouped together feeding in the same area. The whale sharks are not only taking advantage of the food supply, but a mix of juveniles and adults appear to create a paternal environment.
Baja Expeditions has been offering Whale Shark expeditions throughout the Sea of Cortez with great success for over 10 years. Expedition participants join us in contemplating the behavior of these whale sharks and to discover more about this unbelievable fish. Departure dates are June 11-18 and June 25-July 2 for trips with dedicated spotter airplane to help find the animals. Interested parties are invited to call 1-800-843-6967 or visit the Baja Expeditions booth #129 at SCUBA Show 2000, June 3-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Applications are now being accepted for the following volunteer feeders at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium:
Volunteer feeders are needed to assist aquarists with feeding marine animals and maintaining the live exhibits. Volunteers must be willing to commit each Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A commitment to this time for a minimum of six months to one year is requested. Applications for this position will be taken until the position is filled.
Volunteers are asked to become a member of the Friends of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium at a reduced volunteer fee of $15 per year, which entitles them to the full benefits of membership.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen White
Drive in San Pedro and is a facility of the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. For more information regarding these volunteer opportunities, please contact Randi Abrams, Volunteer Coordinator at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, (310) 548-7562 X5029.
Dive
Connection has acquired a third boat to serve San Diego and the new
Yukon wreck dive site. All this summer Dive Connection will be
running three boats to all San Diego's best dive sites, including
Wreck Alley, local kelp forests, submarine canyons, the "Ledge" and
Coronados Islands, to name just a few.
Dive Connection's new boat, the Moli Anna is a 65-foot crew boat that seats 30 divers and 3 crew. The Moli Anna has inside seating for 30 and outside seating on her top deck for 30. This combined with the capacity of Dive Connection's other two boats, Dive Connections will be taking 150 people to view the Yukon sinking on July 15th at 8:30 a.m.
Those interested in witnessing the sinking of the Yukon with Dive Connections should call (615) 523-9282 now to reserve their spot to witness history.
The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) has designated June as National Scuba Month. One of the goals is to convey the fun and excitement of scuba diving and generate broad reaching exposure for diving.
In honor of National Scuba Month, Sport Chalet will have special sales, a sweepstakes and promotional events throughout the entire month of June. One such event is International Dive-In Day, in which divers try to break the world record for largest collective scuba dive. In addition to International Dive In Day, Sport Chalet will be conducting free scuba, Bubble Maker, SASY and Skill Refresher experiences throughout the month of June.
"We are very proud to be participating in the second annual National Scuba Month." It's a great way to bring divers together to raise awareness and increase participation in this great sport," says Jason Gautereaux, Director of Scuba Operations for Sport Chalet. "I hope all certified divers will encourage their friends and family members to experience what scuba diving is all about."
Sport Chalet has 22 outlets throughout Southern California. For a store near you, check www.sportchalet.com.
Divers Alert Network (DAN) begins the new millennium with its second year of scuba diving ascent rate studies.
What is the Ascent Rate Study? Recreational diving tables are based on no-stop decompression diving; that is, they are based on making a dive shallow enough and short enough in duration that the divers needs only to ascend slowly, without being obligated to make a decompression stop. Decompression stops are made on longer, deeper dives.
Conventional wisdom in the dive community has traditionally recommended an ascent rate of 60 feet/18 meters per minute on no-stop single dives. This was the maximum ascent rate most divers learned during initial training. But according to some dive table and dive computers divers are currently using, more recent recommendations advocate using rates as slow as 20 feet per minute. Some have opted for faster rates.
Some dive medicine specialists have challenged these recommendations, advocating an ascent rate of 10 feet/3 meters per minute. So, who's right? "This study will help determine the appropriate rate of ascent, knowledge we will share with the entire diving community," Dr. Vann said.
DAN conducts these diving ascent trials in the hyper/hypobaric chambers of the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke University Medical Center. Only single dives are tested to 100 feet / 30 meters.
Want to participate? For eligibility and other information, call DAN Research at 919-684-2948, ext. 260 or email DANResearch@DAN.duke.edu or www.DiversAlertNetwork.org or visit DAN's exhibit booth at SCUBA Show 2000, June 3-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Peter Hughes is pleased to announce that he has dropped the age limit for young certified divers travelling aboard his luxury liveaboard vessels to ten years of age. This is in response to recent changes in the junior certification age made by certain certifying agencies. Prior to this, a child traveling aboard a Peter Hughes' vessel had to be at least twelve and certified. The age limit for non-certified youngsters remains at 16.
According to Peter Hughes, "Lowering the certification age should have a positive influence on the industry. One, it will allow families to vacation together in areas where it wasn't possible before and two, it should help the industry grow, catching the kids at an earlier age, before they develop other interests that might distract them from diving."
Peter Hughes Diving offers a 10 percent discount to students with proper identification, so most new certified young divers will be able to take advantage of that as well.
Peter Hughes Diving, Inc. owns and/or operates six luxury liveaboards and one land-based dive facility in seven of the world's most exotic diving destinations. For information or reservations, contact your favorite dive travel planner or Peter Hughes Diving at: 800-0-DANCER, on the internet at www.peterhughes.com, or visit their exhibit booth #151 at SCUBA Show 2000, June 3-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
