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in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Lawsuit Dive-Gear Sales To Libyan Militants

A diver who was with famed Canadian documentary filmmaker Rob Stewart when Stewart slipped beneath the waves Jan. 31 after ascending from a deep-water dive off Islamorada — and was found dead three days later — is a defendant in a bizarre lawsuit with his former business partner in which he’s accused of selling military-grade scuba gear to a Libyan militant last August.

Peter Sotis, a well-known name in the rebreather diving community, is being sued by Shawn Robotka, a Key Largo man who owns 20 percent of one of Sotis’ businesses called Kaizen International Solutions LLC. Robotka wants a judge to liquidate Kaizen’s assets and grant an injunction preventing Sotis from continuing to operate the business.

Among other arguments, Robotka’s attorneys wrote in a Dec. 22, 2016, complaint filed in Broward County Circuit Court that Sotis sold rebreather and underwater propulsion equipment to a client in Libya. Robotka argues that violates federal law and subjects him and Kaizen Solutions to liability. Robotka’s attorneys state in the complaint that the sale in August 2016 was executed after federal agents with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Homeland Security and FBI cautioned the transaction was against the law.

It’s unclear whether that sale actually happened or if Sotis is under any sort of investigation. His attorney, Raymond Robin, said he doesn’t know.

“They’re the ones claiming it, so I would ask them,” Robin said of Robotka’s attorneys, Robert Bernstein and John Annesser. Bernstein and Annesser declined comment.

“Unfortunately, as our case is ongoing, we cannot offer any comment at this time,” Annesser said.

In a Feb. 21 filing in court responding to Sotis’ counsel’s request for specific documents related to Robotka’s accusation of the sale to Libya, however, Bernstein wrote “any such documents cannot be produced so as not to interfere with ongoing federal investigations.”

James Marshall, an FBI spokesman, responded that it’s “FBI policy to neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.”

Robin filed a counter claim in Broward County Circuit Court, accusing Robotka of emptying the bank accounts of Kaizen and several other businesses Sotis owns, taking $102,972 on Dec. 21, one day before he filed his lawsuit against Sotis.

Sotis trained Rob Stewart, a Canadian conservationist who made underwater documentaries about sharks, on rebreathing devices many divers use on deep descents. Rebreathers circulate a diver’s air, scrubbing the carbon dioxide, which allows them to stay underwater longer. The gear also does not produce bubbles that scare fish. But the complex devices also can be more dangerous than conventional compressed-air tanks.

Stewart, 37, and Sotis were using rebreathers when they were diving in more than 220 feet of water on the Queen of Nassau wreck about 6 miles from Alligator Reef off Islamorada Jan. 31 while filming the latest installment of Stewart’s “Sharkwater” documentary series about shark conservation.

Sotis surfaced first and showed signs of breathing difficulties. Initial reports said he lost consciousness, but he denied this in a posting on the Facebook page of one of his companies, Add Helium. Crew members on the Pisces dive boat administered oxygen to Sotis. When they turned around to retrieve Stewart, he was gone. Sotis did not respond to request for comment on the incident sent to him in February and an attempt to contact him this week was not successful.

A massive three-day, 6,000-square-mile search was conducted for Stewart that included numerous assets from the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department’s dive team. When the official search was called off late Friday afternoon, Feb. 3, Key Largo divers, using an remotely operated underwater vehicle, found Stewart’s body 200-plus feet down on the ocean floor, about 300 feet from where he was last seen on the surface.

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

USS Oriskany

Tourism officials encourage visitors to explore the world’s largest artificial reef—the USS Oriskany.

But tourism officials fail to warn scuba divers that in the worst-case scenario, no hyperbaric facility exists from Pensacola to Jacksonville to treat decompression sickness or the bends, which can be life-threatening.

Local diver, Steve Wells, died Nov. 25 because he allegedly failed to receive treatment in time for the bends, sparking renewed interest in diver safety along the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast. An autopsy is still being conducted to determine the cause of death.

It’s why the Escambia County Marine Advisory Committee held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss diving safety in front of a packed meeting room filled with divers, diving shop and boat charter owners, and medical experts in diving accidents. The committee plans to meet again Monday, Feb. 13 to approve steps that would improve the safety of divers who visit Pensacola from all over the world.

“The lack of a chamber is certainly an issue,” said Kerry Freeland, who owns Dive Pros and is a Marine Advisory Committee member. “If we had one here it would be advantageous.”

Today, divers must go to Springhill Medical Center in Mobile, Ala., or the South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Ga., to be treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a recompression chamber.

Baptist Hospital used to treat divers, but after two years it stopped using its hyperbaric chamber for diving emergencies and only uses it for wound care, such as gas gangrene, necrotizing infections, diabetic ulcers, carbon monoxide poisoning, chronic wounds and a variety of other conditions. In fact, the only hospitals left in Florida that provide service to divers are all located in South Florida — Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, Miami and Key Largo.

Divers in local waters must make it to Springhill Medical Center’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Treatment Program that Julio Garcia oversees. Garcia said he treats about 12 to 15 divers from Northwest Florida yearly.

“No one gives a rat’s butt about recruiting tourist dollars and then not having the equipment to treat them,” Garcia said strongly. “This really infuriates me. It takes a fatality. It shouldn’t take this.”

A stand-alone hyperbaric chamber also exists at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. It only serves the military and their dependents. However, Dr. Anne Roberts said at the Diving Safety special meeting that the Department of Defense does allow the Navy hyperbaric chamber to be used to stabilize civilian divers who present life-threatening symptoms from the bends before transferring them to a non-military hospital to receive the remainder of their treatment.

“If it is a significant enough life threatening illness from a diving injury, I will treat them,” Roberts said.

The number one thing that should be done for any diver in distress is to call the Divers Alert Network hotline at Duke University at 919-684-9111. The hotline is manned 24/7 365. DAN is the diving industry’s largest association dedicated to scuba diving safety.

Beyond that diving experts suggested a number of solutions to improve treatment of the bends, including convincing hospital executives, who have active hyperbaric chambers, to create a schedule that rotates the responsibility of handling emergencies.

More unlikely recommendations included having lawmakers mandate hospitals treat divers if they have that ability. Others said the diving community should raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish an independent hyperbaric chamber and train a pool of physicians and medical personnel needed to staff it.

“Hopefully, one day we’ll get an epiphany and know how to handle it all,” Freeland said.

One thing that did seem certain was the updating of a protocol written by Merrick VanLandingham in 2005 on how to handle life threatening diving conditions. It would be circulated with all the parties typically involved in treatment, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, EMS, Search and Rescue, law enforcement, 9-1-1 operators, Florida Fish and Wildlife, hospitals across the region, and the Northwest diving community among other groups and agencies.

VanLandingham, who has taught diving for more than two decades and sits on the Escambia County Marine Advisory Committee, said the protocol must be widely and constantly distributed because of turnover in key positions.

“Things have changed since then,” VanLandingham said. “We’ve got new doctors, new people answering 9-1-1. You need to be able to call them and get treatment as quickly as possible.”

No matter what, the Divers Safety meeting did spur a consensus on holding regular diving safety lessons for both novice and professional divers.

DAN Medical Director Jim Chimiak, who listened to the Escambia County Divers Safety meeting over the phone, also weighed in. Chimiak said the key to safety is speed.

“They need to get to a chamber quickly,” he said. “They must move along through an ER evaluation. They cannot sit around for two to three hours. The whole idea is to facilitate it and move it along.”

Brian Clark, who does a lot of deep diving off Pensacola, just went through decompression treatment in June, getting an airlift to a hyperbaric chamber. He emphasized that divers must assume the worst before each dive and have a detailed safety plan in case an emergency pops up.

“We need to take responsibility for our own actions,” he said at the Diver Safety meeting. “What other sport puts you hours from medical care? This is an extreme sport, and you’re taking your life into your own hands. You’re on the moon. So you better have a plan, and you better review what you will do in an emergency.”

Springhill’s Garcia said he hopes Pensacola and the rest of the Northwest Florida will one day have its own hyperbaric chamber again to treat divers. The emerald green Gulf waters have become a hotspot for diving since the 911-foot “Mighty O” was sunk 24 miles southeast of the Pensacola Pass. Plus, there are more than 100 other sunken vessels, military tanks, planes and even demolished bridges.

“It is complete BS that hospitals will treat wounds but not diving injuries,” Garcia said. “Is it possible? Damn straight it is, but no one cares.”

——————————————-

In case of a diving emergency, call:
The 24-hour Divers Alert Network (DAN) Emergency Hotline at 919-684-9111.

——————————————-

Scuba Diving Fast Facts
•Recreational scuba diving and snorkeling contribute about $11 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and generates about $904.4 million to the Florida economy each year.
•More than 4,200 chartered dive trips are taken annually to the artificial reef/aircraft carrier USS Oriskany that rests south of Pensacola, carrying divers from all over the world.
•Annual revenue generated from visitors traveling to Escambia and Baldwin counties to dive to the Oriskany alone is estimated at $2.2 million with an economic impact of $3.6 million.
•Oriskany dive activities led to the creation of 67 jobs, and the generation of $1.4 million in total income in Escambia and Baldwin counties.
Source: The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) and University of West Florida Haas Center for Business Research (2007)

 

By Duwayne Escobedo

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Underwater VR Scuba

Pros: Simple and easy introduction to VR, eye-catching, immersion is passive but enjoyable, no nausea

Cons: Just three scuba diving “experiences,” all relatively the same, only iOS, needs more sea life variety, graphics could be better

VR Scuba Diving is a virtual reality app by Lime Works, LLC and is part of the growing wave of VR apps popping up on the scene. Luckily for those new to VR like myself the app can be used with or without headgear (I tried both ways) so all can take part in the experience.

After downloading the app from the App Store, there will be a two information screens showcasing which Google Cardboard headset works with the app. From there, tap “PLAY” to get to the actual game which brings up three “experience” options. The Taiwan Experience, Green Island Experience, and Wakatobi Indonesia.

You can choose to view these settings in fullscreen (image one) or through the Default Cardboard vision (image two). If you don’t have a VR headset, you can use the fullscreen method for a 360 VR experience. Those with a headset will use the latter. (PHOTOS 5 & 6 INSERTED HERE)

Taiwan Experience

After launching this experience, I literally laid in my bed just like, “Wow.” There are fish swimming around, colorful coral reefs, and your fellow scuba divers linger around you as silent companions (see below). The background music is generic but not distracting. The visuals will keep you entertained enough to forego the “soundtrack.”

Green Island Experience

The Green Island Experience was just as beautiful and relaxing—but it looks exactly the same as the Taiwan Experience. I found myself becoming disinterested quickly as I realized there wouldn’t be much difference between the two. There was nothing strikingly distinctive that made me feel they were unique from one another. Yet, the visuals were still enjoyable.

Wakatobi, Indonesia

Wakatobi was probably the most enjoyable experience. While much shorter than the previous two, the visual content in this experience was more rich. You swim with water snakes, colorful coral fish, and reefs. Unfortunately, you’re quickly taken out the experience by a title screen and then dropped back in to the beginning of the experience randomly. But I appreciated the different scenery.

All in all, VR Scuba is less a game and more of an experience. It’s fun but passive, as there isn’t much to do. The app is certainly acceptable for ages but I would steer this more towards kids as it would likely keep them entertained longer.

-Alexis Williams is a senior at New York University, who writes frequently about culture, film and Millennials of color.

https://youtu.be/TcEiSV34FRQ

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

James Bond Breathe Like A Fish Gadget

It’s the James Bond gadget on everyone’s wishlist.

The rebreather, a system that lets you breathe underwater, has got Mr Bond out of some tricky situations.

Now one South Korean designer Korea has taken inspiration from the spy’s device to create a concept gadget that claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish.

The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea

The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea

HOW TRITON COULD WORK

To use Triton, swimmers would bite
down on a plastic mouth piece.

Two arms, which branch out to the sides
of the scuba mask, have been developed to function as gills.

The scaly texture on the arms conceals small holes in the material where water is sucked in.

Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the liquid so that the user can breathe comfortably in the ocean.

Using a very small but powerful micro compressor, the system compresses oxygen and stores it in tanks.

The gadget is powered by micro battery around 30 times smaller than a battery.

The device, however, is only a concept and questions remain over whether it would be technically feasible to recreate.

The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea.

While it may not be as slick as a rebreather, designer Jeabyun Yeon, who came up with the concept, believes it will change the way people approach water.

To use Triton, swimmers would bite down on a plastic mouth piece.

Two arms, which branch out to the sides of the scuba mask, can then function as efficient gills to deliver oxygen.

The scaly texture on the arms conceal small holes in the material where water is sucked in.

Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the liquid so that the user can breathe comfortably in the ocean.

Using a very small but powerful micro compressor, the concept system would compress oxygen and store it in tanks.

The entire gadget is powered by micro battery which is around 30 times smaller than a current battery that can quickly charge 1,000 times faster.

But you may have to wait a little longer before placing an order as the product is still at concept stage.

Mr Yeon describes it as ‘a future product’ that could one day replace complicated scuba equipment.

A more radical design was recently unveiled by a South Korean designer Korea which claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish

A more radical design was recently unveiled by a South Korean designer Korea which claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish

The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea

The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea

James Bond
Triton

A designer in South Korea has taken inspiration from James Bond’s rebreather (left) to create the Triton gadget that claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish

Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the water so that the user can breathe comfortably

Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the water so that the user can breathe comfortably

Mr Yeon describes Triton as 'a future product' that could one day replace complicated scuba equipment

Mr Yeon describes Triton as ‘a future product’ that could one day replace complicated scuba equipment.  Let’s wish them the best in development!

By

Dailymail.com Reporter

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

DIVESAIL Travel Mauritius Left Divers Behind?

A BRITISH couple on their dream scuba holiday have told of the moment they thought they had been left for dead after being abandoned in shark-infested waters for seven hours.

Julie Byrne and husband Jeff, both 52, were diving off the coast of Mauritius when they surfaced, realising their dive group had been left behind by the tour boat.

Jeff Bryne and wife Julie survived being stranded at sea for more than seven hours in shark infested waters

SWNS:South West News Service

Jeff Bryne and wife Julie survived being stranded at sea for more than seven hours in shark infested waters

The couple had been diving off the coast of Mauritius with Julie, pictured, the day before being stranded

SWNS:South West News Service

The couple had been diving off the coast of Mauritius with Julie, pictured, the day before being stranded

The abandoned group were rushed to a nearby club for medical treatment

SWNS:South West News Service

The abandoned group were rushed to a nearby club for medical treatment

The couple, with three other divers, were then pulled by a strong current that dragged them 12 miles from land into open water, the home of hammerhead and bull sharks.

Julie said she had been left traumatised after the harrowing experience.

She said: “We thought we were done for. That this was it. We’d perish in the water and our bodies would never be found.

“We saw helicopters flying overhead. We yelled and screamed but they couldn’t see us.

“When you’re in waters where you know sharks are common, your mind plays tricks.

“Each time a fish or leaf of seaweed brushed my ankle my heart would stop.

“We were constantly on the lookout for fins, but the waves were so high and the water so choppy that we couldn’t see a thing.”

The couple from Carlisle managed to link arms with the three other divers who had been left abandoned, with the group treading water for seven hours.

They were only saved when a passing boat spotted Jeff’s surface marker buoy, a bright marker that is used by divers to attract attention.

But the group were left with severe sunburn as well as struggling with dehydration and swollen tongues due to the salt water.

The couple were spotted when a passing boat saw the surface marker buoy

SWNS:South West News Service

The couple were spotted when a passing boat saw the surface marker buoy

Julie Bryne, 52, moments after being rescued 12 miles off the coast of Mauritius

SWNS:South West News Service

Julie Bryne, 52, moments after being rescued 12 miles off the coast of Mauritius

Julie has not been in the water since the horrific incident

SWNS:South West News Service

Julie has not been in the water since the horrific incident

Julie, pictured diving the day before the harrowing experience, said the group had thought they were going to die

SWNS:South West News Service

Julie, pictured diving the day before the harrowing experience, said the group had thought they were going to die

Julie, a mum of two, now also suffers PTSD.

The couple had travelled to the area in the hope of seeing coral, parrot fish, lobsters and barracudas.

Booking with the dive company DiveSail Travel through their hotel, the couple set out for a dive.

But they had no idea that earlier that morning, a boat had capsized in rough seas not far from the dive site, killing a baby and a child.

The conditions also plagued the dive trip, with the dive leader signalling for the group to surface due to choppy waters and low visibility just half an hour into their second dive.

But when the divers surfaced, they realised they had been left abandoned in the water.

Julie said: “Panic immediately set in, and some of the younger members of the group freaked out.

“The dive leader told everyone to remain calm and started blowing his whistle saying the boat would hear them and come back.

“But we quickly realised no one could hear us and the boat wasn’t coming back to get us.”

The group, who were unable to swim ashore due to the strong currents, were forced to struggle with tropical storms, blazing heat and eight foot waves.

JAWS-DROPPING

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What a (belly) flop

Defending champion Ilya Zakharov gets it totally wrong with this ‘dismal’ dive

SHARK ALERT

Tourists’ terror after spotting 7ft shark patrolling the shallows just yards off the Devon coast

TATS ROMANTIC!

Rihanna and Drake take their relationship to the next level as they get matching shark tattoos

NOT FLYING OFF THE SHELVES

Rare skeleton of extinct dodo expected to sellf for £500,000 at auction

She said she never looked down but one of the divers, a German girl was continuously peering into the water.

She said: “I knew what she was searching for. We all did.

“Nobody mentioned the ‘S word’, but we were all thinking about it.”

On a neighbouring island, La Reunion, swimming and surfing are banned because of fear of shark attacks – 18 attacks and seven deaths since 2011.

The dive company alerted the Coastguard who launched a search and rescue operation involving 22 boats, two helicopters, and a plane.

One of the rescue party signalling to a passing helicopter after the group was picked up after being left in the water for seven hours

SWNS:South West News Service

One of the rescue party signalling to a passing helicopter after the group was picked up after being left in the water for seven hours

Julie and Jeff Bryne posing at their resort in Mauritius, told each other they loved each other

SWNS:South West News Service

Julie and Jeff Bryne posing at their resort in Mauritius, told each other they loved each other when they thought they were going to die

The view from the couple's hotel, with the couple having booked the trip through their hotel

SWNS:South West News Service

The view from the couple’s hotel, with the couple having booked the trip through their hotel

Divers on their way to the site with the dive company now suspended indefinitely

SWNS:South West News Service

Divers on their way to the site with the dive company now suspended indefinitely

Julie said: “Our tongues started swelling, white and hard, cracking with too much salt water.

“Jeff kept his mask on but his face around it was burned to a crisp.

“I wanted to cry. I was so tired and frightened. It was devastating to think we were all going to die.

“Jeff, told me to stay strong and have hope but when the helicopter passed us by I was on the verge of breaking down.

“I told Jeff I loved him and he said he loved me.”

The group were eventually found and taken to a nearby yacht club for medical attention.

Julie said: “Everyone was crying at first, then hugging then laughing.

“I was hysterical.”

She has not been in the water since but her husband Jeff said he would not let one bad experience ruin his love of diving.

Jeff pictured at the couple's resort before they were left stranded in shark-infested waters

SWNS:South West News Service

Jeff pictured at the couple’s resort before they were left stranded in shark-infested waters

Helicopter searching for the lost divers in the shark infested waters

SWNS:South West News Service

Helicopter searching for the lost divers in the shark infested waters with the group having desperately tried to get the attention of search parties

The couple from Carlisle were on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday

SWNS:South West News Service

The couple from Carlisle were on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday

Topographical map of Coin de Mire, the area in which a couple were stranded in shark infested waters

SWNS:South West News Service

A topographical map of Coin de Mire, the area in which a couple were stranded in shark infested waters

Stephane de Senneville, director of DIVESAIL Travel, the company that contracts out trips to a third party scuba company, DiveSail Consultants LTD said: “The mistake was the decision made by the dive master, Christof Nadaud, who chose to swim away from the protection of the cove and into sharp currents which dragged them out to sea.

“Although everyone came out alive and no one was hurt – the end result was positive.”

An investigation was conducted by the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association (MSDA) who found the company negligent and DiveSail Travel has since had their license suspended indefinitely.

“Hugues Vitry the president of the technical Commission of the MSDA said: “The actions of the skipper and the dive master were negligent.

“Together they put the lives of the divers at considerable risk.”

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Cleaner Shrimp & Thai Massage

  • Drew Kaplan, a keen diver and photographer, shot the footage in Maui, Hawaii
  • He held his mouth open underwater and let the shrimp drift slowly in
  • Strange crustacean lives by eating parasites from inside mouths of fish
  • Kaplan said the service felt ‘just a bit scratchy, not bad. And it’s lots of fun’

Alice Evans For Mailonline

A diver has filmed the bizarre experience he had when a shrimp cleaned his teeth underwater.

Drew Kaplan opened his mouth wide and let the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp drift in to inspect his pearly whites in Maui, Hawaii.

The fascinating crustaceans spend their lives swimming inside the mouths of fish to remove the parasites that lurk there.

Kaplan learned to mimic the fish around him, opening his mouth wide and patiently waiting for the shrimp to attend to him.

He has had the treatment several times since perfecting the technique – sometimes holding his breath for around 40 seconds to get a deep clean.

But the service isn’t without its dangers.

Drew Kaplan opened his mouth wide and let the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp drift in to inspect his pearly whites in Maui, Hawaii
Drew Kaplan opened his mouth wide and let the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp drift in to inspect his pearly whites in Maui, Hawaii

Drew Kaplan opened his mouth wide and let the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp drift in to inspect his pearly whites in Maui, Hawaii

Deep clean: Kaplan made a compilation video of the times he's captured the bizarre phenomenon on film
Deep clean: Kaplan made a compilation video of the times he's captured the bizarre phenomenon on film

Deep clean: Kaplan made a compilation video of the times he’s captured the bizarre phenomenon on film

Kaplan warned viewers of his video that eels often lurk near to groups of cleaner shrimp.

The diver, who has filmed scuba and snorkelling trips in Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, said that the deep-sea dental treatment must work because his teeth are in good condition.

In the caption to his YouTube video, Kaplan said: ‘Since I have no cavities, I guess it works.

He has had the treatment several times since perfecting the technique - sometimes holding his breath for around 40 seconds to get a deep clean
He has had the treatment several times since perfecting the technique - sometimes holding his breath for around 40 seconds to get a deep clean

He has had the treatment several times since perfecting the technique – sometimes holding his breath for around 40 seconds to get a deep clean

The diver, who has filmed scuba and snorkelling trips in Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, said that the deep-sea dental treatment must work because his teeth are in good condition
The diver, who has filmed scuba and snorkelling trips in Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, said that the deep-sea dental treatment must work because his teeth are in good condition
In the caption to his YouTube video, Kaplan said: 'Since I have no cavities, I guess it works'
In the caption to his YouTube video, Kaplan said: 'Since I have no cavities, I guess it works'

The diver, who has filmed scuba and snorkelling trips in Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, said that the deep-sea dental treatment must work because his teeth are in good condition

‘Oh, and it feels just a bit scratchy, not bad. And it’s lots of fun. ‘

He added: ‘But beware of eels.

‘They are often living with the cleaner shrimp.’

Since Kaplan uploaded the video in 2013 it has been viewed almost 25,000 times.

WHAT IS THE PACIFIC CLEANER SHRIMP?

The Latin name for the red-and-white striped shrimp is Lysmata amboinensis.

They also sometimes go by the name of Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimps.

Most individuals grow to between five and six centimetres long. 

The fascinating crustaceans spend their lives swimming inside the mouths of fish to remove the parasites that lurk there
The fascinating crustaceans spend their lives swimming inside the mouths of fish to remove the parasites that lurk there

The fascinating crustaceans spend their lives swimming inside the mouths of fish to remove the parasites that lurk there

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums says: ‘The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is omnivorous and will generally scavenge and eat parasites and dead tissue by cleaning larger fishes and so on.

‘It waits for its clientele at so-called cleaning stations where it is often accompanied by other fish and shrimp species offering similar services.

‘Some species will even clean the inner surface of the mouth and gill cavity without being eaten.’

https://youtu.be/7skg2VDT5TM

 

in Diving, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Roatan – Honduras

Relax in tropical surroundings away from the rest of the world: Roatan offers an adventure worth travelling for as a diver or snorkeller.


Surrounded by the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands. It offers plenty of underwater adventure from hard-core wrecks and deep fissures to peaceful eel gardens and shallow terraces where countless macro photo opportunities abound.

Tucked away on the island is Anthony’s Key Resort, a family run, all inclusive tropical resort offering breathtaking views over the lagoon, a spirit of adventure and great surroundings in which to relax.

 

in Diving, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Papua New Guinea

Travelling in PNG can be challenging. With almost no tourism infrastructure and limited information available in books and on websites, it can feel like you’re stepping into the great unknown. But this is exactly why travellers find this country so compelling. Nothing is contrived for tourists and every experience is authentic – even the main island of Bougainville is a largely DIY travel experience. The striking natural beauty and myriad complex cultures offer some riveting and truly life-affirming experiences. The island of New Guinea, of which Papua New Guinea is the eastern part, is only one-ninth as big as Australia, yet it has just as many mammal species, and more kinds of birds and frogs. PNG is Australia’s biological mirror-world. Both places share a common history going back tens of millions of years, but Australia is flat and has dried out, while PNG is wet and has become mountainous. As a result, Australian kangaroos bound across the plains, while in PNG they climb in the rainforest canopy.

For a glimpse into PNG’s fascinating tribal cultures, the Highlands is where you should head (the town of Tari is a good place to see traditional Huli wigmen), while the Central, Oro & Milne Bay Provinces are home to gorgeous reefs and historic wartime sites – including the country’s foremost attraction, the Kokoda Track. Also part of these eastern provinces, and about as far off the beaten track as you can get, the D’Entrecasteaux Islands are like the land that time forgot, mountainous, jungly and totally undeveloped. The gritty capital Port Moresby, on the other hand, is big and sprawling and even a bit intimidating until you get under its skin and see past the bad press.

PNG is one of earth’s megadiverse regions, and it owes much of its diversity to its topography. The mountainous terrain has spawned diversity in two ways: isolated mountain ranges are often home to unique fauna and flora found nowhere else, while within any one mountain range you will find different species as you go higher. In the lowlands are jungles whose trees are not that different from those of Southeast Asia. Yet the animals are often startlingly different – cassowaries instead of tapirs, and marsupial cuscus instead of monkeys.

The greatest diversity of animal life occurs at around 1500m above sea level. The ancestors of many of the marsupials found in these forests were derived from Australia some five million years ago. As Australia dried out they vanished from that continent, but they continued to thrive and evolve in New Guinea, producing a highly distinctive fauna. Birds of paradise and bowerbirds also abound there, and the forest has many trees typical of the forests of ancient Gondwana. As you go higher the forests get mossier and the air colder. By the time you have reached 3000m above sea level the forests are stunted and wreathed in epiphytes. It’s a formation known as elfin woodland, and in it one finds many bright honeyeaters, native rodents and some unique relics of prehistory, such as the giant long-beaked echidna. Above the elfin woodland the trees drop out, and a wonderland of alpine grassland and herbfield dominates, where wallabies and tiny birds, like the alpine robin, can often be seen. It is a place where snow can fall and where early morning ice coats the puddles.

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in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Netrani Island – Locals Protest Tourist Scuba Divers

Netrani Island is a small island off the southwest coast of India.  The locals don’t seem to be keen on letting tourists go scuba diving around their island.  See article…

 

Bhatkallys News Service/ Rizwan Gangavali

Murdeshwar 12 February 2017: Local fishermen today protested against few foreign scuba divers who were in the coastal town as tourists and were pretty interested in scuba diving near Netrani Island.

As per the reports around 15 foreign tourists were in talks with local boat agents for scuba diving at Netrani Island, when a group of local people came together and blocked their way, demanding the termination of their plans of scuba diving.

Local police, MLA Mankal Vaidya, Panchayath member Albert Dcosta rushed to the scene and were quick to take over the situation.

Local people protested in support of the fishermen as they claimed their fishing boats often roam around the Netrani island for fishing and the divers scare the fishes away resulting in the loss of fishermen.

MLA Mankal Vaidya dealt with protestors and assured them of taking up the issue with higher authorities and requested protestors to respect the tourist and give up the protest for now as it will have an bad impression on them about the Nation. After which the tourists were let to have a go at scuba diving

 

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Caribbean all-inclusive resorts Diving Sometimes Included

As the region where the modern-day all-inclusive was born, the Caribbean is chock-full of resorts that come with unlimited food, drink and play. Planning a getaway in the sun is a no-brainer, but choosing a resort that fits the bill is another story. Whether you’re traveling with the kids or in the mood for an adults-only holiday, check out our best-of-the-best for families, foodies, couples and those seeking adventure.

Family time

Bigger is better on the southwest shore of St. Maarten, where you’ll find the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, the largest all-inclusive (395 rooms and five restaurants) on the Dutch side of the dual-nation island and the first and only resort with a watery playground just for kids. Coming in at 4,000 square feet, Aqua Park is splash-central with animal-themed slides with water just 20 inches deep, making it ideal for kids over 3 years old. For grown-up onlookers, the pool deck is a comfy perch with loungers and sun umbrellas. Maho Bungalow Kids Club features an indoor slide that connects to a loft for dance classes and arts and crafts, and a 2,500-square-foot outdoor funhouse. Other kid-friendly features include treasure hunts and a tree house on the beach. “Kids can play and swim all day and for lunch, they choose between a slice at Pizzeria Napoli, big buffet at Ocean Terrace or nachos and burgers at the Palms Grill,” says Jeriesha David, who has been entertaining kids at the resort since last spring. The resort fronts Maho Beach next to the Princess Juliana International Airport where kids of all ages are spellbound watching the big jets come in. Sweetening the pot, kids under 12 stay, play and eat free, and the nightly rate for 13- to 17-year-olds is $45. When the sun sets, pajama parties, disco nights and movies by the pool keep families entertained. Rates through April 16 start at  $160 per person, per night based on double occupancy (rate dips to $127 per person, per night based on double occupancy for travel April 17-Dec. 22 ).

On a 75-acre ribbon of prime Grace Bay oceanfront real estate, Beaches Turks & Caicos is one of three Beaches all-inclusives in the family-friendly fleet (two are in Jamaica). The ginormous 758-room, suite and villa resort is also home to a 45,000-square-foot Pirates Island Waterpark with a wave pool, water slides and lazy river. More kid-pleasers include the Xbox Play Lounge, Club Liquid Dance Club for teenagers, Kids’ Camp for 3- to 5-year-olds and a nursery for wee ones under 2 years old. Larger-than-life Sesame Street characters roam the sprawling resort posing for snaps and tucking kids in bed at night. Picky eaters will find plenty of variety at 19 restaurants, sun tanners like the 12-mile-long alabaster beach and the whole brood can splash around in six pools, three with swim-up bars and one just for toddlers. For kids on the go, there’s the Junior Golf Club, Kids Scuba Program, tennis and a boatload of water sports. Rates start at $330 per person, per night for adults; $61 per person, per night for children ages 2-16; kids under 2 stay gratis.

The first all-inclusive in St. Thomas, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort is family-owned for four decades. The 74-room resort on the south side of the U.S. Virgin Island offers unlimited water sports like kayaking, windsurfing, aqua tricycles, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding and scuba lessons in the pool. Home to St. Thomas Dive Club, tours explore the coral reefs and wrecks at the bottom of the sea and aboard the resort’s own catamaran called Heavenly Days, families swim with sea turtles and sail to nearby St. John: the most laid-back of the U.S. Virgins. For parents and teens older than 18, Snorkel Booze Hunt is a 30-year-old resort tradition where snorkelers scour the bay for big bottles of Cruzan Rum distilled next door in St. Croix. Those with energy to burn sign up for deep-sea fishing tours, golf at Mahogany Run, horseback riding, day trips to sky-high Paradise Point  and duty-free shopping in Charlotte Amalie where the cruise ships dock. Rates start at $595 per room, per night until May 1.

Romantic resorts

Making a big splash in Jamaica, the Caribbean’s first villas built over the water are open at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay. Over-the-top from infinity-edge soaking tubs, rope hammocks above the waves, gigantic teak beds and glass-bottom floors, the 2,000-square-foot suites also come with butlers, 12-year-old Appleton Estate rum and Molton Brown amenities in the massive bathroom with a rainfall shower. Built along a wooden boardwalk, the sweet suites area is connected to the resort’s offshore island called Sandals Cay, where you’ll find the Jerk Shack and Royal Thai — two of eight restaurants at the 227-room resort. “With these suites, guests experience a direct link to the Caribbean Sea,” says Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts. The five villas come with nightly rates of $1,435 per person including expedited immigration and resort transfer from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport, which is a short 10 minutes away. Twelve over-the-water bungalows (slightly smaller and without private infinity pools on the deck) will be ready in the spring starting at $1,078 per person, per night.

Peek inside the Caribbean’s first overwater bungalows

Marrying rustic with romance, Nisbet Plantation Beach Club in Nevis is the only beachfront plantation-turned-resort in the Caribbean. Across the channel from St. Kitts on the northeastern side of the smaller sister isle, the 30-acre all-inclusive (breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner) is home to 36 lemon-hued wicker-furnished cottages that sit on a palm-fringed 18th-century sugar and coconut plantation. Its history reads like a love story as the home of Fanny Nisbet, who married British Navy Captain Horatio Nelson in 1787 after he visited the plantation. With a AAA Four Diamond rating and honored by TripAdvisor as one of the Top Resorts in the World for Romance, the resort keeps the theme with a trio of fine restaurants including The Great House, built in 1778. To kick-start the day, Coconuts is the breakfast go-to for — wait for it — coconut pancakes. Weddings are popular on the palm-flanked great lawn or seaside on the beach with champagne-hued sand — and to celebrate the occasion, a coconut palm is planted in honor of the newlyweds.  For couples looking for a nicely wrapped package, Nevis is for Lovers includes candlelit dinner on the beach, breakfast in bed and a couple’s massage. Rates start at $1,009 per room through April 1.

Sandals LaSource Grenada is unplugged romance in a Sky Pool Suite with a soaking tub for two, solar-heated ocean-view infinity-edge plunge pool, premium spirits and a butler who arranges dinners on the beach and bubble baths pour deux. Sprawling over 17 acres, the posh 257-room and suite resort on the southwest coast is sweet on romance with swinging hammocks, hanging chairs built for two, chocolate buffets, five pools and 10 restaurants. Fronting a sugary swatch of Pink Gin Beach, where the water is so clear it shimmers past the rocks, couples surf, dive, explore down under on a glass-bottom boat or tie the knot on the waterfront pier. “We arrange 24 weddings a month,” says Deannette Johns, the resort’s wedding captain, “but only one couple each day marries at sunset.” If you forgot to pack the bling, a duty-free jewelry store is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating comes easy at a six-pack of bars where the Grenada Sunset — stirred with passion fruit, coconut rum and mango — is a fruity refresher. Add-ons worth the splurge include Scents of Love couples massage at the Red Lane Spa, a Champagne and Seafood cruise, and the Spicy Island tour which visits the Belmont Chocolate Estate and the picturesque waterfront capital of St. George’s. Rates start at $255 per person, per night.

Active all-inclusives

On a 300-acre island 2 miles off the northeast coast of Antigua, Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort is AAA Five Diamond for those on an escape mission from the 9-to-5. Accessible by small boat from the mainland (about 10 minutes), 40 rooms, suites and villas come with views of the beach and Caribbean Sea. Eco-focused before it was trendy, the resort produces its own electricity, the nursery houses thousands of trees and flowers and the only way to get around is on foot, golf cart and bicycles (no cars allowed, guests get loaner bikes). The beaches are protected areas for Hawksbill turtles and popular with nature buffs who come to see the endangered sea turtles during nesting season and also during the summer Hawksbill Turtle Experience. Other incentives to get active include three tennis courts (two lit for night play), 3 miles of hiking and biking trails, croquet lawn, a 25-meter lap pool, lawn bowling, putting green and a fitness pavilion with a yoga deck. In the water, there’s no shortage of calorie-burners like windsurfing, kayaking, snorkeling and paddle boarding. For the bird-watchers in the brood, white egrets and blue pelicans also call the island home. Chill-outs include massages at the Sense Spa, cocktails and locally caught spiny lobsters at five restaurants and bars including The Estate House, the oldest building on the island dating back to 1830. Rates through April 22 start at $1,850 single or double occupancy.

On the west coast of Barbados, all-inclusive at the 76-room Mango Bay comes with paddle boarding, snorkeling, kayaking, water-skiing and pedal boating. For those with scuba diving on their vacation to-do list, complimentary lessons are offered and for an afternoon on the water, there’s glass-bottom boat cruises and cavorting with the Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles that call the west coast home. Sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean’s swells, this side of the island is the calmer side and favored for the pink and white sandy beaches and gentle surf. In the town of Holetown in the Parish of St. James, the beachfront hotel is a short stroll to the upscale Limegrove Shopping Center and home to Julian Restaurant, where bands perform nightly. Rates start at  $670 per room, per night, based on double occupancy.

It truly is a holiday for the body at The Body Holiday on a secluded cove on the northwest coast of St. Lucia. Surrounded by 40 acres of sweet-smelling gardens along Cariblue Beach, the 155-room resort with five restaurants and one bar is a magnet for those who enjoy more exercise than it takes to balance a piña colada in the pool. Activities include archery, spinning and yoga classes called Spoga in Tree House Spin Studio, golf and tennis. Keep moving with cycling along the coastline, hiking in the mountains and sunrise power walking on the beach. In the water, there’s plenty to choose from like swimming lessons, two-tank boat diving, kayaking, sailing and snorkeling. For those who like to plan ahead, the resort offers a customized activity schedule arranged prior to arrival. Perks are creative like a pillow menu, herbal tea and cookie turn-down and daily treatments at the spa with a heated marble massage bed. Personal trainers are on hand for those serious about getting in shape. Rates start at $700 per person, per night.

Wine and dine

Foodies give the thumbs-up to the curated culinary experiences at Spice Island Beach Resort on Grenada’s Grand Anse Beach at the edge of the Caribbean Sea. With a AAA Five Diamond rating and member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the 64-suite resort is beachfront elegance with stellar service, superb dining and spectacular suites with ocean-view whirlpool tubs and Phillip Starck designs. Where Prince Harry popped by for lunch during his recent visit to the Southern Caribbean, dining choices range from Oliver’s, where the five-course dinner menu changes every three weeks (herb-crusted lamb rack with coconut rice is a standout), Sea & Surf Terrace and Bar for a light bite and a Spice Island Classic cocktail potent with sparkling wine and the island herb called sorrel and a bowl of deliciously addictive flash-fried green banana chips. The resort is all about eating local. “Many of our staff have backyard gardens,” says Janelle Hopkins, deputy managing director, “we buy what they grow like lemons, tomatoes and callaloo rather than import from outside the island.” If you particularly like a dish on the menu, ask chef Jesson Church to show you how to make it and he’ll happily set up a mini-cooking lesson. Rates start at  $1,387 per room, per night, based on double occupancy.

Those who prefer their lobster and mango served with a side order of dramatic views are in for a treat in St. Lucia at Jade Mountain. High above its sister resort Anse Chastanet, distractions are minimal in the upscale suites with no TV’s or phones (there is Wi-Fi ) and no fourth wall, leaving the impeccably appointed sanctuaries open to the  warm  breezes. On the southwest coast coveted for vistas of the mighty Piton Peaks and the Caribbean Sea, gourmands bunking in one of 29 suites with infinity-edge pools or Jacuzzis take their pick of haute cuisine at a quartet of restaurants. Michelin-starred executive chef Stefan Goehcke and James Beard-winning chef Allen Susser prepare works of art on a plate. Dining venues include Jade Mountain Club wrapped around an infinity pool, and the seaside Trou Au Diablo for a curry-filled West Indian flatbread called a roti and a frosty mug of Piton Beer to wash it down. Wine pairing menus at The Treehouse — which really is a tree house — are a big hit, while at Emerald’s small plates are perfectly shareable.  “As the resort has its own farm,” explains Karolin Troubetzkoy , co-owner along with her architect husband Nick, “we deliver a farm-to-table experience with our own organic produce complemented by our handcrafted artisanal chocolate harvested from our estate cocoa trees.” For fans of the sweet stuff, the Chocolate Alchemy package is chock-full of chocolate cocktails, chocolate-themed breakfasts in bed, chocolatey spa treatments, a tour of the Emerald Cocoa Estate and a class in the chocolate lab where choco-philes create their own bars. Rates start at $1,680 per couple for travel until April 15.

In Antigua, it’s all about coconut and codfish at the St. James’s Club on the southeast coast. On 100 acres, 240-rooms, suites and villas are close to four restaurants and the seaside grill on Mamora Beach. Rainbow Garden is where you’ll find chef Dave Ralph cooking up an island storm of delectable edibles like shrimp and salty codfish dressed up in a tomato garlicky sauce, sides of callaloo and boiled bananas and his savory bowl of Fish Water filled to the brim with snapper and peppers. Ask for the national dish called fungee — pronounced foon-jee and sometimes spelled fungi — which is a robust mash of cornmeal and okra that looks and tastes like polenta. “Every cook adds his or her own touch to the recipes,” explains Chef Ralph as he flits about the open-air restaurant, “these are dishes I have eaten since I was a small child and now as a chef, it’s my pleasure to encourage our visitors to try them.” For a sweet finish, coconut dumplings with a cinnamon sprinkle and rum balls infused with real rum hit a home run. Rates start at $195 per person, per night.

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