SCUBA News - #159 - August 2013

SCUBA News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 159 - August 2013 http://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Welcome to SCUBA News. Thanks for subscribing - as always we welcome your trip reports and recommendations. E-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk. This month we're pleased to publicise an underwater photo competition, with diving prizes worth $75000 (US). Don't forget to visit the SCUBA Travel Community at Google+. We look forward to meeting you there. I hope you enjoy SCUBA News, but should you wish to cancel your subscription you can do so at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html. You can also download a pdf version of this newsletter. SCUBA News is published by SCUBA Travel Ltd. Contents: - What's new at SCUBA Travel? - Letters - Underwater Photo Competition: $75000 of Prizes - Diving News from Around the World What's New at SCUBA Travel? Diving Glossary We've updated our eclectic diving, ocean and marine life dictionary: from ABLJ to Zooxanthellae. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/glossary.html Diving Sierra Leone Sierra Leone is not the first place you might consider for a SCUBA diving holiday, which guarantees that the dive sites will not be crowded. In September 2010 the UN Security Council lifted the last remaining sanctions against the Republic, eight years after the end of the civil war, saying that the government had fully re-established control over its territory. Sierra Leone, with its miles of beaches, hopes to emulate Gambia in attracting tourists. One for the adventurous divers. http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/africa.html#Sierra-Leone Diving Ustica, Italy Ustica's dive sites are among the best in the Mediterranean. We've updated our list of dive centres in Ustica, with divers' ratings and reviews at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/ustica-diving.html For regular announcements of what's new at the SCUBA Travel site see our Twitter feed, Google+ or Facebook pages. Letters Crossover Qualifications This table (at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/training/qualifications.html) is very useful for roughly equivalent qualifications, however, I have found that the maximum depth ratings can vary. Has anyone compiled a table with depth limits between the differing qualifications? Thanks Theresa Murphy Good question Theresa, we'll try adding the depth information to the table. Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition Announced: over $75,000 in Prizes Our friends at the Underwater Photography Guide are now accepting images for the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition 2013. There are over $75,000 worth of prizes, including over 35 liveaboard and scuba diving resort packages. Winners will be able to rank the prizes they would like to receive, making it more likely for winners to receive a prize they want. The competition has 12 categories, including a Novice dSLR category and 3 compact camera categories, giving underwater photographers of all levels a chance to win a great prize. Unique categories include SuperMacro, Cold/ Temperate Water, Nudibranchs, and Divers/ Fashion. The more traditional categories include Wide-Angle, Macro, Marine Life Portraits, and Marine Life Behaviour. Judges include world-renowned underwater photographers Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman, Tony Wu and Todd Winner. Photos must be submitted on or before the deadline of 10 November 2013. The cost for entry is $10 (US) per photo. If you enter 10 photos you get the 11th free. Photos must be in jpeg format and at least 2500 pixels at the longest length. The rules include directions about Photoshop (or similar imaging software) The organisers admit that Photoshop has become a necessary tool for processing images, but it’s not a substitute for good photography. They allow: Global changes; color temperature, brightness, contrast, dodge & burn, sharpening, saturation changes, tonal adjustments, color balance adjustments and changes that can be made using a Camera RAW converter. Rotation, flip and flop Limited removal of backscatter. This does not mean removing divers, fish, etc. Cropping is allowed, but judges often look down on significant cropping. The competition does not allow: Cutting and pasting sections of images from another part of an image or from another image. No cloning objects or composite images. For example, moving fish, reef or any other elements of a photo, adding a glow to simulate a flashlight, or adding a diver or animal silhouette in the background. Excessive blurring Double exposures. To enter see the Ocean Art Photo Competition webpage. More information... Diving News From Around the World For breaking news see our Twitter feed, RSS feed or Google+ page. Dolphins remember each other for decades Bottlenose dolphin's 20-year recollection sets record for long-term memory in animals. Between the ages of about 4 months and a year, every bottlenose dolphin settles on a whistle of its own that stays the same for the rest of the dolphin's life. Dolphins use these whistles in the same way as humans use names: they voice their own whistles to identify themselves to others, and they mimic others' whistles to call to them. Native Predators no Match for Invasive Lionfish on Caribbean Reefs New study surveying 71 reefs in Caribbean finds native predators, like grouper, don't lower the densities of invasive lionfish from the Pacific - Pterois volitans and Pterois miles. Watch Archaeologists Explore a Gulf of Mexico Shipwreck Follow researchers on a live feed as they investigate a 19th-century shipwreck armed with cannons in the Gulf of Mexico. New study gets its teeth into shark trade regulations A new TRAFFIC study examines how implementation of trade controls through CITES regulations can ensure that seven species of sharks and manta rays are only sourced sustainably and legally before entering international trade. NOAA proposes opening closed areas To help fishermen adjust to the new quota cuts for groundfish that have been effective since May, NOAA Fisheries has proposed to open approximately 33% of areas that have been closed for nearly 20 years. Ancient Underwater Forest: Found By Scuba Divers Scuba divers have discovered a primeval underwater forest off the coast of Alabama. The Bald Cypress forest was buried under ocean sediments, protected in an oxygen-free environment for more than 50,000 years, but was likely uncovered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Scientists uncover secrets of starfish's bizarre feeding mechanism Scientists have identified a molecule that enables starfish to carry out one of the most remarkable forms of feeding in the natural world. Starfish eyes are good enough to show them the way home If they stray from the reef, starfish can use the light-sensitive organs at the tips of their arms to form images, helping them find their way home NOAA reports discovery of table coral, Acropora cytherea, off O'ahu NOAA scientists report the discovery of the first known colony of table coral off of the south shore of O'ahu in Hawaii. Given its common name due to its flat-topped, table-like shape, table coral (Acropora cytherea) is one of the primary reef-building corals throughout most of the tropical Pacific, but it has never been observed in waters off O'ahu - until now, researchers said. The coral, estimated to be 14 years old, was found at a depth of 20 m during a training dive. * Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/ * Reprinting permitted with this footer included. We are happy for you to copy and distribute this newsletter, and use parts of it on your own web site, providing the above copyright notice is included and a link back to our web site is in place. Photos copyright Tim Nicholson and Ocean Art Photo Competition. Previous editions of SCUBA News are archived at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING Visit this link and add or remove your e-mail address. To change whether your receive the newsletter in text or HTML (with pictures) format visit this link ADVERTISING Should you wish to advertise in SCUBA News, please see the special offers at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsad.html Other advertising opportunities are at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/advertising.html CONTACTING THE EDITOR Please send your letters or press releases to: Jill Studholme SCUBA News The Cliff Upper Mayfield DE6 2HR UK news@scubatravel.co.uk PUBLISHER SCUBA Travel Ltd

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