Why you should never dive without a backup reg

Plus, how to become a whale defender. 🐋

A Journey Into Freediving and Mental Health Most of us know that diving is full of adventure and awe-inspiring moments, but did you know it can also do wonders for your mental health? Here's how one diver explored the incredible impact freediving can have on mindfulness.   Best Destinations for Shore Diving Some of the most magical dive experiences happen closer to the shore than you may think. Here, we've got three of the best places to get your shore-diving fix—no boats needed.   The Danger of Diving Without a Backup Regulator Divers should only share air in emergencies. One pair learned this lesson the hard way when they made the mistake of planning their entire dives on shared air—and running out.   Stranded Manta Ray Unlocks Discovery of a New Species When a dead manta washed ashore in South Florida, researchers confirmed a new species: the Atlantic manta ray. Here's why its discovery is crucial for conservation efforts and protecting coastal habitats.   How to Become a Whale Defender Have a soft spot for whales? The PADI Whale Defender course transforms divers into citizen scientists by teaching them how to observe and report threats to whales. nop1002.987654@blogger.com is subscribed to receive newsletters from Scuba Diving Newsletter. Unsubscribe   |  Manage My Preferences   |   Privacy Policy   |   View Online   Add newsletter@mail.padidiver.com to your address book to ensure delivery. Copyright © PADI, 30151 Tomas, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

ENDS TODAY! 15% OFF Enriched Air Diver eLearning

Courses   PADI eCards   Go Diving   Join PADI Club     LAST CHANCE! Kick off your dive certification with 15% off* eLearning   Don't miss out on your chance to save big on your next underwater adventure with 15% OFF Enriched Air Diver eLearning! This specialty will let you dive deeper and longer by extending your bottom time and maximizing your underwater adventures. Not only that, but you'll also gain invaluable insights into setting your dive computer for different gas mixes. Sign up for the next stage in your scuba adventure today! Don't wait - your offer expires today. Your code: DEEPBREATH15        Get Your Discount          *PADI is offering a 15% discount on online sales of Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver eLearning course. Use code DEEPBREATH15. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Valid 1 per customer       Unsubscribe from dive education emails | Unsubscribe from all PADI emails Contact | Manage Preferences | View Online PADI Americas | 30151 Tomas, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 92688 USA Europe, Middle East, Africa | Pavilion 1, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS13 8AE, UK Asia Pacific | Level 4, 120 Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia This email was sent to nop1002.987654@blogger.com by PADI. Add padi@mail.padidiver.com to your email address book to ensure that you receive PADI emails to your inbox. © 2025 PADI

If you missed it: Diving Vanuatu, Colombia, liveaboards for less, Christmas Tree worms and scuba diving news

SCUBA News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) Issue 305 - December 2025 https://www.scubatravel.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A very happy New Year to you. Planning your diving trips for next year? Read on for ideas. Contents: What's new at SCUBA Travel? The Wonderful World of Christmas Tree Worms Dive for less: Liveaboard diving offers Diving news from around the World You can download SCUBA News as a pdf. What's New at SCUBA Travel? Unspoiled Dives, Vanuatu Vanuatu is a diver's paradise, offering crystal-clear waters, vibrant reefs and spectacular wreck dives. Unspoiled, uncrowded, and full of marine life DIVE IN Colombia Dive Adventure From shark-filled seamounts like Malpelo in the Pacific to biosphere-reserve reefs in the Caribbean: excellent diving both sides of Colombia. LEARN MORE Liveaboard Diving Offers: Dive for Less Get up to 31% off at some of the best diving spots in the world. Plus, automatically get 5% off any subsequent trip. Freedom III, Egypt, SAVE 15%: Prices from just £426. For those wanting a shorter trip, dive the famous Straits of Tiran, Gordon Reef, Thomas Reef, Woodhouse Reef, Ras Mohammed and the Dunraven. Just £426 Unlimited Shark Diving in the Bahamas with Shear Water. SAVE 10%. This steel liveaboard is the only one in the region offering unlimited diving - thanks to high-capacity tanks, a full Nitrox supply, and a dive-anytime approach. She is also the fastest liveaboard to Tiger Beach and Bimini, giving you more time where it matters most: underwater with sharks. The experience is made even more special with Jim Abernethy, renowned marine conservationist, photographer, and advocate for cage-free shark diving. READ MORE Resolute, Philippines, SAVE 31%. Exceptional value for money, the Resolute visits the renowned Tubbataha Reef, Apo Reef, Coron and Anilao. The ultimate bucket list classic. CHECK AVAILABILITY Gentle Giant, Thailand, SAVE 15% Diving across the Andaman Sea, including the fabulous Hin Daeng and Hin Muang in the south and the Similans in the north. More Info & Book Calipso, Galapagos, Save $1439. The top destination on the planet for pelagic species and a healthy marine environment. Swept by both the cold and warm water currents, the Galapagos is where polar meets tropical which is reflected in the marine life. The northern islands of Darwin and Wolf have the largest shark biomass in the world. A must-visit destination for experienced divers. Save $1439 Malaillo, Indonesia. Visit Indonesia's finest dive sites such as Raja Ampat, Komodo, Alor and Banda. SAVE 30% SAVE 30% Dune Silky, Egypt, SAVE 20%. Newly constructed liveaboard with a steel hull. Free nitrox. Choice of Brothers, Daedelus, Elphinstone or northern wrecks. BOOK NOW, PAY LATER See more liveaboard deals to some of the best diving in the world - Micronesia, Philippines, Galapagos, Indonesia, Cocos Islands... Wonderful World of Christmas Tree Worms Colourful Christmas tree worms are captivating during any dive, adding a touch of festive magic to coral reefs around the world. What are Christmas tree worms? They might look like colourful Christmas trees but they're actually segmented worms. Most of their structure is hidden in tubes within the coral with only their crowns or Christmas trees protruding. These creatures can live for 40 years! Christmas Tree Worm, Spirobranchus giganteus Giant Spiral-Gills Their scientific name is Spirobranchus giganteus, meaning Giant Spiral-Gills. Although the visible part is only 1.5 cm long, together with its hidden part it is in fact one of the largest worms in its family. The branching crown is important for respiration, hence the "spiral-gills" name. Christmas Tree Worm by Tim Nicholson 2 Trees; 1 Worm Each worm has two crowns or Christmas Trees. The worms come in a myriad of colours, but an individual's two crowns are always the same colour. As well as being used in respiration, the the feathery Christmas Tree gathers food, wafting it down to the worm's mouth. Carol Buchannon Disappear when danger threatens On sensing danger, the worm quickly retracts its crown into its tube in the coral and closes the entrance with a trapdoor called an operculum. It will stay down there for about a minute, before re-emerging very slowly to check that the danger has gone. Christmas Tree Worm with operculum clearly showing, by Jill Studholme Males and Females There are both male and female Christmas tree worms and they are choosy; spending their entire life on the same coral – often massive porites. They are important for the health of coral reefs and help protect corals from invasive sea stars whilst also preventing the coral being overgrown with algae. Close up to Christmas in Bonaire. John A. Anderson/DepositPhotos Where to see them? The great thing about Christmas tree worms is that you can see them around the world on most tropical reefs. They're easy to find and very photogenic, making them great subjects for macro photography. As long as you have the patience to wait and not disturb them into shooting back into their tubes. You might see them down to depths of 30 m. John A. Anderson Class: Polychaeta > Order: Sabellida > Family: Serpulidae > Genus: Spirobranchus Diving news from around the World Another Dive Pro Liveaboard Accident Yet another Dive Pro Liveaboard has had to have its divers rescued. MV Seaphoria ran aground near Daedelus reef in Egypt. This is the 4th Dive Pro liveaboard incident in 3 years. Best avoid this company. Widespread rule-breaking in Mexico whale shark tourism Drone footage revealed constant violations of Mexico's whale shark tourism rules, even when far fewer boats were on the water than regulations allow. Pandemic beneath the surface has been quietly wiping out sea urchins around the world Canary Islands are the missing link in a global sea urchin killer pandemic which kills off urchins in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean. Healthy oceans are a human right The idea is straightforward: people's fundamental human rights to health, food, security and even life rely on a healthy environment. Stress caused by hurricane rainfall overwhelms reefs When freshwater from rainfall and runoff enters the ocean, it can significantly reduce the salinity of the seawater. This causes osmotic stress, which leads to bleaching and even death for entire coral reef systems For Australia's marine life, safe zones from climate change may disappear within 15 years Even the nation's most protected marine areas will likely face the same climate shocks as unprotected zones, a new study finds Oyster larvae on drugs move slowly and are stressed Study finds that exposure to addictive drugs like fentanyl and ketamine, prevalent in surface waters, affect the behavior and survival rates of oyster larvae. Potential risks to humans. Connection and protection boost health in coral reefs A dual approach - improving conditions on both land and sea - may be the best way to protect these crucial ecosystems Underwater photography stresses seahorses Seahorses highly sought by divers and underwater photographers, but are we inadvertently stressing these beautiful fish? How to approach them safely.

SCUBA News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. This means we are happy for you to reuse our material for both commercial and non-commercial use as long as you: credit the name of the author, link back to the SCUBA Travel website and say if you have made any changes. Most photos though, are copyright the photographer. Please get in touch for details. Photo credits: Tim Nicholson, Jill Studholme, CC BY 4.0, John A. Anderson, Carol Buchanan/DepositPhotos, Robinson/Bigstock, divebooker.com UNSUBSCRIBING Visit https://news-t.scubatravel.co.uk/profile/S-48715@J7sllRUwYQNkRwrI93C6yQ4F0xqxNQi6gZV3_N2Z6zU.@1 to remove yourself from the mailing list. Any problems contact news@scubatravel.co.uk. ADVERTISING Should you wish to advertise in SCUBA News, please see the special offers at https://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsad.html Other advertising opportunities are at https://www.scubatravel.co.uk/diving-advertising.html CONTACTING THE EDITOR Please send your letters or press releases to: Jill Studholme SCUBA News The Cliff DE6 2HR UK news@scubatravel.co.uk