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Ocean Action: Help Save Sharks with the Whale Shark Research Project

Baja, Marine Life, Rebreathers, scuba diving news, Scuba_News, standards, Teach First Aid/CPR, Tec, Tec Diving, Technology, TecRec, TecRec IT Crossover, UW Photography, Wrecks /
Underwater Photo Whale Shark Chasing Fish

Brandon Cole

Volunteer and help protect these gentle giants.

WHALE SHARK RESEARCH PROJECT

MISSION Generating marine conservation through researching whale sharks, preserving the marine ecosystem and encouraging the sustainable use of Mexico’s natural resources

HQ Baja California, Mexico

YEAR FOUNDED 2014

CONTACT info@whalesharkrp.com WEBSITE whalesharkrp.com

PROJECT Spanning up to 40 feet and weighing over 45,000 pounds, whale sharks are the ocean’s largest living fish. The Whale Shark Research Project is committed to conservation, scientific research, public awareness and education for these gentle giants.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Volunteer

WSRP participants have the opportunity to spend between one and 10 weeks making a difference while exploring La Paz Bay, Espiritu Santo Island or Los Cabos in the Gulf of California. During your time volunteering, you’ll have the opportunity to learn data-collection techniques, monitor juvenile whale sharks, participate in field research and immerse yourself in Mexican culture.

Photograph

Akin to a human fingerprint, distinct spot patterns can be found around the shark’s gill area. Divers can upload whale shark photos to an online global identification database at whaleshark.org. After photos are submitted, spot-recognition software identifies the whale sharks, allowing scientists to follow their travels and analyze shark-sighting data to discover more about these mammoth fish.

Adopt

Support WSRP’s eforts by adopting your very own whale shark. Your shark won’t be coming home with you — instead it will remain wild and free while you receive updates on its journey through the ocean. After choosing either an annual adoption basis or a lifetime option, adopters are offered a life history of the shark along with a professional photograph of the newly adopted family member.

MORE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Save coral reefs in Little Cayman

Take a bite out of invasive lionfish

Get trashy with marine art

Ocean Action: Help Save Sharks with the Whale Shark Research Project Read More »

Christ of the Deep in Key Largo Celebrates 50 Year Anniversary

Caribbean And Atlantic, Rebreathers, scuba diving news, Scuba_News, standards, Teach First Aid/CPR, Tec, Tec Diving, Technology, TecRec, TecRec IT Crossover, United States And Canada, UW Photography, Wrecks /

Shutterstock

Christ of the Deep celebrates 50 years below the waves.

How long can you hold your arms over your head? How about five decades?

Sunk in 1965, Key Largo’s beloved Christ of the Deep statue has welcomed daily…

Christ of the Deep in Key Largo Celebrates 50 Year Anniversary Read More »

NEW FOR 2016: Sri Lanka Aggressor Announced by Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet

Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet, Asia and Indian Ocean, Rebreathers, scuba diving news, Scuba_News, standards, Teach First Aid/CPR, Tec, Tec Diving, Technology, TecRec, TecRec IT Crossover, UW Photography, Wrecks /

The Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet are expanding their worldwide fleet of scuba diving liveaboards to Sri Lanka. The luxurious 145-foot yacht will take 26 passengers and offer three diversified itineraries starting September 2016: choose Whale & Dolphin Snorkel weeks, Tech Wreck weeks or diving East Colombo and Northeast Kalpitiya.

“I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate our 32nd anniversary than by offering our guests this exciting destination! One of the most important parts of our business is to seek out and explore new areas of the world,” says Chairman and CEO, Wayne B. Brown.

During the Whale and Dolphin weeks, guests will have the opportunity to snorkel with up to 13 species of whales and eight species of dolphin. Sri Lanka is unique in that many of these whales reside around the island of Sri Lanka, including blue whales, sperm whales, humpback whales, beaked whales, melon headed whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales.

The diving itinerary, East Colombo and Northeast Kalpitiya, departs from Colombo to explore beautiful wrecks and reefs. Half the week is spent exploring the wrecks and the other half venturing north for drift diving along lush coral reefs teeming with fish. The wreck dives will include the Thermopylae Sierra, Chief Dragon, Taprobane, and Trug.

The Tech Wreck itinerary departs from Tricomalee and explores world-class wrecks such as the HMS Hermes aircraft carrier, HMS Hollyhock and RFA Athelstane. With over 200 wrecks in Sri Lanka, 50 are identified as world-class dives. The HMS Hermes was the first-ever British aircraft carrier built. The 600-meter wreck is residing at a depth of 54 meters along with 3 other support ships in 20 to 40 meter depths. The Sri Lanka Aggressor is fitted with 3 x 600 HP compressors, nitrox compressor, full tri-mix system and rebreather system.

The Sri Lanka Aggressor operates seven-night charters out of Colombo Harbor for six months of the year and from Trincomalee for four-and-a-half months of the year.

Aggressor Fleet and Dancer Fleet have 28 dive destinations: Alor, Bahamas, Banda Sea, Belize (2 yachts), Cáno Island (2 yachts), Cayman Islands, Cenderawasih Bay, Cocos Island, Costa Rica (2 yachts), Dominican Republic, Fiji, Galapagos, Hawaii, Komodo, Maldives, Palau (2 yachts), Raja Ampat, Thailand, Tiger Beach, Turks and Caicos, Raja Ampat, Red Sea, Wakatobi and now Sri Lanka. Reservations can be made online at www.aggressor.com, or by calling 800-348-2628 or +1-706-993-2531.

NEW FOR 2016: Sri Lanka Aggressor Announced by Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet Read More »

Indonesian Manta ID Database Is Online Now

Australia and Pacific, Rebreathers, scuba diving news, Scuba_News, standards, Teach First Aid/CPR, Tec, Tec Diving, Technology, TecRec, TecRec IT Crossover, UW Photography, Wrecks /

Teaming up with the Bird’s Head Seascape website and Conservation International, we are excited to announce the launch of our online Bird’s Head Seascape Manta ID database: a visual and interactive platform that invites you to meet the manta rays, follow our work, and contribute toward manta research.

For the past six years, Manta Trust’s Indonesian Manta Project has been working to better understand and protect manta rays across this vast archipelago, and one of the most important ways we do this is through the use of photo identification. Our photo ID work in the Bird’s Head Seascape (BHS) began in 2011 when we teamed up with Misool Eco Resort and Papua Diving to start learning about the manta rays of Raja Ampat. Five years later it has expanded into a comprehensive research and conservation program that encompasses much of the Bird’s Head Seascape, and includes a passionate team of local, national and international partners.

Our vision for the BHS Manta ID site was to give everybody the opportunity to get to know and love the BHS manta rays through an easy to use and highly visual online platform. In addition, BHS visitors can use this site to submit (and even ID) their own manta ray photos, contributing directly to our research while learning about “their” manta rays in the process. As our manta library grows so does our understanding of the manta population, each photo acting like a piece of the puzzle. Increased understanding is critical for the development of successful species conservation and we encourage BHS visitors to get involved and help us with this exciting and important research…every photo counts!

By sharing our science through this site, our hope is to inspire empathy toward these vulnerable rays and connect those people who might not otherwise be able to visit the BHS manta rays.

So please visit www.birdsheadseascape.com, scroll down to the Manta ID logo, click “Learn More” and contribute your photographs! Each of you then becomes a member of the conservation team. We need and count on your support. If you love manta rays and are concerned about their and the ocean’s welfare … GET INVOLVED!

Indonesian Manta ID Database Is Online Now Read More »

The Dacor Scuba Reg Behind Darth Vader’s Breathing

Rebreathers, scuba diving news, Scuba_News, standards, Teach First Aid/CPR, Tec, Tec Diving, Technology, TecRec, TecRec IT Crossover, UW Photography, Wrecks /

Stefano Buttafoco / Shutterstock.com

A Dacor scuba reg was used to create Darth Vader’s heavy breathing.

Even Star Wars nonfans (really????) know the sound. It is the heavy breathing that sets apart the iconic villain Dart…

The Dacor Scuba Reg Behind Darth Vader’s Breathing Read More »

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