March 2018

Plastic straws banned

As we all know, the enormous amount of plastic in our oceans still increases every day, causing great damage to our marine life and corals. Therefore, we all need to do our utmost to prevent this.

The immediate implementation of plastic reduction measures, with more measures to follow, across the entire fleet demonstrates the recently merged group’s dedication to a sustainable environment. At the same time, we hope other companies will join us so we can all work together in reducing plastic waste in our oceans.

NAUI Advisors From 16 Countries Gather in Europe to Kick Off First Aid Instructor Trainer Workshop Series

The FAITW, hosted by Dick and Richard Lucas of NAUI Europe, spanned a two-day period and centered around First Aid skills required for NAUI Instructors to teach and administer NAUI First Aid – Powered by DAN Instructor courses.

The workshop’s focus is on coaching Instructor Trainers (ITs) in the use of training best practices and effectively implementing and organizing NAUI First Aid Instructor Workshops (FAIWs). Upon successful completion of the FAITW, NAUI ITs are authorized to independently conduct FAIWs.

Transferring Anticipation Skills to Problem Resolution

Adding some realism to your training protocol also requires adding spontaneity, distraction and surprise. This is not as hard as it seems, but it can be dangerous for instructor and student if not well-controlled.

Mike Ange discuss methods of building a safer and more comfortable diver at the more advanced levels by preventing the diver from anticipating issues before they occur. While this may sound contradictory to the earlier articles in this series, in reality, it is taking those skills to the next level.

A peek inside a decompression chamber at a hospital (file photo)
A peek inside a decompression chamber at a hospital (file photo)

Lack of deco chamber in Pensacola concern dive ops and tourism

Although Visit Pensacola promotes the Oriskany dive site and Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail, it has not been made aware of the safety concerns rover the region's lack of hyperbaric chambers to treat decompression sickness Nicole Stacey, spokeswoman for Visit Pensacola, told Pensacola News Journal on Thursday.

She said Visit Pensacola was not involved in any effort to try to improve emergency treatment options for divers and would rely on the diving industry and those professionals in the area to remedy the situation.

The Philippines' Puerto Galera

I have spent decades covering the Caribbean for major dive magazines. But when it is time for a personal trip, I usually set my sights farther from home. One destination that has become a personal favorite over the last ten years is the Philippines. The waters of this island nation lie within the “Coral Triangle,” a region recognized as having one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet.

Diving Dumaguete in the Philippines

Dumaguete sits down close to the southern tip of Negros Island in the middle of Visayas Island group in the Philippines, approximately 500km south of Manila. A coastal province, it is bounded on the east by the Bohol Sea and the Tañon Strait, which serve as a natural border to the neighboring provinces of Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor.

Emperor Divers Sharm El Sheikh now OPEN for business

“Sharm diving is at its absolute best for decades as dive sites have had a few years to recover from the crowds. Stunning hard and soft corals and amazing marine life encounters abound in some of the clearest waters the Red Sea has to offer,” says General Manager, Luke Atkinson. “The fish schooling event of Ras Mohamed in summer is truly world class and the chance to experience it with diver numbers similar to the 1990s should not be missed.”

Brazil Establishes Large MPAs in Atlantic Ocean

BRASÍLIA, Brazil, March 20, 2018 - A two-year campaign which united civil society organizations, researchers, and industry leaders, resulted in a landmark achievement as the President of Brazil, Michel Temer, published two decrees establishing the Marine Protected Areas of São Pedro & São Paulo and Trindade & Martim Vaz archipelagos, bringing the country´s MPA coverage to approximately 25% of its jurisdictional waters.