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Barb Roy on her way to dive Nootka Sound, British Columbia, Canada

Barb Roy — an inspiration to us all

By Rosemary E. Lunn and Gunild Symes

Barb was an avid technical and wreck diver, underwater photographer and instructor, having learned to dive in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1979. She was PADI Master Instructor and held instructor ratings with DAN, IANTD and NAUI. She became a NAUI Wreck and Archaeology Instructor to explore wrecks and an IANTD Trimix diver to photograph giant gorgonian sea fans at 200 feet.

The Killer Fish

Whereas the beaks of the common needlefish were needle-sized and shaped, this one's mouth was similarly pointed, but 15 cm long and lined with large, sharp, interlocking teeth. As I crumbled some bits of food for the ever present lagoon fish, it accelerated forward to take a morsel and the small fish shot away, creating a dazzling, submarine firework exploding in silence. When it opened its pointed mouth to take a morsel it revealed a throat nearly the same diameter as its body--it was well equipped to catch and swallow large prey. It had two parallel scars on its right side.

The nudibranch Fjordia chriskaugei, Gulen Dive Resort, Norway

Nudibranchs named after Gulen Dive Resort and friends

Over the years, new species have been found and existing species have been moved to other genera while other species are new. Thus, our colleague Christian Skauge writes that the Flabellina family has now gone "extinct" in Norway because the species therein have now been reclassified and put into other genera.

Many species of whales and dolphins have supersensitive hearing because they use sound to navigate

Whales and dolphins naturally muffle loud sounds

Instead of wearing earplugs at a rock concert, imagine you could simply tune a dial inside your ears to lower the volume and protect your hearing. In a new report published in Integrative Zoology, researchers have discovered four whale species and dolphins can do just that. This could potentially shield the animals from navy sonar and oil drilling, linked to at least 500 marine mammal deaths since 1963.

Southern California's Market Squid Run

Most years, Southern California on the US west coast is the site of a special marine life aggregation, treating locals to one of the most unique dives in the world. Hundreds of thousands of market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) swim into recreational dive depths to mate and lay an expansive canvas of egg baskets (collections of eggs) across the sandy substrate.

Shark fishing makes pregnant sharks abort

The lead researcher, Kye Adams, a PhD student at the University of Wollongong, said that shark fishermen should be made aware of the danger of inducing abortions in pregnant sharks, rays, or skates. So far, the loss of the young aborted by fished sharks has been ignored by both science and fishermen.

Adams said, "It's quite prevalent across a lot of species and also seems to be not well known by both researchers and recreational fishers. "They don't realise these events are abortions, they think they are witnessing a natural birth."

Poseidon Announces Upgrade Option For MKVI Rebreathers

The (34,000 Swedish Krona) package consists of a SE7EN E-module, two HP-sensors and a HUD.

The deadline for this upgrade is 24th December 2017 and it cannot be combined with any other offers. The old MKVI e-module must be returned to Poseidon and the owner will also need to either buy a M28 or a Paddle with a can connector.

Poseidon has also confirmed that there will be a minor upgrade for current SE7EN owners so that their rebreathers are solid state sensor ready.

Leadership Rescue Workshop Series to be Launched in Bimini, March 2018

The Leadership Rescue Workshops are open to any certified dive leader, including divemasters, assistant instructors and instructors from other agencies.

The workshop is designed to teach the most effective, state-of-the-art diving rescue techniques in a rigorous three-day program conducted by Course Directors Walt “Butch” Hendrick (NAUI 1724) and Andrea Zafares (NAUI 10533) of Team LGS, the most globally recognized authority in diving rescue and public safety diver training and education.

Seagrass can provide shelter for small marine animals.
Seagrass can provide shelter for small marine animals.

Seagrass essential to fishing industry

Admittedly, the idea of protecting seagrass is not as “glamorous” as protecting the rainforest, but this marine vegetation is essential to both marine life and humans. A new study by scientists from Cardiff University, Swansea University and Stockholm University, and published in the Fish and Fisheries journal, highlights the global importance of seagrass to fisheries.

“Wherever you find seagrass and people, there is most certainly fishing,” said Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, from Cardiff University’s Sustainable Places Research Institute.

Tight school of glassfish in the bay of Aqaba
Tight school of glassfish in the bay of Aqaba

How a school of fish moves as one

We’ve all seen those huge schools of fish that move as one and coordinate their movements so perfectly. New research has come up with a way to map the chain of direct interaction in such schools of fish, discovering that the fish pay attention to one or two of their neighbours at a time when the school moves as a group.