Madam J and Marc AuMarc are headed to the Bahamas on September 3rd to dive and snorkel their beautiful waters. They are looking forward to visiting wrecks that were featured in James Bond movies and diving with sharks.
August 31st, 2009 by Marc AuMarc
August 31st, 2009 by Marc AuMarc
Thanks to Dave for introducing me to the World Bog Snorkelling Championship, which is held in Central Wales, where snorkeling is spelled snorkelling. From the BBC photo, it looks like it may be extremely shallow. According to wikipedia, bog snorkelling started around 1976 and world championship was first held in 1985. It seems the sport has also inspired other related events, “including the associated mountain bike bog snorkelling (where competitors must ride through the bog on specially prepared mountain bikes), and the Bog Snorkelling Triathlon.”
It sure looks like fun. Perhaps it’s time to enter your local competition, in Wales or Australia!
August 13th, 2009 by Marc AuMarc
In another link sent by Nadia, we get to see the photos of Dr. Mark Vermeij, scientific director of the Caribbean Institute for Research and Management of Biodiversity. It is probably time for a mission to Curaçao. You know, for scientific purposes. According to the web site of their research station, it is a “faunistically interesting region” with “insular fringing reef systems, biogeographically distinct from the rest of the Caribbean.” Plus, they’ve got reef balls.
August 13th, 2009 by Marc AuMarc
A friend sent me a link to this story about how Damselfish may be destroying Caribbean reefs. In a nutshell, Damselfish farm algae, but their algae gardens kill the coral. Normally this is fine in moderation, but due to overfishing there aren’t enough big fish like groupers to eat the Damselfish. So, the Damselfish and their gardens spread, threatening already-fragile reefs.
Damselfish guarding the farm in Roatan.
Parrotfish and other creatures eat algae, allowing corals to grow back. Reduced numbers of these algae feeders may also contribute to the spread of algae. And do not underestimate the tiny Damselfish when it is defending its farm! Madam J saw a Damselfish repeatedly dive-bombing the head of a sea turtle who was trying to chow down on the farm. Eventually, I believe it succeeded in pestering the turtle into leaving!