http://www.divesouthafrica.co.za/news/archive-may2005.php News and articles relating to scuba diving, marine and environmental issues in South Africa and abroad. Features on Great White shark cage diving, tropical reef diving and wreck diving holidays plus diving with sharks, whale sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles en-us http://www.divesouthafrica.co.za/imgs/pics-greatwhitecagediving-sm.jpg http://www.divesouthafrica.co.za/news/archive-may2005.php 80 80 News and articles relating to scuba diving, marine and environmental issues in South Africa and abroad. Features on Great White shark cage diving, tropical reef diving and wreck diving holidays plus diving with sharks, whale sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tips-for-scuba-divers-on-environmental.html Keeping the Earth's treasures pristine for future generations to experience is a challenge, so before doing your next dive, read through these important tips. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tips-for-scuba-divers-on-environmental.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/black-rhino-gets-new-lease-on-life-in.html A second block of land to give the black rhino more space to range in has been chosen in KwaZulu-Natal, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife said on Monday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/black-rhino-gets-new-lease-on-life-in.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/worlds-first-all-glass-undersea.html 15 April marked the day that the first ever all-glass undersea restaurant in the world opened its doors for business at the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/worlds-first-all-glass-undersea.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tons-of-perlemoen-found-on-farm.html Three men will appear in the Tulbagh magistrate's court on Monday on charges of illegal possession of perlemoen (abalone) worth an estimated R2.5 million, Western Cape police said. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tons-of-perlemoen-found-on-farm.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fishermen-and-trade-unionists-chain.html About 20 leaders of local fishing communities and unionists defied the cold and wet weather by chaining themselves to the gates of parliament last night to protest against the government finalising a long-term fishing policy. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fishermen-and-trade-unionists-chain.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/poison-kills-endangered-blue-cranes.html Three blue cranes have died from poisoning near Port Elizabeth, the department of environmental affairs said on Friday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/poison-kills-endangered-blue-cranes.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/capenature-to-close-gamkasberg-and.html Cash-strapped CapeNature will close its two 4x4 vehicle trails in the Swartberg and the Gamkasberg to cut costs, but will not to close any of its nature reserves. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/capenature-to-close-gamkasberg-and.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/leaked-g8-document-exposes-lack-of.html The environmental group Friends of the Earth has criticised a leaked draft statement for the upcoming G8 summit for failing to set specific targets or timetables to reduce greenhouse gases from the highly industrialised countries. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/leaked-g8-document-exposes-lack-of.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/sardine-run-could-be-building-off.html It looks as if the annual sardine run could be taking shape as there is quite a lot of activity along the Transkei coast, particularly in the Waterfall Bluff, Port St Johns and Mazeppa areas. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/sardine-run-could-be-building-off.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/padi-announces-elearning.html Does a busy schedule keep you from furthering your dive education. We have the solution: the newest system of dive training, PADI eLearning online training. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/padi-announces-elearning.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/shark-attack-will-not-keep-me-away.html A 32-year-old British tourist is recovering in his hotel, with 100 stitches and major cuts to his body, after narrowly escaping death in an attack by what is believed to have been a ragged-tooth shark. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/shark-attack-will-not-keep-me-away.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-navy-to-help-adult-fur.html A naval strike craft, the SAS Makhanda, will transport an adult fur seal from Durban on Friday to Cape Recife where she will be freed to return to her home in Marion Island in the Indian ocean. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-navy-to-help-adult-fur.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/bad-weather-prevents-hi-tech-attempt.html Stormy seas prevented new technology from being used on Thursday to photograph the bodies of 14 fishermen who disappeared into a watery grave on May 8 on the Sardinia Bay coast. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/bad-weather-prevents-hi-tech-attempt.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/deep-sea-weapon-against-superbug.html A bacterium found 300 metres below sea could be used to fight the superbug MRSA, scientists believe. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/deep-sea-weapon-against-superbug.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/wwf-sa-urges-efforts-to-ease.html South Africa needs to find ways to ensure far-reaching cooperation and innovation so that scarce resources are used to full effect for the long term benefit of the environment. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/wwf-sa-urges-efforts-to-ease.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/british-surfer-attacked-by-shark-in.html A surfer received a hundred stitches after being attacked by a shark at the mouth of the Kei River, in the Eastern Cape, on Wednesday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/british-surfer-attacked-by-shark-in.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/probe-will-determine-if-bodies-of.html The South African Navy has located the position of the ill-fated fishing trawler, the Lindsay, which sank off the eastern Cape coast near Port Elizabeth with the loss of 14 lives after a collision with a container ship more than two weeks ago. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/probe-will-determine-if-bodies-of.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/southern-africa-rising-indian-ocean.html A new study on climate change has warned of escalating drought in southern Africa, directly linked to the warming of the Indian Ocean. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/southern-africa-rising-indian-ocean.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-africa-joins-global-study-on.html The prospect of spending the next fours years hunting for snakes, frogs, lizards, geckos, blind worms, terrapins and crocodiles might fill many people with horror - but University of Cape Town herpetologist Marius Burger can't wait to get started. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-africa-joins-global-study-on.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/worlds-largest-fish-is-shrinking.html The world's largest fish, the gentle and solitary whale shark, is getting smaller, an international conference heard this week. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/worlds-largest-fish-is-shrinking.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/shark-cartilage-no-good-for-cancer.html Shark cartilage has been used by many for the treatment of a variety of illnesses including cancer. But a new study suggests that shark cartilage does not benefit people with cancer and actually may make some patients feel worse. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/shark-cartilage-no-good-for-cancer.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/turtle-species-in-kenya-on-verge-of.html With four "licensed" prawn trawlers operating within 1.5 nautical miles at the Malindi-Ungwana bay, dozens of long-liners operating in the Exclusive Economic Zone, and about 400 foreign licensed and unlicensed commercial fishing vessel and ring-netters, the future of the endangered turtle is doomed. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/turtle-species-in-kenya-on-verge-of.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/drakensberg-residents-braced-for-heavy.html Drakensberg residents are bracing themselves for their first snowfalls as well as a long cold winter. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/drakensberg-residents-braced-for-heavy.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/scubapro-uwatec-recalls-computers.html Scubapro-Uwatec has issued a recall notice for two of its diving computers, the Smart Pro and Smart Com. A software fault can lead to potentially serious malfunction of the units. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/scubapro-uwatec-recalls-computers.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/man-made-reef-will-bring-huge-waves-to.html Durban is to build Africa's first multi-purpose man-made reef 150m off its shores to create giant waves. This will put the city among the trendsetters of international tourism. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/man-made-reef-will-bring-huge-waves-to.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/injured-fishermen-rescued-by.html An Atlantis fisherman with a serious head injury has been airlifted off a fishing trawler in choppy seas off the coast of Hermanus. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/injured-fishermen-rescued-by.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/bid-to-save-dead-sea.html Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority said on Sunday they had agreed terms for a feasibility study on transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, to save the world's lowest sea from vanishing. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/bid-to-save-dead-sea.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/whale-muster-mystefies-aussies.html At first there were about a dozen. Then, the numbers of sperm whales congregating at a point on Australia's south coast midway between Sydney and Melbourne grew to more than 100. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/whale-muster-mystefies-aussies.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/antarctic-buffers-sea-level-rise.html The ice sheet covering the interior of Antarctica is thickening, researchers report in the journal Science. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/antarctic-buffers-sea-level-rise.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/maldives-paradise-for-divers-but-hell.html Classed amongst the top dive destinations in the world, even today Maldives attracts more dive enthusiasts than any other market of tourism. Some of the best dive brands are now operating in Maldives and is considered to be a very good industry to work in. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/maldives-paradise-for-divers-but-hell.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-navy-names-first-female.html The South African Navy has appointed the first woman to command at sea, it said on Thursday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-navy-names-first-female.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/families-of-shipping-collision-victims.html Families of the 14 victims of a tragic May 8 shipping collision off the coast of Port Elizabeth are taking legal action against the ship they say is responsible for claiming the lives of their loved ones. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/families-of-shipping-collision-victims.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/pneumonia-blamed-for-death-of-black.html Kenyan wildlife authorities said on Thursday that pneumonia killed four black rhinos in a private sanctuary in Kenya's Rift Valley province after they were transferred from Nairobi National Park. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/pneumonia-blamed-for-death-of-black.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tsunami-warning-system-in-place-soon.html An interim tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean should be in place by October, mainly through upgrading an existing network of tide gauges, the head of the United Nations oceanographic body said on Thursday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tsunami-warning-system-in-place-soon.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/celebrating-international-biodiversity.html Biodiversity is the strength of the web of life, binding together all living things. It is the greatest expression of the truth that diversity holds the key to life. It is also one of the most important and threatened assets left to humankind. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/celebrating-international-biodiversity.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/dismay-at-state-of-world-heritage-site.html A Boksburg resident and Gauteng cave expert has accused Blue IQ, the investment arm of the Gauteng provincial government, of the poor management of a World Heritage site. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/dismay-at-state-of-world-heritage-site.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/struggling-capenature-may-close-some.html Run on what it describes as a "cut-to-the-bone" budget, CapeNature says it is under such severe financial pressure it may have to close some of its smaller reserves for up to a year or more. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/struggling-capenature-may-close-some.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/ships-rudder-found-on-shore-after-160.html A ship's rudder estimated to be more than 160 years old was airlifted from Sunset Beach in Cape Town's Table Bay on Tuesday and is to be exhibited at the Iziko Maritime Museum once it has acquired a large enough treatment tank in which to preserve it. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/ships-rudder-found-on-shore-after-160.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/new-tracking-device-planned-for-marine.html South African researchers plan to collar dusky dolphins next month with a new tracking device that uses cellphone SIM cards. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/new-tracking-device-planned-for-marine.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/israeli-us-german-researchers-unveil.html An international team of scientists from Israel, the United States and Germany, led by Prof. Amatzia Genin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, has provided, for the first time, evidence of the remarkable dynamics responsible for the formation of large aggregations of microscopic animals in the ocean. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/israeli-us-german-researchers-unveil.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/iceberg-drifts-into-backyard.html An iceberg more than twice the size of Malta has drifted hundreds of kilometres to a position off the coast of Australia's Casey station in Antarctica, the government said on Thursday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/iceberg-drifts-into-backyard.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/concerned-diver-disregarded-by-leading.html Ski Boat Magazine is one of the largest fishing magazine publications in South Africa and in the Postbox section of the May/June issue there is a letter to the editor from a concerned diver who witnessed the slaughter of a Zambezi shark on the 19 of February 2005. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/concerned-diver-disregarded-by-leading.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/australian-tv-to-broadcast-david-shaws.html Among the dive gear, gas tanks, computers and lights that expert cave diver Dave Shaw carried during his final, fatal, descent, a tiny helmet-mounted camera proved to be the most valuable piece of equipment. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/australian-tv-to-broadcast-david-shaws.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/bbc-documentary-sends-scuba-divers-to.html The BBC is sending divers to the sea floor at the location of the Asian tsunami in a scientific documentary which hopes to further understanding of the source of the Boxing Day disaster. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/bbc-documentary-sends-scuba-divers-to.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/third-patrol-vessel-introduced-to.html The South African Government is tightening security around its marine resources, with the introduction of the third environmental protection vessel in Cape Town today. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/third-patrol-vessel-introduced-to.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/balance-of-global-water-resources-at.html Global warming is shrinking glaciers on the Tibet side of Mount Everest faster than ever, putting world water supplies at risk, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/balance-of-global-water-resources-at.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tsunami-nations-agree-to-set-up-early.html Donor nations have agreed to set up a 5.5-million-dollar tsunami early warning system for 27 Indian Ocean countries. The system will start operating within the next six months. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tsunami-nations-agree-to-set-up-early.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-government-takes-another.html As part of government's continued efforts in the protection of the country's marine resources, the Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, will on Wednesday 18th May 2005 accept the 3rd of four environmental protection vessels in Cape Town. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-government-takes-another.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/africa-climate-same-as-aids.html The impact of climate change on Africa in 30 to 40 years will be as significant as that of malaria and Aids, said the chief scientific adviser to the British government on Monday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/africa-climate-same-as-aids.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tourism-industry-stands-by-reef.html Tourism operators have defended the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in the face of concerns the body will be disbanded. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tourism-industry-stands-by-reef.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/new-zealand-to-fight-whale-slaughter.html New Zealand is considering taking Japan to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its plans to hunt endangered humpback whales in Antarctic waters, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/new-zealand-to-fight-whale-slaughter.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/ocean-waters-yield-cancer-therapy.html Scientists believe they can make cancer drugs from the humble sea squirt. A microbe that lives within this sea animal produces compounds that may fight some tumours. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/ocean-waters-yield-cancer-therapy.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/poachers-cough-up-r6-million-in-fines.html The Overstrand's Marines anti-poaching project, which cost R1.8 million to run, garnered R5.8 million in fines and in confiscated perlemoen and lobster in the past financial year. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/poachers-cough-up-r6-million-in-fines.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/government-gets-tough-on-4x4-drivers.html Drivers of 4x4s, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and off-road vehicles caught flouting the country's environmental laws could land up in jail or face stiff fines as the government threatens to get tough on people damaging ecosystems. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/government-gets-tough-on-4x4-drivers.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/conservationists-urge-caution-with.html Following a decision taken by members of the Cites convention, which regulates international trade in endangered animals and plants, which allows the hunting of five black rhino in South Africa every year, the issue is still being hotly debated by conservationists. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/conservationists-urge-caution-with.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/marine-officers-hit-out-at-ruling-on.html Marine law enforcement officers have expressed surprise at an Appeal Court ruling that let a KwaZulu Natal diver with undersized rock lobster off the hook. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/marine-officers-hit-out-at-ruling-on.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/strange-denizen-of-deep-has-24-eyes.html The box jellyfish, a denizen of tropical waters, has one of the most sophisticated optical systems in the marine world, with 24 eyes to give itself all-round vision even though it lacks a brain to handle what they see, scientists have found. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/strange-denizen-of-deep-has-24-eyes.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/durban-tourism-indaba-hailed-as.html The four-day Indaba, Africa's premier tourism trade show, ended at the International Convention Centre and the neighbouring Durban Exhibition Centre on Tuesday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/durban-tourism-indaba-hailed-as.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/project-aware-international-whale.html Project AWARE recently launched an international eco-tourism initiative to promote conservation of one of the most beautiful and impressive marine creatures: the Whale Shark. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/project-aware-international-whale.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/diver-off-hook-for-undersize-crayfish.html A KwaZulu Natal diver is off the hook after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) set aside his conviction and sentence for being in possession of four undersize lobsters. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/diver-off-hook-for-undersize-crayfish.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fuel-increases-put-rescue-services-on.html The high cost of fuel has meant that organisations involved in rescue operations and ambulance services are feeling the pinch. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fuel-increases-put-rescue-services-on.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/trawler-crew-will-remain-in-watery.html Bodies will not be retrieved from the sunken trawler Lindsay because of the great depth at which the vessel lies, the ship's owners said on Wednesday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/trawler-crew-will-remain-in-watery.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/jellyfish-plague-hobbles-koeberg.html Thousands of jellyfish have invaded Koeberg nuclear power station, causing a drastic reduction in electricity supply. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/jellyfish-plague-hobbles-koeberg.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fish-and-shrimp-help-to-determine.html While some people might think that trying to determine the toxicity of water through the raising of fish or seafood in that water might be an old-fashioned method, it is not. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fish-and-shrimp-help-to-determine.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/malaria-possibility-in-cape.html Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk believes global warming will bring the dreaded anopheles mosquito to the Cape and many other parts of the republic. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/malaria-possibility-in-cape.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/padi-introduces-new-electronic-dive.html PADI introduced a new Electronic Recreational Dive Planner (eRDP), the worlds first electronic dive table at ADEX 2005. The eRDP is an electronic dive table and another version of the world's most popular dive table, the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP). http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/padi-introduces-new-electronic-dive.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/sea-tragedy-diving-to-retrieve-bodies.html It seems as if the families of 14 fishermen who died at sea at the weekend will not be able to give their loved ones a proper burial after all. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/sea-tragedy-diving-to-retrieve-bodies.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/great-white-shark-evolution-debate.html A significant debate is currently underway whether the Great White, one of the most feared predators of the sea, evolved from the huge prehistoric megalodon shark or if its ancestry rests with the mako shark. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/great-white-shark-evolution-debate.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/coelacanth-dive-proves-success.html A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has been used for the first time to film coelacanths as part of research on the prehistoric fish in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in KwaZulu Natal. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/coelacanth-dive-proves-success.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/human-error-blamed-for-sea-collision.html The skipper of the sunken trawler, the Lindsay, has told how he was "guided by an angel" to safety as icy water flooded into his pitch-dark cabin, capsized the vessel and took all but one of his crew to the bottom of the ocean. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/human-error-blamed-for-sea-collision.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/another-tragedy-hits-cape-coast.html In the second fishing tragedy in as many days, a Mossel Bay fisherman fell overboard seven nautical miles off Tsitsikamma Point early on Monday and is presumed drowned. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/another-tragedy-hits-cape-coast.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/eskom-launches-effort-to-save-blue.html Overhead power lines pose a threat to blue cranes, particularly at night when some of these huge birds fly into the unseen danger and are electrocuted. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/eskom-launches-effort-to-save-blue.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/endangered-animals-poisoned-by.html Five endangered white rhinos were among a group of over 30 animals, valued at R2 million, fatally poisoned by poachers at a game reserve in Limpopo, police said on Tuesday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/endangered-animals-poisoned-by.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/grand-project-launched-for-south.html South Africa is home to an exceptionally high number of reptiles, many of which occur nowhere else in the world, but records of these animals are way out of date. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/grand-project-launched-for-south.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tanker-detained-under-maritime-safety.html Maritime safety authorities have launched an investigation into the deaths at sea of 14 South African chokka fishermen after a tanker collided with their trawler off Port Elizabeth. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tanker-detained-under-maritime-safety.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/14-killed-in-horror-sea-collision.html Fourteen crew members of a Cape fishing trawler are missing presumed dead after their vessel collided with a 178-metre container vessel 20 nautical miles south of Port Elizabeth at 1.30am on Sunday. Only two survived. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/14-killed-in-horror-sea-collision.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/warning-extreme-weather-ahead-for.html South Africa will be split into two extreme climate zones in the east and west within the next 50 years. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/warning-extreme-weather-ahead-for.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tsunami-hit-reefs-may-take-years-to.html The Indian Ocean tsunamis caused extensive damage to coral reefs of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, which are now smothered by sediment that will take years to wash off, scientists said on Monday. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/tsunami-hit-reefs-may-take-years-to.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/artificial-reef-will-make-surfing.html Durban is considering creating an artificial surfing reef, which if the plan gets the wave of approval, will be only the fourth one in the world. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/artificial-reef-will-make-surfing.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/skiboat-capsizes-in-cold-cape-waters.html Marine rangers have rescued two crew members of a skiboat that capsized 15 metres offshore in the cold waters of Cape Point. Just after 2pm, the Table Mountain National Park rangers saw a red distress flare fired offshore in the direction of Oliphantsbospunt in Simon's Town. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/skiboat-capsizes-in-cold-cape-waters.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-second-submarine-takes.html South Africa's second of three Type 209 submarines was launched in Emden in northern Germany on Wednesday. The boat was christened "S102". http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-african-second-submarine-takes.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/natures-revenge-on-poachers.html Two suspected poachers ran into the wrath of Mother Nature as they fled a marine patrol in the Gansbaai area near Hermanus. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/natures-revenge-on-poachers.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/lost-african-lake-spawned-fish.html The cichlids, a family of tropical freshwater fish, have evolved an astonishing array of forms in Africa. Their diversity is perhaps most impressive in the Great Lakes of East Africa, where a handful of colonizing fish species have multiplied over thousands of years into many hundreds of species found nowhere else in the world. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/lost-african-lake-spawned-fish.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/african-plant-grows-perch-for-birds.html Scientists say that they've proved that the tall erect spike grown by the South African plant Babiana ringens has a single purpose: It is a perch for birds, making it easier for them to drink nectar from the plant's peculiar ground-level flowers. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/african-plant-grows-perch-for-birds.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/zimbabwe-keen-to-sell-thousands-of.html Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Authority is looking for private buyers for thousands of elephants because its game reserves are overcrowded. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/zimbabwe-keen-to-sell-thousands-of.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/cape-town-can-expect-more-wet-weather.html More than double the average amount of rain fell in Cape Town in April, prompting hopes that a wet winter will fill the city's almost-empty storage dams. And more rain is forecast for the rest of the week. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/cape-town-can-expect-more-wet-weather.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/impacts-of-current-climate-change-in.html Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, invites the media to a briefing session on the expected Impacts of current Climate Change in South Africa at the Old Mutual Conference Centre, Visitors Centre, Kirstenbosch on Thursday 5 May 2005. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/impacts-of-current-climate-change-in.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/lifesaving-south-africa-needs-some.html The lives of hundreds of bathers at beaches along the country's coastline may be at risk following the shock announcement that Lifesaving South Africa's rescue helicopter service has been grounded. This means that the country's coastline is without a dedicated rescue helicopter service. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/lifesaving-south-africa-needs-some.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fossils-illuminate-fish-evolution.html Fossils of an ancient fish - dating back 450 million years, when the creatures had neither bones nor teeth - have been found in South Africa. The finds, which are 50 million years older than any other fossil fish in Africa, will help provide a "missing link" in the evolution of early fish. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fossils-illuminate-fish-evolution.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/too-early-for-malaria-verdict.html It is "too soon" to say if an international initiative to combat malaria has had an impact, its leaders say. Roll Back Malaria, an international group of 90 organisations, was set up in 1998 to tackle malaria. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/too-early-for-malaria-verdict.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/nsri-triumphs-in-exhausting-yacht.html In a gruelling all-night rescue mission, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) towed the stricken yacht Thandeka and its crew to safety after the vessel lost its rudder 200 nautical miles off the coast. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/nsri-triumphs-in-exhausting-yacht.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/workers-cleared-of-killing-fish-eagle.html Two casual workers have been acquitted on charges of beating a fish eagle to death in front of foreign tourists at the Lake St Lucia world heritage park. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/workers-cleared-of-killing-fish-eagle.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-africans-not-concerned-with-gm.html Some South Africans may feel it is not such a big deal when Biowatch South Africa, a small non-profit organisation, secures a court application to gain access to information about how decisions are made about growing genetically modified (GM) crops in the country. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/south-africans-not-concerned-with-gm.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fishermen-poised-for-annual-sardine.html The sardines are here, well, almost. Sardines usually make an appearance on the east coast in June, but fishermen may have to get their nets out a little earlier this year, the experts predict. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/fishermen-poised-for-annual-sardine.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/great-white-and-whale-watching-season.html From July to December whales can be seen at the shores of South Africa. Holiday makers who have been in the Kruger National Park and are visiting the Western Cape, will be able to see all the "BIG SIX" or even the "BIG SEVEN". http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/great-white-and-whale-watching-season.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/encounters-with-whale-sharks.html The whale shark's maximum size a subject of unending debate, but it possibly reaches gargantuan lengths of 18 meters. Despite its size, snorkelling with one is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the shark can be very curious, approaching snorkellers to investigate. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/encounters-with-whale-sharks.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/idea-to-combat-global-warming.html Professor Colin Humphreys is a man who works on a very small scale but has some big, bright ideas. While environmentalists warn about the dangers of global warming and governments hail the start of the Kyoto Protocol to tackle climate change, Humphreys is working on a novel way to help ease the problem with a new form of lighting. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/idea-to-combat-global-warming.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/canadian-pm-speaks-out-against.html The desperate state of the world's oceans is one of the major environmental crises facing the world today, says Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/canadian-pm-speaks-out-against.html http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/dramatic-sea-rescue-off-cape-coast.html NSRI rescue workers have braved 4 meter swells, a wind reaching 40 knots at times and icy temperatures to bring a stranded yacht to safety. http://divesouthafrica.blogspot.com/2005/05/dramatic-sea-rescue-off-cape-coast.html