|
South African scuba diving, marine and environmental news - Archive December 2004
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
- Freak waves hit SA as a result of tsunami
Mini tsunamis have hit the South African east and south coasts, where waves measuring up to two metres in height have been spotted, and experts say they are a direct offshoot of the tsunamis that have devastated southern Asia.
- Exploring the power of deadly waves
Hong Kong - Tsunamis like those that wreaked havoc across Asia on Sunday, leaving thousands dead, are massive waves that are usually caused by earthquakes deep under the ocean floor and can travel vast distances. Born of strong seismic shocks, tsunamis can reach huge heights and speeds, picking up strength as they cross the ocean - often with disastrous results - thousands of kilometres from their origin.
- Ski-boat crew safe after foggy ordeal
A ski-boat and its three crew were found safe off Kommetjie, near Cape Point, on Saturday after going missing in dense fog. According to an SABC radio report, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was alerted by a local yachtclub when the ski-boat failed to return at the scheduled time. It sent up a helicopter to look for the vessel.
- Whales stranded on island
Sydney - More than a dozen large sperm whales may have died in a beaching incident on Australia's southern island state of Tasmania, local wildlife rangers said on Monday. A pod of 19 sperm whales became stranded in rough weather on Tasmania's west coast and poor conditions hampered rescue efforts, said district ranger Chris Arthur.
- Missing boat and crew found
Cape Town - A ski-boat and its three crew were found safe off Kommetjie, near Cape Point, on Saturday after going missing in dense fog. According to an SABC radio report, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was alerted by a local yachtclub when the ski-boat failed to return at the scheduled time. It sent up a helicopter to look for the vessel.
- Tidal waves sweep tourists away
Huge tidal waves struck southern Thailand's popular resort island of Phuket on Sunday, sweeping at least four foreign tourists out to sea, sinking boats and forcing the evacuation of hotels, officials said on state radio.
- Tsunami slams resort island
At least 10 people were killed, 200 injured and several others were missing on Sunday after a series of tsunamis caused by a massive earthquake off Indonesia hit Thailand's popular resort island of Phuket, hospital staff and officials said.
- Sperm whales also vulnerable to the bends
Sperm whales routinely dive more than three kilometres below the ocean surface to hunt for giant squid, but a study shows the huge mammals suffer a chronic loss of bone tissue from the bends, a painful condition well-known to human divers.
- Shark repellent sales leap after attack
Adelaide - Sales of shark repellents have been so strong since a teenage surfer was killed by a white pointer here last week that Australian shops are expected to run out of stock two days before Christmas, the suppliers said Wednesday. At between AUS$500 (about R1 600) and AUS$600 a unit, sales of the "Shark Shield" were a relatively slow six-a-day before an attack in which a 29-year-old man was killed by two white pointers while surfing near Margaret river, south of Perth on July 10.
- Southern Cape swamped by record deluges
Thunderstorms swept across the drought-ravaged southern Cape on Wednesday, flooding towns, cutting power supplies and washing away roads. In Suurbraak and Riversdale, people who had been cut off by swollen rivers were airlifted to safety. Knysna and Robertson had the most rain ever measured in a single day in December since records began in the 1880s.
- NSRI warns beachgoers to be prepared
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was involved in five rescues at the weekend, including aiding six people on board a six-metre ski-boat that capsized near Gordon's Bay, and two yachts in difficulty near Robben Island. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said a rubber duck carrying two people capsized in Zeekoevlei at midday on Sunday.
- Deceased diver's parents hoping for closure
In 1994, 20-year-old Deon Dreyer went on a cave-diving expedition. During the deep-water dive, at Bushman's Cave near Danielskuil in the Northern Cape, the adrenaline junkie blacked out. Within minutes his body sank 271m to the bottom. Friday is the 10th anniversary of Deon's disappearance into the watery void.
- SA temperatures may rise up to 3 percent
Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk told delegates to an international conference in Buenos Aires on Wednesday that temperatures could rise between one and three percent by the middle of this century in South Africa. He was speaking at the 10th conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the Argentinean capital. Van Schalkwyk said it had also been projected that rainfall would be reduced by between five and 10% in this time.
- Current water curbs just a drop in the ocean
South Africa faces "the certainty of prolonged and intense water restrictions", says Environment minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk. He was speaking at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. He said the extinction of numerous plant and animal species and an increase in waterborne diseases were some of the problems climate change would impose on South Africa over the next 50 years which would have a major impact on South Africans' lifestyles.
- 'Extinct' dragonfly makes a comeback
A species of dragonfly thought to be extinct has made a dramatic comeback after the removal of invasive alien trees under the Working for Water programme. The Ceres Stream damsel, or Metacnemis angusta, had not been spotted since 1920, the November/December issue of the Water Wheel reported. The removal of invasive alien plants in wetland systems has resulted in almost instant recovery of endemic species, including the Ceres Stream damsel.
- Four held for poisoning endangered birds
Eleven critically endangered Blue Cranes have been poisoned on a farm near Koppies in the Free State. Blue Cranes are a protected species in South Africa. This incident comes after more than 500 Egyptian Geese, Guinea Fowl and other birds were poisoned two weeks ago on a farm in Rouxville. Four men were arrested in connection with the incident.
- European collectors threaten birds' survival
Birdlife South Africa (BLSA) is investigating several cases that include the poisoning of birds and the removal of nests and eggs from a property. According to BLSA, more than 500 birds were poisoned in separate cases in the Free State, and the removal of nests and eggs from a private property took place in Zimbabwe.
- Antarctic penguins 'threatened'
Tens of thousands of Antarctic penguin chicks could starve to death in the next few weeks as a huge iceberg blocks access to coastal feeding grounds, a New Zealand official said on Tuesday. A 3 000km iceberg, known as B15A, could also block the sea route used to supply three science stations during the Southern Hemisphere summer, said Lou Sanson, chief executive of the government scientific agency Antarctica New Zealand.
- 'Magnetic' sharks add bite to compass theory
Marine biologists say they have obtained the first proof that sharks can spot changes in magnetic fields, boosting evidence that the fish have an internal compass to guide them as well as a phenomenal sense of smell. A Hawaii University team trained six sandbar sharks and one scalloped hammerhead shark to associate food with an artificial magnetic field, they report in a publication of Britain's Royal Society.
- Crayfish are stolen from our plates on spurious grounds, to benefit the wealthy
Crayfish - who does this resource belong to? It used to be a resource widely available to South Africans to catch for their own use. For those who could not, purchase was possible at very low prices. The prevailing assumption was that this natural resource belonged to the people of South Africa and that it was so prolific as to be practically inexhaustible. But today it has become a very expensive food within the means of only the rich and very few others.
- Mediterranean dolphins too thin, study finds
One-third of the bottle-nose dolphins swimming off Israel's Mediterranean coast are too thin, apparently due to a lack of food from overfishing, researcher said Tuesday. A five-year study followed 74 dolphins, who were identified by their dorsal fins, comparable to fingerprints in humans. Photographs showed that ribs were visible in one-third of the dolphins, said Aviad Scheinin, a doctoral student who lead the study at the University of Haifa.
- Warmer water may lead to coral growth - study
Coral reefs around the world could expand in size by up to a third because of increased ocean warming, according to a new Australian study which contradicts the long-held belief that global warming is destroying the reefs. Previous research has predicted a decline of between 20 and 60 percent in the size of coral reefs by 2100 relative to pre-industrial levels because of increasing carbon dioxide levels caused by the greenhouse effect in ocean surface waters. But the newly published research, by a team led by oceanographer Ben McNeil of Sydney's University of New South Wales, suggests that present coral reef calcification rates are not in decline and are equivalent to late 19th century levels.
- Water: Now it's a crisis
Cape Town's five major dams would be bone dry in 18 months if we did not have water restrictions and if rainfall patterns remained the same. This shock projection comes as city water officials say Cape Town's failure to save enough water means we are facing a crisis. Two months since restrictions began we are more than 30% short of the target of saving 10.7 billion litres. City water officials say we have to make up these deficits, as well as meet the targets for the next few months, if water restrictions are not to be strengthened.
- Shark kills fisherman on Great Barrier Reef
Sydney - A fisherman who screamed for help as a shark mauled him at a popular tourist spot on Australia's Great Barrier Reef on Saturday died before onlookers could pull him to safety, police said. The 38-year-old Australian man was spearfishing about 60km off Port Douglas on the northeast coast in an area known to tourist charter boat operators as Opal Reef when the unknown species of shark attacked, a police spokesperson said.
- Cramped Maldives take land from the ocean
Male, Maldive Islands - Life can be cramped when you live on a remote cluster of tiny coral islands in the Indian Ocean so the Maldives has plumped for a novel solution - build an island from scratch. Emerging from the sea where a turquoise lagoon used to sit, man-made Hulhumale is springing to life as an overflow to the congested capital, Male, a short boat ride away.
- First black woman to be part of the South African navy's diving unit
"Hold on and focus." This is what has brought marine Nompumelelo Goba, 21, the first black woman to be part of the South African navy's diving unit, where she is today. She passionately explained how "curiosity" played an important role in her choice of career. "People initially said I was 'crazy' and would never manage to do it." She is the only woman in the group of just five black divers in the South African navy.
- Drought expected to persist
Johannesburg - Water should be used cautiously as rainfall currently being experienced in parts of the country had not broken the drought, the water affairs and forestry department warned on Thursday. The poor rainfall patterns were expected to continue into the new year, said department director-general Barbara Schreiner. "... citizens are asked to continue to be sparing in their use of water during the holiday season," she said.
- Fishermen want 'sustainable access' to sea
A group of fishermen in the Western Cape have launched a high court challenge to be allowed what they call "sustainable access" to the sea. Cape Town non-government organisation Masifundise, which is also a party to the application, said on Wednesday that its lawyers had filed papers in the Cape High Court earlier this week. Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk had been cited as respondent.
- World's coral reefs under threat
About 70 percent of the world's coral reefs have been wrecked or are at risk from human activities but some are showing surprising resilience to global warming, a report said on Monday. The international survey, by 240 experts in 98 nations, said that pollution, over-fishing, rising temperatures, coastal development and diseases were among major threats to reefs, vast ecosystems often called the nurseries of the seas.
- False Bay beaches 'have never been safer'
A comprehensive strategy has been launched to keep the Cape's False Bay beaches safe this summer - including shark-warning sirens, professional paid spotters, flags, radio communication and signboards. Emotions are still running high after Tyna Webb, 77, was killed by a shark off Fish Hoek beach but the authorities say False Bay beaches have never been safer. The City of Cape Town this week formed a working group that will include a wide network of people to work on shark-related issues.
- Shark pictures 'not the real thing'
Pictures of a massive dead Great White shark on the back of a bakkie are doing the rounds on email with the subject line saying "Caught at Monwabisi and Strandfontein Beach yesterday" - but experts have dismissed it as a hoax. The grim pictures show the shark with a hook and trace still attached. Kalk Bay harbour master Pat Stacey says the pictures appear to have been taken in Australia. He said it was virtually impossible for a shark that size to be caught and for it to be kept quiet. "Someone will always tell us and the trek fishermen would also report it."
- Van Schalkwyk eases 4x4 ban
Regulations controlling the use of 4x4s on South Africa's beaches have been changed, allowing people who are physically disabled to apply for a permit to take their off-road vehicles onto the sand. The new regulations, published on Friday, will also allow people taking part in organised fishing competitions, as well as film crews, to obtain permits to drive onto beaches around the country.
- Anti-poaching team to take lie detector tests
The Overstrand Municipality is looking for a tough, committed group of people to join their revamped anti-poaching unit and who will be prepared to undergo lie detector tests before they get their jobs. Last month, three Marines were suspended after they were found with perlemoen in their vehicle. Johann Erasmus, senior project manager of the Overstrand Marines, said they would be employing an extra 30 staff members to swell their staff complement to 43.
- Revoked linefish quotas causing a stir
Marine and coastal management revoked the rights of 10 commercial linefish quota-holders for providing misleading information when they applied for quotas reserved for traditional fishers. The group included the police officer, a public official, a navy official and a man who recently emigrated to New Zealand. A police officer stationed at Table Bay Harbour in Cape Town has lashed out at marine and coastal management over its decision to revoke his linefish quota rights.
- New biodiversity centre opened
Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk opened the new biodiversity centre at the Pretoria National Botanical gardens on Thursday. South Africa had the richest variety of flora and fauna of any country of equal size in the world, Van Schalkwyk said in a media statement. "We are home to nearly 10% of all plants and 7% of all reptiles, birds and mammals", he said.
- Weak El Nino hits South Africa
A high probability of poor rainfall and higher than normal temperatures were forecast for December, January and February by the SA Weather Service in Pretoria on Thursday. This was the result of a weak El Nino weather system that has hit the country.
- National workshop aims to curb air pollution
Richards Bay, with its large primary industries and consequent high levels of pollution, has been chosen as the venue for a high-profile national workshop on air pollution and new air quality legislation. The workshop starts on Wednesday and community organisations and activists from the country's pollution hotspots have descended on the port town, which has been the scene of two major gas leaks in the past two years. The theme of the three-day workshop is "The Industrial Fence Line - Towards the Effective Implementation of the New Air Quality Legislation".
- Operation Neptune staff call it a day
The anti-poaching police unit Operation Neptune has withdrawn from the southern Cape Coast, leaving a major gap in the authorities' fight against skyrocketing perlemoen poaching. After conflicting reports by the police and Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) last week about whether Operation Neptune would remain operational during the crucial summer months until Operation Trident could be implemented, Operation Neptune staff at Gansbaai held a farewell braai on Monday and their offices are now empty.
- Mystery find of headless seals and penguin on beach
Two baby seals and a penguin, all three without heads, were found on Table View beach yesterday. Because of the advanced stage of decomposition, it is not known whether they were killed intentionally by humans or had fallen prey to sharks.
- Fishing quota cheats sunk
Marine and Coastal Management authorities have revoked the rights of several commercial linefish quota holders, including a policeman, a senior navy official, a convicted perlemoen poacher and a man who had emigrated to New Zealand.
|
|
|
