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South African scuba diving, marine and environmental news - Archive January 2005
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
- Peace and healing mark memorial for ill-fated diver
Michael Vickers, Dave Shaw's priest, looked Theo and Marie Dreyer in the eye: "No guilt," he said. Theo then turned to 23-year-old Steven Shaw and said: "Your dad inspired people. He lived in love. You had a great dad. You can treasure that."
- South Africa's wetlands threatened
Wetlands purify water, stop floods and even provide water in times of drought, yet more than half of them have been destroyed in South Africa. We can't afford to lose any more, warned spokesperson for Mpumalanga's department of agriculture and land affairs, Freddy Ngobe, on Thursday.
- Polar bears, seals in jeopardy
Many Arctic animals, including polar bears and some seal species, could be extinct within 20 years because of the effects of global warming, a major conservation group said on Sunday. Traditional ways of life for many indigenous people in the Arctic will also become unsustainable unless the world "takes drastic action to reduce climate change," according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
- Ribbons to help tsunami victims
AN initiative has been launched amongst the hospitality and food industries to raise funds for tsunami victims. Ribbons are sold for R10 each and are to be worn for 10 days from January 29.
- Tourism dept condemns canned hunting
MINISTER of environmental affairs and tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk has said that government condemns the practice of canned hunting and has published a draft document that he says will aid the department in eliminating the "abysmal practice".
- Lifesaver of elderly crewman lauded
The Natal Sharks Board has a shy hero, Marc Lange, who swam for 30 minutes in rough seas to rescue an elderly man who was one of four people from a boat that had capsized off the North Coast.
- South Africa ranks low on environmental index
South Africa has been ranked 93rd out of 146 countries in an environmental sustainability index. Other African countries like Botswana was ranked ahead of South Africa at 34, Cameroon at 50 and Senegal at 59. Burkina Faso came in at number 97 and Burundi at 130.
- Kenya pressured to drop planned wildlife swap
Wildlife activists on Friday stepped up pressure on Kenya to drop controversial plans to send hundreds of wild animals to zoos in Thailand, appealing directly to President Mwai Kibaki to cancel the deal.
- Banned chemical may cause deafness in whales
A toxic chemical used to prevent barnacles from clinging to ship hulls may cause deafness in marine mammals and could lead whales to beach themselves, Yale University researchers say.
- Scuba diving in South Africa
South Africa is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world. Exotic combinations of landscapes, people, history and culture offer the traveller a unique and inspiring experience. Scuba diving in South Africa is a fast growing sport and of a high standard. All major organization's qualifications are recognized and good quality dive gear is easily hired.
- Two lost at sea - then their luck changed
Luck was on the side of two Hout Bay men who spent 22 hours adrift at sea, covering at least 117km in a rowing boat. Dirk van Wyk, 54, and Melvin Maarman, 26, had been fishing from a small rowing boat near Hout Bay at 8pm on Tuesday when they were swept out to sea by strong winds.
- Environment Reporting Still a Grey Area
Global players not giving full picture - MOST global companies still fail to disclose to investors how environmental and social issues pose both strategic risks and opportunities for their businesses, according to an international review of reports on corporate sustainability.
- Cave diver suffocated
Experts say Australian diver Dave Shaw, who died in Boesmansgat earlier this month while trying to retrieve a body, probably suffocated. Shaw, 50, was trying to bring the body of 20-year-old Deon Dreyer, who died in the cave ten years ago, to the surface. Their bodies were unexpectedly pulled from the depths of Boesmansgat as divers raised equipment attached to a line.
- Things are likely to get even hotter
Greenhouse gas emissions could cause global temperatures to rise by up to 11 degrees Celcius, according to first results from the world's largest climate modelling experiment. The top end of the predictions, which range from two to 11 degrees Celcius, is double estimates produced so far and could make the world dramatically different in the future.
- New punch in fight to save ravaged perlemoen
The law-enforcement officials standing on the sand at Pearly Beach laugh as they watch two kelp-draped heads bobbing about 100m offshore. The reason for their mirth is because the heads belong to two rather obvious perlemoen poachers who have actually pulled the fronds over their heads in a futile camouflage attempt. But escaping detection is impossible when at least three pairs of binoculars and one telescope are trained on them.
- More than 40% of water 'lost'
More than 40 percent of water consumed in South Africa was unaccounted for, said Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Buyelwa Sonjica in Pretoria on Tuesday. She said an estimated R200 to R300-million a year was unaccounted for in the Rand Water area alone, noting that it all went missing "somewhere" between the supplier and the consumer.
- Diver's ashes to be scattered in Boesmansgat
The ashes of Deon Dreyer, the diver whose remains Dave Shaw went to fetch in a doomed mission, will be sprinkled in Boesmansgat. "There's only one place for my son's ashes," Theo Dreyer said on Monday. "I know people will think it's ironic, but we know that this should be the final resting place for our son."
- Mount Everest to be measured
China will send a scientific team to measure the height of Mount Everest, state media reported on Tuesday, citing worries that global warming may be causing the world's highest peak to shrink. The State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, working with the Chinese national women's mountaineering expedition, will use radar and global positioning system equipment to remeasure the peak, known in Chinese as Mount Qomolangma, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported.
- Behind the tsunami tragedy
The December 26 tsunami devastated lives around the Indian Ocean's coastline but, for science at least, there was a silver lining. Satellite images, seismic sensors, even TV footage, photographs and eyewitness accounts have provided a goldmine of information, helping experts to understand more about this force of nature and how to tackle it in future.
- Beached dolphin dies in tidal pool
A male dolphin, aged about one, died in the Brass Bell tidal pool in Kalk Bay on Sunday after it had beached twice in four days at Glencairn. Pat Stacey, chief fisheries control officer at Kalk Bay harbour, said he moved the animal to the pool from the beach on Sunday after being alerted to its location by Nan Rice of the Dolphin Action Protection Group.
- Tsunami disaster: A failure in science communication
At the heart of the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunamis lies a failure to communicate scientific information adequately to either decision-makers or the community. Important lessons are to be learnt about the need for professional skills.
- Countdown to climate change catastrophe
Global warming is reaching the point-of-no-return, with widespread drought, crop failure and water shortages the likely result, according to a new international report highlighted in the British press on Monday. The countdown to climate-change catastrophe is spelt out by a task force of senior politicians, business leaders and academics.
- Leave Dave Shaw in peace, beg couple
Australian deep diver captain Dave Shaw became a close friend of Andries and Debbie van Zyl through his expeditions on their farm, Mount Carmel, near here. The Van Zyls were quoted in a joint statement they issued on their farm on Monday, signed by both parties, as saying: "The friendship between Debbie and Dave was described as something sinister in the media because certain comments by Andries were taken out of context.
- Learn lessons from tsunamis, conference told
A United Nations-backed conference on biodiversity was told on Monday that Asia's tsunami disaster was a brutal warning for humanity to tackle the world's worsening environmental crisis. Hamdallah Zedan, executive secretary of the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), said the amplified toll from the December 26 calamity - more than 227 000 dead - was due in part to the destruction of natural buffers against killer waves.
- Conservationists slam wildlife swap
The Kenyan government plans to send hundreds of exotic and endangered animals to Thailand in a wildlife swap that drew harsh criticism on Monday from conservationists and concern from tourism officials. Under the deal, Kenya is to trade more than 300 animals - including elephants, hippos, lions and rhinos - with Thailand in exchange for a small number of Asian tigers and pachyderm training expertise, officials said.
- KwaZulu Natal faces more stormy weather
KwaZulu-Natal can expect more storms in the next few days, says the weather bureau. Sifiso Ngubane of the South African Weather Service said that the storms were a typical feature of summer weather in the province.
- Green groups seek ban on canned lion hunting
The Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa and animal rights groups are hoping that the government is going to ban canned lion hunting. A long-delayed policy on the "sustainable use of large predators" will be released within weeks for public comment.
- Bickering threatens tsunami warning system
Differences appeared to be emerging at a United Nations-sponsored conference over plans for a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean region, threatening efforts to quickly put it into place. More than 225 000 people died in the December 26 tsunami, thousands of whom might have been saved if an early warning system were in place.
- Adapt Or Die, Farms Warned
As Cape Town's water storage dams drop to a five-year low, agricultural experts say climatic changes mean the face of agriculture in the Western Cape will have to change, and soon. And Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool has warned that without these changes, the province's farmers run the risk of being overwhelmed by drought and international competition.
- R2 million Probe for Water Sources
The Western Cape government has set aside R2 million for an urgent investigation into alternative water sources, including evaluating desalination and the use of other aquifers. President Thabo Mbeki will also be approached today by the provincial government to declare drought-stricken parts of the Western Cape disaster areas.
- Jumbo squid washes up on Californian beach
Hundreds of jumbo squid washed up dead over the past two days in one of southern California's most popular beach communities, authorities said on Thursday. The Newport Beach fire department said about 500 squid, measuring roughly 1,5m and weighing about 4,5kg to 7kg each, added to the tons of debris already littering local beaches after recent heavy rains.
- Better rains boost southern Africa crop hopes
Good rains have left most of southern Africa expecting better crops in 2005 than in recent years, but the "lean season" before the new harvest is boosting short-term demand for food aid. But the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a major regional buyer, is facing a funding shortfall as donors focus on relief efforts after the Asian tsunami, and some Africans who would normally expect food aid may go short.
- South Africa needs rain and plenty of it
South Africa needs to pray for rain - and lots of it. Although Pretoria has seemed fairly wet in recent times, the country faces a critical water shortage. The ongoing drought in large areas is causing dam levels to drop steadily. According to Agri-South Africa, the only hope is for rain to fall within the next two or three months.
- Not only mermaids can go under the sea...
What was once a preserve of marine scientists or James Bond films has become a popular tourist activity. About 16 million people have enjoyed a view of the exotic underwater world from a submarine since underwater tours began as a viable tourist business in the late 1980s. Tourist submarines - whether based in Hawaii, the Canary Islands or the Caribbean - can take holidaymakers to depths of between 20 and 40 metres.
- Nine South Africans still missing
Nine South Africans remained missing or unaccounted for by Wednesday afternoon after the December 26 Asian tsunamis, the foreign affairs department said in Pretoria. The number of people considered unaccounted for dropped by half from 10 on Tuesday, as five people were located "safe and sound" on Wednesday, it said in a statement.
- Rare elephant twins watched closely in Port Elizabeth
Twin elephants have been born in Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth - only the third time that twins have been born in the history of the park. The baby elephants, now one month old, are both doing well so far, and staff are watching their progress anxiously.
- Tsunami Clouds Future of Marine Animals
The depth of human tragedy resulting from the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster is incalculable, even though the scale of visible devastation to coastal towns is now shockingly clear. But what of marine life? When the tsunami struck, land and ocean merged in a most terrifying way. People and uprooted trees were carried out to sea, while stingrays and sharks were left stranded in fields and parking lots.
- 34 whales die off US coast
Scientists and national park service workers were working to collect samples and clean up whale carcasses after 34 of the marine mammals beached themselves and either died or had to be put down. Dozens of whales beached themselves early on Saturday along a 8km stretch of coastline near Oregon Inlet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Twenty-four pilot whales died, and another seven were put down because they were suffering, the national park service reported.
- Epic drought brings farmers to their knees
Farmers and workers in many parts of the Western Cape are on the brink of a drought-induced disaster, and the provincial executive is to decide on Wednesday on short-term measures to help them. Large numbers of farmers will have to leave their farms unless good rain - which has not been forecast - falls in the coming months, sources said.
- Glacier 'grows 3m a day'
While glaciers around the world are said to be shrinking because of global warning, the Franz Josef in New Zealand's Southern Alps is growing about three metres a day, it was reported on Tuesday. Climate scientist Jim Salinger blamed the movement on continued cold and stormy weather throughout New Zealand's changeable summer which has caused a build-up of snow and ice at the head of the glacier, the Dominion Post reported.
- Iceberg and glacier 'on a collision course'
Scientists were watching on Monday for a collision between a giant iceberg and an Antarctic glacier, which could free up sea lanes to America's McMurdo Station and help penguins reach crucial feeding areas. The iceberg B15-A, which is about 160km long and contains enough drinking water to supply the world for several months, was once part of the major B15 iceberg which broke off the Ross Ice Shelf on the edge of Antarctica five years ago.
- Warning system imperative after tsunamis - UN
Scientists from 150 countries got to work on Tuesday on drafting a global action plan to save lives during disasters, with the United Nations urging experts to move quickly and donors to be generous in the wake of the Asian tsunamis. UN chief humanitarian aid co-ordinator Jan Egeland said the conference needed to look broadly at how to reduce risks during all disasters, by advising standards for safe buildings and encouraging education that could reduce deaths.
- Climatologists predict a very dry SA future
Global warming is already here - and as it gains momentum southern Africa can expect to get less and less rain in the years ahead, according to a climatologist. University of Pretoria meteorology scientist Francois Engelbrecht said: "Industrialised countries are not doing enough to cut back on greenhouse gases and the effect on the southern African region will be devastating.
- Endangered white rhinos to be moved to Kenya
Five of the few northern white rhinos left in the wild will be flown from Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent poachers wiping them out, conservationists said on Saturday. Fewer than 10 of the rhinos are believed to remain and with heavily armed poachers carrying out frequent raids in the wilds of northeastern Congo, moving the beasts to sanctuary in Kenya is deemed the only option to guarantee their survival.
- Divers' post-mortems complete
The post-mortems on divers Dave Shaw and Deon Dreyer, retrieved from the world's third-deepest freshwater cave, Boesmansgat in the Northern Cape, have been completed, said authorities in Bloemfontein on Friday. Free State's chief pathologist Jan Botha said the post-mortems had been completed, but he could not comment on the results.
- Boesmansgat video footage shows how Dave Shaw died
A video camera attached to the helmet of Australian diver Dave Shaw has graphically recorded his last 22 minutes in Boesmansgat cave in the Northern Cape. Dave Shaw, 50, had a video camera fitted to his helmet on Saturday when he tried to retrieve the remains of 20-year-old Deon Dreyer - who drowned in the cave on Carmel farm near Danielskuil more than 10 years ago - from a depth of 276m.
- Cave divers' bodies recovered
The bodies of Australian diver Dave Shaw and South African diver Deon Dreyer were recovered from the world's third deepest freshwater cave, Boesmansgat, in the Northern Cape on Wednesday.
- Tsunami warning system will cost millions
The United Nations should be ready to launch a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean by June 2006, with the rest of the world to follow a year later, the official in charge of the programme said on Wednesday.
- Kenyan wardens warn of increase in poaching
Game wardens have arrested five people for possessing 36kg of elephant and rhino tusks during two separate raids in central Kenya, the spokesperson for the Kenya Wildlife Service said on Wednesday.
- Two tons of perlemoen seized near Cape Town
Police seized two tons of perlemoen - valued at around R700 000 - from a house in Delft on Wednesday and arrested six people, Western Cape officials said.
- Boesmansgat dive disaster update
Update on the Boesmansgat diving expedition that claimed the life of Dave Shaw over the weekend. Shaw has not resurfaced after an operation on Saturday to recover the remains of Deon Dreyer who drowned in the world's third deepest freshwater cave in 1994.
- Forecasters water down doomsday predictions
In Upington, residents can literally fry eggs on their car bonnets, it's so hot. In KwaZulu-Natal, heavy rain and mist affected many parts of the province. In Johannesburg, the SA Weather Service warns of more thunderstorms during the rest of the week. In the Western Cape, farmers want the province to be declared a disaster area because of the drought that ruining crops, reducing herds and causing tough water restrictions to be imposed on residents. While prophets of doom are calling these extreme weather conditions a sure sign of the end of days, weather experts are taking a scientific approach.
- Cape safe from tsunamis
Should a tsunami ever hit the Mother City from the south, the harbour would be protected because of its geography, but should it come from the northwest, the Cape coast could see extremely high waves. Robben Island might serve as a buffer, or else it might concentrate waves on a specific area depending on various circumstances and the direction of the wave, David Phelp, a coastal engineer at the CSIR said on Tuesday.
- Killer quake altered earth
After the devastating earthquake of December 26, the earth is probably slightly rounder, the days slightly shorter and the North Pole presumably shifted towards the east. These are some of the calculations made by Nasa scientists after they made a study of the impact of the earthquake that registered nine on the Richter scale and caused tsunamis which took the lives of more than 156 000 people.
- Drought: Western Cape 'disaster area'
The human aspect of drought would be described to President Thabo Mbeki and Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool in a bid to have affected parts of the province re-declared as disaster areas. This was according to Dr Pieter van Rooyen, chair of an inter-departmental task team set up to report about the social aspects of the drought, and short-, medium- and long-term measures to deal with it.
- Good officers wanted for new 'green team'
A rigorous screening process that included a lie detector test has weeded out eight of the 30 candidates shortlisted for posts in a new anti-poaching team being established on the southern Cape coast. The team is the Marines - an acronym for "Management action for resources of inshore and nearshore environments" - who will be one of the key elements in the new anti-poaching initiative replacing Operation Neptune.
- South Africa ready to take on marine poachers
South Africa's ability to take on poachers in the Southern Ocean received a major boost yesterday when the country took delivery of its first deep-sea patrol vessel, the Sarah Baartman. "We said we mean business and we are showing it," Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said at the handing-over ceremony on board the 83-metre vessel in Cape Town harbour.
- Deep diving is risky business
It's like bungee jumping without a cord." So says South African diving expert Adam Cruise of the Boesmangat diving expedition that claimed the life of Dave Shaw over the weekend. Shaw has not resurfaced after an operation on Saturday to recover the remains of Deon Dreyer who drowned in the world's third deepest freshwater cave in 1994. But how did Shaw die? According to Cruise, the possibilities are endless.
- Farmer wants bodies of divers retrieved
Danielskuil - The owner of the farm where the Boesmansgat fresh-water cave is situated, wants the bodies of both divers who died there retrieved. But this time, a remote controlled unit will have to be used, said Andries van Zyl. Australian Dave Shaw died at the weekend while trying to retrieve the body of Deon Dreyer, which has lain in the deep pool for 10 years.
- Turtles hit by tsunami
Phuket - Endangered sea turtles were also casualties of the tsunami, with the monster waves possibly hastening their extinction, a marine expert said. At least 24 turtles swept up by the waves have been found on the shores of Phuket island, some dead, others with cuts, scrapes and broken shells.
- How prepared is South Africa for disaster?
For South Africa, the tsunami resulted in little more than some unusual currents and tides, but it was closely monitored by disaster management officials. However, nature reminded people around the world of their vulnerability, and they started questioning whether enough was being done in their own countries to save them from a similar fate. But predicting what nature has in store is not an easy task.
- Divers begin Thailand's big coral clean-up
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand - Boatloads of volunteer divers descended into the azure waters of the Andaman Sea on Sunday to clear away the tsunami debris littering Thailand's famed coral reefs. The killer waves flung everything from people to televisions to plastic chairs into the pristine waters, including those around the paradise island of Koh Phi Phi, made famous by cult backpacker movie The Beach.
- Boesmansgat dive disaster
The attempt to take Deon Dreyer home after 10 years claimed the life of Australian diver Dave Shaw on Saturday. Dreyer's body had been lying at a depth of 270m at the bottom of Boesmansgat Cave since December 1994. There will be no search for Australian diver Dave Shaw who went missing in the world's third deepest freshwater cave, Boesmansgat, in the Northern Cape.
- Deon Dreyer's Mother waits in vain
Danielskuil - The drowned young man's mother stood with bated breath at the edge of the pool when a diver emerged, but her shoulders dropped dejectedly when she realised he did not bear her son's remains. This vivid image will haunt inspector Theo van Eeden, a police diver, for the rest of his life.
- Aussie cave diver disappears
Boesmangat, Northern Cape - Police said on Saturday afternoon there was little chance of an Australian diver returning from the depths of the world's third deepest freshwater cave, where an operation to recover the remains of another diver has been called off. When asked if there was a chance of Dave Shaw resurfacing from the depths of Boesmansgat, police diver Inspector Theo van Eeden shook his head and said: "Hy's weg (He's gone)."
- Experts predict mega-tsunami
After the tsunami disaster in Asia, some scientists have claimed that an even bigger catastrophe threatens Spain's Canary Islands, where a volcanic eruption could unleash a mega-tsunami which would flatten the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. Spanish expert Juan Carlos Carracedo categorically rejects such theories, saying they lack scientific rigour.
- Diver in Boesmansgat cave operation missing
One of the divers in the operation to recover the body of Deon Dreyer in Boesmansgat has gone missing and the operation has been called off. Dave Shaw, who dived to 270m to attempt the body recovery did not meet his partner Don Shirley at his first stop of 220m on Saturday morning as planned. Police commander of the operation Superintendent Ernst Strydom said no plans were underway to search for Shaw in such dangerous conditions.
- Body raised after 10 years
Boesmansgat - After ten years of waiting, Marie Dreyer could get to see her son on Saturday morning. If everything goes according to plan, a team of eight divers will bring Deon Dreyer's body to the surface of Boesmansgat cave in the Northern Cape between 07:00 and 08:00 on Saturday.
- Concern Over Chinese 'Stripping All Marine Life'
ALARM has been sounded at the coast over a worrying increase in incidents of Chinese nationals living in Namibia indiscriminately stripping the ocean of marine life. Several incidents were reported over the festive season alone of groups of people poaching rocky areas of all mussels and limpets.
- Killing sharks is not the answer
Spearfisherman Mark Thompson bled to death after being savaged by a shark near the Australian tourist resort of Cairns in December. Thompson has not joined in calls for a task force to go out and find and kill the shark that took her husband. Recent research shows, once again, that taking a life for a life would just be vengeance rather than an act that would make life safer for beachgoers.
- South Africa makes first tsunami donation to Red Cross
The South African Tsunami Relief Fund handed over a first bulk donation of R700 000 to the International Red Cross on Wednesday, health group Netcare said on Thursday. Netcare 911 chief executive officer Ryan Noach said in a statement a total of R2,5-million had been collected thus far, leaving a total of R1 800 000 still in the fund.
- Pastor arrested in perlemoen bust
A professed man of the cloth was one of several people arrested on two separate operations on Thursday on the Cape Flats when police seized 14 tons of perlemoen and one kilogram of cocaine among a large quantity of illicit goods confiscated.
- Effects of Tsunami Also Felt in East Africa
The massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean that inundated many countries in Southeast and South Asia December 26, 2004, has also had effects as far away as East Africa, touching primarily Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya.
- South Africa offers aid to Maldives
The South African government has offered aid to the value of at least R10m to the tsunami-struck Maldives. Although the official death toll on these islands was estimated at roughly 75, it was impossible to confirm the full extent of the damage as hardly any emergency rescue effort had taken place on the islands.
- South Africa hopes to raise R10m for tsunami appeal
The South African public will make a donation of R2,5-million towards the Tsunami Asia Appeal on Wednesday. The amount to be transferred by the South African Red Cross Society (SARCS) will go towards a global campaign calling for R350-million. Donations poured in from everywhere, from small companies to Cape Town Hotels, SARCS said in a statement.
- Fears for India's archipelago after tsunamis
Cartographers began studying whether the tsunami has redrawn India's southern archipelago - breaking, tilting or even sinking the islands - as anthropologists focused on the fate of the region's indigenous tribes on Wednesday.
- Dolphin mom rescued from Thai lake
Rescuers have saved a dolphin swept over a Thai beach by the tsunami that devastated shores around the Indian Ocean, but failed on Wednesday to find her calf in a filthy lake left behind by the giant wave.
- Good summer rains bring relief to farmers
The good summer rains have been good news for farmers who feared a tough, dry season. SA Weather Service figures show that, with the exception of the Northern and Western Cape, the country experienced good early summer rains during November.
- Thai dolphin rescue hits snag
Khao Lak - Rescuers failed for a second day to save two rare dolphins in tsunami-hit Thailand on Tuesday after a local official and environmentalists argued about how best to save the mammals swept inland by the giant waves.
- Technological limitations frustrate boffins
For scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, the world's most powerful earthquake happened below the wrong ocean. They sat by helplessly when an 9.0-magnitude quake underneath the Indian Ocean last week touched off a series of tsunamis that killed more than 139 000 people in southern Asia and Africa.
- Heads may roll after another major oil leak
Residents of Merebank in Durban are calling for the prosecution of Engen refinery managers after another major oil leak into the Badulla Canal. The latest leak of 6 000 litres of acrid-smelling heavy fuel oil happened on Friday.
- Rescuers try to free trapped dolphins
Khao Lak - Men recovering the bodies of tsunami victims in Thailand were working on Tuesday to keep two special survivors alive: a humpback dolphin and her calf swept into a small lagoon by powerful waves.
- Marine Life to Recover Slowly from Tsunami
Beaches around South Asia devastated by tsunamis could be restored to their former glory within a few years, but the marine life through which the huge waves passed could take centuries to recover, experts say. Coral reefs, mangroves, fish and other marine life had been damaged by the tsunamis which rose out of the Indian Ocean on Sunday, triggered by a massive earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
- Maldives struggles to house thousands after tsunami
The low-lying Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives said today it was struggling to house five percent of its population after tsunami waves destroyed islands and resorts, killing at least 82 people. "In 14 islands there are no structures standing and in other islands even where walls are still standing they are not habitable," chief government spokesman, Ahmed Shaheed said.
- Operation Clean-up on Eastern Cape's beaches
It has been Operation Clean-up on the Eastern Cape's beaches for the past two days following the traditional swamping of beaches to welcome in the New Year. The hundreds of thousands of revellers leave behind tons of litter including dangerous broken bottles. It is an unsavoury habit the authorities are trying to break.
- SA might benefit from tsunamis
South Africa's tourism industry is likely to reap some benefits in the aftermath of devastating tsunamis, or giant waves, in Asia that hit many resort areas hard, officials said on Monday. "Southeast Asia is a serious competitor for South African tourists. We are quite sure there will be some kind of boost to South Africa," said Ian Hay, financial director of Tourvest, the largest South African tourism company listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange.
- Van Schalkwyk urged to review 4x4 ban in KZN
Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk is under growing pressure to review the controversial beach driving regulations to allow 4x4s access to certain areas along KwaZulu-Natal's 600km coastline between Port Edward and Kosi Bay.
- Can animals sense disaster?
Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to notions they possess a "sixth sense" for disasters, experts said on Thursday. Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24 000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.
- Quake caused a ripple effect on our planet
The underwater earthquake that triggered the devastating tidal waves in south-east Asia permanently sped up Earth's rotation, shortening the days by about three microseconds, a scientist with the United States space agency said on Wednesday. The time change occurred when Sunday's magnitude-9 earthquake pitched Earth's axis by 2.5cm, according to Geophysicist Richard Gross' calculations.
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