PIRATES OF THE DEAD FISH

 Salon.com report that the tiger seen in "Life Of Pi" has almost drowned during the filming of the movie.The American Humane Association can't be trusted to protect film industry animals.

High five!

Inappropriate behavior towards sealife

- Writting from Cozumel, Mexico - This picture below, is something I've seen while diving in Cozumel. I get very frustrated when I see people acting like this. Being a good diver means respecting sealife and especially DO NOT TRY TO HOLD ON TO A SEA TURTLE !!! I told the divemaster about what I've seen but he didn't told the "tourist" (yes that is how I call these kind of people). I also saw some divers laying down in the reef while taking pictures. I remember seeing divers in Bonaire taking multiples pictures of the same seahorse with a flash. The poor little seahorse probably got blinded for life... Anyway if you recognize yourself, try to do better next time!

Écoutez NOC, le béluga qui imite la voix humaine

--FR-- (Via Radio-Canada) Comme un perroquet, une baleine ayant vécu 30 ans dans un aquarium à San Diego était vraisemblablement capable d'imiter la voix humaine. Des chercheurs en viennent à cette conclusion après avoir réalisé une analyse acoustique des sons émis par NOC, le béluga.

"FRENZY" Silky Shark / Bait Ball Feeding Frenzy Encounter (SOCORRO & THE...

Google Ocean "Street View"

(Via Techcrunch.com) EN-> Google Maps now displays StreetView-ish images of the Great Barrier Reef and popular underwater spots around Hawaii and the Philippines. As Google explained in a blog post today you can now use Google Maps to swim with a turtle, follow a manta ray or lose yourself watching the sun set over a reef. You can go diving in Maui’s Molokini crater or join snorkelers in Oahu’s Hanauma Bay. And of course all this is possible without swim lessons or sunscreen, thanks to the magic of Google Maps. Read the rest of the story on techcrunch.com or visit maps.google.com/ocean.

Ray's X-Ray

Bonaire Canon 5Dmk II Underwater Video

Backscatter web guru, Joel Penner, shot this video with his Canon 5D mark II using the new Gates VL24 Lights while in Bonaire at The Digital Shootout. The footage was shot at a location in between Andrea I and Andrea II. View more videos and read more about The Digital Shootout here: thedigitalshootout.com

DIVETRIP #15 Cozumel 2011

Here are our most recent pictures taken on our last trip to Cozumel in May 2011. ~☼~ Voici les photos prises lors de notre récent voyage à Cozumel en mai 2011.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The Sharkman

(CBS News) There is no animal that we fear more and understand less than the Great White Shark. In part because it's so hard to get near to them, studying great whites hasn't been easy. But there is one man who has spent his life getting closer to great whites, more often, than anyone else. His name is Mike Rutzen and in South Africa, where he lives, he's known simply as "The Sharkman." What he's discovered about these predators will surprise you: Far from being mindless killing machines Rutzen believes great whites are smart, curious, and not ou to kill humans, and as we reported back in 2010, he's willing to risk his life to prove it. Rutzen and CNN's Anderson Cooper took a boat ride to look for a great white Rutzen could swim with. That's right, swim with. Before he gets in the water, he needs to find a great white that is both calm and curious, a shark he refers to as a "player." ~☼~ (www.tvqc.com) Il n’y a pas d’animaux que nous craignons plus et comprenons moins que le grand requin blanc. En partie parce que c’est tellement difficile d’aller près d’eux, étudier le grand blanc n’a pas été facile. Mais il y a un homme qui a passé sa vie à se rapprocher des grands blancs, plus souvent, que quiconque. Son nom est Mike Rutzen et en Afrique du Sud, où il vit, il est connu simplement comme « Le sharkman. » Ce qu’il a découvert à propos de ces prédateurs va vous surprendre: loin d’être des machines à tuer sans cervelle, Rutzen croit que les grands blancs sont intelligents, curieux, et ne sont pas là pour tuer des humains. Et comme l’animateur de CNN, Anderson Cooper, a pu s’en apercevoir quand il est allé à en Afrique du Sud, Rutzen est prêt à risquer sa vie pour le prouver. 



Extras :

Swimming with a Great White Shark

Great White Shark takes the bait

Are people food to a Great White Shark?

Gulp! Diver is almost swallowed by whale shark

(MSN) These remarkable photos by Mauricio Handler show a diver in Mujeres, Mexico who was almost sucked into the mouth of a giant whale shark while photographing underwater marine life in July 2011. According to the Daily Mail, the diver escaped from the encounter without injury.

Great White Sharks spotted off the Mass.

Swimmers and fisherman are watching the waters off of Cape Cod a little more closely after Great White Shark sightings.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/3v25n98

Shark "hot spot" off the coast of B.C. Canada

(The Globe and mail, may 8 2011) When the group of volunteers set out, following a zigzag course along the coast of British Columbia, they never expected to sail into shark-infested waters. But midway through their cetacean survey between Washington and Alaska, there was no doubt about what they were seeing. All around the boat, which had steadily been working its way north at about nine knots, the dorsal fins of sharks could be seen slicing the surface. “All of a sudden, it was shark, shark, shark every few seconds,” Dr. Rob Williams said. “It was obvious we’d hit a huge hot spot.” (READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE)

Cousteau Divers

The Cousteau Divers participative science program makes YOU an active agent of the study and protection of the oceans. With a very simple methods, you record your observations of marine life during your dive and then upload them on a site. This survey changes the way you dive as you open your mind to the surrounding ecosystem as you realize just how everything down there is interconnected. You are hunting for indicator species like a detective searching for clues of the health of the dive site. As you upload your survey, you are helping them gather a near real-time diagnosis of the ocean's health! This will allow them to visualize and respond to problems as they arise, targeting expeditions to help solve them, and inviting on board our best members as a reward for their participation. Cousteau Divers is also a large program of participatory science based on the creation of a network of divers. Affiliated diving centers are actively involved in scientific programs to monitor and conserve the marine biodiversity all around the World. Visit COUSTEAU DIVERS website and join a community of divers involved in the protection of our Water Planet. ~☼~ La Cousteau Society développe un vaste programme de science participative basée sur la création d'un réseau de plongeurs, les "Cousteau Divers". Regroupés autour d'un site Internet communautaire entièrement dédié au programme, les plongeurs Cousteau Divers et les centres de plongée affiliés participent activement à des programmes scientifiques de suivi et de Conservation de la biodiversité marine dans le Monde. Si vous aussi vous voulez participer à la préservation du milieu marin visitez le site web de COUSTEAU DIVERS maintenant. Un VIDEO d'introduction de Couseau Divers par Pierre-Yves Cousteau en français est également disponible ICI.

Oceana

Oceana, founded in 2001, is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. The oceans have been healthy and full of life for millions of years... until now. Scientists predict that life in our oceans is quickly approaching an irreversible collapse, unless we do something now. Help Oceana to make a difference. For more information or to become a wavemaker visit www.oceana.org.

Sperm Whale Encounter

I've found this vide while surfing on Vimeo. I dream about swimming with a whale of any kind. Imagine this big "thing" swimming just right beside you. Apparently, it is illegal to approach a whale. They are protected internationally so you are not supposed to get closer than 50 meters. Except if you are a video producer ? Howard and Michele Hall are natural history filmmakers specializing in marine wildlife and marine environmental films. Together they have produced numerous films for television including several episodes of the PBS series Nature, a National Geographic Special, and the five-part PBS series Secrets of the Ocean Realm. This video was captured in Dominica. Feel free to visit their VIMEO CHANNEL.

Say NO to shark fin soup!

(Wikipedia) Shark fin soup (or shark's fin soup) is a Chinese soup that has been a popular item of Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in Chinese culture. There is controversy over the practice of shark finning which is used to source the signature ingredient for the soup. Consumption of shark fin soup has risen dramatically with the middle class becoming more affluent. Finning is named as a primary contributing factor in the global decline of many shark species. This year, Celebrate Chinese New Year with no shark fin soup. Set this pisture as your Facebook profile pic (for more information).

Coldplay says... (as seen on their Facebook page)

"Half of all fish caught in the North Sea are thrown back dead, because of EU law. Please help to stop this waste by signing the petition. Thanks."  

I keep telling my friends about this. I guess that if COLDPLAY say it now it will have a bigger impact than when I do.

Death fish all over the world. Can you smell it ?

(Gizmodo) Toronto : Hundreds of dead fish / Viet nam : 150 tonnes of red tilapias / Chareleston : Hundreds of Starfish, Jellyfish...Weird no? An anonymous user compiled all these deaths on a map.

View Mass Animal Deaths in a larger map

@ Coco View resort, Carretera Pavimentada, French Harbour, Honduras

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Hanukka,... See you in 2011! (more pictures from our trip coming soon!)