p2
Soon to be posted - This Year's Dives
(as voted on at the last Meeting)
Carol's still working out lodging
Don't forget to turn in your Abalone Report Cards
Gung Hay Fat Choy
Divers dance underwater at an aquarium in Beijing.
THE WATER DRAGON 1952 AND 2012
Water has a calming effect on the Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons. Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people. However, their actions can go wrong if they do not research or if they do not finish one project before starting another.
In Other Ocean News:
Costa Concordia: underwater footage shows divers' inspection
The video released by the Italian Firefighters Diving Corps shows rescuers inspecting the ship while furniture and personal belongings from the vessel drift along the seabed.
The eerie insight into the aftermath of the tragedy has been released as the search for bodies is postponed because of bad weather. An underwater inspection found that the Costa Concordia had shifted its position by 3.5 centimetres, enough to make internal searches too risky for fear the vessel could slip into deeper waters. The body count from the capsized cruise ship reached 17 on Saturday but Italian rescue teams said that the "noticeable" shift in the ship's position meant that divers would suspend all search and rescue operations on Sunday. With windy weather and choppy seas expected to worsen in coming days, salvage crews are not expected to be able to resume work until the middle of the week.
Australian divers reach record depths in caves
. "When you get to over 200m you are working outside human physical limits”. A group of Australian divers has broken yet another cave diving record in the depths of the Pearse River resurgence and revealed the underwater cave system is linked to Mt Arthur's Nettlebed Cave system.
Diver and explorer Craig Challen pushed the human limit, reaching 221m (725 ft), breaking the 194m record he set in the river cave last January and setting an Australasian record.
The 17-hour dive saw him stop four times at underwater "habitats" which were filled with trapped air. They provided a base for divers to rest and decompress before continuing their return to the surface. He said the cave continued its plunge after 221m. But even with the help of tonnes of technical gear, heated suits and battery-powered underwater scooters the chances of going much deeper were diminishing.
"As far as exploration goes, this is the No1 site in the world."
Team leader Adelaide's Dr Richard Harris said marker dye dropped by Nelson cavers in the Nettlebed system was seen by divers below 200m and indicated the system was more than 1000m long. However, the connection could be proved only when it was travelled and charted.
It was the third time the group had explored the system in the last three years. Mr Challen said at the end of each trip the group's consensus was that they did not want to return.
"Then after a week or so we remember the good bits. And if we don't come back someone else will."