Scubaism

I had a good laugh when I saw the headline on a story over the weekend that a Malaysian Ministry banned sharks fin soup from being served at official functions. That’s kind of like saying “We promise not to run over cows while driving in the city.”

Malaysia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has struck off shark’s fin soup from the menus at official functions, to help conserve the species

Minister Azmi Khalid told the official Bernama news agency that the ministry had made the commitment to the Malaysian Nature Society.

“By refraining from the consumption of shark’s fin soup, it is hoped that the ministry would contribute in one way or another towards the current conservation efforts for sharks species,” he said.

What most people outside of Malaysia don’t know is that Malaysian government is dominated by ethnic Malays. And as such serve only Malay fare at official functions. Whereas sharks fin is an ethnic Chinese dish which Malays would never think of ever consuming because they associate any Chinese food with pork — a dish forbidden by their religion.

At this point, even the local Chinese population would be hard pressed to find real sharks fin being served at Chinese restaurants. Part of the thanks goes to the local conservationists who have done a good job of educating the locals about shark finning. Secondly, sharks fin is a terribly expensive delicacy so restaurants have found a dwindling market for it… too small to keep it on the menu. What they serve as “Sharks fin” at restaurants in Malaysia (even during Chinese New Year) is really a mixture of crab meat and birds nest. It’s only called “Sharks fin” to maintain tradition.

Instead of making false promises, the Malaysian government ought to go after the dealers of sharks fins in Malaysia.

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Two decommissioned foreign naval ships are poised to be sunk in Malaysian waters next year to create artificial reefs, the first of its kind here. The ships, between 110m and 160m in length, will come from the United States and Canada and are scheduled to be sunk off Pulau Redang here and Pulau Tioman, Pahang.

The project, estimated to cost about RM20 million, will be undertaken by the Kuala Terengganu Rotary Club and the B&J Diving Centre Sdn Bhd as well as the state government. The Rotary club and B&J are looking to choose two from the three options made available, namely a US navy ship, a Canadian destroyer or a Canadian MARS class ship to be either donated or purchased with a minimal fee.

Terengganu Rotary president Scott Steven said shipwrecks as artificial reefs had better benefits compared to other artificial reefs like reefballs or through the electro-deposition process, which have very little impact, both on marine ecology and the tourism industry. Reefballs are ball-shaped artificial reefs made out of concrete, while electro-deposition is the process where a metal artificial reef is set under constant electric current to enhance coral growth.

Studies show that wrecks reduce the pressure of scuba diving on existing natural reefs by up to 20 per cent. A well chosen site also means that there will be no negative impact reported on the existing natural reef. Steven said a large ship wreck sunk intentionally as an artificial reef, provides shelter and protection for a myriad of marine species.

To date artificial wrecks (including several small wooden vessels in the vicinity of Pulau Tioman) are known to attract certain species, which do not find a stronghold on natural coral reefs. These include frogfish, leaf fish, pipefish and moray eels. He also said that with more fish being attracted to such reefs, a large artificial wreck sunk in a strategic place would encourage more people to dive in the area. “This will augur well for Visit Terengganu Year 2008 as the shipwrecks will provide a new site for tourists,” Steven told the New Straits Times.

Steven, a former military engineer, said the idea of sinking the ships came about as he was studying alternative methods for artificial reef projects for the club. At the same time, his friend B&J Diving Centre marketing and sales director Martin Ritter was working on the same idea. “Then a mutual friend from the Malaysian Sports Diving Association got us together to collaborate on the project.”

While Steven is confident of securing the vessels, he however needs to raise funds to tow the ships preferably before the monsoon season. The funds will also be used to clean and sink the ships.

The Rotary Kuala Terengganu and B&J will work closely with local authorities and international advisers to ensure that international guidelines are followed. “Right now we are liasing with the relevant government authorities like the Defence Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry for their input,” Steven said.

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26 excited participants from all over the globe ended on the island of Layang Layang in Sabah, Malaysia from July 17-23rd for a 6 day extravaganza of camaraderie, photography, and spectacular diving.

Judges and presenters for the week included Stephen Wong from Hong Kong, Dr Kurt Svrcula from Malaysia, Settimio Cipriani from Italy, and Mike Veitch from Yap.

Participants enjoyed 3 to 4 dives per day on Layang’s spectacular walls and enjoyed a never ending variety of food when not in the water. The weather could not have been better as there was nothing but bright blue sky and flat seas throughout the event.

The 3 judging categories included composition, technical perfection, and the “Wow” factor. The judging was extremely close on many of the images as the talent level of participating photographers was very high.

With so many great sponsors there were certainly no shortage of prizes for the top 6 entries in each category, the first prize alone was worth US $6000!! Thanks to sponsors Nautica, Nikon, Layang Layang, Asian Diver, Coral Redang Resort, Macana Maldives Liveaboard, Baani Explorer, Oceanic, GP Batteries, Ralf Tech, NAUI, Borneo Divers, and SMART resort.

(IMHO, the second place winner in the macro category by Takeko Taniguchi, should have easily taken first place.)

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Bumiputera boat builder Kaymarine Sdn Bhd is constructing seven all-purpose catamarans for the Marine Department in Peninsular Malaysia at a cost of RM56 million.

The aluminium catamaran high speed inter-island services craft will be used as sea ambulances to move people who fall sick on island resorts or other offshore points to the mainland for medical treatment.

Kaymarine chairman Datuk Wan Mohd Albakri Wan Md Noor said each boat will be have a fully equipped treatment room that meets the requirements of paramedics such as patient monitor, trauma stretcher, medical bunk, first aid box, inspection lamp, mini fridge and oxygen tank.

“Work on building the vessels began last May, and all the more than 200 workers are locals, which demonstrates that their skills are on par with those of foreigners.

“Although we faced several problems, the first of the seven catamarans has already been completed, well ahead of the year-end deadline,” he said at the handing over of the craft at Kelab Teluk Warisan here today.

He said the 26m catamaran named `Sirius’ can travel at up to 28 knots and its range exceeds 400 nautical miles.

The boats being built use high technology such as direct glazing outframeless windows which are widely used in fast ferries, passenger vessels and cruise liners. The walls are made of aluminium honeycomb panels, which is a new product that is light yet sturdy.

Marine Department director general Datuk Kapt Ahmad Othman said at the handing over that the catamarans are being built under an Eighth Malaysia Plan allocation that has been extended into the current Ninth Plan.

“All this while, we haven’t had vessels that are suitable to transport patients from offshore to shore, especially at night, and these catamarans will enable us to not only provide this service at all hours but also help improve the department’s operations,” he added.

The first catamaran will be based at Kuala Terengganu to serve the people at Redang and Kapas islands, while the others will be at several other islands like Tioman, Labuan, Langkawi, Pangkor and Pulau Ketam.

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Ocean Rover is the most expensive live onboard diving boat in Malaysia. And when I say most expensive, I mean your name has to end in a number to get a seat on it.

Here are a couple of promotional videos featuring Ocean Rover.

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The video is quite greenish, but keep your eyes on the top right hand of the screen. Just after the 11th minute, a clownfish will be visible. It attacks the turtle’s head. The turtle tries to brush it off, but that succeeds only in getting it more feisty. Then the turtle goes berzerk and attack’s the anemone the clownfish tries to hide in, tearing the anemone to bits.

Shot in Sipadan.

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Actually it doesn’t feature divers having nitrogen narcosis. But it is a fun video, well-edited and shot by the guys at LKWID, a photography studio in Sipadan.

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This is an amazing one minute video taken in Layang Layang, in Malaysia. It features a school of at least 30 hammerhead sharks taking a leisurely swim. The camera follows the school as it swims off to the right. Then pans left again to seemingly catch another group of hammerheads right behind.

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This is a really cool 1 minute video taken in Sipadan tracking a green sea turtle swimming. But right underneath it, swimming directly in the turtle’s shadow is a large spade fish. For some reason, it swims side ways, mimicking every movement of the turtle.

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In an effort to reduce fatalities on Sarawak’s rivers, the Sarawak Rivers Board is working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to create awareness of river safety among local residents and train them in safety procedures.

“We want everyone to start with knowing how to use [the rivers] safely. With this campaign, we hope to equip participants with the knowledge of how to prevent accidents, recognize emergencies and respond effectively,” said YB Dr. Abdul Rahman Ismail, ADUN on behalf of Y.B. Dato’ Sri Haji Awang Tengah bin Ali Hassan, Minister of Public Utilities for Sarawak.
As part of the campaign, UNDP and SRB will host an Emergency First Response (EFR) course to cover all aspects of safety on the river, from accident management to responding during emergencies. To drive youth participation, school-going children will be sponsored by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) to be trained and certified in EFR.

There are 55 navigable rivers throughout the state spanning a combined length of 3300 km. For some Limbang residents, the rivers are the only means of transport to ferry children to school and the nearest hospital is more than 30 minutes away from the villages.

From 2000 to 2006, there were 318 reported casualties on the water in Sarawak, where common causes cited for casualties include inadequate navigational aids & signage, negligence and lack of proper safety training & awareness among boat captains as well as passengers.

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