Amidst toxic racism and stark poverty, George Dawson demonstrated incredible personal resilience. This entry elucidates four more of Dawson’s compelling lessons of resilience for self-care inspiration, from his book, Life is So Good.
from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2spcV11
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Eight Ugliest Ocean Creatures
Some ocean critters are cute. Some are giant, and some are weird. And some are downright unattractive. Although we hesitate to use the word “ugly,” it’s true that some marine creatures are far less fetching than others. In no specific order, then, here are eight of the ugliest ocean creatures.
Anglerfish Illustration
Anglerfish
The anglerfish certainly deserves a spot on the list of the ugliest ocean dwellers. This angry-faced fish inhabits the deepest, darkest depths of ocean worldwide. There are over 200 kinds of anglerfish, all boasting a giant head that features a frowning mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Their name derives from the long filament protruding from the middle of their heads, which they use to lure prey like a fishing pole. They can distend their stomachs and jaws such that they can consume prey twice as large as their entire body. Anglerfish can range anywhere from 8 inches (20 cm) to over 3 feet long (1 m) and weigh up to 100 pounds (45 kg).
Blobfish
Next is the aptly named blobfish, which typically grows to about 12 inches (30 cm). Its face resembles that of a grumpy old grandpa whose supply of toffees has disappeared. These deep-dwellers live between 2,000 and 3,900 feet (610 to 1,188 m) below the surface around Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, where pressure is between 60 and 120 greater than at the surface. With no gas bladder for buoyancy, the blobfish uses its gelatinous flesh, which is slightly less dense than water, to the same effect. It expends little energy to hunt, waiting for prey to float by. Unfortunately, deep-sea trawling threatens the blobfish as it’s often caught up as bycatch in bottom-trawling nets.
Photo by Marco Vinci
Tongue-Eating Louse
Our next critter, the tongue-eating louse, has a lifestyle as unappealing as its looks. Many of us have seen images of cute clownfish with their mouths open and what appears to be tiny eyeballs staring out where their tongue once was. That’s the Cymothoa exigua, or tongue-eating louse, a parasitic isopod that affects not just clownfish but other types of fish as well. The parasite enters fish through their gills, and then severs the blood vessels on the tongue, which causes it to die and fall off. The louse then acts as the fish’s brand-new, fully functioning tongue. It is the only known parasite to functionally replace a host’s organ. These parasites are quite widespread, found all around the world.
Black Swallower
The phrase “your eyes are bigger than your stomach,” applies perfectly to our next entrant, the black swallower. This small deep-sea fish has worldwide distribution and lives at depths of 2,300 to 9,000 feet (700 to 2,745 m). Although the largest specimens only reach 9.8 inches (25 cm) long, they can swallow prey up to twice their length and 10 times their mass, due to their distensible stomach and swinging lower jaw. Black swallowers sometimes consume fish so large that their unfortunate victims begin to decompose before they are digested. The resulting release of gas from the corpse can sometimes force black swallowers to the surface, which leads to their demise as well.
Goblin Shark
Among the other creatures on our list, have the beautifully named goblin shark. Humans know very little about these secretive pelagics, due to few sightings and their relative depths of greater than 330 feet (100 m). These pink-skinned sharks are recognizable for their giant proboscis and protruding jaws. Goblin sharks may be ambush predators, as they are not fast swimmers. It has low-density flesh and a large, oily liver that makes it neutrally buoyant. This would allow it to drift slowly toward its prey with minimal detection. Most sightings take place near Japan, although individuals have been caught in all three major oceans.
Stargazer
The slightly creepy stargazer is a staple of the muck-diving experience around Lembeh in Indonesia. These wide-eyed fish bury themselves in the sand, so much so that only the bulging eyes on top of their heads and their fang-filled mouths are exposed. When prey swims close enough, the stargazer ambushes its victim. They inhabit both shallow and deep waters, and attain lengths of 7 to 35 inches (18 to 90 cm). As if they weren’t strange enough, these fish can also deliver electric shocks.
Marble-mouthed Frogfish
Like many frogfish, this next creature holds a place dear to the heart of many divers. As with all frogfish, the marble-mouthed variety does not swim. These creatures instead use their pectoral fins to “walk” across the sea floor. Rarely moving, they’re usually extremely well camouflaged, not for defense, but for predation. They hide in plain sight, wiggling the lure on their head, which resembles a shrimp, to attract unsuspecting prey. This critter’s mouth can expand to 12 times its resting size, enabling it to catch creatures of varying sizes. They are carnivores, mostly eating fish and crustacean. However, they are also cannibals, preying on other frogfish too.
Snaggletooth
The final spot on our list is reserved for the demonic-looking snaggletooth or stareater fish. This creature, with its luminous red chin used to attract and lure prey, is a powerful predator that lives in deep waters between Australia and New Zealand. Not much is known about these fish, which can grow to about 2 feet (.6 m) long and have a mouthful of sharp-looking fangs.
So, there you have it, our top eight ugliest ocean creatures. If you’ve seen any — or have any to add to the list — we’d love to hear about it.
The post Eight Ugliest Ocean Creatures appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.
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Trends in Newsrooms 4: Is it crunch time for video?
from World News Publishing Focus by WAN-IFRA - World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers http://ift.tt/2sdgEj4
Mexican Regional Media Reacts to Official Response to Crisis of Freedom of Expression
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Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Regulatory Update: The New MDE Standards
On January 9, 2017, the U.S. Access Board issued accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment (MDE). The United States Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards. The Board is now a leading source of information on accessible design.
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The World’s Best Blackwater Dives
An entirely new cast of characters comes to life at night on the reef. Night diving feels mysterious. Sounds are amplified, and you can only see as far as the end of your torch beam. But unlike typical night dives, wherein you’ve got the reef as reference, blackwater dives often take place in open ocean. This relatively new practice has become extremely popular in recent years. Suspended in the pitch black at a shallow depth and usually tethered to a boat line, the diver hovers over an abyssal point in the ocean, whether a trench or a drop off. In the dark sea, the sensational, alien-like creatures of the deep rise to the surface to feed and breed. Here are a few of our picks for the world’s best blackwater dives.
Singer Island, Florida
During the summer and fall, divers on Florida’s east coast can participate in a blackwater drift dive in the warm Gulf Stream Current. Divers hover in 20 feet (6 m) of water over a depth of 400 feet (170 m), witness to the planet’s largest migration — the nightly diurnal migration wherein a spectacular array deep-ocean micro creatures rises from the depths searching for food. Billions of zooplankton, bioluminescent creatures, jellyfish, squid and more will appear. Anything from dolphins to tiny fluorescent eels is possible, however.
Pico Island, Azores, Portugal
The Azores is best known for its megafauna, such as whales, sharks and mobula rays. Yet in the last year, some of the world’s best blackwater diving has taken off, especially on the island of Pico. Due to the island’s location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the waters drop suddenly to 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Divers will take a Zodiac ride of around an hour out to the ridge, where they’ll drop into the water on a tethered line.
Suspended over the drop-off, where borders change suddenly from 3,300 feet (1,000 m) to 6,600 feet (2,000 m), divers can expect to see plenty of creatures from the mesopelagic zone including comb jellyfish, salps (barrel-shaped planktonic tunicates) and mauve stinger jellyfish. In a spot famous for sperm whales and giant squid, divers should listen for the sonic clicks of the giant toothed whale, and a blue or mako shark may appear as well.
Palau
Eight nautical miles (15 km) from the coast of Palau, the dive boat will stop over 3,300 feet (1,000 m) of water. The dive team will lower a specially constructed metal bar with space for all divers to hang on. The divers are instructed to wait for half an hour before descending as underwater beams are turned on to attract some of the Pacific’s weirdest and most wonderful creatures.
Pelagic nudibranchs, as well as clear and reflective animals like the chascanopsetta prorigera, a type of deep-water flounder, are fascinating for photographers as it’s possible to see the creature’s anatomy. Pufferfish, pelagic squid, ctenophores, pelagic gastropods and pelagic cephalopods all make Palau’s blackwater diving a must-do.
Oban, Hebrides, Scotland
Dive operators in the Hebrides Islands in Scotland are pioneers of blackwater diving in the U.K. Using a 25,000-lumen floodlight, divers can easily see the creatures of the deep. Hanging from a 40-foot (10 m) line over deep Atlantic trenches, even in summer months the Scottish waters can be frigid, reaching maximum temperatures of 55 F (13 C). One of the highlights of blackwater dives in Oban are the juvenile langoustines, also known as Norway lobsters, with their tiny pincers and forked tails.
Bay Islands, Honduras
Known for its pristine reefs, Roatan is home to some of the best blackwater diving in the world. With water that plummets to depths of 10,000 feet (3,000 m) two miles (3.5 km) from shore, prepare to witness lots of gelatinous jellyfish species with flashing bioluminescence, larval eels and siponophores. Roatan’s waters are also famous for the larval billfish, a minuscule version of a marlin. Many of these creatures feed on the zooplankton that also rises from the depths each night here, just as in Florida. On previous blackwater excursions in Roatan, divers have seen silky sharks and it’s possible to spot larger marine species as well, including mantas and larger billfish.
Kona, Hawaii
Perhaps the most famous of the world’s best blackwater dives is the “Pelagic Magic” experience in Kona, Hawaii. Groups of up to six divers are tethered to the boat in around 50 feet of water, two miles (3.5 km) off the coast in 2,000 feet (600 m) of water. Divers have seen everything from minuscule seahorses to octopus and tiny fish trapped inside jellyfish. All creatures exhibit predominantly blue and green bioluminescence for mating, hunting and defense purposes. Divers can combine the blackwater dive in Kona with the world-famous manta night dive as well.
Cover and featured photos by Andrea Whitaker
The post The World’s Best Blackwater Dives appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.
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Monday, May 29, 2017
Training Fundamentals: Taking Your PADI Advanced Open Water Course
The PADI Open Water Diver course has traditionally been the most popular foundational diving qualification. For anyone over 10 years old, with basic health, fitness and swimming skills, it provides you with the core skills and — if you pass successfully — the first step to beginning your scuba-diving adventures.
Some people end their training there, happy to enjoy diving within the Open- Water limits. Those who would like to expand their scuba-diving knowledge and increase their depth limits, though should pursue the PADI Advanced Open Water course. And, with recent revisions, the course now offers more options than ever and aims to take you from an enthusiastic novice to “thinking like a diver.”
Should you take Advanced Open Water?
The draw of the PADI Advanced Open Water course has historically been two-fold. First, the class certifies participants to a maximum depth of 100 feet (30 m) It builds on the PADI Open Water diver course’s dive- and gas-planning procedures, utilizing no-stop limits and the rule of thirds to safely plan and execute dives at depths beyond introductory limits. Having the Advanced Open Water rating has always been key in preparation for (and often a prerequisite of) a liveaboard dive trip.
Second, the PADI Advanced Open Water Course allows students to try five different specialty areas of diving, each known as an “Adventure Dive.” The Deep and Underwater Navigation Adventure Dives have always been — and sensibly remain — mandatory requirements of becoming a PADI Advanced Open Water diver. However, that still leaves room for three elective Adventure Dives in the student’s area of interest. Whether you’re interested in honing your buoyancy and finning skills, learning how to execute a night dive, or navigate your way on a shipwreck, the AOW course can give you a taste.
Moreover, the individual Adventure Dives completed within the AOW course offer credit toward the full specialty diver rating for that particular area. For example, if you complete the Wreck Adventure Dive as one of your five will receive credit for the first of the four qualifying dives of the PADI Wreck Diver specialty diver certification.
Now, more than ever, the Adventure Dive selection is vast. Divers can — environment and logistics permitting — undertake Adventure Dives in the following areas:
- Altitude
- Boat
- Cavern*
- DSMB*
- Digital Underwater Imaging
- Dive Against Debris (AWARE)*
- DPV*
- Drift
- Dry Suit
- Enriched Air*
- Fish ID
- Full-Face Mask*
- Ice*
- Night
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Rebreather*
- Search and Recovery
- Self-Reliant*
- Shark Conservation (AWARE)*
- Sidemount*
- Underwater Naturalist
- Wreck
* Must be conducted by a Specialty Diver Instructor
Changes to the Advanced Open Water course
Recent revisions to the course include a new “thinking like a diver” area of training. To encourage divers to see the PADI Advanced Open Water course as more than simply a gateway to an increased depth limit, the course now emphasizes key concepts such as careful planning of dive objectives, planning depth, time and gas turn-points, situational awareness, managing task loading and practicing good habits above and below the surface.
PADI has also revised the training materials. Course materials feature updated photos and media and a popular digital-learning option means divers can study on a tablet rather than carrying books and papers.
If you’re an Open Water Diver, there has never been a better time to progress to the next stage and extend your scuba-diving education.
Re-imagined, revised and updated with an emphasis on enjoyment, knowledge and ‘thinking like a diver,’ the PADI Advanced Open Water course is now an even-more rounded introduction to what lies beyond introductory diver training.
The post Training Fundamentals: Taking Your PADI Advanced Open Water Course appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.
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Whisper’s Insatiable Desire - Food and Other Addictions
A daily meal plan filled with addictive foods could exacerbate one’s recovery from alcohol and drug addictions. Often, the consequences of addiction are enough of a motivating factor to make a small change that can lead to future improvement.
from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2sde5ga
from The New Social Worker Online — the professional social work careers magazine http://ift.tt/2sde5ga
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Beauty Business Owners #x3E; Plan Ahead with Beauty of a Book
12 MONTHS OF BEAUTY BUSINESS MARKETING
MONTHLY PROMOTIONS • MERCHANDISING • EVENTS
MARKETING CALENDAR • MARKETING GUIDE • HOW TO PLAN PROMOTIONS
SALON OWNER • SPA OWNER • STYLIST • ESTHETICIAN • MANAGERS • MUA • NAIL TECH
Hello Beauties!
Beauty of a Book™ is a calendar format guide with month by month monthly promotions, merchandising and event ideas. The book commences with our "Set The Stage" section that including Marketing Guide, Ready-To-Use 12 Month Calendar, and Promotion Planner.
Now go rock your beauty business! Learn more here how
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Keep it Cool this Summer with Monthly Promotions
Monthly promotions are simply well thought-out plans to keep clients and prospective clients aware of your beauty business. You want your salon or spa “top of mind” when they are motivated to make an appointment. Make sure it is you they call.
Slow summers can be a thing of the past if fresh promotions are implemented to keep clients connected and coming back. The key to summer salon promotions is to “solve” the season’s skin, hair, and beauty and wellness needs - which in the summer is all of the above!
Dive-into the summer season with cool campaigns that will keep your appointment books sizzling.
1. Red, white and blue
Patriotic colors are the perfect palette to get you through the summer months. Go for a striped or star theme, use red/white/and blue props such as beach towels, beach umbrellas, bathing suits. A great way to remind clients to make appointments to be at their best come beach or pool time.
2. Summer kick off
Memorial Day IS the official kick off to summer. Contrary to popular belief, summer is the perfect time to sell salon and spa services.
- For 70% of the country June means “first time” skin exposure after a long winter of covering up.
- Summer time cuts and styles, skincare products, pedicures (time for sandals, which means it’s time for cute toes), and manicures.
3. July 4th Holiday
The highlight of the summer holidays, July 4th spells specials. Focus on skin care and sun protection, hair management - the sun is hard on hair, especially color treated hair, so offer treatments accordingly - and manicure/pedicure maintenance.
4. Summer Packages fill July and August Books
What services do prospective clients really need during the summer months? Go-to summer services make great salon and spa promotions.
Don’t discount, create packages to keep them coming back and “maintain” the appearance during July and August. Make sure your salon marketing message communicates value, the best offers are those that add value without a lot of cost.
Summer Hair
Summer months are ideal months for easy-manage, low fuss haircuts and face framing highlights for a sun-kissed look.
Live in a humid part of the country? Try these ideas:
- Tame frizz and increase summer revenues by offering discounts on blowout services.
- Help clients beat the heat with conditioning treatment and blow out service specials. This offer is the perfect example of value added without a lot of cost. Keep the service under 45 minutes and offer at discounted rate.
- Sell summer blowout packages.
Summer Waxing
Bikinis and short shorts call for tamed unwanted hair - offer waxing packages that include legs, bikini and underarms.
Summer Skincare
Dry summer months and exposure to too much sun call for pampered pores, design special facials to cool and soothe summer skin.
Summer Nails
As temperatures rise, off comes the heavy foot-wear and out come the sandals. Highlight pedicure services so clients can rock sandal-worthy toes. Take advantage of the toe exposure season by offering special foot peels and renewal-themed pedicures.
Beach-Ready Skin
Entice clients to get beach-ready skin with body scrubs or polishing treatments. Great services to sell with tanning services. Combine them for a package.
Summer Tanning
Spray tanning services are an obvious demand during the summer months. Everyone wants to flaunt a tan! Create a pre-paid package that commits the client for a three-month period to maintain that “perfect shade”.
Launch your summer specials with a bang!
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Coral Biology: Part I
It is easy to think of corals as background on a dive. Divers tend to focus on charismatic megafauna like whales and dolphins, or become entranced while searching for sharks and rays. But corals are animals too and deserve our attention. In this two-part series on coral biology, we’ll help you learn to identify coral species while you dive and appreciate their role in a healthy ecosystem.
What is a coral?
Before you start working on coral identification, you should know what it is. Corals are colonial animals made of small polyps. These polyps divide and bud into hundreds of identical polyps, which form a coral colony.
Polyps look like sea anemones and have the same internal body structure. They have a crown of tentacles, a mouth, and a stomach. Any waste the polyp produces will exit through its mouth.
Depending on the coral species, polyps can either be closed and retracted into the colony, or exposed, extending above the surface of the coral. At night, most coral polyps will expose their tentacles while waiting for a passing meal. If you’ve ever done a night dive, you would have noticed the corals look more alive, with large active tentacles.
Coral polyps live in a symbiotic relationship with the photosynthetic algae zooxanthellae. Polyps can derive energy from photosynthesis as well as ingesting plankton or other meaty foods. While we may not think of corals as predators, some species have long sweeper tentacles that emerge at night, catching anything in their path and sting other corals that encroach on their territory.
Hard coral vs. soft coral
There are two general categories of coral, hard coral and soft coral. Both are within the scientific class Anthozoa, but are divided into two subclasses, Hexacorallia and Octocorallia. This guide focuses on hard coral (Hexacorallia), but it’s still important to touch on the differences and similarities between the two types.
The biggest difference, as the name implies, is that hard-coral polyps form hard, calcium carbonate skeletons. Soft coral polyps, on the other hand, are held together by jelly-like mesoglea, and rigid, spiny structures called sclerites.
Second, Hexacorallia polyps are built on a six-fold symmetry, while soft coral (Octocorallia) polyps are built on an eight-fold symmetry. Take a closer look at soft-coral polyps next time you dive and you’ll see there are eight tentacles, whereas hard-coral polyps will form in multiples of six.
Hard coral describes any coral with hard skeleton. This includes small polyp branching, plating and encrusting species, large polyp species like Scolymia, bubble corals, and hammer corals. Soft coral includes vibrantly colored carnation corals, leather corals, sea fans, and gorgonians among others.
Hard coral biology
Because they need light to survive, hard corals live in tropical, sunny waters. They are largely restricted to the euphotic zone, where light penetrates the ocean water to a depth of approximately 230 feet (70 m). Optimal water temperatures for corals are between 73 and 84 F (23 and 29 C), although some can tolerate temperatures up to 104 F (40 C) for short periods. Living inside the corals’ tissue is the photosynthetic marine algae zooxanthellae. The coral provides a home and protection for the algae and, in exchange, these algae absorb sunlight and produce energy for the polyp.
As we mentioned, polyps can get energy from ingesting plankton and food particles. But since they are fixed in place, their energy from food consumption is limited. Coral polyps rely on the sunlight to survive, and without the energy created by the zooxanthellae, they would die.
If you’ve heard of coral bleaching or seen a ghostly white coral, this happened because the polyps were stressed, either from too much light or elevated water temperatures. In response, the stressed polyp expels the zooxanthellae, which gives the coral its color. If the water temperatures don’t fall quickly enough, the polyp will die without this important symbiont.
Coral regions
Corals, for the most part, are regional animals. Where you are will determine which coral species you will find. When you are trying to identify any coral, note the region you are in to narrow down possible species.
There are various online resources you can use to identify corals, including the AIMS
coral sheets or corals of the world. These resources separate corals by region.
We’ve separated our coral identification series in two parts to avoid information overload. In the second part, we will explain the difference between large-polyp and small-polyp species, dive deeper into coral reproduction, and introduce scientific terms that you will come across when identifying corals. We will discuss different coral growth forms and prepare you to identify corals in the wild.
By guest author Nicole Helgason
Nicole Helgason is a PADI Dive Instructor with nine years of professional dive experience. She has taught scuba diving in Canada, Dominican Republic and Indonesia, and has managed dive centers in Mozambique and Baja, Mexico. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in coastal geography from the University of Victoria and is passionate about coral restoration and coral reefs. She has a website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
The post Coral Biology: Part I appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.
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Saturday, May 27, 2017
Swing Into Summer eBook
Worried about a slow summer? Slow summers can be a thing of the past if fresh promotions are implemented to keep clients connected and coming back. The key to summer promotions is to “solve” the season’s skin, hair, beauty and wellness needs. Learn how download now!
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Step-By-Step Marketing Guide eBook
Create the perfect marketing plan for your business. Download below and get planning!
BeautyMark's step-by-step guide for your beauty business includes:
- How to create a marketing plan for your business
- 5 easy to follow, practical steps
- Evaluate your past performance
- Beauty business strategy
- Goal setting for salons
- Determine marketing budget
- How to write a marketing plan
LEARN MORE CLICK HERE
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Macro Diving in Sydney Harbor
There is more to Sydney Harbor than the spectacular Sydney Opera House and bustle of the Harbor Bridge. With a convoluted trail of channels, inlets, bays and islands, Sydney Harbor has a huge variety of underwater habitats, making it one of the world’s most biodiverse harbors. Shallow bays make perfect homes for the cryptic, weird and wonderful animals that macro enthusiasts love so well. Here are just a few of the many macro critters that Sydney Harbor divers might spot.
White’s Seahorse
Also called the New Holland seahorse or Sydney seahorse, the White’s seahorse is the most common in Sydney. It’s also one of the easiest critters to find, growing to around 8 inches long (20 cm). Like other seahorses, the male of the species gets pregnant. The female deposits her eggs into his brood pouch, where they grow until they are perfect miniatures of their parents. As soon as the male has given birth to hundreds of young, the female comes back, ready to start all over again. This role reversal allows the female to generate more eggs while the male is incubating the last batch, so they are effectively sharing the load.
Frogfish
Well-loved, wacky-looking frogfish are experts in camouflage. They blend in seamlessly with their surroundings, with colors ranging the spectrum based on where they live. A specially adapted fishing lure resembles a worm or fish. They use it to tempt prey within striking range and then hit with lightning speed, sometimes swallowing prey even bigger than they are. When they’re not using their fishing tackle, it remains neatly tucked against their head. They are not easy to spot, but seeing a grumpy frogfish staring back at you during a dive is always a thrill.
Southern Blue-ringed Octopus
The southern blue-ringed octopus has neon blue rings along its tentacles and blue lines on its body that flash while it’s hunting or if it feels agitated. At only 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) long, their diminutive size belies their power. Bacteria in their salivary glands produce extremely powerful venom, which the octopus uses to paralyze its prey. The toxin can paralyze the respiratory muscles in humans within minutes, so if bitten, you must seek immediate medical help. However, fatalities are extremely rare, as the octopuses are timid and tend to flee from humans. It is only when being handled, harassed or squashed that they have bitten. Blue-ringed octopus hide inside small shells during the day, but at night they prowl through the seagrass searching for food, an eerily awesome sight.
Striped Pajama Squid
Cute little striped pajama squid hide in the sand with only their eyes protruding during the day. At night, divers can spot them bouncing around above the sand in their bold apparel. These miniature “squid” are more closely related to the cuttlefish family, and only grow to about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Marine biologists think the stripes serve as a warning sign to predators that the squid would make a terrible snack, as they can secrete potentially venomous slime from their skin.
Sabretooth Blenny
Despite its fearsome name, the sabretooth blenny, also called the bluestriped fangblenny, is not one of Australia’s many dangerous animals. These small fish grow to about 4.7 inches (12 cm), and even when baring their so-called fangs, they’re still quite cute. Living in a harbor surrounded by humans, they have taken to recycling our trash. Blennies love a good hidey-hole, and discarded glass bottles seem to be the perfect fit.
For more information on Sydney Harbor marine life, the threats it faces, and the need to protect it, go to http://ift.tt/2qpsZ2s.
By guest author Rosie Leaney
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Cave Diving in Kilsby’s Sinkhole
Kilsby’s Sinkhole, in the quiet town of Mount Gambier in South Australia, is undoubtedly unique. Visibility can exceed 300 feet (100 m) and the cool, fresh water is clean enough to drink. Light rays hitting the water make the scene postcard worthy, and every view seems like something shot by a professional underwater photographer. So, what’s the problem? Until 2016, only a select handful of highly trained individuals could dive this magnificent site. Although Kilsby’s Sinkhole has since become more accessible, controversy still surrounds the site. What’s it all about, and who can dive here now?
Why was it exclusive?
When diving first became popular in the 1960s and 70s, eager divers wanted to discover every possible part of the underwater world. Cave and cavern diving in the small Australian town of Mount Gambier was an irresistible prospect. Unfortunately, this sort of diving is inherently dangerous for those without very specific training and experience. The tragic result was a multitude of dive-related deaths in the area. At this point, the government (in a rare instance) interfered in the local diving industry, demanding the establishment of a professional body to enforce cave-diving standards and training. The Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) was thusly born and henceforward, divers had to be members to enter any freshwater cave or cavern. Over the next 40 years, only a handful of divers died in these cave systems thanks to the regulations and training.
[See image gallery at scubadiverlife.com]Kilsby’s Sinkhole
The CDAA classifies the sinkhole as a cavern dive. Before 2016, divers had to undergo a rigorous five-day course to obtain a cavern-diver qualification — not an easy task. The dive site is spectacular, with a maximum depth of just over 180 feet (60 m). Divers can easily see the bottom before even stepping into the water. This is where the danger lies, however, as it can be extremely difficult for an inexperienced diver to gauge his depth and control an ascent. This difficulty has led to multiple deaths in the sinkhole.
The CDAA
The association does not own the sinkhole and other nearby cavern dive sites, but does manage access rights with landowners and government bodies. The agency also has independent diving standards and teaches CDAA courses, designed and refined over the last 40 years. Interested divers start with the Deep Cavern course (as mentioned above), and can progress through the Cave and Advanced Cave training.
The controversy
In 2016, the owner of Kilsby’s Sinkhole passed away, although the family still owns the surrounding land. Citing insurance issues and various other factors, the family decided to make the site accessible to operators other than the CDAA and offer access to recreational divers, snorkelers and photographers. Anyone with an advanced rating and 50 dives would be allowed to explore the cavern. All diving was suspended temporarily at the site until interested parties reached a decision. The CDAA policy states that you must be a qualified cavern diver and refused to change these guidelines and thusly a rift began between the two parties, resulting in the banning of CDAA diving in the sinkhole.
Diving in Kilsby’s Sinkhole
There is quite a bit of dispute surrounding who can dive in the sinkhole. Only certain dive shops have access, and each one of these has its own rules, apparently provided by the Kilsby family. Controversial rules such as “no CDAA member” and “no sidemount diving” appear to be entirely up to whichever dive operator is running the day. Universal rules both require divers to use a Kilsby-approved divemaster and disallow them from going into the cavern areas at any time.
CDAA vs. Kilsby family — who is right?
Ultimately both parties have valid points. The CDAA contends that this style of diving is inherently dangerous and requires special training. The agency fears that the relaxed rules may lead unqualified divers to attempt more dangerous sites with dire consequences after they’ve been diving at Kilsby’s. The Kilsby family contends that as the sinkhole is on their land, they have the right to make their own rules. If dives are conducted safely under strictly enforced guidelines, they have a right to decide who dives and who doesn’t. Both sides, as mentioned, have valid arguments that are more in-depth than can be mentioned here.
What about divers?
The disagreement between the two groups has benefited one group though — all divers. While CDAA members might consider leaving that certification card at home while visiting, the qualification will certainly make their dives here safer. And other divers with the relevant experience but without a CDAA qualification can now see the magic that is Kilsby’s Sinkhole. Completing a cavern course entails a major commitment of time and money, and this dive now acts almost like a try-dive experience for cavern diving. If you stay within safe boundaries at Kilsby’s, you can find out if cave and cavern diving might be for you, or if rocks and freshwater aren’t your style. Both the CDAA and the Kilsby family want divers to have a fun (and safe) time here, so don’t let controversy stand in the way of an outstanding dive.
By guest author Matt Testoni
The post Cave Diving in Kilsby’s Sinkhole appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.
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Thursday, May 25, 2017
Scuba Diving in Milne Bay
Milne Bay put Papua New Guinea on the global scuba-diving map back in the mid- 1980s, when Bob and Dinah Halstead built their liveaboard dive boat, the MV Telita. Scuba diving in Milne Bay today still takes some advanced planning, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
The area of PNG that we refer to as “Milne Bay” is somewhat confusing because there are two Milne Bays. The first is the large, sheltered bay on the southeastern tip of the main island of New Guinea, named after British Admiral Sir Alexander Milne. Then there is the much larger province of Milne Bay, which stretches out over 104,000 square miles (270,000 square km).
The bay itself was a major Allied airbase during WWII and the site of an epic battle with invading Japanese forces in 1942. Historians consider this battle the first time the seemingly invincible Imperial forces were decisively defeated.
Milne Bay Province is roughly the size of New Zealand, but only about 5 percent of that area is dry land. The rest is made up of the waters surrounding the 600-plus islands that comprise the province. Those islands fall in to four main groups — the Trobriands, the D’Entrecasteaux Islands, Woodlark Island and the Louisiade Archipelago.
How to get to Milne Bay
Port Moresby and Alotau, Milne Bay’s provincial capital, are only 217 miles (350 km apart). But the rugged, mountainous terrain of southeast New Guinea means that the sole road along the south coast stops at a village called Kupiano, roughly halfway between the towns.
The only truly viable option for getting to Milne Bay is by air from Port Moresby. Both Air Nuigini and PNG Air service Alotau’s Gurney Airport (GUR) regularly.
Where to stay
If you’re scuba diving in Milne Bay, then you will have already decided on a resort-based or liveaboard trip, and so where to stay while diving is somewhat of a moot point. But if you’d like to see more of Milne Bay there are other things to see and do in Milne Bay when you emerge from the water, you’ve got a few options when it comes to accommodation.
If you are looking for a traditional experience that will give you a better understanding of Milne Bay, try Napatana Lodge, run by Gretta Kwasnicka Todurawai, known as a fantastic source of local and provincial information. Todurawai has an extensive network of contacts across Milne Bay Province and will go out of her way to help her guests.
Flinders University in Adelaide worked through Todurawai to produce a series of informational brochures on Milne Bay Province that offer some great insight into the region, how to explore it, what you will see, and where to stay.
If you’re looking for something a bit more mainstream, the Alotau International Hotel is right in the center of town and offers all the modern conveniences. Another option is the Driftwood Resort, in a scenic spot on the beach just outside of Alotau.
Logistics in Milne Bay
The Papua New Guinea currency is the kina, and $1 USD will buy you about three of them. Most visitors to PNG get kina at the ATM or currency exchange after arrival at the international airport in Port Moresby. There are a couple of ATMs at the banks in Alotau, but once you are out in Milne Bay Province, you’ll need cash.
Things to do in Milne Bay
Milne Bay Province is quiet and peaceful, widely considered the safest province in PNG. The provincial capital of Alotau is the only town of any size, with a population of about 15,000.
You’ll find the highlights of Milne Bay on the numerous islands that make up the province. Many of the villages on those islands have a fascinating matrilineal culture, where the women own the land and take a strong role in the overall community.
The province was the first in Papua New Guinea to embrace community-based ecotourism, establishing a village guest-house network across several of the main islands, which helps visitors experience local culture.
[See image gallery at scubadiverlife.com]Scuba diving in Milne Bay
There are two main options for diving Milne Bay Province. You can travel via liveaboard, which will make remote locations such as the East Cape Reefs and Nuwakata Islands in northern Milne Bay, and the sites around Samarai Island and the China Strait in the south accessible.
Alternately, opt for resort-based diving at either Tawali, on the north coast of Milne Bay or the more exotic and remote Conflict Islands Resort.
Tawali has the advantage of being a dedicated dive resort, and it’s reasonably close to Alotau and the airport as well. You’ll also have easy access to the numerous excellent dive sites on the north coast. There are numerous excellent dive sites on the north coast and Tawali dives them all regularly using its day boats. You’ll head out in the morning and head back later in the day, depending on how many dives you’d like to do.
The other option for land-based stays is the Conflict Islands Resort, which is a bit more up-market. The resort offers scuba diving as one of its recreational pursuits, although it’s not the focus as at Tawali.
Two liveaboards are based in Milne Bay, along with another two that operate here seasonally. The MV Chertan is based in Alotau. Rob van der Loos, who has been diving Milne Bay Province for nearly 35 years, owns and operates the boat. The Chertan has several itineraries covering both the northern and southern parts of Milne Bay.
The MV Spirit of Niugini is based at Tawali Resort and operates four distinct itineraries that all start and finish at the hotel. One of them offers the unique opportunity to dive the B-17F Black Jack wreck at Boga Boga on Cape Vogel.
Also operating periodically in the area are the MV Golden Dawn and the MV Febrina.
When to dive Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a year-round destination. The shape of the bay itself and the many islands of the province mean that you can always find sheltered locations.
But to dive Milne Bay at its very best, visit from November through late January, as that’s dry season for that part of Papua New Guinea. This means there will be minimal run-off from the rivers and streams, so visibility can be exceptional.
By guest author Don Silcock
Don Silcock is an Australian based in Bali. He has dived many of the Indo-Pacific’s best locations. If you’re interested in learning more about Milne Bay, check out the complete guide on his website.
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What is jewelry market week?
I’m headed out in a few days to one of the jewelry industry’s biggest events: Jewelry Market Week in Vegas.
If you’re not in the industry yourself, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. After all, the event really doesn’t have an official name – to most who go, it’s just “Vegas” or “the Vegas shows.”
My top Instagrams from Jewelry Market Week 2016.
Jewelry Market Week refers to the 10 day or so span in which most of the major North American jewelry trade shows have events in the same place, at the same time.
Continue reading What is jewelry market week? at Diamonds in the Library.
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Wednesday, May 24, 2017
What is the PADI Seal Team Program?
In our first article on dive programs for children, we covered PADI’s Bubblemaker program. In this, the second in our series, we’ll cover the PADI Seal Team program. the second article in a multipart series on dive programs offered for children. Which program is right for your child? Read on to find out.
PADI offers several certification levels for children. Bubblemaker and Seal Team programs are designed for the youngest students, starting at 8 years old. Here we’ll focus on Seal Team and the reasons you might want to choose this program for your child over the Bubblemaker program. We chose Seal Team instead Bubblemaker for our daughter, as she had been swimming since she was very small, was quite comfortable in the water, and had snorkeling experience already. Since her dad and I were both divers, she was curious about diving and wanted to try it, so Seal Team was the best choice.
PADI Seal Team
Seal Team offers kids a chance to try on scuba gear in a confined-water environment, just like Bubblemaker. However, Seal Team offers a bit more action and excitement over a longer time. With Seal Team, students learn by completing “missions,” which include skills such as using a flashlight, taking pictures, and floating mid-water. The program offers continuing education through “specialty missions,” such as creature ID, night diving, search and recovery, wreck diving, navigation, buoyancy, and environmental awareness.
During classroom instruction, children learn about the mission and then complete a written challenge either before or after the pool dive. The missions are designed to keep kids’ interest, with cartoons, games, mazes and more. Unlike Bubblemaker, however, this program does require classroom instruction as well as pool work. Because of the complexity of some of the missions and skills demonstrations, Seal Team missions are only to be completed in a pool and not just any confined-water environment.
Seal Team missions
The first five of the hour-long missions focuses on responsibility and respect in the water, and results in recognition as a PADI Seal Team Member. The next 10 missions result in a Master Seal Team Member designation, with opportunities to learn about creature identification, search and recovery, and skin diving, to name a few. The participant will receive a new decal for their logbook after each completed mission.
The learning environment
The confined-water environment for Seal Team is deeper than for Bubblemaker, with a maximum depth of 12 feet (4 m). Your child must already be comfortable in the water to participate in Seal Team. As with Bubblemaker, the ratio of instructor to student is 6 to 1 or 4 to 1 with an Assistant Instructor. If the mission is deeper than six feet (2 m), the ratio drops to 2 to 1. So, although Seal Team seems geared for the slightly more advanced and mature child, the environment is still very controlled.
Learning to use gear
In Seal Team, the child learns to use the same gear as in the open-water certification course — mask, fins, snorkel, tank, BCD with low-pressure inflator, regulator, alternate-air source, and submersible pressure gauge. They’ll also use exposure protection and weights as appropriate. Kids will also need a torch for the AquaMission Night Dive. Just as with Bubblemaker, many dive shops will use junior-sized BCDs, smaller mouthpieces, and sometimes, smaller tanks. While it’s not a PADI requirement to use smaller gear, it certainly makes it easier for a child to try scuba if the dive shop offers that option. Children in Seal Team courses learn basic scuba-diving skills, such as breathing underwater, clearing a mask, and recovering a regulator, as well how to use hand signals to communicate with the instructor.
Counting Seal Team toward open water
Some dive shops will count Seal Team completion toward the child’s open-water course, once they are old enough. But if the child participates in Seal Team at age 8, there will be a two-year gap as the child waits to take an open-water course. As a mom, I would not recommend applying your child’s Seal Team experience to his open-water course if there will be a long gap. If your child is already 10 years old he or she is taking Seal Team coursework to test an interest in diving before committing to the open-water course, then makes more sense to count the Seal Team program as part of open-water instruction. Parents should discuss both options in detail with the dive instructor.
Although Seal Team is available to 8-year-olds, just like Bubblemaker, it’s a far more involved program. Your child should have the maturity and interest to stick with the course over several weeks to complete up to 15 missions and to log dives appropriately. Seal Team is a lot of fun and can help your child become comfortable with scuba. If either of you have reservations, however, it’s probably best to start with Bubblemaker. If your child comes out of the water excited and wanting more, Seal Team is a perfect second step.
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Tuesday, May 23, 2017
3 Common Window Treatment Problems and Their Solutions
Finding the perfect window treatment is important because it should complement your décor and furniture at home. Below, you’ll find three of the most common window treatment problems and their solutions to help you achieve the window treatment look you’re aiming for.
Image Source: Flickr
Light leaks and gaps in window treatments
Windows vary considerably in width and height, not to mention all the other details that will impact the fit, such as trim, molding and sill depth. If you’re experiencing significant light leaks and large gaps, then it’s possible your window treatment is the wrong size for the space or the product wasn’t installed in the window frame correctly.
Choosing a custom solution that includes professional measuring ensures your window covering will be fabricated to your exact window specifications. When combined with professional installation, this guarantees your new blinds, shades, shutters or drapery will fit perfectly and function as intended. Source: AngiesList
Not getting the length right
The length of curtains is pretty vital to a room. Too short, and it’ll look like you didn’t buy them long enough. Many will say long enough that they hover just above your floor; this will allow the look of length but without the dirt dragging possibilities. But those who want a really formal, lux look might consider too-long curtains that pool at the ground. Source: ApartmentTherapy
Problem: Lack of privacy outside.
If you’re lucky enough to have a porch, back deck, or balcony, you probably love spending time out there. While you love the extra space, you probably don’t love the wandering eyes of your neighbours.
Solution: Hang curtains outside.
Put up curtains outside to give some space and privacy between you and your neighbours. Not only does adding curtains outside create privacy, it also transforms the outdoor space into another living space. Bonus room without the reno. Source: Blog.HomeStars
If you’re experiencing problems aside from the ones stated above, let our experts help you out. Contact us!
Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9, Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988
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3 Steps to Effective Off-Site, Non-Acute Biomed Equipment Management
In an age when continued growth and profitability for healthcare systems requires them to spread their footprint outside of their acute care setting, the building or acquisition of non-acute care facilities is only going to increase. Which means the management of those equipment assets increases as well. For theBiomed team tasked to oversee these facilities, as well as their own acute care setting, this poses operational challenges that can tax an already stretched department.
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SeaLife Unveils New Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam
SeaLife recently launched their first Fluorescent dive light, Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam in partnership with Fire Dive Gear, one of the world’s foremost experts in Fluoro diving and imaging. The light is available now for shipment, just in time for the upcoming dive season. Divers love fluorescent, or “fluoro,” diving for its spectacular show of color and impressive nighttime display of emitted energy, which they can see with specialized lighting.
How does fluoro diving work?
Here’s how fluoro diving works: The light’s royal blue LEDs emit blue light in the range of 450-460nm, which is in the approximate frequency range to “excite” the fish, reef and organisms into making a light-filled energy response. SeaLife adds a finely tuned and proprietary dichroic filter that pinpoints the exact light frequency to get the highest energy response from the underwater subject results. This filter reveals the vibrant fluorescent colors of underwater creatures.
Features of the Fluoro-Dual Beam
The Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam also features two switchable beams that easily transform the light from a blue fluoro 65-degree flood light to a white 800-lumen 15-degree concentrated beam with a push of a button, so divers can use it as a regular dive light as well. A rechargeable lithium ion 7.4V, 3400-mAh, 25Wh battery delivers power for two continuous hours at 100-percent fluoro emission. With its single-button operation, the light can quickly adjust between four brightness modes: 100-percent fluoro flood, 50-percent fluoro flood, 100-percent white spot, and 50-percent white spot. The Fluoro-Dual Beam also has an emergency signal mode, activated by holding the power button in for four seconds.
Two universal barrier filters also come with the light to improve fluorescent viewing and imaging. The mask filter fits over your dive mask and filters out the residual blue light emitted by the Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam — it’s the response from the sea creature you want to see, not the blue light. The second filter attaches to any underwater camera with a lens diameter up to 47mm. The user or person viewing the emitted light energy wears a yellow mask filter so they see only the fish or sea organism’s emitted energy and not the blue light from the Sea Dragon. A yellow camera lens filter serves the same function on an underwater camera.
The Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam is depth rated down to 330 feet (100m). The dual silicone O-ring battery component is independent from the Sea Dragon’s electronics, so the light will not be permanently damaged if water accidentally intrudes.
The Fluoro-Dual Beam includes a Flex-Connect Single Tray, Grip and Sea Dragon Ball Joint Adapter that connects the light to any underwater camera using the 1”/25mm ball-joint mounting system. Like all Sea Dragon lights and strobe, the Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam can easily be expanded with Flex-Connect trays, grips, and mounting accessories. The Sea Dragon Fluoro-Dual Beam includes Flex-Connect Grip, Single Tray, Flex-Connect Sea Dragon Ball Joint Adapter, mask and camera barrier filters for $499.95.
SeaLife Underwater Cameras are made by Pioneer Research in Moorestown, NJ makes and were first introduced in 1993. In 2000, SeaLife developed the world’s first digital underwater camera. In 2007, SeaLife developed the first non-housed digital underwater camera, and in 2013 SeaLife introduced the powerful Sea Dragon Lighting system and its innovative Flex-Connect tray, grip, arm, and accessory system. By 2014, SeaLife introduced the Micro HD, the world’s first permanently sealed underwater camera, followed by the new Micro 2.0 in 2015. SeaLife cameras, lighting and accessories are sold and serviced in 64 countries around the world.
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