Tsunami Update

By billrini

Dec

29

Here’s some misc. stories being pulled up from various sources:

Lucky dive instructor Karen Hanneman just escapes the tsunami

Scuba divers on a dive when the tsunami hit

80 divers rescued from Emerald Cave on Ko Muk island

Another pair of divers avoid the tsunami while diving.

Tsunami

By billrini

Dec

26

Reports are coming in from various sources regarding the tsunami that hit many Indian Ocean coasts. One of my favorite dive spots, Phuket in Thailand, was hit pretty hard. Below are a couple of ariel photographs of the damage. According to Reuters, several divers were killed in Phuket while exploring Emeral Cave.

Rsunami Photo 1

Tsunami Photo 2

Expats living in Thailand seem to be covering the story pretty well with contacts on the island giving spotty reports.

Touirsts tell of their tidal wave ordeal

PHUKET: Swedish tourist Kjell Sk�ld, of Gothenburg, has described how the rising waters of the wave trapped him, his wife, Bibi, and their young children in their bungalow at Andaman Bay Resort, at Bang Tao.

�The water went out then came back in very, very quickly, taking everything with it,� said Mr Sk�ld. �When the water came into the bungalow, we put everything on the beds � all the windows were closed, so the water kept pushing everything up towards the roof.

�It pushed us up to the roof, then the roof came off and we floated away.�

After being washed down to land, Mr and Mrs Sk�ld managed to get their seven-year-old daughter, Stephanie, to safety in a high cement building, but then realized that their 10-year-old son, Sebastian, was missing.

He was found a few minutes later, about 200 meters away, sitting in a tree the flood had swept him to. �I can�t put into words what it feels like to be missi ng your son,� said Mr Sk�ld.

He added that the family were four days into a three-week holiday. �We were supposed to be going to Koh Lanta today, but we�ve lost everything. This is all we have,� said Mr Skoll holding up a 15-liter backpack.

Marie Holmberg, her husband Henrik and her parents Denis and Gun Larsson went to see the chaos caused by the the first wave to hit Karon Beach � and found themselves caught up in the second wave.

�We were standing there taking pictures and the wave started coming back, faster and faster, so we started to run away, faster and faster, but my parents didn�t run fast enough,� said Mrs Holmberg, from Sweden.

The wave knocked Mr and Mrs Larsson over, and they were hit by rubbish floating in the water, but they were well enough to make their own way to Phuket International Hospital for Mr Larsson to be treated for a badly damaged toe and other cuts and bruises.

A member of staff at Bangkok Phuket Hospital said that at least 50 victims of the wave were taken to the hospital within an hour and a half of the wave hitting the island, but she said it was too early to confirm the numbers of injured � or the number of dead.

Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
15:27 local time (GMT +7)

www.phuketgazette.net

More Than 60 Nations to Protect Sharks

By billrini

Dec

18

More than 60 countries agreed Sunday to ban the killing of sharks for their fins in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that conservationists hope will increase protection of threatened species around the world.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas drew up the agreement at its annual meeting being held in New Orleans. The group, which oversees management of many Atlantic fish species, acted on a proposal by the United States.

Read the rest at ENN

Diving Roatan

By billrini

Dec

16

USA Today is running a nice little story about diving in Roatan, Honduras.

Underwater photography 101

By billrini

Dec

15

Andrew Sia has an excellent article in Malaysia’s The Star on getting started with underwater photography.

Santa Swims With Sharks

By billrini

Dec

10

Santa dove into the shark tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific hoping to get kids interested in marine life. In addition to seeing Santa, children watched as other animals were treated to special holiday treats, including icy candy canes and cookies.

Read it here.

Bamboo sharks released at Cape Panwa

By billrini

Dec

6

Bamboo sharks released at Cape Panwa

CAPE PANWA: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PBMC) and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization pooled their resources and released 99 Indonesian Bamboo sharks yesterday in a gesture to mark the birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyedej.

The sharks – between six and 12 months old and measuring up to 50 centimeters long – were bred at the PMBC.

Harmless to humans, these creatures – which reach around a meter long when fully grown – can, surprisingly, live out of water for up to 12 hours.

Although bamboo sharks are not classed as endangered, there is concern that accidental or deliberate fishing may soon begin to take their toll on the species.

Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
12:01 local time (GMT +7)

Scuba Diving in Thailand

By billrini

Dec

2

If you’re planning a scuba trip to Thailand, here’s a nice directory of dive ops.

Wondrous plunge

By billrini

Dec

1

China Daily profiles Tan Xiaolong’s love of scuba diving and the excitement he has for the sport.

Curiosity caused Tan to dive head-long into the hobby about 10 years ago. He is captivated by the ecology beneath the water’s surface.

And he still hasn’t satisfied his seemingly insatiable curiosity. Instead, he has taken his hobby to a new level: He has become a diving instructor.

That combination – diving and teaching – helps Tan escape the stresses, and psychological burdens, that come from his day job.

Whenever he feels stressed and tired, he plans a trip to the colourful world beneath the sea.

“It is not an exaggeration that I find something new each time,” Tan said, with a broad smile.

I know just how Tan feels. I became an instructor for the same reasons. I wasn’t looking for a new career but sharing the experience of diving with students helps me “escape the stresses, and psychological burdens,” of my day job :-)