Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club
www.llantrisantdivers.com

SWSFC Guidance Leaflet

 

 
Marine Conservation & Underwater Photography
 
Whale Sharks and Mantas in Hanivaru Bay, Baa Atoll, Maldives

In September 2011 the club is running a trip to Baa Atoll in the Maldives. The main purpose of this expedition is to have close encounters with Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. The plan is to visit Baa Atoll. There is a site in this atoll where mantas and whalesharks are frequently seen in large numbers. The following gives some idea of what we can expect to find on this expedition.

Hanifaru, an island located in Baa Atoll in the Maldives Archipelago, is one of the world's most important sites for the majestic manta ray. Each year between May and November the tide works its magic to suck krill and other plankton into Hanifaru Bay. The tiny creatures then become trapped and form an irresistibly thick soup. This delightful offering attracts manta rays from all over the Maldives and they converge here to feed in their hundreds.

Hanifaru, is an uninhabited island with a natural underwater bay -locally known as 'Vandhumaafaru Adi'- famous for whale sharks. The bay, known to divers as 'Aquarium' is home to a large numbers of whale sharks, grey sharks, manta rays and sting rays, is also a nursery for these species.

The National Geographic Magazine exclusively reported on this phenomenon in their July 2009 issue. It covers the work of marine biologist Guy Stevens and features photographs by photographer Thomas Peschak. Stevens, who has been running the manta ray research project from the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavuaru resort for the past five years, says, "Hanifaru is one of the last places on the planet where manta rays and whale sharks still roam in numbers reminiscent of times gone by".


In a giant step towards protecting these threatened creatures the Maldives Government has proclaimed the waters around Hanifaru in Baa Atoll a marine protected area (MPA). This and the creation of two other MPAs, An'gafaru also in Baa atoll and Maamigili in the South Ari atoll, demonstrates the Maldives government's forward thinking in marine conservation.

Here is a copy of a recent email from Lisa on MV Sea Queen:

Hi Pete

Yep, thats were we go and have done for the past three years. I know Guy Stevens. All my best video footage of Whale Sharks & Mantas are from Hani Faru and that's where you will go when you come back out on Sea Queen.

It's an amazing place i just love Baa.. all our best sightings have been around Sept/Oct.

Best fishes Lisa


Some useful web links:

National Geographic

Save Our Seas Foundation

Bluepeace Blog

YouTube - Hanifaru

Maldives Dive Travel - Blog

 

 
Our Marine Conservation Officer - Ceri Jones - Monthly Blog - May 2009

With the sea temperatures getting warmer, May begins with the bank holiday and as all the new members are getting more dives under their belt so the marine life becomes more abundant. More weird and wonderful creatures begin to appear on the sea bed coming back from deeper waters to our shallow shores.

Events this month:

  • May 9th & 10th - Seasearch dives around Ramsay/ North Pembs. Contact; Kate Lock - www.seasearch.org.uk
  • May 16th - N.A.R.C. clean up. Hobbs Point. Contact; Dave Kennard - www.narc-cc.org
  • May16th & 17th - Seasearch dives around Newquay and Cardigan. Contact; Kate Lock - www.seasearch.org.uk

As new events come in they will be added to this list


This month we will take a look at the Phylum Echinodermata.

There are five main groups that make up this family. Brittle stars, Feather stars, Starfish, Sea cucumbers and Sea urchins.

The name Echinoderm meaning "spiny-skinned" and relates to the skeleton of these animals which consists of bony plates which cover the body. They may stick out to form spines in starfish or rigid plates in sea urchins. All these creatures have tube feet and crawl around using a hydraulic like system whereby they pump water around a series of canals which then allow the tubes to move independently in any direction so they never need to turn around when changing direction.

In starfish, Spawning takes place when the female releases her eggs into the water and the male then releases his sperm to fertilize the eggs. The eggs then go through several larval stages before finally attaching themselves to the sea bed where the young starfish then emerges.

Some species feed on other starfish but for most their main food is molluscs such as mussels and clams. You may witness this when you see the starfish arched up on all the arms so that they completely cover the prey. They then use the tubes of the feet to prise apart the shell and then they extend their stomach out of the body through their mouth where the juices in the stomach then dissolve the inside of the mollusc and they eat it alive. Nice!

Starfish can regenerate them selves from a single arm so long as part of the central body is still attached to it.

With most echinoderms having a central body with five or more arms attached we have the common starfish (with five arms) and then the common sun star with up to fourteen arms.


Feather stars have ten long arms and brittle stars again with five arms. The latter tending to gather together to form "brittle star beds". These are the largest group with around 18,000 species worldwide, 40 different species are found in UK waters.

Then we have the sea cucumber "cotton spinner" which is easily recognised and found grazing out in the open and the"crevise sea cucumber" found in cracks and crevices in the reef.

And finally we have the sea urchins. These have a hard outer surface, mostly round with a beak like mouth at the centre on the underside.

Again these graze on the reef except for the sea potato and the heart urchin which can be found buried in the sand and soft sediment.


For those keen to know more about our wonderful diversity of marine life, see the M.C.S. publications.

You can contact the Marine Conservation Society on their website at www.mcsuk.org/ .

><((())):>

Ceri Jones
Marine Conservation Officer.

 

Marine Coastal Access Bill

In late 2009 Parliament will enact the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. This new law will establish a new network of marine conservation zones to protect species and habitats of national importance.

The Welsh Assembly Government has the aim for the Welsh marine environment, as set out in the Environment Strategy for Wales, to ensure clean seas that will enable healthy and functioning ecosystems that are biologically diverse and resilient.

In order to achieve this aim, however, it is vital to understand what is biologically significant in Wales’ marine environment, in order than conservation zones are correctly sited to achieve the conservation aims intended.

Throughout 2009, volunteer SCUBA divers have surveyed the biology of the Pembrokeshire coast, through the Marine Conservation Society’s Seasearch programme, in a weekly programme of intensive marine surveys.

In this open public lecture, Ms. Vicky Swales (Seasearch Instructor) will present the results of the 2009 marine surveys and discuss the significance of the biogeography and importance of marine species for Wales. The likely impact of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill on Wales, and the introduction of Marine Protected Areas will also be discussed.

Anyone with an interest in marine biology, marine biogeography and SCUBA diving is more than welcome to attend.

Date: Wednesday 14th October
Venue: Room GT9012,
Glyntaf Campus,
University of Glamorgan
Time: 19:30
Contact: Simon Jones, sdjones2@glam.ac.uk
or 01443 654 490

Portuguese Man-O-War in Pembrokeshire

BATHERS are being warned about the possible presence of Portuguese man o’war jellyfish on Pembrokeshire’s beaches.

During the last week, four of the creatures — which carry a poisonous sting in their trailing tentacles — have been found washed up on Amroth beach in the south of the county with another six found on the water’s edge.

Lifeguards spotted two more just along the coast on the South Beach in the popular resort of Tenby with another three being spotted in Mill Bay near St Anne’s Head at the mouth of the Milford Haven waterway.

The notices, which are being erected by the county council at more than 30 of Pembrokeshire’s Blue Flag and Green Flag beaches, warn of the possible presence of Portuguese man o’war jellyfish.

Swimmers are also advised to stay in lifeguarded areas where possible.

Anyone seeing a jellyfish is advised to inform the lifeguard or contact a beach warden on 07770 574242 or 07721 861005.

Council spokesman, Len Mullins, said: “The Portuguese man o’war is a rare visitor to these shores and the chances of swimmers actually encountering one in the water while bathing are extremely slim.

“However they do possess a sting said to be ten times stronger than an ordinary jellyfish and swimmers should be aware of their possible presence.”

Treatment for the sting – which leaves whip-like, red welts on the skin – involves washing with salt water and then applying ice to dull the pain.

The Portuguese Man-O-War

Anyone unfamiliar with the biology of the venomous Portuguese man-of-war would likely mistake it for a jellyfish. Not only is it not a jellyfish, it's not even an "it," but a "they." The Portuguese man-of-war is a siphonophore, an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together.

The man-of-war comprises four separate polyps. It gets its name from the uppermost polyp, a gas-filled bladder, or pneumatophore, which sits above the water and somewhat resembles an old warship at full sail. Man-of-wars are also known as bluebottles for the purple-blue color of their pneumatophores.

The tentacles are the man-of-war's second organism. These long, thin tendrils can extend 165 feet (50 meters) in length below the surface, although 30 feet (10 meters) is more the average. They are covered in venom-filled nematocysts used to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures. For humans, a man-of-war sting is excruciatingly painful, but rarely deadly. But beware—even dead man-of-wars washed up on shore can deliver a sting.

Muscles in the tentacles draw prey up to a polyp containing the gastrozooids or digestive organisms. A fourth polyp contains the reproductive organisms.

Man-of-wars are found, sometimes in groups of 1,000 or more, floating in warm waters throughout the world's oceans. They have no independent means of propulsion and either drift on the currents or catch the wind with their pneumatophores. To avoid threats on the surface, they can deflate their air bags and briefly submerge.

 

The Great Stingray Migration

Gulf of Mexico

Like autumn leaves floating in a sunlit pond, this vast expanse of magnificent stingrays animates the bright blue seas of the Gulf of Mexico.

Taken off the coast of Mexico's Holbox Island by amateur photographer Sandra Critelli, this breathtaking picture captures the migration of thousands of rays as they follow the clockwise current from Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to western Florida.

Measuring up to 6ft 6in across, poisonous golden cow-nose rays migrate in groups - or 'fevers' - of up to 10,000 as they glide their way silently towards their summer feeding grounds.

They migrate twice yearly: north in late spring (as pictured here) and south in late autumn.

There are around 70 species of stingray in the world's oceans, but these cow-nose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) have distinctive, highdomed heads, giving them a curiously bovine appearance.

But despite their placid looks, they are still armed with a poisonous stinger, which can be deadly to humans (even though sharks, their main predators, are more likely to provoke them).

The stinger, a razor-sharp spine that grows from the creature's whip-like tail, can reach almost 15 inches in length and carries a heady dose of venom.

It was a similar stinger that killed the hugely popular Australian naturalist Steve Irwin in 2006.

But even equipped with this powerful punch, cow-nose stingrays are shy and non-threatening in large 'fevers'. Even when isolated, they will attack only when cornered or threatened.
Unlike other stingrays, they rarely rest on the seabed (where unsuspecting humans can step on them) and prefer to be on the move.

They migrate long distances, and can be found as far south as the Caribbean and as far north as New England.

They use their extended pectoral fins to swim, and often turn upside down, curling their fin tips above the surface of the water - leaving terrified swimmers convinced that they have seen a shark.

Their flexible fins also come in handy when rustling up food. By flapping them rapidly over the seabed, they stir up sand and reveal crabs, shellfish and oysters, which they then feed on using their powerful, grinding teeth.

Their particular fondness for shellfish has made them public enemy number one with oyster fishermen.

But despite this, their numbers are exploding, thanks in part to rising sea temperatures. They mate every winter, and females produce a litter of five to ten young.

Stingrays (which are related to skates and sharks) have never been widely fished for food, mainly because of their rubbery flesh.

But barbecued stingray and dried fins are common in Singapore and Malaysia, while pickled stingray remains a traditional favourite in Iceland.

 

A letter from Vicky Swales

(former club marine conservation officer)

Dear All

Hope you all have had a good summer of diving! We have had several good Seasearch dives in the last few weeks with some good visibility and interesting seabed habitats but sadly no Mantis Shrimps!. Those of you that would still like to join us on a Seasearch dive for the remainder of 2006 have a choice of three dates left.

Wednesday 30th August, Sunday 10th September and Sunday 17th September. If your interested in joining us then please fill in the attachment and return ASAP as places are filling up quickly.

We also have a Seasearch Observer course on Saturday 16th September, 9am - 4.30pm at Hampshire Wildlife Trust in Botley. Again please fill in the attachment if interested.

I would also like to ask if anyone is interested in attending a Seasearch Surveyor course? I know that several of you have enquired earlier on in the year about the Surveyor course and we are hoping to run one in October subject to demand. I have provisionally booked the weekend of the 7th/8th. You need to already be a Seasearch observer and have a up-do-date log book with all paperwork signed off. This two day course does requires a a dive on the second day for completion. Please can you reply by Monday 11th September to confirm if you are interested in attending so I can finalise arrangements.

I do hope that you can join us on a Seasearch dive soon.

Cheers, Vicky

Seasearch Dives

Volunteers are to meet at Hayling Island Ferry Pontoon on the Eastney side at 10am for the 30th August, and 9am for both dives in September.

Cost of dives is £15 subject to weather conditions. Dive site, IOW. Further details will be send once your booking form is received.

Please particularly make note of the following points: Copies of the following must be shown to the Dive Marshal before boarding the vessel:

  1. Diving qualification (and training agency).
  2. Date of and expiry of doctors medical examination or UK sport diver medical self-certification.
  3. Who provides your diver third party insurance? (e.g BSAC, SAA, DAN, PADI) if you are not already insured, please ensure you arrange cover prior to the course.
  4. Date of most recent sea dive (log book) Due to Health and Safety requirements, divers who do not show all paperwork on the day will not be allowed to dive, so it is important to make sure that all information is presented to the Dive Marshal.

Divers are advised that a 'Seasearch dive' should not be their first sea dive or deepest dive of the season. It is recommended that a UK 'warm-up' dive has already taken place.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me, for further information about Seasearch details can be found on http://www.seasearch.org.uk

Seasearch Observer Course

This is a one-day course aimed at giving divers new to the project and new to marine recording a basic grounding. At the end of the course you should be able to complete the Seasearch Observation Form and take part in Seasearch Dives either on your own, with your club or on dives organised by Seasearch Partners.

During the course you'll learn about Seasearch - its aims, history and achievements, a basic introduction to the variety of marine life in UK waters, recognising and classifying marine habitats, position fixing, and how to fill in the Observation Form. The day concludes with a 'video dive' and an opportunity to fill in a form without even getting wet! The course includes a splash proof course pack and everything you'll need to go ahead and get started.

The tutors are all divers themselves and drawn from our partner organisations and keen Seasearchers. A real dive isn't a part of the course but sometimes one is arranged locally for you to practice your techniques with a tutor on hand. During the course you'll get a Seasearch Qualification booklet. Once you have completed 5 for real (two on dives with a Tutor present) you can get signed up as a Seasearch Observer.

Seasearch Surveyor Course

The Surveyor Course is aimed at experienced Seasearch Observers and others with a good background knowledge of marine life and marine recording. The aim is to enable you to complete the Seasearch Survey Form which is used on most of the expeditionary Seasearch dives and which gives much more detailed information for future conservation purposes.

The course lasts two days and includes a dive on the second day. The Course content is an expansion of the Observer Course and covers a much wider range of marine life and habitat classification. Again we use video on the first day and you fill in practice forms both from the video and from the dive itself. The course is assessed and successful participants can become Seasearch Surveyors after completing a further five forms.

Vicky Swales

 

Container Ship Hits Jackson Reef

A large cargo vessel has gone hard aground on Woodhouse Reef, in the northern Red Sea.

The 260m-long, Hong Kong-flagged CSCL Hamburg hit the reef, between the Sinai coast and Tiran Island, on the morning of New Year’s Eve, while en route to Singapore.

Diving operators and others are relieved that, so far, there appear to have been no leakages from the hull.

Damage is reportedly limited to the bow area, but could be severe as the ship ran on to the reef at a speed of about 20 knots. There were no injuries to crew or loss of cargo.

The extent of damage to corals has yet to be assessed, and the diving community waits to learn what impact the grounding will have on diving in the area, in terms both of any salvage operation and of damage done to the reef.

John Kean, a Sharm El Sheikh-based PADI and TDI diving instructor and author of the book SS Thistlegorm, saw events unfold from a dive boat some way off, before moving in for a closer look.

“The ship passed the first reef, Jackson, at 10am and instead of continuing past Gordon Reef, the last of the four reefs in the Tiran Straits, it went between the middle two reefs, Woodhouse and Thomas,” he told Divernet.

“The gap here is less than 80m. The ship, with a beam of 32.3m, struck Woodhouse Reef just 50m from its end but went hard on to the top by a distance of around 25m.”

Kean later learned that, according to early reports, the ship deviated when its third officer, temporarily in charge of the bridge, turned to port to avoid a small craft.

It was thought that the officer either over-steered the vessel or underestimated its ability to turn back on to a safe course.

The Straits of Tiran are popular with scuba divers coming out of Sharm El Sheikh, for the scenic drift diving that can be had in the vicinities of Woodhouse, Jackson, Gordon and Thomas Reefs.

Fortunately no fuel or oil leakages appeared to have occurred, and that pumps were at work to deal with water ingress which was limited to the bow area, due to the ship’s watertight compartments.

 

Diving for Crabs & Lobsters

New pages have been added to this web site with reference to the byelaws governing the landing of fish and shellfish by divers.

During a recent committee meeting the subject was discussed at length and it was decided that it would be helpful if the regulations were published on the site for the benefit of the membership.

The regulations are enforced and penalties for breaching the regulations can be severe and include large fines and/or confiscation of boats.

The new links are as follows:

South Wales Fisheries Committee Byelaws

South Wales Fisheries Guidance Leaflet

EU Minimum Fish Sizes (PDF)

 

Prime Minister commits to Marine Bill

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has confirmed that the Government is preparing the long-awaited "Marine Bill" for introduction early in the fourth Session of Parliament - possibly within a matter of weeks.

This follows ongoing campaigning by wildlife organisations MCS, RSPB, WWF and the Wildlife Trusts, including: a full page advertisement calling for the Bill in national newspapers; an "Early Day Motion" put forward in parliament; and support for the Marine Bill and Marine Reserves by BBC presenters Kate Humble and Simon King.

It also coincided 25 years to the day with the Marine Conservation Society's inaugural registration as a UK charity.

The Marine Bill is vital to enable the designation of Marine Conservation Zones to protect nationally important wildlife such as pink sea fans, eel grass beds, seahorse, maerl and basking sharks. At present less than 0.001% of our seas are highly protected from damaging activities.

 

Maldives adopts blanket shark-fishing ban

A 10-year-old moratorium banning shark fishing in parts of the Maldives has been extended to cover the whole island group.

Since its adoption in 1998, the moratorium covered seven atolls - but now it extends to 12 nautical miles off any Maldives land mass.

The Maldivian Government has taken the step in the face of evidence that shark populations in the area have come under threat from fishing practices, with takes exceeding sharks' abilities to reproduce.

Abdullah Nasir, the Fisheries Ministry's Permanent Secretary, said: "The fisheries law clearly tells us that we can protect any marine species if we feel that it's threatened or endangered for any reason."

The Maldives is a draw for diving tourists, attracted by its reputation for healthy populations of sharks, in particular hammerheads.

Acknowledging that the islands' shark groups are "very important for tourism", Nasir added that his ministry was "working towards" enshrining the moratorium permanently in law, with the aim of banning shark-fishing and the export of shark products within the next year.

Conservationists have welcomed the move - but caution that effects should be monitored. Maldivian reef ecologist Marie Saleem, while welcoming the Government's announcement, said that reef shark populations will require careful assessment to determine the effect of the moratorium and any subsequent statutory ban.

Some observatioins by Rob (Biffo) Bryning of
Maldives Scuba Tours:


We have truly had a great winter season with superb encounters with all the big stuff.

It’s particularly encouraging to see the numbers of grey reef sharks back on the increase. We were worried that they had been all fished out but, for whatever reason, we are now seeing regular large shoals of these wonderful animals.

Crayfish Study
Some marine related news:

The following snippets are from the Wildlife Trust marine news section. Some information about seasearch courses and dives in Wales are at the end.

  • Latest issue of MPA News, including Skomer, MPAs for migratory species and more.
    click here
  • Scottish consultation on wave and tidal energy.
    click here
  • Climate change at the coast – CoastNet conference.
    click here
  • Bass Minimum Landing Size petition. The recreational sea angling lobby has proposed that the Minimum Landing Size (MLS) for the taking of bass should be increased to 45cm which is the size at which each fish will have spawned at least once. The commercial industry is generally against this move. Defra had recognized the importance of increasing the MLS and last year announced an interim increase to 40cm starting 6th April 2007 with a view to a larger increase in 2010. A last minute meeting with the commercial sector has put a hold on any increase. There is a petition at the No. 10 Downing Street website to increase the MLS to 45cm.
    click here
  • Plans for Olympic Marina on Dorset coast.
    click here
  • Fishing off Sussex costs a trawler skipper £10,300. The owner and skipper of the Brixham beam trawler Angus Rose, was fined a £6,500 with a further £3,800 costs, by Brighton magistrates on March 29th after pleading guilty to 17 log book offences and fishing inside the protected six mile limit off Hastings.

    In an interview submitted to the court, Mr. George admitted to Marine Fisheries inspectors that he never filled his log book until the end of a fishing trip. The rules state that he is required to do so by midnight every night.

    Prosecuting for the Marine Fisheries Agency and the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee, David Buck, said a large vessel like the Angus Rose fishing inside the six mile limit had a damaging impact on the marine environment and in-shore fish stocks.

    Magistrates said it was clear that the Angus Rose had consistently fished within the six mile limit and there was no excuse for it because sophisticated equipment on board showed Mr. George exactly where he was.

    Mr. George claimed the log book offences were “minor clerical errors” and his encroachment inside the six mile limit was because he was short-handed and tired. ”Magistrates said that after previous warnings, a small fine and a conditional discharge in the past it was time to impose a significant financial penalty.

    Paul Johnson, senior MFA fisheries officer based at Shoreham said: “This case shows the Marine Fisheries Agency and the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee working in partnership to enforce the rules which are designed preserve the inshore marine environment and fish stocks.”
  • Latest issue of emarine. click here
    including PhD on Citizenship and the Marine Environment.
  • Education: marine mammals and noise. Canadian lesson plan on the impacts of noise on harbour porpoises. click here
  • Shark fishing upsets ecosystem and damages shellfisheries. click here
Observer Courses
date location contact
April 14th/15th Marloes, Pembrokeshire West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
28th/29th April Bangor, Gwynedd North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
May 19th/20th Kenfig, S. Wales South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
9th/10th June Tudweiliog, Llyn Peninsula North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
 
Observer Dives
date location contact
28th-29th April St Brides, Pembrokeshire West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
29th April Menai Strait shore dive North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
12th-13th May Milford Haven BAP species diving West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
19th/20th May Treaddur Bay, Anglesey North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
20th May West Wales - qualifying dives South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
2nd/3rd June Cardigan Bay -
skate & ray egg search
North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
9th-10th June Seasearch Dive In -
All around the UK
National Coordinator - Chris Wood
9th-10th June Seasearch Dive In -
Aberystwyth & Cardigan Bay
West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
9th 10th June Seasearch Dive In - Gower South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
10th June Seasearch Dive In - Lleyn Peninsula North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
22nd-24th June Grassholme liveaboard South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
23rd June South Isle of Wight Hants/IOW Seasearch - Vicky Swales
23rd-24th June Skomer MNR urchin survey West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
7th-8th July Skomer MNR urchin survey West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
8th July Cardigan Bay - skate & ray egg search North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
20th-22nd July Pembrokeshire Offshore liveaboard South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
21st/22nd July Pwhelli North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
21st-22nd July Milford Haven BAP species diving West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
4th-5th August Aberystwyth & Cardigan Bay West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
11th/12th August Cardigan Bay -
skate & ray egg search
North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
18th-19th August West Wales - site to be confirmed West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
18th/19th August Amlwch, Anglesey North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
24th-26th August Lundy liveaboard (from Wales!) South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
7th-9th September Liveaboard South Wales -
sites to be confirmed
South Wales Seasearch - Vicki Howe
8th/9th September Lleyn Peninsula North Wales Seasearch - Paul Turkentine
15th-16th Sept North Pembrokeshire West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock
Some useful photography web resources:
  1. Alan James Photography
    www.marine-cameras.com


  2. Underwater photography is a free web based magazine: www.uwpmag.com.

  3. www.wetpixel.com is a website dedicated to providing the latest information on digital underwater photography.

  4. Digideep www.digideep.com Provides a permanent market overview of essential equipment.

  5. British society of underwater photographers
    [ BSOUP ] www.bsoup.org

  6. Nikon uk www.nikon.co.uk

  7. Canon uk www.canon.co.uk

  8. Paul williams Professional Photographic laboratory services. www.phoenix-imaging.com
-
 
-
 
-
 
-
 
 
SAA Club 349
 
Marine Conservation Society
 
 
 
Alan James Photography
 
Cameras Underwater
 
British Society of Underwater Photographers
 
Wildlife Trust Marine Section
 
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
 
Visit Pembrokeshire
 
Friends of Pembrokeshire
 
The Shark Trust
 
Campaign for the Protection of Rural WAles
 
The Countryside Council for WAles
 
Wildlife Wales
 
The Nature of Wales
 
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
 
BBC Nature - Wales & Southwest
 
British Divers Marine Life Rescue
 
RSPB
 
World Wildlife Fund
 

Read Phil's Postings
 
Divernet Magazine
 
SAA Website
 
Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs
 
X-RAY MAG is an international dive magazine. It is complimentary and published in pdf-format and distributed worldwide over the internet every other month.
 
The National Diving & Activity Centre
 
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency
 
The Royal National Lifeboat s Institution
 
THe Diving Diseases Research Centre
 
 
 
 
Atlantic Pressure Charts
 
UK Wind Chart
 
 
UK Wind Map
 
UK Tidal Predictions
 
Tidal Prediction
 
Admiralty Charts
 
Imray Charts
 
West Wales Sailing
 
 
 
Copyright © 2002 - .... Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club. All rights reserved.