Dive Times - April 2012 Newsletter

Dive Times

KIA ORA, We’re back! Yes, we have been away for a while but welcome back to our bi-monthly newsletter to give you the latest news on Courses, Dive Trips, Tertiary Courses, shop clearance specials, safety notices, environmental news and equipment updates!

Photo: Jen Clent

Issue 50 April 2012

Easter’s almost here so catch up with us over the holiday break. The Easter break is a great time to go diving, book your next PADI course, or look at our great range of diving gear. We have a lot of exciting dives and activities taking place, so make the most of the holidays with family and friends and come diving with us!

Shop Hours over Easter: Closed Friday, Open Saturday 8.30am until 5.30pm closed Sunday and Easter Monday.

Recreational Courses New Open Water Divers Certified Completing the March Open Water course was a challenge for our instructor Victoria with our interesting weather patterns….however our students managed to complete their skills and open water dives… and are now fully certified to dive to 18 meters!

Open Water Courses - Secondary Schools Programme Do you know that any senior secondary school pupils who want to learn to dive? Dive Otago provideds partially or fully funded PADI Open Water Cources for senior secondary students. Simply ask your schools STAR or career advisor about you options!

Courses schedualed for the April holidays are completely full, with students from The Catlins Area School, South Otago High School and even as far south as Gore High School, Southland Girls and Southland Boys High School who are participating in the Open Water Course over this time. We have more courses scheduled for the next holidays and Students can also join any of our monthly weekend courses.

Congratulations! Dive Otago would like to congratulate our recently Certified Open Water Divers! Shane Corrigan, Sean Bossy, Cathleen Hauman, Derek Morrison, Kelly Morris, Andrea Fikse with instructor Victoria East.

Congratulations to the guys from Kings High School who completed their Discover Snorkel on Friday 23 March at Wellers Rock. Great day had by all and lots to see!

COURSES COMING UP • Discover Scuba- May 2nd (6pm) • Open Water - Start Dates April 23rd, May 5th & June 2nd • Advanced Start Dates April 26th or May 24th • Rescue - May 23rd

Issue 50 April 2012

Photos: Jen Clent

Dive Times

Dive Trips Northern Delights – February 2012.

Words and photos By Jen Clent I had the privilege of taking 9 customers on a trip to explore the wonders of diving in Northland! The Northern Delights trip is the first of its kind to be run by Dive Otago and it definitely did not disappoint!

After flying up to Auckland we drove to Leigh and snorkeled Goat Island Marine Reserve, where we were greeted with rain but once in the water (a toasty 19degrees) we saw eagle rays, big snapper, heaps of leather jackets, red moki and lots more! Day 2 we headed off for 3 awesome dives at the Mokohinaus. We were super lucky this day as we had a brilliant encounter snorkeling with Bottlenose dolphins in-between dives 2 and 3. Thinking the day could not get any better we jumped in for dive 3…as soon as we descended we could hear the dolphins, knowing they couldn’t be far away we spent most of the dive looking around into the clear blue water for a glimpse…10mins into the dive through a wall of 2spot demoiselles came the first wave of these beautiful creatures! The rest of the dive was spent hovering at around 17m whilst a pod of at least 15 dolphins, babies included, played around us.

Half the group had navigated round the other side of the island & were also lucky enough to see a bronze whaler shark!

The next 4 nights were spent on a liveaboard diving the Poor Knights Islands & the Waikato wreck. The weather was not as kind to us with lots of rain but we still managed to get 11 dives in across the 3 days. With so many photographers in the group we were all stoked with the subjects underwater, moray eels, strange wee

TRIPS COMING UP • Milford Sound – July 2012 & February 2013 • Solomon Islands – Honiara, Tulagi Wreck and Reef – July 2013 • Northern Delights – Hauraki Gulf, Poor Knights, Rainbow Warrior. March 2013 • Stewart Island – Oyster Season 2013

nudibranchs, massive schools of blue & pink mao mao, yellow tail mackerel being mustered into massive baitballs by the large kingfish just to name a few. The Waikato wreck was also great to take pictures of & some divers now have a new found enthusiasm for wreck diving.

As the week drew to a close we had one last day’s diving on the infamous Rainbow Warrior & finished the week off with a cruisey reef dive at the Cavelli Islands. The Warrior is a beautiful wreck to photograph with hundreds of jewel anemones of vibrant colours, schools of leather jackets & moray eels hiding in cracks and holes. Our last night was spent enjoying a relaxing drink and dinner in Paihia, the following morning saw some heading to Waitangi, then we all jumped on the ferry to Russell for lunch in the oldest pub in New Zealand before making our way back to Auckland airport exhausted but happy.

Northern Delights is going to become an annual trip so watch this space for details on next year’s schedule to secure your place!

Milford Sound – 6th to 9th July 2012.

There is something very majestic about diving in Milford Sound. Our transport will drive you over one of the most beautiful roads in the world, over a mountain pass and through a tunnel. As our boat takes off, you look out at arguably one of the most picturesque views in the world.

Dive through a layer of blurry fresh water, which is stained with tannins from the forest trees, and when you reach the clear salt water huge trees of rarely seen black coral greet you, as well as an abundance of various marine life.

When you exit the water, giant waterfalls surround the boat. Yes, it is a truly majestic experience. Only $699.

Limited spaces so book in early!

Dive Times

Issue 50 April 2012

PADI Instructor Exam - Open Water day November 2011 Congratulations all of the Participates! Well Done

Tertiary Training Enrolments are still open!

NEW RECRUITS Molly Christmas, Scott Nelson, Dylan Jackson, Steven Tennant, Jake McEnaney with Chris Zinsli (instructor) of our 2012 February Diploma Students in their first days of their open water course at Aramoana.

2012 got off to a very busy start at Dive Otago. 21 new Diploma in Professional Scuba Instructor & 2 National Certificate in Diving (Foundation) students began their full-time training and are already all Open Water Certified! We have 6 girls & 17 guys ranging in age from 18 to 33yrs. It’s a great mix of students so it’s looking like it will be a very ahead. fun year Also starting up this month is the hugely popular part-time National Certificate in Diving (Foundation). This qualification trains you through Open Water, Advanced Open Water, First Aid & Rescue Diver; it can open the door to a variety of opportunities within the dive industry.

As a PADI Rescue diver you will have the prerequisite dive training for entry into diving related areas such as underwater scientific research, aquaculture, photography, videography and commercial diving (welding etc). You will experience a wide range of diving activities including Underwater Navigation, Search and Recovery, Night Diving, Wreck Diving, Deep Diving and Boat Diving. You will meet a great bunch of people, log at least 40 dives & spend the next few months exploring Otago’s great dive spots.

The Shop Next time you are in the shop, make yourself known to Celine our new Shop Manager. Along with her extensive retail background she is a qualified instructor. She joins the team downstairs to assist you in your diving equipment needs.

GRADUATE PROFILE Name: Scott Van Der Bosch Year: Diploma 2011 Job: Padi Scuba Diving Instructor Employer: Pacific Divers Location: Ngatangiia, Cook Islands

There is a lot of surplus stock we are moving, so come on in and check them out. First in first served with a lot of these bargains.

The Engine Room (fillling and service) We have been flat out servicing your cylinders and breathing equipment over the past few months. Many of the latest model regulators have

Dive Times

Issue 50 April 2012

CLEARANCE STOCK Aqualung Endeavor 7mm Wetsuit Jacket Sizes Mens 3, 4, 5. $50each Complete Aqualung Endeavor 2 piece 7mm Wetsuit Size 3 $275 Diving Gloves Size S, M, L, XL $29 Neptune Semi-Dry Size 5 Now $795 save $500!

Cressi Ice Lady Semi-Dry Size large Now $550 was$1075!

one or two additional adjustment modes in the form of air-flow or venturi controls. The air-flow adjustment knob should be tweaked underwater to reduce the inhalation effort at depth but is best left wound in a couple of turns to start with. The venturi knob, usually found on top of the second stage if there is no adjustment knob, is also best left in the passive position pre-dive and again adjusted during the dive if required. Adopting these procedures will result in fewer free-flow issues pre-dive.

There has been an increase in older regulators coming into the market that are in poor condition. They are generally cheap to buy but expensive to service. In some cases spares are unavailable because the brand is not supported in New Zealand.

Ask yourself “would I buy a parachute on-line?” The regulator is the most important part of your kit and sustains your life underwater. You should spend as much as you can afford on a brand that is supported by your local Service Centre – Dive Otago Ltd. We now offer Aeris, Oceanic and Aqualung brands in the store which cover all ends of the market. You can see it, touch it, talk to our knowledgeable staff about it, have it serviced here and try it in the pool. You can’t do all of that on the internet.

Dive Otago can offer you finance and lay-by options to help spread the financial load and still enable you to go diving.

Soft Sole Boots Sizes 5-12 $39

Mares Semi-Dry Wetsuit Size 3, 4 & 6 $599 save $300!

NEW STAFF @ DIVE OTAGO

Emma Young Recreational Instructor

Victoria East Recreational Instructor

Celine Dufour Retail Manger

Chris Zinsli Tertiary Instructor

Dive Times

Issue 50 April 2012

Environment Feature - Sharks

Forest and Bird - The New Zealand Shark Fin Story

Pre-dating dinosaurs, sharks have swum through our waters for more than 400 million years and have evolved not just five senses, but seven.

Most of the shark species landed in our fisheries are used for their meat. And to avoid waste, the fins of some species are used. However, seven percent of all sharks landed are taken just for their fins according to Ministry of Fisheries data. A further 1% are taken just for their livers – to extract liver oil.

Finning live sharks is illegal in New Zealand under the Animal Welfare Act, but if the shark is dead it is legal.

Sharks have an incredibly highly developed sense of smell and night vision that rivals cats - and a reputation among divers as being remarkably shy. They are so sensitive to electric fields that some scientists believe that they can detect the Earth’s magnetic field, and they use this to navigate during long migrations.

Anecdotal reports suggest that shark fins are an increasingly common target among commercial fishers because of soaring demand and prices for the fins, and recent newspaper reports indicate that live finning (video) occurs in New Zealand waters, even though this practice is illegal.

Long-lived and slow to mature and breed, these ancient creatures are incredibly vulnerable to over-fishing.

Over the last 10 years or so, shark fishing has increased dramatically, largely because their fins are a prized ingredient in shark fin soup.

In October 2007 the Ministry of Fisheries released a draft National Plan of Action for sharks. Calls to ban the practice of finning in New Zealand were made by Forest & Bird, other Environmental NGOs, leading shark scientists, the NZ Recreational Fishing Association, the Big Game Fishing Council, chefs, food critics and thousands of New Zealanders outraged that we condone such a practice.

Finning - stripping a dead shark of its fins and dumping its body - is banned in several countries, including Australia, the EU, the USA, South Africa, Ecuador, Mexico and Brazil.

However finning is still legal in New Zealand waters. Once stripped from the body of the shark, fins are lightweight, compact and highly lucrative (fins can reach $US700 per kilo), making them a very attractive by-catch.

It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed each year worldwide – in the time it takes you to read this article more than 1800 sharks will have been killed.

The New Zealand situation – why is finning still allowed?

New Zealand has 112 species of shark recorded in our waters. Of these 79 species are known to be caught in our fisheries, including 28 that are listed as threatened by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Only one threatened shark species – the Great White Shark – is protected in New Zealand.

On average 24,000 tonnes of shark are caught each year in New Zealand (Ministry of Fisheries figures) - the equivalent of 300,000 people.

Despite our efforts in October 2008, the 5 year NPOASharks was signed off by the outgoing government condoning the practice of shark finning.

As the guardians of a sea area that is more than 15 times bigger than New Zealand’s land mass, New Zealanders have an international obligation to protect sharks from extinction, and prevent the inevitable ecological disruption that will be created if these ancient creatures are wiped out.

To stop the decimation of our shark population Forest & Bird believes we must follow South Africa, the USA, the EU and others and make it mandatory that sharks be landed whole as a disincentive to stop the lucrative and wasteful business of shark finning.

(Resource: www.forestandbird.com)

Project Aware

The battle is on to secure the protection sharks deserve.

Dive Times

Issue 50 April 2012

During April’s Big Shark Shout Out, stand with divers worldwide and demand overdue protections from over-exploitation: overfishing, finning, and bycatch.

Project AWARE is targeting the power of one of the world’s largest, most effective wildlife conservation agreements to do it - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

While CITES has helped to save a myriad of terrestrial species like the African elephant, the effort to add sharks and marine fish to CITES is still relatively new territory, resulting in difficult battles.

WHAT YOU CAN YOU DO IN 5 MINUTES? • Sign the most important shark petition on the planet (at least we think so)! We’ll carry your voice to those who can make shark protection a reality.

• Be a petition organizer and visit the Big Shark Shout Out Action Kit to grab all the tools to take a bigger stand for sharks.

• Get creative and show your passion for sharks on camera in PADI and Project AWARE’s joint “I Heart Sharks” photo contest. Start taking shots now. The contest begins 9 April and deadline to enter is 30 April. There might just be a prize in it for you.

• Make a pledge to support the banning of shark finning.

• Say no to shark fin soup and other shark products.

• Share the knowledge - tell your friends about your concerns with shark finning.

The Best Fish Guide The 2012-2013 Best Fish Guide helps consumers play a key role in keeping our oceans healthy and our fishing industry profitable and sustainable into the future.

Forest & Bird’s main concerns about our fisheries are the unsustainable levels of fishing for some species, damaging fishing methods such as bottom trawling, and the unacceptable by-catch of threatened species including New Zealand sea lions, Maui’s dolphins and seabirds, Forest & Bird Marine Conservation Advocate Katrina Subedar says.

“Using the Best Fish Guide gives consumers the power to make a change,” she says. “They can put pressure on the big supermarkets to stock more ecologically sustainable seafood.

The fishing industry would have to respond by using more sustainable fishing methods. Kiwi consumers can also reduce pressure on the heavily fished species we are most concerned about by using the guide when they shop.”

(Resource: www.forestandbird.com)

Dive Times

Issue 50 April 2012

Best Fish Guide Flounder Bake 1 Medium Size Flounder 25gm Butter Sliced Lemon Salt & Pepper Place half of butter in the middle of a piece of tin foil large enough to encase the fish. Centre the underside of the fish flat on top of the butter. Season the topside of the fish with a couple of generous grinds of sea salt and one of black pepper. Place remaining butter in the centre of the fish and add slices of lemon. Fold the tin foil so the fish is encased and bake on 200 degC for 15 minutes. Rest for three minutes. Make sure the flesh flakes off the bone and enjoy with a serving of coleslaw.

Let us know on FB whether you tried this dish or not and do you have a favourite seafood recipe you would like to share with us. Click here to check out more best fish guide friendly recipes from top chefs including Otago’s own Fleur Sullivan.

We hope you enjoyed hearing what’s been going on and what’s coming up at Dive Otago.

We would also love to hear from you. If you have got a story, recipe, joke let us know and we will pop it in the next issue.

Happy Easter from all the team at Dive Otago!

Photo: Jen Clent

Note: Although Flat fish are regarded as a poor choice on the best fish guide the reason for its low score is largely due to the methods used to catch the current quota rather than low fish stocks. So if you’re like us and you’re not

willing to give up on glorious NZ flounder then we suggest you get out with a handspear and nab one for youself!

That way you get a gorgeous fish on your plate, a fun adventure and a preserved underwater environment for future generations.

WORKPLACE FIRST AID TRAINING

Just got fun!

Sign up your workplace with us for First Aid Training with Dive Otago and we will match any advertised price and every participant earns a FREE Discover Scuba Session! email info@diveotago.co.nz

May 2012