News

RENOWNED INSTRUCTOR TRAINER ANDY PHILLIPS DIES ON CANADA RIVER DIVE

The worldwide diving industry is in shock with the announcement that PADI Platinum Course Director and technical instructor trainer Andy Phillips died after a dive in the St Lawrence River in Canada

The highly experienced diver - a familiar figure on

the global diving circuit in his position at Utila Dive Centre - went missing on Tuesday 11 June near Cornwall in Ontario. According to the Ontario Provincial Police, they received a call just before 9am regarding a diving incident – two divers had entered the water at Lock 21, a submerged lock system on Macdonnell Island in South Stormont Township, but only one had returned. Apparently, Andy was diving on a CCR, his buddy was on open-circuit equipment, but as yet it is not known what caused the accident.

Multiple agencies were involved in the search operation, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, South Stormont and Cornwall Fire Services, US Customs and Border Protection, and a helicopter from CFB Trenton. His body was eventually recovered on 22 June.

OBITUARY: ANDY PHILLIPS Andy Phillips had been a figure in the pro diving scene for over 20 years. He first certified as a diver in 1990 on a holiday in Greece, but had been drawn to water since he was five. In 1997, after finishing university and working in the world of insurance for six months, he made the decision to turn professional and became a PADI Divemaster on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand.

Thankfully, his employer persuaded him he would make a good instructor, and he duly enrolled in 1998 on the PADI IDC in Utila, Honduras, and never looked back. After working on the island for a while, he then moved to Costa Rica, then on to Dahab in Egypt, where in 1999 he discovered a love for deep technical diving and exploration.

In 2000, he returned to the Caribbean and began managing Utila Dive Centre. Two years later he became a PADI Course Director (and held the Platinum level from 2005), and then at the age of 28, one of the youngest PADI Tec Rec Instructor Trainers in the world.

Through his role at Utila Dive Centre – and his previous centres – Andy brought many new PADI Instructors and technical divers into the diving fraternity. He was a highly experienced closed-circuit rebreather diver, overwhelmingly positive whenever you saw him at diving events and shows, and an enormous inspiration to many. He discovered and named the epic dive site Neptune’s Throne at Isla Espiritu Santo in Mexico, which starts in 55m and drops to more than 100m, and fellow Course Director and close friend Luke Inman has named the top of this site Andy’s Pinnacle in his memory.

He is survived by his life partner Marie-Claude Dupras, his father and his sister.

FROM THE EDITOR It is always hard to write about diving fatalities, but especially so when the person in question is a good friend. I had known Andy Phillips from when I first started in the industry way back in 1999, and he was hugely supportive from the get-go. I always looked forward to catching up with him at dive shows around the world, and his infectious personality and massive perma-grin will stay with me forever.

I will always remember one particular DEMA in Las Vegas where late into the evening Andy, myself and now-RAID supremo Paul Vincent Toomer presided over the ‘Table of Doom’ drinking far too many sambucca shots, inebriating anyone who joined us, and putting the world to rights.

You will be sorely missed, my friend.

CRUISE SHIP COMPANY CARNIVAL FINED US$20M FOR POLLUTING OCEANS

The world’s largest cruise ship company, Carnival, has been hit with a US$20 million penalty for pumping pollution into the ocean, violating terms of probation from a 2016 criminal conviction – which included a US$40 million fine - for similar conduct, prompting fears they will just continue to disregard environmental laws in the future.

Carnival Corp. reached a settlement with federal prosecutors yesterday (Monday 3 June) – Senior US District Judge Patricia Seitz approved the agreement after the cruise company’s CEO Arnold Donald openly admitted the company’s responsibility for probation violations linked to the previous court case, stating ‘the company pleads guilty’ no less than six times to a packed courtroom.

He commented: “We acknowledge the shortcomings. I am here today to formulate a plan to fix them.”

The 2016 criminal conviction was for discharging oily waste from its Princess Cruise Lines ships and covering it up. As well as the hefty fine, it was put on five years’ probation, which affected all nine of its cruise brands that boast more than 100 ships.

Now the cruise ship heavyweight has admitted that in the years since, its ships have committed environmental crimes such as dumping ‘grey water’ in prohibited places such Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, and knowingly allowing plastic to be discharged along with food waste in the Bahamas. The company also admitted to falsifying compliance documents and other administrative violations, such as having clean-up teams visit its ships just before scheduled inspections.

Under the settlement, Carnival promised there will be additional audits to check for violations, a restructuring of the company’s compliance and training programmes, a better system for reporting environmental violations to state and federal agencies, and improved waste management practices. The agreement also would set 13 September and 9 October deadlines to create an improved compliance plan and make other changes, subject to fines of $1 million per day if those deadlines are not met.

If a second round of deadlines are not met, the fines could go up to $10 million a day. Other proposed changes include a reduction by Carnival in the use of single-use plastic items across its entire fleet and the creation of ‘tiger teams’ meant to make improvements in the ships’ food and beverage systems and how waste is handled at sea.

However, Knoll Lowney, an attorney acting on behalf of three people who claimed they were victims of Carnival’s environmental violations, expressed skepticism that the cruise ship giant will keep its word this time. He said: “Time and time again, Carnival has shown its contempt of environmental laws and the rule of law. Here we are again.”

CANADA BANS SHARK-FIN – IN HONOUR OF CONSERVATIONIST ROB STEWART

In a move hailed as a major victory for sharks, Canada has become the first G20 country in the world to ban the import and export of shark fins – and credits film-maker Rob Stewart as a leading light in making it happen. The ban, which passed in the Senate at the end of June as part of Bill C-68, overhauls the Fisheries Act. The horrific practice of cutting fins off domestic sharks had been outlawed since 1994, but there was nothing to stop people bringing fins into the country.

Canada was the largest importer of shark fins outside Asia - some 148,000kg of shark fins worth a staggering $3.2 million were brought into the country in 2018 alone.

Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who announced the ban at an event in Toronto in front of a shark mural dedicated to the late-Rob Stewart – the award-winning

videographer whose Sharkwater series of documentaries put the threats facing sharks on the global stage - said: “We recognise the clear threat that the shark-fin trade poses to the sustainability of our oceans. The practice is simply not sustainable, and it is inhumane.”

Speaking about Stewart, he said: “His films have unquestionably inspired many to mobilise against shark finning around the world.”

Rebecca Aldworth, head of the Humane Society International/Canada, said: “This shark-fin ban is going to set the example that the rest of the world will surely follow.”

Shark fins are a delicacy in East Asia, particularly in China, which exported the vast majority of fins to Canada. The fins are often used to make shark-fin soup.

DIVER MISSING IN TUBBATAHA REEF MARINE PARK

A huge search operation was conducted in the Sulu Sea after a diver went missing while diving in the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park in early June.

The diver – who was identified by the Philippine Coastguard as 43-year-old Bryan Nazareno – had been diving in a group with acclaimed photographer Scott ‘Gutsy’ Tuason on Amos Rock in the marine park off the M/V Palausport when he went missing. According to reports, he had been lost since 4pm on Monday 3 June, but the coastguard said it only received the report at 11am on Tuesday 4 June. The national Philippine Coastguard subsequently liaised with the PCG District Palawan to co-ordinate with the diver’s group, and conducted extensive search and rescue operations. As we went to print, he had not been found.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ‘NOT AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER FOR THE AMERICANS’

Environmentalists are up in arms over news that Ecuador has made an agreement with the US government allowing their military to operate from the Galapagos Islands.

According to reports, US aircraft will be using San Cristobal Airport as they head out on flights aimed at fighting drug trafficking. There are also plans to extend the runway. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is world-renowned for its unique array of plants and wildlife, and thousands of tourists travel from all over the planet to see it firsthand.

Ecuador’s former president Rafael Correa furiously tweeted (in Spanish) that the Galapagos were ‘not an aircraft carrier’ for the Americans.

However, Ecuador’s defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin said ‘there will be no permanence of anyone’ on the island, and that ‘any modifications to the airfield will be paid for by the US’.

GALAPAGOS BIOSPHERE RESERVE TO INCREASE IN AREA

In a move that makes the Galapagos Biosphere Reserve one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment has announced that UNESCO has approved an extension from 772,000 hectares to a massive 14.6 million hectares.

This decision by UNESCO (UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) will allow the country to foster mechanisms to preserve the ecosystem and biological diversity, strengthen economic and human development of the local population, and provide logistical support for related educational and environmental research projects. The next step following this announcement is the creation of a management plan and committee for the Biosphere Reservbe, which will provide guidance to the authorities of the local communities.

VOLIVOLI BEACH RESORT JOINS BEST BOUTIQUE COLLECTION

With its rich and colourful underwater world, abundantly blessed with soft corals, it is no wonder that Jean-Michel Cousteau named Fiji the ‘Soft Coral Capital of the World’. The family-run Volivoli Beach Resort is located at the northern tip of Viti Levu in Rakiraki with direct access to the Bligh Water Passage, where the majority of the dive sites are at a depth between 20m-40m. Besides soft and hard corals, divers can expect to see large gorgonian fans, small caverns, lobster, sepia as well as schools of barracuda and jack fish. At certain times of the year, it is also possible to see hammerhead sharks and eagle rays. At the dive sites closer to the resort, macro critters including the rare ornate ghost pipefish as well as two wrecks offer diversified dives. The PADI and SSI dive centre Ra Divers, directly located in the resort, runs courses up to instructor level.

After hurricane Winston erased a large part of the resort in 2016, the Darling family decided to take this as a chance and upgrade the resort. Along with the renovation, new luxury ocean front villas were introduced, with two bedrooms, a private swimming pool and a spacious outdoor covered living area. In total, Volivoli Beach Resort offers 33 rooms and villas in five different categories.

Local Fijian customs such as Meke (traditional style of dance and singing performance), Lovo (earth-oven prepared food) and Kava (traditional ceremonial drink) are performed weekly, typically on a Thursday night at the Ra Bar in the resort.

“We are very excited to welcome more guests through our new partnership with Best Boutique Collection. While Fiji is certainly on the bucket list of many divers there, the time difference makes it difficult for us to efficiently communicate with the tour operators. On the consumer level, we need to address the prejudices that a vacation in Fiji is pretty expensive and that it is very tedious to get here,” says owner and General Manager Nick Darling. www.volivoli.com | www.best-boutique-collection.eu

SEA OF CHANGE FOUNDATION EXPANDS MISSION

Founded in 2015 by leaders in the scuba diving industry, the Sea of Change Foundation is expanding its core mission while maintaining focus on creating positive change. The Foundation will now fund terrestrial conservation in addition to marine conservation to include all of the natural world. Examples of current and pending projects funded by the Foundation that encompass the new mission include:

• Innovations in reducing plastics-use at sea turtle nest monitoring sites, Mexico

• Limiting negative interactions between subsistence farmers and elephants, Sri Lanka

• Conservation of African manatees in Lake Ossa, Cameroon

• Educating military communities and families about daily sustainable choices, USA

The three conservation focus areas of the Foundation will continue as: Ocean Pollution – Public Awareness and Action, Coral Reefs – Restoration and Resilience, and Threatened Species and Habitats, with the latter to now encompass terrestrial conservation. Recognising the value of scuba divers and coastal communities to local marine conservation, the Foundation will continue its successful Reef Rescue and Rapid Response grants programme; and will also continue to support annual marine science scholarships with the Womens Divers Hall of Fame.

It is the hope of the Board of Directors of the Sea of Change Foundation that the new expanded mission will help support even more meaningful conservation with positive, measurable outcomes. “Our mission will now better align with the expanding ecotourism of Aggressor Adventures and, as always, 100 percent of donations to the Foundation will support conservation,” concluded Wayne Brown, CEO of Aggressor Adventures and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation. www.seaofchange.com