Cleveland Diving Club

While winter underwater sea diving may be limited, for some, a keen interest in marine creatures cannot be, in all honesty, quelled when one lives so close to the sea. Catching sight of marine mammals such as seals and dolphins is very exciting and spotting nomadic pods of dolphins skimming the waves is truly spell binding (Photo 1). It’s hard to imagine that millions of years ago dolphins were once terrestrial creatures who have since evolved back to the sea. For dolphin spotters a little knowledge can greatly enhance their quest when seeking to spot them again. For example, during spring and summer dolphins hunt migrating salmon on a rising tide (flood tide) therefore, knowing moon phases and tide predictions are a distinct advantage.

The Common Dolphin (photo 2) is the more frequent visitor to the North Sea along with Bottle Dolphins. Being inquisitive, sociable and fun-loving dolphins love interacting with boats, swimming, leaping and showing off their water aerobics antics as they travel along with it (photo 3). This is great for divers using a rib to get to a dive site which is when some of these photos were taken. Renowned for their intelligence and whistling communications dolphins have a diverse language to the point each dolphin has its own whistle signature i.e. name.

As a species, dolphins are masters of how marine mammals live successfully in the sea. For example, they can reach speeds of up to 30 km per hour and dive to 1000 ft (304.8m) before coming up for air. In addition, having a separate breathing and food passage stops them from drowning as they hunt and eat on the go, with one of their two stomachs, storing food while the other one digests it. Another tale of two halves is how dolphins sleep as, unlike seals, they never leave the water. Being ‘conscience breathers,’ dolphins need to think about breathing as they would drown if they fell asleep completely. So, by alternating shutting down one half of the brain and closing the opposite eye while sleeping, the side of the brain not shut down can monitor the environment and control its breathing.

Unsurprisingly, as intelligent creatures, dolphins have a sophisticated and compassionate social structure within the pod which not only includes tending to the ill or older dolphins but also have a dolphin ‘midwife,’ who supports the live birth of a dolphin calf to ensures the calf gets to the surface for that all important first breath. Unfortunately, not all events can be covered and when this little chap became disoriented and exhausted off Redcar beach recently, humans were on hand to protect him while he rested before helping him on his way (photo 4). Depending on the species wild dolphins can live up to 90 plus years but this is halved when they are kept in captivity with smaller dolphins living as little as 25 years. Regrettably there are about 2913 captive dolphins around the world. Most dolphin species have yet to be considered endangered, but it is sad news for the New Zealand ‘Maui dolphins who are on the brink of extinction, a primary cause being discarded fishing gear (ghost gear.) Thankfully the actions of our regional ‘ghost gear’ hunters are helping to keep our waters safer for our visiting dolphins.

Cleveland Divers can be contacted via their ’Facebook page ‘The Diving Club-Cleveland’ or on 07960 608529.

January 2023

Redcar & Cleveland Twinning Association is looking for new members to join them on a visit to our Twin Town Troisdorf in Germany in May this year.

The Association was formed in 1990 and although our 30th Anniversary celebrations were postponed in 2020, we are now very much looking forward to staying with our German hosts again this year to mark 33 years of international friendship. See our website: www.redcarandclevelandtwinningassociation.org.uk for more information and pictures of past get-togethers in both Troisdorf and Redcar & Cleveland, as well as details of this year’s visit from 21st to 27th May at a maximum cost of £499 per member, including travel by coach and ferry as well as host accommodation in family homes.

Membership of the Association is available to individuals for £10 p.a. subscription, to families living together at the same address for £15 p.a. and to corporate bodies for £20 p.a.

At the Association’s AGM in March we shall be looking forward to resuming activities here and in Germany. You don’t need to be German-speaking to join us, anyone is welcome with an interest in getting to know this wonderful area of Germany close to Cologne, Bonn and the River Rhine and of course its lovely people.

For more information, please contact the Association’s Chairman Pamela (at chairman@redcarandclevelandtwinningassociation.org.uk).

Would you believe it?

To settle the question about the cause of the mass death of the crustaceans on our coast once and for all, the Government set up an ‘independent expert panel’ to review the issue last November. Their report, published on 20th January, says that there was no evidence that toxic man-made chemicals were responsible, so that means that there’s no reason why mass digging and dredging of the Tees to create a Freeport can’t go ahead without restriction.

But how independent was the report? According to Jenni Russell, journalist at The Times newspaper, the ChiefScientificOfficeroftheGovernment’sDepartment of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) appointed the Panel and oversaw it. It operated in private, met in private, did no original research and depended on DEFRA to supply the outside scientists’ work. It only met three times as a group, describing its operation as a ‘desk exercise’. Its membership was unbalanced – two members have worked for British ports and three had funding from DEFRA.

There were no fishermen on the Panel. Nor did the

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We have spaces in February for babies and newcomers to the town members speak to, meet or ask any questions of the outside scientists challenging DEFRA. The cross-party House of Commons Environment Select Committee had asked for an evaluation of the conflicting theories in ‘an open and collaborative way’ to ensure public confidence, but they don’t seem to have got it. The Committee was not allowed to learn who the members were before the publication of the report.

So what did the ‘independent expert panel’ conclude was the reason for the crustacean deaths, if it was not pyridine, the toxic chemical that was found in their bodies by the scientists commissioned by the fishermen last year? The Panel dismissed DEFRA’s original explanation of a natural algal bloom being responsible, but proposed that a ‘novel pathogen’ might have caused the convulsions and mass deaths.

Would you believe it?