africandiver issue 19

w w w . a f r i c a n d i v e r . c o m

October / November 2011 | Issue 19

w w w. a f r i c a n d i v e r. c o mYour Free Onl ine Div ing Magazine

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C ontents

Cover Photographed by Cormac McCreesh

Editors: Cormac McCreesh & Paul Hunter

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REGULARS

Ed’s Logbook 5

FEATURES

Dancing with Dolphin’s6

Rainer Schimpf Photography64

CONSERVATION

South Africa’s marine p ro te c te d a re a s

21

Woman & Div ing

Amanda Jackson82CREATURE FEATURE

Seahorses47

Paradise lost30

Shark Products54

Underwater Photography

The red sea38


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Ed’s Logbook Issue 19 marks the anniversary of our third

birthday. It’s been a fabulously wonderful journey so far and we’re looking forward to the next three years. What began, as a labour of love has become an all-consuming passion. Paul and I want to express our most sincere gratitude you all of our followers and subscribers. Between all of you, you have downloaded over 46 000 copies of our magazines and articles. We have almost 8 000 followers all over the world and this list is growing daily. Thank you all.

Shark attacks have dominated the news recently, the most high profile of which was the attack on Ian Redmond in the Seychelles on the 16th of August. Two days ago a Cape Town man was attacked by a great white. He survived no thanks to his own recklessness. Shark attacks seem to be on the rise, or maybe it’s that there are more people in the water these days exposing themselves to risk? If I were the suspicious type, I’d think that sharks are fighting back. Yet for each person killed or maimed by a shark many millions of sharks are killed for sport, medicine, and food and even for pet products. In this issue we cover the Seychelles attack and take a look at how sharks are being exploited for cosmetics, joint supplements and even as a body-building supplement.

Marine conservation is never far from our mind and Dr Camilla Floros shares her findings on her study of the coral reefs in northern KwaZulu Natal’s marine protected areas: giving good reasons for the continued, and perhaps even greater, management of these areas. In that vein we invited Rainer Schimpf to share his conservation efforts and images with us as this issue’s Samsung Featured Photographer. It’s gratifying to see underwater photography being used to get a message out.

Speaking of underwater photography, Paul shares with us his experiences and advice on lens choice and how this is affected by conditions and subject matter based on his recent trip to the Red Sea. And in our Women and Diving section we introduce you to Amanda Jackson who is passionate about the business of diving.

But all is not doom and gloom out there. There are many beautiful creatures to see and many beautiful places to visit and so we’re proud to showcase the little guys in our seahorses article and the big guys in our dolphin one.

Here’s to the next three years and responsible marine environmental management. Dive well, dive safe and may your bubbles always be free.

Cormac and Paul.



Dances with Dolphins

Article & Photographs by: Cormac McCreesh

Featured Article


They “see” us before we see them. Yet we become aware of their presence almost immediately on entering the water. Despite the near twenty-metre visibility, their whistles, burst pulses, bubble trails and chirps “inspect” us well before they come into view.

Suddenly they are upon us, surrounding us. Pod “fission” and “fusion” ensues as the dolphin split up and reform, inspecting each of us in turn as they orbit us like planets circling the sun.

Maintaining eye contact with the dolphin personalizes and intensifies the interaction. So we steadfastly try to maintain eye contact. But it all happens too fast. Circle swims, deep dives, winks, turns, bubble blowing and calls. This pod wraps us in an aquatic storm of high-cetacean energy that somehow touches our souls and invites us to dance with the dolphin.

Fifteen minutes later, the calls change and the dolphin simply disappear and get on with whatever they were doing before they came to play with us. Yet twice more that day they chose to indulge us. Leaving the shoreline where they’ve been surfing and jumping the waves, they come out to play. Each time we are invigorated and energized, and at the end of each engagement find ourselves strangely at peace and speechless.

The bustling town of Ponta do Ouro (Point of Gold) situated in the southernmost bay in Mozambique and a few short kilometres from the South African border is rapidly becoming a playground to Mozambicans seeking relief from the hustle and bustle of Maputo and South Africans looking for a unique and exotic beach and diving experience.


Well known as a diving destination, Ponta (as everyone refers to it) comes alive over weekends and holidays. Its myriad bars, restaurants and clubs resonate to the sound of people having a good time.

But there’s a growing niche experience to be had that transcends the music, drum beats, parties and dive sites and its popularity is on the rise. Swimming with dolphin makes visiting Ponta a vastly different experience. Usually the preserve of scientists who study dolphin, it is now possible to experience wild dolphin in their natural environment under the leadership of knowledgeable and professional guides.

Angie and Steve Gullan pioneered swimming with dolphin almost sixteen years ago. One of the early converts to this fledgling business was Harry van den Heever who became involved in 1996 and has since built up a deep knowledge of the Ponta dolphin.

Meanwhile, the siren call of the Ponta dolphin pod seduced Noleen Withers who on a visit to Ponta, found herself playing mistress to this engaging pod of


inshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Five years ago, Harry together with Noleen set up Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre to promote sustainable dolphin tourism through education and conservation.

Today, Noleen and the team at Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre draw on the collective knowledge of many years of experience to delight in exposing seasoned divers, tourists and non-diving family members to the experience of swimming with dolphin.

Using dorsal fin identification, some 250 resident dolphin have been identified in an observed 40 to 70-kilometre home range that includes the bay of Ponta do Ouro. The exact range of this pod is not really known and estimating population size and range is a daunting task. The dolphin split up regularly with some going to deeper waters to feed, returning sometimes weeks later. Often bigger, more dominant males are found offshore yet they too return to the pod inshore. There is a constant process of splitting and reuniting – a process termed “fission” and “fusion”.

For the most part, the Ponta pod is habituated to human intervention and interaction in its habitat and range. The dolphin are accustomed to the passing traffic from dive boats and on rare occasions will pay scuba divers on the reef a friendly visit. Equally, the pod is experienced in being observed by dolphin guides and tourists. Many years of regular visits have built a high degree of trust between the dolphin and the humans that crave their company so much.

This “bond” that has been developed over the years is unique yet fragile. Along with restricting clients from diving down to the dolphin, the team at Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre enforces a strict “no-touch” policy when interacting with the dolphin in order to avoid bacterial transfer between human and dolphin and to maintain the relationship of trust.

Trust underlies any relationship and trust is earned, not given. Regular trusting interactions build greater trust and cement relationships. The Ponta dolphin accept unfamiliar humans into their space because of the trust implicit through regular and careful interactions. Most often, these interactions take the form of play, and

mimicry is an often-played game. In the last two years, Noleen has developed a special bond with a particular female and juvenile who play mimic games with her. She holds her arms out in front of her and nods her head. They mimic this by holding out their pectoral fins and nodding with their heads. She also goes into a tuck position, which they also mimic.

They love to play and one of her favourite games is to hide from them when swimming behind them - as they look at her from one eye she moves to their blind side behind them so they roll to the other side to see her and she repeats the hiding action. They love this game and have been known to do complete back flips to see her.

Sometimes, Noleen will dive down to the sand and wait, ignoring the dolphin (the Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre team sometimes dive down to sex the dolphin). Their natural curiosity getting the better of them as they dive down to investigate her. When they’re really in the mood to play they will bring her toys, such as seaweed, to play with. This is called “object play”.


Regular interaction has led to the development of a game, which the guides call “circle swims”. Circle swims generally begin when eye contact is made between human and dolphin. In order to maintain eye contact it is necessary for the dolphin and human to swim in circles, hence circle swims. These circle swim affairs can be highly energetic and fast if done with juveniles or synchronized, graceful and calm when performed with older dolphin. It’s a favourite game played between human and dolphin with the dolphin oftentimes jostling for prime position in the eye-contact-circle-swim dance. In this way, the underwater ballet of “dances with dolphins” is performed.

The years invested by the Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre team interacting with the dolphin is manifest in the special relationships that have developed between certain team members and dolphin. And it is these special relationships that allows for time in the water for clients to witness interactions between team members and dolphin and to establish trust on the part of the dolphin to accept the unfamiliar humans in water.

All cetaceans use echolocation to hunt and assess objects and life forms.

Interestingly, this ability is believed to enable dolphin to be able to pick out a pregnant woman from a non-pregnant one. Dolphin seem particularly sensitive and Noleen has observed changes in their behaviour when interacting with the dolphin during her menstrual cycle. She has observed that the female dolphin become more protective and intentionally prevent male dolphin from interacting.

This nurturing behaviour on the part of the female dolphin is well known to extend to the care they lavish on their own calves. Because of this, Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre does not encourage interaction with dolphin mothers and newborn calves. Voluntary interaction by the mothers usually occurs when the calves are two to three weeks and older. In these instances the proud mothers have been known to bring in their calves to as if to “show them off” to specific people they have built relationships with. Calves generally swim between their mother’s pectoral fins as if hiding. But when mothers show off their calves, they will swim closer and then tip to one side, raising a pectoral fin to show off the baby. Excited whistles and chirps by the mother usually accompany this - as if describing and telling the calf about humans.


Incredibly, these curious and intelligent dolphin have established a bond with Noleen’s labrador, Kira. Kira often accompanies the Dolphin Centre crew on the boat and long before the dolphin are sighted Kira will become aware of their presence. She will bounce from side to side on the boat straining to see her friends. Yet only when the dolphin approach the boat to interact will she jump in the water and swim with them. Kira has never jumped in the water when the dolphin are resting, almost as if she picks up their behaviour – when at rest dolphin give out a strong ammoniac smell that she would pick up. Paddling on the surface she will swim in circles while her friends delight in circling beneath her – a marvelous sight to bear witness to.


There are only two authorised dolphin operators in Ponta and they adhere to a strict code of conduct, which they rigorously apply to each dolphin interaction. This code of conduct has been designed to ensure the well-being and safety of the dolphin at all times and is based on years of experience and careful observation.

On finding a pod of dolphin, the boat skipper and swim facilitator will assess the dolphins’ behaviour before considering entering the water to interact. Dolphin that are resting are left alone, as is a pod that evidences avoidance of the boat. If newly born calves are spotted, then that pod too is left alone.

Resting is easily determined – loud exhale breaths, slow movement on the surface and longer dive times indicate a pod at rest. Dolphin brains, like all cetaceans, comprise two distinct lobes and this enables them to shut down one side of their brain to rest while the other remains awake. Resting can be between seven minutes and seven hours long. Feeding is very obvious – the dolphin dive regularly, swim at a fast pace and cover a large area in their search for food.

D o l p h i n i n te ra c t i o n c o d e o f c o n d u c t :

1 . Dolphin are not to be touched

2 . Dolphin that are resting are left alone

3 . A pod with newly born calves are left alone


While it is sometimes more difficult to interact with the dolphin when they are feeding it is a fantastic experience to be had – to see how they use teamwork to hunt their prey and also how they often play with their food.

The Dolphin Centre’s main aim in conducting dolphin interactions is to promote a safe environment for sustainable dolphin tourism through education and conservation. Consequently, their pre-launch briefing is detailed and informative. They spend time explaining the species of dolphin that may be encountered and the behaviour to be anticipated. During the boat trip, the swim facilitators or skipper provide a running commentary of the behaviour they see, interpreting for the benefit of the visitors onboard the boat. So you never feel that you’re missing out on a potential interaction.

The team from Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre most commonly sees three species of dolphin. These are: the inshore bottlenose dolphin - a social and playful dolphin, the indo-pacific humpback dolphin – shy and elusive, and spinner dolphin – found in deep water and so-named for their great spinning leaps into the air. Often chance encounters with larger animals occur - whales, mainly humpback whales, migrating during the months of July to November and whale sharks in the summer months.

Ponta lies in a partial marine reserve that runs from Santa Maria in the north to Kosi Bay in the south. Research, discussions and negotiations are developing and it is hoped by many that this area will be declared a full marine reserve. The area appears to be unique with its coral reefs, migratory animals and special dolphin.

Inshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Indo-pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis)

Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)


During peak holiday periods Ponta experiences a high degree of diver and tourist traffic which encourages dive operators to incorporate dolphin encounters in their service offerings. While this is good business, it’s not good conservation practice though as it takes experience and know-how to work with the dolphin. So a lack of application of protocols and depth of knowledge of dolphin behaviour can lead to a negative impact on the pod and a concomitant breach of trust.

Guests who come to the Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre to experience dolphin are mainly women and non-divers. There is however, a steady increase in the number of men taking a dolphin trip and the team encourages divers to experience these dolphin in the correct manner so as to promote respect and conservation of this pod.

The healing powers of dolphin are legendary and steeped in mysticism. While there are many people who are skeptical, there are many who believe in the abilities of dolphin. Noleen shared two stories with

me of encounters she’d experienced with dolphin and disabled children.

The first was of an autistic child that found the ability to speak having learned to vocalize the words “dolphin” and “Ponta” following her interactions with the dolphin. The second was of a young boy who had lost an arm and was slightly brain damaged following a serious car accident. While he was in the water with Noleen and his sister two dolphin came out of nowhere (Noleen could hear their vocalisations before she saw them) and they drew belly-up to the boy gently touching him with their pectoral fins ... almost as if lifting him to the surface of the water. This pair then stayed close-by and in an upright position watching him until he left the water.

Interacting with dolphin is not a guarantee on every trip as these are wild creatures that are untamed and free. They don’t “play” on demand. They have moods, activities and conditions that may take them away from interacting. But the more trips you do, the better your chances of having an interaction. Therefore it is best to book for at least three trips in order

to up your chances of interacting with them. Also, as dolphin are super-sensitive, you need to modify your behaviour and mental state when in the water with them. Quick, urgent, flapping movements will scare them off, as will any tension, bad or low energy and anxiety. You need to keep a calm demeanor and be relaxed in the water. Keep your arms by your side and fin gently. Also seek to make eye contact with the dolphin; this is what they look for as a prelude to interacting.

Dolphin trips are essentially “seafari” trips, albeit looking for a specific type of animal. The chance of encountering other large marine animals is great, so anticipate this - whale sharks, whales (humpback whales), turtles and sometimes mantas. And working with professional guides, like those at the Somente Aqua Dolphin Centre, who know the dolphin intimately and can assess their behaviour is reason enough to find out more.

Knowing that the guides are committed to sustainable tourism and that they have both your and the dolphins’ interests at heart makes for the best kind of interactions.


South Africa’s coral reef marine protected areas

Article & Photographs by : Dr. Camilla Floros

Conservation


Coral reefs are among the most biologically

diverse ecosystems in the world. They are estimated

to provide habitat for one million species, which

includes at least 4 000 species of fish and 800 known

species of coral. Not only are these ecosystems

ecologically important, but coral reefs also provide

approximately US$ 30 billion in net benefits in goods

and services to world economies (see table below

right for breakdown). They act as natural barriers

against storms and waves from the ocean and thus

provide protection to thousands of miles of coastline.

They provide habitat to 25% of the world’s fish species

and supply fish protein to more than one billion people

in the developing world. Tourism and recreation on

coral reefs is enjoyed by millions of people every year

and many island nations depend heavily on this revenue

to sustain their economies. In recent years, the medical

industry has turned to the ocean in search for new

pharmaceuticals (bioprospecting) and coral reefs are now

referred to as the medicine cabinet of the 21st century

because of their contribution towards treating diseases

such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and heart disease. Potential net benefits per year of the world’s coral reefs (From Cesar et al. 2003)


The future, however, looks bleak for

coral reefs because they are threatened

by a variety of human related stresses.

Scientists estimate that 19% of the world’s

coral reefs have been lost beyond recovery

and a further 20-40% will be lost in the

next 40 years. The main threats to coral

reefs include tourism-related damage,

unregulated coastal development, land-

based pollution, overfishing and global

climate change.

These threats are not new to reef managers

and policy makers, but governments have

been slow to react to scientific predictions

and warnings. The threats that face coral

reefs are complex and synergistic in that

they work at different scales and each

stress makes the other more severe. While

the issues of climate change are global and

require intervention at the international

level, efforts to help save and protect reefs

at local or regional scales are critical.

Such efforts include the creation of

areas where human activities are strictly

controlled and are termed marine

protected areas (MPAs). While MPAs

cannot protect coral reefs from the effects

of global climate change i.e., elevated sea

temperature and increasing ocean acidity,

they can reduce stresses to coral reefs

by limiting the direct impacts of human

activities such as damage and overfishing.

Currently, MPAs are being advocated

as one the most important management

tools for protecting coral reefs because

they have the potential to simultaneously

address issues of overexploitation, tourism

development and conservation. South

Africa is very fortunate to have all of its

coral reefs situated within MPAs. This is

a commendable achievement considering

Australia has only 69 % of their coral reefs

in MPAs, while ~2% of coral reefs in the

central Indian Ocean are protected.

South Africa’s coral reefs stretch for

approximately 150 km along the northern

KZN coast from north of Cape Vidal to

the Mozambique border. They are situated

in the Maputaland Marine Reserve and

St Lucia Marine Reserve, which form the

marine component of the iSimangaliso

Wetland park; a World Heritage Site.

The reefs can be separated into three

groups termed the Northern, Central and

Southern Reef Complex. Although all of

the coral reefs lie within MPAs they do not

have the same levels of protection.

The reefs in the Central Reef Complex

(Sodwana Bay) are the focal point of

tourism, where SCUBA diving and boat-

based fishing is permitted. Most of the

Northern Reef Complex and all of the

Southern Reef Complex are no-take

sanctuary reefs, where all forms of human

activity, except for scientific research, are

prohibited.


More than sixty thousand tourists visit Sodwana Bay annually

to dive and fish on the reefs. However, limited research has

investigated the impacts of these activities on the coral reef fish

communities. The high levels of human activity on the reefs were

a concern and a PhD project, conducted by Camilla Floros, was

thus initiated by the Oceanographic Research Institute.

The aim of the research was to perform a biodiversity assessment

of fish in the Northern, Southern and Central Reef Complexes. The

study then focused on using indicator species to assess whether

SCUBA diving and fishing were having an influence on the fish

communities. Comparisons were again made between the three

reef complexes to include reefs with and without human activity.

A reef from southern Mozambique, at Ponta Malongane, was also

included because there was no active protection in the region at

the time of the PhD study.

The assessment methods involved an underwater visual census

technique called point counts. This technique was chosen because

it is non-lethal and allows fish diversity as well as fish abundance

and size (biomass) to be estimated on the reef. This technique

does not rely on sophisticated equipment, but the diver must have

good knowledge of the reef fish species and be experienced at size

estimation underwater. Point counts were conducted on seven

representative reefs.


The results of the biodiversity assessment

revealed that South Africa’s coral reefs have

high numbers of fish species despite their

sub-tropical location. A total of 284 species

were recorded, but it is estimated that

fish species diversity on the reefs is closer

to 500 as cryptic species and nocturnal

species can get overlooked with visual

census techniques. The indicator assessment

produced some very interesting results and

clearly demonstrated that human activities

are having an influence on the coral

reef fish communities. The reefs within

sanctuary zones were recorded to have the

highest diversity and abundance of fish

species.

In addition, predator biomass on sanctuary

reefs was three times greater than on the

reefs at Sodwana Bay and six times greater

than on the southern Mozambique reef.

Predators such as kingfish and green jobfish

are targeted by fisherman and consequently

these species were expected to have lower

abundances on reefs open to fishing.


Such results were found on Seven-mile

Reef, Nine-mile Reef and in southern

Mozambique where these species were

lower in abundance and smaller in

size. In addition, a number of the target

species were completely absent from the

southern Mozambican reef, suggesting

that overfishing is occurring. Two other

important predator species, the potato

bass and twinspot snapper, also had lower

abundances on the reefs at Sodwana Bay

compared to sanctuary reefs.

These two species are protected from

fishing at Sodwana and it is unclear why

their abundances are lower on these reefs.

The abundances of these two species were

particularly low on Two-mile Reef, which

has approximately 50 000 dives per year.

This intensity of diving is among the

highest in the world and further research is

needed to investigate the impact of diving

on fish communities.

South African coral reef fish communities

have not been affected by human impacts

to the same degree as many coral reefs in

east Africa. Although MPAs do exist in

east Africa, poaching and illegal activities

such as dynamite fishing still continue to

degrade reefs.

Law enforcement and policing of activities

in MPAs is central to their function as a

conservation and management tool, and

without them MPAs will remain ‘paper’

parks. At the time of data collection, the

southern Mozambican coral reefs were not

located within an MPA.

The lack of protection was clearly

evident in the fish communities which

were characterised by small fish and low

numbers of predators/target species.

However, in July 2009, the Ponta do

Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR) was

proclaimed in order to protect the marine

ecosystems in the region, including coral

reefs. This is a very positive step for the

region and will hopefully be a valuable

management tool.

The high abundance and diversity of

South Africa’s coral reef fish

communities adds another dimension

to the unique nature of the reefs.

Nevertheless, differences between the

fish communities at Sodwana Bay and

the no-take sanctuary reefs should not

be ignored and demonstrates that even

regulated activity can have a negative

effect.

In a world where natural resources are

constantly under pressure, the message

is clear; continued monitoring is critical

and adaptive management is necessary

to preserve these reefs for future

generations.


27º

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FalseBay

DE HOOP MPA

DH1 Cape Infanta

DH2Skipskop

Breede River

Cape Agulhas

Hermanus

Dyer Is.

Kraal RockRietfonteinHarder Bay

Mudge Point

Hawston Harbour

HR1HR2

Gans Bay

Quoin Point

TSITSIKAMMANATIONAL PARK

Groot River

GrootRiver

Plettenberg Bay

ROBBERG MPA

StormsRiver

BloukransRiver

SARDINIA BAY MPA

SchoenmakerskopBushy ParkP.E.C.R.2 P.E.C.R.1

TRAFALGAR MPA

1st OFFSHORECONTROLLED ZONE

2nd OFFSHORECONTROLLED ZONE

RESTRICTED ZONE

Inshore Controlled Zone

Restricted Zone

Mzamba River

Mzimvuba RiverNkodusweni River

Mntafufu River

KwaZulu-Natal

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Port StJohns

MzintlavaRiver

Mboyti River

MkweniRiver

Msikaba River

Mtentu River

Sikombe River

Mnyameni River

Port Shepstone

Margate

Port Edward

Mpenjati RiverN2

Centre Rocks N1

Boteler Point

Dog Point

MAPUTALANDMPA

ST LUCIA MPA

Sodwana Bay

Red Cliffs

Leven Point

Cape Vidal

N7

N8N9

N3

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N6

N4

Lake St Lucia

N13

N27

30° 00´

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Scottburgh

Umkomaas

AmanzimtotiKwaZulu-Natal

LovuRiver

MpambanyoniRiver

Aliwal Shoal

Mzinto River

Fafa River

MkomaziRiver

CROWN AREARESTRICTED

ZONEMzimayiRiver

PRODUCERESTRICTED

ZONE

15m20m

30m50m100m

CapePoint

Schuster’s Bay

Green Point

Robben Island

CAPE TOWN

Melkbosstrand

Sea Point

Hout Bay

Hoekvan dieBobbejaan

Simon’sTown

Kalk Bay

Milnerton

Muizenberg

Millers Pt

KARBONKELBERGRESTRICTED

ZONE

CAPE OF GOOD HOPERESTRICTED ZONE

ST JAMESRESTRICTED

ZONE

BOULDERSRESTRICTED

ZONE

CASTLE ROCKRESTRICTED

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PAULSBERGRESTRICTED

ZONE

Oudekraal

Scarborough

Smitswinkel Pt

Partridge Pt

Orange River

Port Nolloth

Hondeklip Bay

Buffels RiverKleinsee

Spoeg River

Olifants River

Lambert’s Bay

WadrifsoutpanElands Bay

Doring Bay

Draaihoek

Cape ColumbineSaldanha

YzerfonteinDassenIsland

Bok Point

RobbenIsland

CAPE TOWN

Cape Agulhas

Breede River WitsandGouritz River

Mossel Bay

Nature’sValleyKnysna

Ponta da Ouro

Lake St Lucia

Richards Bay

DURBAN

Margate

Tugela River

Port St Johns

HLULEKA MPA

DWESA-CWEBE MPA

EAST LONDON

Great Kei River

Nyara River

Gxulu RiverGonubie Point

Nahoon Point

Mtentu RiverMsikaba River

Mbashe River

Christmas RockGreat Fish River

Port Alfred

PORT ELIZABETH

Cape StFrancis

Algoa Bay

GOUKAMMAMPA

Struis PointDangerPoint

Hermanus

St HelenaBay

Mtamvuna River

PONDOLAND MPA

TRAFALGAR MPA

PONDOLAND MPA

ALIWAL SHOAL MPA

ALIWAL SHOAL MPA

ISIMANGALISOWETLAND PARK

CapeAgulhas

Hermanus

Dyer Is.

Gans Bay Harbour (west breakwater)

Quoin Point

Ratel River-west bank

Gansbaai-Ratel River.Diving prohibited within

2 nautical miles of the coast.

Dyer Is.Diving andpossesion

of gearprohibited

within1 nautical

mile.

Gansbaai-Quoin Pointdiving prohibited area

Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

Closed areas

Rock lobster closed areas

Bird Is.BIRD ISLAND

MPA

Stilbaai

STILBAAI MARINEPROTECTED AREA

GeelkransRestricted

Area

SkulpiesbaaiRestricted

Area

Goukou Estuary

Noordkapperspunt

Rietvleivywers

Goukou Estuary Restricted Area34°20’.463S21°24’.187E

Shell BayPoint

SHBW2/SHB3

Doctor’sReef

SHBE/DR

StompneusPoint

SHBW1/SHB2

St HelenaBay

Berg EstuaryStompneusPoint

SHBW1/SHB2

Velddrif

TABLE MOUNTAINNATIONAL PARK MPA

False Bay

CapePoint

CAPE TOWN

Hout Bay

MuizenbergSt James

Kalk BayFishHoek

Glencairn BeachSimon’s Town

Gordon’sBay

Lourens RiverStrand

CapeHangklip

B1 S

tone

y Po

int

B4 ‘J

ock-

se-b

aai’

BETTY’S BAYMPA

“Die Josie”H1

Melkbos PointMB1

Eerste River

HELDERBERGMPA

See inset

RobbenIsland

Saldanha

Yzerfontein

Langebaan

MalgasIsland

Jutten Island

MarcusIsland Leentjiesklip No. 2

PerlemoenPoint

SalamanderPoint

PlankiesBay

Rooipanse Klippe

LB3 Oesterwal

LB4Kraal Bay

LB1

LB2

S i x t e e nM

i l eB

e a c hRestricted zoneSanctuary zone

NorthHead

NH1/NH2

SouthHead

SH1/SH2

Controlled zone

Restricted Area withlimited fishing

Sanctuary Area

MPA Map (above) sourced from google images.


Destination HOT SPOT - Northern KwaZulu-Natal

http://www.dansa.org


Paradise Lost Article by Cormac McCreesh & Images by Clive Ferreira

Featured Article

A week of shocking attacks ... but what is to be done?


On August the 16th, at approximately 3pm (UK time), Briton Ian Redmond was attacked by a shark while on honeymoon in the Seychelles.

Ian probably never saw it coming. The shark that bit him did so voraciously, ruthlessly and with intent. The attack was likely to have been swift and efficient. Ian’s terror must have been absolute and the pain and fear all consuming. The moments after the attack, as his life slowly ebbed away from him, must have been incredibly sad and despairingly lonely. Gemma Houghton, his wife of 10 days must have been beside herself with grief and fear. Powerless to help him, she must have seen her dreams disappear with the dispersing blood from Ian’s considerable wounds, one of which was to his left arm where once the hand that wore his wedding ring was.

Two weeks earlier, on August the 1st, at the same beach and at approximately the same time, Frenchman Nicolas Virolle lost his life to a shark in an equally vicious attack. Eyewitnesses described his wounds as if “he’d been struck by a boat´s propeller”.

According to the Shark Attack Monitor, a blog dedicated to reporting on global shark attacks, there were 7 recorded shark attacks worldwide between August 1 and August 17. Ian and Nicolas’ attacks are included in these statistics.

On the day that Ian was attacked, and for that matter on the day that Nicolas was attacked too, elsewhere in the world a shark caught on a vicious hook was hauled across the deck of a fishing boat.

Four pairs of hands held the shark down and prevented it from wriggling free while a fifth pair of hands wielding a wickedly sharp knife swiftly cut through the shark’s skin and flesh and removed its pectoral, dorsal and ventral fins. Once the fins were removed, the shark was dumped overboard where it drifted downward to settle on the bottom of the ocean and drown.

Shark researchers estimate that a median of 36 million sharks are killed annually for shark fin soup and other traditional cures. Buoyed on by economic market conditions and improvements in fishing technology, sharks are ruthlessly and relentlessly hunted to satisfy a growing demand for conspicuous consumption of luxury goods and services. Assuming the researchers median statistic of 36 million sharks killed annually, 1 578 082 sharks were killed between August 1 and August 17 - some 92 828 per day.

When the news broke of Ian’s death the British media machine went into overdrive. Sky News posted stories of the attack every five minutes. Experts and so-called experts were interviewed and interrogated. The big questions being posed were “why did it happen” and “what can be done to prevent it happening again”. Many of the experts that were interviewed made the point repeatedly that very little is known about sharks and that not much could be drawn from the facts of Ian’s attack.


The point was never made that to avoid

being attacked by a shark you need to stay

out of the water!

Both attacks took place at Anse Lazio, an exquisite sandy beach on the northwestern shore of Praslin in the Seychelles archipelago. Praslin is one of the most popular islands in the archipelago and Anse Lazio is considered the best beach in the Seychelles - some rate it in the top ten in the world.

Nestled in Baie Chevalier the white sandy beach merges with turquoise blue water and is fringed by Takamaka trees and Palm trees. At the extremities of the beach are large granite boulders, which add to the feeling of seclusion. The beach is not separated from the sea by a coral reef, which would protect it from waves, and the influx of apex predators. It is a popular honeymoon destination with the North Island being visited by Prince William and his wife, Duchess Kate, when on their honeymoon.

It is a tourist hotspot and a source of revenue and employment to many Seychellois. It is reported that some

100 000 tourists visited the Seychelles between January and July this year. As in the movie Jaws, the shark attacks on Ian and Nicolas threaten to close this tourist destination down.

The day after Ian died of a loss of blood from his wounds, Evan Jones and Este James, both South African tourists in need of a well-deserved holiday, arrived at Praslin.

On arrival, they were picked up by their travel agent and informed of the shark

attack. Being scuba divers they are used to seeing sharks in the water and were unperturbed by the news of sharks in the bay but naturally were horrified to learn of Ian’s death and their hearts went out to Ian’s widow, Gemma.

The travel agent told them that bathing; swimming and snorkeling had been banned immediately after the attack by the Seychellois government who were doing everything possible to contain the growing crisis that was threatening to shut down the tourism industry.


The last recorded shark attack in the Seychelles dates back to 1963 and was reportedly by a tiger shark on a local fisherman who was hunting for turtles. In his book, Shark for Sale, William Travis tells of his exploits fishing for large sharks in the Seychelles archipelago. He planned to profit from the demand for high quality dried and salted shark and developed long line fishing techniques to catch sharks. Over a two year period he caught hundreds of sharks, many of them large tiger sharks of four metres and longer. He describes watching sharks come close inshore in the late afternoon to feed on turtles during the night and return to the “safety and darkness of the abyss” in the predawn. Shark for Sale was published in 1961, after William had retired from the shark fishing game because it wasn’t sustainable.

Shark attacks in the Seychelles had become a rarity and the last thing anyone would have expected. Unsurprisingly, Evan and Este arrived to an island in a mild state of panic - “this was the second attack in a period of about two weeks - everyone was spooked, not knowing what was going on” Evan told me.

When Evan and Este went to the beach they were prohibited from swimming and snorkeling. The beach was patrolled while the Seychelles Navy patrolled the bay. On the night they arrived they went on a sunset cruise done under the watchful eye of the Navy. The bay they cruised in was littered with fishing nets set by local fishermen out to catch the shark responsible for the attack and to claim the reward for capturing it. The Seychelles government was doing everything possible to be seen to resolve the situation and prevent a recurrence.

The question on everyone’s lips was “what kind of shark was it that made the attack(s)”. Divers who travel to the Seychelles will tell you that mostly white tip reef sharks and nurse sharks are seen when diving. Occasionally bull sharks are seen in deeper waters and tiger sharks are rarely seen. Gossip and speculation was rife and there were many whispers of a “rogue shark” that had developed a taste for human flesh.

While the story of the attack dominated the British media, locally there was an

air of near hysteria and even bloodlust.

Evan described to me how he witnessed

an excess of fishing activities in the bay;

“local government had put out a bounty

for the capture of the shark, nets baited

with pork and chicken had been laid to

catch the shark. This resulted in massively

destructive behaviour and fishing. They

were hauling everything out because every

kind of fish was attracted to the bait. There

was no understanding of conservation in

the fishing process”.

Speculation on both the type and causes of

the attack was rife with the Bull shark being

the most popular culprit. Evan came across

three main theories attempting to explain

the cause of the attack. The first blamed a

restaurant for dumping its scraps in the sea

at night, which attracted sharks into the

bay. Yet another theory blamed the many

yachts that moor in the bay for attracting

sharks with what they dump overboard or

when cleaning their bilges.

The best theory though attributed the

attacks to nearby Somali pirates who

attract sharks with their dumping activities.


Two dive charters (White Tip Divers and Octopus Divers) met with the local fishing community attempting to convince them of the rashness of the fishing methods being employed. Evan told me that there were heated discussions between the parties as “tourism is everything to these communities and is a year-round business. People there take tourism seriously: they study it at school. Their whole life revolves around tourism. The attacks happened on their number one beach with the previous attack having taken place in the same place. Both victims died. It’s a tragedy for the tourism industry”.

When I asked Evan about the site of the attack he told me that it took place on the right hand side of the bay in an area that slopes up from a much deeper shelf. Because of the swimming and snorkeling ban Evan was unable to confirm this though but it appears to be in an area twenty metres from shore and where the topography slopes steeply.

A few days after the attack, Geremy Cliff and Mike Anderson-Reade of the KwaZulu Natal Sharks Board were flown to the Seychelles at the invitation of the government. Geremy and Mike’s mission being to assess the situation and provide advice to the Seychelles government on minimising the risk of further attacks.

Two weeks later Geremy, an extremely humble and knowledgeable man, agreed to meet with me and explain to me their findings and recommendations. The first point he made was that the local Seychellois eat shark meat and that shark fishing is therefore more prevalent than is known. While the Seychelles government does have a conservation plan and there is a move to

reduce shark fishing, there may have been a slight rebound in the shark population but this is pure speculation, as is much in cases of shark attacks.

Geremy and Mike were asked to provide options and recommendations for preventing further attacks and they pointed out that while there had been two attacks in the area in a short period, time is a great healer. However the Seychelles authorities insisted they wanted something more concrete and capable of implementation.

Given the pressure to make recommendations the team expressly did not recommend shark nets as an option because the nets catch indiscriminately and are costly to maintain. They recommended small mesh exclusion nets - effectively a closed in barrier for swimmers; keeping swimmers in and sharks out.

While the exclusion net option would be a workable solution the problem is that because of the importance of tourism, the authorities cannot close off all the beaches to swimming and snorkeling indefinitely. At the insistence of the authorities, the then recommended the implementation of a shark fishing device; not the traditional net option but rather a “drum line” device. A drum line is a large baited hook suspended beneath a large float or drum, which is anchored to the sea bed. Because a large hook is used it will only catch large predators and not small sharks.


The bounty put out by the authorities for the shark’s head had created a shark fishing hysteria with fishermen being attracted to the hunt from Mahe. Geremy and Mike advised the authorities to stop the hunt because they noted that the nets being used to catch the shark were indiscriminate and that the tackle being used by anglers was inappropriate with only small nurse and gray reef sharks being caught using this tackle – the hooks the fishermen were using were too small to catch large sharks which is why mainly small sharks were being caught. Geremy told me that of the approximately 40 sharks caught these were mainly gray reef and nurse sharks and that there was one sickle fin, a bull, two black tips and a hammerhead caught. He also pointed out that of the sharks caught, a certain amount would have been caught in the normal course of fishing there.

When Geremy and Mike arrived in the Seychelles they made an initial inspection of the bite marks and wounds on Ian’s body, which were indicative of that from a Tiger shark. Print and online media had published that the fragment of tooth found was from that of a great white.

Th

e Su

spects

Tiger

Tiger Shark

White

Bull

Great White Shark

Bull Shark aka Zambezi Shark

Carcharhinus leucas

Carcharodon carcharias

Galeocerdo cuvier


steep sloping beach that goes out for approximately one hundred metres offshore with the depth at the actual attack site being some five to six metres - a depth at which most shark attacks occur.

A more gradually sloping beach with a coral reef would, generally, be more of a deterrent with a natural barrier and this accords with what Evan had told me of his analysis of the area.

The Sharks Board team’s final recommendations included setting up a proper lifeguard service, the acquisition of shark packs (emergency first aid) and to improve emergency procedures. It was suggested that they could try aerial surveillance but bull and tiger sharks don’t necessarily swim near the surface and therefore this early warning system may not be effective.

They suggested relaxing the swimming and snorkeling ban, specifically to relax the ban in the morning because, based on experience, most attacks take place in the late afternoon.

However the fragment was very small and the Sharks Board team was not allowed to take the tooth fragment away to examine it in detail. So they compared it to teeth samples that had brought over with them. Geremy makes the point that the fragment was very small but did evidence serrations. Great Whites, bulls and tiger sharks all have serrated teeth, which would indicate that the tooth fragment was from one of these sharks. However Geremy and Mike could not match the serrations to the teeth samples they had brought with them and they suggested DNA testing to conclusively identify the shark responsible for the attack.

I asked Geremy what the point of identifying the type of shark was and he explained it was in order to know what to look for and what preventative action to take. He went on to explain that if it was a great white, this may be reassuring to the industry as great whites are unlikely to be resident and may simply have been passing through.

The other two species are more concerning because bull sharks are known to take up residency at certain reefs and tiger sharks are common there.

On the penultimate day of the team’s field inspection, a large tiger shark was caught and they had an opportunity to look at the stomach contents. Because of the sensitivity of the issue, the shark’s stomach was cut out while still in the boat in which it was caught and the contents bagged and taken with the police to the hospital mortuary for inspection. The stomach contents contained a tern and the remains of a hawksbill turtle - no human remains

were found.

Finding Ian’s indigestible wedding ring would have been conclusive proof of the culprit shark but as this shark had been caught some ten days after the second attack the likelihood of finding human remains was reduced because the shark may have coughed it up (they do this if unpalatable) or been digested. The wedding ring was not found.

Owing to the swimming and snorkeling ban Geremy was unable to do a proper inspection of the site of the attack and was only afforded a twenty-minute swim there. Geremy told me that the general area of the attack is a fairly


It was also recommended that nearby mooring yachts do not throw waste overboard when anchored there and that the Sharks Boards standard best practices be adopted in managing beach activities.

It is unclear at the time of writing what approach the Government will take with regard to relaxing the ban, implementing best practices and netting and drum line preventative measures. But statistically speaking, between the time of the attack on Ian and the publishing of this article approximately 4 177 260 sharks have been slaughtered for their fins, cartilage and meat. Go figure.


Underwater Photography in the Red Sea:

Photography

Which lens to use?

Article & Images by Paul Hunter


This is a question I have been asked numerous times and a

question I often ask myself. On a recent trip to the Southern

Red Sea, I was faced with this dilemma a few times, and the

reason for this had a lot to do with the conditions: ocean

current, visibility, time of day and most importantly, subject

matter.

Broadly speaking, underwater photography is divided into

two categories namely: macro and wide-angle. Both cater for

close focus, which is important as it allows you to get closer,

reducing the amount of water between your camera and the

subject. This in turn produces better quality images. In this

article I will explain my lenses and some of the choices I

made during the trip to the Southern Red Sea and what

was more successful for me and why.

I’m fortunate enough to own a number of lenses from which

I can select to use underwater. The three lenses I primarily

use are: the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye, Sigma 10-20mm zoom

lens and the Nikon 105mm macro lens. Before we jump in

and discuss different lens choices, I think it is important to

analyse each lens and the different advantages and shortfalls

relating to them. For the purpose of understanding each of

the lenses I use, I have included a short description of each.

This is an ultra-wide lens with a 180-degree view. It provides for close focus, 14cm to be precise, which lets you get close to the subject for better lighting and image quality. One of the interesting features of this lens is a characteristic called ‘Barrel

Distortion’. This distortion results in curved lines at the edge of the image. This may be seen as a negative aspect but it provides for a curved perspective and loads of depth of field. The other thing to remember is that for the most part, there are little or no naturally occurring straight lines underwater. This lens is really excellent for reef shots, large marine life, wrecks, over-under shots and a host of other scenarios.

The Nikon 10.5mm fisheye My personal favorite underwater lens.

I think this lens is great value for money with a good reputation for underwater photography. It also has a minimal close focusing distance of just 24cm, which is ideal for wide-angle reef shots and large subjects like sharks, whales,

dolphins and turtles. With this lens, lines remain straight (no barrel distortion) and this feature also makes this lens great for topside landscape photography. The ability to zoom between 10 and 20mm makes for a very versatile lens underwater.

Sigma 10 - 20mm zoom lensAnother favorite of mine

This lens offers 1:1 magnification and a longer working distance than the 60mm, which is great for skittish subjects. It also works very well with a

diopter. For me, the only downside to this lens is that it battles to focus in low lighting conditions, but this can be corrected with a focus light. I would highly recommend this lens or something similar for anyone starting out in underwater photography.

Nikon 105mm macro lensFor all my macro photography

My underwater photography lenses


With a better understanding of the capabilities of each of the above lenses, it makes my choices a little easier. Obviously, these are not the only elements I have to take into consideration. As I mentioned earlier, different conditions also play an important role in my overall lens choice. While in the Southern Red Sea, we had some extraordinary weather: everything from strong winds, raging currents, choppy surface conditions and remarkable surge. Visibility was constantly changing and the time of day ie: the natural (ambient) light was noticeably different, from one dive to the next.

One of the main reasons I enjoy diving

the Southern Red Sea is the diversity it contains. For the photographer it offers everything from walls, wrecks, sharks, awesome soft corals, caves and plenty of macro opportunities. My first week was spent on both the Brother Islands and Daedalus and Elphinstone Reefs. These three reefs are all renowned for sharks and that is what I wanted to photograph. This was the main factor in my lens choice for the week. Even though the fisheye is my favorite, it

Conditions


is not the right lens for shark, unless the shark is large and right up against your dome port. I opted for the 10-20mm zoom lens, which gave me more flexibility to photograph skittish sharks, reef scenes and everything in between.

I have found the following approach to this lens delivers

the best results: I start out by setting the lenses to its widest and then depending on how close I get to your subject I zoom in if necessary. Unfortunately, just because you have the right lens setup does not guarantee the subjects you want will appear on command. I only got to see a reef shark in the distance on Big Brother and a few hammerheads on Daedalus, but couldn’t get close enough to photograph them. Like any other type of nature photography you have to be patient and be ready for the unexpected and try and use the opportunities that arise to the best of your ability. Sadly, this was not to be my time to capture the Hammerheads.

Besides the subject matter determining my choice of lens,

the dive guides indicated that there was a high possibility of strong currents on these reefs and this was also to influence my choice. The strong currents make it almost impossible to do macro photography as I would not be able to stay in one place long enough to photograph anything. I’ve seen photographers attempting macro photography in strong currents, holding onto the reef and finning ferociously causing destruction. This is something I’m opposed to as no image is worth any degree of damage to frail eco-systems.


It is important to pay careful attention to the reef and surroundings as this often influences my choice of lens, especially when I get the opportunity to dive the same reef numerous times. I did this on Big Brother with the large fan corals. My 10-20mm lens could not handle the size of these fans, as I wanted to get close enough to light them with my strobes, but then couldn’t fit the entire fan into the image. On the third dive I decided to use my fisheye, which allowed me to accomplish this.

Surroundings


En route to Elphinstone I once again prepped my camera with the 10-20mm lens, as I was optimistic that I would get to see my first oceanic white tip shark on this reef. Upon arrival, as we moored the boat, there was great excitement as there was a shark under the zodiac. It was an oceanic and I was ready for it.

This was my chance to capture a shark I had long been searching for. As luck would have it we encountered the shark during our dive but I was at 30 meters and the shark at 5 meters and it was not waiting for anybody. You can just imagine how I was cursing. I was finally ready to capture this beautiful creature and I was too deep. Which brings me to my next point.

It does not help to have the right equipment

and the right subject; you also need to understand your subject’s behavior. These sharks spent most of their time near the surface and under the boats. I had learnt a valuable lesson during the first dive. The next dive I spent 90 minutes under 3 boats at about 7 meters and got to witness the sharks over and over - at one stage there were three oceanics and a large silky which had come in to see what was happening.

Subject Matter


I was rewarded with my lens choice

and the results I had achieved with it.

The second week we moved further south

to St John’s and Fury Reefs.

Totally different diving was presented:

less current and wind, shallower dives and

cave systems. I decided to experiment a

little with both the fisheye and zoom lens

in the numerous caves. After examining

my images I honestly think the fisheye

obtained better results.

Using natural light and a slower shutter

speed I could capture the beautiful

cathedral light produced by the sun

through the openings in the reef system.

Throw in a model and you have a perfect

scenario for great photography.

Macro photography: On the second

week I also decided to do some macro

photography. It had been a while since

I had last used my macro lens and I

was a little rusty to start with but once I

settled down and got the hang of it - the

images came. It’s unbelievable how my

mindset changes when I do macro work. I

somehow blank out the entire surrounding

environment and only concentrate on the

small area around me as I move slowly

looking for small critters to photograph.

After the dive I was told about large

Napoleon Wrasse, turtles and much more

that I had missed during the dive. I was so

thoroughly focused and enjoying shooting

macro again that nothing else seemed

to exist. It was a huge difference to the

previous weeks photography.

No matter what I photograph in the

ocean, big or small, I always think of it as

a privilege to be able to do this. Just being

able to experience what the ocean has to

offer is something I don’t take for granted.

Every dive, no matter what we see is

something all of us should appreciate. Who

knows how much longer the ocean life will

survive and a question I always ask myself

is: “will the future generation be able to

share in this experience”?

Remember to take only images and leave only bubbles.


http://www.wetpixel.com


Seahorses & their kin

Article by: Georgina Jones Photographs by Geoff Spiby

Creature Feature

The pygmy seahorse Hippocampus bargibanti is so tiny it was only found by accident when gorgonian fans were being

collected for an aquarium


Pygmy seahorses are camouflage masters: here Hippocampus bargibanti blends almost invisibly with its host gorgonian, Muricella plectana


Seahorses are the best known of a strange little family of fishes known in the trade as the Syngnathidae.

The family also includes: • pipefishes • seadragons • pipehorses and • pygmy seahorses.

So strange are these fishes, in fact, that they were once thought to be related to insects. Members of the family all have delicate horse-like heads with eyes that swivel independently of one another, like chameleons’. Instead of normal fish scales, their bodies are covered with body armour of fused and overlapping plates and rings.

This hard exterior probably inspired long-ago scientists to consider an insect connection. Peculiar in appearance though they may be, and about as far from the standard fish shape as they are, seahorses and their close kin are most certainly fish, with the backbone, gills, swim-bladder and fins to prove it.

Although, to be fair, the gills are pretty strange, being formed of tufted clusters rather than the standard leaf-like gill arches found in other fish. And instead of the normal crescent-shaped gill cover, the

The yellow morph of Hippocampus bargibanti lives equally invisibly on the gorgonian Muricella paraplectana


gill-openings are small pores on the back of the head. The gill structure is probably connected with the shape of the head and the size of the gill opening, but no-one’s really sure.

In terms of fins, the family is also relatively unusual. Normal fish have dorsal, ventral, pectoral and tail fins.

For seahorses and their kin,

both the number and size of their fins is drastically reduced. Seahorses, for example, have no ventral fin and finless, prehensile tails, all the better for clinging. Not unsurprisingly, none of the family are very strong swimmers, and most members spend their lives either close to or attached to their preferred substrate.

The family evolved around

50 million years ago, coinciding with the development of large areas of shallow sea and a correlated profusion of

seagrasses. Some scientists believe that the family may have developed to take advantage of the shelter and ambush potential offered by these seagrass-filled shallow seas.

On this basis, the small fins make more sense. They are not at all useful for speed, but are excellent for remaining in one position. Added to their

excellent camouflage, this enables the family to live as stealth hunters.

Almost all of them eat small crustaceans which they suck out of the water or off the substrate with the vacuum created by their tubelike snouts.

These days the family can be found in almost all sub- and tropical seas, as well as in

temperate waters.

The different species have become exquisitely adapted to different habitats, ranging from seagrass beds to gorgonian corals and underwater caves.

So tiny and perfectly camouflaged are the pygmy seahorses, in fact, that the group was only discovered when gorgonian fans were collected for a project and a couple of these delightful animals were, completely by accident, part of the haul.

Observers can be forgiven for not noticing them though. Pygmy seahorses are among the smallest vertebrates in existence, most not even reaching 2cm in total length.

Probably the strangest thing

about the family though, is its method of reproduction. For fish, there is an unusual level of parental care, and even

The pygmy seahorse doesn’t seem to get larger than 2.4cm in total length, though the juveniles are born as fully developed,

if minuscule, seahorses


more unusually, the primary carer is the male. Mating pairs engage in elaborate courtship rituals until they signal mating readiness to one another, usually by a brightening in colour.

The female then either deposits the eggs onto a special sticky patch on the male’s belly, or into a semi enclosed fold of skin or a special pouch. The presence of a pouch depends on the relative swimming ability of the animal: the more sedentary members need a pouch to keep their brood safe from crawling predators.

As the pregnancy progresses,

the female visits the male every day and they dance together. This, romantic though it sounds, is a very efficient way for the female to keep tabs on the development of the male’s pregnancy. In most species, the babies are born as miniature

adults and float off to begin their stealth hunting lives.

Each brood can be anything up to 1500 young in size, but there is significant attrition while young by planktivorous predators.

Once the male has given birth,

the female returns and deposits more eggs, so that the male is usually continuously pregnant throughout the mating season.

Some studies suggest that this makes the most energetic sense, since the female, at the moment of egg transfer, has up to a third of her body weight in eggs and that she needs the male’s incubation period to develop the next lot.

Even more mysteriously, their close relatives, the ghost pipefishes, all have ventral fins and the females brood the eggs in a pouch made by clasping these fins together like praying hands. Just why male parenting should have developed in the seahorse family and not in the ghostpipefishes is still a matter for speculation.

The ornate ghostpipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, floats vertically head downwards among gorgonians and corals. This serves the dual purpose of hiding the fish from its predators and concealing it from its crustacean prey


Conservation Status

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: ACTINOPTERYGII

Order: SYNGNATHIFORMES

Family: SYNGNATHIDAE

Genus: Hippocampus capensis

Classification

• Seahorses have no teeth and swallow their food whole.

• Seahorses are masters of camouflage, changing color and growing skin filaments to blend in with their surroundings.

• The Seahorses have no true stomach; food passes rapidly through their digestive system.

• Seahorses have prehensile tails.

• Pygmy Seahorses can measure up to 2.5cm (just under a inch tall) and are amoung the tiniest known vertebrates.

Did You Know

Quick Facts on the Knysna Seahorse

The Knysna seahorse, Hippocampus capensis, is restricted to only four South African estuaries (Knysna, Keurbooms, Kleinbrak and Swartvlei)


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DIVE EXPERIENCE

Image by Rainer Schimpf our featured photographer


Featured Article

Commentary by Dr Lynne Hepplestone

Shark Products:A Consumer’s Guide


• Where are shark products found in the market place?

• Are you aware of the moisturizing ingredients in your cosmetics?

• Did you have your annual “flu jab” this year?

• What supplements are you taking for joint health?

• What questions should you be asking as an environmentally-friendly,conservation-minded consumer?

SHARK products Mahatma Gandhi said “the morality of a nation can be judged on

the way it treats its’ animals”. The saddest reflection of Humanity

today is what we have done, and aggressively persist in doing, to

our living dinosaurs: the Rhino and the Shark. That a species can

exist for over 400-million years, and come so close to extinction in

these last 50years alone, is no accolade.

That both are so brutally- cruelly “harvested” only aggravates

the travesty. Sadly again, it’s the same market driving

the demand for both: China - the Rhino for

perceived medicinal purposes, the

Shark as a bourgeois

culinary dish

(soup).

In the face of such a global conservation crisis, this is truly absurd.


United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) statistics indicated in 2007 that more than 100 million sharks were being removed from the ocean annually, of which 73 million were targeted for shark-fin alone. The other 27 million are caught as fishing by-catch, in long-lines, netting, and deep trawling, the products then sold by the fisheries, for various uses.

Shark fin soup is the Asian culinary delicacy driving the Asian buyer’s market, the largest trade of shark fin. Other uses of shark fin are as a source of chondroitin sulphate in chondro-protective nutraceuticals, and misguidedly as a treatment for cancer. Shark-sourced squalene, an extract of shark liver, has been used as an adjuvant in Influenza vaccines since 1997, and is also widely used as a moisturizing agent in the cosmetics industry.

Rightfully so, attention to conservation should be a matter of urgency. These oceanic apex predators belong in the water, not on the pharmacy shelves, nor on the dining-room table. They are strategic in effecting the necessary balance across their own eco-systems, and are being destroyed with scant regard for the impact across an increasingly imbalanced ocean.

Next visit to the local fish-and-chips shop may very well have shark-and-chips on the menu, never declared, and almost certainly without a consumer’s knowledge or consent. Had you known, would you still have ordered and eaten your portion?

Did you know that the flu vaccine uses squalene, from shark liver, as the adjuvant to the vaccine? All flu vaccines manufactured since 1997 (14 years of millions of doses) contain shark-sourced squalene. In fact, squalene is a common, naturally-occurring substance, and is found in plants, animals, and humans. It is manufactured in the liver of every human body, circulating through our bloodstreams. It can also be found in, and utilized from, olive oil, wheat-germ oil, and rice-bran oil.

Is it necessary to obtain squalene from shark livers for pharmaceutical purposes when so many alternative, conservation-friendly sources are readily available? Is it cheaper? As deep-trawled fishing by-catch, 2kg of (an endangered) shark liver has a higher yield of squalene than olives, wheat-germ, or rice, despite the obvious deduction that you can farm olives, wheat, and rice.

I understand the stringent and rigorous regulatory procedures incurred in the process of making a vaccine, and respect the personal choices made by anyone wanting to be vaccinated against any disease, including ‘flu. My statement to the pharmaceutical manufacturers is this: please change your source of Squalene used in the adjuvant of your vaccine to a smarter, conservation-oriented choice, of which there appear to be many. I have heard this corporate response all too often: “it takes time” and “it costs money”. Surely all involved in the industry have more than made their money on this vaccine? As an informed consumer, I request investment in a responsible conservation programme. I would like to hear “we are well on our way to utilizing an alternative source, and will no longer source sharks for their livers for the use in vaccines.”


Shark-liver squalene is also a moisturizing ingredient in certain cosmetic creams and preparations.

Handcreams – read the label. If the product states squalene as an ingredient, (without declaring the specific source), you can be pretty sure it is shark. Familiar, well-known treatment preparations for haemorroids contain shark-liver-squalene.

The most extensively used shark product on the market is the cartilaginous shark fin, along with the entire cartilaginous exoskeleton of the sharks’ body.

Outside of the high-demand Asian market, this cartilage is readily used in the nutraceutical industry, as joint supplements, and anti-cancer agents.

In the destruction of the Caribbean shark population, through a manipulative campaign, fuelled by misleading information, the cancer myth was finally exposed to the public in a $1 million FDA lawsuit, ordering a formal clinical trial. The results of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, published in 2005, conclude that they were unable to demonstrate any suggestion of efficacy for shark cartilage in patients with advanced cancer.

(Loprinzi, Charles L. et al. Evaluation of shark cartilage in

patients with advanced cancer. CANCER Journal. July 1, 2005.

Vol 104, Number 2.)


Wha

t are

nut

race

utica

ls ?

These are the wide range of “health”

supplements commercially available

over the counter, that are neither food

(nutrients) nor drugs (pharmaceutics).

This nutraceutical category is broad,

and not recognized by the FDA (Food

and Drug Administration, a governing

body regulating public safety).

The significance of this lies in

understanding that there is no regulation

in the industry for human products,

allowing unscrupulous manufacturers

to deceive and manipulate the public.

All those shelves filled with commercially available products promising to hold the ultimate cure for your joint disease, at a price someone has yet to better! Understand, from the outset, that there are reputable manufacturers, with good products. The big BUT is ... the requirement to be an informed and educated consumer, to be able to protect yourself and the enviroment against the inevitable fly-by-night opportunists that have a loophole ( = lack of regulation) to enter the market.

Most joint supplements contain a variation of the following key ingredients: MSM powder (a natural anti-inflammatory, MethylSulfonylMethane, an organic form of sulphur), chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. Other ingredients enhancing the uptake of these three key active ingredients are sometimes also included, most commonly Manganese and Ascorbic Acid ( Vitamin C).

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) and Glucosamine are the most commonly found products used to relieve old, injured, arthritic or painful joints. These are called chondro-protective agents (protecting cartilage). They keep cartilage elastic, resilient, strong and healthy, helping to keep the joints comfortable. Chondroitin sulfate is readily available.

Joint Supplements


It is literally the pearly-white cartilaginous surface covering the joints of all mammals. Ingesting chondroitin sulfate can strengthen the natural cartilage in the body. The most common reputable sources for manufacturers to obtain are from chicken, pigs, and cattle, from the abbatoir. They obtain the trachea (windpipe), which is the densest cartilaginous structure of the mammalian body.

It can be lab-manufactured, but synthetic CS is not utilized as it is too expensive to manufacture, increasing costs to the manufacturer.

Chondroitin sulfate can also be sourced from shark cartilage, shark fin, skates and rays. Dolphin fin is also cartilaginous, although the dolphin is mammalian, and may also be used as product from fishing by-catch. Never declared on labels, rather commonly hidden as Marine source, (if Marine is even declared at all). It is widely used because it’s possibly the cheapest source of CS available, in an unethical and largely-unregulated trade of shark, and fishing by-catch.

What’s important to understand about these varying sources is that they are not equally bio-available to the mammalian body.

The raw product requires refinement, ultimately to the lowest molecular weight, because only low-molecular weight (measured in KiloDaltons) CS can be taken up by the body. Top-end, beyond which the product is ineffective, is 40KDa.The molecular weight of refined shark CS is +40KDa, much higher than that of beef, chicken, or pork. So not all chondroitin sulfate is “good” chondroitin sulfate…. The high(er) molecular weight (KDa), the less effective, and it passes through the body as waste/faeces, despite the client’s belief that they really are doing the “right and healthy thing”! There is a recognized synergistic effect between CS and glucosamine, but that does not excuse the use of higher KDa shark-sourced CS in a product. Efficacy and Synergism would improve with low-molecular CS. Some of the most expensive joint supplements on the human market are not what they promise to be.

Anything containing shark cartilage has no health benefit, not as a joint supplement nor as any mythical cancer treatment. The molecular weight is far too high, in it’s most refined state, and so is not taken up and used by the body. It’s simply passed through with faecal bulk. That’s a high price to pay for a 400-million-year-old species close to extinction: a useless product alongside a +90% population decimation with IUCN listing.

Glucosamine is sourced from Crustaceans / Molluscs, for example Green Lipped Mussel Extract. These can be farmed, as expected to be used in a reputable product. There are legitimate concerns being raised regarding food hygiene in these intensive marine farming ventures. Unfortuneately, industrial fishing by-catch is the most common source of glucosamine, hiding under the label “marine”, and creating another loop-hole for manufacturers to keep their costs down while not declaring product source to the public.

If you are informed that the source of CS used is chicken, pigs, or cattle, you know immediately that this is (1) a more conservation-friendly choice, and (2) that the molecular weight should be more bio-available to the body.


However, I still ask if they will declare the molecular weight, as this may also be unrefined. I have seldom had that question answered; reasons given are “competitive trade secrets” or, by implication, deduce that it may not be refined enough and so have a KDa weight a little too high for optimal efficacy?

As a general rule, I support products that are transparent on their labelling, willingly declaring sources of all ingredients contained therein, and happy to answer my questions.

However, there are shelves filled with products in the pharmacies with very little information on their labels, and very little response to inquiry. A data base is being compiled of as many joint products as possible with their declared sources of chondroprotective agents, with the intention of informing consumers about their choice of nutraceutical, and so serving as a helpful reference.

To find out more please visit www.rethinkorextinct.co.za

What should the consumer look for?

• Read the ingredient list on the label• Key words: squalene, chondroitin sulphate,

glucosamine, marine • See if the source is declared / listed on the label• Some label-dressing will state the source as

“marine” or “natural”, or marine exoskeleton• Request the specific source, or find another product

You are the paying customer; ask the questions, and make the choices

that pre-empt the bigger changes we’re all looking for of personal

responsibility, integrity, conservation, and sustainability, amongst others.

http://www.rethinkorextinct.co.za


mailto:mailto:info%40diveculture.co.za?subject=Extreme%20Housing%20-%20Enquiry%20from%20ADM%20Aug/Sept


Rainer Schimpf PhotographyIntroducing

Our

3rd

Bir

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sue

Featured Photographer


Rainer is a passionate marine conservationist who combines photography, video and marine expeditions in order to spread his conservation message.

Rainer began taking photographs at the age of eleven with a Photo Porst and a variety of lenses. Naturally attracted to the environment, Rainer’s photography skills grew as he left his native Germany and travelled the world.

Settling in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Rainer began guiding European tourists, showing them the natural beauty of the Southern African coastline. His guiding activities grew into a fully-fledged tourism business specialising in marine activities and this, naturally, attracted film production companies. Throughout the years, Rainer has worked with film crews on various productions covering marine life and marine environmental issues.

For Rainer, photography and marine conservation go hand in hand. Photography and video are powerful media for communicating both the beauty of nature as well as the challenges nature has to endure from man’s encroachment on the environment.


Two of Rainer’s short-film documentaries, Opaque and Ocean Messengers, have won national and international prizes - the Jury Award in Antip for the environment, and the Kudu award. Both documentaries use powerful imagery to communicate a conservation message. He also markets his images stills images through Gallo Images.

Rainer and his wife, Petra, established an NGO called Ocean Messengers with the aim of protecting the environment in Algoa Bay, which is where he bases his activities. One of Ocean Messengers’ successful projects has been securing sponsorship from Scuba Schools International (SSI) and Rufford (RSG) to train and support three hundred underprivileged and previously disadvantaged persons as well as government and industry leaders as open water divers.

Rainer says “it’s only when you physically see what is at stake that you can understand the need to protect it”. And this was the driving force behind the training program at Ocean Messengers -

the conclusion being “if we can train as many people as possible to become scuba divers it is less likely they will destroy the marine environment and think twice if they are in decision making jobs at Industry, Government or Universities”.

Working with SSI, Rainer developed ISO Certified Marine Guiding Course in conection with Dive Guide training to enable South African Tour Guides and future trainers to, not only find jobs locally, but to spread the conservation message in all of their activities.

Being based in Port Elizabeth means that Rainer is able to guide tourists to sardine run activity outside of the normal sardine run time frame - the sardine territory extends into Algoa Bay and onward to Port Alfred. By following the sardines in this area, over the years Rainer has observed the “food chain” that follows the sardine food store.

Bryde’s whales, humpback whales, southern right whales, common dolphin, cape gannet, cape fur seals and mola mola all feature in this unique eco-system.

“it’s only when you

physically see what is

at stake that you can

understand the need

to protect it”.

http://www.ocean-messengers.com


Perhaps one of his highlights, is the observation of predation by killer whales on common dolphin.

Rainer’s video footage and stills imagery led to Discovery channel incorporating his work in a documentary on killer whale hunting techniques.

In August of 2010, Rainer and four other professional and amateur photographers travelled by boat on a ten-day trip from Port Elizabeth to Port St John’s, a distance of six hundred kilometres. The trip was a photographic expedition to photograph and document the marine wildlife on the eastern cape coastline.

Rainer focuses a lot of his photography on marine pollution such as oil spills and leakage, over-fishing by industrial fishing boats and the impact of shipping on whale migration routes. Consequently much of his imagery is not pretty but shocking. Documenting this pollution and marine abuse is difficult to capture in a single image. However sometimes it all comes together as in the image of a cape fur seal feeding next to a sardine trawler. This is a powerful message.

Rainer’s driving mantra is to see “the future for our children and the sea as one. Education, awareness and understanding the impact we humans have on our marine environment is of upmost importance”.

http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/consumer/cameras-camcorders/cameras/nx-series/index.idx?pagetype=subtype_p2


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http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/consumer/cameras-camcorders/cameras/compact/index.idx?pagetype=subtype_p2


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http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/consumer/cameras-camcorders/camcorders/hd-camcorders/index.idx?pagetype=subtype_p2


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Amanda Jackson

Pa s s i o n ate a b o u t t h e b u s i n e s s o f d i v i n g


Pop in to any of the almost 100 PADI dive centres in South Africa to do a dive course and chances are that your PADI materials will come from Kewe Sales.

Tucked in a quiet road in a leafy suburb of Johannesburg this family business has a national footprint for all things PADI as well as dive industry consulting. Poke your head round the door or call them on the phone and you’ll be greeted by the ever friendly, smiling Amanda Jackson.

Amanda started diving as a way to spend quality time with her Dad. Her father had qualified with SSI and Amanda started out by qualifying with NAUI but she switched over to PADI when she commenced with her Advanced Diver course at Sandton Scuba.

Like most people bitten by the diving bug, Amanda went on to qualify as an instructor in 1997, but never really immersed herself in diver training because she was too busy following her passion for business.

It was while she was doing her PADI Rescue Diver course in 1996, that Amanda spotted a business opportunity that was to shape her future. At the time, she was dating a PADI instructor and witnessed dive centres or individual instructors having to order material directly from PADI. As she puts it: “my immediate thoughts were that these shops need to access items in South Africa”.

Unlike most diving professionals, Amanda’s passion has always been in the “Business of Diving”. Amanda claims that she only really qualified as an instructor to broaden her diving knowledge and to gain credibility and acceptance with people who are now her clients.

Kewe Sales is headed up by Amanda and her Mum, Wendy, and distributes PADI materials throughout Southern Africa. They employ a representative in Cape Town too. Kewe Sales stock and distribute the full range of PADI products and Amanda consults extensively to the industry on product related issues.

Working with dive centres is one of Amanda’s strengths and one of her sources of reward for her efforts. Because of her relationships with dive centres she gets to see novice divers progress through their training and, within a few years, see the fruits of their passion turn into a business opportunity as they go on to run their own dive schools and dive centres.


Back in 1996 when she was developing as a diver and starting Kewe Sales, there were very few women in the dive industry. Today, this has changed and Amanda is pleased to see more women owning and managing dive centres. Diving is no longer a male dominated sport, in her view, and with the growth of more and more families enjoying the sport of diving, Amanda is positive that the number of women professionals in diving will increase.

It’s not been an easy journey though for Amanda and any of the professional women who are icons of the industry today. In the mid-1990’s diving in South Africa was very much a male dominated sport and for Amanda and other women professionals it was very difficult to gain acceptance from the male dive centre owners.

“What fasc inated me, and to th is day real ly, i s the strong , determined nature of the women that forged a path. My greatest fear when start ing Kewe was that I would not match up to the d iv ing and bus iness acumen of these except ional women”.

When asked about her passion for the business of diving, Amanda had this to say:

“I realize this is a personal passion of mine, but I would like to see more women getting involved with the business of diving. More and more women are qualifying as professionals, and PADI has many tools to enable people to learn how to manage and run successful enterprises, while enjoying their passion. Diving and diving related activities can be a lifelong sustainable activity and it is important for the current crop of women leaders, to pass on the knowledge gained, over many hard fought years”.

Like many other dive professionals leading the field, Amanda is frustrated by the lack of emerging industry leaders to inject new life into the sport. But because she is passionate about a successful career in diving, one of Amanda’s missions is to continue to encourage divers and people interested in diving to embrace the myriad possibilities to be found in a career in diving.

The current economic recession and

resulting tightening of disposable

income has impacted the diving

industry worldwide and equally in

South Africa. But Amanda remains

upbeat about the future saying that

investments being made in research and

development of diving products and

services will see the industry

continuing to grow steadily.


When Amanda’s not running her business or consulting to the industry she cools off diving and while she’d love to dive in the Galapagos (because of the species diversity there) her all time South African dive spot is 9 Mile Reef in Sodwana Bay –“it’s like having a cold beer with an old friend every time I return”.

The best dive site she’s dived though is a site in Tobago called London Bridge - “lovely swim through, with drop-off the other side, large pelagic fish and the second biggest brain coral in the world”. When quizzed about her message to divers, aspirant

divers and women divers Amanda’s message is quite simple but true: “there are many diverse courses out there, don’t stay stagnant in your diving career or experiences. Get the most out of every dive”. And as for Kewe Sales, well Amanda’s has plans to grow

the business. Kewe Sales, will in the future, be expanding into “Complimentary Agencies” … watch this space”.

To contact Amanda click on the Kewe Sales & Consulting logo

http://vimeo.com/7456932

africandiver issue 19

Documents

f r i c

c o moctober

marine conservation

logbook issue

shark attacks

african diver magazine

seychelles attack

africadiver magazine