The Scuba News New Zealand

The iconic Andrea Doria wreck featured in the press in June 2016 when OceanGate explored the wreck with their manned submersible and assessed her current condition. The footage that was captured showed considerable deterioration of the wreck in the last two years alone. As divers continue to explore this luxury liner, we look back at Bob Wilson’s account of his Andrea Doria 50th anniversary dive in 2006.

The Underwater Archaeological Society of BC (UASBC) announces its latest exploration project. Starting fall 2016 the UASBC plans to survey and document the Historic Shipwrecks of the Southern Gulf Islands. The project is expected to take three years to complete and will involve archival research, underwater fieldwork, site documentation and mapping.

It’s the end of September and we are coming to the end of the diving season here in Ontario, except for hardcore divers who still go out in the cold water to take advantage of the better visibility. The operators on the St Lawrence are starting to pull boats out of the water and get them ready for winter storage. If you are still looking to dive some of the operators will be keeping a boat in until the end of October and running on the weekends.

Life evolved to live within limits. It’s a delicate balance. Humans need oxygen, but too much can kill us. Plants need nitrogen, but excess nitrogen harms them, and pollutes rivers, lakes and oceans. Ecosystems are complex. Our health and survival depend on intricate interactions that ensure we get the right amounts of clean air, water, food from productive soils and energy from the sun.

The Whitsundays is a collection of 74 islands off of Australia’s central east coast and part of the majestic world heritage site, the Great Barrier Reef. Second only to Cairns, it is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit the reef. It attracts nearly 600,000 visitors each year with over 300 tour boats in operation. Due to the popularity of this particularly beautiful and accessible part of the reef, much damage has been caused due to the dropping of anchors. This habitat loss has then become one of the most widespread causes of marine species decline on the Great Barrier Reef.