LESSONS IN MARINE BIODIVERSITY aka SCUBA DIVING

So I just begun swimming lessons, hence my new-found fascination with getting wet and splashing in water. I was looking into cool things to do on an island that revolved around water and learning and voila!!! SCUBA DIVING!!!!

When people refer to diving in Aussie, most of the time, thy mean they ant to scube dive in the Great Barier Reef, which is the largest and healthiest coral reef system in the world. The great Barrier Reef system, found in Queensland, is the only living structre on earth visible from outer space, It is made up of nearly 2900 individual reefs, 600 continental islands and 300 coral rays; the world’s largest single strcture made up of living organisms. Every day divers from around the world visit the reef either on liveaboards or day charters. Divers revere the reef for its biodiversity and the local aboriginal people hold it as a culturally sacred site. This reverence is perfect for perfect place!






Queensland takes up almost a quarter of Australia and offers more diving adventures beyond the Great Barrier Reef. The Sunshine Coast, southern Queensland, has purpose-sunk wrecks, sandstone formations covered with corals, ledges, caverns and pinnacles to explore. Topside, Queensland offers kangaroo-filled bush, lush green tropical rainforests, stunning white sand beaches and urban experiences. Below are some great dives!!
Ribbon Reefs, Northern Great Barrier Reef – This area is known for a variety of pristine dive experiences. At Cod Hole, you’ll see how the site got its name as giant potato cod surround you Also, Challenger Bay is a hotspot for cuttlefish encounters.
Osprey Reef – Only accessible via liveaboards departing from Cairns or Port Douglas, this exposed coral mesa sits in the middle of the Coral Sea far from anything. North Horn is perhaps its most famous dive site because of its shark feed, colorful soft coral and the chance to see manta rays as they pass through this site.





SS Yongala – The Great Barrier Reef’s signature wreck is the SS Yongala, a 109-metre/357-foot luxury passenger ship that went down during a cyclone in 1911. On this wreck everything is supersized – sea snakes the size of your bicep and sea turtles so big they look prehistoric.
The Whitsundays – Comprising of 74 idyllic islands, the Whitsundays are perfect for divers looking to complement their diving with multiple activities, such as sailing, island exploring or just lying on top rated beaches. While scuba diving, expect colorful shallow coral gardens and a wide variety of marine life like green sea turtles, patrolling white tip reef sharks and striking Napoleon wrasse.

Casually Chilling with a turtle




Heron Island – On the Great Barrier Reef’s southern reaches, this famed resort island is accessible via ferry or helicopter. Scuba dive on a bommie that serves as a manta ray cleaning station and also watch for schools of jack, barracuda, eels, sharks, eagle rays and very curious sea snakes. Other dive sites are frequented by sea turtles and nudibranchs.

· HMAS Brisbane – Off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is the great wreck of the former HMAS Brisbane, a 133-m/433-ft guided missile destroyer. This purpose-sunk artificial reef went down in 2005 and sits upright in 28 m/92 ft of water. There’s a lot of ship to see and a lot of marine life that now call HMAS Brisbane home. The most popular time for Australia liveaboard diving is July to November, although in the Coral Sea at Osprey Reef and North Horn, visibility peaks during June and September. The calmest sea conditions tend to be between September and February.








References: http://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-australia.php

http://www.padi.com/scuba-diving/scuba-diving-travel/vacation-spotlights/great-barrier-reef/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Scuba_diving_in_Australia



By Edwina Owusu – Adjapong.

CLIFF DIVING DAREDEVILS

If you are a hydrophilic daredevil who loves the thrills like I do, cliff diving will definitely be on your to-do list. Cliff diving is about a lot more than the jump. Many would argue that the destination is just as important as the dive itself. Cliff divers are constantly scouting and sharing new diving destinations with their fellow athletes because only another diver can understand and appreciate a perfect cliff. There are hundreds of spots all over the world that boast unusual geological formations and fantastic scenery, but the most famous cliff diving spots are in Hawaii, Jamaica, Australia and Switzerland.

With its amazing landscape, Australia was sure to make it in the first three locations of the world. Australia is home to a number of different cliff diving destinations as well. However, Australia is unlike other destinations because many of the best diving spots are not along the ocean front, but rather along the banks of various lakes and rivers. Kimberley, Australia offers cliff jumping enthusiasts a one of a kind experience. The Kimberley region in Western Australia is an example of an inland cliff diving destination. Kimberley is home to a number of breathtaking cliffs, gorges, waterfalls and mountain peaks that provide ample jumping sites for avid cliff divers. These jumps are usually made on the ocean’s edge, but what this location offers is the possibility to make an inland jump.



Probably, the best known place for cliff jumping is Ord River, more specifically the cliffs that surround it. Some of the cliffs along the Ord River are more than 28 meters high, which is over 84 feet. Think about having the chance to dive in the clear water from a height of 80 ft!!!!! What you will feast on in this particular spot are the lakes around which you can notice impressive gorges, mountain tops and waterfalls. Although the cliffs along the Ord River are ideal in terms of water depth and scenery, dives from such high cliffs should only be considered by experienced divers. If you are a beginner in this extreme sport like I am, then you should know that you can jump from smaller height as well, there are plenty of options from which you can choose.








References: http://www.redbull.com/us/en/adventure/stories/1331672691583/7-cliff-diving-spots-to-jump-off

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/the-worlds-best-cliff-diving-spots.htm

By Edwina Owusu-Adjapong

For Photography Fanatics

Many of you, like me, have expressed a great deal of interest in photography. Not only can this complex art form, be aesthetically pleasing, but it can be extremely empowering and inspirational. Take for example, Scott Rankin's organization, Big hART. Scott Rankin is the creative director and co-founder of the Tasmanian-based social change arts organization.

Rankin, who lives on a part of the state's north-west that overlooks the roiling waters of Bass Strait, recognizes that the seafarers of the world do not have conventional or easy lifestyles. Rankin also knows that with no-one far from the coastline and many people living by it, Tasmanians have a strong connection to the sea. As a result, his most recent project seeks to express the message that the world should not take it's reliance on shipping, or its shippers, for granted.


Currently, there are 1.3 million seafarers working around the globe, many in poor conditions. Ninety per cent of everything that most first world countries consume comes by ship. According to Rankin, "
A lot of the people that are bringing that are essentially invisible to us and slaves".

His latest production, Blue Angel, displays his typical award-winning features: multi-faceted and aimed at making a difference. Blue Angel not only celebrates the romance, mysticism and folklore of the sea but emphasizes the poor working conditions, economic pressures and shocking safety records of the international shipping industry.

Rankin states that, "Big hART wants to make that story visible and make a work of art, a theatre piece, and we also want to get the idea of fair shipping on the agenda in the same way as fair trade."

Next month, Blue Angel will have its world premiere in Hobart. In the following seasons it will premiere in Melbourne, Adelaide and Rotterdam.

From the website: "Exploring stories of the sea and joining the global push for fair shipping, Blue Angel premieres at the 2015 Tasmanian International Arts Festival in Hobart":





sources: http://bighart.org/#project/blue-angel/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-19/theatre-production-shines-light-on-maritime-industry/6090758

Author: Alicia Menendez

Maria Island

Four kilometers off the Eastern Coast of Tasmania lies Maria Island. Named after Governor Van Diemen's wife, Maria, the entire island is now a national park, with no permanent inhabitants besides a few rangers. It is home to a wide variety of bird species, including Swift parrots and forty-spotted pardalotes, as well as possums, wombats, pademelons, and short-beaked echidnas. In 2012 a population of healthy cancer-free Tasmanian Devils was introduced as a contingency population; the population has been so successful it has raised concerns about the devils' impact on the native island birds.

Shoal Lagoon in Maria Island

Maria Island also features the spectacular Painted Cliffs. The cliffs were formed by iron oxide-laden water trickling down through sandstone over millions of years, and gradually being eroded by waves and sea spray.

Another cool feature is the Oast House, built during the second convict period (1844-5) for drying hops. 

Tourists can take a ferry and visit! We're not scheduled to go but if anyone is staying longer in Tasmania it might make a fun trip. 

Sources: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=1490

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Island 

Some Top Sights To See in Tasmania

Today I looked up a list of top spots to see in Tasmania; to get a feel for the island and to get my interest piqued as to the amazing sights we’ll see there.

1. Sullivan’s Cove, Hobart
The old waterfront scenery of Hobart is left almost intact from the 1800s, that early period of British colonialism that we have heard to much about in class. These are the buildings in which Hobartians met in and talked at the time of the destruction of the indigenous populations, the buildings that the whalers and sailors that are so important in Tasmania’s history frequented. The buildings were made from prison labor, and now house bookstores and art galleries and a whole host of modern shops and sights.

2. Hike to Wineglass Bay
One observes Tasmania’s white sand beaches and lime green waters on this hike, as well as the high green mountains. It looks something like a tropical island, except that the temperature will convince you that this is anything but tropical. “The landscape may look like an antipodean version of Hawaii, but throw yourself into the waves and you quickly realize that this is definitely the deep south, where the currents flow directly north from Antarctica.”

3. Cradle Mountain
Of course this wild dolerite mountain is essential to every visit to Tasmania, and we shall certainly go there. Cradle mountain is only one of four peaks above the cold Dove Lake.

4.The Gordon River
The battle to stop the damming of the lower Gordon river “became Australia’s most significant environmental test”, and the site today is protected as a world heritage site.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-top-10-places-to-see-in-tasmania-68338530/?no-ist

-Zheng

Myrtle Rust Discovery on Tasmania

Courtesy of abc.au

What is Myrtle Rust?

Myrtle Rust (Puccinia psidii s.l.) is a newly discovered fungus that is related to the Eucalyptus/Guava rusts. These are pathogens that will affect plants belonging to the family Myrtaceae. Its distinctive sign is the powdery bright yellow/yellow-orange spores that are produced in masses all over the infected plants. Leaves that are infected may become buckled or twisted and may die due to the infection. Sometimes, infected spots are surrounded by purple rings and older infections may have dark brown spores. Infection on highly susceptible plants such as eucalyptus, tea trees, and bottle brush, may result in plant death.

What is the current status of Myrtle Rust on Tasmania?

One case has been confirmed near Burnie and several other cases are still under investigation. This disease poses severe threats to forestry, nursery, and beekeeping industries and to native forests, parks, and gardens. Officials are working quickly to attempt to eradicate the disease from the state, because it can be detrimental to certain species of Eucalyptus. 

Sources

• http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-20/devastating-plant-disease-myrtle-rust-round-in-tasmania/6165346
• http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/myrtle-rust

The Land of Golden Coral

In Victoria, the site of Australia’s first gold rush, there exists spectacular underwater reefs inlaid with the precious metal. The exquisite formations, which have become known as the Bendigo golden reefs, have long puzzled scientists. Until recently, it was thought that molten gold rising through the earth’s crust was the source of the deposits, many of which haven’t been mined commercially. Instead, two Tasmanian researchers from the University of Tasmania have proposed that the gold is sources from two underwater mountain ranges. These ranges, which stretch from Tasmania to New South Wales, are over 450 million years old. Erosion and sedimentation into the rock sequence are likely to blame for the gilded coral reefs.

The two researchers looked extensively at the ocean floor, and how rocks and sediments are transported and deposited through natural phenomena. In the case of the golden reefs, it is likely that the precious metal slowly eroded away from the walls of the submerged mountains. Next, in a giant channel-levee complex—which is essentially an underwater river—the gold was deposited as sediment near the present day Bendigo reefs. Finally, fine layers of silt transported the gold to the coral reefs, where they eventually settled in large deposits, fueling the great Australian gold rush and creating a mystic underwater wonder.

A sample from the golden reefs

Source: ‪http://bit.ly/13XKDxN