Portland Coastguard made a broadcast to any vessels in the area that could assist and the tug MTS Vengeance responded that they would proceed and that they would stand by the vessel awaiting the arrival of Weymouth RNLI all weather lifeboat with pumps.

There was an immediate difficulty in communicating with the crew on board as no one could speak English and therefore, Portland Coastguard used the National Interpreting Service in a connected telephone/VHF radio call with the crew to pass instructions and explain intentions.

Weymouth Lifeboat assisted the fishing vessel with pumps and escorted the fishing vessel to Portland Port.

The UK Border Agency and Dorset Police were alerted along with the Survey and Inspection Branch of the MCA by Portland Coastguard, the vessel is now alongside at Portland Port where it has been inspected by the three organisations.

Mel Paddock, from the Survey and Inspection Branch said:

This initially was a vessel in distress and the Coastguard responded to their request for assistance. Other agencies attended Portland Port and carried out inspections on the vessel prior to the MCA.

We have detained the vessel which is dangerously unsafe. There are a number of deficiencies, the main ones being, the watertight integrity of the vessel, insufficient lifesaving equipment, insufficient fire fighting apparatus.

It is vitally important that we ensure that the lives of any seafarer are not put at risk by unseaworthy vessels.

Paul Coley, Assistant Director Seafarers and Ships, says:

A full investigation is being carried out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, but the MCA consider it necessary to urgently warn owners, skippers, crews, agents and port authorities of the possible dangers fishermen face when living aboard vessels in port if the safety systems are not designed for it or have been shut down. Every owner and skipper should think very carefully about the risks when people are living on board their own vessels and take suitable precautions.

The MCA will be carrying out inspections of vessels in port and where conditions on board are clearly hazardous to health and safety, and then appropriate enforcement action will be taken.

Before these inspections owners, skippers, crews, agents and port authorities should consider the following questions:

Raising the Alarm:

1. Is the fire detection system working? Does it work when on shore power? Does the alarm sound in the accommodation and sleeping cabins? (Supplement with smoke detectors if necessary). What about other alarms such as, carbon dioxide, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and high level bilge?

2. Can someone outside the vessel raise the alarm, if crew are sleeping below deck? Do the crew know how to call for outside help (e.g. dial 999 or contact the harbour master, is there a mobile phone in the cabin)?

Means of Escape:

3. Are the escape routes clearly marked and well lit?

4. Do all sleeping cabins have at least two separate means of escape to open deck?

5. Is there a safe means of escape to shore?

6. If a fire in one location could block the escape, is an alternative available?

7. Are all doors and hatches in good working order and can be easily opened, at least from the inside?

8. Are fire doors self-closing or kept closed (Note: unapproved holdbacks must be removed – only electromagnetic holdbacks linked to the fire detection system will be acceptable)?

Shore Power:

9. Is the vessel on shore power? If so, are any safety systems (e.g. fire/gas detection) not working and are there alternatives?

10. If the vessel is relying on shore power for basic safety systems, is it safely installed with appropriate circuit breaker and sufficient for the necessary services all working together, for safety as well as any additional loads for domestic services; such as heating, lighting and ventilation? Is it reliable? If the shore power fails when the crew are asleep, will they know?

Fire Precautions:

11. Are heaters safe?

12. Wherever possible LPG and diesel open flame or catalytic heaters should be avoided. Where necessary is the installation in compliance with MGN 312 (storage of gas and mechanical ventilation)? Have heaters been regularly serviced? Are gas and carbon monoxide detectors provided?

13. Are other heaters clearly away from combustible materials?

14. Is the ventilation working? (Check that the crew have not tried to block them up. Are fire dampers including external ventilation flaps in working order?)

15. Are unapproved cooking or heating appliances being used? (e.g. some crew have been found cooking with portable gas cookers in their cabins). Free standing heaters should not be used.

16. Are all electric appliances safe, with correct wiring, fuses (e.g. radios, TVs, toasters, kettles, phone chargers etc)?

17. Have the crew been familiarised with these basic safety precautions, including their escape routes and safety systems?

Are fire extinguishers available, serviced and ready for immediate use?

For further information on how MCA aims to promote and improve the health and safety and the working conditions of all who work at sea visit www.mcga.gov.uk.

Copyright Maritime and Coastguard Agency 2007

We are all familiar with fish like the garibaldi, kelp bass or opaleye that swim through the water and have eyes one on each side of their head so they can see in either direction. Such eye placement does not benefit flatfish like the halibut, sole, turbot, or sanddab as they rest “sideways” on the bottom. If their eyes were on each “side” of the body, one eye would be useless, staring down into the sediment!

To adapt to their non-comformist fish lifestyle, adult flatfish have both eyes on one side of the body which has become the upper or dorsal surface. The two flatfish featured today are the C-O sole (or turbot) which has both its eyes on the right side, and the California halibut which can have both eyes on either side (this one’s are on the left side). ** The C-O sole is the flatfish I most commonly encounter in the Dive Park. It is often well camouflaged with patterns resembling the sandy bottom, but can also be quite colorful if it is found in rocky habitats where colorful algae may occur. These sole will also flip sand on their bodies to further camouflage themselves. This species reaches a maximum length of 14” and is found from Alaska to northern Baja in depths up to nearly 1,200 feet. It is most easily identified by the “C” and “O” markings on the tail.

Although common, very little is known about the C-O sole. They spawn during spring and summer, with the females releasing eggs that drift in the plankton and later settle after hatching. Food consists of animals that live in the bottom sediment like worms, as well as crustaceans and small fish.

The California halibut is a much larger flatfish, reaching lengths of five feet and weighing in excess of 70 pounds. Females may live 30 years or more. This species is found from Washington to southern Baja. They are much less common in the Dive Park than their smaller relative.

Adult halibut eat anchovies, grunion, other fish, squid and octopi. They are known to actively pursue schools of anchovy, even leaping out of the water in pursuit of them. The young fish eat small crustaceans living on the bottom. Halibut bones are found in Native American kitchen middens, and the species is an attractive target for recreational and commercial fishermen. However, catches have declined markedly since the 1920’s.

Halibut may spawn throughout the year and peak reproduction may occur at different times in different years, depending on environmental conditions. The eggs and larvae are found drifting in the plankton, but usually relatively close to shore. The larval fish have their eyes on each side of the body, but as they settle one eye begins to migrate to the other side (the “light” rather than the “dark” side in Star Wars terms!). Based on studies of tagged halibut, Dr. Milton Love of UCSB believes that few young halibut settle in the Channel Islands region and the fish around the islands may have swum over from the mainland (and not at warp speed!).

© 2003 Dr. Bill Bushing.

Scuba diving is a huge sport, actual figures for the number of active divers in the UK can only be estimated at somewhere over 80,000. Very few get to witness the wonder that is off of the North Cornish coast.

With temperatures ranging from 10 to 17 degrees and underwater visibility of up to 30m, North Cornwall, in my opinion, is a world class dive location. Due to the ferocity of the Atlantic Ocean and the unpredictable conditions, it is probably one of the least dived areas in the UK. Dive centres have come and gone, but the diving still goes on, mainly by the local British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) branches and a few locals who know how good it can be.

So what does North Cornwall offer underwater?

Shore diving is the cheapest way to get in the water. The most popular shore dive in Newquay is the old lifeboat slip on the eastern side of Towan head. There are four possible entry points on Towan head, most people go for the old lifeboat slip itself. Seal Cove is a tiny cove just before the slip, aptly named as Seals regularly come and ‘play’ with divers there, nibbling at their fins.
The other 2 entry points are Little Fistral and the other is just behind the toilets to the right on what is locally nicknamed the ‘Zeds’. Whilst the diving in this area is relatively shallow the wealth of life is still vast. All the most common fish life are around as long as the seals are not. Ballan, Corkwing and Cuckoo Wrasse are the most common fish, small Pollack can be seen occasionally too. Looking in the nooks and crannies you can find Lobsters, Edible Crabs and even the odd Conger Eel. On the shallower dive sites Kelp is the biggest distraction, you have to rummage through it to find some of the smaller life like Anemones and Nudibranchs (small and very colourful sea slugs).
There are other places you could do a shore dive, but what makes a good shore dive? Close proximity to a place to park your car, scuba diving equipment is heavy, and somewhere where you do not have to swim several hundred metres to get more than a few metres depth.

Boat diving

From a boat there a hundreds of choices of reefs or wrecks at all sorts of depths. Milky Rough is a local name for a shallow reef off of the end of Porth Island, it’s just far enough away from the shore to be out of reach for fishermen, and too shallow for most commercial fishing vessels.
I am always amazed by the amount of life there is around. Surrounded by sand the rocks stick out just a couple of metres, it is one of the few places where Trigger Fish have made their home. Trigger Fish are usually associated with warmer waters, but there are increasing numbers of them in the UK. As soon as you get near them they dash into the nearest crack in the rocks, too fast for the camera. Milky Rough is a great second dive of the day at between 6 and 12m, as is Goose Rock off Pentire headland in depths between 9 and 15m. Goose Rock has quite a lot of crustacean life around it, several species of Crabs and Lobsters can be found there. Pol Texas is another reef a little further out from Milky Rough, and a little deeper again, ranging from 18 to 25m, by now the Kelp is disappearing leaving room for some hard and soft corals, such as the Pink Sea Fan, Ross Coral and Cup Corals. Nudibranchs can also be found, but you do have to look very closely.

Several years ago some members of Newquay BSAC were diving a reef 1 mile north west off Towan head when they came across a pair of large anchors and some chain. They followed the chain and came across a wreck now known to be the Syracusa. The Syracusa sunk in rough seas after its cargo of coal shifted. The Newquay lifeboat was launched after distress flares were seen and tried to make way in the rough seas, these were the days before lifeboats had engines. Despite trying for several hours to row out to the stricken vessel to no avail, the lifeboat returned.
Today the Syracusa lies upright at a depth of 30m (low water), its cargo of coal has gradually been removed by divers, it burns very hot, but it spits a lot. After over 100 years on the bottom the bows are now giving way, the rest of the wreck is laid out like a boat ‘kit’ waiting to be built. Its boiler, prop shaft and cast iron prop all lie in place. Life is abundant, larger Pollack, Bib and the odd Ling are seen around the wreck. Lobsters and Conger Eels hide in between the pieces of metal. Tompot Blenny’s can occasionally be found and can sometimes be quite playful. Pink Sea Fans and Jewel Anemones are scattered over the wreck.
These are just a few of the things that lie under the water close to the shore at Newquay. Get in contact with Newquay BSAC or contact Atlantic Scuba.

In those days I could literally watch an abalone grow for a year or two before I harvested it, and black abalone were thick on the rocks at low tide (but who ate them?). Trips into Avalon during the summer usually included an abalone burger at Rosie’s.

In just a few decades abalone have become a rarity in southern California waters and are now illegal to take here. I did observe seven individuals of two species in the Casino Dive Park in 2001, but only saw one adult and one small juvenile this summer. The presence of the juvenile indicates some reproduction is occuring locally, but in the 60’s and 70’s I would routinely find juveniles under rocks in the intertidal. In 2000 the California Dept. of Fish and Game began developing an Abalone Recovery and Management Plan to address this important marine conservation issue. How did this come about?

When the former Toyon school did archaeological digs on the island, abalone shells were a major midden component indicating a rich harvest by our early residents. With the elimination of the sea otter in our area by the late 1820’s and removal of Catalina’s Native Americans by 1832, abalone populations probably increased. In the 1850’s Chinese Americans harvested intertidal species until this practice was prohibited in 1900. Japanese Americans then began free diving for abalone. Commercial harvesting of abalone in southern California was banned from 1913 until 1943 when wartime food needs led to reopening the fishery. The commercial fishery peaked in 1957 when nearly 5.5 million pounds were landed.

About this time SCUBA diving and recreational or sport harvest entered the equation. Back when taking abalone was legal, we were often cautioned to use “ab irons” carefully to avoid injuring the animal if it were under-sized. Abalone have no mechanism to clot blood if injured, and could easily die from wounds received by careless divers. These commercial and recreational harvests certainly reduced abalone populations significantly.

There are eight species found along the California coast: the red, pink, black, green, white, pinto, threaded and flat abalone. We’ll skip the scientific names! Different abalone species take 5-10 years or more to grow to legal size, depending on food supply and other environmental conditions. Young abalone feed on diatom and bacterial slimes on the rocks, while adults use the rich kelp resources, capturing mostly drifting kelp blades to feed on. This feeding pattern puts them in competition with several species of sea urchins, and high concentrations of urchins (such as barrens) will limit the number of abalone in an area. El Nino events decrease kelp beds and thereby also impact abalone populations. The elevated temperatures can even affect reproduction, sometimes preventing it altogether.

Abalone are synchronous broadcast spawners. That simply means males and females release their reproductive products into the water at the same time. Successful reproduction therefore requires high density to ensure fertilization. It is estimated abalone must be closer than four feet from one another for success. Fertilized eggs sink to the bottom and hatch, releasing abalone larvae which drift in the plankton for a few days before settling to the bottom where they often live protected under rocks. In addition to humans, abalone are eaten by crabs, lobsters, snails, octopus, starfish, fish (like sheephead) and sea otters.

Disease and parasites also have reduced abalone populations in the Channel Islands region. Withering foot syndrome (WFS), a bacterial disease that affects several species of abalone, was first noted in the 1980’s following the 1982-83 El Nino. The WFS bacteria block the production of certain digestive enzymes, causing the abalone to use its own muscle (foot) tissue as an alternate food source. It primarily affects shallow water species like blacks and greens, especially during periods of higher water temperature such as El Nino events. Abalone in cooler, northern California waters are not affected much. Although this disease may be a natural event, its effects were disasterous due to the already greatly reduced population sizes of abalone. In the early 1990’s another potential threat, a parasitic worm introduced on aquacultured abalone from South Africa, was stopped before it seriously affected wild populations of California abalone.

The abalone’s slow growth, limited reproduction, high death rate in young abalone and susceptibility to injury make them vulnerable to human and other impacts, and slow to recover from these impacts. The new Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) required under California’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) will undoubtedly be one important management tool in the recovery of the abalone. However, the limited dispersal of most abalone species means this will only repopulate local areas. The current total closure in southern California is necessary to give regional recovery of these species a chance. I hope the recovery occurs within my lifetime so I can taste another ab burger at Rosie’s!

© 2003 Dr. Bill Bushing.

Badalveda Diving Medicine Network, on behalf of TDA Diving Association (Thailand) and Bangkok Phuket Hospital, is pleased to announce the presentation of an Emergency Medical Management Training Course to be offered to the general scuba diving community.

The course will include Basic First Aid, Oxygen Provider and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training that can improve the emergency medical service available to divers in Thailand.

The objectives are to improve the knowledge and skill level of emergency medical services for the Thai scuba diving community in Thailand; to promote preventive safety measures and overall preparedness to react to emergency situations; to promote health and safety measures for visitors diving in Thailand.

Target Groups

Target groups are Thai diving instructors, boat crew members and others involved in diving.

The one-day course, in Thai language, will be offered on December 1 and 2 in the King Carl Gustaf conference room of the Bangkok Phuket Hospital.

The course will consist of 8 hours of lecture and practice sessions, starting promptly at 9 am.

Each course is limited to the first 25-30 people who register. The registration fee is 500 baht, which includes the cost of the certificate given to those who pass.

For more information click here.

To join the course, submit a completed registration form to the TDA’s Miss Tippawan (Tel: 081-0863631; Email: tda-office@cmas-thailand.org) or Badalveda’s Ms Varaporn (Tel: 081-9899482; Email: wjittanonta@hotmail.com) before November 24.

Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette

I’ve never dived these more remote islands and since one of my goals is to dive all eight of our Channel Islands, it took no additional persuasion. I packed my dive gear and drove up to Santa Barbara where we stayed on board the Truth Aquatics dive boat Conception the night before our dives.

The few times I have been out to San Miguel, the weather has been atypical: warm and full of sunshine instead of the frequent fog that forms due to the cold waters there. San Miguel is influenced by the cold California Current sweeping down from central California. Our first dive site was offshore Wilson Rock. A giant stride off the boat and I was immediately reminded of the two quarter-sized holes in my 7mm wetsuit! The bottom temperature was a mere 50 degrees.

I was struck by the contrast between this site and what I’m used to here on Catalina… and I’m not just referring to the water temperature. There was no giant kelp to be seen, only a few sea palms. Looking around the reason was fairly clear. There were abundant sea urchins right out in the open on top of the rocks… not hiding in crevices as they do on Catalina. This site was an urchin barren and any kelp had been eaten. On Catalina urchins would not venture out like this in daylight… the sheephead would quickly make urchin caviar out of them. However, I only saw two sheephead the whole time I dove San Miguel.

Other fish common on Catalina but absent in these sites were the garibaldi, blacksmith, kelp bass, halfmoon and opaleye. All have been recorded north of San Miguel, but none were present at our three dive sites. Instead there were a number of cold water species we don’t normally see at SCUBA depths on Catalina. These included the blue rockfish, lingcod and painted greenling which were all fairly common. These species are also recorded south of Catalina, but are generally not seen in the shallower and warmer waters of our island. We were also surprised by a large school of tubesnout that appeared without warning.

In addition to the abundant sea urchins, other members of the spiny skinned echinoderms were very common. These included ochre starfish and bat stars, both present on Catalina, and sunflower starfish which are known as far south as Baja but generally in the deeper, colder waters. The sunflower stars with their 15-24 arms were quite impressive. These large starfish are highly predatory, feeding on other starfish and sea urchins. They had plenty of food at all three sites we dove.

Nudibranchs were also much more common than in our Dive Park, and many different species were represented. These shell-less snails are often the highlight for many divers and biologists. Their bright colors were a treat to videotape as they feasted on sea anemones and hydroids.

Whales of several different species are often reported near the northern Channel Islands. As we dove, it became very apparent why such large mammals would be present in these waters. As I was filming, the rock surface I had focused on was quickly obliterated by a brownish cloud. Taking my eye from the viewfinder I discovered the cloud was a large school of krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans that serve as the primary food source for many whale species. These schools were thick as the proverbial pea soup (and had much more protein).

We dove two more sites, Harris Point and Lover’s Cove, and found ecologically similar habitats at each site. After only three dives it was time to reboard the Conception for Santa Barbara. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to dive Santa Rosa as well, but the dives on San Miguel were definitely worth the trip. It was good to compare how different the marine life can be a mere 100 miles away from Catalina, and this trip reminded me of the value of diving other locations. Of course I prefer diving the tropics, and plan to spend a good part of the winter in warmer waters!

© 2003 Dr. Bill Bushing.

“Taking place at Pentewan Sands Holiday Park on May 15th to 17th 2009, this brand-new festival is set to be the UK’s biggest diving event of the year. So what’s all about? Well, what do divers like doing most? Diving, of course, and that’s exactly what DIVE FEST is all about. There’s going to be diving, snorkelling and try dives. And that’s not all… There’s a party on the beach on the Saturday night, with a band, hog/lamb roast, dancing and a bonfire. Famous divers, such as Monty Halls, will be speaking about their work and there will be films showing throughout the weekend. It’s an event for all the family with MCS beachcombing walks, volley ball and other beach games. There will be an underwater treasure hunt with some great prizes, as well as a photo competition and a buddy auction, with a chance to bid on a dive with several scuba celebs. Diving manufacturers will also be on hand to show their latest products and in some cases give you a chance to dive with their new kit. Winning entries to the British Underwater Image Festival will also be on view, and you’ll get the chance to pick your own favourite picture.”

So what do we think?

Firstly – Does the UK need another Dive Show? In the current climate that could be debatable, the idea is good but it is a strain on manufacturers and whoever is going to have to cover the bill.

Having an event on the beach is reliant on the weather and although May is usually quite good in Cornwall, it is not guarenteed.

The event is close, within a couple of weekends, to the already very popular ‘Kernow Fest’, a locally arranged BSAC event.

It will be interesting to see how many people decide to attend and of those, how many will actually dive?