New posting of Marine Life Beachcombing Guide

The 1st link for the Marine Life Beachcombing Guide through Windows Live only allowed downloading of the document before viewing it, so I have now posted the Guide in my SA Scuba Diving website. The Guide can be accessed via https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzYXNjdWJhZGl2aW5nc2l0ZXxneDo2N2MyNGViOTg3Y2U4ZTE3&pli=1 . If that doesn't work for some reason, try going to my SA Scuba Diving Site via the link in "My Links".

Smelly, slimy seas for snorkellers & scuba divers

Giffordia?

Some of Adelaide's metropolitan beaches have become smelly & slimy spots to snorkel & scuba dive. The source of the smelly slime is said to be rotting carpets of posidonia seagrass seeds floating ashore. It is a seasonal event brought on by hot weather. This is also the season for the proliferation of Giffordia, a slimy alga which adds to the smelly odour on our beaches. The alga also causes low visibility in the water where it occurrs. 10 or 11 years ago, I was told that the outbreak of it was caused by sewage/sewerage effluent entering the sea. A government marine biologist said at the time that it was non-toxic and harmless to humans. She said that it was usually found attached to rocks offshore, but that it grew quickly in certain warm weather conditions, broke free and drifted ashore. I have posted a marine life beachcombing guide in Windows Live. See the link to the Guide in "My Links" on this blog. The 3.5mb Guide can be downloaded from Live.

LOSS OF LADDER FROM PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY

Port Noarlunga jetty at low tide (Sources:

www.users.bigpond.com/sch57/portnorfront.html

http://users.tpg.com.au/honeydin/Portnoarlunga/portnoarlunga/images/pictures/pnshorelow.jpg

http://users.tpg.com.au/honeydin/Portnoarlunga/portnoarlunga/water/water.html)

The ladder on the divers’ steps at Port Noarlunga jetty broke off on 21^st November. As it was low tide when some divers returned to exit at the steps, they had to swim towards shore to exit. Presumably, they were able to exit at the shore steps. The matter was reported to the SDFSA that same day and we were able to send an email message straight off to the Onkaparinga Council, asking them to investigate the matter.

FISH FEEDING DANGER AT PORT NOARLUNGA

The (3 years old) web page found at http://users.tpg.com.au/honeydin/Portnoarlunga/portnoarlunga/water/water.html says, “it is not unusual to be confronted by schools of sweep waiting for the bread that many divers bring with them”. If this is so, it needs a big re-think when one considers the following details: -

Tim Folwell and his wife were snorkelling at the Port Noarlunga reef last summer when someone threw a loaf of bread off the jetty. All of a sudden, the fish that they had been swimming with before suddenly turned on Tim and started biting him all over the body. (It is assumed that Tim was not wearing a wetsuit at the time of his snorkel at the reef.) A few days later he got very sick. The wound became infected, the bacteria spread to his aorta and developed into staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, which resulted in him losing 80% of his skin. Once the infection got into his blood stream, it caused a septic shock in which all the organs in the body were starved of essential oxygen and blood and began to fail. Tim’s kidneys failed, his liver began to fail and his heart wasn't working properly. After months in intensive care in the burns unit, he had a leg amputated and had to learn to walk with prosthesis at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. Tim’s story was told on ABC TV’s “Stateline” program and it can be seen at http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/11/05/3058877.htm .

We tried to contact the owner of the web page found at http://users.tpg.com.au/honeydin/Portnoarlunga/portnoarlunga/water/water.html, but the email address was invalid.

On Sunday 21^st November, it was reported that snorkellers were in the water (a.m.) with bread (one person had 2 loaves).

World Record underwater broadcast in open water

Cam Williams from Channel 9 TV’s Weekend Today show successfully completed the longest underwater broadcast in open water at Great Keppel Island. Visit http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/cam-underwater/xd7murp to see some video footage of the successful world record attempt by Cam.

Last meetings for this year

The Marine Life Society held its last meeting for 2010 on 17/11. Neville Skinner gave a talk about a recent dive trip to the Nullabor.
The next Scuba Divers Federation of SA meeting on 14/12 will be their last one for this year. Both organisations will start up again next February.

Climate change corporate plan for DENR

This is part of a page out of the new corporate plan for the SA Department for Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It is spruiking all about climate change.