Scientists discover deepest coral reefs off Britain

The deepest coral reefs off the coast of Britain have been explored for the first time revealing ancient coral, colourful fish, deepwater sharks and even species that were previously unknown to science.

The five cold-water coral reefs were found by scientists monitoring an underwater mountain range 200 miles off the coast of North West Scotland last month.

The reefs are more than a mile under the ocean in dark, cold waters but boast a wealth of marine life. By sending hi-tech cameras thousands of feet under the water scientists were able to study coral similar to those that built Australia's Great Barrier Reef, star fish, sea urchins, sponges and strange deepwater fish...[Link]

Video Shows Warship Reef Damage

The state on Friday released underwater video of some of the reef damage caused from the grounding of the Navy ship USS Port Royal.

The $1 billion warship ran around in waters just off the Honolulu International Airport's Reef Runway more than three months ago.

The underwater video showed divers assessing the damage a few days after the Navy dislodged the vessel...[KITV.com]

Divers Attempt Underwater Coral Transplant In Japan

Divers below the waves of Sekisei Lagoon, Japan are hard at work with compressed air drills in hand and hopes of bringing new life to Japan’s largest coral reef near the southern end of the Okinawa chain of islands.

With revolutionary new technology and a substantial amount of taxpayer money, the Japanese government is hoping to combat what has been previously reported to be a 90 percent reduction of coral around Okinawa’s islands, according to the New York Times.

Marine biologists told the Times that the project is one of the largest coral restoration projects in the world. Biologists also hope to learn lessons during the project that will allow them to achieve similar goals in other parts of the world where reefs are endanger of being killed off due to a combination of overfishing, pollution and global warming.

Project workers told the Times that the project is being used as “a test bed for new techniques that they hope will one day make transplanting coral in the sea as routine as raising tree saplings on land.”...[RedOrbit]

A spot of underwater gardening

Imagine planting an underwater garden: in Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, they have just done that. Spotted all over their lagoon, are coral gardens of various ages, ranging from four months to five years. Each teems with rainbow-coloured fish.

As well as being aesthetically pleasing, the gardens give a much-needed boost to coral growth and aid the recovery of the house reef, essential since 1998, when El Nino killed 70-90 per cent of the coral in central Maldives. Banyan Tree was particularly hard hit with 98 per cent of its coral bleached.

The geographical nature of the Maldives means that reefs will forever play a crucial role both in its existence – reefs are responsible for island formation and act as a natural barrier against beach erosion – but also in two of its major industries, fishing and tourism...[MaldivesNews]

Cement spill threatens Racha reef

A barge loaded with building materials almost capsized in Phlap Phla Bay off Racha Yai island early Thursday afternoon, causing the captain to offload 30 sacks of cement into the sea over an artificial coral reef.

Paitoon Praechaiyaphum of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department Region 5 office, who has visited the site, said that officials were mounting a clean-up operation but that some of the coral reef had begun to turn white and die.

Divers who surveyed the site found 10 sacks of cement in the water, as well as cement powder and stones covering the reef, he said.

Mr Paitoon said the barge operator was using the craft to store building materials for construction projects in Siam Bay. A large wave hit the barge, causing it to list and allowing water to soak the sacks of cement, he added.

Fearing the barge would sink, the crew on board used a backhoe to scoop up 30 sacks of cement and drop them into the sea over the reef, making it easier to pump the water out of the hull.

After visiting the site, researcher Lalida Patchim of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said an initial inspection of the area showed that there were bags of cement around the reef...[PhuketGazette]

Great Barrier Reef v Mount Everest v Loch Ness

The Great Barrier Reef, Mount Everest and Loch Ness are vying to become semi-finalists in the competition to become one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

261 places have been nominated from 222 countries including the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and Nigeria's Zuma Rock.

Votes over the internet can be cast until today, with over a billion people expected to help nominate the 77 semi-finalists.

A panel of nature experts from the UN and UNESCO will reduce the list to 21 finalists in July and the seven winners will then be chosen in another round of public voting lasting until 2011...[LiveNews]

Bush designates ocean conservation areas in final weeks as president

George Bush will designate nearly 200,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean as conservation areas on Tuesday, recasting his record on the environment just two weeks before leaving the White House.

Tuesday's formal announcement will establish Bush as the leader who has protected more of the oceans than anyone else in the world, environmentalists said. The three regions in the Pacific Ocean encompass some 195,280 square miles of remote and relatively uninhabited island chains. They include pristine coral reefs, vanishing marine species and the deepest place on Earth.

Their preservation brought rare praise from environmentalists who have spent much of the last eight years fighting Bush on climate change, air pollution, and wildlife management.

"The president has given the world a Texas-sized gift," said Diane Regas, manager of the ocean programme at the Environmental Defence Fund.

But the marine reserves were as much a gift from Laura Bush, who was credited with heading off determined opposition from the vice-president, Dick Cheney, as well as business leaders in the Mariana Islands who had lobbied on behalf of fishing and energy exploration...[Gaurdian.co.uk]

Tubbataha Reef - New Natural Wonder

The Philippines, besting all other nominees, has secured the eminent spot in the New 7 Wonders of Nature race, with the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River proving strong in the first rank.

But there is only one day left to vote for the Philippine national nominee to represent the Philippines in the global race to choose the official New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The underground river in Palawan continues to lead, followed by Tubbataha Reef (No. 3) and Chocolate Hills (No. 5), in representing the Philippines. Other national wonders such as Mayon Volcano, Hundred Islands National Park, Mount Pinatubo and Taal Volcano are also supported candidates in the race.

“This sustained support from people the world over has been evident in the present rankings of our country’s nominees. We are calling all Filipinos to make their mark and be part of this historic undertaking as we campaign for New 7 Wonders of Nature,” Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said.

“Puerto Princesa River is one of the leading adventure tourism sites in the country today; Tubbataha Reef continues to captivate divers from all over the world...[BusinessMirror.com]

Thailand: Coral Reefs Recovering Quick From Tsunami Damage

Indonesia's coral reefs damaged by the 2004 tsunami are recovering rapidly, helped by natural colonization and a drop in illegal fishing, scientists said Friday (26 Dec).

Surveys taken after the 26 Dec 2004 disaster showed up to a third of reefs were damaged and experts predicted it would take a decade for full recovery.

Scientists from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said their examination of 60 sites on 497 miles (800 kilometers) of coastline along Indonesia's Aceh province showed the reefs were bouncing back.

"On the 4th anniversary of the tsunami, this is a great story of ecosystem resilience and recovery," said Dr. Stuart Campbell, coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Indonesia Marine Program.

"Our scientific monitoring is showing rapid growth of young corals in areas where the tsunami caused damage, and also the return of new generations of corals in areas previously damaged by destructive fishing," Campbell said in a statement. "These findings provide new insights into coral recovery processes that can help us manage coral reefs in the face of climate change."...[MySinchew.com]

Study find Qatar's Coral Riches

A mapping of coral reef habitats in the sea around Qatar reveals that Halul Island has the maximum number of coral reef species. The north-eastern island's waters are dotted with 16 species of coral reefs. The two-year Qatar-Abu Dhabi joint mapping also revealed that this island has the maximum number of live corals in Qatar's 12 different species.

Umm Al Arshan has the second largest number of species. In a single dive, the experts detected 14 species of coral reef in the waters of Umm Al Arshan. Nine species were found at Ras Laffan and eight were detected at Khor Al Odaid.

The coral reef species found at Al Halul include two-year-old Acropora arabensis and five to six-year-old Acropora downingi.

Halul Island has the best coral growth in Qatar. The deep waters of the island help reduce potential stress caused by unusually warm sea water. The stronger undercurrents in the area also favour the reef deposit, said Dr Mohammed Alaa Abdel Moati, Marine Environment Head, Ministry of Environment...[ThePeninsula]

Debts could sink Keys artificial reef project

The final voyage of the USS Hoyt S. Vandenberg -- a former missile-tracking ship that also brought World War II soldiers home from France -- will be either to the ocean floor or to a scrap yard.

If the 524-foot Vandenberg reaches the ocean's floor, it would become the world's second-largest artificial reef that was intentionally sunk. The 911-foot Oriskany, sunk off of Pensacola in 2006, is the largest.

But the 12-year-old project is in jeopardy. At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Vandenberg is scheduled to go to a federally ordered auction in Virginia to settle a $1.7 million federal lien for unpaid cleaning and decontamination.

The auction can be stopped, and the artificial reef project continued, if a settlement is reached by Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., three shipyard subcontractors and a bank consortium which loaned money to the artificial reef project.

''The Vandenberg's sister ship, the H.H. Arnold, was turned into beer cans in the 1980s,'' said Malcolm ''Mac'' Monroe of Melbourne, who worked on both vessels during Cold War missions. ``The Vandenberg deserves a more respectable end.''

The ticking clock has Key West dive boat captain Joe Weatherby, who in 1996 embarked on the quest to turn the ship into an artificial reef, on edge...[Miami Herald]

How to see the Great Barrier Reef with a baby or young child

Still on my list of must-sees in the wider world is the Great Barrier Reef, but I've been warned many times that I'll just have to wait until my children are older... and here we are with another one on the way. Friends and family members who have made it out to the reef have cautioned me from their own experiences that it’s a long monotonous haul just to get out there, involving small speed boats, choppy waters, etc., and then of course everyone abandons the boat to take to the water. In other words, it’s no place to take a baby.

Think again. If you’re considering a family vacation in Australia, don’t rule out an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef just because you have a baby, toddler, or any assortment of very young children along for the ride. With a Sunlover Reef Cruise, your entire family (even the non-swimming members in diapers) can enjoy a leisurely daytrip from Cairns to the outer Great Barrier Reef in total comfort with family-friendly amenities, including stroller-friendly decks...[Examiner.com]

Bridge to be reborn as reef?

It seemed a foregone conclusion, but the Marathon City Council finalized its decision Tuesday to not repair the failing Boot Key Bridge.

The council decided to use $400,000 in Florida Department of Transportation grant money -- and match it with an equal amount -- to pay for the removal of the metal part of the span.

The money was formerly earmarked by DOT toward engineering and design costs for a refurbishment expected to cost nearly $10 million. The resolution the council passed Tuesday requests it be moved to the fiscal year 2010 budget and be used "in connection with the demolition of Boot Key Bridge."

"We'll be done with our part and DOT will have it removed by late 2009 or early 2010," Mayor Mike Cinque said.

DOT District 6 Bridge Engineer Frank Guyamier said the city has two options to dispose of the removed portion of the bridge.

"If they want to send the bridge to a smelter site where they could melt the steel, it would cost [roughly] $700,000. If we were to get permission to use it as a reef and place it in the Moser Channel Reef, it would cost $500,000," he said.

Moser Channel runs under the Seven Mile Bridge. Guyamier said DOT will work with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Department of Environmental Protection to secure permits making the old span an artificial reef. He said the span -- rusted metal -- can be sunk without being cleaned or inspected...[KeysNet.com]

New dive site: Expedition Uncovers Three Never-before Identified Coral Reefs Off Florida's Coast

Researchers used REMUS autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to capture this three-dimensional side scan sonar image of a previously unknown Lophelia coral reef located 35 miles off the coast of Florida at a depth of approximately 1,500 ft. The surveyed area encompasses approximately 28 square miles. In the center of the image, three coral reefs reaching as high as 120 feet (the three pinnacles in red and yellow) can be seen. Each color in the image represents the height off the sea floor, with the blue colors being the deepest and red the closest to the surface...[Newswise.com]

Video: Wounded soldiers dive at Molasses Reef

Local businesses make "trip to remember" happen
More than a dozen wounded soldiers and their family members took part in a weeklong vacation to Key Largo this past week that ended with three days of diving along Upper Keys reefs.

Local businesses contributed to the soldiers' hotel stays, meals and dive trips in what has become a twice-a-year event. Organizer Fraser Bathgate called it a "trip to remember" for all who participated...[KeysNet.com]

Ten Aircraft Sunk off Phuket to Form New Coral Reef

Ten aircraft have been submerged off Bang Tao Bay in Phuket’s Talang district in the Andaman Sea to form a new artificial coral reef and diving site. The 16-18 meters deep area where the fleet was sunk has a sand bed, and is one kilometre away from the natural coral reef and the Bang Tao Beach.

The fleet of sunken aircraft consists of four Douglas C-47 Dakota Skytrains and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters. They once belonged to the Royal Thai Air Force and were housed at an air base in Lopburi Province. The For Sea Foundation initiated the project to create an artificial coral reef following operations to fix natural coral reefs that were damaged by the devastating Tsunami that hit Asia in late December 2004.

“To lure visitors to a new diving site, the artificial reefs need some sort of ‘star power’, like the King Cruiser wreck diving spot in Phuket, for instance. The idea of having a fleet of old and unused aircraft under the sea is equally irresistible,” said Mr. Settapan Buddhani, TAT’s Phuket Office Director...[AsiaTravelTips.com]

Turks & Caicos creates artificial reef

Turks and Caicos (AP) - Nearly 100 concrete orbs have been submerged in shallow waters off Grand Turk island to encourage coral growth, shelter small fish and enhance snorkeling, a government scientist said Sunday. The hollow domes submerged in recent days have quickly attracted marine life off Governor's beach, a popular stretch of coastline in Grand Turk, said Lucy Wells, a marine biologist who does reef restoration work for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The response from marine life was instantaneous,» said Wells, who works for the island chain's Environment and Coastal Resources Department. In Turks and Caicos waters, shallow-water coral reefs have been harmed by pollution, overfishing and unusually high sea temperatures in 2005. But scientists say coral colonies off the British islands are in better shape than those of many neighboring islands. In recent years, reef balls have been submerged in dozens of locations around the globe to help marine habitats. The newly submerged reef balls, anchored to the sandy seabed and weighing some 300 pounds (136 kilograms) each, have holes that create currents and circulate nutrients to marine life. Small fish can hide from predators inside the 2-foot (65 centimeter) wide, 3-foot (1 meter) tall spheres. Larval coral was placed on the rough exteriors. Wells said half of the roughly $80,000 reef project was put up by Miami-based cruise operator Carnival Corp...[PR-Inside.com]

Warship fires up Sharky's reef hopes

Mark Salter's plan for an artificial reef for scuba divers on the Gold Coast has received a welcome boost after Defence Minister Joel Fitz-gibbon indicated a warship suitable for the job could be decommissioned from the Royal Australian Navy by 2012.

Mr Salter, aka 'Sharky', has been campaigning for years for an artificial reef as a tourist attraction.

An email from Mr Fitzgibbon says under the Defence Capability Plan 2006-2016, the heavy landing ship HMAS Tobruk might be replaced by 2012.

Mr Salter is now planning a campaign to snare the 126m vessel...[Goldcoast]

Old planes being sunk to form new reef

Ten decommissioned military aircraft are being dumped in the Andaman sea, about three kilometres off Phuket, to create an artificial reef for divers.

Dubbed the "Coral Reef Squadron", the skeletons of four DC-4 Dakotas used in the Korean and Vietnam wars, and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters are being sunk near Koh Weaw.

The operation, run by TDN Diving Association (Thailand), was initiated by the For Sea Foundation shortly after the tsunami struck the Andaman coastal provinces in 2004, causing grave damage to coral reefs in the area.

It aims to create new diving sites to replaced those destroyed by the tsunami, and to ease the tourist load on existing natural coral reefs...[Bankok Post]

New coral reef discovered in Seychelles

A previously unknown coral reef on the uninhabited Seychellois island of Curieuse has been discovered. The reef is already protected as it falls within the Curieuse Marine National Park.

Researchers from the British university of Essex this week report that they have discovered a previously unknown coral reef in the Seychelles. Dave Smith and Dave Suggett visited Curieuse Island as part of an ongoing study, with active participation from local Seychellois collaborators.

The island, which is managed by the Seychelles Centre of Marine Research and Technology-Marine Protected Areas (SCMRT-MPA), is home to over 200 giant tortoises, the unique coco de mer palms and rare Seychellois parrots. But until now, it was thought no coral reefs were present...[Afrol News]

Wildcam - Belize Reef

The new camera pans the undersea world 66 feet below the surface at Glover's Reef, a World Heritage Site on the barrier reef off the Central American country of Belize. Think of it as one of those video fish tanks, but the fish are real. Web watchers can see wild marine life swim past in real time -- at least during daylight hours. The reef has crystal-clear waters, colorful reef fish and the hypnotic sashaying of sea fans and soft corals...[National Geographic]

U.S. ship 'Kittiwake' to become Cayman Islands reef

The Cayman Islands announced plans to create an underwater attraction for scuba divers and snorkelers from a decommissioned U.S. Navy ship.

Ownership of the USS Kittiwake, a 2,290-ton submarine rescue ship, will be transferred from the U.S. Maritime Administration to the Cayman Islands government this fall.

Toxic materials must first be removed from the vessel, built in 1945, before the ship is sunk next year in the Caribbean Sea as an artificial reef. It has been anchored for years among rusting hulks of the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the "Ghost Fleet," in Fort Eustis, Va.

The 251-foot Kittiwake should attract large schools of fish to deserted cabins and halls, according to Charles Clifford, the islands' minister of tourism...[Tampa Bay.com]