Adventure Conservation Exploration!

Since Sea Hounds received the National Geographic Dive Center award in November 2004, we have certified over 40 National Geographic Divers! These committed divers include everyone from PADI Instructors to our youngest Junior National Geographic Diver, 10 year old Danielle Koh!

Each program we conduct just gets better and as crew members, we have lots of fun learning with our divers.

For certified divers and people thinking of beginning their dive adventure, the National Geographic Diver program with the Sea Hounds ensures an unforgettable experience of Adventure. You Explore our local reefs with us and get to know its inhabitants intimately. You can also get involved with coral health monitoring and fish counts.


Apart from knowing and appreciating reliant eco-systems, marine, coastal and terrestrial, you also acquire the necessary skills which enable you to be a responsible diver with Conservation in mind. On our recent explorations, we were not only able to observe behaviours of marine mammals & reptiles such as common dolphins and hawksbill turtles but also see the plight they are in with many factors working against their existence like coastal development, which brings heavy boat traffic & noise pollution, plastic & foam rubbish, and silting.


These skills include peak performance buoyancy in various positions(useful to get a closer look at the animals or taking the perfect photo!), aquatic life identification or underwater navigation.
The best part of the course is your National Geographic Exploration Dive where you put into practice what you've been training for!


Skills mastered during this program are credited to your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course and PADI Specialty Diver courses.

Photo Albums

Come share the sea with us,
Beaver
PADI CD 99087

A National Geographic Experience!

Celebrate the Sea 2005 lived up to what it represented. The organizers did a fantastic job of drawing in a great mix of exhibitors to make it 3 days of well-rounded environmental awareness and appreciation for everyone!

The crew at Sea Hounds made it a success for ourselves in terms of sharing with the visitors what it means to receive good diver education.

The PADI National Geographic Diver programs were introduced once again, which generated much interest! Our biggest highlight was when Shahram of PADI brought Dr Sylvia Earle, Explorer in Residence at National Geographic, to our booth. Her presence was enough encouragement for the team to push our drive for more National Geographic Explorers.


Project AWARE campaigns were a hit with the AWARE Kids program the most popular. Signing up the kids to be more aware of our marine environment was held at the booth as well as in conjunction with the PADI Discover Scuba Diving & Bubblemaker programs conducted outside Suntec Convention Center at street level.


Ensuring the education of our future generations with kids programs could not go without including Instructor Development. Sea Hounds also had good response to its PADI Instructor courses and we look forward to sharing care for the environment with our future dive educators.


The Singapore Underwater Federation also launched their public awareness brochure containing its mission and introductions to the National Operational Code of Practices for dive operators.

Beaver
PADI CD 99087

DiVe In to Earth Day 2005

Snorkelers and Divers from Sea Hounds celebrated the Earth on DiVe In to Earth Day at TIOMAN over 22nd to 24th April 2005 weekend!


Several activities were organized by the Sea Hounds crew during this event. They included PADI Open Water Diver, Advanced OW Diver, & Rescue Diver courses, and National Geographic Diver & PADI Discover Snorkeling programs. Also conducted were Reef Checks, Fish Counts, Mangrove Appreciation walk and underwater clean-ups.

We were encouraged by the participants' commitment to conservation. Many continued their diver education during this event and others commited simply by following guidelines for an eco-tourist. By their attendance, they gave vital support to Sea Hounds as their local ProjectAWARE GoECO Operator.



Our count of significant species was done at Renggis with 32 groupers, 21 of which were under 30cm in length. The previous batch of National Geographic Divers last weekend were able to observe one of the resident rock cods approx. 1.2m in length at 7m depth.
Other observations for snappers, bumpheads, sweetlips, morays and humphead wrasse were done on seperate dives.
For invertebrates, we found an alarming number of COTs at SeaFan Garden, dive site off Tulai. Total count on that dive was 18 over 50m of reef, and ranging from 14 to 8m of water. Sea cucumbers were abundant. No count was done.


Renggis was also the site for the National Geographic Diver's exploration dive where aquatic life id and buoyancy skills were practised to observe behaviours of the apex predator, the Blacktip Reef Shark, and other vertebrates and invertebrates over a pre-determined section of the coral reef.

Coral Health Monitoring was also conducted randomly during this dive, supported by charts from Project AWARE. CoralWatch Data Sheets are being prepared.

The Mangrove Appreciation snorkel/walk led us to a well-aged bumphead parrotfish at 6m depth and pigtail macaques combing the beach. Our walk found abundant lifeforms seeking refuge in the pools left by the extremely low-tide from the New Moon that evening. Juvenile swimmer crab, mantis shrimp, slipper lobster, and cleaner shrimps. Silverlined mudskippers hid under the breathing roots of the mangroves.
Rhizophora, saplings of the mangrove, lined the coast and Nyapa palms grew from the rocky outcrops. As we left, white-bellied sea eagles were a common sight with more calling in the lush island forest.

The team collected 18kg in total of discarded boatlines left on the mangrove roots, rubber and plastic items from the mangroves. Sadly, the most trash we collected was from the Marine Park dive site where the most common item was plastic mineral water bottles.

Sea Hounds and the HantuBlog also conducted an effective cleanup for Earth Day on the same weekend in Singapore.
Kranji Mangrove Clean-up at Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, Singapore

Unfortunately, mangrove forests are some of the most threatened ecosystems because of their proximity to the sea(prime developmental land) and the tendency for us to see them as useless swamps with threatening 'Swamp Things'.
Destruction of these forests has dire implications since they provide an important spawning ground and serve as a nursery for many commercially important species.

Earth Day Photo Album

To get involved more, enrol in the National Geographic Diver program, Join the HantuBlog dives or sign up for the next ICC or Dive In events.
email us

Beaver
PADI CD 99087

Celebrate the Sea 2005

The MOST Exciting Event of the Sea in the ASIA PACIFIC

In association with the World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Antibes Juan les Pins

‘Celebrate the Sea 2005’

3 to 5 June SUNTEC CONVENTION CITY SINGAPORE



How strange that we celebrate anything and everything on this earth but neglect the very thing that keeps us alive – the SEA

Lets Celebrate the Sea

Meet us at the Sea Hounds boothes and look out for prizes and promotions on National Geographic Diver program and Project AWARE Specialties

Beaver
PADI 99087

Pointing Fingers

It's the easiest thing to do when something goes wrong.
It's the quickest way out of something we are unsure of ourselves.

Recent press releases and forum discussions about our local operators having their boat detained for not having appropriate permits and more recently the sinking of another boat ferrying over 30 passengers is without a doubt an ugly scene.
Why are fingers being pointed though?

As a consumer, we expect to get what we pay for.
As an operator, we give what we can within our means and limitations without compromising standards and procedures.

It is not the first time accidents have happened to us, but these are the things we believe everyone involved in the dive industry should consider carefully..

Divers perspective:
Does the Singaporean consumer 'ask' for such services to be rendered?
Bargaining is not wrong, but within reason. That reason is for divers to understand what actually goes in to a sound dive operation. The same can be said about diver education.
eg1: Looking for a new dive location. That's what diving is all about isn't it? However, there is no cheap alternative when it comes to an expedition requiring heavy logistics, as in the liveaboard case. More about the operator's responsibility soon, but the point is, no demand on cutting corners, no supply.
eg2: Looking for a quick and economical getaway. Who doesn't want that? However, as a customer, we want to also demand for minimal safety measures and procedures no matter what. Once we do that, prices will make a whole lot of sense.
eg*: Open Water Diver is enough, as long as I get the card. That ticket is your licence to act responsibly and also involves a statement of understanding we signed to maintain proper buoyancy control and obey local diving laws and regulations. Pay for your diver education. It's the least you can do for conservation and caring for your environment. We are ambassadors of the underwater world, we should continue learning about it.

Recommendation:
- Find out the minimum requirement for a dive operation to run its show locally. eg. boat procedures and laws, oxygen first aid available, insurance, and certified & renewed dive professionals managing the divers.
- Cheap not necessarily means bad. Find out through reliable sources if the operation you choose would be the one for you and meets local standards.
- Every dive we do should be a special experience. There are operators who care for these needs.



Operators perspective:
Do we buckle under pressure?
Hell ya. As in planning for any dive, there are enough natural factors to shut down your perfect dive, there isn't a need to discount operational procedures or training standards. The same goes for trying to run the perfect dive business.
Singaporean dive operators have had a myriad of battles to fight just to survive, at the same time try to maintain an image befitting of an operation which takes care of lives. We do not want to dig up the past but we do want the consumer to know that maintaining a dive business is taxing on the owner's time, money and physical well-being.
As mentioned before, there are enough 'natural' factors to shut down a dive center/resort/liveaboard, there should not be a need to discount the price it takes to ensure diver safety and more importantly fun! It may not be appropriate for some operators to offer really cheap deals, even if there is no money to be made, but can they be blamed for providing what the customer wants?
eg1: The dive professional(instructor/divemaster) is a job often looked upon as one with much free time and associated with a care-free life. On the contrary, it is one of few 'out of the box' jobs which demands responsibility, integrity and intelligence to carry out its duties. The dive professional needs to be both mentally and physically fit to accomplish his/her job effectively. Much of the dive pro's planning and training is not seen by the consumer.
eg2: The dive center/resort/liveaboard requires constant maintenance of its facilities, equipment and personnel. It's not just about the cost of a trip or a course.
eg*: The Singapore Underwater Federation has new council members who care about the industry and its future. It is an ungratifying voluntary responsibility but the people holding up the federation are doing their best to enforce the National Operational Code of Practise.

Recommendation:
- Divers can check with the SUF for a list of dive operators who have pledged to adhere to the code and what it is.
- Divers can check with AISTA or the individual training agency (eg.PADI) on training issues.
- Operators can consult with the SUF council members on how to implement SOPs or training standards and requirements.



The article written by a Singaporean woman in the Straits Times 2 weeks ago really hurt. Generalizing Singaporean dive operators as unreliable and offering uncomfortable dive experiences does not deserve a space in the local newspaper, especially since the writer obviously has no clue about the rest of Singapore's dive operators who are doing a good job and offering worldclass training and services.

Let's work together so that "Uniquely Singapore" applies to the diving community as well.
Pay for the services offered by an operator who does not compromise standards and procedures.

You know, all we really wanna do is DIVE!


Beaver
PADI CD-99087

I declare the Malaysian Dive Season Open!

I think many divers were a bit apprehensive about heading off to the east coast of Malaysia this past weekend after hearing reports of the sinking of a dive boat in rough weather the previous weekend. Seems the monsoon had a little more energy left in it, and caught many divers off guard. However, the Malaysian Meteorlogical Service lifted its high wave and wind warning for Tioman early in the week, and by Saturday morning we were cruising across a flat sea under sunny skies towards this South China Sea gem and anticipating a great weekend of diving ahead.

Here are some memorable moments and sightings from the weekend.

At Chebeh:
A group of about 6 very large golden trevallies and a couple of turtles were spotted. Debby even found a couple of empty shark casings, and shared this unique find with the rest of the divers. Those babies are out there somewhere!

At Seafan Garden:
Stick pipefish were the highlight of this dive. While many gathered around Debby for a good look at the one she had found, Ken had one all to himself nearby and I am sure was thankful for his solitude to get a couple of great photos of the one he found.

At Rengiss:
This site never fails to perform! While I had wanted to take everyone to check out the progress of the Pahang Royal Reef at the beginning of the dive, we were immediately distracted upon descent by the flurry of fish action. I was completely entranced by the massive school of chevron barracudas that surrounded me at the beginning of the dive, and seemed to carry me over the reef to greet a group of its larger cousins, the great barracudas! Then the silhouette of a very large (1m+) star puffer caught my eye from above, only to be distracted again by the puff of silt below from a blue spotted stingray. The barracudas remained nearby for some time, and when they got bored of us, the friendly batfish took over as our escorts. A couple of large cuttlefish waved their tentacles our way as we cruised along the edge of the reef slope, and Ken and his open water students were visited by a very large potato cod. It was great to see the smiles of excitement on all the divers faces upon ascent as they recalled the sightings, their faces awash in the golden glow of the setting sun. What a beautiful way to end the day! One sad discovery, however, is that the very large table coral near to the cart has not survived the monsoon, and has been broken at its stem. I only hope it was natural, and not the result of some divers' carelessness.

Night Dive at Salang:
Another hot favorite! Jimmy's keen eyes picked up what Ken and I thought to be a flathead...but once we moved on, Debby gave it a closer and "more thorough" inspection. Annoyed by all the sudden attention, the apparent "flathead" made itself more visible, and low and behold the full body of the demon stinger was revealed! Well, I thought that would have been enough for Debby to start frantically waving her flashlight to call us back...but NO!!...Debby reserves that action for the minute and almost imperceptible urchin shrimp! Geez, Deb, all that effort for something I cant even see! Ha! Good dive all around...but by this time, hunger had got the best of us.

Marine Park:
Wow! Good viz on early Sunday morning for the Marine Park, and because we were early, we had the site virtually to ourselves. A couple of very large tusked wrasses were hanging out around a couple of the wrecks, and a few baby morays were tucked into the rotting wood hulls. Lots more barracudas here too, both around the wrecks and under the pier. The rabbit fish were a little too hungry, and even though I thought I made it very clear to them that I had no food, one decided to have a taste of my middle finger.

Burong:
Current from the right. Current from the left. Current from above. Hello, this is supposed to be slack tide? Oh well, tucked in behind the wall, we managed to spot a variety of different nudibranchs and Ken spotted a couple of large morays hiding out among the crevices. Had the conditions been better, it would have been nice to check out the life around the large seafans and seawhips at 18m and below. Next time.

Congratulations to Rudy and Andrew for completing their Open Water courses! Welcome to the wonderful world of the deep blue sea! Looking forward to seeing you enhance your knowledge and adventures with the Advanced course.

Thanks to Ken (our intrepid leader for the weekend), Debby and Jimmy for their great assistance, and to Linda, Su Lin, Kwong Hwee, Claudia, Cynthia, Ian, Andrew, Rudy, Jon and Terror for making it fun and memorable.

I declare the Malaysian Dive Season Open!

Cheers!
Johari
PADI DM#479744

Our Natural Heritage

Our local coral reefs need our serious attention!
(Get involved Dive In to Earth Day 2005)

Termed the "rainforests of the sea", coral reefs are home to one of every four marine species and are vital to maintaining the biological diversity of marine ecosystems. Existing for a very long time, these ecosystems are the oldest most productive on earth.




Aside from their environmental importance, coral reefs are extremely important to our local economy, tourism, human health and more. We are losing this vast resource at an alarming rate!
(refer to article "Hantu coral life dying out fast")



Threats to our reefs include sedimentation, pollution, destructive fishing practices and more.

Learn more from our National Geographic Diver program or join the Hantu Bloggers!



View Photo Album of observations made on Feb 5 & 6 Dives.
Highlights include threatened species, Horseshoe crab and Noble Volute shell. Gorgonian shrimps, sand divers, and healthy schooling fish.
More pictures also on the Hantu Blog!

Beaver, PADI 99087

original post on 7th Feb 2005

Back to Basics: Dive Planning

This is the second installment in a series I have called "Back To Basics" , in which we refresh our knowledge and understanding of some basic procedures to ensure safe and enjoyable diving. This time around, let's take a more detailed look at how to best plan and be prepared for fun in diving.

Dive Planning
Remember, as a certified diver, you have obtained the skills necessary to dive safely and unsupervised within the limits of your training. However, usually we find ourselves diving within a group that is lead by a divemaster. The divemaster is there to supervise activities both on the boat and in the water, take care of logisitics including emergency planning and preparation, orient divers to the site by sharing knowledge and points of interest of each site, as well as to inject some fun into your overall experience. Really good ones may even cut mangoes for you while you soak up the sun on the boat during the surface interval! While the divemaster will provide recommendations and a broad dive plan based on his knowledge of the site conditions, he is not there to plan individual dives for each and every certified diver. Detailed dive planning is left to each and every diver/buddy pair to plan for their dives based on their experience and training.

So here are some basic points to remember when planning your dives, to ensure safety and a fun and memorable dive experience:

1. Set an objective
Together with your buddy, agree on an objective for the dive. This will help you understand each other better when communicating under water. If one of you is an avid macro photographer, and the other is without a camera and wants to search out big stuff in the blue, then even more so you need to agree on your objective.

2. Plan your dive within your experience and training
No two divers are the same, and so do not just follow a profile that someone else has planned for themselves. It may not be appropriate to your experience or the level of your training. If one buddy is more experienced than the other, always plan the dive within the level of experience and training of the less experienced diver.

3. Agree on a general course and profile
While the divemaster may have briefed his broad plan for the dive, you may decide you just want to hang out in one area along the planned route because you want to spend the whole dive photographing lobsters in the first bay. This is fine. But agree to this, and do let your divemaster know. Agreeing to and sticking to a general dive profile will allow you to manage and use your time effectively under water, as well as assist you in managing your air consumption for a safe return to the surface.

4. Agree on a buddy separation procedure
Separation can happen in certain conditions. But if you and your buddy agree on what to do if you get separated, you will be able to manage the situation calmly and effectively should it arise.

5. Know each others' quirky handsignals
While a buddy pair are likely to be in agreement on some of the basic handsignals given their basic training, it is good to review and share these with each other. Sometimes your buddy may have some different "expressions" he likes to use underwater, which if you are unfamiliar, could cause great confusion.

6. Computer vs Tables
Use both in your planning. Your computer will assist you to stay within your planned profile during the dive, but you need to know what your limits are while you are drawing up your plan and before you descend. The table or wheel is the best tool for this pre-dive planning. And unless your RDP melts in the sun, it wont fail you. Your computer might.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns while drawing up your pre-dive plan, your Divemaster is more than happy to assist you and offer advice (and probably a few slices of mango too!).

Happy and safe diving always!

Johari
DM#479744

Sign Up NOW for Earth Day!

Conserving our blue planet doesn't have to wait for a special occasion, our actions help every day, and our dives count each time we enter the water!







Dive In to Earth Day 2005 events are held during the week of 22nd April.



If you are diving with us from now til then, register now for the event and we can get you started right away!



Hantu and Tioman dives done before the event date counts as long as you start positively identifying, observing and documenting aquatic life on your local reefs, but more importantly look out for the significant species, ie of conservational significance(endangered, rare, vulnerable, covered by int'l convention).



Next available dives @ HANTU

5th(Sat), 6th(Sun), 12th(Sat) and 13th(Sun) February 2005

* Limited to 10 divers per outing only.



Courses being conducted during these outings:

1. National Geographic Diver

2. Enriched Air Diver

3. Rescue Diver

~ no one should need a reason to be Rescue Diver trained. It's simple, even if we spend just 1 hour in the whole year underwater, we would still be spending time out of our element.

Caring for the reef means also caring for yourself and for others with you.

Refer to previous post: "Hounds Treats"

Everyone is welcome to join any of the programs above, email us us to get your schedule started!

photos from ICC 2003 Tioman, golden snapper & fimbriated eel set free

300m troller net collectedfrom 6-12m depth. 65min bottom time.

March School Hols

12th March Saturday is already full for Discover Scuba Diving session,

but 13th March Sunday is still available for both Bubblemaker and Discover Scuba Diving!

Register yourself and your kids for a day of FUN and learning!

scuba@seahounds.com





Beaver

PADI MI 99087

Hounds TREATS

In our efforts to encourage continuing diver education, the Sea Hounds are pleased to present Hounds Treats in the form of special discounts/packages for dive equipment and dive courses every month!



We are starting with 2 exciting, rewarding and extremely useful courses!



1. PADI RESCUE DIVER Package

S$480 ONLY (usual: S$565)



Includes 3 certifications:

~ Emergency First Response, Primary & Secondary Care with AED

~ Oxygen First Aid Specialty

~ Rescue Diver



* All PADI courses conducted by Sea Hounds include complete ownership of all PADI course materials.

** Course Fee does not include required open water dives. All travel activities are arranged and managed by Value Travel Pte Ltd (TA01369).

PADI Rescue Diver course requires two day outings to P.Hantu; 4 boat dives S$170 total.



!! First 12 people to register before 31st January 2005, receive Emergency First Response, Care for Children course & certification, worth $255, FREE !!

email now!







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PADI Rescue Diver & EFR certification are pre-requisites for obtaining the PADI MASTER SCUBA DIVER rating.

Get 2 FREE specialty courses when you register for 3 specialty diver courses to achieve this rating!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



2. EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE Package

S$380 ONLY (usual: S$480)



Includes 2 certifications:

~ Emergency First Response, Primary & Secondary Care with AED

~ Emergency First Response, Care for Children



!! Anyone can join! Courses have no age limit and no diver certification is necessary !!







*Offers above are valid for registrations done from date of this post until 20th February 2005.

**bookings on email will be confirmed upon registration at the dive center.



Refer to earlier posts:

"CHICKEN RICE! CHICKEN RICE!"

"Continuing Education"

Back to Basics: Why a Buddy?

As we eagerly anticipate the approach of another exciting dive season in Malaysia, it may be a good time to revisit and refresh our knowledge and understanding of some of the most basic elements and procedures of diving to ensure fun, rewarding, yet safe diving experiences. In this first entry of "Back to Basics", let's relook at the importance of the Buddy System.



"Why a Buddy?"



Reflecting back on your open water training, remember that there are 3 important reasons for having a buddy:

1. Practicality

2. Safety

3. Fun



So what does this mean?



Having a buddy is practical because your buddy is an extra set of eyes and hands for you. On the surface, your buddy can assist you with your equipment, and vice versa. Below the surface, your buddy's extra set of eyes may spot things that you otherwise might miss, and thus enrich your overall dive experience.



Your buddy adds an extra measure of safety to your dive experience as well. Together you agree on an objective for your dive and plan your dive together. This will enhance your ability to communicate and understand each other underwater, and optimise both your safety and enjoyment of the dive. Performing your pre-dive safety check together will also help to familiarise each of you with the other's equipment and configuration, and give yourselves an added level of comfort by the time you give your final OK.



Start the dive together, stay together and end the dive together. This is for your own safety, but also to ensure you have fun together. Diving is a social activity, and therefore it is fun to have someone with you at all times to share in the adventure and excitement.



Whether you are a new diver, or have logged thousands of dives, take your role as a buddy seriously and you will lower your risk, and enhance your fun.



Happy Diving....together!



Johari

DM#479744

The Single Most Important Thing to Recycle

by Annie Berthold-Bond, Care2.com Producer, Green Living Channels



Guess which electronic piece of equipment you can run for three hours because of the energy savings of recycling just one aluminum can?



Answer:

A computer or a television set!



Aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth. It takes 95 percent less energy to make a new aluminum can from recycled aluminum cans.



The aluminum can you recycle today will be back as a new aluminum can in 60-90 days.



Project AWARE ~ Go Eco



Why Reuse Beats Recycling

Adapted from Choose to Reuse,by Nikki & David Goldbeck.

Reuse is often confused with recycling, but they are really quite different.(Even those engaged in reuse frequently refer to it as recycling.) Reuse in the broadest sense means any activity that lengthens the life of an item. Recycling, on the other hand, is the reprocessing of an item into a new raw material for use in a new product -- for example grinding the tire and incorporating it into a road-surfacing compound.Reuse is nothing new. What is new is the need to reuse.



Reuse is accomplished through many different methods: purchasing durable goods, buying and selling in the used marketplace, borrowing, renting, subscribing to business waste exchanges and making or receiving charitable transfers. It is also achieved by attending to maintenance and repair, as well as by designing in relation to reuse. This may mean developing products that are reusable, long-lived, capable of being remanufactured or creatively refashioning used items.



Why is reuse so important? Because at the same time that it confronts the challenges of waste reduction, reuse also sustains a comfortable quality of life and supports a productive economy. With few exceptions reuse accomplishes these goals more effectively than recycling, and it does so in the following ways:





Reuse keeps goods and materials out of the waste stream

Reuse advances source reduction

Reuse preserves the "embodied energy" that was originally used to manufacture an item

Reuse reduces the strain on valuable resources, such as fuel, forests and water supplies, and helps safeguard wildlife habitats

Reuse creates less air and water pollution than making a new item or recycling

Reuse results in less hazardous waste

Reuse saves money in purchases and disposal costs

Reuse generates new business and employment opportunities for both small entrepreneurs and large enterprises

Reuse creates an affordable supply of goods that are often of excellent quality.

Unique to reuse is that it also brings resources to individuals and organizations that might otherwise be unable to acquire them.



The best case for reuse is made by the more than 1000 examples of individual, business, government and charitable reuse that are included in Choose to Reuse.



Care2.com



Log on to : Project A.W.A.R.E. Activities and Dive In to Earth Day 2005

for dates of environmental awareness events

'Green reconstruction' ..

..vital in tsunami aftermath



Gland, Switzerland - In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, WWF is calling on governments to support the devastated communities by ensuring that efforts to rebuild their livelihoods are environmentally sustainable.





Coastal ecosystems can act as a buffer against tsunamis.

Mangrove reforested area in the Philippines.

© WWF-Canon / Jürgen Freund



Read the full story



Deforestation threatens the cradle of reef diversity

CORAL REEFS - ancient and alive with life





Incomes from dive tourism can strongly contribute to

the development of small island developing states.

(c)WWF-Canon / Cat HOLLOWAY



Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004

(Executive Summary) - available for download on the link



Beaver

The Animals Knew

Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?

By Maryann Mottfor

National Geographic News

January 4, 2005



Before giant waves slammed into Sri Lanka and India coastlines ten days ago, wild and domestic animals seemed to know what was about to happen and fled to safety.



According to eyewitness accounts, the following events happened:

• Elephants screamed and ran for higher ground.

• Dogs refused to go outdoors.

• Flamingos abandoned their low-lying breeding areas.

• Zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out.







Research indicates that elephants can feel vibrations in the ground over vast distances. This might be one way that they may be able to detect an earthquake or a tsunami long before a human becomes aware of impending disaster



Read the full story

CHICKEN RICE! CHICKEN RICE!

If you ever hear that coming from our dive center, we're probably conducting an EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE course!



Chicken rice is one of the most popular meals in Singapore, so popular divers at Sea Hounds have chosen it to be their codename(else 'Help' comes for real) for activating EMS (Emergency Medical Services). This practise is consistent with our PADI Rescue Diver course, so if you hear us shouting it from our boat...we're not selling!









What is Emergency First Response?

Emergency First Response (EFR) is the fastest-growing international CPR, Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and First Aid training organization. Dedicated to training the lay rescuer, EFR courses encompasses adult, child and infant CPR skills, provides AED and First Aid training, and feature an outstanding First Aid at Work component. The company’s award-winning programs and state-of-the-art training materials make it a favorite among divers around the world.



Primary Care (CPR) prepares you to render aid to those with life-threatening emergencies. Secondary Care (first aid) builds upon the lessons of Primary Care and helps you assist those in need when Emergency Medical Services are either delayed or unavailable.



Care for Children

The Emergency First Response Care for Children course is an innovative CPR, first aid and AED training course that teaches you how to provide emergency care for injured or ill children (ages one to eight) and infants less than one year old. You’ll learn about medical emergencies that children face and how they differ from adult conditions. The curriculum also includes the importance of attending to basic emergency situations with children, the emotional aspects of caring for children, secondary care for children, and preventing common injuries and illnesses in children.



EVERYONE can participate in this course, there is no certification requirement and no age limit!

What's more.. With our small group sizes and flexible schedules, You get the same care & attention from your Sea Hounds Instructor as you would in any other diving course or program!

The program is designed for 'No Stress'. In other words, skills are practised with one thing in mind: to create in you the Confidence to Care!

Many divers who have completed the EFR course as a pre-requisite to the PADI Rescue Diver course, find skills they learnt as Responders useful also at their workplace, in the gym, and especially at home where they have elderly parents or young children.



Sea Hounds' PADI Instructors and Divemasters are also EFR Instructors. They are able to conduct Emergency First Response programs including use of AEDs, as well as Care for Children programs. The PADI Oxygen First Aid course (including use with an AED) is a must for divers participating in the PADI Rescue Diver course conducted by Sea Hounds.



Keep watching this blog to find out special packages in store for January & February ONLY!

Also coming soon, PADI RESCUE DIVER specials! Look out for our next post!



For more info on EFR:

emergencyfirstresponse.com



Beaver

PADI MI 99087

New Year Resolutions of a Diver

As the New Year festivities end, and that nasty hangover fades, it is that time of the year to review the accomplishments of the past year and set new goals for the next.



For me, the past year was one of significant development and commitment as a diver - I went from a holiday diver to an instructor, and took my first step into the challenging and rewarding realm of technical diving. My enjoyment of diving has increased tremendously with better knowledge and skill, and I look forward to sharing it with others in this new year.



In brief, my 3 main resolutions as a diver this year are:



1. Do more to protect our underwater environment. This includes learning more about the underwater environment to understand how our actions affect it, supporting upcoming projects like Earth Day, and training more responsible divers through the National Geographic Diver program.



2. Share diving with more of my friends. Get more friends to start diving, and for certified divers, gain a better appreciation of the wonderful underwater world.



3. Continue to improve my diving skills and discover new diving destinations. As a OWSI, I would like to earn my specialty instructor ratings that would allow me to share my passion and teach courses like Deep, Wreck and Nitrox. On the personal level, I would like to complete my Trimix course to allow me to explore greater depths and more of the underwater world (as Pygmy would attest to).



In short, the last year has been fulfilling and I look forward to it continuing into the New Year. Now, if only I could make the same progress in other areas of my life...





chewbacca

PADI OWSI #481069

Singapore's First National Geographic Divers

Last week's Tsunamis must serve as a reminder of our place on this earth and how fragile life is for every living thing. Nature does deal with the circle of life without human interference, and this is a good reason for us to help conserve our world no matter how small the effort.



Pulau Hantu receives very mixed reviews from those who have dived the reefs around it. Most say there is 'nothing' to see and visibility is bad, but more recently with the efforts of many individuals such as Debby Ng of the Hantu Bloggers, and Ria Tan of Wild Singapore, our local reefs are reaching out to the masses in a good and positive way.







The National Geographic Diver program is an excellent way also to reintroduce familiar reefs. It creates an awareness of the local environment and the life it supports, and instills a greater appreciation of any kind of reef and every kind of aquatic life.



We welcome Singapore's very first National Geographic Divers. These are divers who, by participating in the program, show their commitment to the environment and a keen sense of adventure! We were especially encouraged as most of them are PADI Instructors and Divemasters who possess a want to continue their diver education even though they have already achieved much to get to where they are:







Kenneth Wong (PADI IDC Staff Instructor)

Sabine Henkel (PADI OWS Instructor)

Vincent Chew (PADI OWS Instructor)

Felicia Hee (PADI Divemaster)

Edd Ong (PADI Divemaster)

Jeff Greig (PADI Divemaster)

Debby Ng (PADI Divemaster)

Jimmy Woon (PADI Rescue Diver - Training Divemaster)



Congratulations to all of you and we look forward to your sharing the experience with more divers!



* Special Thanks to William Ong, PADI Course Director 18641, for his invaluable advise on the local reefs and suggestions for the program.



As already responsible divers, they honed their skills in :



Buoyancy - hovering in horizontal, horizontal with head slightly elevated and horizontal with feet slightly elevated positions. These useful skills were practised in confined water before applying them to their dives on the reef.







UW Navigation - fine tuning the use of a compass in confined water before using it on the reef together with natural navigation. At Pulau Hantu, positions of seafans and sea whips as well as direction of sand ripples are natural signs useful for orientation.



Aquatic Life Identification - this is a passion that will never go away. It makes every dive a challenging one to discover and know the diversity of life underwater. Participants identified more than the required number of vertebrates, invertebrates and aquatic plants during their dives. They had lots of fun observing certain animal behaviours such as territorial damsel fish!







Exploration Dive - putting into practise their buoyancy and navigational skills, the exploration dive is exciting and meaningful when observation skills are put into use. Divers participating in this National Geographic Portal program (for certified divers), were introduced to general reef survey techniques. Using a surface reference and a 10m transect line layed a meter from the start of the reef crest, they used both digital cameras and observations noted on their slates to identify features, animals and plants within the documented segment of the reef.

The team also used a Coral Health Monitoring Chart, from Project A.W.A.R.E. (www.coralwatch.org), to note coral bleaching.



Open Water Divers(entry-level) on the program practice simpler observation skills and aquatic life identification.



They have since summarized their dives in a simple powerpoint presentation so that their projects can remain dynamic, and updated each time they return to this reef. It is also the beginning to exploring other reefs the same way!







view Photo Album



Others have already signed up for the next course, started reading their own National Geographic Almanacs and watching their own National Geographic DVDs!

Call us now to join in: 62991147 or email us: scuba@seahounds.com







Beaver

PADI MI 99087