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