Entangled Fishing Net in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

The PADI Open Water Diver Course teaches us that a dive knife can be a useful tool to carry when diving but in many cases we forget to keep one with us, i recently found myself in this very position.

On a dive at Sulug Island in the TAR Park, Kota Kinabalu such a tool would have been very useful and i for one learned a valuable lesson in remembering to pack this rarely used tool.

We discovered an abandoned 10m long fishing net tangled among the corals, posing real danger for the surrounding marine life which includes the endangered Hawksbill and Green Turtles.

Various crustaceans had already perished after becoming entangled which attracted other animals to feed on the remains, putting them in danger also.

After 20 minutes we managed to free one Lobster - had we been carrying a knife the process would have been much quicker, suffice to say the creature survived.



Fortunately we were able to revisit the dive site the following day with a cutting tool and after an hour of hard work remove the net from the reef and dispose of it safely on land.

In many cases it is better to just cut up the net and leave it in place because more damage can be done to the delicate corals when trying to remove it. So long as marine life cannot become entangled in the net then it can remain in place causing little harm.

Questions as to why anyone was fishing within this National Park is for another discussion but the lesson learned here is as divers carrying a dive knife can be very useful because sadly from time to time we do encounter disregarded fishing nets that pose hazards for marine and human life.

Thanks to Spencer Steadman for the images and his patience and assistance during the dive.

For more information on the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, please read our dedicated pages.

Entangled Fishing Net in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

The PADI Open Water Diver Course teaches us that a dive knife can be a useful tool to carry when diving but in many cases we forget to keep one with us, i recently found myself in this very position.

On a dive at Sulug Island in the TAR Park, Kota Kinabalu such a tool would have been very useful and i for one learned a valuable lesson in remembering to pack this rarely used tool.

We discovered an abandoned 10m long fishing net tangled among the corals, posing real danger for the surrounding marine life which includes the endangered Hawksbill and Green Turtles.

Various crustaceans had already perished after becoming entangled which attracted other animals to feed on the remains, putting them in danger also.

After 20 minutes we managed to free one Lobster - had we been carrying a knife the process would have been much quicker, suffice to say the creature survived.



Fortunately we were able to revisit the dive site the following day with a cutting tool and after an hour of hard work remove the net from the reef and dispose of it safely on land.

In many cases it is better to just cut up the net and leave it in place because more damage can be done to the delicate corals when trying to remove it. So long as marine life cannot become entangled in the net then it can remain in place causing little harm.

Questions as to why anyone was fishing within this National Park is for another discussion but the lesson learned here is as divers carrying a dive knife can be very useful because sadly from time to time we do encounter disregarded fishing nets that pose hazards for marine and human life.

Thanks to Spencer Steadman for the images and his patience and assistance during the dive.

For more information on the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, please read our dedicated pages.

Whales Revenge - an anti whaling petition.

A web-site has been created to host a petition against "Whaling for Scientific Research"

Every year thousands of precious mammals are slaughtered in the name of so-called 'scientific research'. Add your voice by signing this campaign then forwarding it everyone you know. They hope to obtain 1 Millions names on the list and they've almost achieved this ambitious target.

Please help to stop the killing.



www.whalesrevenge.com

Whales Revenge - an anti whaling petition.

A web-site has been created to host a petition against "Whaling for Scientific Research"

Every year thousands of precious mammals are slaughtered in the name of so-called 'scientific research'. Add your voice by signing this campaign then forwarding it everyone you know. They hope to obtain 1 Millions names on the list and they've almost achieved this ambitious target.

Please help to stop the killing.



www.whalesrevenge.com

Lankayan Island Trip 20th - 27th April 2008

We'll be visiting Lankayan Island Resort in the Sulu Sea from 20th -27th April. Famous for its natural beauty and tranquility the small tropical island is accessed via speedboat from Sandakan in Sabah, Borneo.

The surrounding waters are Marine Protected Areas and offer the diver Macro and Wreck dive opportunities as well as passing seasonal Whalesharks (April - June).

The resort has adopted an eco tourism concept and has the same owner/ managers as Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort in the Celebes Sea, Borneo.

Should anyone wish to join the trip please drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with the resort to book your reservation.

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from a previous visit.

Should you wish to visit Lankayan Island Resort independently please contact us and we'll provide you with a direct contact at the resort.

Lankayan Island Trip 20th - 27th April 2008

We'll be visiting Lankayan Island Resort in the Sulu Sea from 20th -27th April. Famous for its natural beauty and tranquility the small tropical island is accessed via speedboat from Sandakan in Sabah, Borneo.

The surrounding waters are Marine Protected Areas and offer the diver Macro and Wreck dive opportunities as well as passing seasonal Whalesharks (April - June).

The resort has adopted an eco tourism concept and has the same owner/ managers as Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort in the Celebes Sea, Borneo.

Should anyone wish to join the trip please drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with the resort to book your reservation.

Please visit our Dive Trip Photo Album to see a selection of images from a previous visit.

Should you wish to visit Lankayan Island Resort independently please contact us and we'll provide you with a direct contact at the resort.

Responsible Sewage and Water Treatment Practices for Resorts.

I've never really given much consideration to what happens to my toilet waste after i pull the chain. At home of course its treated at dedicated plants and disposed of correctly - but what about when we stay on a beautiful tropical island or stilt resorts over the ocean, where does it go then ?

Large containers of Plants filter the wastewater

The truth is in some cases our sewage can be extremely detrimental to our environment, especially within small islands where government treatment plants are not available.

Take for example the situation on Sipadan Island, where ground water became polluted due to untreated wastewater, sewage seeped out to the sea and polluted the surrounding ocean.

Forward thinking Kapalai Dive Resort and Lankayan Island Resort in Sabah Borneo both use the Hydroponics system to treat all sewage and wastewater before it is discharged to the open sea.

The waste is pumped through several large containers containing plants and ozone which filter the bacteria and harmful microorganisms and purify the water. At the same time plants absorb their required nutrients and enrich the water with O2.

This responsible method of treatment not only produces clean water that can be re-used but also irrigates the resort plant nursery and so saves on water consumption.

Filtered water can be re-used or discharged
to the ocean with no harmful effects to the
environment

The initial set up cost for such treatment systems is fairly expensive and every year they must be maintained - this is perhaps why other resorts are not adopting the same concept.

However with growing environmental awareness we as guests should support resorts that genuinely adhere to responsible sewage and waste disposal practices. They may be slightly more expensive than others in the area but in our opinion this is for good reason. Sadly we have witnessed how some budget resorts save money and its the environment that pays the ultimate price.

We will certainly be voting with our feet and support places that we feel make efforts to not only protect their surrounding environment but also not harm it.

To our knowledge the only two resorts to use this in Sabah are those mentioned above.

Responsible Sewage and Water Treatment Practices for Resorts.

I've never really given much consideration to what happens to my toilet waste after i pull the chain. At home of course its treated at dedicated plants and disposed of correctly - but what about when we stay on a beautiful tropical island or stilt resorts over the ocean, where does it go then ?

Large containers of Plants filter the wastewater

The truth is in some cases our sewage can be extremely detrimental to our environment, especially within small islands where government treatment plants are not available.

Take for example the situation on Sipadan Island, where ground water became polluted due to untreated wastewater, sewage seeped out to the sea and polluted the surrounding ocean.

Forward thinking Kapalai Dive Resort and Lankayan Island Resort in Sabah Borneo both use the Hydroponics system to treat all sewage and wastewater before it is discharged to the open sea.

The waste is pumped through several large containers containing plants and ozone which filter the bacteria and harmful microorganisms and purify the water. At the same time plants absorb their required nutrients and enrich the water with O2.

This responsible method of treatment not only produces clean water that can be re-used but also irrigates the resort plant nursery and so saves on water consumption.

Filtered water can be re-used or discharged
to the ocean with no harmful effects to the
environment

The initial set up cost for such treatment systems is fairly expensive and every year they must be maintained - this is perhaps why other resorts are not adopting the same concept.

However with growing environmental awareness we as guests should support resorts that genuinely adhere to responsible sewage and waste disposal practices. They may be slightly more expensive than others in the area but in our opinion this is for good reason. Sadly we have witnessed how some budget resorts save money and its the environment that pays the ultimate price.

We will certainly be voting with our feet and support places that we feel make efforts to not only protect their surrounding environment but also not harm it.

To our knowledge the only two resorts to use this in Sabah are those mentioned above.

Our Recent Publication

Featured in this months Australian Sport Diving Magazine is our Mating Mandarinfish article - Spawning Splendidus.

Images within the piece show how these beautifully stunning little creatures mate and how we as mere mortals can visit and photograph their delightful habits.

You can subscribe to the magazine online and/or read the article at http://www.divetheblue.net.