Lady Diver Magazine would like to send a shout out to Australian Marine Conservation Society for all their hard work and dedication . They work with supporters across Australia and over the sea on the big issues facing our oceans. They focus on creating large marine national parks (marine sanctuaries),  make  fisheries sustainable, and protect and recover  threatened ocean wildlife. The AMCS  also works to protect Australia’s precious coasts from inappropriate development and to reverse human induced climate change.

Read more about their latest accomplishments in conservation on their website at

http://www.amcs.org.au/About-AMCS.asp?active_page_id=182

Diving the World By Beth and Shaun Tierney

Diving the World is a guide to the worlds most popular dive sites. There are many travel books out there available but this book brings something for the traveling diver. Everything in this book is based on the authors own personal experience. They thought of everything I would ever ask about planning a trip to a dive destination I have never been to. Traveling for some, myself included, can be intimidating if you are not well prepared.

” Inspiration for the ultimate dive trip can come from this book, magazine articles or tales from friends. Wherever you plan to go, specific details of getting there, and what to do once you’ve arrived, are covered in the respective chapters. But before you rush into booking, take a look at the bigger picture. Does your  dive destination have all the elements that you’re looking for?”

This book has detailed information on 17 of the top diving destinations in the world. I found this book to be very helpful not only in describing what to expect while diving at each destination, but also useful topside tips. For instance how to get around, local law and customs, safety, language, health, cost, even airline and flight information. In the language section I can learn the basic greetings for the country I plan to visit, some specifically related to diving.

The dive guide portion of this book is phenomenal! The authors share useful information about many dive sites for each destination in the book. They talk about marine life and dive conditions for each individual dive site. They also have statistics of the diversity of the coral reef.

I found this book to be full of history and passion. It’s great to read through each page and feel a sense of adventure coming from the authors. I would like to thank Beth and Shaun for publishing a guide that will help me enjoy my dive travels around the world. Cheers and happy bubbles to you both!

Please note there are two versions of Diving the World, this review is on the 2nd edition with updated travel information. Diving the World can be purchased at

amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Diving-World-2nd-colour-Footprint/dp/190609876X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266377834&sr=1-1

Barnes and Nobles

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Diving-the-World-2nd/Beth-Tierney/e/9781906098766/?itm=1&usri=Diving+the+World+by+Beth+and+Shaun+Tierney

The California Sea Lion

Species Description

California sea lions are members of the “eared seal” family, Otariidae. They are the most recognized pinniped species, because they are commonly seen doing acrobatic tricks in shows at zoos and aquariums. Male California sea lions have a robust body while females and juveniles have a more slender body. They have broad fore flippers and a long, narrow snout. Males have a broad forehead. Their coats are dark brown with females being slightly lighter in color.

California sea lions are sexually “dimorphic” with males reaching average lengths of 7.5 ft and weighing about 700 lbs. Some large males exceed 1,000 lbs. Females are much smaller, reaching average lengths of 6 ft and weighing about 240 lbs . They have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years.

California sea lions are social animals and form groups of several hundred individuals onshore. They are fast, agile swimmers and are often seen porpoising and wave riding. The deepest dive ever recorded for a California sea lion is 1,760 ft.

Males are “polygamous” establishing breeding territories that may include up to fourteen females. They defend their territories with aggressive physical displays and vocalization. Sea lions reach sexual maturity at 4-5 years old. Breeding season lasts from May to August while most pups are born from May through July. Three weeks after giving birth, females are ready to mate again. Pups are weaned at 10 months old.

California sea lions feed mainly in upwelling areas on a variety of prey such as squid anchovies, mackerel, rockfish, and sardines. They also take fish from commercial fishing gear, sport-fishing lines, and at fish passage facilities at dams and rivers.

Habitat
California sea lions reside in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean in shallow coastal and estuarine waters. Sandy beaches are preferred for haul out sites. In California, they haul out on marina docks as well as jetties and buoys.

Distribution
California sea lions range from the Pacific coast of Central Mexico north to British Columbia, Canada. Their primary breeding range is from the Channel Islands in Southern California to Central Mexico. There is one stock of California sea lions in U.S. waters that ranges from the U.S./Mexico border and extends to Canada.

This weeks creature feature information is from the following website:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/californiasealion.htm

“A resident lingcod lives on the wreck near the forward guns and spotted harbor seals and sea lions sometimes swim by to say hello matey.”

Treasure Diving

By Karma Crampton

Wreck diving conjures up images of treasure hunting dark relics and mysterious hulls. There are indeed boundless riches to be found including a diverse marine life of multiple species. Wreck exploration offers endless and fascinating underwater adventures.  One of my favorite wreck dives is sunken lady destroyer named The HMS Yukon.

The Yukon is entirely covered in large white plumed anemones also known as metridians. They are so beautiful that they simply take your breath away. A friend of mine used to say this ship wreck reminded him of a flower covered float in a New Year’s Day parade. I wholeheartedly agree with his  poetic description.  The entire exterior is also draped with club tipped anemones of pink, purple and orange.

The Yukon was sunk by the San Diego Oceans Foundation on July 14, 2000 just off of Mission Bay, California. She is a 366 foot long old Canadian destroyer escort complete with forward and aft gun turrets. The ship lies on her port side in the sand at about 105 feet. There are four buoys that dive boats can tie up to. Buoys attached to the Yukon are on the bow, the forward guns, the tower, and the stern. Divers use these lines to guide their way down to the wreck below. The currents can run swiftly here so having a line directly down to the wreck is very helpful.

There are large cutouts all along the deck of the ship for divers to explore. Several cut outs are large enough to swim straight through without ever losing site of an exit. On the bow there is a cut out in the shape of a dolphin on both sides where one can swim through if conditions are calm enough.

Other entries to this wreck are more advanced and should not be entered without knowledge and experience of the interior. Like any overhead environment proper training and gear should always play a part when planning your dive. This wreck is so large it is almost impossible to see even the whole outside of the ship on just one dive.

The marine life is so abundant on this wreck due to the nutrient rich currents that flow past this area. The camouflaged painted greenling fish can be found hanging out amongst the anemones. Large schools of blacksmiths fish are usually swimming about as far as the eye can see. There is a resident lingcod that lives on the wreck near the forward guns. Spotted harbor seals and sea lions sometimes come in to say hello. Spanish shawl nudibranchs cling to the deck and take advantage of the food passing by in the current. Warty sea cucumbers are great for practicing macro shots with your camera as they never seem to move. Brown rock fish like to hide in the nooks and crannies and I almost always see one in the forward gun turret. Plush with marine life this wreck dive is sure to impress every type of diver.

The Yukon can have a wide range of diving conditions. Due to it’s location off Mission Beach shoreline diving there can be affected by big swells, wind, and strong current. These elements of nature can change the visibility of the dive site within as little as an hour. Typically the Yukon will have a 15-20 foot visibility with minimal surge. In the winter months when currents run strong and upwelling from the deeper parts of the surrounding ocean occurs then the visibility can be amazing! The trade off on this clear water is the temperature is teeth rattling cold. The water temperature ranges from winter to summer, usually between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (give or take a few degrees on certain days). A full seven millimeter wetsuit with hood gloves and booties is required for this dive. Some say a dry suit is the way to go, but if diving recreationally you will generally run out of bottom time before you get too chilled. Well worth the chill, the Yukon is by far one of the best wreck dives in California.

Dive boats in San Diego area – which offers wreck diving at its finest -  charter regular trips to the Yukon. I recommend Lois Ann dive boat. Reservation information can be found on their website.

http://www.loisann.com/dive_sites.html

Photo courtesy of Rob Yarde

Imagine a day at “The Office” is being serenaded with the unique musical sounds of migrating humpback whales.  Then imagine an up close encounter where you are leading a dive group on this incredible journey and you have to harness your own heart lurching excitement and guide your group through this magnificent and mind blowing experience. Large Manta Rays, Whales Sharks, Dolphins and migrating Humpback Whales gather in the Tofo region of the Indian Ocean on the southeast coast of Mozambique, Africa. This diver’s paradise is home to pristine beaches, warm waters, and unspoiled reefs making Mozambique one of the year-round top ten diving spots in the world. Lady Diver and PADI instructor Antje enlightens us with one of her favorite dives and gives us a sneak peek at diving adventures in her corner of the world. Humpback Day at the Office By Antje This is the land of giant Manta Rays and whale sharks. I heard a fellow instructor once say that there is no such thing as luck in diving – the fact is if you spend as much time as we do underwater you are bound to see something mind blowing! My favorite dive this year has been to a site called The Office. Having spent two years working as a PADI Instructor in the Barra -Tofo area of Mozambique, I have seen some really amazing things.  We were five divers on this site, needless to say the four clients came all the way her to see Manta Rays, but they got a even more than what they bargained for that day. The visibility was really good, and as we started our descent, the song of the humpback whales was so loud and overwhelming that I knew this would be a rather special dive.   About five minutes into the dive, I heard the boat engines revving – which is normally the emergency call that something is wrong. This time it was a notice that something amazing was about to happen. I looked up and noticed a huge shadow on the water.  At first, I was not sure if it was the boat or something bigger, so I took a moment scan the area and figure out what was casting those giant shadows.  I realized that it was an astonishing group of six huge humpback whales gliding on the surface right above us. I managed to get everyone’s attention and all the divers were able to watch the amazing descent as the humpbacks dove all the way down to us (26m) and then they passed a mere seven meters from us. We were all in shock, and the divers were going crazy with excitement! It is kind of difficult to explain the range of emotion you feel after you see something so elegant, gentle, and very, very big underwater. Perhaps you can just imagine this stunning experience. We proceed on with the dive – with great difficulty because everyone was still reliving the moment. Then, about another 18 minutes into the dive, four more humpbacks passed us, only this time much closer, only three to four meters away from our group. They swam really fast and this whole encounter lasted for about ten seconds.  Ten seconds that this dive group will remember for a lifetime. The less then 30 seconds after that encounter three more humpbacks decided to come and have a look at us. Perhaps they were as fascinated with us divers blowing bubbles as we were to encounter their majestic presence.  So there you have it:  13 humpback whales on one dive! I was shaking for a rather long time after that dive. It is something that I will never, ever forget. There were two divers with cameras on this dive, but we managed to only get about three good photos. Often the experience far outweighs a photograph. I have had many, many more awesome dives here.  Last season I had about 15 dives in which we were lucky enough to see humpback whales.  The Manta ray sightings occur about 75 percent of the time and some months our whale shark sightings are 100 We are very spoiled here diving with all these amazing creatures.  Ask anyone about the diving in Mozambique and I am sure you will get the same feedback.  Or better yet: come and have a look for yourself and have the best day of your life diving at the office.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Watt

Join up on this 7-day trip with Green Edventure’s in partnership with Becoming An Outdoors-Woman (BOW). Adult women of all ages and backgrounds from around the US will be coming together for conservation and camaraderie on the Sea of Cortez.

Highlights include snorkeling and free-diving with wild sea lions and the only coral reef system in the Gulf of California. We will camp on the World Heritage Site of Espiritu Santo Island, as well as explore Cabo Pulmo Marine Park and Biosphere Sierra de Laguna. Activities include snorkeling and free-diving, camping, hiking, kayaking and underwater fish Identification for surveys that are submitted to REEF (reef.org).

Graduate and undergraduate credit is available from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

Program registration includes carbon credits purchased from Carbonfund.org and supports indigenous people and local conservation efforts.

Level of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Educational Emphasis: Introduction to the ecology of the Gulf of California, desert plants and animals adaptations, fish ID and behavior, environmental issues of the Gulf of California’s marine and desert habitats, and cultural history of lower Baja.

Cost: $1990
A payment plan is available. All inclusive from San Jose del Cabo, MX. Does NOT include airfare (300-600 depending on your location. There are great midwest and west coast rates under $400) or gratuity for local guides.SCUBA is available for an additional fee.

You don’t want to miss this awesome experience with a great group of ladies! The date for this workshop is April 21-27, 2010. For more information on reservations please visit

http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/bow/Baja%20Mexico.aspx

Your host for Baja adventure, Tara Short

Harlequin shrimp can be found on coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific.These are small shrimps, typically 2-5cm (1-2in) in length.Harlequin shrimps eat starfish. They feed on the tube feet and will occasionally take whole starfish many times larger then themselves. They also feed on sea urchins. Harlequin shrimps detect their prey using scent. They locate a starfish and peel its arms from the rock. The male and female shrimp overturn the starfish together to disable it. This allows them to feed on its delicate tube feet starting at the tips and working inwards. Sometimes they will take the starfish into a dark recess where they can continue to feed for several days. Some even feed the starfish prey, keeping it alive so that they can dine on it later.

Their extraordinary coloration may serve as a warning to possible predators. It is thought that the shrimps incorporate toxins from their prey, making them bad tasting or potentially dangerous to eat. Harlequin shrimps are fairly rare. When they encounter a mate, they stay together for life forming monogamous, often territorial, pairs. They mate shortly after the female’s molt. The female produces between 100 and 5,000 eggs per season which she tends and cleans until they hatch. These shrimp are rare and suffer as a result of coral reef damage.

Photo courtesy of Lady Diver Nathalie Nguyen. Stay tuned for Nathalie’s adventures in Similians.

 

 

 

Lady Divers give a shout out and a great big hero’s thank you to everyone involved in this mission to save a helpless entangled baby Humpback  whale in Hawaii.

Article written By: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

On Sunday afternoon, December 6, 2009, the juvenile humpback whale found entangled in a web of polypropylene rope last week was set free. Members from NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA’s Pacific Islands Regional Office and Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) were able to approach close enough to cut the entangling lines using specialized equipment. Using telemetry equipment the response team located the animal in waters west of Moloka`i. The animal’s exact location was identified from a U.S. Coast Guard HH65 Helicopter after the team crossed the Kaiwi channel from Oahu aboard a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat.

This was a unique event because the whale was a yearling swimming in close proximity with its mother and a male escort. Past disentanglements have not included other animals in such tight association. Also, this entanglement involved an energetic yearling that added to the high degree of difficulty. All rescue responses are potentially dangerous.   

This rescue played out over the last five days.  Because the animal was able to be tagged, we were able to track it while waiting for the best opportunity for action based on resources and ocean conditions.

After several days of monitoring, the crew attached a sea anchor, a device like a parachute underwater. The whale finally slowed and began staying near the surface. The team then hooked a knife to the rope near the whale’s back using a long pole, needling the blade between the rope and a cleft left by a wound from the rope. The knife was then attached to another sea anchor, and after 10 minutes it sliced through the line freeing the whale.

When all the gear was removed, at 2:14 p.m., the whale appeared to be in good shape, and swam away with the mother and escort. The response team retrieved the gear from the whale, which was in total approximately 350 feet of heavy gage yellow polypropylene line.

The team was pleased to save this whale from a life-threatening entanglement; however, it is important to stress that the main goal is to gain information to reduce the threat of entanglement. Although freeing the animal is one goal, our main goal is to reduce the rate of entanglement in the future by understanding details like, “How was the gear set? How did the whale become entangled?”

This disentanglement followed specific protocols based on authorization and permitting.  It takes a networked effort of many organizations and agencies working together to cut a large whale free. This includes not only logistics, but also direct assistance with the disentanglement operation.

Member of the team included:

Ed Lyman, Marine Mammal Response Manager, NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (coordinating the effort, cutting the whale free)

David Schofield, Marine Mammal Stranding Response Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Regional Office (logistics, preparation of gear, acquired new pole system that was used in rescue, onboard assistance)

David Nichols, Acting Sanctuary Co-Manager, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (logistics, preparation of gear, acquired new pole system that was used in rescue, onboard assistance)

Eric Roberts, United States Coast Guard (planning assistance, vessels, logistics)

Petty Officer 2^nd Class Ryan Lundy, United States Coast Guard (in charge of support boat with Coast Guard)

Last updated December 5, 2009 9:00 a.m.
Information Prior to Rescue

On Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 7:20 a.m., NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Disentanglement Network received a call from Pacific Whale Foundation’s vessel, Ocean Explorer, concerning a subadult humpback whale (approximately 30 – 35 feet in length) entangled off Launiopoko, Maui.  NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary mounted a response effort with assistance from the United States Coast Guard and Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources. The entanglement involved hundreds of feet of heavy gauge, yellow poly line, originating from both sides of the whale’s mouth.  The line crossed tightly over the whale’s head behind the blowholes to form a knot, which then trailed hundreds of feet behind as two lines. One of the trailing lines terminated in a bundle of gear.

Ocean Explorer stood by over an hour to make sure the animal was not lost while the sanctuary’s response boat was enroute. The United States Coast Guard, sector Honolulu, provided aerial support by diverting a helicopter on exercises to the area, while Coast Guard station Maui was prepared to provide surface support if it was needed.

By 10:00 a.m. the sanctuary’s vessel, Hihimanu, was on site. After additional assessment and documentation it was determined that the entanglement was indeed life threatening. Due to rough sea conditions a full disentanglement effort could not be immediately carried out. However, to help re-locate the animal for a disentanglement effort when conditions allowed, the animal was tagged with a telemetry buoy (holding a GPS and satellite transmitter package) which was attached to the trailing gear.

On December 2, 2009 the entangled whale became highly mobile.  It was determined that the whale was actually a yearling that was accompanied by its mother and a single male humpback, known as an escort. At one point the entangled whale was east of Kaho’olawe and appeared to be heading towards the Alenuihaha Channel; however, the animal did turn north back into lee waters and was re-sighted off Wailea, Maui around the noon hour by Pacific Whale Foundation’s vessel, Ocean Intrigue.  

Because the origin of the entanglement was located so far forward on the whale (a mouth entanglement with a tight wrap just behind the blowholes), and because it involved a yearling in close association with its mother and an escort, this was a very difficult, and potentially more dangerous, disentanglement effort.  To be able to respond to the whale, the sanctuary fabricated a lighter, longer pole system and upon completion mounted another response effort.  

At 2:40 p.m., using the realtime VHF signal from the satellite tag, the response team located the tag buoy, which was no longer attached to the animal.  Approximately twelve feet of frayed and parted entangling line was recovered.  With assistance from Pacific Whale Founation’s vessels, Ocean Odyssey and Ocean Quest, the entangled yearling was re-located off Coral Gardens, Maui, and the sanctuary team was able to re-attach the telemetry buoy.  At that time it was observed that a significant amount of the line that had been trailing behind the animal was no longer present.  It appears that the action of the whale dragging the buoy and the grapple chafing the gear had removed more than 100 feet of line and the bundle of gear.

With what remained of the day, the team attempted several slow approaches to the head of the yearling in order to try and cut the tight wrap that was still encircling its head using a “flying knife” (a knife that comes off the pole system and is managed by an attached line).  On one attempt the team was almost successful, placing the knife just aft of where it needed to be.  With the wrap so far forward there was a very small window of opportunity to make the necessary placement.  Eventually the team left the animal with a plan to readjust their tools and respond at another time.

At 6:15 a.m. on December 3, 2009, the latest VHF signal showed the animal North East of Lanai and heading into Kalohi Channel.

By December 4, 2009, at 6:00 a.m. telemetry indicated the entangled yearling humpback was somewhere on the end of Penguin Bank, which is located off of Moloka`i. Because of the remote location, weather forecast, and sea state, no response was launched and tracking will continue.

On December 5, 2009, at 9:00 a.m., the entangled yearling humpback whale was still located on Penguin Bank, approximately 22 nautical miles from Honolulu Harbor. While still highly mobile, the animal appeared to be staying on the outer portion of Penguin Bank. Due to the location of the whale and the favorable weather forecast for Sunday, “variable, less than 10 knots”, there was the possibility of staging a response from O`ahu on the following day.

This article originated from http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/welcome.html 

 

 

 

You might find Cathy Church diving in shallow coral grotto in the Solomon Islands or arranging adventures to Indonesia. Cathy is an award-winning marine photographer, diver, educator and writer. She has been photographing the marine environment for over forty years integrating her passions by inspiring, preserving and educating others with ways to protect our fragile ecosystems. As the owner of Cathy Church’s Underwater Photo Centre and Gallery in Grand Cayman she leads students into the magical underwater world of diving and marine photography.

 

Interview with Cathy Church

1) When did you discover scuba diving and what was it that inspired you to scuba?

I was taking a course in fresh water fish at the University of Michigan biology station and felt that it would be better to watch them underwater instead of just catching them in nets. You didn’t need a SCUBA course. When I went to Hopkins Marine Biology station in Monterey, California, and dove in the ocean, I was enthralled with the amazing diversity of marine life. To see things in person was so much better than just reading about them. It was all very exciting.

 2) What is your current role at the underwater photo center in Grand Cayman?

My main role is to teach underwater photography. I also choose what cameras to sell, help customers, write articles, work on my web site, teach my employees, and solve problems in the business, and on and on. Sometimes I even try to take some time to go diving with my own camera.

3) Where was the first place you had the chance to take underwater photographs?

Monterey Bay, California at Hopkins.

4) What is your favorite marine life to photograph and why?

I have no favorites—every dive offers up a surprise. I started out documenting all of the different creatures, then moved on to editorial photos for the magazines, then gallery images to sell as prints, then black and white hand-printed silver gelatin, and now I am enjoying shooting for my imagination collection. These are photos of designs that remind people of many different things, regardless of what the subject actually is.

5) What is your fondest memory underwater?

There is no way I can pick one. How about watching a student’s eyes light up when my friendly gray angel fish comes up to their face mask. Or, one day I was concentrating on a small subject in California when something nudged me. It was a harbor seal hoping that I was a spear fisherman with a spare fish. This is fun, sitting at the computer thinking of so many great firsts, and trying to pick one. The other day I found a sponge that looked just like a French poodle and it made me laugh. Or the time some dolphins swam around me, or when I saw my first whale shark.

6) Where is your favorite place to scuba dive in the world?

There is a shallow coral grotto in the Solomon Islands with a hidden entryway that separates it from the main dive site. For some reason, it was not affected by the mass bleaching of the past two decades. It is a magical place—there are NO bare spots and the sun beams in late afternoon sparkle through the water. It is not colorful and there are only a few small creatures. It is all hard corals and I have failed miserably at photographing it; it is pure serenity and innocence and ancient and undisturbed.

7) What do you enjoy most about teaching others to photograph underwater images?

I like watching their eyes light up when they get a nice photograph. It doesn’t have to be a great photograph by anyone’s standards but their own, and for them it is a first, it is their best yet, and often it is good by any standard.

8) What type of things, other than teaching underwater photography, are you involved with to help preserve our oceans?

Summary: I support four environmental groups, I write as often as possible to decision makers, I vote green, I try to reduce wasting resources, and I try to eat only environmentally friendly foods. I try to make every decision as favorable to the environment as I can.

Detail: I support four environment groups, as I recommend that every one does: one world wide (like World Wildlife Fund), two nation-wide (Natural Resources Defense Council, a terrific US-based organization, and Ocean Conservancy) and one local one (the Cayman Islands National Trust). I don’t just send money to these organizations, but I write regularly (almost weekly) to decision makers in government and industry supporting environmental issues. NRDC and others send email notices concerning issues and decision makers. I try in everything I do to live in ways that reduce my impact on the environment. This one is hard to do and often involves only small things like using as few paper towels or as little water or as little fuel as possible and to not order sea foods that are not sustainable such as blue-fin tuna, grouper, swordfish, etc. I also eat no shrimp as shrimp trawling destroys huge habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. I also eat as little beef as possible as growing beef for food is terribly wasteful. Many years ago I decided not to have children to offset the six that my parents had. I carry back dangerous trash from the dive sites, like entangling loops and nets, but not bottles.

Cathy Church has been photographing the beautiful underwater world since 1967. She has a Masters degree in Marine Biology, and is recognized as one of the world’s foremost teachers and authors on underwater photography. She received the NOGI award for the arts (a national U.S. award) in 1987, the DEMA “Reaching Out Award” in 2000 and was inducted into the Woman Divers Hall of Fame in 2000. For more information visit: http://www.cathychurch.com

 

Elizabeth Cook

Lady Diver Elizabeth Cook shares some fun books for all to enjoy!

My project this past year has been writing ten children’s books that arose
from underwater encounters that I’ve had with marine life. These books are
non-fiction, designed for kids between 3rd and 8th grades, published and
marketed by a San Diego educational publisher. Among the many photos in the
books, there are even a few photos of local critters and local divers.

Below is a press release I wrote to describe the books for a broader
audience. It’s followed by a link to the publisher’s website.

Press Release:

Underwater Encounters, a series of ten children’s books, has just been
released by the Hameray Publishing Group. Written by author and diver
Elizabeth Cook, the books are illustrated with photographs from the
portfolio of underwater photographer Robert Yin.

These ten entertaining and educational books are designed to bring young
readers face to face with some of the most interesting ocean animals
imaginable. Intriguing facts enlighten young readers about how ocean animals
hide, hunt, and communicate. Appealing titles such as “Fish Tricks”, “Hide
and Sneak”, and “Fish, Not Fish” entice readers to learn about topics such
as fish behavior, camouflage, and what makes a fish a fish.

First-hand accounts based on the author’s own diving experience bring to
life fascinating encounters with marine life beneath the surface of the
ocean. A special “Protecting Our Blue Planet” section in each book
highlights activities to help children learn how to take care of the ocean
and the marine life that lives in it. “Fun Facts” provide answers to
commonly asked questions such as “Is coral alive?”, “How old does one have
to be to learn to dive?”, and “Do divers get seasick?”

This series is sure to inspire readers, young and old, to make a difference
to the future of our oceans while educating them about the diversity of
marine life. More information about the books including how to order can be
found at the publisher’s website:

http://www.hameraypublishing.com/underwater-encounters1 or call
1-866-918-6173.

Underwater Encounters, Hameray Publishing Group, USA, 2009. A series of 10
books, grades 3 – 8, 9.5 x 6.75 inches, 50 pages, approximately 60 color
photographs in each book. Titles: Clever Crustaceans, Creepy  Sea Creatures,
Fish, Not Fish, Fish Tricks, Hide and Sneak, Ocean Oddities, Scuba School,
Sea Turtles, Spines, Stingers, and Teeth, and Treacherous Tentacles.

Hope these books do good things for our ocean critters and inspire all of
you to get out there, treat it gently, and bring back some good photos and
stories to share with others.