Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Handfish, Megamouth, clean water and more
(please scroll down for details)
A lot of "NO" in TWARS this week . . .
NO BONAIRE TRIP FOR US THIS YEAR - We were originally going in May and pushed it back to August 28. Aside from the fact that Bonaire has yet to announce a further re-opening let alone to Americans, and aside from the fact that COVID cases are still raging here in the good old USA making a Welcome-to-Bonaire seem unlikely, we couldn't get there whether they wanted us or not since American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta have all canceled their Bonaire flights until at least mid-September (Delta is mid-November), so it sort of makes it a moot point. I haven't confirmed the re-postponed dates yet but we will push back into May of 2021, most likely May 29 - June 5. Hopefully by then we'll have this COVID stuff under better control and maybe even a vaccine.
NO BAHAMAS - Last week the Bahamas said their borders were still closed to tourists. This week, they reversed course somewhat and said, "Come on down!!!" but with the caveat that once you arrive, you MUST do a 14-day quarantine at your own expense in a government-owned facility and then test negative on a real-time COVID-19 test at the end of your isolation. In layman's terms: No Bahamas vacation for you mon.
NO SMOOTH HANDFISH - Extinction is forever and that's the fate that has befallen the Smooth Handfish. They tend to "walk" on their pectoral fins on the bottom, similar to how Frogfish move. The Smooth Handfish lived in Australian waters and was one of the first fish to be scientificilly documented Down Under some 200 years ago. It's estimated that somewhere between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur each year but this is the first time that a modern recorded fish species has been known to vanish, according to the IUCN. You can read more about this - and see a pix of the extinct cutie - here: SMOOTH HANDFISH NOW EXTINCT.
NO ABALONE - Nancy Caruso is a longtime friend and founder of Get Inspired which focuses on ocean health and specifically abalone and kelp. So it raised some alarm bells last week when Nancy reported that some green abs in Lunada Bay (PV) might be showing signs of withering. (You may recall that Withering Foot Disease basically wiped out all abalone south of Point Conception in the late 80s and early 90s.) On the same day as Nancy's report, abalone being kept and observed at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina died overnight. This has heightened the concern. So if you're out diving and especially if you're in the PV area, keep an eye out for green abs and if you see any, post-dive, send a note to Nancy (nancy@getinspiredinc.org) and let her know what you saw and where they were. (Note time and depth too.) Thanks.
Enough of me being Dr. No . . .
A MOUTH BIGGER THAN MINE - You've got your Whale Shark, your Basking Shark, and your Megamouth Shark. They're the three biggest ones in the ocean. The Megamouth was only discovered in 1976 and has been rarely seen since then. So it's very exciting to learn that there was not only another sighting last month in japan, but that there's video of it as well. Take a peek at this rare denizen of the deep: MEGAMOUTH SHARK CRUISING.
EMIRATES WILL COVER YOUR MEDICAL EXPENSES - Well, this is one way to take some of the worry out of flying. Emirates Airlines announced this week that if you fly with them and are diagnosed with COVID-19 while away from home, they'll cover medical expenses up to $173,000 and quarantine expenses for up to 14 days ($115/day). The coverage is free and applies to all passengers, regardless of fare class. You can read more abut it here: EMIRATES COVID COVERAGE.
GIVE SOMEONE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER - The COVID pandemic has hit Sulawesi, Indonesia, pretty hard on a number of levels, and our friends at Murex in Manado are using this time to go around and, working with the Lembeh Foundation, are trying to get Nazava clean water purifiers to a number of villages in dire need. You can help by making a donation. A purifier by itself is $35 or you can do a family pack that includes a purifier, some rice, masks, and other stuff for $100. I donated a family pack last night. If you'd like to do something similar, especially if you've been with us to Murex Manado & Bangka and have a deep connection with the place, here's the link on how to do it. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the specifics. And when it comes time to pay, if you don't use PayPal (I don't), click the credit card logo at the bottom of the page and you can do it that way: LEMBEH FOUNDATION WATER INITIATIVE.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's SAFELY go diving one of these days soon!!!
- Ken
(please scroll down for details)
A lot of "NO" in TWARS this week . . .
NO BONAIRE TRIP FOR US THIS YEAR - We were originally going in May and pushed it back to August 28. Aside from the fact that Bonaire has yet to announce a further re-opening let alone to Americans, and aside from the fact that COVID cases are still raging here in the good old USA making a Welcome-to-Bonaire seem unlikely, we couldn't get there whether they wanted us or not since American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta have all canceled their Bonaire flights until at least mid-September (Delta is mid-November), so it sort of makes it a moot point. I haven't confirmed the re-postponed dates yet but we will push back into May of 2021, most likely May 29 - June 5. Hopefully by then we'll have this COVID stuff under better control and maybe even a vaccine.
NO BAHAMAS - Last week the Bahamas said their borders were still closed to tourists. This week, they reversed course somewhat and said, "Come on down!!!" but with the caveat that once you arrive, you MUST do a 14-day quarantine at your own expense in a government-owned facility and then test negative on a real-time COVID-19 test at the end of your isolation. In layman's terms: No Bahamas vacation for you mon.
NO SMOOTH HANDFISH - Extinction is forever and that's the fate that has befallen the Smooth Handfish. They tend to "walk" on their pectoral fins on the bottom, similar to how Frogfish move. The Smooth Handfish lived in Australian waters and was one of the first fish to be scientificilly documented Down Under some 200 years ago. It's estimated that somewhere between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur each year but this is the first time that a modern recorded fish species has been known to vanish, according to the IUCN. You can read more about this - and see a pix of the extinct cutie - here: SMOOTH HANDFISH NOW EXTINCT.
NO ABALONE - Nancy Caruso is a longtime friend and founder of Get Inspired which focuses on ocean health and specifically abalone and kelp. So it raised some alarm bells last week when Nancy reported that some green abs in Lunada Bay (PV) might be showing signs of withering. (You may recall that Withering Foot Disease basically wiped out all abalone south of Point Conception in the late 80s and early 90s.) On the same day as Nancy's report, abalone being kept and observed at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina died overnight. This has heightened the concern. So if you're out diving and especially if you're in the PV area, keep an eye out for green abs and if you see any, post-dive, send a note to Nancy (nancy@getinspiredinc.org) and let her know what you saw and where they were. (Note time and depth too.) Thanks.
Enough of me being Dr. No . . .
A MOUTH BIGGER THAN MINE - You've got your Whale Shark, your Basking Shark, and your Megamouth Shark. They're the three biggest ones in the ocean. The Megamouth was only discovered in 1976 and has been rarely seen since then. So it's very exciting to learn that there was not only another sighting last month in japan, but that there's video of it as well. Take a peek at this rare denizen of the deep: MEGAMOUTH SHARK CRUISING.
EMIRATES WILL COVER YOUR MEDICAL EXPENSES - Well, this is one way to take some of the worry out of flying. Emirates Airlines announced this week that if you fly with them and are diagnosed with COVID-19 while away from home, they'll cover medical expenses up to $173,000 and quarantine expenses for up to 14 days ($115/day). The coverage is free and applies to all passengers, regardless of fare class. You can read more abut it here: EMIRATES COVID COVERAGE.
GIVE SOMEONE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER - The COVID pandemic has hit Sulawesi, Indonesia, pretty hard on a number of levels, and our friends at Murex in Manado are using this time to go around and, working with the Lembeh Foundation, are trying to get Nazava clean water purifiers to a number of villages in dire need. You can help by making a donation. A purifier by itself is $35 or you can do a family pack that includes a purifier, some rice, masks, and other stuff for $100. I donated a family pack last night. If you'd like to do something similar, especially if you've been with us to Murex Manado & Bangka and have a deep connection with the place, here's the link on how to do it. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the specifics. And when it comes time to pay, if you don't use PayPal (I don't), click the credit card logo at the bottom of the page and you can do it that way: LEMBEH FOUNDATION WATER INITIATIVE.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's SAFELY go diving one of these days soon!!!
- Ken
