DIVING NEWS

Covid grant boosts NAS training

Many UK scuba divers interested in maritime archaeology train with the Nautical Archaeology Society, and the NAS has now matched a £46,000 grant from Historic England’s Covid-19 emergency fund to update the three courses on its e-learning platform - and develop two new ones. Read more...

Pygmy pipehorse given Maori name

A new genus and species of pygmy pipehorse has been named by leaders of the Ngatiwai people of New Zealand – thought to be the first time in the world an indigenous group has been formally listed as the naming authority of an animal.  Read more...

Ocean Art is back – with prizes

Hot on the heels of the call for entries to this year’s Masters Underwater Imaging Competition, reported recently on Divernet, comes another  prestigious landmark in the international photo-contest calendar – the 2021 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition. Read more...

FREE October DIVER out now!

TO ENSURE prompt delivery of DIVER Magazine during the continuing period of coronavirus disruption a special FREE digital version of the OCTOBER issue has been produced to replace the normal paper copy. Read more...

Faroes’ big night out:1428 dolphins dead

The mass killing of pilot whales and other dolphins by Faroe Islanders is an annual ritual that draws condemnation across the world, but this year’s event was the biggest single hunt recorded in the Danish islands’ history – and contravened regulations, say activists. Read more...

Divers invited to join AWARE Week

PADI’s fourth annual AWARE Week takes place from Saturday 18 to 26 September, with the training agency inviting eco-conscious divers to take part in a programme of live and virtual events, activities and courses, with the aim of advancing conservation-awareness and local engagement. Read more...

Ancient warship rams discovered

Two bronze warship rams, ammunition and armour have been discovered at the site of the ancient Battle of the Egadi Islands off western Sicily. Victory in the naval action in 241 BC led to Rome triumphing over its arch-rival Carthage in the First Punic War. Read more...

Scapa skipper ordered to pay £290,000

In a landmark legal action likely to have serious ramifications for dive-charter businesses, the nine-year-old son of Lex Warner, the technical diver who died in Scotland in August 2012 following an injurious fall on a boat-deck, has been awarded £290,000 in compensation. Read more...

Divers invited to enter the Masters

Underwater photographers and videographers looking to pitch their work against others on the international stage have been invited to enter the DPG/Wetpixel Masters Underwater Imaging Competition 2021, which opened for entry yesterday (31 August). Read more...

Bahamas deaths blamed on DCI

Spearfishing fatalities are not uncommon around the world, usually occurring among freedivers, but two men have died in the Bahamas while using compressed air and suffering what was reported to be decompression illness (DCI). Read more...

Bill’s big loop amazes researchers

The longest-ever observed migration by a southern right whale has been recorded by marine biologists in New Zealand, after a satellite tag that should have lasted six months has carried on working for more than a year. Read more...

UK shark-fin ban confirmed

Campaigners have welcomed the UK's formal announcement that from next year it will become the first European nation to ban the import and export of shark fins and any products containing them, including shark fin soup. Read more...

Maldives diver set for two-day immersion

There was disappointment for UK scuba divers yesterday (26 August) as it was announced that the Maldives would remain on the government’s red list for travel.  However, plans are going ahead to mark the Indian Ocean nation’s 50 years in the diving industry next year, centring on a 50-hour scuba dive to be carried out by Maldivian technical diver Shafraz “Shaff” Naeem. Read more...