Blue Attitude

Belize Supreme Court Halts Offshore Oil Drilling to Protect Barrier Reef

(Dive Travel Business News - April 18, 2013) -- BELIZE CITY, Belize - Belize's Supreme Court declared offshore drilling contracts issued by the Government of Belize (in 2004 and 2007) null and void, providing a dramatic and potentially definitive setback to The Government of Belize and the petroleum prospecting companies issued the contracts.

The ruling, handed down by Justice Oswell Legall, was in response to a case brought by Oceana, COLA, and the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. It effectively ends the Belizean government's immediate effort to allow offshore oil drilling in the Meso American Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world.

The court overturned the contracts after determining that the government failed to assess the environmental impact on Belize's ocean, as required by law, prior to issuing the contracts. The court also found that contracts were made to companies that did not demonstrate a proven ability to contribute the necessary funds, assets, machinery, equipment, tools and technical expertise to drill safely. read more »

Good News for Our Oceans - Aquarius Reef Base has been Saved.

Good News for Our Oceans - Aquarius Reef Based has been Saved.

(Dive Travel Business News - Thursday January 17, 2013) --Yesterday, news that gives us hope for future ocean exploration was confirmed – Aquarius Reef Base off Key Largo has been saved. Through a great deal of work by a great number of dedicated people, including many in the dive industry, the only underwater laboratory on earth has been funded for continued operation. Aquarius is an invaluable tool to study the ocean environment allowing us to gather knowledge of our changing ocean and its inhabitants. read more »

Sustainable Seafood Guide Helps Dive Travelers Choose their Food Wisely.

(Dive Travel Business News - Friday January 4, 2013) -- Dive Travelers heading for the diving mecca of Bonaire can now wisely choose their seafood dining options thanks to InfoBonaire.com. The website provides a quick-reference sustainable seafood guide to safely order seafood when dining or shopping for seafood to prepare while on Bonaire.

Included on the Do Not Eat List are: Swordfish, Marlin, Blue fin or Yellow fin Tuna, Grouper, Yellowtail Snapper, Coney, Hind, Barracuda, Red Snapper and Conch. High up on the Okay to Eat List is Lionfish. Other sustainable choices include Mahi Mahi, Shrimp, Crab, Jack and Rainbow Runner. For a complete list visit InfoBonaire's Sustainable Seafood Guide. read more »

Newly Protected Honduras Reefs Are A Diver's Dream

(Dive Travel Business News - November 14, 2012) -- Tela, Honduras—A unique dive site, previously unknown to the scientific community, has been discovered by the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), The Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI), and their local partners near the coastal town of Tela, Honduras. The reef is so exceptional that the local municipal government recently declared it a marine protected area, and CORAL is now launching an effort with local officials, conservation groups, and business owners to ensure its future protection.

Divers who have the opportunity to visit this area will get an extraordinary glimpse of what a Caribbean reef looked like nearly thirty years ago. The healthy reef includes an area known as Capiro Banks, which boasts an astounding 69 percent live coral cover. With the average coral cover in the Caribbean today at less than 20 percent, the reef is a rare find. read more »

Popular Dive Resort Chain Ups its Eco-initiatives.

(Dive Travel Business News - October 19, 2012) -- Divi Resorts is greening up its act with a series of environmental initiatives begun more than two years ago at its 10 Caribbean resorts on the five islands of Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St Croix, and St Maarten. E.J. Schanfarber, President of Divi Resorts, initiated a number of sustainable measures when he arrived at Divi in 2007, but they proved a hard sell to employees.

"This has taken a while," said Schanfarber. "Things move slowly in the Caribbean, but Divi feels a strong sense of responsibility to maintain ecosystems where we operate and to educate our staff and our guests in these areas."

As a starter, to discourage use of plastic water bottles, each Divi guest is handed a reusable water bottle at check-in, which can be refilled at water stations at the resorts. Commonplace items that guests now disregard, such as tent cards in guest rooms, have been removed. read more »

DAN to help save Aquarius Reef Base in the Florida Keys.

(Dive Travel Business News - August 22, 2012) -- Discovering that government budget cuts were threatening to force the shutdown of the Aquarius Reef Base in the heart of the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, several prominent members of the scuba diving community including Divers Alert Network (DAN) Board Member and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle, DAN President Dan Orr, DAN Holdings President and CEO Bill Ziefle, and Alert Diver Editor Stephen Frink recently discussed ways to help save the unique underwater research facility.

Seychelles Demonstrates Commitment to Protected Areas and Eco-tourism

(Dive Travel Business News - August 3, 2012) -- Following the Rio Conference held in June in Brazil, at the Head of States side event, “Leaders Valuing Nature: A Celebration of Commitments,” the Seychelles pledged to the international community to further increase its protected area and special reserves. The Seychells government has further demonstrated its commitment in marine and terrestrial protected areas by changing the status of the D’Aros and St. Joseph atolls to that of a protected reserve. These islands are the first within the Amirantes group to be declared protected area.

The islands are known for its diverse coral reefs, important nursery habitats, and breeding grounds for several vulnerable and endangered species such as certain species of sharks, marine turtles, and birds. The Ocean life around the islands is an excellent ecosystem for researches, studies, and other activities such as eco-tourism, which will create awareness on the need to create more “special reserves.” Now the law is being put in place to turn the atoll into a marine and terrestrial protected area also known as special reserves. read more »

Historic Illinois Legislation Protects Sharks.

(Dive Travel Business News - July 2, 2012) --Chicago, Illinois -- Joining the ranks of California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, yesterday the State of Illinois adopted a legislative ban on shark fins, through the enactment of House Bill 4119 (sponsored by Sara Feigenholtz and Antonio Muñoz). The bill was signed into law today by Gov. Pat Quinn. read more »

Reef Environmental Education Foundation offers Fishinars.

(Dive Travel Business News - June 18, 2012) -- The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) is now offering free online education. These "fishinars" are short webinars presented by experts that teach the finer points of identifying fish and invertebrates underwater.

The Fishinars are open to divers, snorkelers, and devout landlubbers alike. The online education is designed to be simple to understand and participate in. Common names, not scientific names, are used and the learning focuses on how to ID each critter. Participants don't need a microphone or a webcam. The webinars use online GoToMeeting technology that works with a standard computer with an internet connection.

The primary reason for the Fishinars is to help divers learn how to become citizen scientists and help monitor marine life on their recreational dives. Data gathered goes into REEF's online database to help students, researchers, scientists, etc.

Upcoming webinars include; read more »

Bag It: Reduce Plastic Consumption to Protect our Seas.

(Dive Travel Business News - June 15, 2012) -- One week ago, the world celebrated World Oceans Day - the UN-designated day for the global community to celebrate and take action for our shared ocean. One of the greatest threats to the ocean is also one of the most insidious because it’s so mundane you probably don’t even notice it. Look around you right now... how much plastic do you see?

Plastic has become intertwined with our society’s throw away mentality, our culture of convenience, and our over consumption of throwaway products and packaging—things that we use one time and then, without another thought, we throw them away. But where is AWAY?? THERE IS NO AWAY!! Away is over flowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and toxins that eventuallly absorb into our own bodies and the bodies of marine animals. read more »