[From Kelly Drinnin at the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary] A marine biologist investigating fluorescence in corals took some intriguing night dive video at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. That video is now couple to a 23-minute music jam from a group called Animal Collective.
[News release from Kelly Drinnin at the NOAA Marine Sanctuary] Coral reefs are a crucial foundation for many of the marine species living in the Gulf of Mexico. They provide food, shelter, and nursery grounds to a seemingly endless list of fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and other inhabitants. Many of the fish we target as commercial or recreational fishermen spend some part of their life on a reef feeding, growing, or seeking shelter that s why these habitats are so important.
Unfortunately, coral reefs, their health, and abundance, are threatened by many things including; oil spills, ocean acidification, climate change, and rising ocean temperatures. Advances in technology such as satellite imagery and remote sensors that monitor the ever-changing ocean environment have allowed scientists to better understand the factors threatening coral reefs. Identifying coral communities allows for better management against the many threats posed on corals.
The coral web mapper created by the Gulf Council allows scientists, managers, and the public to explore the different corals in the Gulf of Mexico.
The five categories of corals/organisms that are depicted on the map tool are:
Check out the map tool to explore this comprehensive inventory of known coral locations in the Gulf of Mexico. See the map here.
SOURCE: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Oh, what a night… not December 1963 but November 10, 2015. A large group of divers descended on Paul’s Kitchen to help celebrate our 25th Anniversary and to support the Oceanic Ventures Foundation which raised almost $15,000 for the charity.
Imagine beginning your evening with a Rum Cocktail or a Glass of wine. That is precisely what happened thanks to Don Q Rums and Ste Michelle Wine Estates who helped to sponsor the party and the first beverage of the evening. During the social hour, the guests greeted one another and exchanged diving stories, talking about the places they had been and where they were going next. At the same time, they were looking through the silent auction which had some really amazing items donated by a variety of clients and vendors including some great travel destinations from Fiji, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
Chef Paul Lewis, prepared an exceptional meal featuring a salad of local greens, along with a grilled steak or pan seared chicken breast or a mushroom pappardelle and their famous buttermilk drop biscuits and a trio of miniature desserts. Accompanying the meal was a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon or a 2014 Chardonnay both from Seven Falls Cellars or a Don Q Rum infused Mai Tai. This was not banquet food but rather individually prepared plates served by a very attentive staff in the same manner as they serve a similar four top table. During dinner diners were entertained by Amin Safari playing on the patio. (Rumor has it, a number of divers are going to gather on the patio in the near future to hear them again.)
As dinner came to an end Dive Mom introduced the new Spirit of Diving Award. The recipient of the award truly embodies the spirit of diving. Having just returned from a two-week tour of the “stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) she was heard to say “it was nice but it was just not a dive trip, I want to go scuba diving! I loooove diving” During her first year as a certified diver she fell in love with diving and completed one-hundred (100) dives including a lot of diving in the local lakes in the winter (a.k.a. dry suit scuba diving). She continued that trend achieving her 300th dive, in her third year of diving, in Komodo Indonesia. If you ask her she will tell you “I just love diving!” She is always excited about learning new things, trying new equipment and challenging herself to learn more. She even has a diving sticker on her motorcycle helmet. This year’s recipient is Susan Long.
The cocktail hour also saw the opening of the Silent Charity Auction benefiting the Oceanic Ventures Foundation a 501 (c)(3) organization. The items in the auction varied from Rum to a complete garden makeover and included such things as handicrafts from Ecuador and Fiji to Jewelry and luggage. The divers were very generous to the charity even contributing directly to helping promote eco-education in Cozumel, sending books to Utila, purchasing bikes for the Bonaventure Boys Home in Grand Cayman, and uniforms and books for schoolchildren in Fiji at the Holy Cross School in Wariki.
The dinner was generously underwritten by Oceanic Ventures, Inc., Don Q Rums (a part of Serrallas USA) and Ste Michelle Wine Estates. Along with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and DUI, each recipient received a gift bag which included a $25.00 Gift Certificate from Oceanic Ventures, a bottle of Rum from Don Q Rums, a pen from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and a OMS Light Pouch from Diving Unlimited International all contained in a jet black bag from Don Q Rums.
The groups of supporters for the Silent Auction were varied and the items were really fun. The donors were; Amanda Kingston Beetle, Ann and Scuba Steve Brennan, Bess Bright, Judge Katherine Cabaniss, Christine and Jesse Cancelmo and Cancelmo Photography, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, DiveTech Grand Cayman, Don Q Rums, Michael Duskin, Nancy and Jay Easterbrook, Kim Ellis, LLC, Lee Emerson, Dawnell and Greg Gebhardt, Joseph Henry, LLC, Java Pura, LLC, Barbara and Steve Jurbala, Ann and Eric Keibler, Kettle One Vodka, Jamie and David Morris, Nail Care by Kim, Oceanic Ventures, Inc., Paul’s Kitchen, El Presidenté Intercontinental Cozumel, Walter Rominica & Seven Fathoms Rums, Sau Bay Fiji Retreat, Sea & Sea Photographic Products, Zaide Scheib, ShredTex, Sweetwater Pool & Patio, Westside Tennis Club, Cheryl White and Avalon Realty, Yiling Massage Therapy
You can see all of the photographs from the event by going to this page!
On November 12, 2015 we debuted a video collection of a sampling of twenty-five years of scuba diving with Oceanic Ventures. It was fun putting together the video and it brought back a lot of memories and reminded us of a lot of people who have been diving with us for a lot of years. I hope you will enjoy it. Here is the video:
