iBiome

Great Barrier Reef Faces 'Irreversible' Damage: Report

Unless immediate action is taken, the famous coral reef system will be unable to recover from the "irreversible" damage that climate change will wreak on it by 2030, a new report out of Australia warns.

Published by the World Wildlife Fund-Australia, the University of Queensland report paints a bleak picture for the future of the ecosystem.

"If we don't increase our commitment to solve the burgeoning stress from local and global sources, the reef will disappear," the report, prepared for Earth Hour's upcoming annual event, states. "This is not a hunch or alarmist rhetoric by green activists. It is the conclusion of the world's most qualified coral reef experts."

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Pacific Underwater: A winter's dive | Healthy Oceans | David Suzuki Foundation

This is the best time of year to be underwater in B.C. As more light reaches into depths free of phytoplankton and bull kelp, visibility is incredibly clear. Just a few feet beneath the surface, water temperature doesn't change much from summer to winter, so with proper diving gear there's nothing to worry about.

via www.davidsuzuki.org

Diving in winter here is fantastic, just a little clunky in a 6 ml wetsuit. And my blood has thinned I think and my diving tends to happen only when in the tropics these days.

albino turtle

a rare albino sea turtle, in a Sri Lankan sanctuary.  easily spotted by predators, they typically don't last long in the wild

via i fucking love science

by the sea in Seaside

Seaside's dark and kitschy Aquarium never fails to please.  From feeding the clapping seals to the tired anemones in the touch tank, it's small and friendly and accessible.  Kids love it. So do I.

 

yep, just "like a walk on the ocean floor"

wow...whale 1 yacht 0

Paloma Werner said Wednesday the whale breached just feet (meters) from their boat in Cape Town's waters on Sunday. It whacked the yacht, snapping the mast in two. A local newspaper showed a photo, captured by a passenger on a nearby boat, of a massive black whale towering over the yacht. Werner says neither she nor her companion were hurt, and she saw the whale swimming around minutes after the collision.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

one breath

Freediving is the ultimate sport. Pushing physical limits into an acutely dangerous environment. This video of a freediving "base jumper" into a blue hole is....breathtaking.

not too late

With Ocean's Day freshly past, a great lecture and beautiful, horrible images. National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry shows the war on the ocean through his lens.

The Bullhead Derby

A couple of weekends ago the bairns and I participated in the Bullhead Derby in Steveston.  Scores of kids chasing sculpins large and small off the shore of Garry Point.  It was a lot of fun and #2 child took 2nd prize with a 9 1/2" fish (at right). All good.

World Oceans Day

Is today.  Lots of relevant links at Blogfish's Carnival of the Blue. Also there is DFO's page, the Suzuki Foundation, and the Vancouver Aquarium (who are celebrating the week).

Get wet.

 

Orcinus orca

 Last weekend while waiting for our ferry to cast off from Swartz Bay, Sidney, BC, a pod of resident killer whales passed within 100 m of us.  In all the excitement we managed only one decent photo, a female and her offspring, likely chasing dinner in the harbour.