well, unfortunately, 48 manatees died in Florida in January, 2006.

this is the highest number ever to die in a month, up from 36 in

January of last year.  the average number of manatee deaths

in January has been 10 over the past five years.

    the deaths are a bit puzzling, since this winter has been unusually

warm.  Manatees come into Florida's springs and lakes seeking

warmer water and fleeing the colder ocean temperatures.

   last year, 396 manatees died in Florida, out of an estimated

3,000 individuals.  the record deaths for manatees came in

1996, when 415 individuals died.

   (currently, there are approximately 3,300 manatees in Florida,

the only state where wild manatees are found.)

    Source

Manatee in Crystal River, Florida.  You can see the fog in this

crips January morning.  It's about 7:30 a.m.

     snorkeling with the manatees in Crystal River (scuba bubbles scare

them) is one of my yearly rituals.  i love hanging out with them.  i have

been literally surrounded by manatees in the water.  one time, a group

of 5 played with me for over 20 minutes. 

     the trick is not to chase them.  wait for them, and they will come.

 they are curious creatures, and like interaction.  also, manatees are

protected species, and you can't molest them, meaning you can't chase

them or do anything that will alter their behavior, as you can easily

separate a calf from its mother or stress them in other ways.

   i have seen quite a few mothers with calves, but they tend to

mostly avoid you.  it seems it's the younger males who want

to come out and play.

  how to tell a girl manatee from a boy manatee: at the base of their

tail, boy manatees have one opening; girl manatees have two.

The manatee under water:  a face only a mother could love?

     there are many operators who go out from Crystal River to do

manatee snorkel trips.  my favorite is Bird's Underwater.  they have

small, nice boats, with good crews, and they go out early (i believe

they have 6:00 and 7:30 trips now).  most of the cattle boats show up

after 9:00, so you'll have a good jump on the crowds.

   well... here's hoping that the manatee are still around 20 years from

now.  there's continuing encrochement into their winter habitat, and the

state of Florida wants to downgrade the manatee from the

"endangered"  to the "threatened" list (and thus less protection).

i sincerely hope the manatee will survive.

      i, like most divers i know, love nature and want to conserve

the wonderful resources that make diving such a great experience.

   that is why two recent reports have me worried.

   as if there wasn't enough evidence that global warming is

taking place even as we speak, along come the following two

indicents:

   -- What is probably the first village to be displaced by

global warming has now sough shelter in higher ground.

Islanders in the Pacific island of Teguo had to take

their entire village 600 yards inland to avoid rising "king" tides.

According to the article, off Papua New Guinea, about 2,000

people on the Cantaret Islands are planning to move to nearby

Bougainville island, four hours' boat ride to the southwest for

similar reasons.  Also, two uninhabited Pacific islands, Tebua

Tarawa and Abanuea, disappeared underwater in 1999.

  -- Across the world (sort of)  two of Greenland's largest glaciers

are retreating at an alarming pace, most likely because of climate

warming, scientists said recently.  One of the glaciers is currently

moving about 9 miles a year compared to 3 miles a year in 2001.

The other is retreating at about 7 miles a year — up from 4 miles

a year during the same period.

  this accelerated warming threatens the very environments that

we as divers love.  in fact, it may very well threaten us all

as a species, as well as many other species that have managed

to survive human contact this far.

  but rest assured....long after we are gone, the seas will be here,

and they will hold no memory of us.  it is rather for us to find

ways to save ourselves, and the seas as we know them, not because

it is a matter of convenience, but because it is a matter of survival.

     yes, hey are big, but they hang out pretty deep, so taking their

picture is not easy.  however, Japanese scientists released today

what may be the world's first pictures of a giant squid (Architeuthis dux,

or Architeuthis for short).

(c) Associated Press

(c) Associated Press

Giant squid pictures taken at 3,000 feet

     I don't know about you, but i don't want to tangle with one of these

bad boys during a night dive.  their sizes range from 19 to 42 feet;

weights range from 110 to 660 lbs.  the largest giant squid on record

is 59.5 feet long and weighed 1 metric ton.

   it's interesting to note that dozens, if not hundreds of the giant

squids' beaks turn up in the stomachs of sperm whales, who

apparently have a thing for giant squid. what those battles must look

like in the dark of the depths must be left to the imagination for now.

    i am really exited about this site, The Living Sea.  it just

keeps getting better and better with the years.  the photographs

are amazing.  try this one on for size:

american alligator

     the site is full of excellent pictures, and it's a beautiful design.

also, there are some amazing stories in there.  check this one about

hatching turtles:

     Entering the water with only my mask, snorkel and fins, I carefully swim with my right hand high above

     the water. Softly clenched in my hand was one of nature's little wonder ? a baby loggerhead sea turtle.

     This little creature, along with close to two hundred of his siblings, traveled through the night from West

     Palm Beach, Florida onboard the M/V Shear Water to the glass-calm Gulf Stream near the Bahamas.

     My mission, like that of the rest of the passengers, was to release these little wonders onto the patches

     of floating Sargassum seaweed.

      Source: The Living Sea

      this is truly one of the great sites out there.  i highly recommend it!

     the Palm Beach County Reef Research Team has a great site,

including reports on quite a large number of wrecks in the area, as well

as fish counts at the varios wrecks.

    i note that in their last counting dive (July 16, 2005), they identified

79 species.  that is pretty awesome.

   the best thing about this site is one of the most complete series

of fish i.d. quizzes on line.  you have to see this thing to believe it.

   here is the fish quiz home page.  have fun, and see how many

different species you can identify.

flamingo tongue, bonaire, 2004