Dive jobs area now available
There are a number of existing job portals that already exist aimed at divers but most are difficult to navigate and applying for a job is more hassle than it’s worth, which led us to build a jobs portal of our own.
We will be regularly updating the dive jobs area of the site with new job opportunities. Any applications you do make are sent direct to the dive centre via email, but do recommend that you follow up with a phone call or personal visit if applicable.
If you are interested in posting your own dive jobs, the system is open and accepting submissions for free!
Updated page designs
We’ve been busy over the past few weeks implementing a number of design changes relating to the dive centre and dive site pages. The aim has been to increase usability and overall user experience for these pages to make it easier for divers to contact a dive centre and request more information.
All pages have now been updated to the new design templates and we hope you find them useful.
In awe of the shark
Save Our Seas got some of their shark scientists together to tell us how they feel about sharks. These are people who spend most of their lives studying, diving with and observing these often misunderstood creatures.
Shark’s deep sea dive hits new level
A New Zealand great white shark is believed to have set a world record for deep-sea diving, plunging to 1.2km below the surface on his way to Brisbane.
Shack the shark – the biggest tagged in five years of research – has been unofficially crowned the deepest diver after scientists took his records to an international conference.
And although the Aussies may try to claim him, Shack’s original home appears to the waters off Stewart Island.
A principal scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), Malcolm Francis, said no one at a great white conference in Hawaii last month had heard of a deeper dive.
The next-deepest recorded by his team was about 1000m.
Shack was tagged by researchers near a seal colony off Stewart Island a year ago and followed for more than three months before his tracking device popped to the surface and transmitted his movements to a computer.
“This one shark has really broken all the records by doing quite a few dives below 1000m and hitting 1200m in one of them – that is a world record as far as we are aware,” said Dr Francis.
At 4.8m, Shack is big for a male, suggesting he may be up to 30 or 40 years old. Females grow bigger, with the largest reaching at least 6m long.
Dr Francis said there were several theories about why sharks dived, but the most likely explanation was they were hunting deep-sea prey such as squid. They could also be listening for humpback whales, he said.
Despite their fearsome reputation, great whites seldom attack humans and are considered endangered. Researchers hope they can help to prevent them being accidentally caught by fishers.
The research – a joint effort between Department of Conservation and Niwa with help from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology – began in 2005 and has revealed some surprising details about sharks’ lives.
Great whites were once thought to be predominantly cold-water creatures. But Dr Francis said it appeared that almost all sharks tagged in waters off Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands took regular winter “holidays” to warmer waters such as those around New Caledonia and Norfolk Island.
Of the 31 sharks tagged so far, three had returned from holiday to the exact spot where they were tagged, and another two lost their tags on the way back to New Zealand, he said.
Shack headed from Stewart Island to the coast of Brisbane, where he lost his tag, deep-sea diving along the way.
Once or twice a year researchers travel to favoured shark hang-outs and lure great whites with minced tuna.
They wait until the muscle below the shark’s dorsal fin is exposed and jab it with a pole, at the end of which is a barbed tracking device programmed to float to the surface after between nine months and a year.
Some devices detach early and transmit a summary of the shark’s movements via satellite to scientists.
New website press release
Surface Watch Launches Website – Redefining Lead Generation for Dive Centres Worldwide
The team behind surfacewatch.com has announced the beta launch of their new scuba diving website, providing fully-managed marketing services to dive centres around the world, generating more dive business.
London, UK (PRWEB) March 31, 2010 — Surfacewatch.com, a pioneer in lead generation for dive centres around the world has launched a beta version of their new scuba diving website.
The website provides vital additions to the scuba diving industry by providing a meaningful starting point for dive travellers. This helps to create unique, tailored dive experiences, increasing conversions for dive centres with rapid ROI and minimal capital outlay.
“Traditionally, dive centres have had to spend significant time and money developing online channels to enable divers to make bookings” explains Claude du Ponier, of surfacewatch.com, “however, that’s all about to change. Websites need to organise existing scuba diving data, make it searchable and easy for divers to make informed decisions” he adds.
Dive centres around the world can signup to the dive centre beta program and list their details, target specific dive locations and advertise dive packages designed to target dive enthusiasts from across the globe and point them directly to a specific dive centre.
Using advanced web technologies, surfacewatch.com offers information about precisely-mapped dive sites and dive centres, including real-time ocean conditions, weather data and captivating photos to inspire divers. Divers from around the world can now find all the information they require on one easy to use, reliable and up to date resource.
If dive centres are looking for maximum exposure and want to generate more diver enquiries, the beta version of the site is a perfect companion for any existing online lead generation channel. Potential dive customers will be sent directly to a dedicated dive centre business listing where they can make contact instantly, for free, through the surfacewatch.com enquiry engine.
“We’ve spent a lot of time developing and testing our unique enquiry engine to make it as quick & easy for divers to get in touch with a specific dive centre, without having to open up their email clients or navigate away from the website. We believe this really is a game-changer in the dive industry.”
surfacewatch.com have sponsored a hammerhead shark called Daisy and will be involved in charitable giving to diving-related environmental causes including Project Aware. The website has also enrolled in a carbon offset program to ensure any environmental footprint remains neutral.
Website goes carbon neutral
Carbon Offsetting is the method by which you can minimise your impact on the environment through global warming. For every one ton of CO2 our activities produce, we enable one ton to be saved somewhere else in the world.
This is done through projects such as planting trees, creating wind farms or investing in renewable energy projects throughout the world. For example, if our website needs electricity that emits half a ton of CO2 per year, then we could plant trees that offset that effect by taking half a ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
As well as offsetting, we try and reduce carbon emissions to an unavoidable minimum. Now our carbon offsets equal our carbon output, we can call ourself ‘carbon neutral’ and have an official listing on COCO2.org
Guide to environmentally friendly diving
Guest Post contributed by Green Fins
This simple guide to green diving is based on years of research and collaboration working within the dive tourism sector in SE Asia and marine science institutes. We believe people do not want to harm the marine environment, and with a little knowledge responsible divers can actually have a positive impact on the aquatic world.
SCUBA diving is becoming more and more popular and accessible to millions of people every year. The booming tourism industry has brought people and coastlines together for many years and peoples’ desire to explore and venture further has naturally increased the popularity of diving. As with anything in tourism, the more popular something is the more associated problems and pollution there is. With SCUBA diving, the effect of unnaturally bringing thousands of people into close proximity with marine organisms is no different and has many documented negative ecological effects.
Depending on HOW you dive, SCUBA diving doesn’t necessarily cause problems. There are many things that the diver can do to hugely reduce their impact on the environment and marine species through some simple actions and overall awareness.
Contact:
Touching and altering the physical environment directly upsets ecosystems, and can lead to long term damage. This can easily be avoided through maintaining good buoyancy control at all times. New and inexperienced divers often crash into delicate corals and marine life so practice first on sandy areas or pools.
New snorkellers often stand on reefs to gather their balance, orientate themselves or adjust any kit. This is obviously damaging and should be avoided at all times. A life jacket can help prevent this.
Fin wash can also disturb habitats and upset smaller marine life as well as smothering corals in sediment and sand.
Gloves are a getting more and more common which give the diver a perceived sense of protection. This often encourages the diver to ‘feel’ the reef and can lead to many ecological impacts.
Collecting marine life, dead or alive is now a common trend as tourists want to collect a ‘souvenir’ from their trip abroad. Don’t take anything as it is often illegal.
Anchors can cause massive damage to reefs and so mooring buoys are a preferred environmental alternative. Encourage your dive operator to do so.
Incidentally there are thousands of marine species that are toxic, poisonous or can cause severe pain and even death to humans. By avoiding all contact you are actually preventing the risk of damage, severe injury or worse!
Interactions and diving etiquette:
Other than simply coming into contact, deliberately or accidentally with a reef, the way you dive also has an effect on marine species.
Chasing or touching marine species like turtles, whale sharks (if your lucky!) fish, jelly fish, dolphins and other larger marine mammals can cause a great deal of stress to animals. This can lead to further problems and can even cause death and transmission of diseases.
Fish feeding is a simple way to lure species to a diver but in doing so is interrupting a very natural nutrient behavioural balance which is essential for healthy marine habitats.
Littering is easily avoided. When on board a boat, litter is blown overboard with plastic being the largest culprit. Turtles and other marine mammals eat these plastic bags thinking they are jelly fish or other digestible organisms with lethal consequences to the animal.
Underwater Photography is now readily available to even the most inexperienced of divers as cameras getting cheaper and more available. Camera flashes and the proximity of cameras to marine wildlife is causing many problems with species going blind or leaving their nesting spots due to being chased by cameras. Think before you click!
Spear Fishing is also becoming a more popular sport. This activity drastically upsets the natural ecology of the local environment. It is also often illegal as many dive spots are in National or Marine Parks.
Dry time:
Due to the very location of popular tropical diving locations today there is often an associated delicate terrestrial habitat that needs the respect it deserves. Before you choose who to dive with, do a little research and see how environmentally aware they are.
Fresh water is becoming a rare resource so clean your kit and yourself with the bare minimum you require. Additionally, cleaning products can be very harmful to the marine environment, keep your shampoo and soap off the boat and make sure the dive centre is not using damaging chemical products to clean your kit.
Plastic bottles and polystyrene food containers are popular options for dive centres. Gently persuade your dive centre to swap to less wasteful methods of feeding and watering their guests.
Plastic bags as mentioned before contribute to a huge Global litter problem so bring a cloth or reusable bag and politely decline plastic bags in shops.
Whenever you go diving remember to bring back any rubbish to dispose of on land and take any toxic waste such as used batteries back home with you.
Coastal communities often catch many species for sale as gifts or souvenirs such as large shells, coral jewellery and even dried sea fans. Don’t buy them as this is a basic removal of many important species and is again often illegal. If it is not illegal in the country you are on holiday in, it could be when you try to bring it home to your country!
Shark Finning for soup is now a well known problem due to the great work of many organisations. However, it is still very popular and often encountered when on a diving holiday. Ask the restaurants if they sell it and try to avoid those who do to discourage the demand for shark fins.
Entrance fees and Environmental taxes are often included in many diving packages or destinations where diving is permitted inside parks or marine reserves. Ensure that these are paid to continue the work they support.
Diving is a simple sport (once you have qualified!) and can produce incredible experiences and memories that will last a life time but it is important that we try and make sure that future generations also have the same experiences. It is also important when you are in someone else’s country that you are respecting their environment and culture as you would expect them to do so in your country. Many people depend on the seas and the marine life within it, so preservation and conservation is one of today’s most important objectives.
Enjoy your diving holiday, stay safe and have fun.
This guide to environmentally friendly diving was kindly written by: The Reef-World Foundation: a UK based charity that has worked with local people to conserve coral reefs in Thailand for over 10 years.
If you would like anymore information on responsible Scuba diving or would like to be involved with them, please visit www.reef-world.org or email info@reefworld.org.
Saving sharks in Fiji
A tourism project in Benga Lagoon in Fiji is proving sharks are worth more alive than dead.
A bowl of shark fin soup in a resturant can fetch over $100 per bowl, but tourists will gladly pay that each to see these sharks including bull sharks and the mighty tiger shark alive in their natural habitat. And dives take place several times each week.
To protect sharks, the marine at Benga has been declared a marine reserve, this has the added bonus of protecting the other fish in the area as well. Before the Benga reserve was establish the marine had been over fished. Seeing even one shark in the area was a rarity, but today divers regularly see 30 sharks at any one time!
Some of the money raised goes to local villages as an incentive not to kill sharks. The other advantage of the reserve is that some of the fish spill out of the reserve into surrounding waters and local fisherman have been reporting larger catches than they had in previous years before the reserve was set up.
Fijians have long respected sharks. Their ancestors viewed sharks as gods who kept them safe from harm, they would feed sharks, not hunt them. Their children continue the tradition, the main shark feeder who dives with the tourists comes from a local village where the shark is still viewed as a god.
Bull Sharks are regularily found in the area and can grow up to 3.5 meters in length making them one of the larger shark species, they have an agressive reputation even for sharks.
More rarely seen are Tiger sharks. These sharks are massive, they can grown in excess of 5 meters long and are the largest species of shark in Fiji.
Diving without borders
Customer Care has grown rapidly in the last few months and in case you didn’t know we’ve now got Surface Watch staff in a number of locations around the world including London, Amsterdam, Thailand, Indonesia and New Zealand, with more to come on board soon.
Our people have direct expertise in each country, and we can use our international resources to deal with any issues as they arise. Customer care is a vital part of the Surface Watch operation. Responding to your queries and requests is the main driver for constantly improving Surface Watch.
It doesn’t matter where you are, we’ll get back to you. Don’t be surprised if you receive a response to your query after business hours. That’s the nature of a team spread far and wide.
There’s always someone on deck. So if you have any questions about Surface Watch email us at support@surfacewatch.com
Catch the wave in 2010
For those in the scuba diving industry we hope you’ve had a good break and done a bit a soul searching on what you’re going to be doing this year.
This next year will be a huge one for Surface Watch. We’re well on the way to delivering most of the core website features we need to be a credible player in the online scuba diving space.
We’ve tried to build an open company that really listens to its customers. It’s really working as you can see if you follow what people are saying about Surface Watch on sites like Twitter.
With our solid platform and customer centric approach we’ve given ourselves a hugely exciting opportunity over the next couple of years to demonstrate real innovation that will dramatically improve productivity for dive centres, globally.
Our biggest constraint now is talented people who can step up to the challenge. In our development team we need more Regional Dive Professionals, Copywriters, Researchers, Analysts and QA people to get into some new work streams we have planned.
Surface Watch is a product company, which means we get to improve and extend our product every month. It’s a very satisfying and rewarding opportunity to make a product that people love and be able to make things better and better.
We have a high performance team that is just humming. If you haven’t had the opportunity to be part of a product team before you should seriously think about it as it’s a very satisfying experience. We think we have the most exciting opportunities in the online scuba scene and being part of the Surface Watch journey should set you up professionally for life.
We also have opportunities for energetic people that want to be regional managers and marketing experts. Personally I’m looking for early to mid career marketing brains who can understand and communicate the benefits of our platform to a global scuba diving audience. Our marketing team has a lot to do this year and we’re going to have a lot of fun.
We’ve got plenty of money in the bank and ready to go even faster. Surface Watch is an outstanding opportunity for scuba divers to explore the world.
It’s time to catch the wave. If this is you, or you know someone who should be here, please contact careers@surfacewatch.com.
