Cayman
Airways Grounded
July 17, 2001
On July 11, Cayman Airways
grounded its fleet of three planes, after two recently had to turn around
after takeoff due to engine problems. They hope to maintain their schedule
with leased planes, but divers are reporting all sorts of delays. If
you’re headed to the Caymans, expect disruptions. The problem
began on a July 4 flight from Cayman Brac to Grand Cayman. The plane
was aborted on the runway because parts of an engine began breaking
off onto the tarmac. On July 7, the pilot of another plane decided to
return to Grand Cayman 20 minutes into a flight to Houston due to engine
trouble. After the airlines stopped operation, the vice president for
maintenance and engineering resigned. Officials called a press conference
to deny that the airline would fold. However, when chairwoman Sheridan
Brooks-Hurst was asked whether the airline was facing ‘crunch
time,’ she said for as long as she can remember, “Cayman
Airways has always been experiencing crunch time.” The upshot
for divers: if you book and pay for tickets from Cayman Airways in advance,
sounds like your money and your travel might be at risk.
Late breaking news
(July 17): Now, a Planet Airway plane substituted
by Cayman Airways for its' grounded craft, has too been grounded because
of mechanical difficulties. A flight from Grand Cayman to Kingston,
Jamaica was canceled Sunday and rescheduled for Monday. A flight from
Grand Cayman to Miami was canceled Monday.
Two
Tanks, then 18 Holes on Cozumel
July 17, 2001
If you're a diver and a golfer,
you might be pleased to know that the 18-hole Cozumel Country Club is
open, with a special fee -- $85 -- aimed at golfers for twilight play.
At earlier times, it’s $100. The club is across from the Paradisus
Cozumel and El Cozumeleno Beach Resort. For further information, call
713-849-2174 or 786-242-0136, or visit www.foremexico.com.
Shark
Feeding on National Public Radio
July 17, 2001
NPR covered the controversy
on July 10. You can hear the seven-minute report by clicking on 14.4.
or 28.8 under the heading: “Feeding
the Sharks
Shipwreck
Photos Down Under
July 17, 2001
The Australian Government
is looking to pay for good photos of shipwrecks that lie off the Australian
Coast. If you have such images contact Sharon Phillips, Australian Heritage
Commission, Tel: 61 2 6274 2170, Fax: 61 2 6274 2090, e-mail: sharon.phillips@ea.gov.au.
Wakatobi
moves closer
July 17, 2001
The long-awaited Wakatobi
airstrip in Indonesia successfully opened July 10. Since plenty of divers
found the day and a half to get there from Bali worth the hassle, imagine
how worthwhile it must be now! The resort claims to have improved the
quality of water for showering and equipment rinsing with a new supply
and filtration. And, they’re considering a “small-capacity,
high-quality live-aboard around the islands beginning later this year.”
If you're interested, e-mail: planet@wakatobi.com
and find more about the airport at www.wakatobi.com.
A
Fascination for Fish: Adventures of an Underwater Pioneer (University
of California Press/Monterey Bay Aquarium, 2001)
July 17, 2001
Here’s a
new book with a slant on the underwater world like no other: the
adventures of a marine biologist in search of critters to populate the
tanks of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Marine World of the Pacific, and
other scientific displays. The author, David Powell, began his collecting
career when at five years old, after going fishing for the first time,
he brought home a fish he caught and slept with it under his pillow.
His career culminated by serving as curator of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
for nearly 20 years.
When Powell started diving,
he used longjohns to keep warm. He made his first underwater light from
a used sealed beam automobile headlight connected to a surface battery
for power. No depth gauge; no BCD; no submersible pressure gauge. Powell
describes how public aquariums set up displays, collect the animals,
bring them home, and how they keep them alive and display them. Yet
the best part is his description of the many journeys he takes to dive
and collect fish, up and down the coast of California and Mexico, hunting
the Coelacanth in Africa, searching for flashlight fish with John McCosker
and joining Sylvia Earle in a critter search. Indeed a delightful read.
Order the book by clicking
on this
link. And while you're at it, don't miss reading: The
Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent Into the Ocean's Depths,
which we review online. Profits from the sale of any book purchased
through our website or this email are donated to the Coral
Reef Alliance, working to keep our reefs alive and well.
-- Ben
Davison,
publisher
Previous
Upwellings
|
Email Signup
|
Subscribe
|
Login