It’s been almost a century since the massive ship sunk after the encounter with an iceberg. Since its discovery in 1984, a number of expeditions have been sent to the icy depths to explore the remains and recover artefacts. So we wanted to do it too.
Last night we explore the famous ship, at home, eating a slice of pizza.
It was great, the website www.expeditiontitanic.com takes everybody at 3,280 metres below sea level to explore the ship´s remains. There are tons of information, pictures and videos.
There's also a lot of information about the ships used to dive down to the Titanic. Life on board the ill-fated liner and the fate of the passengers is also covered.
Enjoy this particular wreck dive, totally recommended.
Diving is an activity that can be learned and enjoyed as a family is a plan that the children rarely say "no thanks dad, another day! Diving creates strong bonds within the family, they share different experiences in each and every dive trip that they remember forever.
But dont assume that every member of the family is going to like it, sometimes we see people put under strong emotional pressure to dive by husbands, wives, parents or siblings, they cannot relax and its very difficult for them to learn and performance the skills. Our recommendation is that parents can create the oportunity for the children to go diving, support and encourage them but always take into account that diving has to be their own decision.
The younger members of the family can begin to try diving from 8 years through the program "Bubblemaker" and from the age of 10 they can be certified as open water divers Jr and 15 years automatically become open water divers. Children should always get written permission from their parents or guardians before diving. In Aquantis, families dive with one or more instructors depending on the number of children, privately so they can move at their own pace.
For us it is always wonderful to welcome the families, some are a little nervous at first, but then they can’t stop talking and looking for what they saw in the ID books, they reviewed the theory together before the test, see photos taken, and yes! Teens post pictures on Facebook with their parents diving.
In recent days, father and children came from Bogota to Taganga on holiday and they were certified open water divers, it was 3 very busy days for the three of them, but full of emotions and good memories. Congratulations to Gabriel, Nikolas and Manuel Felipe.
Thanks Garzon Family for diving with us and thanks to the families Pinzon-Caicedo, Gonzalez, Bayona, Martinez, Villas, Durán, Hernandez, Hurtado, Miller y Robledo.
With more than 12500 dive sites and 8400 dive shops. Divetime.com hosts the largest database of scuba diving resources on the internet. This application brings all that information directly to your iPhone!
The Divetime iPhone App Version 2 includes some great features:
12,500 dive sites and 8,500 dive shops around the world can be searched.
Search the global database of scuba dive sites and scuba dive shops using nearby location search, map-based search, or text-based search.
Get detailed information and data about dive sites, including the GPS coordinates, type of dive, experience level required, maximum depth, average visibility, currents, access method, marine life, photos and user reviews.
Find information about dive shops including the address, contact information, specialties, photos and user reviews.
Save and manage your search locations to quickly and easily revisit and search them again the future.
Bookmark specific dive sites and shops for offline browsing and future reference.
Interactive maps allow you to switch between Road, Satellite or Hybrid views at any time.
Custom user settings, including measuring system preferences(Metric or Imperial), search options etc.
User reviews can now be viewed on dive site and dive shops.
Download the application and start enjoying, you also can upload info about your favourite dive sites or review the experience with the dive shops, we already add Salidero!!
During the past weeks we have been very lucky to see nurse sharks in Tayrona Park, so lets talk about them.
The scientific name for the nurse shark is Ginglymostoma cirratum which means “curled, hinged mouth.”
They are nocturnal, hunting alone at night, and resting during the day in large groups up to 40 sharks, sometimes piled on top of each other.
Nurse sharks can be huge - up to 14 feet and a weight up to 330 pounds.
They are often observed at depths of a meter or less within the intertidal zone, though they are known to range down to depths of at least 12 meters. This species is often found along reef sites, within mangrove channels, and on sand or seagrass flats.
Nurse sharks re carnivorous, primarily feed on benthic invertebrates (i.e. spiny lobsters, shrimps, crabs, sea urchins, squids, octopuses, marine snails and bivalves) and benthic fish (i.e. sea catfishes, mullets, puffers and stingrays). The smallish mouth and large bellows-like pharynx of the nurse shark allow this species to inhale prey items with tremendous force and speed.
They are also known as cat sharks, due to their barbells - fleshy appendages which hang below their nostrils and, in part, provide a sense of touch which assists in the location of prey along the bottom
Unlike most sharks, which require constant motion to move water over their gills and maintain a sufficient internal blood pressure, the nurse shark often remains motionless along the bottom - actively pumping water over its gills through the continual opening and closing of its mouth.
They are gray-brown in color and their distinctive tail fins can account for up to a quarter of their length. Unlike other sharks, nurse sharks are smooth to the touch.
Nurse sharks are ovoviviparious, meaning their eggs develop and hatch inside the female’s body, where the hatchlings continue to grow until live birth occurs. Gestation is six months, and a typical litter size is 21 to 28 pups. Nurse sharks reach maturity at about 15 to 20 years of age. Their average life span is 25 years.
Nurse sharks are found in the warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans.
And another video of a nurse shark trapped by a ring.
The batfishes (family Ogcocephalidae) are a poorly known group of fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes (anglerfishes). They are distributed worldwide in tropical to subtropical seas (except Mediterranean Sea), in deep waters; but few species can be found in shallow waters.
We can see batfishes from the genera Ogcocephalus in Tayrona Park, especially the shortnose batfish. They are found generally on continental shelves and slopes on flat, relatively open bottom habitats of rubble, sand, and mud or algae areas.
Its more common to spot them during the night, but we have been very lucky to see them at daylight during the past months and be able to take nice pictures to those funny faces with redlips.
Batfishes are small , (40 cm maximum). The head and body of these fishes form a flattened, broad disc which may be circular or triangular in shape when viewed from above. Their pectoral and pelvic fins have become modified to act more like legs for walking on the seafloor rather than swimming. This feature is reflected in the common name “walking batfishes” that is often applied to this group of fishes. Their scales are modified into spiny tubercles and/or bucklers which make them bumpy and rough in appearance and to the touch. These fishes also have a rostrum which can range from short and shelf-like to long and pointed depending on the genus, species, and/or age of the fish.
Batfishes primarily feed on small benthic invertebrates like gastropods (snails), crustaceans, and polychaete worms or small fish. You can watch this video about a batfish using the esca to attract preys.
So next time you go diving in Taganga, check the bottom maybe you can see this walking fish. Enjoy your dives.
El Campeonato del Rosario de Taganga started few weeks ago, we are playing for the first time in this championship. Ali called the best players in Taganga and we have a very good team.
The team plays every saturday an we are in the first place with 10 points followed by "El Campin" with 9 points. We have lost only one game against them, so we are very positive about this championship.
If you want to join us, just let us know, we have 3 positions available for divers.. but we only take good players ;)
Pufferfish belong to an order of fishes known as Tetraodontidae. These tropical fish include the pufferfish’s closest relatives, species like triggerfish and tripodfish. There are more than 120 species of pufferfish worldwide. Most are found in tropical and subtropical ocean waters, but some species live in brackish and even fresh water. They have long, tapered bodies with bulbous heads.
The pufferfish we see daily in Tayrona Park is the species Diodon Holocanthus.
The spiny puffer seems relatively normal when relaxed. But when threatened, the puffer undergoes an amazing transformation. Biologists think pufferfish, developed their famous “inflatability” because their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style makes them vulnerable to predators. In lieu of escape, pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) in order to increase three times its usual size and become a rigid, near-perfect sphere covered in spiky armor-not a good design for swimming but decidedly discouraging to attackers.
But how they do it?
Pufferfish typically pump themselves up by taking 35 gulps or so in the course of 14 seconds. Each gulp draws in a big load of water thanks to some peculiar anatomic changes in their muscles and bones. Most fish, for example, have shoulder bones that anchor firmly to the back of their head, but in pufferfish the connection is hinged. When a pufferfish opens its mouth, it can therefore rotate its shoulders back and increase the size of its mouth cavity, pulling in even more water. Once a pufferfish has taken in water, its gill slits clamp shut and a powerful valve flips up over the inside of its mouth, acting as a seal. Now when the pufferfish compresses its mouth cavity, the water flows down its esophagus rather than out its gills or mouth.
Scientists of the University of Massachusetts, studied the biomechanical tricks the puffer uses to accomplish its swell feat.
The stomach expands to nearly a hundred times its original volume, an astonishing increase made possible by the stomach's being pleated, like a skirt. As the puffer fills with water, the fish's spine, already slightly curved, bends into an upside-down U shape, and the intestines, liver and other internal organs become squeezed between the fish's backbone and its rapidly expanding stomach. Meanwhile, the fish's skin is pushed out, obscuring most of the puffer's features. Only the mouth-a cartoonish orifice containing heavy, crushing plates capable of pinching a human finger to the bone-remains unaffected.
Ilustration by Sally J. Bensusen. American Museum of Natural History.
The skin of a fully inflated puffer is stretched to one and a half times its resting length. But while the skin's elasticity accounts for the change in the volume of the fish, stiffness and strength are required to turn the creature into a rigid ball. For this the puffer again turns to pleats. The spiny puffer's skin consists of two layers-a thin, elastic outer layer and a fibrous inner layer. This inner layer of skin is pleated and, when extended, quite stiff.
The skin also helps deploy the puffer's armor. The scales of this fish have been modified into slender spikes, each on a tripod-shaped, bony base embedded in the skin. Normally the tripod lies on its side, with the spike flat against the skin, pointing backward. But when the fish puffs up, the stretched skin pulls two of the tripod's legs backward and one leg forward, snapping the spike upright. The three legs provide a secure base that blunts the force of anything pushing against the spike's sharp tip.
As you can see, this transformation is a high-cost process for the fish, so next time you see this fish underwater.. please don`t chase it or try to catch it just to see how it blows up.
Enjoy the marine life with respect and have great dives.
Some couples are looking for something adventureous and different on their honeymoon. The past weeks we have received those couples who want to learn to dive during their honeymoon in Colombia.
Thanks Will & Felicity, Joe & Emily and German & Betsy for sharing such an important moment with us, it has been a pleasure to add more happiness to your new life together.
We wish you tons of happiness and many many dives together.
Pd. Its better to go diving without wedding rings, Chopper found one at the bottom of the sea in a sandy area, the diver smiled again when chopper showed up with the ring.
And for the couples who are thinking about taking a scuba diving honeymoon.. Visit PADI, because you can do it for free!! You can win a honeymoon in US Virgin Island and PADI Diving courses.
During the last weeks the rainy season has affected all the country and Taganga has not been the exception, it rains almost every afternoon, the visibility decreased and we have power cuts very often. But not everything is bad, the mountains are green and beautiful, its not so warm and we have a new touristic atraction for the divers visiting Isla Aguja.
Calichan Waterfalls, 10 days ago, some divers and instructors enjoyed the water and a refreshing shower under these waterfalls.
Niko made a video, but... well you can see it, Niko is better as a dive instructor than as movie maker, anyway we share it with you and dont forget to book your place to go to enjoy these beautiful waterfalls in Isla Aguja, Tayrona Park ;)
Too many people, families, travelers and tourists are looking foward to try something new such as scuba diving. Through the course ´Discover Scuba Diving´ is easy and cheap way to enjoy the underwater world; you will get to enjoy this experience for several hours a day. Many of these people are caught by the charm of the marine life and the feeling of freedom and weightlessness that you get scuba diving.
However, there are protocols and standards to be followed to make sure the experience is fun and safe. The PADI instructor manual 2010 sets standards that must be followed to make this program.
In This table you will see the people authorized to make the different sessions and the maximum number of participants per session. Please be aware that the open water dives can only be conducted by a certified instructor, check his license before going diving. And if there are any children between the ages of 10-11 the maximum number of students is 2 per instructor.
* You can add two more students as long as there is an other certified assistant * After participants have completed an initial open water dive with an instructor
This minicourse has three sections
1. Develop of knowledge
The participants should see a 20 minute video, complete the security questions and attend to the talk given by the instructor about:
a. Rules of breathing and compensation techniques.
b. The purpose and use of the equipment.
c.The hand signals to communicate underwater.
d. Regulator and mask clearing.
e. The respect of the aquatic life (when included dives at sea)
f. The importance of following guidelines and staying close to the instructor.
g.The limitations of the program and the value of further training.
2. Confined water session
The participants made the following exercises in a pool between 2 and 6 mts deep. Before starting the exercises, the profesional will give a talk or a briefing on how to do the exercises.These are the skills you must develop as mínimum, the profesional may include other exercises if he thinks is appropriate.
•Breathing underwater
•Clearing the regulator
•Regulator recovery
•Mask clearing
•Compensation techniques
•Inflate and deflate the BCD on the surface (is required only when is done in a swimming pool. It shouldnt be done at sea)
After completing the exercises and when the partipants are confortable they can do a maximum dive at 6 mts depth
3. Open Water Diving 12 mts.
This section is optional; many resorts in the world only offer this program in a pool without open water dives. In aquantis we offer the full package with a 12mts dive to enjoy the marine life that Park Tayrona got to offer.If point 1 and 2 and successfuly completed the partisipants will get given a card of partisipation, which will give you credit for taking the open wáter certification course or to return to dive to a maximum depth of 12mts with professional company without having to repeat the exercises in confined waters and you will be registered online at PADI.
So come on, next time you are on vacation, come and try it and we are sure you will come out the water with a big smile and very looking forward to do it again.
Next september 25th we will participate in the International Cleanup Day, the largest single day volunteer event on behalf of our underwater environment.
Did you know that every year an estimated seven billion tons of debris enter the world’s oceans? The consequences are devastating as each year nearly one million birds are killed by aquatic litter and an estimated 100,000 marine animals, including dolphins, whales and sea turtles, choke or get tangled in debris. Project AWARE volunteers will once again contribute to the compelling Global Marine Debris Index (oceanconservancy.org). In 2008 this snapshot revealed a staggering 3,216,991 cigarette/cigarette filters and 1,377,141 plastic bags were collected on one day.
By participating in this event you’re not only part of local cleanup effort, you’re part of a global team in over 900 dive locations throughout 100 countries and territories. On this one day harmful and unsightly trash will not only be removed by the ton but the data collected will be instrumental in finding long term solutions to debris problems.
This year we will organize something different from the past 2 years. We will start our event at 1:00p.m to do two dives, the first one to cleanup a dive site in Granate Bay, Tayrona Park and the second to monitor the coral bleaching in Piedra del Medio following CORAL WATCH methodology.
After the dives we`ll come back to Taganga to classify the trash and register the data collected and to enjoy a delicious BBQ prepared you. All our volunteers will also receive a t-shirt and a participation certificate.
If you’re interested in participating, drop by our store or give us a call: 57(5)4219344, or send us an email: info@aquantisdivecenter.com. and help make clean waters a reality.”
Nudibranchs are mollusks, as the snails, sea slugs or clams.The Nudibranchia, is a group with probably more than 3000 described species.
Distribution and Habitat
Nudibranchs are distributed worldwide in all oceans from the intertidal down to the deep sea, but reach their greatest size and variation in warm, shallow waters. Seventeen species of nudibranchs have to date been recorded in the Colombian Caribbean.
Description
The word "nudibranch" comes from the latin nudus, naked, and the greek brankhia, gills, “naked gills”, referencing the fact that these gastropods breathe through their skin, rather than through specialized gills. Nudibranchs are often casually called "sea slugs", a non-scientific term. This has led some people to assume that every sea slug must be a nudibranch.
The body forms of nudibranchs vary enormously, they are bilaterally symmetrical. Some species have venomous appendages on their sides. These are used to deter predators. Many also have a simple gut and a mouth with a radula. Their eyes are simple and able to discern little more than light and dark, Nudibranchs vary in adult size from 20 to 600 millimetres (0.79 to 24 in). They also have very simple nervous systems and digestive tracts, like other mollusk.
But the most amazing characteristic is their beautiful appearance, which has been vividly described by Helmut Debelius, an avid oceanic photographer and author: “They look like the creation of talented painters, like exercises in imagination. They come mostly in bright colors, decorated with such profusions of undulating flaps, sensory organs and waving forests of ‘fingers’ that it is difficult to tell which end is which. Delicate, seemingly unprotected, they are beautiful to look upon, the underwater analogues of butterflies. Yet, they too are animals surviving in an eat-or-beeaten world, sometimes predator and sometimes prey. Moreover, they have taken an evolutionary gamble by giving up the protective shell that has always sheltered their kind, and appear to have won handsomely”.
Feeding
Most nudibranchs are carnivorous. Some feed on sponges, others on hydroids, others on bryozoans and some eat other sea slugs or, on some occasions, are cannibals and prey on members of their own species. Other groups feed on tunicates, barnacles or anemones.
They can also take in plants' chloroplasts (plant cell organelles used for photosynthesis) and use them to make food for themselves.
Reproduction
They are simultaneous hermafrodites possessing sex characteristics of both genders at the same time. Most nudibranchs prefer to seek out partners rather than self fertilizing, laying clutches of fertilized eggs in areas where the young will be dispersed after hatching.
Defense Mechanisms
In the course of evolution, sea slugs have lost their shell because they have developed other defense mechanisms. Their anatomy may resemble the texture and color of the surrounding plants, allowing them to camouflage (cryptic behavior). Others, as seen especially well on chromodorids, have an intense and bright coloring, which warns that they are distasteful or poisonous (aposematic coloration)
The ability to sequester and re-use potentially harmful components of their prey makes the nudibranch rather unique. Most animals would die or become extremely sick if they consumed a wide variety of venomous creatures, yet nudibranchs have evolved to not only roll with their punches, but to actively reuse them.
Nudibranchs that feed on hydroids can store the hydroids' nematocysts (stinging cells) in the dorsal body wall. The nematocysts wander through the alimentary tract without harming the nudibranch.
Some sponge-eating nudibranches concentrate the toxins from their prey sponge in their bodies, rendering themselves toxic to predators. Another method of protection is the release of an acid from the skin. Once the specimen is physically irritated or touched by another creature, it will release the slime automatically.
Because of their world wide distribution and astonishing array of color patterns many countries have issued postage stamps to show off their native nudibranchs. For example, at least 84 stamps have been issued depicting these unique animals. One of the best known nudibranchs, the Spanish Dancer, Hexabranchus sanguineus, Family Hexabranchidae, has appeared on three stamps – Fiji Islands #697, Tuvalu #465 and the United States #3831g.
So, next time you go diving in the Tayrona Park, try to spot this beautiful creature, it can be an unforgettable experience and a wonderful picture
