Nurses Notes

Bula (Hello), and welcome to the autumn edition of Nurses Notes.

From the greeting in the opening line, you may or may not have guessed that I am in Fiji mode and will endeavour to stay that way as long as I possibly can. I have just returned home after a marvellous (and much needed) 10 day holiday at the fabulous Hideaway Resort on the coral coast of Fiji.

While at Hideaway, I refreshed my scuba diving skills with Diveaway Fiji, and went on to complete my Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver course. My passion for scuba diving was well and truly re-ignited and I plan on returning to Hideaway next year and completing my Rescue Diver course with them. The diving team at the resort were spectacular and are very passionate about showing you the magnificent treasures that await you in the underwater world. I know it sounds odd but some of the diving spots are just like they are from the movie ‘Finding Nemo’.

One site known as ‘Casbah’ was particularly like it. The diving was just wonderful and the water so lovely and warm. The lowest temperature was 29 degrees at a depth of 30 metres (diving here in Port Phillip Bay, although good, is never warm, and you are lucky to get a water temperature above 20 degrees during summer). It was lovely to come back from my dives each day and share my wonderful adventures with my family and friends who were excited to listen to my tales.

A picture from Alan Walton's dive!


The staff at Hideaway are just so beautiful and warm that they quickly become like family and you never want to leave. To give you a small glimpse of paradise, I have uploaded a link to some photos I took of the trip and the websites for Hideaway Resort and Diveaway.

Thank you!

Bula, Alex & Alice!

I just wanted to send you a quick "hello" from Chicago. We had a great time in Fiji, and really enjoyed our stay at the Hideaway.

One of the absolute, unexpected highlights of our vacation was scuba diving with Diveaway Fiji. As you know, we (myself, Ashley and Kyra) had never before been scuba diving in our lives, and we never even imagined that we would be able to scuba dive while we were in Fiji in March 2007.

Thanks to your positive encouragement and comprehensive instructions, we found ourselves about 30 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean before we knew it. The entire experience was truly amazing. I'll always remember the absolute calm and beauty of being immersed in the fascinating under water world for the very first time!

We can't wait to get back into the water. I'm sure we will plan many of our future vacations with scuba diving opportunities in mind. You have definitely infected the three of us with scuba-fever.

Best of luck to you, and we wish you continued success with your diving business and experiences.

Thanks,

Larry, Judy, Ashley & Kyra

IYOR 08 Logo contest

International Year of the Reef 2008: Logo contest

The International Year of the Reef 2008 (IYOR 08) is looking for a logo and is calling on the creative - coral reef - community to come up with our new design.

Put your originality to the test and send us a logo design (info@iyor.org) that we can use on all IYOR materials (including our website, promotional material, conference banners, and anywhere else our name might appear).

Go here for full Guidelines...

Sharks - fact or fiction

The more you know about sharks hopefully the more you will understand and respect them. For most of us what we know about sharks is based on myth and superstition. Here are a few interesting facts for you to chew on.

• Sharks have been around for over 400 million years
• Sharks live in every ocean of the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
• The average life span of a shark is around 25 years, but some have been known to live to 100
• The biggest shark is the Whale Shark, it can be up to 50 feet (15 m) in length. It is what is called a filter feeder, it sieves plankton in huge amounts to eat through its gills as it swims along
• The dwarf lantern shark is the smallest shark at a size of around 15cm

Read more at this cool UK T-shirt company ZooZoo2...

International Year of the Reef 2008

Ten years ago 1997 was declared the International Year of the Reef (IYOR). This was in response to the increasing threats and loss of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, such as mangroves and sea grasses. IYOR was a global effort to increase awareness and understanding about coral reefs, and support related conservation, research and management efforts.

IYOR 97 proved to be very successful with: over 225 organizations in 50 countries and territories participating, over 700 articles in papers and magazines generated, hundreds of scientific surveys undertaken, and gave rise to new marine protected areas as well as numerous local and global coral reef conservation dedicated organisations.

Recognizing that ten years later there continues to be an urgent need to increase awareness and understanding of coral reefs, and to further conserve and manage valuable coral reef and associated ecosystems, the International Coral Reef Initiative designated 2008 as the International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2008).

International Year of the Reef 2008 (IYOR 2008) will:

• Strengthen awareness about the ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs and associated ecosystems

• Improve understanding of the critical threats to coral reefs and generate both practical and innovative solutions to reduce these threats

• Generate urgent action at all levels to develop and implement effective management strategies for conservation and sustainable use of these ecosystems.

See the full website here....

PADI Media Relations Program Produces HUGE Results

Recent high-profile story placement on Away.com viewed by millions of potential scuba divers.

PADI is not only the leader in quality scuba diver training, it’s also the leader in quality scuba diving promotion. PADI’s media relations team recently orchestrated a major “learn to dive” feature story in Away.com, a sister website to Outside Magazine and Orbitz.com. This comprehensive feature story is available to more than 1.6 million unique visitors every day. Since being posted Feb. 2, the story remains one of the most viewed stories on the site.

PADI remains the only entity in the dive industry to employ a full-time in-house media relations staff. The result of this tangible commitment to new diver acquisition and scuba diving promotion is resulting in recent media placements in such diverse places as Outdoor Photographer magazine, Men’s Health/Best Life, and the Boston Globe.

According to PADI Marketing Director Kristin Vallette, “We understand that our industry needs more promotion. Our stores are asking us to help better publicize scuba diving and we’re responding. These stories not only help promote the scuba diving lifestyle, they also underscore PADI’s leadership position in the industry and direct potential new divers to PADI retailers across the country.”

Potential new divers are attracted to the informative pieces, colorful photos and exciting topics. In addition, the articles become long-term resource pieces for individuals seeking dive-related information through internet searches.

The latest feature story placement (located at http://away.com/practical-advice/learn-to-scuba-dive-1.html) include details on getting started in scuba, equipment overviews, links to PADI’s worldwide Dive Center and Resort directory and other highly relevant information.

PADI will continue to seek out feature story opportunities in coming months. Stay tuned for more exciting media exposure that PADI is bringing to the industry.

Others promise … PADI delivers.

Become One of Diving's Elite - Apply to Become a Platinum Pro 5000 Diver Today!

The 2007 deadline to apply for a position among the world's diving elite is June 15th.

The 2007 deadline to apply for a position among the worlds diving elite is June 15th. Being a Platinum Pro5000 Diver places you among the worlds most experienced water explorers. The list of cardholders is a "who's who" of diving, containing the world's most prominent dive leaders, scientists, photographers, manufacturers, retailers, and resort operators. This honor cannot be purchased. Individuals must apply for the award and be recommended in writing by two Platinum Pros.

What makes the SSI Platinum Pro5000 award so special is that it's all about diving. The unsung dive master on any island and Jacques Cousteau earned their cards the same way - by diving 5,000 times, or diving 2,500 times and making a significant contribution to the diving industry.

Becoming a Platinum Pro is a great way to acknowledge your diving achievements, as well as to honor the achievements of someone you revere.

Divers from any certification agency can apply.

2007 Platinum Pro5000 Diver inductees will be honored during DEMA week held October 31, to November 3rd in Orlando, FL.

Already a Pro? Nominate a friend. Want to be a Pro? Apply today.

Don't wait! Deadline for 2007 is Friday, June 15th.

For more information and to download an application visit this link...