International Industry Development
News from Greece
The first Mine diving in Greece is a fact.
On Jan 23rd 2010 underwater speleologist Argyris Argyriadis (PSAI Cave Instructor) with the support of 5 dry cavers, dived successfully at the historic mines of Lavrio in Greece. The dive was on the 5th level, 80 meters below surface 400 meters distance from the entrance in the phreatic zone and penetrated into the 6th submerged level of the mine. It is the first successful dive in the mines at the lower level.
Cyprus Diving Industry Developments
Aquatic Parks Announcement
STEK Association of Tourist Enterprises on Aquatic Parks & Liberty Wreck
MEDITERRANEAN ANCIENT SHIPWRECKS
The Expedition
In the Mediterranean you can be among the very few who have ever been in person to an ancient shipwreck site. Deep Ocean Expeditions has organized two, one-week expeditions based on shore in Marseilles and Toulon, France. Each program will be limited to only 20 participants. Your hosts and support staff will include expert lecturers in marine archaeology, oceanography and deep submersible operations. From them you will learn how wrecks are located, mapped and studied and as well how artifacts are recovered and conserved.
We have chosen three shipwreck sites to explore: a 500BC (perhaps Etruscan?) cargo ship loaded with amphorae, a 100 AD Roman 'wine tanker' also with many amphorae and a 1660's French Navy ship ("La Lune") with its cannons in place on the seafloor. Each of these wreck sites is located at a different depth ranging from about 320 feet (105 metres) down to about 1000 feet (330 metres).
Our aim is to provide participants with both a range of wreck site types and diving environments. The deep dive to 1060 feet (350 metres) will take you beyond the deepest penetration depth of ambient sunlight and into the true darkness of the abyss - powerful lights on the submersibles however provide all the light we need whenever it is required. It is, nevertheless, an exciting experience to turn off our support lights and witness complete darkness and to look for the many luminescent organisms and creatures that inhabit these little understood habitats.
As well as the archeological features of the expedition, Deep Ocean Expeditions will be emphasising the natural history features as we observe fish, marine invertebrates and other life forms that reside in our areas of exploration. Participants will see an interesting range of species and it is not unusual to come face to face (or at least submersible to face) with huge "moon fish" which frequent the locale. The sheer joy of diving in a comfortable submersible with almost unlimited viewing angles will also undoubtedly create a life long memory. This is exploration and "expeditioning" at its finest.
Each expedition participant will make a dive on all three sites and will dive in both types of submersibles (we have two "Deep Rovers" and one Remora 2000 as our underwater vehicles). Because the sites are so close to shore, we will base out of a nearby hotel and 'commute' to the dive sites daily by a shore based support vessel.
In addition to the days at the wreck sites, there will also be shore excursions to research facilities, museums and historical sites that relate to the ancient shipwrecks. At least one of the lecturers will accompany the participants at all times. Our lectures and briefings will be done at the headquarters hotels. Our lecture program will be an important feature of the overall experience.
There will be sufficient "free" time to allow you to enjoy some of the wonderful delights offered by modern and historic France. Marseilles has abundant Mediterranean charm as well as history and superb architecture. Restaurants in both Marseilles and Toulon provide all that is expected from French cuisine and wine. Shopping is obviously just at hand in these cosmopolitan cities.
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus is to launch sea surveys in an area where dozens of vessels led by warring successors to Alexander the Great are believed to have sunk in battle for control over the island in 306 BC.
Encouraged by the discovery of one wreck from a later Roman era, the survey slated for the summer of 2008 will extend into deep waters from the southeast tip of the island, known as Cape Greco, the island’s Antiquities Department said.
“Cyprus is a crossroads and is very rich in ancient shipwrecks,” said Pavlos Flourentzos, director of Cyprus’s Department of Antiquities.
Historical accounts suggest that the Cape Greco region – a rocky outcrop between the now popular tourist resorts of Aghia Napa and Protaras, saw one of the biggest naval battles of the ancient world.
According to the ancient Greek historian, Diodorus of Sicily, in 306 BC Demetrios the Poliorketes (Besieger) triumphed over Ptolemy I of Egypt in a naval engagement off Cyprus, with dozens of vessels sunk as the result of combat.
“It is well known that there was a naval engagement in the region in 306 BC, so there is a potential of finding wrecks, or parts of wrecks, in deeper waters,” Flourentzos told Reuters.
Ptolemy I, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, lost control of Cyprus for a period of 10 years after his defeat at the hands of Demetrios Poliorketes. Demetrios was son of Antigonus, a Macedonian nobleman who later ruled Asia Minor.
The Cypriot Antiquities Department announced on Thursday that an ancient Roman shipwreck, dating to the 1st century AD, had been found in the same area.
The extensive wreck, dating from the early Imperial Roman era, carried a mixed cargo of several amphoras, predominantly jars from the southeast Aegean area.
Further mapping of the wreck would take place in 2008
26/10/2009
Το Τμήμα Αλιείας προκήρυξε προσφορά ανέλκυσης, καθαρισμού και επαναβύθισής του
Πόλεμος για το Liberty Α
«Θα τους κόψω τα χέρια αν το αγγίξουν», δηλώνει στον «Π» ο δήμαρχος Παραλιμνίου Ανδρέας Ευαγγέλου - «Τα λάθη πληρώνονται» απαντά το Τμήμα Αλιείας, το οποίο θα ζητήσει την παρέμβαση και της Νομικής Υπηρεσίας
Μετά το φιάσκο της ανορθόδοξης πόντισης του σκάφους Liberty A κατά το Τμήμα Αλιείας, για τη δημιουργία τεχνητού υφάλου καταδυτικού ενδιαφέροντος, το αρμόδιο Τμήμα έχει προκηρύξει νέο διαγωνισμό.
Η ζητούμενη προσφορά, προϋπολογισμού 50 χιλιάδων ευρώ, αφορά την ανέλκυση, τον καθαρισμό και την επανατοποθέτηση του σκάφους στη θαλάσσια περιοχή του Πρωταρά.
Η χαρακτηρισμένη ως λανθασμένη πρωτοβουλία, όπως κι η αποτυχημένη απόπειρα του Δήμου Παραλιμνίου να ποντίσει το σκάφος σύμφωνα με τις προδιαγραφές και τους όρους της προβλεπόμενης ασφάλειας και των περιβαλλοντικών δεδομένων, τοποθετεί το έργο στην επανεκκίνησή του.
Αυτή είναι η εκτίμηση του Τμήματος Αλιείας και Θαλασσίων Ερευνών, που είναι αναγκασμένο να επαναλάβει το όλο εγχείρημα, ανεξαρτήτως, μετά τα... τετελεσμένα της πρώτης ατελούς διαδικασίας.
Τι δεν έγινε;
Η πρώτη φάση των εργασιών προβλέπει την ανέλκυση του σκάφους, το οποίο έχει μήκος 37 μέτρα.
Στη συνέχεια το Liberty A θα μεταφερθεί σε κατάλληλο χερσαίο χώρο για τον καθαρισμό του. Σύμφωνα με τους όρους της προσφοράς, η β' φάση προβλέπει ενδελεχή καθαρισμό από ξένα αντικείμενα, υπολείμματα, προεξοχές, αιχμηρές επιφάνειες κι άλλα υλικά που εγκυμονούν κινδύνους για τους δύτες.
Τη δημιουργία περάσματος 1,5Χ2 μέτρων που να επιτρέπει την ακίνδυνη προσπέλαση του δύτη σε όλο το διάμηκες του σκάφους. Ακόμη, την διαπλάτυνση κι εξομάλυνση των εισόδων στα αμπάρια, αλλά και τη συγκόλληση υπερκατασκευής (καμπίνας), καθ' υπόδειξη της αναθέτουσας αρχής, που να διασφαλίζει με τη στερεότητά της την ασφάλεια των δυτών.
Τέλος στην γ' φάση προνοείται η επανατοποθέτηση του σκάφους στη θαλάσσια περιοχή του Πρωταρά, σε βάθος 20-30 μέτρων. Το σημείο βύθισης θα πρέπει να σηματοδοτηθεί με κατάλληλο φωτεινό σημαντήρα, προκαθορισμένων προδιαγραφών.
«Θα τους κόψω τα χέρια»
Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι οι ίδιοι περίπου όροι καθαρισμού και πόντισης του Liberty A, προβλέπονταν κατά την προκήρυξη του σχετικού διαγωνισμού κι από τον Δήμο Παραλιμνίου.
Η επανάληψη των ίδιων όρων στην προκήρυξη της προσφοράς του Τμήματος Αλιείας και Θαλασσίων Ερευνών, «μεταφράζεται» στο ότι τα προκαθορισθέντα δεν τηρήθηκαν από την εταιρεία που υπέβαλε τη χαμηλότερη προσφορά και ανέλαβε το έργο έναντι 24 χιλιάδων ευρώ.
Αντίθετη άποψη εκφράζει ο δήμαρχος Παραλιμνίου Ανδρέας Ευαγγέλου, ο οποίος καλεί το Τμήμα Αλιείας να περιοριστεί στα καθήκοντά του και «να ξεχάσει το Liberty».
«Θα τους κόψω τα χέρια αν αγγίξουν πάνω στο σκάφος. Να κατανοήσουν ότι ανήκει πλέον στη δικαιοδοσία του δήμου Παραλιμνίου και κανένα δικαίωμα δεν έχουν πάνω του οι κύριοι του Τμήματος Αλιείας», τους διαμηνύει ο Δήμαρχος μέσω της εφημερίδας μας.
Τους καλεί μάλιστα να επικεντρωθούν και να συμπληρώσουν θαλάσσια έργα που άφησαν στη μέση, όπως οι προσβάσεις στα αλιευτικά καταφύγια της περιοχής Παραλιμνίου.
Ο κ. Ευαγγέλου δηλώνει τέλος πως όλες οι προβλεπόμενες εργασίες για την πόντιση του Liberty έγιναν στην εντέλεια και το ναυάγιο θα παραδοθεί για την τουριστική του αξιοποίηση από τον προσεχή Μάρτιο.
«Τα λάθη πληρώνονται»
Ο διευθυντής του Τμήματος Αλιείας και Θαλασσίων Ερευνών κ. Λοΐζος Λοϊζίδης, παρατηρεί πώς είναι αρμοδιότητα του τμήματος που προΐσταται ο σχεδιασμός και η παρακολούθηση των διαδικασιών δημιουργίας τεχνητών υφάλων προς εμπλουτισμό του θαλασσίου οικοσυστήματος.
Στη συγκεκριμένη περίπτωση, οι ενέργειες καθαρισμού, εξομάλυνσης των επικίνδυνων τμημάτων και βύθισης του σκάφους, κατά την εκτίμηση των αρμοδίων, αποδείχτηκαν ελλιπείς και λανθασμένες.
«Το Τμήμα Αλιείας έχει την υποχρέωση να επανορθώσει, όπως και το δικαίωμα να διεκδικήσει τα κονδύλια που θα διαθέσει, απ' όσους λανθασμένα χειρίστηκαν αυτή την υπόθεση», μας είπε ο κ. Λοϊζίδης, υπογραμμίζοντας πως θα ζητηθεί κι η συνδρομή της Νομικής Υπηρεσίας.
ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ΚΩΣΤΑΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ
Κωδικός άρθρου: 905131
ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ - 27/10/2009, Σελίδα: 43
New wreck for Malta
3 September 2009
A former patrol boat has been sunk as an artificial reef and diving attraction off the west coast of Comino, Malta.
The 52m-long craft, P31, was purchased by the Malta Tourism Authority. It was sent to the bottom in 18m of water, in an area called tal-Matz, in the Gozo Channel.
The sinking follows that of another patrol boat, P29, in Cirkewwa two years ago.
Before being bought for Maltese patrol work, including anti-smuggling operations, both P31 and P29 were used in East Germany during the Cold War to patrol rivers bordering the East and West.
They were also used to sweep for mines between Germany and Denmark.
Malta was recently voted third most popular diving destination by Diver Magazine, after Egypt (top) and the Maldives.
According to Mario de Marco, the Maltese Tourism Parliamentary Secretary, some 55,000 divers visited Malta in 2008. They came mainly from the UK, Germany and Italy.
Wayne Rooney: Yeah, I dive - but only on holiday
Last updated at 10:29 AM on 04th September 2009
Wayne Rooney plunged into football's raging debate on diving as he said: 'Yeah, I dive. On holiday.'
The Manchester United and England striker insists he has never taken a deliberate fall on the pitch.
'I don't think it's fair,' he said. 'I've never intentionally dived. There have been times when I've tried to stay on my feet rather than go down. Everyone who watches me play knows I'm an honest player.'
There was little dispute that it was a penalty at Old Trafford last Saturday, when Rooney was tripped by Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia.
But Rooney has been accused of diving in the past, most notably in October 2004, again against Arsenal, when Sol Campbell seemed to pull his leg away when challenging the United striker. A penalty was given and Arsenal lost their 49-game unbeaten Barclays Premier League run.
Rooney apologised to Sir Alex Ferguson last season when he went over in the Champions League against Villarreal. 'I think he was anticipating the challenge,' said Ferguson at the time.
So, would he dive for England late in the World Cup final? 'Ask me then,' he said with another grin.
Prince Harry dives Zenobia
Prince Harry has carried out a penetration dive on the wreck of the ferry Zenobia, off Larnaca in Cyprus.
| The Prince dived the wreck, which lies on its side in 42m of water, with Ian McMurray, a former British Army diving supervisor. Exploration of the ship's interior included a foray into a vehicle deck which contains the remains of more than 100 large, fully laden lorries - some suspended on chains originally attached to stop them sliding across the deck in heavy weather. The Prince's diving trip continued a seemingly increasing interest in scuba diving. Harry visited Cyprus in late December last year, diving with other officer trainees from Sandhurst military training college. The British Sub-Aqua Club has a history of royal patronage - and what's the betting that it will be dive-keen Prince Harry, rather than his second-in-line-to-the-throne brother Prince William, who may eventually succeed father Prince Charles as President of the BSAC? Charles, who dived during his days in the Royal Navy, took over the presidency of the club from his own father, Prince Philip, in 1974. Prince Charles was actively involved in the excavation of King Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose, raised from the Solent in 1982. |
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In November of 2005 RSTC approved standard hand signals and common hand signals used by divers. Many of these standard signals were originally an ANSI standard. They are based on the standard hand signals used by training agencies when training entry level divers. |
The approved hand signals are posted here.
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