News
The Fear Beneath: New book by Christian Kemper
Christian Kemper’s readers can dive into the fascinating world of underwater predators in his new book “The Fear Beneath”.
Sharks are fascinating but misunderstood animals, often reduced to the role of horror movie predator. To the author, sharks are frightening and beautiful at the same time and epitomize the unknown. Human ingenuity grants us the illusion of complete control: from atoms and genes to the destiny of our planet. This makes it especially humbling that these large fish put us back in our place. A shark will eat a human, regardless of whether the human considers themself higher in the food chain. For the shark, food is food.
The non-fiction book “The Fear Beneath” is Christian Kemper’s first English publication on sharks. Previously, his two titles have only been available in German. Many requests from English-speaking friends inspired him to make his books more widely available. This book contains the best material from his first two books and articles. The readers will learn many fascinating facts such as how few shark attacks actually happen during an average year. The book also raises awareness of the need for conservation as most people are unaware of how much shark populations have dwindled.
“The Fear Beneath” by Christian Kemper is now available from tredition or can alternatively be ordered by using ISBN 978-3-7439-9264-1. tredition assists young and unknown authors with publishing their own books, but also cooperates with publishers and publishing houses. tredition publishes books in print and digital formats, distributes locally and online, and actively markets all titles.
Watch out for a review on The Fear Beneath on Scubaverse coming soon….
For more information on this title, click here: www.tredition.com
News
Euro-Divers to close dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda
Euro-Divers have announced that as of 15 April 2024, they will no longer be operating the dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda (formerly known as Amari Havodda).
The popular dive centre chain released this statement regarding the closure:
Dear valid customers, business partners and friends,
We are leaving NH Collection Maldives Havodda – former Amari Havodda as of 15th of April 2024.
Unfortunately, the information reached us on short notice that we are no longer operating the dive centre at the resort.
It was a great pleasure to work with the Amari Hotel group and continue to work with the NH Hotel group.
We wish our partners great success with all their new changes.
Thanks a lot for cooperating during our time at the resort. We wish everyone with whom we have worked a good and hopefully successful future.
Euro-Divers continue to operate in several other dive resorts throughout the Maldives in addition to other locations.
To finds out more about Euro-Divers, visit www.euro-divers.com.
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Creature Feature: Undulate Ray
In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.
This month we’re looking at the Undulate Ray. Easily identified by its beautiful, ornate pattern, the Undulate Ray gets its name from the undulating patterns of lines and spots on its dorsal side.
This skate is usually found on sandy or muddy sea floors, down to about 200 m deep, although it is more commonly found shallower. They can grow up to 90 cm total length. Depending on the size of the individual, their diet can range from shrimps to crabs.
Although sometimes called the Undulate Ray, this is actually a species of skate, meaning that, as all true skates do, they lay eggs. The eggs are contained in keratin eggcases – the same material that our hair and nails are made up of! These eggcases are also commonly called mermaid’s purses and can be found washed up on beaches all around the UK. If you find one, be sure to take a picture and upload your find to the Great Eggcase Hunt – the Shark Trust’s flagship citizen science project.
It is worth noting that on the south coasts, these eggcases can be confused with those of the Spotted Ray, especially as they look very similar and the ranges overlap, so we sometimes informally refer to them as ‘Spundulates’.
Scientific Name: Raja undulata
Family: Rajidae
Maximum Size: 90cm (total length)
Diet: shrimps and crabs
Distribution: found around the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat: shelf waters down to 200m deep.
Conservation Status : As a commercially exploited species, the Undulate Ray is a recovering species in some areas. The good thing is that they have some of the most comprehensive management measures of almost any elasmobranch species, with both minimum and maximum landing sizes as well as a closed season. Additionally, targeting is entirely prohibited in some areas. They are also often caught as bycatch in various fisheries – in some areas they can be landed whilst in others they must be discarded.
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website
Image Credits: Banner – Sheila Openshaw; Illustration – Marc Dando
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