News
Sunset House announces collaboration with Eco Divers Reef Foundation
Sunset House and Sunset Divers welcome Aaron Hunt, coordinator of the Eco Divers Reef Foundation, to the dive resort’s scuba training program as a contract instructor specializing in coral conservation and reef renewal. Hunt manages 14 coral nurseries in Grand Cayman, including the one at Sunset House, under the Cayman Islands Coral Nursery Program which was started in 2016 to seed local reefs.
At Sunset House, Hunt will also certify divers through the CoralWatch Distinctive Specialty Course which teaches people how to properly collect real-time data to be submitted to CoralWatch, a global network of volunteers building a database that can be used to combat coral reef loss across the world.
His extensive work with Cayman’s coral nurseries gives Aaron Hunt hope for the future of Cayman’s reefs, recently witnessing transplanted corals in the Sunset House nursery spawning and sending baby corals out in the water to settle somewhere else to grow.
“After two years of the coral nursery program, we have an 85% survival rate of our transplanted corals. In 2017 we recorded the coral spawning, and now we can see the new corals growing. It’s very exciting and satisfying to see that it works,” he said.
“We’re excited to be working with Aaron on coral conservation education because we are all concerned about our reefs and environment,” said Dive Manager Mike Pinnington. “Not only will he be teaching our guest divers, and guiding them through our coral nursery, but he will also train our instructors to teach coral restoration work.”
Hunt has certified approximately 300 local divers through the PADI Reef Renewal Distinctive Specialty Course, and most are now dedicated volunteers who help with the foundation’s work. Local businesses are also getting involved.
“There’s something about Cayman, that people who live here want to help. We’ve had tremendous support from the local community, people give up their weekends to help on the reefs,” he said.
Sunset House Marketing Manager Emma-Jane Fisher says the resort, always environmentally conscious, has stepped up its green policies and expanded its reef renewal courses. This collaboration with Aaron Hunt is a win-win for everyone who cares about the ocean environment.
“We as a community need to respond to the problems faced by our seas and do what we can to help educate the public directly,” she said. “Sunset House runs various programs for local kids throughout the year to teach them to be environmentally conscious through scuba dive, swim & snorkel classes. Our restaurant and bar are now using cardboard take-out boxes and paper straws, both better for the environment. Sunset Divers has added skimming nets to dive boats so staff can pick up trash or plastics floating on the water. It all matters.”
PADI Reef Renewal courses now available at Sunset House include:
- Guided Coral Nursery Dive
- Guided shore dive to the nursery to help clean coral.
- PADI Reef Renewal Distinctive Specialty Course
Classroom session and 2 open water dives to learn correct reef renewal techniques.Nursery maintenance by conducting a survey, cleaning, removing algae and predators that can damage the corals and affect their growth
- Coral Spawn Lecture & Reef Survey
- Classroom session about coral spawning in Sunset House nursery. Dive the survey area to see new corals found on the reef after spawning events
- Reef Renewal Dives
- Two guided shore dives to assist staff (at the coral nursery). Tasks will be assigned and can include maintenance, cleaning, removing predators, conducting surveys, collecting data and restoring reefs.
Aaron Hunt is excited about the collaboration with Sunset House, the growing number of volunteers and the future of the coral nursery program. He reports great success with transplanting Staghorn and Elkhorn corals, and says they are now working with pillar coral too more challenging, but they are seeing success there too.
“This is about community. The Cayman Islands can be an amazing example of a successful coral restoration and transplantation program.”
For more information about Sunset House visit their website by clicking here.
News
Dive Worldwide Announces Bite-Back as its Charity of the Year
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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