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I'm not known for packing too far ahead of time
. . .
OFF TO INDONESIA ON WEDNESDAY -
We've got 14 people in the group, hailing from
many different places, but all ending up in
Manado, Indonesia, and Murex Diving Resort,
which will be hour home-away-from-home July
3-13. We're looking forward to another great
trip With Murex and were very excited to hear
that they've got a new bigger, faster boat that
they'll have us on. And because I'm in the
throes of trying to get everything done before
we leave, which includes the July newsletter
that still has to be written, this edition of
TWARS will be mercifully short.
PARANOID MUCH? -
I can't remember which of the news services I
get featured this article, but I thought you'd
get a kick out of it:
Spying Sea Creatures
Chinas Ministry of State Security claims that
foreign intelligence agencies are using fish,
turtles, and other large sea creatures to
conduct surveillance operations against the
country. The ministry said unspecified nations
have been outfitting living marine animals with
sensors and training them to swim to specific
areas, where they collect data on water
temperature, salinity, and ocean currents.
Officials say they've also found buoys and a
wave glider used to track maritime vessel
activity. China alleges that much of the
collected data is transmitted overseas
via satellite, threatening China's national
security. The government warned fishermen to
stay vigilant and has previously awarded them up
to $73,000 for turning in alleged maritime spy
devices. In 2023, the British military claimed
Russia was training dolphins to counter enemy
divers in its war with Ukraine. The US and
Russia deployed dolphins, sea lions, and killer
whales during the Cold War.
WEIRD WEATHER FORECAST TODAY -
When I got up this morning I looked out the
window and said, "It looks like it's going to
rain." The forecast for today, from a couple of
days ago, was for wind and swell to pick up. And
for that reason, a couple of dives boats
cancelled their weekend trips. And while its
easy to sit back this afternoon and say, "We
could have gone this morning," getting everyone
down to a boat and cancelling at the dock - or
halfway to your destination because it's too
rough - is never desirable for a number of
reasons. Our rule of thumb when we were booking
lots of local trips was that we'd rather cancel
when we could have gone instead of going when we
should have stayed home. So kudos to those
vessels that erred on the side of caution.
ANOTHER OCEAN SCULPTURE -
I pointed you many times before to the work of
Jason de Caires Taylor, an artist who lives in
the Canary Islands and whose work is dedicated
to raising awareness about the perils that
plaque our oceans. One of his early works was
the underwater sculptures near Cancun (and Isla
Mujeres) that are collectively known as MUSA.
His latest work is a series of sculptures
depicting sirens of the sea. Mythic sirens
warned sailors of danger and Jason is giving
that thought a modern twist. His latest is in
the Solomon Islands and I thought you might
enjoy this short video about it: THE
SOLOMON SIREN.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY -
Here's to a happy and safe 4th this Saturday.
Hope you enjoy some good food and pleasant
diving.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week,
follow us on FaceBook while we're in Indonesia,
and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken |
