August 10 2008 UK Bogus bends nets Divers £250,000  A pair of divers swindled £250,000 (US$500,000) from the National Health Service for treating bogus cases of the bends.  David Welsh, 49, and diving instructor Michael Brass, 43, are facing prison sentences after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the NHS and perverting the course of justice. Welsh ran the Fort Bovisand diving centre, which had its own recompression chamber.  They paid strangers they met in pubs up to £200 to pose as divers who needed recompression treatment, they only needed only the real names, addresses, dates of birth and national insurance numbers of the supposed victims to work the fraud. Most had never been underwater and some could barely swim.  Welsh billed National Health Trusts from all over the UK £6,500 a time for treating the 37 fake victims.  The fraud was discovered when police investigated two cases of divers from Liverpool who were supposedly treated for the bends at the recompression chamber.    Full story...

August 25 2008 HawaiiArchaeologists have located British whaler sunk by bad weather in 1837 off Kure Atoll Artefacts from the remains of a wreck believed to be of the British whaling vessel Gledstanes lost for 171 years have been found off Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The artefacts include four large anchors, cannons and cannonballs. The Gledstanes is the fourth whaling vessel found in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, evidence of the area's significance as a 19th-century whaling area.  The divers who found the shipwreck were taking part in the 2008 Maritime Heritage Expedition, sponsored by NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries.  Full story...

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Christmas Island
Image Christmas Island is one of nature’s most impressive feats: from the unique annual red crab migration to rare and unusual birds and glorious deserted beaches where the only footprints in the sand are those made by nesting turtles. A tiny dot in the Indian Ocean, Christmas island is barely known and even less explored...

With so many endemic species, the island is often referred to as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean. Yet it also displays a curious amalgam of cultures, history and industry, emerging as a place where all these elements create a truly unusual travel experience. However, this very unique destination is almost unheard of outside the region, which is why the island’s Tourism Association and Economic Development Committee decided to produce a comprehensive guide for visitors.  

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The Christmas Island Tourism Association launches the essential Christmas Island travel Guide
Linda Cash, marketing manager for the Tourism Association comments: “Over the past two years there have been many changes here and we knew that it was time to start promoting the island in a very different way. We met UK based photojournalists, Beth and Shaun Tierney when they visited us to explore our diving. The project developed from there and we are very excited with our new guide book.“Beth and Shaun revisited Christmas and immersed themselves in our world - walking every path, diving every site and searching out every indigenous animal. They probably know more about us now than we know ourselves!”The result is a fully illustrated and comprehensive guide that covers every aspect of exploring and enjoying this destination. Laid out in themed chapters the book covers the ocean and the landscapes, the wildlife and the island’s unusual culture and history. The book is an impressive souvenir, with stunning photography throughout, and is also packed full of practical advice.

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There are step-by-step guides, maps and full directions so that travellers can discover all of the island in comfort and safety and without missing a thing.Author Beth Tierney commented “The first time we went to Christmas it was just to dive, but we fell head over heels for the place. There is a truly special ambience to this tiny island. It’s not really Australia and it’s not really Asia, instead it reflects something of both, but mostly it’s a haven for some of the rarest wildlife on the planet ”Christmas Island is an absolute gem, a unique natural realm that creates a spectacular travel

experience for those who like to discover, enjoy and learn about things that cannot be found anywhere else.The essential Christmas Island Travel guide is now available from The Christmas Island Tourism Association priced at AU$29.99. For more information please contact Linda Cash, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   

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Features within the book include:
• Colour photography throughout
• Island and town maps
• Full directory of all island business including where to stay, eat and drink
• Full touring details to all island sites
• Special features on endemic wildlife  

THE ESSENTIAL CHRISTMAS ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE
First Edition July 2007 ISBN 978-0-646-47591-2Publisher Christmas Island Tourism Association (Incorporated),PO Box 63, Christmas Island,WA 6798, AUSTRALIAAuthor Beth TierneyPhotographer Shaun TierneyEditor & Project Manager Linda Cash

 

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