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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Frogfish
Frogfish Text by Imee Endelman

Photography by Gutsy Tuason

Your first encounter with a frogfish might be quite confusing, not knowing whether they belong on land, sea or outer space. You may even wonder if you’ve seen it featured in a horror film. Nevertheless, many divers have a natural affinity towards these fish, and are unarguably one of the most intriguing creatures ever created.

Because of their camouflage, frogfish are hard to find and even more difficult to identify. They mimic objects in their surrounding such as sponges, rocks and corals by changing to another colour, and can do so in a matter of days or minutes. Other concealment tricks include spots, stripes and fringes. Since frogfish are neither poisonous nor aggressive, their best defence is to avoid being seen.

The most interesting aspect of the frogfish, apart from his perfect camouflage, is the way he attracts his prey. Other fish wait until the prey swims close to their mouth, but the frogfish lures the prey (fish, crustaceans) to where it can strike. The lure is sometimes shaped like a worm, shrimp or a small fish therefore making it highly vulnerable to loss or damage by attacks or nibbling of potential prey as well as predators. Frogfish can regenerate their lure but might undergo a time of fasting until completion.

When feeding, the frogfish expands the mouth and engulfs his prey with a reflex that sucks it in whole by creating a vacuum pressure. They are so quick that they can actually catch a fish out of a school without the other fish noticing the disappearance. A frogfish will easily swallow prey that is larger than he is.

They are small stocky fish with loose prickly skin. The first dorsal spine is modified into a ‘fishing rod’ which is found just above their very large mouth. Just like any other fish, the frogfish has a dorsal fin, tail fin and pectoral fins.

Their limb-like pectoral fins assist in their locomotion. Frogfish don’t swim very often as most of them lack a swim bladder. To mobilise, they may walk or actually gallop. They can also move very quickly by sucking in large quantities of water through the mouth and forcing it out through the tiny gill openings.

Frogfish are widely found in tropical and subtropical waters of around 20°C temperature. They are shallow to deep-dwelling fish and live from 20m to 100m deep, max. 300m. They prefer sandy bottoms, rocks and coral reefs.

Keep your eyes wide open for these awkward yet adorable beings. As you can see, they are very photogenic so don’t forget to bring your underwater cameras.

 
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