The most awsome experence! | Scuba Diving Magazine

At the end of our first week my daughter and I parted ways and she went back home and I went onto Matava Eco resort on the Island of Kandavu.

It was about a 30 min. plane ride there from Suva. Then a 45 min. boat ride to the resort. Was met by the resort host Maggie. He was the best, funny, hilarious and attentive. Always there with a drink for you checking to see if you were comfortable. A shout out for George again very helpful. He escorted me over to the village one day and to the waterfall, great time.

It is an eco resort but other than not having plug-ins in your Bure they were very nice and comfortable. The food there was outstanding! several nights there the catch of the day was turned into Shashimi, hope I spelled it correctly. The main bure had charging stations.

The dive shop was small but it was adequate. You could see the Astralobe reef from the resort. The diving there was out of this world. There were soft corals and massive walls of hard corals. The high light of this location was the Manta reef dive. It was only 20 min. ride to the reef. We saw 2 of them thay were about 15 to 20 ft. across. The most awsome experence! I also came across a sea crate, but all I got was a video clip that I cannot post here, rats.

I also did a night dive there that was great in its self but the night sky was breath taking and you could see the southern cross as if it was close enough to touch it. It was the best trip of my life so far. The people, the diving and the location. Enjoy, oh yes if you go to my face book address (Dave Wyatt) you can see the video clips and some of the other pics I took.

Fiji dive vacation | Scuba Diving Magazine

Shark Savers: Racing to Save Sharks - Mustang Driver John "Chip" Scarlet...

John "Chip" Scarlett is racing to save sharks with his Shark Car. This season Chip has been promoting Shark Savers while driving in the Mustang Challenge racing series.

Chip has taken this novel approach to promote awareness about the oceans dire need for sharks. To learn more about the plight of our sharks watch this short feature about Chip and his mission to save them.

To see Chip's underwater photography visit http://www.johnscarlett.com.

Fiji and Tuvalu Dive Reviews: Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

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Dive Review of Mad Fish Dive Center/Matava Resort in Fiji and Tuvalu/Matava, Kadavu Island in 2009/11 an Instant Reader Report by Debbie Pasich, CA, usa Report Number 5271 N/A means "Not Applicable" or "No Answer" given

Reporter
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Caymans (all 3), Cozumel, Roatan, Dominica, Belize, Bonaire, San Diego
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	75 to 77 ° Fahrenheit	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60 to 150 Feet
Dive Policy
Dive own profile?	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Were desire given depth and time for dives but permitted to dive computer with buddy.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1 (worst)- 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst)- 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
Comments	[None]
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst)- 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Diving: Matava’s newest dive boat delivered just the week prior to our arrival, is capable of accommodating approximately 14 divers. We were pretty comfortable with 10 divers plus the dive master, crew and boat captain. Dive sites were anywhere from a 10 minute to 30 minute ride and surface intervals were done either in the calmer waters inside the reef or on shore. (The new boat has overhead canvas bins for dry storage but none of their dive boats have marine heads nor provisions for large camera equipment.) Outside the reef there was always an ocean swell (between 2-3 ft). Inside the reef was calm but because the weather was unseasonably windy we usually had some surface chop. The Astrolabe Reef provides an incredible display of healthy, colorful hard corals and the diving was excellent. During our 1 week visit we dove “Manta Reef” twice and as the name implies – it delivered. We dove with no less than 10 Manta’s total. “Eagle’s Rock” was a great shark dive: 20 to 30+ white tip, black tip and gray reef sharks of various sizes schooling together in the reef inlet. “Japanese Gardens” had a beautiful assortment of soft corals and “Cabbage Patch” should not be missed. During the week in addition to the manta rays and sharks (and probably the largest variety of butterfly fish we’ve ever seen) of note we saw a dolphin, a napoleon wrasse, a sea snake, several lion fish, octopus, turtles, giant clams, eels, clown fish and stunning nudibranchs. The dive staff did a great job of understanding the needs of the guests and DM’s Masau and Ta were informative and fun to dive with. During briefings we were given dive profiles but for the most part we were able to dive our computers. Every day the dive staff took care of setting up our gear as well as rinsing and hanging our suits at the end of the day. In a nutshell, great diving and an excellent dive staff made for some terrific memories. The resort: With traditional thatched bure’s tucked into the mountain side of Kadavu Island, the resort is a beautiful place to get away from it all. The newest (honeymoon) bure at the top of the hill (94 stairs of various sizes to climb) has an absolutely spectacular view! It’s an eco-resort and a majority of the power is supplied by solar so leave your hair dryer at home. The hot water is solar but for cloudy days they have back up propane tanks for hot showers. The bure’s are cleaned daily and the sheets and towels are changed every 2-3 days (all laundry is done by hand). To keep the pests at bay they provide mosquito nets over the beds and mosquito coils for the bures. The combination seems to work pretty well. Maggie, the resort host/hostess has a unique style of hospitality that is entertaining and he makes sure that you feel welcome and have need of nothing. The staff is Fijian and they were always ready with a big smile. They have a small area in the main bure for charging batteries from 9am – 5pm daily. My one recommendation would be that you bring your own water bottle (for use in your bure and on the boat). Kayaks are available for use at no charge and if you’re up to a 50-60 minute (one-way) hike there is a Fijian Village, School and beautiful waterfall that is well worth the effort. The food: 3 meals per day, breakfast was comprised of fresh fruit, toast and eggs. In addition to these some days they had homemade breakfast rolls, French toast or banana pancakes. All of their homemade breads were terrific. Lunches were varied and dinners ranged from satisfactory to quite good with excellent flavors. Soups were extraordinary! (I believe one of the more disappointing meals was simply the result of a late supply ship to the island.) When you arrive you are asked about dietary restrictions/requirements. This close to New Zealand you will likely be served lamb for at least one dinner – let them know in advance if you would prefer something else. They seemed to accommodate the vegetarian’s quite well. Instant coffee, tea and cocoa are available from 6am – 11pm daily.

Fiji and Tuvalu Dive Reviews: Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

Party at Matava for Thanksgiving with ScubaRadio Crew!

Scuba Radio Mermaid Special 2010

Come and join us and the Scuba Radio presenters and Mermaids at Thanksgiving for a week of fun and diving and Turkey Gobbling in November 2010.

November 20th to November 27th 2010

A week of diving, chaos and fun for only - USD 1199.00

Click here to read more...

The Scuba Radio crew with Greg the Divemaster and the Mermaids are coming back to Fiji, and this time it's going to be mostly for fun!

The week will begin on Saturday 20th, however DO feel free to drop in for half the week, or even just the last few days! Drop us an email or call us on Skype and we'll work it out! Heck, it's going to be chaos anyway!

Greg et al will arrive at Matava in Fiji on Monday 22nd November, fresh from a week in Las Vegas at the DEMA Show. If you are planning on going to this Dive Show, cahnces are that you'll bump into the crew there, and you can fly with them all the way to Fiji.

Greg and the crew were here in May (listen to that show here!), and they loved it SO much that they're coming back. This time they're coming to Matava in Kadavu to dive the Great Astrolabe Reef with the mantas, and they are inviting us all along for the week!

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Listen to Scuba Radio now!

ScubaRadio is radio talk show with a diving theme. Pictures are painted of the underwater world as listeners and guests share their diving adventures. Every diver has a story about the perfect dive, destination, or encounter with some amazing sea creature. ScubaRadio provides the forum. It’s like hanging out at a Tiki hut and sharing fish tales with friends.

Never heard of Scuba Radio (where HAVE you been?), find the podcasts/archives of ScubaRadio here, available worldwide online! Just click here or paste the following link into your podcasting software: http://www.scubaradio.com/srpodcast.xml. You’ll find at least a couple years of past shows!

If you’re using Itunes, just click here and subscribe!

The latest edition of ScubaRadio will now automatically download to your computer/MP3 listening device!

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Scuba Radio Mermaid Special 2010

So here's the deal:

• • 7 nights at Matava in an Oceanview Bure
  
• • All meals and airport transfers included
  
• • 5 days of 2 tank diving - 10 dives
  
• • Free unlimited shore diving
  
• • Free 3rd tank on 1 afternoon
  
• • Free use of kayaks, snorkelling around the resort
  
• • Traditional Lovo Feast and Kava Ceremony
  
• • Scuba Radio T-shirt and baseball cap
  
• • Free fun times with the Matava / Scuba Radio team and of course the ScubaRadio Mermaids
  

Chance to star on the Scuba Radio broadcasts recorded throughout the week!

 

Diver - USD 1199.00
Non Diver - USD 899.00

(only valid for double / twin share, Group 5 pay - 1 FOC)

Additions

• • Upgrade to 5 days of 3 tank dives (15 dives) – USD 199.00
• • Extra night – USD 125.00(based on 2 sharing)
• • Extra days diving (2 tanks) – USD 100.00
• • Single supplement – USD 500.00

Dates:- November 20th to November 27th 2010

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Book your ScubaRadio MERMAID Package Now!

Click here to book your ScubaRadio MERMAID to the Fiji Islands today and see all the mantas and pristine tropical reefs on Mad Fish Dive Centre's dive boats on the Great Astrolabe Reef on Kadavu!

Book Now!

New telephone numbers for Matava! - Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort has installed a new Satellite Communications System with new telephone numbers. We have new methods of contacting Matava in the Fiji Islands including new telephone and fax numbers and a new Skype name! All running off the in-house solar power!

Our new permanent contact numbers are:

TELEPHONE: +679 603 0685

FAX: +679 603 0684

SKYPE: MatavaFiji

"And so what does this mean to you?" I hear you ask? Well one of the big step forwards is that we now have a 24 hour contact via Skype technology and voice-mail there-in on site at the resort. This will revolutionise our online reservations and booking system.

Matava Resort is proud to install this communications solution purely using the alternative power already available at the resort.

We will maintain our current CDMA/Easytel phone (+679 368 0080) until the end of August 2010, at which point they it be disconnected.

The new system runs on the Gilat SkyEdge System which supports telephony, broadband data and video communications via satellite. It is optimized for transaction-oriented applications, business continuity needs, legacy protocols, rural telephony deployments and multi-topology networks with mesh, star and multi-star topologies.

The system has an uplink speed of 64kbps where the service and support are provided by Connect Fiji.

Not only does the new service out perform its predecessors, the satellite network is designed to perform even under the heavy tropical rain.

The equipment installed at Matava is called a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal). It consists of a 1.8m dish (situated hidden away behind the resort office) and outdoor electronics for communicating with the satellite and an indoor unit to which our standard telephone /fax lines and laptops are connected. The intelligence within the indoor unit processes the calls and distributes them to assigned telephone lines.

Power for the terminal is purely 12V DC and is supplied by our own in-house solar panels and batteries in our Main Bure complex.

Watch this space for the next phase in the program which is to make WiFi available directly to guests laptops in the Main Bure (shhhhh... this is currently top secret info!)

Once again, here are our new permanent contact numbers:

TELEPHONE: +679 603 0685

FAX: +679 603 0684

SKYPE: MatavaFiji

New telephone numbers for Matava!

Fish certification scheme shows its true colours - environment - 18 July 2010 - New Scientist

NEXT time you spot the telltale blue label at your fishmonger's counter, you needn't worry about whether your supper of "sustainable Alaska salmon" actually came from depleted stocks in the Atlantic.

Several landmark studies have, over the past 20 years, highlighted the problem of mislabelled fish. One-third of fish on sale in the US is not the species it is sold as, and one-quarter of cod and haddock sold in Ireland is neither of these.

Now an exercise in eco-forensics has found that the certification scheme run by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global not-for-profit organisation, offers a way of ensuring you get what you think you're buying.

In a blind study, Rob Ogden of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland tested 240 MSC-certified samples bought at supermarkets, restaurants and markets in the US, UK, Japan and Germany. He compared their DNA with validated reference samples. "Nothing came back as anything other than what it should have been," he says.

The study was able to differentiate between species such as farmed Atlantic salmon and the more expensive but sustainable Alaska salmon, and various populations of toothfish. This opens the possibility of telling apart sustainable and unsustainable fisheries of the same species. Ogden now plans to develop tests to distinguish between different populations of cod, herring and hoki.

Fish certification scheme shows its true colours - environment - 18 July 2010 - New Scientist

Shark Savers debuts anti-shark finning campaign in Hong Kong :: Wetpixel.com

Shark Savers debuts anti-shark finning campaign in Hong Kong

Shark Savers debuts the "Say 'No' to shark fin soup" Campaign in Hong Kong at the Diving and Resort Travel Expo

Hong Kong, July 16, 2010. Shark Savers launched the "Say 'no' to shark fin soup" campaign in Hong Kong at the Diving Resort & Travel Expo that opens today and extends through July 18, 2010. Shark Savers, a key participant in the Expo’s theme of marine conservation, will encourage people to stop eating shark fin soup as a means to protect sharks and improve ocean health.

According to Michael Skoletsky, Shark Savers' Executive Director, "Shark populations are being destroyed at a devastating pace throughout the world, primarily due to high consumption levels of shark fin soup. We are bringing the message of the protecting sharks by not eating the soup to Hong Kong, one of the epicenters for shark fin trade and consumption."

Sharks are the apex predators of the seas and have been shown to play an important role in maintaining the healthy balance of other species throughout the ocean food chain.

Hong Kong has long been the center of the shark fin trade. However, there has been a growing movement of people rejecting shark fin soup in this dynamic city. The Shark Savers campaign provides grassroots support to this emerging trend by empowering people to take a Pledge to not eat shark fin soup and to carry the message to their friends, family, local restaurants and businesses and their places of employment.

The “Say ‘no’ to shark fin soup” campaign is an extension of an effort pioneered by WildAid in China. Since 2009, Shark Savers has been partnering with WildAid in China and elsewhere, an effort that includes a powerful advertising message with spokesperson Yao Ming, urging people to stop eating shark fin soup. Yao Ming is Houston Rockets NBA Basketball star, owner of the Shanghai Sharks, and flag-bearer for China’s 2008 Olympic team.

The leader Shark Savers’ volunteers at the Expo, Jonn Lu, has set an ambitious goal -- to get 20,000 Expo visitors to Pledge not to eat or serve shark fin soup. "The Hong Kong Shark Savers team is excited to be part of this growing movement to take shark fin out of soup and keep sharks in the oceans where they can do so much good."

Shark Savers will be encouraging Expo visitors to sign the Pledge at a table at the Expo entrance, at Booth G52 and at its web site. More about shark fin soup, Shark Savers, and the pledge, may be found at http://www.sharksavers.org/sharkfinsoup

About Shark Savers:

Shark Savers is an international non-profit organization founded in 2007 dedicated to shark conservation. It focuses on reducing the consumption of shark fin soup, serving as the voice of sharks for the maligned species, and creating effective shark sanctuaries to protect sharks.

About The Hong Kong Diving, Resort & Travel Expo (the “DRT Show”):

The DRT Show runs from July 16-18, 2010 at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre. It is one of the largest and most sought after events focused on diving, resort and travel held in Asia, open to the trade and consumers. It is the only Dive Expo supported by Hong Kong Underwater Association (HKUA) and China Underwater Association (CUA). The Expo is expecting an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 visitors over 3 days.

Contacts:

Julie Andersen
julie.andersen@sharksavers.org
Ph:+1.917.546.6618

Mary O'Malley
mary.omalley@sharksavers.org
Ph: +1 305 632 3688

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Shark Savers debuts anti-shark finning campaign in Hong Kong :: Wetpixel.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"