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Newsletter 13 - Winter 2004/5
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Hurricane Divers News
New Rental Gear!
We recently replaced our Sherwood regulators and BCD´s by new Scubapro equipment. Our regulators are the MK2 with a R190 second stage and R190 octopus and the "Mini" Scubapro console with depth gauge and pressure gauge. The BCD´s are the new Glide 500 without integrated weight system, a standard but rugged and comfortable model. We now have a mix of new 3mm Scubapro and Body Glove shorties in all sizes and some full suits in common size. We replaced half our snorkel equipment for Scubapro masks and snorkels as well and increased our amount of rental fins. For photos of our new rental equipment, go to Photo Gallery 
We recently had a bunch of tanks hydrostatically tested and gave our compressor a 1000 hour service, so everything is up to date for the high season.
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"Dignity" Make-Over
We took our dive boat out of the water in December for a paint job and some minor repairs and adjustments. We moved the console back a bit, so there´s a lot more space to prepare the diving equipment. We also put some tank racks on the sides, we can take more tanks with us now and they´re closer at hand to change your tank after the first dive. Last but not least, we had the engines serviced, they´re running like a dream again! We´re still working on a better ladder, that may not be ready until later this year.
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Holidays Season(s)
We had a very, very busy two weeks around Christmas and we weren´t the only ones! The whole of Huatulco was very busy and business flourished for everybody for the first time after 9/11. We even had a Manta Ray visiting us for a few weeks (see photo). We actually had the week between Christmas and New Year fully booked in November and we had to dissapoint many divers that just showed up in the Holidays. The same is happening now with the Easter week and Spring Break. I already have some days fully booked (I´m writing this 18 January 2005), so if you don´t want to be dissapointed you better make a reservation now!
Staff News
We have Internship Candidates already lined up for the whole year, right now Brian is doing his Divemaster Internship with us. Brian (see photo) is a retired army guy who works for a rafting company in Canada in the summers and this winter decided to come to Huatulco to pursue his Divemaster training. Last winter he did the Open Water and Advanced Courses with us. For those of you who were here in October or November, you probably met Marinda from South Africa, she worked with us as an Instructor for a while, but she left for medical reasons. I assume everybody knows by now that Charlie is working together with us and he will continue to do so. Last but not least we hired a permanent boat driver named Chuy, who at the moment is visiting his mother, but hopefully will be back soon.
If you are interested in making your hobby your living, check out GoPro!
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"A Day Like Today": January 2002
Three years ago in January we finally were able to buy our own compressor, a Bauer Junior. It´s not very big, but it has done a great job over the last three years. We can fill 3 to 4 tanks an hour, depending on how empty they are. Selling tank fills is now a not unimportant part of our business. The way things are going we may have to buy a bigger one soon!
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Diving Huatulco
One of the many highlights over the last few months was a giant Manta Ray (see photo) we saw over several days, diving between "El Barquito" and "El Violin". The photo was taken by Michael, a Frenchman who did the Divemaster Course with us. In Maguey we see more and more sea horses appearing, "Jimmy" is not on his own anymore! As usual, now the water is a bit less warm, we got invaded by rays of all kinds. This year there seem to be more Eagle Rays around than normal, we see them almost everywhere around the rock formations.
Visibility had it´s ups and downs that we´re used to here in Huatulco. We had one particularly bad spell of "upwelling" and really black water for 4 or 5 days, but other than that it wasn´t too bad. Over the summer we had weeks and weeks of real clear water and good visibility, the rest of the time we had our usual 10 to 20 meters (30 to 60 feet) with now and than a couple of "bad" days. The water was well over 30°C (90°F) from April to November and even now, in January, we have a water temperature of about 25°C (80°F) with some colder currents and the occasional thermocline here and there.
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Huatulco News
As for Hurricane Divers, it was a lot busier in Huatulco over the last year and it looks like the trend continues. More cruise ships coming in and they seem to stay longer as well, a new charter flight from Denver, a new direct flight from Houston, the economy recuperating, people traveling again, all little things that together start to make a difference in Huatulco. The new "super highway" from Oaxaca to Huatulco is not ready yet, but the parts that are done already make a difference in travel time by road between these two places.
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Investing
For those interested in buying land in Huatulco, Fonatur is opening up a new sector "O" where you can buy lots of about 400 square meters, directly from Fonatur. The new sector is more or less opposite the Chahue marina, on the other side of the boulevard. There seem to be more and more people buying land and property in Huatulco and there is definitely more construction going on lately (the new shopping mall, smaller hotels, condos, private villas, etc.). Looks like people expect a good return on their investment in Huatulco!
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Events
The yearly Half Iron Man took place in October this year and was as succesful as ever, with many international competitors. There were the 2 or 3 regular fishing tournaments which are always attracting people from all over the country and we had a golf tournament which also brought people to Huatulco from all over Mexico. Coming up over the next few months we´ll have "el Festival del Mar" and "Musica por la Tierra" again and we may have the power boat racing event again somewhere in the upcoming summer.
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Miscellaneous
Tsunami and Coral Reefs
Geologist Jennifer Rahn, a Baylor University assistant professor whose principle research focus is coral reefs, says the Dec. 26 tsunami in the Indian Ocean did not cause as much damage to the coral reefs as watchers initially feared. She said the reefs could take a couple of decades to recover, or they could bounce back in as quickly as one or two years. “There are lots of coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, and they have adapted to pounding by hurricanes.” Rahn said the latest reports indicate the destruction to the reefs is less than anticipated, though in some places the reefs may range from five to 50 percent damaged, mostly on the continental shelf. “Most of the damage consists of reefs covered with debris—refrigerators, doors and other garbage that has to be removed. Up to 100 scuba diving volunteers a day are out cleaning off the coral,” she said.
Rahn said the tsunami was caused by a geologic plate shifting upward. “The two plates involved in the movement were the Burma plate and the Indian plate. In the quake, the Burma plate shifted six feet upward. That’s what caused the tsunami.”
Source: Baylor University through www.divenews.com
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Diving during the Tsunami
Scuba Diver Luke Watson, from Hornsea, England, managed to cling to underwater rock while at depth of just over 40 feet. Watson was busy videotaping a scuba group party. He was with a boat of Swedish, French and English divers off the coast of the Thai island Phi Phi Ley. During that fateful instant Watson was ascending following the 45 minute dive. He told the Yorkshire Post reporter Dave Mark the following about his personal experience: "We often get currents but this was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It just came from nowhere. I grabbed out and clung on to this rock and my legs were blown out horizontal. It was so powerful. It was pushing divers along. Then the current changed direction and pulled us the other way, which is very unusual. Eventually it subsided and I went to the surface and the boat instructor was shouting at me to hurry. We looked towards Tonsai Bay and it looked like the water was boiling. We knew there was something very wrong and the captain decided to stay at sea."
"When we finally headed in, the scene was like nothing I have ever witnessed before. It was truly terrible. We had to manoeuvre through TV sets, fridges, bar stools, shop mannequins and debris floating all over the bay."
Source: Yorkshire Press through www.divenews.com
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PADI Tsunami Relief Fund
The PADI Family extends its sincere sympathy and condolences to those affected by the horrific tsunamis that hit South and Southeast Asia. PADI Members and divers across the globe are heroically banding together to help the victims of this tragedy.
PADI has established a Tsunami Relief Fund through the Project AWARE Foundation and has provided an initial commitment of $70,000 to aid in the fundraising effort. Every dollar raised through this special relief fund will be directed to environmental cleanup and restoration efforts in the areas affected by the tsunami. PADI Members and Divers are encouraged to donate to the tsunami cleanup and restoration efforts through this targeted fund: Tsunami Relief Fund
Source: PADI through www.divenewswire.com
As part of the PADI Family, Hurricane Divers donated $5 USD for every diver we took out in January.
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Rare Endangered Whale Saved
After intensive logistical planning a severely entangled young Right Whale was freed on New Years Eve. The successful disentanglement was made possible with the help of the US Coast Guard vessel, Yellow Fin, and crew out of Station Charleston, South Carolina. Using the Yellow Fin as a base of operations, a multi-agency team with staff from NOAA-Fisheries, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (G-DNR), the Wildlife Trust (WT) and CCS, removed over 550-feet (180 meters) of rope from this 32 foot whale, including the critical wrap of rope around the upper jaw.
Source: CCS through www.divenews.com
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