2007/05/08

山打根獵奇


山打根(Sadakan)市是百多年前中國人被「賣豬仔」到南洋做苦工的其中一個見證。由於有較多香港人聚居,故山打根有「小香港」之稱。人在異鄉,一為互相照應,二為生活習慣的認同,這令中國傳統文化得以在此地延續。馬來西亞政治穩定,種族和諧,民生安穩。

馬來人的民房是高腳單層建築,面積很大,平均千多平方呎。在山打根,也有馬來人聚居於像香港大澳般的水上屋,衹是面積大得多了,可是衛生情况則比較差,一間水上屋面積可達2,000至3,000呎,對港人來說是豪宅面積。在木材搭建的橋上,每走一步,橋便搖晃一下,有點兒驚險,卻是一種體驗。在水上屋居住的人滿熱情的,我們每次經過,他們都會和我們打個招呼,來個微笑。幼童無憂,玩樂好奇,那是簡單舒適的生活節奏。

中國人多聚居於市中心區,只有短短的數條小街上。民房多是五至八層三合土建築,如果你記得香港於二戰後所建的樓宇模樣的話,那便正好是那個樣子了。區內九成商店招牌上有中文字,老闆都便是華人。有食店賣的,我們都不知道是什麼,卻有許多人來吃,一看相信是內臟煮的湯,不過都不錯。在大街上看到小型巴士(Bas Mini),真是趣怪,還有七十年代的上海理髮店,感覺就像回到童年時。烈日當空,我們用了約三十分鐘,走了一圈,再快步走進一家酒店的空調大堂,發了個白日夢。

對於一個只逗留半天的旅客,最好的節目便是去品嘗一下肉骨茶。馬來西亞的肉骨茶與星加坡的有點不同,以內臟為主要湯料,胡椒味道比較重,有促進食欲的作用,但份量少了一點,所以多點一碗白飯,便可以十分滿足了。如果想了解多一些當地民生水平,可到菜市場走走,我們也想知道當地海產的情况。

菜市場很大,估計有一萬平方呎,各式貨品包括中、泰、馬來及印度乾濕貨均一一俱備,肉類都掛在雪櫃內售賣,就像國內的新式菜市場,很清潔,感覺衛生。有位女士叫賣著生蘋果,我一看之下,覺得不太像蘋果,她說是自己種的,市面少見,我想買來嘗一嘗,但朋友說不要,或許下次吧!

家禽是中央屠宰的,全部光脫脫,包在透明膠袋內,未見羽毛和血水,比香港還要處理得好。售賣的魚類,以鯖魚、魚、水針魚、魷魚及海斑類等最多,放在冰塊上發售,郤未見有游水的海魚。

當走到魚檔一角,最令我們感觸良多的,是發現了一堆為數不少,被割去魚身的細小鯊魚頭,估計生前長約兩至三呎。魚台上有小魟魚(ray)一堆,一條較大的則放在地上,直徑長達三呎多,而較之更大的魟魚,早已被切件發售了。我竟然在這菜市場內首次遇見豹紋鯊,有點意想不到,不知道這尾魚有多大,只知道切開後每件足有呎半長、四吋濶、五至六吋厚,放滿魚檔售賣。

如此情境,有說不出的感觸,昨天還看到牠們自由自在游泳於海裡,如今卻……有時總覺得自己能力不足,幫助不夠,總希望透過不同層面,加強保育意識,減少漁業濫捕問題,希望大家都出一分力去重現昔日的海洋世界吧。

*相片內容版權©Diverchannel.com所有,不可轉載。

想看完整的可到www.diverchannel,三月號內。

2007/05/06

Experiencing the challenge of the Great White Shark

Research and Ecotourism on one of the most charismatic creatures in the oceans


A BRIEF BIOLOGICAL OVERVIEW


The Great White Shark, within the monotypic genus Carcharodon, is related to four other Mackerel sharks (Mako, Isurus spp. and Porbeagle or Salmon shark, Lamna spp.) in the Family Lamnidae. Arguably equalled only by the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) as an apex marine predator, the White Shark occupies a cosmopolitan range throughout temperate seas and oceans, occasionally penetrating tropical zones. He is mainly an epipelagic dweller of neritic waters, being found from the surfline to well offshore, at the surface and to depths over 900 meters on the bottom. They commonly patrol small coastal archipelagos inhabited by pinnipeds, rocky headlands where deep water lies close to shore and offshore fish reefs, banks and shoals.
White Sharks colour varies from almost black to slaty-grey or dun above, with the ventral surfaces predominantly white. The maximum size attained by White Sharks remains a matter embroiled by debate and spurious information. Adult females can reputedly attain 7 metres based on an unconfirmed specimen from Kangaroo Island, Australia, taken in 1987. A further female taken off Filfla, Malta, in the same year was reported as 713 centimetres Total Length (TL). It is however, realistic to suggest that maximum length of this species actually lies in the range of 550 to 600 centimetres Total Length. Claimed solitary creatures, recent studies have suggested a complicate social structure and hierarchy based on size and power. New findings draw ideas on their complex way of life and behaviour, poor understood for the expert, and completely unknown for the rest of the human beings.


EXTREME RESEARCH: IN THE QUEST ON THE ENIGMATIC PREDATOR


Although all of us regularly have experienced the feeling of thirst, huger, or anger, we rarely experience the fear of being eaten by a predator. This primordial feeling “travelling” within our genes since the wake of humankind, builds in our “claimed” well-developed mind a sentiment of panic, respect and in some people, desire of killing. Precisely, this hate for the would-be “monster” of the oceans during the past decades has lead to its uncontrolled slaughter and almost extinction in some areas. However, the future for the “beast” looks quite promising; that fear the Great White exerts on people has intrinsically increased the willing of knowing beyond his “killing label”. Serious scientific research apart from media coverage have disclosed information and facts about the mysterious life of these elusive predators, telling the scientific community and the general public that we know almost nothing about the life of this colossus of the oceans.

The Great White probably did inhabit many parts of the globe, but in the last century, it has been cornered to a bunch of places, where the quest for this animal can start. Research aims to explain what they do, and why they do it, taking into consideration ecobiological, ecophysiological, and behavioural aspects, as well as how the oceanographic parameters affect they movements. Searching for the causes of accidents and attacks on people conform an important part of the research as well. The final goal of all the studies is directed towards its conservation; in other words, the underlying reason of much of the scientific research at the moment is orientated towards the knowledge of their populations, migration routes, predatory behaviour, behavioural ecology, and other aspects of their life. Extensive research might reveal important details that will be of paramount importance for the complete protection and conservation of the species.

South African waters are nowadays one of the most important focuses of research on the Great White, and have achieved indeed the reputation claimed. Seal Island, near Cape Town, where we can watch the classical aerial predatory events and Dyer Island with its rocky counterpart, Geyser Rock, are the best two places on Earth to watch this fearsome predator in its natural habitat. Scientific research has taken various ways, and different projects have been developed to investigate different aspects of their life. My own experience has been devoted to Photo ID projects, where dorsal fin photographs are taken, acting as a fingerprint, which allows the establishment of population numbers and dynamics, as well as migration patterns. The posterior section of the dorsal fin, breaks, bends, and twists, presenting a series of characteristic notches that allow individual shark identification throughout their whole life. Databases are used to store all the photographs, observations, and other material, and scientific work can be done on it. I have also worked on telemetry studies; in other words for the novel reader, following animals without seeing them. Telemetry comprises an area of the broad spectrum of the remote sensing, which gear is designed to be able to gather data on animals without the need to bear visual contact or manipulate them. They are captured once, and tagging devices are attached to them, so they can be detected, and after that, data on their behaviour and environmental conditions can be stored and transmitted manually or via satellites to the scientific computers.



Preliminary results on their behavioural ecology in Mosselbaai (Eastern Cape) and Dyer Island reveal a great degree of phylopatry, that is, they tend to come back to their preferred sites after migration or movements across the coastal environment. In the case of Mosselbaai, they tend to hang around the beach from the Seal Island to the mouth of a river. There is no conclusive reason to explain why they stay there, but it seems a tranquil environment, with some scattered food on the bottom, as well as oxygenated waters. They could favour physiological constraints for respiration by staying near the surf zone, where more oxygen dissolves into the water solution, and then they could swim slower, saving energy. Indeed, their slow metabolism allows long periods of time without eating, but when they do it, they will gorge up themselves. They normally feed on Cape Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) and whale carcasses (sporadically) when being adults, but will predominantly prey on fish at juvenile growing stages. Hunting for seals it is not an easy task, and Great Whites must improve their skills if they are to be able to feed on the pinnipeds. These speedy animals have learnt all the tricks and manoeuvres to escape from their predator, and then, Great Whites need to use the element of camouflage and surprise at its maximum if they want to catch a meal. Failures are scarce (increased in young sharks), but some stranded seals at the island show the toll paid for being unwary or being surprised (normally by juveniles) as fresh or healed wounds on their backs. Some sharks do hunt during the light hours, but the majority will have a go during the night, when the seals cannot detect them visually. They hunt just after sunset for a couple of hours, and then at dawn until the sunrise. Both predator and prey must refine their aquatic skills if they want to survive, but one needs to feed and the other needs to escape; who will win the challenge will be a matter of experience and strategy in the waters of South Africa.


ECOTOURISM FRENZY: WORKING TOWARDS A PUBLIC CONSERVATIONIST APPROACH

Marine ecotourism is a component of the wider ecotourism industry that is considered to be growing rapidly both in terms of its volume and its value. This growth is particularly acute insofar as such activities typically occur in places that could be considered peripheral in spatial, temporal, and/or economic terms. By peripheral I do mean, areas found on the periphery of what is considered human establishments; distant relatively untouched places, were the tourist could experience the natural environment in a pristine manner. Indeed, in many cases the very peripheral nature of these destinations has to some extent protected target species, habitats, landscapes, and seascapes from the negative consequences of unsustainable “economic development” in the past. Ecotourism is therefore associated with geographically remote places and spaces; people watching whales in Antarctica, or diving with Great Whites in South Africa. I personally believe that there is a sentiment of wildness in ourselves, a feeling of “returning” to the past, experiencing our earliest origins in contact with the natural world, observing it as “it used to be”. That sensation is the one normally sought by many people travelling such large journeys to those remote locations. This spirit found within the public, is the one we need to foster if we want to protect and conserve the natural resources as well as the living creatures around us.



In the case of the Great White, taking people to watch them, swimming with them in the cages, and observe them around the boat can change their perception of this fearsome predator. The vast majority of the tourists that have been close enough to a White Shark acknowledge that they are quite, mysterious, impassive, very curious animals. They wonder themselves if the animal they see in front of them is the same they saw in Spielberg’s film devouring people, and being labelled as a man-eater. Experiences like this one are the ones we need the general public to get involved with, if we want to preserve these terrific animals for the coming decades.

South African waters meet the requirements for the ecotourism industry to be a fructiferous place, and thus, the conservation initiative is at the top of their agenda. If sharks vanish, ecotourism industry suffers. What is the outcome? Industry takes the lead and does its best to conserve the animals, which are directly their economical incentive. This kind of approach is the one needed nowadays, and it is becoming a matter of fact. My own experience reveals days of more than 20 encounters, which seems incredible bearing in mind the elusive nature of this shark. The potential for research and ecotourism industry is thus immense. However, I would remind for those interested, that the peak months for watching the Great White are during the austral winter (August, September, October, and even November). Murky waters might be in place, and swells at sea will be common, but the abundance of sharks will be incredible and great adventures will be feasible. I do recommend to take underwater camera, but the footage could be quite disappointing, especially at the beginning. The best is to take digital cameras with housing, so loads of pictures can be taken, and then analyze for the worthwhile ones. What should be “a must” for everyone is to take a normal camera to capture on image the movements of the shark around the boat, leaps, or the awesome approaches to the cage. By all means, we should try to enjoy the trip, learning as much as possible on these incredible creatures.

Just to conclude I would like to stress that if we want to protect ourselves, we need to protect the oceans and the creatures in them. Protection and conservation are concepts that go together, but are seldom understood by everybody in society; we should work together within an informative and communicative framework if we want to achieve those goals. By that, I mean, that the education of the general public towards a conservationist approach should start in ourselves, as individuals. As soon as those simple concepts are learnt by the majority of us, we will be able to create a more reasonable and sustainable world.




PHOTOGRAPHIC COMMENTS AND DETAILS

The photographic equipment used during the research study consisted on a NIKON D70 with two camera bodies: a polarized 28-80 mm and a polarized 70-300 mm zoom. I felt quite happy with both; in the relatively close shots, I could get extraordinary pictures. I used polarized zooms because during the majority of the field days, sun conditions were continuous. Operating with a special camera device, I could avoid the shiny and reflectance bits that some shots disclosed. With the second zoom (70-300 mm), I was able to get distant views, which I mainly used in trying to capture the numerous whales at that time of the year (Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis), and Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)). Other equipment used was a Konica Minolta DiMAGE Xg, which I remember using in a couple of “wet situations” attached as a critter cam to a pole, in order to get close views and sex recognition by absence or presence of claspers (reproductive organs). For the wounded seal pictures, I borrowed a friend’s camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ20).


Mr. Mario Lebrato
Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography
National Oceanography Centre
University of Southampton
United Kingdom
http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/
ml1104@soton.ac.uk


*相片內容版權Mr. Mario Lebrato所有,不可轉載。

**中文譯本刊於<潛游頻道>第一及二期內,www.diverchannel.com

2007/05/04

關 閉 海 下 灣 海 岸 公 園 珊 瑚 灘


漁農自然護理署發表禁 止 所 有 人 士 及 船 隻 由 二零零七 年 五 月 一 日 至 二 零零 八 年 四 月 三 十 日 進 入 海 下 灣 海 岸 公 園 珊 瑚 灘 的 指 定 範 圍 。 該 範 圍 以 高 潮 線 及 位 於 珊 瑚 灘 的 ” 機 動 船 隻 禁 區 ” 邊 界 浮 泡 劃 定 , 有 關 位 置 見 下 一 頁 地 圖 。

設 立 禁 止 進 入 範 圍 的 目 的 , 是 為 了 減 少 人 類 在 該 區 的 活 動 及 影 響 , 以 保 護 該 區 的 珊 瑚 群 落 。


任 何 人 士 進 入 或 令 其 船 隻 進 入 指 定 範 圍 , 即 屬 違 反 《 海 岸 公 園 及 海 岸 保 護 區 規 例 》 , 一 經 定 罪 , 可 判 處 罰 款 港 幣 25,000元 及 監 禁 一 年 。


http://www.afcd.gov.hk/tc_chi/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_mar/cou_vis_mar_wha/cou_vis_mar_wha_7.html

潛水機械人優勝者於海下灣測試

資料庫 - 世界自然基金會香港分會新聞稿
2007 年
潛水機械人優勝者於海下灣測試勝出潛水機械人 (2007年5月4日)



© 世界自然基金會

第二屆「香港潛水機械人挑戰賽」的優勝隊伍,今天到訪世界自然基金會海下灣海洋生物中心,在自然海洋環境中測試得獎作品在水中的運作。這項賽後活動的目的是進一步加強學生把機械人科技運用至海洋保育項目的興趣。
世界自然基金會與香港城市大學(城大)在2007年4月8日及9日假城大游泳池舉行「潛水機械人挑戰賽」總決賽。經過一輪激烈比賽後,中學組及大專組的冠軍分別由香港道教聯合會圓玄學院第二中學及香港城市大學奪得。
世界自然基金會香港分會行政總裁龐毅理先生表示:「勝出的潛水機械人表現出色,令我印象深刻。參賽學生將科學知識應用在海洋保育方面,顯示他們過人的才能和創造力。舉辦這項比賽的目的是要激發年輕的科學家,將機械人技術應用在海洋保育的項目中,結果令人鼓舞。」

© 世界自然基金會


香港城市大學電子工程學系副教授兼挑戰賽技術顧問羅彬博士表示,希望是次比賽讓學生對機械人技術有初步認識,以及學會如何把有關技術運用在海洋保育之中。她表示:「城大一直致力研製創新科技,以應用於社會不同方面,並致力將知識傳授給年輕一代。」
香港潛水機械人挑戰賽於2006年首辦,旨在把機械人應用技術傳授給年青一代,同時加強他們對海洋生態保護的興趣及關注。今屆賽事已擴展至大學及專上學院學生。
是次比賽的規則及指引乃參考一項將於今年稍後時間在加拿大舉行的國際賽事而制定。2007年為「國際極地年」。今屆「國際潛水機械人挑戰賽」為配合此主題,將模擬極地環境於冰下進行,讓參賽者體會科學家及工程人員於極地進行研究及工作所遇到的困難。香港挑戰賽亦參考國際賽事比賽標準,將其中一項任務的比賽環境模仿成極地。
香港道教聯合會圓玄學院第二中學的負責老師胡禮明先生表示:「我們十分感謝世界自然基金會及城大舉辦這項潛水機械人挑戰賽,而於2月到訪世界自然基金會的海下灣海洋生物中心亦讓我們有機會了解機械人技術如何運用在監察海洋環境和生態方面,大大增加我們日後應用機械人技術在海洋保育項目中的興趣。今天我們能夠再到這兒,在自然海洋環境中測試勝出的機械人,實在感到非常興奮。」

挑戰賽於去年12月開始接受報名,中學組每隊除免費獲得一套基本的機械人組件,更獲安排到城大參加工作坊,學習製作潛水機械人及改良基本設計,以完成比賽設定的三項任務。
是次比賽吸引了16組中學生隊伍和5組大專生隊伍參加。各隊伍均須於岸上以搖控器操作自己設計的潛水機械人完成三項指定任務。
優勝者有機會參加於2007年6月在加拿大紐芬蘭紀念大學漁業及海洋學院舉行的「國際潛水機械人挑戰賽」。
© 世界自然基金會

2007/05/02

New Species of Blue Coral Found Off the Coast of Oman; 'Discovering a New Species is Very Exciting'

我們每天聽到天氣暖化引致大量生物滅絕的消息,今次Oman沿海地區發現新品種藍色珊瑚是鼓舞還是擔心呢?希望生物的結構可為生存而改變,而活存下來。







A new species of blue coral (Porites decussata), which has small colonies 5-6 cm across, has been found in numerous sites in Oman। Underwatertimes.com News Service


email to a friend print this link to this article Save to del.icio.us
Muscat, Oman (Apr 30, 2007 14:47 EST) Two new species of coral have been discovered off the Omani coast, as well as other existing coral species that had previously not been known to live in the area. There are now estimated to be approximately 130 species of coral off the coast of Oman, much more than was formerly thought to subsist in the region. Scientists believe there are probably at least twenty more species yet to be discovered, possibly including five more new to science.

The two new species, discovered by Dr. Michel Claereboudt, a coral reef biologist with the Sultan Qaboos University and a coral researcher associated with the Environmental Society of Oman, include the blue coral (Porites decussata) and the sixteen-finger flower coral (Calathiscus tantillus). The sixteen-finger flower coral is very rare and unusual, with short-lived colonies that are probably limited in distribution and found only in Oman including the Daymaniyat Islands. In contrast, the blue coral, which has small colonies 5-6 cm across, has been found in numerous sites in Oman and will most likely be discovered in other areas of the Middle East.

"Discovering a new species is very exciting," said Dr. Claereboudt.

"Any new piece of the puzzle that facilitates the further understanding of the evolution and geography of corals and how they have moved from one continent to another is very important. In Oman, one species discovered recently by Dr. Charles Sheppard, Parasimplastrea sheppardi, was originally described as a four-million-year-old fossil from an exposed cliff in Papua New Guinea. This living coral fossil discovery is as important scientifically as the finding of the coelacanth, a living fossil fish."

Corals belong to a large group of relatively simple and colorful organisms called Cnidaria. The organisms responsible for the fundamental building process of the reef are the tiny polyps of the corals, which in association with microscopic algae safely embedded in their tissue, continuously secrete a skeleton of limestone. Coral reefs are made mostly of the "dead" limestone skeleton covered with a thin veneer of living coral tissue composed of thousands of small, tube-like polyps.

Another important discovery made in the Daymaniyat Islands, a nine-island archipelago off the coast of Muscat, is the actual expansion of the coral reef, despite rising water temperatures due to global warming that have adversely affected other coral reefs around the world. In 1998, Indian Ocean coral reefs were very badly impacted. Areas such as the Maldives, Seychelles, and Chagos lost 90 percent of their corals over vast areas. During this time the resilient reefs in the Daymaniyats continued to expand.

This measured growth of coral reefs proves that Oman is in fact home to a much more diverse reef environment than formerly thought, with species more capable of withstanding varied ocean temperatures than in most other reef environments in the world.

"The Omani region will be useful as a laboratory to model, predict and analyze the substantial and sometimes catastrophic changes taking place in the rest of the Indian Ocean due to coral bleaching caused by high sea temperatures," said Dr. Sheppard

The extensive coral growth was found as a result of systematic investigations by biologist Robert Baldwin of the Environmental Society of Oman (ESO) and coral reef biologist Dr. Charles Sheppard, of the University of Warwick in England, who work in collaboration with Dr. Claereboudt. The ESO has been working very closely with the government of Oman to ensure these reef structures are protected and maintained, both for their positive environmental impact and their potential impact on tourism for many years to come.

"The coral reefs of Oman are more diverse than originally thought, and their contribution to the world fauna is also much higher than expected," said Dr. Sheppard. "Some of these newly discovered coral species contribute as much to the world fauna as the panda, the blue whale or the Bengal tiger, and ought to as such be equally preserved."

The Omani government has taken significant steps toward conserving these rare and valuable corals from the imminent threats of anchors; coastal development; and fishing nets, traps and lines. To ensure protection for the reef areas, the government and ESO are working very closely on this important project with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and The Indian Ocean Research and Conservation Association (IORCA), both of which receive funding from the Kerzner Marine Foundation (KMF). KMF, funded by resort company Kerzner International, seeks to foster the preservation and enhancement of global marine ecosystems through scientific research, education and community outreach. The preservation of the coral reefs in the Daymaniyat Islands marks KMF's first project in the Middle East.

"There is not much we can do to change the global temperature of the ocean, but we can change our recreational and fishing practices to avoid the needless destruction of these coral reefs," said Baldwin. "Their survival depends on it."



New Species of Blue Coral Found Off the Coast of Oman; \'Discovering a New Species is Very Exciting\'

2007/05/01

我在瑪達京島的寫意日子













踏上瑪達京島,舉目一看,我第一個最深印象是它深藍的海水,藍得像愛琴海一樣,有零污染的感覺,就像回到希臘山度連尼島(Santorini)的沙灘上。祇是島上隱隱約約的木建精緻馬來高腳小舍(Chalet),提醒了我身處沙巴的潛水勝地。


連接著碼頭的是旅店接待處,由於已經過了一段的行程,已急不及待到旁邊的餐廳先行用膳了。這裡的烤麵包土司(toast)挺好,我要求頗高,仍可以滿足一下「奶油果醬土司」的慾望。旁邊沙灘上便是潛水中心(Dive Centre)和海龜哺育區,全皆由專人打理,保育海龜其實等同投資增值。


島上佈滿一種名為蘿苓(Noni)的亞熱帶植物(編按:蘿苓在夏威夷及關島等地長得極普遍,是日常健康食用品),果實香味極像法國藍芝士,據說對皮膚發炎、腸胃病,甚至癌症都有療效。經理Adrian說:「有個例子,曾被水母全身灼傷的傷者非常痛楚,以蘿苓的汁液及果肉敷滿傷口,兩小時後,他的痛楚完全消失,更可以到酒吧談天。」

島上均是獨立小舍,室內陳設美觀,空調熱水器一一不缺,更有電視機收看衛星電視節目,環境非常舒適,渡假感覺一流。難怪很多來自世界各地的新人均揀選這裡為蜜月勝地。觀賞日落最好的地點,是一座樓高五層的木製高塔,坐在塔上與愛人看著日落於水平線,非常浪漫。如果時間配合,瑪達京島還有一座相連小島,在潮退時更可慢慢步行過去,如此情境,別有一番詩意。














入住瑪達京島,記得到海水按摩池鬆弛一會,這可不是隨處都有呢。女士當然要試試這裡的水療及按摩。潛水完畢輕鬆一下,善待自己,才是人生享受嘛。


到瑪達京島潛水前,已有朋友告訢我這是片近攝天堂。我與攝影師準備下水拍攝,一跳入水中,是如此清澈,不能盡言。




第一個潛點是「水底郵政局」,位於海灘對出約十米的沉船處,各位潛友不防寄一幀明信片回家。沉船周邊都是一些白白的珊瑚……四十五分鐘下潛時間很快過去,休息時我在海灘游泳浮潛,水清沙幼,真有馬爾代夫無拘無束的感覺。


我們下潛第二個潛點不久已有很多魚類品種,突然我看到導潛張開大口,原來是珊瑚蝦正跳入他的口中。哈!我們也急急一試,果然趣怪。





瑪達京島魚類生物繁多,常見有:頜鱚魚(jawfish)、躄魚(frogfish)、真鯛魚(snapper)、砲彈魚(trigger fish)、喇叭魚(trumpet fish)等。順道一提大家,瑪達京島沒有提供夜間導潛服務,潛友如要夜潛,請在潛水通知版上留下名字及時間,





潛水中心自會安排潛水器材給潛友使用。潛點就在沙灘對出的位置,晚上會有更多的生物出沒,可供盡情拍攝。


晚餐過後大家不想入睡的話,可以參加約一個小時的島上生態探險,由員工帶領大家參觀耶子蟹及海龜上岸生蛋的過程,當然海龜會否上岸生蛋就要看你的運數了!不過我就比較幸運,有機會看到,難得難得。大家記住,海龜生蛋時不要拍照,否則牠會大歎倒楣,急急逃走。

瑪達京島與附近島嶼之間早已劃為保育區,嚴禁漁船駛近或進行釣魚活動。島主非常注重環保,除了用水耕方法處理日常污水,更以保護海龜來傳達正確的海洋保育信息。

*相片內容版權©Diverchannel.com所有,不可轉載。

想看更多相片及資料,請到www.diverchannel.com零七年四月號看足本吧!