Scientists in Australia have discovered that vinegar kills Crown-of-Thorns Starfish just as effectively as the current drug, which can be expensive and difficult to source.

Outbreaks of the venomous Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) pose one of the most significant threats to the Great Barrier Reef.

Researcher Lisa Boström-Einarsson said vinegar had been tried unsuccessfully before, but James Cook University scientists refined the process which resulted in a 100% kill rate.

Ms Boström-Einarsson said the findings were exciting. “Currently divers use 10 or 12 ml of ox-bile to kill each Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS). It’s expensive, requires permits and has to be mixed to the right concentration. We used 20 ml of vinegar, which is half the price and can be bought off the shelf at any local supermarket.”

Shipwrecks are magnetic to divers. Mysterious, poignant and sometimes haunting, sunken ships have compelled humankind since we first figured out a way to breathe underwater. There’s something seductive about the hidden treasures they harbor in their rusty bellies, and some of the world’s most popular dive destinations owe their fame to wrecks.
From the historic warships of Chuuk Lagoon, Palau, Bikini Atoll and the Scapa Flow to the man-made attractions of the Florida Keys, New Zealand, Grand Cayman and Australia, the draw of artificial reefs is global. But sunken ships pose unique challenges to divers, including the potential for entanglement in fishing line, laceration by sharp metal or becoming lost deep in their bowels. Specific training and equipment are prudent when attempting any wreck dive, and there’s no quick and easy substitute for experience.

Before purchasing a wetsuit be familiar with the materials and designs utilized in making wetsuits, and figure out what kind of diving you do.

How a wetsuit works

Wetsuits are made of neoprene rubber, a closed-cell foam that traps millions of tiny gas bubbles within its structure. Unlike open-cell foam (i.e., a sponge), water won’t saturate neoprene, but the gas bubbles tend to give the material a lot of inherent buoyancy. When you put on awetsuit, your 98.6-degree body temperature warms the gas bubbles in the neoprene, which act as insulation. This, combined with a snug ft, minimizes the amount of water that enters the suit and keeps body heat from escaping.

You live to dive because you enjoy the beauty and mystery of the underwater world. You love being able to see nature's intriguing marine life up close and personal. Having a job and the financial rewards it brings lets you enjoy the good things in life like scuba diving. Have you ever thought about combining the two? Diving and earning a living doing it. This article will show you how easy getting started on that path is.

For decades, Ocean Corporation has been teaching commercial diving skills to the most passionate of divers, enabling them to become the Ultimate Diver. These divers are an elite group. Their underwater office is deeper than most recreational divers ever venture and is both a challenging and rewarding work environment. They perform construction, inspection, repairs and salvage on the world’s underwater infrastructure, and their missions include working in inland, open-water and offshore dive operations.

What is Ultimate Diver Training

• air diving
• mixed-gas and saturation diving
• open water diving
• deep water diving
• contaminated environment diving
• underwater nondestructive testing
• operating remote vehicles
• the use of decompression chambers
• underwater welding
• rigging
• offshore safety and survival skills
• first aid

How to make it happen

The life of a commercial diver can be challenging. But it is very rewarding. Would you have what it takes to join their ranks? Think you can become the Ultimate Diver? If so, the Ultimate Diver Training program can provide you with the knowledge and skill set to be the best of the best - a commercial diver. And Ocean Corporation is the school that can mold you into one.