Incredible PIRATE TREASURE Discovered in Jamaica

22/03/2014

Montego Bay| A team of american treasure hunters searching the jamaican waters for ancient shipwrecks, has uncovered the greatest stash of precious metals even found in the modern era. The amazing hoard, certainly linked to a group of pirates operating in the area in the 17th century, was discovered in the remains of a badly damaged English ship named The Manticore,  near the limit of jamaican national waters.

“It was just the most amazing experience” explains Rick Miller, one of the divers who found the treasure. “We were swimming around this old, completely rotten, English sloop. We saw something shine in there and decided to have a look. There was gold and silver everywhere! A treasure like the ones I had always dreamed of… I coudn’t believe it!”


Considering the weight of the precious metals alone, the treasure  is evaluated to an incredible 187 million american dollars, making it the most valuable hoard ever discovered. Many semi-precious and precious stones like amethyst, opal and jade were also present in great quantities, and have been recovered. The total value could possibly reach 500 million dollars if sold at auction.

Miami Treasure Co., the american contractor who made the discovery, finds itself obligated to pay 8% of the value of the discovery to the Kingston government, but the profit of the operation should remain very important. A formal evaluation of the hoard should be completed in the next weeks by the famous british auction house, Christie’s, to determine the actual value of the discovery.

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Melentur Buluh Biar Dari Rebungnya !!!

Hari ini Admin Sifu Scuba mahu berkongsi tentang Emergency First Response - Primary & Secondary Care. Instructor Miee sedang mengajar seorang student nya di dalam kelas, rupa-rupanya ada lagiseorang budak perempuan bernama Aida duduk di barisan hadapan dengan penuh minat melihat video dan cara-cara melakukan CPR kepada studentnya. Apabila tiba waktu rehat, kelihatan Aida sedang cuba mempraktikan apa yang dilihat nya tadi.

Sebenarnya Course Emergency First Response - Primary & Secondary Care kita boleh katakan ianya penting, bukan hanya untuk anda bergelar Rescue Diver malah ilmu ini kita akan kita gunakan dalam harian kehidupan kita. Jika anda tidak belajar kursus ini, tahukan anda untuk melakukan CPR? katakan anda sedang berkonvoi motosikal dan terjadi kemalangan, adakah anda tahu apa yang sepatutnya anda lakukan? Kesedaran kita tentang ini amat kurang lagi, pasti anda pernah melihat orang beramai-ramai mengangkat mangsa kemalangan tanpa melakukan sebarang pemeriksaan, betul tak? 

Kursus ini bukan saja untuk menjadi diver, malah semua warga patut mengambil kursus ini. Kemalangan berlaku tiada tanda, tiada bau, jadi kita perlu bersedia. 

Fikir-fikirkan lah!!! Berminat mengikuti kursus Emergency First Response hubungi Admin Sifu Scuba.

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GAMAT Mampu bertelur satu juta !!!

25/03/2014

Terfikirkah anda bagaimana bentuk ‘kandang’ gamat. Adakah fungsinya sama dengan kandang yang terdapat di darat atau pun ia lebih unik?

Persoalan itu sering berlegar-legar di fikiran penulis ketika mengikuti lawatan Jabatan Perikanan ke Kampung Teluk Yu, Langkawi, Kedah.

Tapi, mengapa gamat memerlukan kandang kerana ia bukan hidup di darat sebaliknya sejenis haiwan laut.

Hakikatnya, kandang itu ialah plot-plot khas menempatkan induk gamat bagi pembenihan dan penternakan.

DARI kiri, Ketua Cawangan Pelaburan Perikanan Dr Marzuki Hashim, Ismail, Pegawai Penyelidik Gamat Zainuddin Illias (baju kolar merah) dan komuniti nelayan Teluk Yu (dari kanan) Pengarah Perikanan Kedah Teow Sioe Wan dan Ketua Daerah Perikanan Langkawi Badli Hassan.

Ia antara projek komuniti bersama persatuan nelayan untuk mengumpul induk gamat di perairan Langkawi.

Sejak dijalankan setahun lalu, ia mengumpulkan lebih 120 induk seberat 250 gram ke atas dan dilepaskan di plot berkeluasan 0.5 hektar.

Jika dulu, pusat pembenihan gamat banyak ditumpukan di Pusat Pembenihan Ikan Marin di Pulau Sayak, Kedah, kini fokus terarah di Kampung Teluk Yu.

Ia bertujuan menampung keperluan bekalan gamat kepada penternak haiwan itu bagi keperluan jangka panjang.

INDUK gamat liar yang baru ditangkap.

Kejayaan Jabatan Perikanan menjalankan penyelidikan dan penternakan gamat atau nama saintifiknya Holothuria scarba membuka dimensi baru dalam landskap akuakultur negara.

Kajian mendapati permintaan pasaran gamat dunia mencecah kepada RM15 bilion setahun. Pasaran besar itu memberi peluang kepada penternak berminat untuk mengusahakannya secara komersial.


Timbalan Ketua Pengarah (Pembangunan) Perikanan, Ismail Abu Hassan berkata, kajian serta penyelidikan untuk mengeluarkan benih gamat menghasilkan benih mencukupi.

Beliau berkata, penyelidikan di Pusat Pembenihan Ikan Marin di Pulau Sayak itu akan dikembangkan ke kawasan ternakan di Pulau Langkawi.

“Beberapa kawasan dikenal pasti sebagai kawasan berpotensi untuk ternakan gamat iaitu Teluk Yu, Pulau Tuba, Kuala Temoyong dan Pantai Chenang,” katanya.

Katanya, kawasan itu terlindung daripada arus deras dan angin kencang serta dasarnya berpasir bercampur lumpur.

“Malah, di sini juga akan dibina hatceri untuk pengeluaran benih gamat,” katanya.

Katanya, lebih 1200 spesies gamat ada di dunia, tetapi hanya dua jenis mendapat sambutan dan dikomersialkan iaitu gamat putih dan gamat emas (Stichopus horrens).

Gamat putih boleh dimakan sebagai perencah makanan laut, manakala gamat emas untuk perubatan atau minyak.

Gamat putih banyak terdapat di perairan Langkawi.

“Gamat seberat 250 gram amat sesuai untuk dijadikan induk bagi pembiakan,” katanya.

Lazimya benih gamat liar yang diasuh daripada kecil akan mengambil masa selama satu setengah hingga dua tahun untuk matang.

Terdapat dua kaedah pembiakan iaitu secara seksual dan aseksual.

Kaedah pembiakan gamat tidak memerlukan suntikan hormon sebagaimana ikan untuk merangsang pembiakan, malah ia berlaku secara semula jadi.

“Induk jantan akan mengeluarkan sperma dan pengeluaran telur oleh induk betina,” katanya.

Kajian mendapati, seekor induk betina mampu mengeluarkan sejuta telur setiap pusingan.

Telur yang berjaya menjalani persenyawaan yang sempurna akan menetas dalam tempoh 24 jam.

Menurutnya, pada hari pertama menetas ia akan dibekalkan Diatom Chactoceras sebagai makanan.

“Pemberian makanan dua hingga tiga kali sehari kepada Larvae yang baru menetas ini dilakukan sehingga ia berumur dua bulan sebelum dilepaskan ke sangkar ternakan di laut.

“Ternakan gamat boleh dilakukan dengan kaedah ‘pan-culture’ atau kandang atau jaring ‘polythelin’ yang lebih ekonomik dan efisien.

“Sangkar jaring bersaiz 50 meter itu mampu memuatkan 5,000 benih gamat berusia empat hingga enam bulan.

“Lazimnya, ia mengambil masa lapan hingga setahun untuk membesar,” katanya.
Pemprosesan gamat perlu menjalani beberapa peringkat.

Gamat yang bersaiz 250 gram akan ditangkap, dibuang perutnya dan direndam dalam larutan bergaram.

“Selepas direbus, sekali lagi ia dipilih mengikut gred dan saiz sebelum dikeringkan,” katanya.

Gamat kering katanya mendapat sambutan baik di pasaran dan mampu mencecah sehingga RM350 sekilogram.

“Ia mendapat permintaan tinggi di China, Amerika, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapura, Dubai dan beberapa negara Arab.

“Ia dikatakan mempunyai nilai tambah yang tinggi untuk penjagaan kesihatan,” katanya.


Menyedari potensinya, Jabatan Perikanan berusaha mewujudkan ladang ternakan gamat pertama di Langkawi dengan penyertaan seramai 462 peserta.

Namun, buat permulaan hanya 10 peserta dipilih untuk menternak spesies itu membabitkan kawasan seluas 10 hektar di Pulau Yu.

Katanya, jabatan turut memperkenalkan konsep ternakan usaha sama tiga penjuru dengan melantik syarikat peneraju, kumpulan Komuniti Pengurusan Ekosistem Perikanan (KPeP).

Jabatan mensasar pengeluaran 500,000 benih setiap pusingan jika semua kemudahan prasarana berjalan lancar.

“Setiap penternak akan diberikan empat kandang ternakan seluas satu hektar dengan kadar pelepasan benih 5,000 ekor tiap satu kandang.

Penuaian hasil mula dilakukan berperingkat mengikut kematangan dan saiz. Ia akan dilakukan secara berperingkat setiap tiga bulan.

“Sebelum tempoh penuaian hasil, syarikat peneraju akan membayar elaun pendahuluan bulanan kepada penternak terbabit.

“Jabatan optimis peserta mampu memperoleh pendapatan bulanan melebihi RM3,000 seorang,” katanya.

Eksport gamat negara hanya sekitar 400 tan metrik bernilai RM140,000 setahun berbanding permintaan pasaran bernilai RM15 bilion.

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Mass slaughter of turtles

March 23, 2014

Kota Kinabalu: A horrified Universiti Sabah Malaysia (UMS) researcher-lecturer last week stumbled upon a mass "killing field" of protected sea turtles on Pulau Tiga located at the northern side of Balambangan-Banggi channel, north of Kudat and about two hours by speed boat from Karakit, the main town on Banggi Island.
"I saw 60 or more carcasses of sea turtles strewn at two sites and hidden under trees at the north eastern tip of Pulau Tiga - ironically one of the islands included in the proposed million-acre Tun Mustapha Marine Park and a premier Coral Triangle site," Dr James Alin said.

"Stench from the carcasses was overwhelming, leftover flesh and discarded internal organs were decomposing," Dr James told Daily Express.

"The carapace, plastron, head and four flippers were still intact in some of the carcasses but no more rotten flesh. Most carapaces scattered at the sites had their scutes (bony external scales) removed," he said.

"The islanders claim having alerted the authorities and circulated stories about sea turtle poaching for years but these were dismissed as rumors.

What I saw struck me like a thunderbolt as a long running truth," Dr James said.


"Here I was, at a killing field of sea turtles, feeling sad for the slaughtered turtles and disappointed with myself for not having the skill to perform a necropsy to identify the species," lamented Dr James of UMS School of Business.

"Next to the site stood an abandoned make-shift shelter or a lookout hut made of corrugated zinc and wooden planks big enough for five adults to sleep, plus some traces of fire but no plastic wraps," he said.

Dr James said he received a tip off in January from a fishing tawkeh in Kudat about the movement of sea turtle hunters in and out of the Balambangan-Banggi Channel.

"The informant told me that during certain seasons, the poachers would be hunting turtles day and night and the last time his fishing crew of Bugis from Sulawesi saw the hunters was December 2013.

"Five to six of them were camping at different locations in Pulau Tiga, live sea turtles were brought to Balambangan where they would be kept inside a pen or fish cages ," the informants reported.

Once the volume of live turtles builds up, they would translocate these caged turtles live across the border of Balabac Strait.

But one a while, they also slaughter sea turtles for meat and hide it inside ice boxes and transport them across the Balabac Strait where they sell them to fishing vessels from Mainland China and Vietnam, Dr James said.

The wholesale price of fresh turtle meat is RM300 per kg but only RM100 for dried meat while an adult live turtle can be sold at RM2,000 whereas juvenile turtles can fetch RM1,300, Dr James said.

The poachers are said to comprise foreigners from Mangsee island in Philippines and locals from Manabuan and Dogotan islands within the Banggi region. "The tawkeh claimed that one of his friend actually alerted the Maritime Enforcement Agency," Dr James said.


Citing an interesting incident, he said in November 2013, two Malaysians, Ku Vui Hjung and Rahman bin Abdul Rahman, both from Kudat, were arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Marine Group in Mangsee island allegedly in possession of 10,000 turtle eggs, two sacks of dried sea turtle meat and three sacks of dried giant clams.

The two suspects were brought under the custody of Special Boat Unit in Puerto Princessa City which filed charges against them for violating Section 27(1) of Republic Act 9147 (The Wildlife Act).

In December 2013, PNP Marine Group were conducting operations in the waters of Balabac when they noticed foreign vessels and arrested 13 Vietnamese for illegally entering Philippines Waters and poaching protected marine species.

Dr James said on board the Vietnamese fishing vessels were the remains of 300 dead sea turtles!

In November 2912, the PNP found and rescued 123 live sea turtles of various species hidden in three submerged cages inside a mangrove swamp in Balabac Island. Six turtles died, no arrests were made and the surviving turtles released in marine species sanctuary Roughton Island, Dr James said.

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SOS SAVE OUR SEAHORSES

Seagrass meadow in danger

WE are concerned over the report on “Country Garden, KPRJ plan massive reclamation development for luxury homes”.

The approval of this plan means that Malaysia’s largest intertidal seagrass meadow measuring 1.8km in length covering over 38ha will be permanently buried.

The project has since begun with sand barges dumping sand while the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) has yet to be made available to the public.

Being the largest seagrass ecosystem in the country, it harbours a unique biodiversity and the densest seahorse population in the country comprising two species, and is a rich nursery ground for seafood resources.

The seahorses are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, thus destroying their habitat will add further impact to their plight and conservation status.

On top of being the home of various marine organisms and an important nursery ground for commercially important food fishes and marine invertebrates, the seagrass meadows also serve to prevent soil erosion, and act as a carbon sink and wave buffer zone (dissipating wave energy which can cause damage to coastal infrastructures).

Local fishermen depend heavily on the seagrass meadow to support their livelihood. Removal of this unique area will have an adverse impact on the environment as well as those who depend on it.

We urge for the reconsideration of the massive reclamation project for the sake of the great diversity of marine life, livelihood of the locals and survival of the Meram­bong seagrass meadow, Malaysia’s largest intertidal seagrass treasure.

SAVE OUR SEAHORSES (SOS) MALAYSIA

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AMARAN angin kencang, laut bergelora sehingga Khamis

23/03/2014

KUALA LUMPUR 23 Mac - Angin kencang dan laut bergelora (kategori pertama) di kawasan perairan Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Bintulu, Mukah dan Rejang di Sarawak diramal berterusan sehingga Khamis ini (27 Mac).

Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia dalam kenyataan hari ini berkata, keadaan angin dengan kelajuan 40 hingga 50 kilometer sejam (kmsj) dan ombak mencapai ketinggian 3.5 meter itu berbahaya kepada bot kecil, rekreasi dan sukan laut.

Menurut kenyataan itu, angin kencang dan laut bergelora turut diramalkan di kawasan perairan Tioman, Reef South dan Samui.

Angin kencang dan laut bergelora kategori kedua yang berlaku di kawasan Sabah (Pantai Barat, Kudat dan Sandakan), Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan, Sarawak (Miri) Layang-layang, Sulu dan Palawan dijangka berterusan sehingga Khamis ini.


Keadaan itu menyebabkan angin kencang antara 50 hingga 60 kmsj serta ombak setinggi 4.5 meter dan berbahaya kepada aktiviti perkapalan dan pantai termasuk menangkap ikan dan perkhidmatan feri.

Kenyataan itu turut menyebut amaran ribut petir di kawasan Perak dan Selat Melaka Utara dijangka berterusan sehingga lewat pagi ini.

Jabatan itu menyatakan keadaan itu menyebabkan angin kencang sehingga 50 kmsj dan laut bergelora dengan ombak setinggi 3.5 meter.

Keadaan itu berbahaya kepada bot kecil. - BERNAMA

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THIS MUST STOP - PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING AROUND THE WORLD

This is hypocrisy of the West in its foulest form. The media is full of reports on the Japanese whaling crime. But what the people of the Faroe Islands are doing here is more atrocious, more abominable, and more abhorable. Yet, nothing has been reported in any media of this heinous crime against helpless creatures.

Please pass this on.

Please keep this mail going around the world…

Please send this on, this is serious cruelty.

The pictures and captions below are extracted from a friend’s email.

The sea is stained in red and it is not because of the climate effects of nature. It’s because of the cruelty of civilised human beings who kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent Calderon dolphins.
This happens every year in the Faroe Islands. In this slaughter the main participants are young teens.

WHY?

A celebration, to show that they are adults and mature!

In this big celebration, everyone is participating in one way or another, killing or looking at the cruelty, supporting as a spectator.

Is it necessary to mention that the Calderon dolphin, like all other species of dolphins, is near extinction. These gentle dolphins even go near humans to play and interact, for PURE friendship

The dolphins don’t die instantly; instead they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with sharp, thick hooks. And at that time the dolphins produce a grim cry like that of a new born child. There’s no compassion while this magnificent creature slowly dies in its own blood.

It’s enough!

Please share this and send it around the world so that many more people will know about these shameful acts.

Take care of the world, it is your home!

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS!!!!

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO STAND UP AGAINST THIS CRUELTY.

IT TAKES 5 SECONDS TO SHARE

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2 HUGE UNDERWATER CITIES FOUND IN INDIA

Lost city 'could rewrite history'
By BBC News Online's Tom Housden

The remains of what has been described as a huge lost city may force historians and archaeologists to radically reconsider their view of ancient human history.

Marine scientists say archaeological remains discovered 36 meters (120 feet) underwater in the Gulf of Cambay off the western coast of India could be over 9,000 years old.

The vast city - which is five miles long and two miles wide - is believed to predate the oldest known remains in the subcontinent by more than 5,000 years.

The site was discovered by chance last year by oceanographers from India's National Institute of Ocean Technology conducting a survey of pollution.

Using sidescan sonar - which sends a beam of sound waves down to the bottom of the ocean they identified huge geometrical structures at a depth of 120ft.

Debris recovered from the site - including construction material, pottery, sections of walls, beads, sculpture and human bones and teeth has been carbon dated and found to be nearly 9,500 years old.

Lost civilization 

The city is believed to be even older than the ancient Harappan civilization, which dates back around 4,000 years.

Marine archaeologists have used a technique known as sub-bottom profiling to show that the buildings remains stand on enormous foundations.

Author and film-maker Graham Hancock - who has written extensively on the uncovering of ancient civilizations - told BBC News Online that the evidence was compelling:

"The [oceanographers] found that they were dealing with two large blocks of apparently man made structures.

"Cities on this scale are not known in the archaeological record until roughly 4,500 years ago when the first big cities begin to appear in Mesopotamia.

"Nothing else on the scale of the underwater cities of Cambay is known. The first cities of the historical period are as far away from these cities as we are today from the pyramids of Egypt," he said.

Chronological problem 

This, Mr Hancock told BBC News Online, could have massive repercussions for our view of the ancient world.

"There's a huge chronological problem in this discovery. It means that the whole model of the origins of civilization with which archaeologists have been working will have to be remade from scratch," he said.

However, archaeologist Justin Morris from the British Museum said more work would need to be undertaken before the site could be categorically said to belong to a 9,000 year old civilization.

"Culturally speaking, in that part of the world there were no civilizations prior to about 2,500 BC. What's happening before then mainly consisted of small, village settlements," he told BBC News Online.

Dr Morris added that artifacts from the site would need to be very carefully analyzed, and pointed out that the C14 carbon dating process is not without its error margins.

It is believed that the area was submerged as ice caps melted at the end of the last ice age 9-10,000 years ago

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Cleopatra's Palace in Alexandria (Egypt)

Off the shores of Alexandria, the city of Alexander the Great, lies what is believed to be the ruins of the royal quarters of Cleopatra. A team of marine archaeologists led by Frenchman Franck Goddio made excavation on this ancient city from where Cleopatra, the last queen of the Ptolemies, ruled Egypt. Historians believe this site was submerged by earthquakes and tidal waves more than 1,600 years ago.

The excavations concentrated on the submerged island of Antirhodus. Cleopatra is said to have had a palace there. Other discoveries include a well-preserved shipwreck and red granite columns with Greek inscriptions. There were also founded two statues which were lifted out of the harbor. One was a priest of the goddess Isis; the other a sphinx whose face is said to represent Cleopatra's father, King Ptolemy XII. The artifacts were returned to their silent, because the Egyptian Government says it wants to leave most of them in place to create an underwater museum

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Ancient Japanese Underwater Pyramids

The island of Yonaguni, near Okinawa, Japan has long been a favorite diving spot for swimmers try to get a glance of the numerous hammerhead sharks that swim there. However, in 1995 underwater explorer Kihachirou Aratake found a very large, strange structure under the water. Lying about 60 feet deep, the structure appeared to be man-made. Large steps could be seen, blocks of rock cut at right angles and smoothed. The discovery would send shock waves through the archaeological world.

Japan's Underwater Pyramids or Ruins as they have become to be known are a mystery. In all, around eight sites have been discovered. There are certain features that are very hard to dismiss as natural occurrences. Such as a large, semi-circular structure that almost looks like a park bench. Then there is a large head which appears to have hair and a head dress carved into it. There are also numerous round holes carved into the rock, including some that look as though they were made to support large wooden poles. Again, these are just hard to dismiss, including this head with eyes carved out of it. As stated, the structures are lying on the seabed, around 60 to 100 feet below the surface. The last time that these areas were not covered by the ocean was between approximately 8 to 12 thousand years ago, during the last ice age when much of the sea was caught up in the ice caps. At the time Yonaguni formed a landbridge with Taiwan, leading many to speculate that the area is part of the lost continent of Mu, or Lemuria.

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Aku&Laut::: Dive Pulau Weh 2

Bangun Pagi, Gosok Gigi, Ambil Wuduk, Solat dulu, tunaikan yang wajib dulu dan baru lah syok untuk kita meneruskan aktiviti diving untuk hari ini. Sarapan juga disediakan oleh DM merangkap Chef untuk trip ini, jangan tanya makan apa sebab dah tak ingat sarapan apa pagi tu hehehehe.

Semua dah sedia, Van pun dah sedia untuk membawa kami ke Jeti. Apa lagi jommm kita menyelammmm.

Peta Pulau Weh dan Dive Site

Semua sudah bersedia dan tidak sabar untuk melakukan dive yang pertama. Antara Diver yang menyertai trip kali ini.

Surface Interval, minum dan rehat dulu. Jom pekena kopi di "Mum Cafe" dan sambil itu kita dapat melihat bahan-bahan yang telah tersedia untuk dijadikan tukun tiruan.  

Jom kita bongkar isi laut Pulau Weh ini, di bawah adalah antara gambar edisi membongkar dasar lautnya, terima kasih kepada Kaz dan Gordon di atas gambar-gambar dasar laut Pulau Weh 

Tiada apa lagi yang mengembirakan divers selain dari dapat menyelam, explore dasarnya dan menikmati permandangan yang indah di dasarnya. Boleh dikatakan semua diver yang diving di hari pertama ini amat berpuas hati dengan semua dive yang di lakukan hari ini.

Semua dah enjoy dan agak penat, masa untuk pulang ke darat dan berehat, kita cas battery camera dan paling penting battery diri sendiri.

Ikuti sambungan Dive di Pulau Weh di hari-hari berikutnya dalam Aku&Laut::: Dive Pulau Weh 3

Artikel Berkaitan

Aku&Laut::: Dive Pulau Weh 1

Aku&Laut::: Dive Pulau Weh 2

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