Page 6 - AlertDiver_Winter2013

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CONTENTSWINTER 2013
ON THE COVER:
Throngs of Adélie penguins
(Pygoscelis adeliae) rocketed past
the edge of the ice just under the
surface, trailing long bridal veils
of white bubbles in the cerulean
blue. They launched out of the
water in waves, accelerating past
any leopard seals that may have
been lurking, waiting for a meal.
More Adélies crowded together in
groups at the ice edge, pushing and
shoving until one of the penguins
finally took the plunge and led the
way. The Ross Sea, Antarctica, is
perhaps the most pristine part of
the global ocean, and life at the
edge of the ice is a performance.
But the fate of this last intact
ecosystem is now uncertain.
Photo by John B. Weller
4 | WINTER 2013
62 The Egyptian Red Sea
A European perspective for the
North American diver
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ALEX MUSTARD, PH.D.
Traveling divers appreciate the Caribbean’s
accessibility and the Coral Triangle’s
beauty, but there is another colorful,
seasonal and thoroughly world-class
destination that demands consideration.
Learn why the Red Sea’s reefs, wrecks and
diverse creatures merit a visit.
70 yap
Spoiled for choice in the
mantas’ realm
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ANDY SALLMON
AND ALLISON VITSKY SALLMON
For more than 25 years Yap has been
known as the place to go for mantas
— a reputation it certainly deserves.
But its iconic devilfish are just one of
many reasons to journey to this tiny
Micronesian jewel.
76 VOICES UNDER THE ICE
Songs of the Ross Sea
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JOHN B. WELLER
Called “the last ocean,” Antarctica’s
Ross Sea is one of the least-impacted
marine ecosystems in the world today. Its
charismatic inhabitants are adapted to a
breathtaking world of darkness and ice.
84 DAN RESEARCH
Safer diving through science
BY PETAR DENOBLE, M.D., D.SC.
Throughout its history DAN® has
conducted, facilitated and supported
studies to make diving safer and to
improve the care injured divers receive.
Learn about DAN’s role in past, present
and future dive medical research.
A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf surfaces to breathe near Tonga. Photo by Brandon Cole