Living in a Fish Bowl

World Record Diving Malta took on a Finathon Challenge this November in order to raise funds for Project Aware, a non profit organisation dedicated to saving our oceans. The Finathon Malta Challenge for 2015 saw WRDMalta team member Sean McGahern stay submerged in a tank with sharks, rays and other species over a number of days in order to raise awareness about shark conservation and to try and change people’s misconception about sharks, who are in fact a misunderstood species. The event took place at the Malta National Aquarium in Tank number 15.

During the months building up to the Finathon Challenge, Sean and the team organised a number of overnight training dives in order to become comfortable with the set up, familiar with the species inside the tank and to see how these would actually react to having Sean present inside their home. Once confident, the Finathon Challenge was confirmed both by World Record Diving Malta as well as by the Malta National Aquarium and the date was set for the 4^th of November.

The morning of the event the team arrived at the Aquarium bright and early to start setting up. The WRDMalta team, assisted by the Adventure Diving Malta & Malta National Aquarium team were present on standby throughout this event in order to assist and constantly monitor Sean during his progress. All the equipment such as cylinders, spare regulators, safety diver kit, oxygen tank etc were set up whilst Sean was assisted to slip into his O’Three undersuit and O’Three drysuit (sponsored by O’Three Drysuits Ltd, UK). Before zipping up, one quick break downstairs to the tank viewing window for a short interview and then, game time! At 9.45am Sean was assisted into his Diamond side-mount harness (sponsored by Dare to Dive) and dry-gloves whilst standing in the landing pool above the viewing window. Hood on, side mount cylinders in place, dive computers and mask ok, it was time for Sean to slide off the ledge, (where the zebra shark was waiting to welcome him) and make his descent down to the sand patch inside Tank 15. Aquarium visitors, staff members, team members and media personnel immediately greeted Sean from the viewing window. When asked how he felt once he was in the tank, Sean’s reply was ‘Now I know what a fish living in a bowl feels like’.

The operational side of the challenge ran from the area above Tank 15. Here, the Malta National Aquarium provided the team with bathrooms, a compressor room, a small office as well as a section dedicated to storing Sean’s back up equipment, Sean’s drinks, etc. The team was able to monitor Sean both from the viewing window downstairs as well as from the ‘office’ upstairs via the underwater CCTV system which was placed inside the tank and also streamed live online. Sean was able to communicate to the team using wet notes to write on (sponsored by Dare to Dive), which he used not only to advise the team on how he is feeling or what he requires, but also to ‘talk’ to the aquarium visitors and answer their questions. Support team communication to and from both the viewing station downstairs and upstairs was done via walkie talkies. Whenever Sean asked for something, example a drink, the support team member downstairs would radio up to the team member upstairs, who in turn would send down Sean’s requested item using a weighted net bag, a system that worked rather smoothly.

The event ran over 5 days during the operational hours of the Malta National Aquarium (10am to 6pm). Although the original intention was to spend 24/7 inside the tank with the possibility of setting a new world record for the longest scuba dive in a controlled environment, this idea was soon put to one side due to the fact that Sean did encounter a few problems at the start of the dive and did need to surface, not to mention also the fact that the black tip sharks were refusing to eat with Sean inside the tank.

Although having a slight fear of sharks himself, as well as not so comfortable with the size of the 5 eels inside the tank, Sean soon bonded with these species and did in fact even snuggle up with some of them at times. Surprisingly enough, the species to show the most “aggression” towards Sean, were the French Angelfish who seemed to be having a great time nipping at Sean’s mask and hood, puncturing holes in his suit and at one point even biting a chunk out of his upper lip. His reaction was rather amusing to the spectators to say the least, especially since the French Angelfish did draw blood which made Sean slightly paranoid, being in a tank with sharks. However, we are proud to say that the sharks had absolutely no reaction to this and continued to happily swim along, pretty much ignoring Sean.

To pass the time, Sean answered questions directed at him by the aquarium visitors, played OXO on the tank window with kids as well as charades and other games. Moreover, on day 3, Sean came to realise that there were a number of shark teeth buried in the sand beneath him, following which Sean spent quite a few hours a day on a treasure hunt, collecting different shapes and sizes of teeth from the various species within the tank. These have now been passed on to Greg Nowell from Sharklab-Malta to determine which tooth belongs to which species . These will hopefully soon be available on display at the Malta National Aquarium.

Sharklab-Malta worked closely with WRDMalta on this event and organised various awareness activities regarding the various types of shark species and discussing the work that they do around the Maltese islands. Project Aware also featured with a number of educational videos about how we can help protect our oceans shown throughout the event . To date, WRDMalta & Finathon Malta have managed to raise €600.00 through this event which was donated directly to www.finathon.org/Finathon-Malta. This page will continue to run until the end of month and we do encourage you to keep on donating to help protect vanishing shark species!

When asking Sean how he felt about the outcome of the challenge his reply was: “I had such a great time interacting with the public, seeing their faces light up once they realised that I was in fact a real diver and not just a dummy, and watching the kids, (j)awestruck by what they were seeing was absolutely fantastic. Communication was obviously limited being inside a tank but I am pretty sure that I interacted with quite a variety of different nationalities which is great – people will go back to their countries and mention Finathon Malta and what the challenge was all about and in turn further raise awareness about shark conservation. Needless to say, watching the teams’ (WRDMalta, Adventure Diving Malta, Sharklab-Malta as well as the team from the aquarium) attempt to keep me amused was rather entertaining in itself – so definitely a big thank you goes out to all those who were involved!! The feedback from the public about my Finathon Challenge has been tremendous. Do I feel like I have accomplished something? Definitely! Will I do it again? Time will tell J.

Everyone at WRDMalta is thrilled to have helped raise funds for Project Aware whilst educating people about the vanishing shark species and raising awareness about shark finning, by catch and overfishing and promoting shark conservation both to children and adults alike. We would like to say a massive thank you to the Malta National Aquarium for their help and support throughout – without them this event would not have been possible. A huge shout out also goes to Sharklab-Malta and Project Aware for their constant hard work as well as to our main sponsors Adventure Diving Malta, O’Three Drysuits Ltd, Dare to Dive, Scuba Essentials Malta and Innobeam International for your kind help. Finally, thank you to all those who donated towards Finathon Malta 2015, whether via the donation link (www.finathon.org/Finathon-Malta, the donation box, the raffle or directly to a team member, you have all helped make a difference for sharks!

Show your support - Adopt a Shark!

World Record Diving Malta will be supported by Sharklab-Malta during our upcoming Finathon Challenge. Sharklab-Malta is a local NGO dedicated to research, education and raising awareness about all Elasmobranch around the Maltese islands. WRDMalta would like to promote Sharklab-Malta's 'Adopt a Shark' campaign. 

The sharks available for adoption have all been recovered as fertilised eggs from their mothers landed by fishermen at the main Maltese wholesale fish market. In the past these eggs were simply thrown into the waste bins, but now they have a chance to survive and with your support, Sharklab-Malta aim to support their development and release them back to where they belong. The two Oviparous (egg-laying) species which can be adopted are Smallerspotted Catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula) and Nursehounds (Scyliorhinus stellaris).

The “Adopt a Shark” campaign is part of the “Oviparous species Recovery and Release Program”, which is coordinated by Sharklab-Malta and supported by the Malta National Aquarium. This campaign is focussed on education and will also help to raise funds for the running of this campaign and to enable Sharklab-Malta to undertake further research.

So What Happens When You “Adopt a Shark”?

1. Upon receiving your completed adoption form and payment of €25, Sharklab-Malta will send you the adoption pack, which includes details of the recovery and release program and information about the species you have chosen to adopt.

2. After approximately 6 months you will receive a picture of the species you adopted and your very own shark eggcase, just like the one your shark will have hatched from!!

3. And finally you will be personally invited to witness the release of sharks back where they belong. 

Visit:
http://www.sharklab-malta.org/images/Sharklab/Sharklab/adopt-a-shark.pdf to adopt a shark today! Simply fill out the form and return it to Sharklab-Malta and be part of making a difference!

JAWSOME!

One of the main reasons why WRDMalta's Sean McGahern has chosen to spend a number of days inside the shark tank at the Malta National Aquarium is to try and change people's perception of sharks. 

Unfortunately, far too many people picture the pneumatically powered great white shark prop from the film 'JAWS' upon hearing the word 'Shark'. The film made the mistake of portraying great white sharks as vengeful predators, and this had a massive impact on people's perception of sharks in general. Even today, a very large percentage of mankind seem to be under the impression that all sharks are bloodthirsty man-eating machines and are afraid to even put their foot in the water. Sadly, the press and media make it difficult for many people to understand why sharks are worth saving, let alone why we should take measures to help protect the species.  

What mankind does not realize is that we have more of a chance of getting struct by lightening or being killed by a coconut than by a shark. Moreover, people don't realize the vast variety of shark species that there are out there and how harmless they all are to humans. 

During Sean's time in the tank, he will be greeted by black tip reef sharks and zebra sharks, amongst other marine species. So far, during training both species of shark have been completely uninterested in consuming Sean for dinner. Quite the contrary, Sean's presence has not bothered them in the slightest and they seemed pretty content to host him in their home - which is pretty damn jawsome in our opinion!!

Support Sean by donating at http://finathon.org/finathon-malta. For every $100 donated he will spend a day in the tank! 

New Challenge - 2015

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is to be understood”. This November, World Record Diving Malta’s very own Sean McGahern will be taking on a challenge by spending a target amount of hours engaging with the various species of sharks and rays found inside the exotic tank at the Malta National Aquarium. Species in this tank include black tip sharks, reef sharks, zebra sharks, horn sharks, as well as cownosed and honeycomb rays.   

The main scope behind this challenge is to raise funds and awareness to protect vulnerable shark and ray species whilst encouraging people to change their mentality towards sharks, who are in fact, a misunderstood species, endangered due to the threats that are a result of human activity.

Shark fishing is largely unregulated around the world. Overfishing, bycatch and shark finning kills thousands of sharks every day. Project AWARE has helped close loopholes in the EU finning ban and secure international trade protection for 8 of the world’s most vulnerable sharks and rays. They now continue to fight to enforce controls at global levels in order to ensure the survival of more species. World Record Diving Malta would like to join the fight and help by raising funds through this event and by taking on a Finathon Challenge. Donations may be made at: http://finathon.org/finathon-malta

Sharklab-Malta, a local NGO dedicated to research, education and raising awareness about all Elasmobranch around the Maltese island, have been working closely with the Malta National Aquarium over the last few years. Projects include the rescue of unborn shark egg cases, which are collected from the fish markets and taken to the Malta National AqVuarium where they are then kept under observation until hatched. After about 6 months, the shark pups are then released back into the sea where they belong. World Record Diving Malta would like to encourage all those interested in helping out to sign up for the ‘Adopt a Shark’ campaign by visiting http://www.sharklab-malta.org/ or http://www.aquarium.com.mt/ .

Sean is very much looking forward to being a temporary guest inside the sharks' and rays’ home and hopes to spend up to 8 days in the tank without breaking the surface at any time. This would set a new Guinness World Record for the longest dive in a controlled environment. Sean and the team would like to encourage all to come and visit the Aquarium during this event. For more information follow our page at httm://www.facebook.com/WorldRecordDivingMalta.

We would also like to thank the sponsors supporting this challenge as without them this event would not be possible. These include: Adventure Diving Malta, Dare To Dive, O’Three Dry Suits Ltd UK,  Scuba Essentials Malta, Seashell Beach Resort Malta, St John's Rescue Corpse Malta & Innobeam International,

For more information on the upcoming event and our sponsors kindly visit our blog at http://worldrecorddivingmalta.blogspot.com.mt/

Malta's Divesites: Bristol Beaufighter

Seventy years ago a Bristol Beaufighter aircraft took off from Malta, unfortunately she never returned! Now this wreck sits just off St Julian's and she is one of the most memorable and photogenic dive sites the island has to offer!  

The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, referred to as the Beau and nicknamed 'the ten gunned terror', was a British long-range heavy fighter. The name 'Beaufighter' is a portmanteau of 'Beaufort' and 'fighter'. In 1941, during the Second World War, a detachment operated from Malta. The aircraft proved so effective in the Mediterranean against shipping, aircraft and ground targets, that Coastal Command became the major use of the Beaufighter. The St Julian's wreck is that of Beaufighter 'N' of No 272 squadron. On March 17, 1943, she left Malta on an escort mission, but as soon as she took flight off the airfield, mechanical problems caused the aircraft to vibrate violently and the aircraft immediately began to lose altitude. The crew had to ditch the aircraft in the sea as close to the coastline as possible. 

Today, the aircraft lies upside down on a sandy bottom at a depth of 38 metres. Due to its position, this dive site is reached by boat. As divers descend, the wreck starts to come into view at a depth of about 12 to 17 metres, depending on the visibility. 

The wings and central fuselage are still intact, but most of the wreck is actually buried in the sand. The tall section of the fuselage is missing, probably broken off and scattered when the plane hit the water. Both undercarriage frames with shredded tyres now stick up from the wind position behind the engines. One of the propellers is intact and attached to the engine, which is also partly buried in the fine white sand. Due to the upside-down position at which the Beaufighter came to rest on the sea floor, the four 20mm cannon under the nose can still be seen. 

This is an excellent dive for the photographer. The often great visibility and the fine white sand makes for memorable photographs, while the Moray eels, octopus, nudibrach and bream that are permanent residents here also give the wreck a unique aura. Extra care has to be taken in planning this dive so as not to stir up the fine sand on the bottom in order to maintain good visibility.

MY OCEAN!

As scuba divers many of you may know how frustrating it may be to witness damage and harm being done to our oceans. How many times did you come across debris and litter during a dive? Did this upset you? Did it make you want to take action? Well now you can!

MyOcean is an online eco-network developed by Project AWARE to make it easier for us to all work together towards ocean protection. The network provides a platform where one can find events and activities taking place in his/her area. The global movement for ocean protection is people-powered and YOU can help make a difference!

The network is very user friendly and is a great way to get connected with other passionate scuba divers. Not only can you search for events taking place close by, but you can also start up action plans, create your own conservation events and even track and report data! You do not have to travel the world to help - just sign up at www.projectaware.org/welcome-my-ocean and get involved!

Create your own profile and help kick start solutions for the ocean today... and remember, even one person can make an impact!

Dive Against Debris - Let's Do It!

On the 9th of May 2015, World Record Diving Malta teamed up with Let's Do it Malta as part of the Let's Do it Mediterranean clean-up campaign. The vision of Let's Do it is to have a clean world, and to do so, the organisers encourage citizens in each country to take action, once a year, all together, and be part of their national clean-up, all in one day! ... and so, that is exactly what we did! 

With special thanks to Adventure Diving Malta, a clean up was organised at Qawra Bay which many of our team members attended. The event was also open to open water divers (& higher qualification) and we also had a lovely team on land support to help with the separation of waste collected.  

As one of WRDMalta's main goals is to promote marine conservation we decided to take the opportunity to record this data for Project AWARE's 'Dive Against Debris' Campaign. All of this data was recorded on the WRDMalta - MyOcean page at http://www.projectaware.org/debris-survey/qawra-bay-malta. 

Items collected varied from glass bottles, beer cans, jerry cans, wooden fragments, ceramics, cigarette buds, amongst many others. The team even retrieved a garage door from the sea bed! On average we have calculated that around 70kg of debris was collected during this dive. 

We would like to thank all those who participated in the event, both on land and underwater. We would also like to thank Adventure Diving for supplying the air and equipment for all the divers. Finally, we would like to congratulate Let's Do it Malta for their great initiative and enthusiasm - keep it up! We very much look forward to participating in next years clean up!