We recently received great news about the Blue Heron Bridge. Douglas Kahle, the attorney and diver originally responsible for the Blue Heron Bridge petition, sent us the following update:

The Blue Heron Bridge Petition has been a success. County Commissioner Karen T. Marcus was extremely responsive and apparently sympathetic to the Petition and the cause; she performed magnificently in seeking protection for the marine creatures inhabiting the BHB area. As set forth in the attached letters, Rich Walesky, the Director of Environmental Resources Management, concluded that it is in fact a violation to remove marine creatures from the BHB area. Furthermore, Dennis Eshleman, Director of the County Parks and Recreation Department, is pursuing a submerged land lease with the state to provide additional protection. Finally, a sign will be placed at the area to inform the public that marine creatures cannot be removed from the area and the Park Rangers will be notified immediately.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Commissioner Marcus to thank her for her actions. Read full article for complete correspondence and contact information.

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Tony Wu has written a fifth installment to his weekly chronicles of Tonga humpback whales encounters and other experiences in the kingdom:

This past week has been one of the toughest I’ve had in Tonga for many years. The winds have been consistently strong. We’ve had rain, lightning, thunder and even hail. There have been several power outages. Swells and high seas have hit from every direction. All-in-all, not a prime week for whale watching.

Despite the hardship, we made it out on Friday, the last day of our friends’ stay in Vava’u. Luckily, we found a highly cooperative mom, baby and escort in a sheltered, calm area to end our week-long dry spell. Everyone got in for some quality time with the calf…in fact, the whales were chilled out and laid back, and the mom gave the baby complete freedom to play with us…

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Our friends at DivePhotoGuide sent their youngest editor, Matt Weiss, into the field for three months to research the underwater photography opportunities in Southeast Asia - the most bio-diverse marine ecosystems in the world. This is in no way a complete guide to Southeast Asia, but rather some recommended destinations to dive and shoot, with a focus primarily on macro species.

The first destination is widely traveled through by divers, but is often overlooked for the diving and rather used more as an international airport hub – Bali, Indonesia. Visit Part 1 and Part 2 of the series for the full story…

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Yap, Micronesia is one of the best places on the planet to photograph mandarinfish, which are best known for their sunset mating ritual: a coordinated flutter up into the water column culminating in a sudden release of sperm and eggs.

Last night, seven of us went out on the dusk dive here at Manta Ray Bay Resort in the hopes of seeing mandarinfish mating activity. Unfortunately, there was no mating to be seen, but dozens of mandarinfish presented us with ample opportunity to snap portraits. Neil Rosewarn nailed the shot of the night and returned to the resort with the perfect portrait of a perfect male mandarinfish on a black background…

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Two spaces have recently become available on the September 27 - October 4, 2008 chartered adventure with the Liquid Assets team in Turks & Caicos. The Liquid Assets crew will be filming their new dive television pilots and are offering guests the opportunity to witness how their favorite dive programs are filmed and even be part of the next generation of dive television.

Every diver that joins will receive free copy of the pilot, and Week 4 will feature a photo competition for guests aboard the Explorer II with winners receiving a cash prize and promotion through Wetpixel and LiquidAssets. Secure one of these last spaces now, or visit Liquid Assets for more information!

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