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Jared Hires, Lamar Hires, Rosemary E Lunn, Roz Lunn, XRay Mag, X-Ray Magazine
"Diving is everything to me. It is my livelihood and how I support my family, but it is also my escape and happy place" Jared Hires

Jared Hires Dies at Plura Cave

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK (nrk.no) first reported the diving incident:

An American citizen has been confirmed dead after a diving accident in the Plura Cave in Rana. Although a defibrillator was used after a short time, his life was not saved.

The following is a first-hand statement given to me by one of the divers involved with the fatal dive. They spoke to me on the evening of 4 April 2023. 

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Introducing the Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt

Given the scientific name Clavelina ossipandae, scientists discovered that it was a new species of sea squirt after divers posted images of it online. Naohiro Hasegawa, a researcher at Hokkaido University and co-author of the study that first described the species in the journal Species Diversity, told Reuters: “The white parts that look like bones are the blood vessels that run horizontally through the sea squirts’ gills. The black parts on the head that look like a panda’s eyes and nose are just a pattern, and we don’t really know why the pattern is there.” 

The steamship Portland sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1898. Portland lies upright on a mud bottom with its wooden hull nearly intact from the keel up to the main deck level. The vessel's entire superstructure is missing, with only the steam propulsion machinery protruding above deck level.

US Calls on Fishermen to Help Preserve Historic Wrecks

NOAA has called on fishermen to play a key role in preserving underwater historical treasures. To protect these maritime time capsules, NOAA has stressed the importance of avoiding fishing activities around known shipwreck sites

There are more than 200 wrecks in the sanctuary, according to NOAA, which specifically mentioned the World War II minesweeper USS Heroic, the trawler Josephine Marie and the 55ft North Star, along with eight unna

Hawaiian Triggerfish on Ningaloo Reef
Hawaiian Triggerfish on Ningaloo Reef

Coral Catastrophe on Ningaloo Reef

An ecological disaster

Furthermore, the abundance of healthy coral colonies experienced a sharp decline from 3,452 individuals in 2018 to just 153 in 2022. The abundance of coral genera also took a significant hit, falling by 84.61% from 26 genera in 2018 to just four in 2022. Dominant genera such as Acropora, Montipora and Echinopora were eradicated from the study sites.

The Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach is in danger of running nearly out of funds and may have to shut down programs that protect Southern California beachgoers.

Long Beach Shark Lab May Lose Funding

For years, the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, has been at the forefront of research, tracking shark movements and behaviour, which has been crucial for beach safety and conservation efforts. The loss of funding could severely hinder these vital studies, potentially impacting both ecological understanding and public welfare.