Philippe Cousteau's Aquatic World

Check out these informative and fun videos.

Philippe Cousteau's Aquatic World

Vote to protect the Great Barrier Reef

Should the Australian Government protect the Great Barrier Reef and ban dumping in its World Heritage waters? You can help promote the protection of the reef. Vote now at YOUNESCO!

One of the world's longest fish is filmed in the Gulf of Mexico

Rare video was caught recently, possibly the first from remotely operated vehicles, of the illusive oarfish. The oarfish is one of the world's longest fish, reaching 6-8 meters in length, and could possibly be the star of sea serpent myths feared by ocean voyagers in history. This may be the first time the oarfish has been filmed alive and swimming with enough detail as to be identified. The oarfish is generally known only from dead or dying specimens that wash ashore.

Dr. Mark Benfield is the leader of the project called GulfSERPENT which filmed the oarfish in the Gulf of Mexico. The SERPENT project is an acronym for Scientific and Environmental ROV Partnership Using Existing Industrial Technology. It is a collaborative effort run by the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) between scientists and oil and gas industry companies which gives scientists access to industrial, deep sea infrastructure and technology.

The results of this project are published in the Journal of Fish Biology. All of the videos of the oarfish may be watched at the Wilely Online Library's links of supporting information for The Journal of Fish Biology. Click this link for the best video which runs for several minutes and contains the most detail of the fish toward the end.

Hand Holding with a Grey Seal

Ben Burville is a underwater wildlife cameraman in Northumberland, UK. He specialises in filming British marine life.

Ben recently filmed himself holding hands underwater with a grey seal. The front flippers of a seal can grasp much like a human hand, although it takes a lot of courage to be this close to a wild animal who could bite or scratch.

An amazing video!

You, too, can track a Great White Shark

Curious as to where a Great White Shark may be lurking? Well, now you can track a few Great Whites that have been tagged by the Marine Conservation Science Institute (MCSI) via a new smart phone app released on January 11, 2012, called Expedition White Shark. The app costs $3.99.

MCSI has attached satellite tags to the dorsal fins of some adult Great White Sharks which will allow anyone to follow the movements of these illusive creatures in real time. The only hitch is that the sharks have to be "finning" or cruising with their dorsal fins out of the water for a few minutes in order for the satellite to pick up the signals. MCSI says that sometimes this will result in mistakes in location, but they will correct these errors later.

The purpose of this app is to "impart interesting Great White Shark life history facts to those who dare to meet the challenges faced by a baby White Shark as it grows through the juvenile and sub-adult phases." Great White Shark encounters might also be prevented.

I played with the app for a few minutes and found the location of a 2,215 lb., 14.4' Great White Shark named Bite Face. In the "Meet Our Sharks" section, ol' Bite Face's picture reveals an expression that you definitely would not want to be close enough to see in person outside of a large boat or sturdy shark cage. Gulp! I'm hearing the song lyrics in my head, "He's a mean one, Mr. Grinch!"

You may also log into Facebook through the app and receive news from MCSI.

The only glitch I had with the app is that it kept telling me to check my internet connection, yet I was able to do everything in spite of that error message. I had to be on the network and am not sure why I was getting that message.

Happy Great White Shark tracking!

Shocking truth about plastics in our oceans

Every time I read about how much plastic has made its way into our oceans, I am heartbroken!

Go to the Rise Above Plastics website to learn more.

Update on the Restoration of Jacques Cousteau's Calypso

To update on the restoration of Jacques Cousteau's ship, Calypso, I found some information on Wikipedia:

"Restoration work on the Calypso stopped in February 2009 due to non-payment of bills by Francine Cousteau. Piriou Naval Services of Concarneau are owed €850,000, of the estimated total €1,737,000, for work already done on the ship. The ship is now stored in one of the ship builder's hangars.

"As of March 2009, the Cousteau Society reports that Francine Cousteau is now directing the restoration of Calypso—-which has been brought to the Piriou shipyards in Brittany—-as an "ambassador for the seas and oceans." The restoration will be a complete refurbishment making Calypso a self-powered mobile "ambassador."

"In June 2010, the BBC reported that the Calypso was to be relaunched to mark the centenary of Jacques Cousteau's birth. According to one of the ship's former crew who visited the shipyard, the vessel was still being stored in several pieces in the same hangar as of 11 June 2010--the official date of the centenary--and is unlikely to sail any time soon."

Looks as though the Calypso may never be restored unless someone gets a better grip on the project.