Few people think of sharks as intelligent and socially complex animals, but a recent Macquarie University study shows that even solitary sharks can learn by watching their neighbours. This article was originally published in The Lighthouse, Macquarie University’s online news platform. Far from being the mindless eating machines as often portrayed in popular media, new […]
The Australian Government has announced plans to establish two new ‘mega’ marine parks around Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. These will be the world’s next big marine parks of global significance, providing crucial protection to globally significant marine life in an area twice the size of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park – over 740,000 square […]
For many of us, Valerie Taylor is a living legend. A glamorous shark hunter in the 1950s, Valerie was a champion spear-fisher before a personal epiphany transformed her into a passionate marine conservationist
Last week Diveplanit joined forces with the Underwater Research Group of NSW to take part in the CEO Beach Clean-Up organised by Take 3 for the Sea. This unique event encourages CEOs, directors and business owners to take time out of their busy schedules to clean up their local community while fundraising to support our […]
This week I took part in a beach and underwater clean-up at one of my favourite local dive sites: Chowder Bay. This was a clean-up like no other, with support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Sydney Office and the Royal Thai Consulate in Sydney. Held at Clifton Gardens Reserve, on the foreshore of […]
As cephalopod lovers around the world celebrate the Oscar win for My Octopus Teacher, we thought it was worth taking a closer look at octopus’ behaviour. Many of us divers are certainly enamoured, watching these curious, intelligent creatures collect treasures, reach out for our cameras, and display generally quirky behaviour, but can they make friends? Marine […]
Coral reefs around the world, including our own beloved Great Barrier Reef, face a number of growing threats, the greatest of which is climate change. There are many things you can do at home to address climate change, and here are a few ways to directly help the Reef. There are a number of programs […]
What do we know about whale sharks? Very little. We know whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea, they eat plankton and travel the world. But little else. Marine scientists and tour operators are working to change this, with new information and discoveries emerging constantly about Rhincodon typus. Here are five of the […]
This year, 17 Great Barrier Reef tour operators are set to take to the water to help conserve and protect this natural wonder in a new conservation initiative, with funding in excess of $3.2 million from the Australian Government. The initiative will see operators take part in reef health and impact surveys, grow and out-plant […]
The Ribbon Reefs are a popular dive destination all year, but winter is when you can experience a Great Barrier Reef Dwarf Minke Whales encounter.
