Friday, May 14, 2010

River MONSTERS














There are 2 new documentaries being shown in NatGeo and Discovery Channel about gigantic river fish that inhabit the rivers of the world. When you say large fish this is normally associated with Saltwater monsters like Marlin, Tuna and Shark. These documentaries claim that in large rivers lurk monster size fish that are capable man-eaters. Dr Jeremy Wade who hosts River Monsters, investigates cases worldwide of people being eaten by monster river fish. From the Alligator Gar in Texas, the Goonch in India, Mekong Giant Catfish and even Bull Sharks upriver, it is amazing to see fish this size inhabiting local rivers. Dr. Zeb Hogan of National Geographic goes around the world to survey and study these little known river giants."Many of the places I hope to explore have been virtually untouched by scientific study," Hogan notes. "It's a real chance to make discoveries about local biodiversity, compare the ecology of different river systems, provide new observations on animal behavior, and perhaps even discover new species."The world's biggest freshwater fish, many of which weigh more than 200 pounds (90 kilograms), face the biggest threats. That's why Hogan is undertaking a global survey of giant freshwater fish.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Raja Ampat - The Four Kings


The realm of the Four Kings remains untouched in a small corner of Papua New Guinea. Those who visit the kingdom of the Four Kings are mesmerized by its beauty and majesty. This group of islands near the northwestern tip of Papua New Guinea's Bird's Head Seascape lies in the heart of the famed Coral Triangle, which has been proclaimed by scientists as the most bio-diverse on the earth.

According to the Conservation International Rapid Assessment Bulletin, the marine life diversity for scuba diving in Irian Jaya is considerably greater than all other areas sampled in the coral triangle of Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea – the cream of the cream in world diving. Over 1,200 fish species – a world record 284 on one single dive at Kofiau Island, the benchmark figure for an excellent dive site of 200 fish species surpassed on 51% of Raja Ampat dives (another world record), 600 coral species , 699 mollusc species – again another world high. The term “Frontier Diving” seems to have been invented for Raja Ampat in Irian Jaya. The best way to traverse this beautiful area is by Diving Liveaboards where you can stay from 7 days up to 2 weeks for transition trips.