FiNS Magazine contributor Gunther Deichmann has just launched a new coffee table book entitled Journey Through Colour and Time at a gala event held at Le Souffle Restaurant in Manila.

The launch event was supported by sponsors like Apple and Epson, and the list of VIPs in attendance included former President of the Philippines H.E. Fidel Ramos, as well as ambassadors from Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Also joining the festivities was Dermot Keane from Sam’s Tours in Palau.

Check out photos of the event and sample pages from this beautiful collection of images here and order your autographed copy via Gunther’s website.

FiNS Magazine Contributor Tony Wu recently wrapped up his first dive trip to the Izu Peninsula in Japan. Izu is reasonably close to Tokyo, and according to Tony, the diving is great and the food is delicious. Not many people from outside Japan have dived there, so don’t miss Tony’s blog post on this intriguing new destination.

North Sulawesi, including areas of outstanding natural beauty above and below sea level such as Bunaken National Park, Lembeh Strait and Bangka Island, has been spared an environmental tragedy.

The Indonesian Ministry of Environment recently announced that a gold mine operation, which was threatening to dump millions of tons of waste into the sea in North Sulawesi, will not be allowed to do so. British-registered “Archipelago Holdings” gold mine (operating locally as “MSM”), threatened to dump up to 1,500,000 tons of ground up mining waste into the sea, between the award-winning Bunaken National Park and the famous Lembeh Strait.

Marine biologists acknowledge that North Sulawesi is the centre of marine bio-diversity on the planet. It is now a popular destination for discerning dive tourists, earmarked to become a World Heritage Site. Read more…

Tauch Terminal Bali has just released a new and exciting dive package for Macro lovers. Tulamben Bay and Seraya are dive sites which offers truly amazing macro life, especially in December and January, when you can expect to see several different kinds of seahorse, pygmy seahorse, rare nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, leaf scorpionfish, mandarinfish and much more.

To ensure that you take full advantage of these great dive sites, Nitrox is included for free.

Macro package includes:

Package price: Euros 395 per person

Offer is valid from December 1st 2006 and runs till January 30th 2007.

For further details, please visit Tauch Terminal Bali.

Pink dolphin (Sousa chinensis) populations in Asia have been subjected to all sorts of pressure from urban development, pollution, and even reclamation work for theme parks. This recent report highlights the plight of pink dolphins around Taiwan. Read more…

Lionel Pozzoli’s photo series “Magic Papua” has won Silver at the Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous-Marine 2006 in Antibes, France!

The Festival opened with “Colours of PNG”, a short film by English filmmaker John Boyle. The more than 800 attendees were treated to a huge slide show involving 18 projectors and 3 screens, covering a total area of 16 metres across. On show were impressive images shot throughout PNG by the great photographers Pierfranco Dilenge and this year’s Silver-winner, Lionel Pozzoli. Traditional PNG music provided the backdrop to some of the best pictures ever shot in this beautiful country, both above and under water.

The “Prix Papua New Guinea”, which was sponsored by Loloata Island Resort and Walindi Plantation Resort went to Tobias Bernhard from New Zealand for his entry.

The biggest attraction, however, was the support team for the PNG Dive Association: Four Papuans dressed in traditional grass skirts with impressive head dresses and colourful make-up proved to be the biggest hit and were much photographed. Willy, a Huli Wigman from the Highlands, made the Antibes newspapers twice and even signed autographs!

If you’re an underwater video enthusiast, be sure to check out the excellent review of the latest in u/w video housings and gadgets by Wetpixel here. And while you’re at it, check out the extensive DEMA show report too.

Lissenung Island Resort celebrates its 10th birthday this year by giving away presents to its guests! Every diver with a minimum stay of three nights at the resort and three days of boat diving booked receives a free package valued at US$85 per person! It includes:

* A FREE Lissenung Island Resort T-Shirt
* A FREE bottle of wine and
* A FREE night dive.

Valid only until 31 December 2006, so hurry!

For more information, please contact Lissenung Island Resort at info@lissenung.com or check out their website www.lissenung.com.

The Divester/ Wetpixel T-Shirt Contest t-shirts are now available!

All profits from t-shirt sales will be donated to an ocean-related charity such as the Shark Trust or the Coral Reef Alliance.

Order while they’re hot, because the t-shirts are limited — just 200 have been printed.

Prices:

The t-shirts are 100% cotton, black, and available in sizes S, M, L, and XL.

Click here for photos.

To buy or for more details, click here.

We received this image from Keiu Suzuki in Izu, Japan, who’s pictured here enjoying the latest issue of FiNS Magazine. Keiu runs Dan’s Dive Shop, and has worked with many of the world’s top photographers and marine researchers. He’s discovered a species of fish, Rabaulichthys suzukii, which is named after him.