Congratulations to the winners of three fantastic trips to North Sulawesi, one of the world’s most sought-after dive destinations! The fortunate winners listed below were picked at random from a record-setting 800 lucky-draw entrants from over 20 countries around the world.

5D/ 4N at Siladen Resort & Spa for 2 pax (US$1000 value!)
Catherine Riley
United States

5D/ 4N for 1 pax aboard luxury liveaboard Archipelago Archipelago I in Lembeh (US$1000 value!)
Alison Wilson
Singapore

5D/ 4N stay with Two Fish Divers for 1 pax on Bunaken or Lembeh (US$562 value!)
Anthony Plummer
Australia

Congratulations again to the lucky winners. You’ll be notified officially soon by email. Be sure to let us know when you visit Sulawesi. We’d love to hear about your adventures and share them with all our readers and online community.

If you weren’t one of the lucky three, don’t fret, we’ll have more exciting things for you soon — keep an eye on our blog. In the meantime, to read more about the wonders of North Sulawesi, right click here to download a recent article.

Following is a press release from the IUCN: Expert findings show even the fastest, widest ranging sharks are threatened by overfishing as more species added to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Oxford, England, 22 February 2007 (IUCN): More oceanic or “pelagic” sharks are being added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species based on the findings of this week�s international expert workshop, convened by the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), that examined the conservation status of these highly migratory sharks against Red List criteria. Read more…

For the first time ever, an adult male colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) has been captured intact, weighing in at about 450 kg. Colossal squid are larger and heavier than their more famous relative, the giant squid (Architeuthis dux), and very little is known about these enigmatic creatures of the deep. Read more here.

FiNS’ Associate Editors and marine life guidebooks (A Diver’s Guide to Underwater Malaysia Macrolife, A Diver’s Guide to Reef Life) authors Andrea and Antonella Ferrari will be diving beautiful, unexplored Raja Ampat in West Papua during the month of July 07 (exact dates TBD soon), based at Max Ammer’s luxurious Sorido Eco Resort on Kri Island.

Planning to conduct exploratory dives in virgin territory and jungle treks in search of the elusive birds of paradise and rare tree crocodile monitor found in the unpopulated, forest-clad nearby islands of Batanta and Waigeo, Andrea and Antonella will be available during their stay at Sorido to offer free, informal advice about marine biology and underwater photography to fellow visiting divers and shutterbugs.

Raja Ampat offers unequalled wide-angle opportunities with big mantas, huge wobbegongs, enormous schools of fish and endless, colourful coral gardens, at the same time being exceptionally rich with macro critters (including four different species of pygmy seahorses) and unique marine “rivers” meandering deep inside the rainforest.

World-famous U/W photographers, Andrea and Antonella are easy-going, pleasant and fun company — as anybody who has met them can testify — and diving with them in Raja Ampat could offer you an excellent chance to improve your camera skills! For more information please contact www.papua-diving.com.

Popular underwater photography websites Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com have announced the results of the 2nd Wetpixel & DivePhotoGuide International Underwater Photo & Video Competition, held in association with the 37th annual Our World Underwater dive show in Chicago. Photographers from around the world competed in still and video categories. In the true spirit of an international competition, winners across both competitions hailed from numerous countries.

The competition included technical and themed categories, including images that focus on conservation and the marine environment, compact cameras.

Esteemed judges Eric Cheng (Wetpixel), Stephen Frink, Dr. Alex Mustard, Tony Wu (FiNS Magazine) and Berkley White (Backscatter) had the difficult task of selecting winners from entries that flooded in from all over the world.

Competitions such as this are not possible without the support of generous sponsors. Winners were awarded premium dive travel packages to some of the top photo destinations in the world, photo equipment, dive gear, signed books, DVD’s and more. Dive packages included trips to South Africa, Socorro Island, Raja Empat, Komodo, Galapagos, Bora Bora, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Manado, Lembeh Strait, Yap, Cocos (Keeling) Island and the Bahamas. Special offers from competition sponsors can be found on the competition website.

As a competition that celebrates the beauty and delicacy of our oceans and reefs, 15% of entry proceeds are being donated to vital marine conservation efforts.

For more information visit the competition’s official website: www.UnderwaterCompetition.com

If you’re in Singapore on 24 February, catch Tony Wu’s talk at the Library@Orchard in the Ngee Ann City shopping complex, from 3:00pm to 4:30pm. Tony will be sharing photos and tales from recent travels, as well as discussing photo tips and techniques. It’s an informal talk, and it’s free, so be sure to harass Tony with questions.

Join Norbert Wu and Eric Cheng aboard the Nautilus Explorer this coming June 24 - July 6 for 12 days of exploring the best of southeast Alaska and the Queen Charlotte Islands. See humpback whales bubblenet feeding, encounter bears, bald eagles and much more. Click here for more information.

Doug Perrine of SeaPics.com blogs while on his trip to Saipan, one of the few places in the world reputed to have regularly-occurring and approachable schools of spotted eagle rays. Stay tuned for more of Doug’s updates!

Spotted eagle rays, Aetobatus narinari, are a joy to watch, flitting about tropical reefs and sand banks like giant aquatic butterflies. The only problem for divers is that they are notorious for being incredibly shy.

However, it was said that the rays in Saipan — a 122 sq km island due east of Manila, situated halfway between Japan and New Guinea in the tropical Western North Pacific — are significantly tolerant, allowing divers to approach for a closer view of these magnificent creatures. FiNS sent me to find out the truth of the matter.

Destination Saipan
Part 1: I arrive in Saipan at 7:50 a.m. after taking Continental’s red-eye from Manila to Guam. A 50-minute hop over to Saipan followed. From the airport, it’s a mere 15 minutes by car to Garapan, the capital of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which consists of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, plus a dozen or so small islands.

The Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) has booked me into the beachfront Fiesta Resort & Spa. My room is stunning, with ultra-modern décor and a beach view which resembles the Micronesia of yesteryear. Apparently, though, there is no such thing as a non-smoking room in Saipan! Read more…

Lissenung Island Resort has scheduled special week-long diving excursions that will commence in June 2007.

Accommodation will be at Lissenung Island Resort and at guest houses in New Hanover and on Djaul Island. Dive boats will explore some new dive sites as well as a number of prime sites that divers know about but rarely have the chance to visit. If weather permits, the excursions will also include a small submarine and a ship wreck at New Hanover.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to explore some new and very special dive sites!
Please visit www.lissenung.com for more information.

Book the following trips this weekend (10-11 February) with Nemo Travel and take advantage of special savings.

Hotel Sedona and Euro Divers, Manado’s only 5-Star Resort
4D3N 4 Dives with Silk Air from S$649, Save S$300
5D4N 6 Dives with Silk Air from S$799, Save S$350

Layang Layang Island Resort, Sabah, Malaysia, Hammerhead paradise
5D4N 9 Dives from S$988

MV Southern Cross, Maldives, Mantas & Whale Sharks galore
23 – 31 March ‘07 from S$2149, Save S$400

Valid for sale only on 10-11 February 2007 and valid for travel in March 2007. Contact Nemo Travel for further details.