ADA Dive-Cruise Just Around the Corner

If you signed up for the first Annual ADA Dive Cruise it means in just a few days (November 14th) you will be boarding the Emerald Princess  at Port Everglades. If you haven't signed up but interested in going, contact the trip leader, Daryl Johnson at diverdaryl@bellsouth.net or 954-591-1161 for more information.

Just a few reminders:

We will meet on November 14th in the Explorer Lounge on Deck 7 at 6:30 PM for a short meet-and-greet round of introductions. I think most of us are doing anytime dining, so we can disperse from there to our choice of restaurants. There are a lot of optional excursions that may fit the schedules of divers and non-divers; so this would be a good time for you to see if someone has an interest in joining you on an excursion.

See you on board!

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Coral Reefs Revealed

--by Juliana Bach, 9^th grade Maritime student at MAST Academy

There are 2 types of Coral Reef Formations in the world: Tropical Coral Reefs and Deep Water Coral Reefs.  Most of us are familiar with the Tropical Coral Reef formations, i.e. Barrier Reefs, Atolls and Fringe Reefs.

(Deep Water Coral Reefs are a relatively new discovery and will be discussed in another article)

BARRIER REEFS: Everybody knows at least one famous barrier reef so-named because at its shallowest point it can create a “barrier” that ships cannot pass through. Barrier reefs are parallel to the shore and are separated by a lagoon. The Caribbean is home to the second largest barrier reef.   It is called the Meso-American  Reef and runs off the coast of Belize.

ATOLLS are a roughly circular oceanic reef system surrounding a large central lagoon.  Atolls occur when a fringe reef forms around an island. When the island sinks into the ocean or the sea level rises, the fringe reef becomes an atoll reef.  Atolls occur mostly in the Pacific Ocean.  However, there are some sinkholes, essentially vertical caves, in the Caribbean. The most famous is the Great Blue Hole, located near the center of Lighthouse Reef off the coast of Belize.

FRINGE REEFS are the most abundant type of reef in the world.  If you are on a snorkeling trip, it is most likely on a fringe reef. Fringing reefs are reefs that grow directly from shore. Fringe reefs don’t have a lagoon to buffer freshwater runoff. Therefore, they are particularly sensitive to pollution and sedimentation.

PATCH REEFS occur inside fringe reefs.  They are small isolated reefs that grow from the bottom of the island platform or continental shelf.  Patch reefs differ in size and usually occur between fringing reefs and barrier reefs¹

Identifying reef types is not always as simple as suggested above.  This is especially true in the Caribbean where some of the fringing reefs are separated from shore by open water. Next time you go on a dive, ask yourself: Are the reefs off the coast of South Florida fringing reefs, barrier reefs or something else?

Source: ¹The Coral Reef Alliance

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Cook What You Catch: Linguine with White Clam Sauce

--by Daryl Johnson

Okay, so once again you are not likely to catch any clams while diving in South Florida but this dish is so simple and good that every seafood lover should have this in their recipe book. The minced clams are cheap, loaded with protein and store for a long time in cans so you can keep them handy for when you need to come up with a spur of the moment healthy gourmet dinner.

The fact that this recipe uses very few ingredients means that each one needs to be of very high quality and the dish will only be as good as what you put in it, so pay attention to what you use. Here is a list of ingredients:

• Two 6.5 oz. cans of minced clams
• Two cloves of fresh garlic finely chopped (see my cooking hack!)
• One quarter cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) -Use olive oil that says “first press” or “cold pressed” and use a good brand. I like Bertolli   and Trader Joe’s.
• One tablespoon chopped parsley
• One tablespoon chopped basil leaves (see my cooking hack!)
• Dash fresh ground pepper- I like course ground from a pepper mill
• Six oz. whole wheat linguine- I always like to use a whole grain version or you can use a quinoa based pasta
• One tablespoon of butter
• Fresh grated parmesan cheese- my favorite brand is BelGioioso which is just as good as the imported varieties costing twice as much. Stay away from store brands as they just don’t have the flavor you want.
• Dried oregano to garnish

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Hermaphroditic Life of a Fish: Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?

We all think that absent surgery and hormone therapy, the equipment you’re born with is the equipment you’ll always have. Not so true with fish. There are several species of fish, notably certain wrasses, parrotfish, gobies, clownfish, eels, and groupers, among others, that can changes from female to male, or male to female. The process is called sequential hermaphroditism and like everything else in nature, is designed to maintain the survival of the species.

Normally, schooling fish organize in hierarchical groups with a single dominant male and several females in the school, referred to as a harem. Because of the high mortality rate of hatchlings, mostly due to being eaten by predators, females can lay hundreds or even thousands of eggs during a spawning period. The eggs must be fertilized by a male during the reproductive cycle. Males generally can produce sperm almost at will, while females will take a lot longer to produce eggs. To eliminate contention among several alpha males for dominance, only a single male gets to be the Romeo for all the harem’s Juliets.

So, why would a fish change its sex? Well, in the fish-eat-fish underwater society, sometimes the dominant male dies, either from old age, disease, or as a snack for a larger predator. When that happens, the herd must get a new male to assure survival. At this point, generally the largest female will undergo a hormonal process to become the dominant male. The process will take several days, after which the fish is a fully functioning male, with no visible aftereffects or the need for psychotherapy.

Occasionally, a male will change into a female if the harem suddenly finds itself with more than one male. Although most fish only change one time, some are able to change back and forth between male and female several times. Indeed, some fish can simultaneously be both male and female, Talk about an identity crisis!

By the way, lest you think this process is solely the purview of fish, some corals routinely change sex. Even certain birds, reptiles, and amphibians, can sometimes change sex when conditions are right. Nature is truly amazing!

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