Gigantic Whale Shark comes to Pattaya Beaches ...
On December the 7th in the province of Rayong south of Pattaya Beach, a gigantic whale shark was spotted feeding on their favourite food - plankton. It was reported to be around 7 meters long and weighing in excess of 1,000 kilos. Whale Sharks have an unmistakable huge grey body with large pale spots and dark fins and although it's the largest fish in our oceans they are not aggressive to humans.
Read Scuba Steve's personal article about Whale Sharks >>

Sharks saved from the soup bowl have been set free at sea in Pattaya
Pattaya, Thailand — Saved from the soup bowl at a Thai restaurant, the baby shark wriggled out of the bag and into the open sea -- a rare survivor of a trade that kills millions of the predators each year. On average an estimated 22,000 tonnes of sharks are caught annually off Thailand for their fins -- a delicacy in Chinese cuisine once enjoyed only by the rich, but now increasingly popular with the wealthier middle class.
Thanks to a group of environmental activists calling themselves the Dive Tribe, dozens of sharks were returned to the wild in the Gulf of Thailand recently, bought from animal markets or restaurants. Among them were several young bamboo and black tip reef sharks which narrowly avoided ending up as shark fin soup -- prized in particular by the Chinese who believe it boosts sexual potency.
On September the 3rd, 60 sharks left their temporary home at the "Underwater World" aquarium in the Thai resort city of Pattaya in plastic bags filled with water. Loaded onto a boat, they were released one by one back into the wild. While the release was a largely symbolic event designed to raise awareness, the stakes are real. Environmentalists say that sharks, particularly the apex predators, play a vital role in the marine ecosystem.

PADI eCard Available Soon
The eCard, an electronic version of a certification card available for smartphones, will be available shortly for PADI Professionals. The eCard leverages the power of the smartphone (initially available for Apple, and Android smartphones) and will be hosted, managed and displayed using the PADI App. The PADI eCard is proof of certification. Security of the eCard is a primary concern, so QR coding (a specific, two-dimensional code) is integrated to make authentication straightforward and easy.
Initially, the eCard will only be available through Replacement Card Online. Divers replacing existing certification cards will have the options of an eCard, plastic certification card or both.

Turtles and sharks released into the sea of Pattaya
Turtles and Sharks were released into the sea south of Pattaya on Tuesday Afternoon to celebrate the Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. The event took place at the Sattahip Navy base and culminated in the release of 779 turtles and 90 baby sharks. This is one of many events which will take place over the next few days in Pattaya and surrounding districts to mark this auspicious occasion.

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