DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2026

DICHOTOMY OF THE DEEP: a message of hope. The health of the ocean is harmed by overfishing to such a degree that it should be front page news. The endless take, take, take from the ocean has brutalized marine life in most seas across the entire planet for centuries. The total collapse of fisheries all across the globe leaves us in a perilous situation that, unfortunately far too many persons are unaware of. The poor state of the oceans and the complete decimation of fisheries around Great Britain in the 19 th Century, South America in the 20 th C. and now the Antarctic ocean continues. Governments are weak and fail to enforce weak laws made to provide sustainable fisheries into the future. I like to imagine Spacemen overseeing the human race from a nearby galaxies that are amazed that the Blue Planet, this paradise oasis called Earth, has been vandalised to such a degree that one day it could spell disaster for the human race. I hope that they will step in before it is too late. We all know that Hollywood frequently makes movies about the imminent destruction of our planet with a hero saviour. Well, the saviour is Science and it is us. Science is knowledge. It is fact gleaned by research, observation. Knowledge is the greatest growth industry of all. Think of the progress mankind has made in the last two centuries. E.G, millions of the most brilliant minds throughout history have developed solutions to killer medical issues. These include antiseptics, antibiotics, Vaccines, surgical intervention, pain killers and many thousands of other miracles of modern medicine. When Europeans colonized Africa, they introduced modern medicine. They set about curing many deadly afflictions that shortened the lives of Africans since the dawn of time. This positive contribution of colonisation is never mentioned by the media… how modern medicine improved and extended the lives of most humans everywhere across the entire globe. In the 21 st Century, untold numbers of research scientists are studying the ocean and learning more and more about each and every organism. Sadly, the enormous boom in knowledge is always trumped by big business and Mass Media control and now A.I. Corporations want to “Dig Baby, dig” to make a dollar. They won’t stop until we the people make them stop. As the song says, “When will they ever learn?” As I always talk about, take a thousand-year view of life on earth to see the deforestation and over-fishing. Take a hundred-year view of corporations. Their power grew ten times in the last 70 years. Many are bigger than countries and they strip assets from the masses and have unlimited expansion of their empires. They even disregard laws. A.I. completes the total dominance of many corporations over the wallets of every human and they will grow further and have grown until the almost totally powerless men and women in the street, that’s us, wake up and see that they have lost nearly all of the freedoms. This is portrayed brilliantly in the movie “V for Vendetta”. when corporate media has total mind control of the masses. People fight back and take back their lives. We can save the Oceans. It is simple. You and I can take back the power. You and I are the master of the future as long as we do something about it. Create Marine Parks and police them. Build fish hatcheries and restock the ocean. Get governments to make corporations behave with more ethics. E.g. with whaling. Educate people to the benefits of healthy seas. It really is all so easy to do! OUR COVER PHOTO This coloutful photo is a diver in the Kingposts of the Sankisan Maru in Chuuk Lagoon by Mike Scotland

In short, follow the Great Barrier Reef’s (GBR) example. It has 36% protected in Green zones and Research only zones. Marine life can breed. It is a sanctuary, a safe haven. Corals rebuild and the entire health of the ocean recovers. Southern Australia has a free for all with such a tiny miserable area of marine sanctuaries, token enforcing of regulations that it is equal to no protection. Governments need to talk to people. Everyone wants peace, prosperity and a healthy planet. The Governments need to show a strong commitment to saving the ocean. At present, politicians are afraid of being voted out by the people who over exploit the fish. Illegal whaling ships reprovision in Tasmania so they can go and break the whaling policy that Australia is supposed to support? Where we are heading now. I dived with a group of divers from Buffalo, New York. They mentioned that they wanted to see big fish at a popular resort in the South Pacific. They lamented about the disappointing lack if big stuff. It is true. The biggest fish I saw was a Sweetlip. NO Coral Trout or big pelagics, rare sharks, almost no turtles. The GBR on the other hand has lots of BIG STUFF. Fifty years of protection has seen fish populations rebuild, coral reefs rebound. More importantly, the diving is good. Here is a simple message. The GBR will take its place as one of the top dive destinations in the world! Please explain, I hear you say. The protection and enforcement of marine protected areas restores the health of the reef. Very few countries across the globe have anywhere near the same level of protection. When you dive there, you may the lack of fish and the empty seas. It is a sad sight. I have dived in dozens of South Pacific hot spots and on 54 expeditions to the Great Barrier Reef. If anyone has the big picture, it is people like me. My observation, these days, GBR is one leader in the pack re better diving. So, I am organizing the Heron Island Dive Festival in 2026. June 20 to 27. The purpose is to celebrate the excellent state of the reefs, the wonderful marine life and loads of BIG STUFF as to share the good news. Last year in January, I dived from Agnes Waters. The state of the southern reef impressed me and we had some of the best dives I have had on the GBR. One dive, I saw five species of sharks. So, I visited Heron Island in August. Guess what? Incredible fish life, healthy corals, so many Turtles, sharks, big Rays and big stuff. Great diving. Better still, highly trained dive crew with a friendly attitude. NO dive Nazis here! Just safety conscious, well run diving from modern boats with all the mod cons. If you are like me and have done well over seven thousand dives, you definitely do not get treated like an OWD beginner. The Feb issue of Dive Log Australasia presents another superb blockbuster of diving entertainment. This issue features photography of wrecks, Nudibranch defenses, diving with Tiger sharks, and details about one of the diving the events of the year, the upcoming Heron Island Dive Festival. This is being resurrected by Dive Log to celebrate the wonderful diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

Happy diving. Mike

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Divelogaustralasia #416 - February ‘26

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