NEWS for DIVERS from around the WORLD
Beluga whale talks back to a Diver
A captive Beluga whale giving instructions to a diver caused confusion when he thought it was a human talking to him.
National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego on Monday, published the case of the white Beluga whale Noc who began to mimic the human voice.
"The whale's vocalizations often sounded as if two people were conversing in the distance," says Dr. Sam Ridgway, President of the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego.
Noc was heard "talking" several times before the scientists were able to identify that the sound was actually coming from him. One diver actually thought it was someone giving him underwater directions and telling him to "get out," reports NBC San Diego.
Scientists began recording Noc's vocalization for the next four years. You can hear him "talking" by clicking on the video. The scientists theorized that because Noc heard human speech, he began spontaneously mimicking it.
Noc only talked for about four years before he matured and no longer made the sounds. The study was done back in 1984 and Noc has since passed away.
"While it's been a number of years since we first encountered this spontaneous mimicry, it's our hope that publishing our observations now will lead to further discoveries about marine mammal learning and vocalization," said Ridgway.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Pearl diver death probe due early 2013
From:AAP October 25, 2012 3:20PM
INVESTIGATIONS into the death of pearl diver Jarrod Hampton are expected to be completed by WorkSafe WA in the early half of next year.
Mr Hampton, 22, died in Broome in April this year on what was only his second day working for family-owned pearling company, Paspaley Pearls.
His death came only months after the company was warned by senior divers it would have a serious workplace accident or fatality because of the increasing number of inexperienced pearl divers it was employing without providing them with sufficient training.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman said the safety watchdog wanted to reassure the public the investigation was ongoing after receiving many emails and phone calls from people concerned about the process.
"We thought we needed to reassure we are doing a thorough job, not a quick job," she told AAP.
Maritime Union of Australia assistant national secretary, Ian Bray, said the he welcomed the reassurance from WorkSafe WA that it was continuing its investigation.
"It's not uncommon to go beyond six to eight months given the seriousness of the death and the nature of pearl diving," he told AAP.
Mr Bray said he wanted to ensure "the eye hadn't gone off the ball", so the family and the community could get closure and move on.
A report on ABC TV's Four Corners program in July on the death of Mr Hampton raised questions about the adequacy of Paspaley Pearls' rescue equipment and safety procedures, and more broadly, training standards in the pearl industry.
Mr Hampton was an experienced scuba diver but was new to drift diving, a high-risk job where the person is towed in the water from a boat while picking up shells off the ocean floor.
On the day of his death, Mr Hampton was on a boat of eight people, five of whom were first time drift divers.
source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/pearl-diver-death-probe-due-early-2013/story-fn3dxiwe-1226503228301
No comments:
Post a Comment