Spiral Island I was a floating artificial island in a lagoon near Puerto Aventuras, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. It was built by the British eco-pioneer Richart Sowa starting in 1998; he filled nets with empty discarded plastic bottles to support a structure of plywood and bamboo, on which he poured sand and planted numerous plants, including mangroves. Unfortunately it was destroyed by Hurricane Emily in 2005.

The original island sported a two-story house, a solar oven, a self-composting toilet, and three beaches. He used some 250,000 bottles for the 66ft (20 m) by 54 ft (16 m) structure. The mangroves were planted to help keep the island cool, and some of them rose up to 15 ft (5 m) high.

It certainly beats a house in London for me.

Al - zoozoo2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7q8AeVBnMo

Al - Zoozoo2.com

Some were happy stories, about holidays I had been on and people I had met. Others brought back embarrassing occasions and times I would much rather forget, but they were all memorable. T-shirts are like that.

It dawned on me that a new t-shirt is a clean canvas ready to record the moment in time when you bought it. In fact call me weird but I think I might put some in frames and hang them on the wall. It’s time to go looking for some new ones.

Al - Zoozoo2

 Like many natural wonders that have caught the attention of global tourism, the sea-floor and in particular the coral reefs suffer from too much interest. As well meaning tourists and water-sports enthusiasts, we descend in our thousands if not millions on and into the world’s tropical and coastal waters. Unfortunately the damage we leave behind is becoming all too obvious. Marine life, and the sea on which we depend, surf and swim, is under threat from pollution, tourism, over-fishing and other damaging activities.

Corals and coral reefs are extremely sensitive, just walking on a reef can damage fragile coral that can take years to regrow. Many coral reefs are constantly being damaged by cruiseship anchors, legal and illegal spillage, sewage, tourists breaking off chunks of coral as a keep sake (however small) and commercial harvesting for sale to tourists and vacation divers like us.

It is unlikely that this disregard for our coral reefs will stop any time soon, but we can all make a difference. Next time you’re on vacation just think how you can make a difference even if it is just saying no to the little things.

 Al - Zoozoo2

Huge, docile and beautiful the whale shark live in oceans across the globe, but no one knows where they breed, what their migration routes are or even how many there are.

Now here is where you come into it. Researchers at www.whaleshark.org are trying to fill in the gaps in this knowledge by cataloging photographs taken by both experts and amateurs alike. The Ecocean Whale Shark Photo-identification Library has collected thousands of images already but need more.

To date they have identified around 830 sharks.

Ecocean adds your photos of whale sharks to its library and tells you if there is a match. By documenting scars on the head, fins and body can help identify sharks seen already and cataloged before.

They suggest you take the photo from the sharks left, perpenducular to the patterned area above the left pactoral fin.

Al - Zoozoo2 (source National Geographic article Nov 07 by Helen Fields) 

Its all about how plastic rubbish either directly thrown or washed by rivers into the North Pacific, is swept up by the currents of a gigantic swirling vortex called the North Pacific Gyre. Have a look

According to the Greenpaeace article and as many of us already know the very thing that makes plastic items useful to consumers, their durability and stability, also makes them a problem in marine environments. Around 100 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year of which about 10 percent ends up in the sea. About 20 percent of this is from ships and platforms, the rest from land.

The North Pacific sub-tropical gyre covers a large area of the Pacific in which the water circulates clockwise in a slow spiral. Winds are light. The currents tend to force any floating material into the low energy central area of the gyre. There are few islands on which the floating material can beach. So it stays there in the gyre, in astounding quantities estimated at six kilos of plastic for every kilo of naturally occurring plankton.  The equivalent of an area the size of Texas swirling slowly around like a clock. This gyre has also been dubbed “the Asian Trash Trail” the “Trash Vortex” or the “Eastern Garbage Patch”.

To read the full article go to: http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/our-oceans/pollution/trash-vortex

Al - zoozoo2.com

Just when I thought there was nothing more relaxing than an afternoon on the river I come across this.

T’ai Chi for canoeing - Practice these exercises on shore to perform better on the water.

Here is an extract from the article by Betsey Foster with Karen Knight:

Paddling is all about putting that paddle, single- or double-bladed, into the water and touring, surfing, playing, and having a good time. T’ai Chi is a Chinese martial art performed very slowly on land. So what could one have to do with the other?

That was my reaction in the mid-1980s, when I started studying T’ai Chi. To my way of thinking then, my whitewater paddling and T’ai Chi were separate. As the years have passed, I have redefined each and at times wonder whether I am doing T’ai Chi in my boat while paddling or paddling while doing T’ai Chi on land.

Simply stated, T’ai Chi is a centuries-old “soft” martial art that is based on rooting, centering, and using weight shifts and waist and hip rotations to perform the movements. Energy is conserved by using the large torso muscles. The center of gravity is lowered by focusing, imaging, and relaxing into one’s root. The moves are beautiful, graceful, and flowing.

Paddling, whether on flatwater, whitewater, rivers, or oceans, is moving gracefully with and through the water using waist and hip rotations to propel your arms/paddle. The lower your center of gravity, the stabler you are in your boat.

To read the full story  (canoekayak.com)

 Al - Zoozoo2

With over 100 surfers already entered for this year Jesus Surf Classic, it looks like being a great weekend of top surfing action. Croyde Bay once again hosts the Jesus Surf Classic, over the weekend of 8th –9th September. This hugely successful event has now been running for fifteen years.

After much soul searching with regards to the swell forecasts, at this stage organisers have decided to postpone the Men’s ‘Open’ Division, and ‘Masters’ Division from this weekend until the Weekend of September 22nd and 23rd. Checdk their website for details, http://www.christiansurfers.org/

This surf contest is organised and run by Christian Surfers UK, and this year there is over £2,000 of prize money on offer, between the 8 categories, with the open surfing winner receiving £250. With last year’s event being over subscribed with over 160 entries, contestants are being advised this year to get their entry forms in as soon as possible, as some categories are already full.

The Longboarding event will this year be run separately over the weekend of 6th and 7th October at Polzeath, with 4 categories available, Open , Womens, Junior and Masters.

Good luck Jay

 M - Zoozoo2

Just recently the airline unveiled its biggest ever ski programme with 58 direct routes from the UK to European ski airports.

 Detail:

 FREE SKIS Terms and Conditions1) Passengers must book between the 30th August 07 and the 30th Sept 07.
2) As per the offer, passengers are entitled to bring one item (Skis/Boots/Pole or Snowboard/Boots) per return flight.
3) Offer applies to passengers flying to ski destinations only between the 22nd of December 2007 to 30 April 2008.
4) Carriage of equipment is subject to space availability on the aircraft and cannot be guaranteed.
5) Ryanair does not accept responsibility for unsuitably packed items or for minor damage to the exterior of baggage (e.g. scratches, stains, soiling, dents).
6) Offer is free, however for operational purposes a nominal fee of €0.01/£0.01 per item will be charged.
7) Ryanair reserves the right to amend this offer at anytime.

Al - Zoozoo2.com

I like the tandom sequences.