Pez Maya Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 4

7/25/2019 Pez Maya Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 4

1/21

magazine

BEHINDTHE

SCIENCE,

TENYEARTEASER

NOTJUSTA

CLEANING

TOOL

SASSY

SPOONBILL

INTERNATIONAL

COASTAL

CLEANUP

THEDIVE

ACADEMY

PADI

ADVANCEDOPENWATER

DIVERCOURSE,

PEZMAYASTYLE

THEWONDERFUL

WORLDOFBCD MAINTENANCE

THESTORY

OFEMPANADA,

PART3

PROTECTTHE

REEFSONG


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ContentsA Pez Maya Publication

Facebook:

GVI Mexico Yucatan

GVI Dive Academy

Twitter:

@gvi_mexico

Instagram:

gvitravel

GVI Mexico App

for iPhone:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/

gvi-mexico/id1014520095?mt=8

Publisher

Andy Ez

Editors

Andy Ezeta

Jodie SavageSam Wilson

Contributors

Andy Ez

Sam Wilson

Friso Dekker

Jodie Savage

Sara Rose Cagle

Eugene Beery

Kerry Passingham

Jim Clark

Steffanie Ransom

Naufrago feat Zack

Photography Editor

and Illustrator

Andy Ez

Photographers

Andy Ez

Luis Miguel Beristain

Pez Maya Magazine

Fourth Quarter 2015

Vol 1 Issue 4

2 You are the Difference

3 Behind the Science, Ten year teaser

5 Not Just a Cleaning Tool

6 Sassy Spoonbill

7 International Coastal Cleanup

8 Creatures of Pez Maya

9 PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course, Pez Maya style

11 The Dive Academy

13 The Wonderful World of BCD Maintenance

15 The Story of Empanada, Part 3

17 Protect the reef song

18 The Pez Puzzler

19 Global Vision International App

The Pez Maya Magazine is published every 3 months by the GVI Mexico - Pez Maya team.This is and always will be a free publication. Copyright GVI.2015

Cover photo by Andy Ez:

The Punta Allen Dive


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you are the differenceGlobal Vision International (GVI) is a multi-award winning social enterprise that runs

high impact volunteer and international education programs.

For more than 15 years GVI has helped thousands of people make a real dierence to the

world they live in while also gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work

in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.

We began more than 15 years ago with a simple mission: To work hand in hand with local

communities, NGOs and government organisations to facilitate real change on the ground

while also giving our participants the opportunity to grow personally and professionally.

Its an undertaking weve been proud to pursue in over 25 countries, through 450 programs

and by the support of over 25,000 participants and we are thankful to all past present and

future volunteers.

2 Pez Maya Magazine 2016


4/21

Behind

theScience By Sam Wilson

Ten Year Teaser

So we have reached the end o a great year or MBRS monitoring, and we almost completed all the sites! So very close.Whats even better is we managed to find time to analyze a lot o our sites rom over the past 10 years o monitoring! Tis

is incredibly useul as we can now start looking at the most important aspects o coral ree conservation, the trends andcorrelations between variables. I know, I didnt make that sound very exciting, but wait until you see our sexy graphs.

For this article we will ocus on the main groups o the ree: macroalgae, hard coral and the parrot fish amily (Scaridae).First off, lets look at the general trends in our 10 meter sites.

As you can see rom Graph 1, we actually have a pos-itive outlook across the 10 meter sites over the de-cade. Most o our sites, along with many other placesin the Caribbean, suffered losses rom the 2004 and2005 hurricane seasons. Tese sites have since showna steady level o recovery, with an R2 o 0.58 we can

assume a significant trend o recovery. R2 values helpus see relationships between data, any value above 0.5indicates a positive linear relationship (i.e. when X in-creases, so does Y). For us, this means that each yearwe have recorded more coral colonies than the last, sothe coral colonies are recovering.

Graph 1. Comparison o coral cover based on Coral Communities (CC) data across 10 meter sites

Coral Communities researchers, or those that arentamiliar with the coral methodology, record every cor-al that intersects with the transect line, even i only adead section o the colony is in contact.

Graph 2 shows comparative percentage cover o ourmost important sessile groups, that is organisms at-tached to the substrate that are not capable o movingposition.

You will probably notice straight off that the coral cov-er doesnt show the same level o improvement. Tiscould be attributed to the difference in the way thingsare recorded within the coral methodology itsel. PointIntercept (the second researcher o the coral method-ology) will not account or the dead sections o a coral

colony as still being coral; they will record the sessilecover as being the algae that is now growing on thatsection.

What the graph does show is still very interesting. Ithelps to concrete the results seen worldwide that showwhat is known as a phase shif. In 2004, coral was themore abundant o the two sessile groups (coral and al-gae), but over the course o the 2004 and 2005 hurri-cane seasons coral cover took a dramatic decline as itwas physically battered by the hurricanes waves.

Graph 2. Percentage cover o hard corals and macroalgae based on point intercept (PI) data across 10 meter sites


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Now due to overfishing o important herbivorous fish, reduction o other herbivorous species such as the long-spined seaurchin due to disease and an increase in diseases across all coral species, the ability or coral to recover rom such extremeweather events has been significantly reduced.

It appears that or our ree the combination o all these impacts was enough to stop the coral colonies rom out-competingthe algal community.

Te importance o collecting long term datasets is also shown here, as not only can we see that coral is still the least domi-nant o the two, but that the proportion o cover fluctuates over time. Tis is very normal in stable ecosystems; percentagecover is never exactly the same year to year, as different groups will always compete with each other.So not only has our ree encountered a phase shif rom coral dominant to algal dominant, but the new proportions appearto be part o a stable ecosystem.

Tis isnt necessarily a good thing, as the corals should ideally be more dominant. Te reduction in over-all coral covermeans the ree is more vulnerable to degradation should another storm hit, or diseases become even more prevalent.

And now or something a little different!

Weve seen how macroalgae has become more domi-nant, and touched on how overfishing has been an in-fluential actor, but how about seeing this influence oryoursel?rick question, you dont get a choice.

On the right in graph 3 and 4, we have once again usedthe percentage cover o macroalgae, but this time wecompare it to the abundance o the parrot fish amily(Scaridae). Scaridae are one o the main herbivorousgroups responsible or the control o algae, and wehave ound that our data actually reflects this relation-ship at both our 10 meter and 20 meter sites.

Lets walk you through it. I you look at spikes in theblue bars (Abundance o Scaridae), you can see thatsignificant declines in macroalgae cover could becorrelated with apparent increases in the number oScaridae recorded or the surrounding years. As al-ways in science it is worth noting that correlation doesnot mean causation. Just because we see changes on agraph doesnt mean they are related, so we will keepworking to see i they are over the coming months.

So there you have it, a little teaser o analysis rom ourten years o collecting data on the Sian Kaan ree.

Let me just say a big thank you to all the volunteerswho have helped us by providing years o good qualitydata or us to analyze. Tese trends are very importantor the understanding how our ree works, and howbest to ocus our conservation efforts to protect it as aconsequence o this inormation.

Graph 3. Comparison o parrot fish (Scaridae) abundance and macroalgae % cover or PP10

Graph 4. Comparison o Scaridae abundance and macroalgae % cover or PL20



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Coral reefs are known for their diversity in fish,

beautifully coloured corals and wide array of ex-

otic creatures. Though one very significant group

is rarely taken notice of. These are the sponges, or

Porifera in scientific terms. Around 10,000 spe-

cies of marine sponges are thought to exist and

they come in almost every shape and colour imag-

inable.

Sponges are among the most basic animals known

and have been around for over 600 million years,

hardly evolving in this timespan and thus very

close to their original form. Their tissues are heldtogether by a skeleton of (in most species) tiny

glass particles, called spicules. They are immo-

bile and lack a nervous and circulatory system as

found in most other animals. They grow asym-

metrically and the shape and size of most species

is determined by external factors, such as depth

and current, in order to have the highest efficiency

of water flowing through the body of the sponge.

As seawater flows through channels and pores in

the sponges tissue, nutrients and small particles

are filtered from it and then metabolized for ener-

gy and creating biomass. By filtering up to 1,000

liters of seawater per kilogram body weight, they

have occupyied a very specific and ecologically

important part of the ecosystem.

Interestingly, some sponges are actually carnivo-

rous. So far, just over a hundred species have been

found to not feed by filtering seawater, but seem

to use sticky threads or hooked spicules to catch

small animals. Very little is known about the pre-

cise techniques these sponges use to catch their

prey but the absence of any water flow systems

in most species indicate that they rely solely on it.

Since most sponges lack physical protection such

as an external skeleton, and are not able to move

away from any danger, they have come up with

different ways of defending themselves. They

have specialized in chemical warfare, creating

many different kinds of so-called secondary me-

tabolites, which are released in the water column

to fend off any predators or nearby competition.

This is why some sponges are actually venomous

to humans, although there have been few known

cases of divers actually needing medical attention.

Some of these secondary metabolites, instead of

hurting people, have shown to be promising can-

didates as medicine for various diseases, such as

cancer and viral infections.

Humans have used sponges for centuries as bath

tools because the tissue is made up of collagen,

which is springy and soft. Since most sponges

have a glass skeleton, only a few species can be

used for this purpose. Dolphins use sponges not

for bathing, but to protect their beak when search-

ing for food on the sandy sea floor. This behav-

ior has only been observed in Western Australia,

where mothers teach it to their daughters, sug-

gesting that it is a recent innovation.

We still have much to learn about sponges, and

research into their species diversity, biological

composition and ecological function is ongoing

in many scientific institutions. In the past, science

has focused mainly on corals and fish, therefore

sponges knowledge will be lacking for quite some

time. This lack of knowledge about sponges and

their role on the reef is reflected by the fact that

the Synoptic Monitoring Program we carryied

out on the Meso-American Barrier Reef System

does not include any particular type of sponge

research, except for the ones overgrowing corals.

We are working on some way to including spong-

es in our research and will hopefully be able to

contribute soon!


Andy Ez


7/21

Sassy

SpoonbillBy Sam Wilson

The Roseate Spoonbill, not one of our mostcommon sightings for a morning bird survey,but certainly one of our more exciting! Oftenwe see them only in the distance, flying eitherSouth or North depending on the time of year.Recently, however, we have been graced with thepresence of a juvenile that we have named Ced-

ric. We dont actually know if this juvenile is ahim or her, but Cedric is the name we are stick-ing with. Anyway, how about learning a little abit about his/her biology? Well youve startedreading now so you might as well.

While juvenile spoonbills carry the characteris-tic pale pink colour associated with the species,the feathers of the head, chest and back are ac-tually white. It is only the wings and tail thatdisplay the pink/reddish colour by both adultsand juveniles.

The bill, as we all know, is spoon shaped. Thatis, it is slender and flattened along the stem, andwidens at the tip. But it actually isnt always likethat. Juveniles are born with narrow bills thatdevelop into the spoon shape as they mature.

This shape allows them to forage for their preyin shallow pools of water far more efficiently.Havinge a whole bill as wide as the spoon-liketip would be very impractical, as well as heavy.

But with just the tip being wider and flattened,it broadens their range while foraging for food.

To feed, the spoonbill wades through shallowpools, sweeping their head from side to sideas they move, with their bill slightly gaped. Assoon as they sense their prey they snap their billclosed and pull it out of the water to feed on it.

This prey item could vary between crustaceans,small fish, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates oreven the occasional plant matter.

Chicks mature into reproductive adults within3 years, and nest in trees following successfulcourting, which may involve the swapping ofnest materials, dancing and clapping of the bills.

Time for some more fun facts!

The name for a group of spoonbills? A bowl!A bowl of spoonbills. The Rroseate Spoonbillis actually the only species of the 6 currently

known to express the pink colouration. It isalso the only species of spoonbill found in theAmericas. This difference in location means thattheir prey is slightly different, mostly featuringcrustaceans. These shrimp have in turn fed onalgae full of carotenoids responsible for red andyellow coloration.

Last fun fact, their latin/scientific name. Ajajaajaja, spelt the same way Spanish spells laughing!Very strange.



8/21

Im versatile, lightweight, flexible, moisture resistant, strong and inex-

pensive. Im 90% of the oceans trash, Im found on every mile of every

beach and have made my way into every water system. What am I?

Our planet is a blue planet. There are 165 major rivers covering 1% of

the Earth, 117 million lakes covering 4% and 5 oceans cover 71%. Not

one of those are plastic free.

8 million metric tons of plastic make their way into Earths oceans ev-

ery year. Thats the equivalent to having 5 plastic bags covering every

foot of coastline around the world. By 2025, those 5 plastic bags are

going to turn into 10. That would be 155 million tons of trash in the

ocean every year if we don't change our waste management.

This past October, GVI Pez Maya partnered with Ocean Conservancy,

a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, to participate in the Inter-

national Coastal Clean Up (ICC) event. Ocean Conservancy created

the International Coastal Clean Up event in 1986. It started off with

just 12 sites off the coast of Texas and has grown to more than 6,000

sites in over 100 countries. With more than 9 million volunteers, there

has been over 145 million pounds (~66 million kgs) of trash picked up

since the ICC was created.

The trucks were packed up with trash bags and buckets, the volunteers

were wedged into the collectivos, and we started our way down the dirt

road to Punta Allen.

Punta Allen is a small fishing village at the end of the Boca Paila Pen-

insula in the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve. Around 470 people live in

the village, a 5 block by 7 block area.

Now don't get me wrong, Punta Allen is an absolutely beautiful vil-

lage, but just like many small fishing villages around the Caribbean,

the beach is covered with trash. Most of it is thought to be brought in

by Cruise ships and other Caribbean countries with open landfills. The

trash covered beach is not only ugly to look at, but its very dangerous

for the people who live there and the kids who run around. If you found

broken glass in front of your house, you would pick it up, wouldn't

you? Why don't we have the same mindset for our beaches?

When the trucks entered into Punta Allen, everyone finally understood

we were there for a purpose.

It was a sunny, hot day in Mexico. Hats and sunglasses were grabbed

from bags and sunscreen was being passed around. All the bags and

buckets were taken from the trucks and we walked to meet the Punta

Allen volunteers for the beach clean.

There were around 100 people, a lot more than we anticipated, ages

ranging from 5-65 all eager and ready to get their hands dirty and clean

up their home. Most of them were kids too. A primary school class

and a secondary school class as well. We told them the game plan and

groups were made. Trash goes in the mesh bags, plastic bottles in the

black, bottle caps in the clear, glass in the buckets. The second each

group was made and they had their materials, a competition was creat-

ed. Which group can pick up the most trash?

They started running everywhere, smiles on their faces and not miss-

ing one thing on the sand in front of them. I have never seen anyone

so happy to participate in a beach clean. They were excited to find a

plastic bottle and place it in the bag. Maybe it was because they could

see first hand the effects of cleaning up since this is their home. Or

maybe it was just because they are kids and they made it into a game.

Either way, with the help of everyone, 270kg of trash was picked up

and thrown away or recycled in just one hour!

At the end of the clean, sweat was rolling down faces, cheeks were

rosy, and eyelids were starting to droop. But deep inside of everyone,

you could see the accomplishment. The mass pile of trash in front of

us was the reason why we came to Punta Allen. The appreciation we

received from the locals was thanks enough.

So back in the cars we went, all tired from our long morning in the sun

but so happy that 270kg of trash would never make its way back into

the ocean.



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Creatures ofPez Maya

Thespidae

This peculiar creature,

found in the surroundings

of Pez Maya, is a grass

mantis part of the Thesp-

idae family. This partic-

ular insect resembles thetwigs of the trees among

which it lives, helping it

to camouflage itself from

its prey.


10/21

PADI ADVANCEDOPEN

WATERDIVERCOURSE,

PEZMAYASTYLEBy Eugene Beery

For those of you that arent familiar with PADIs Advanced Open Water Diver Course here is a quick breakdown. The

course is the second level of the recreational diver ladder following your Open Water Diver certification. It consists of 5

individual dives that focus on specific fields or aspects of diving as opposed to the Open Water course which focuses on the

basics of diving as a whole. The individual dives pertain to an array of possible fields including deep diving, navigation,

wreck diving, enriched air diving, search and recovery, peak performance buoyancy, night diving , underwater naturalist,fish ID and many many more. Each of these dives also has a correlating chapter in the PADI Adventures in Diving manual

which acts as an introduction before completing the practical in water skills. To obtain the certification you must complete

5 of the adventure dives, two of which are mandatory, Deep Diver and Underwater Navigation, and three of which are

elective so you can choose what best suits your needs or interests. You complete each chapter in the manual pertaining to

the dives that you have chosen. Upon completion you are then certified to dive as deep as 30m and youll have expanded yourknowledge of the various types of diving.

In Pez Maya we have selected the 5 dives that best suit our volunteers needs and what will help them progress most during

their time with us as a diver and conservationist.

The dives include the following:

Peak Performance Buoyancy

Beneficial to beginner or experienced divers. Test your buoyancy and im-

prove it through a series of underwater skills and games including swim-

ming through hoops without touching them, hovering upside down, main-

taining buoyancy while hovering and passing various weights in a circle

from diver to diver, writing a short story while hovering and many othergames. All of this is accomplished without using your hands and focusing

solely on your breathing to control your buoyancy. In addition we work

on different finning techniques and adjustments to determine your perfect

weighting and trim. These skills are key to being a good diver but essentialto monitoring the coral reef as we do here. This is one of the most fun

dives to participate in and teach as well.

Underwater Naturalist

The Underwater Naturalist dive has been chosen because it is excellent

preparation for the main focus of our program which is monitoring the

coral reef and to do this our divers need to be able to identify differentspecies underwater - which is the focus of this dive. We take you through

different techniques of how to identify different species underwater and

then for the dive we select 5 fish, 5 corals and 2 plants. The students have

to write down the defining features of the species and when back on land

utilize our identification books to find the specific coral, fish or plant that

we had selected. In addition during the knowledge development portionyou learn the key differences between the terrestrial and aquatic worlds

and how to dive and interact with aquatic life responsibly and with the least

impact possible. Not only does this dive prepare you for your science train-

ing but it gives you the knowledge needed to be a role model diver for the

protection of the marine environment.



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Underwater Navigator

This is one of the mandatory dives required by PADI and it is so for areason. The skills and knowledge in this portion are vital to becoming an

independent and aware diver that knows how to plan a dive pertaining

to conditions and location and follow that plan accordingly. This is very

important on the road to becoming an expert diver. You learn differenttechniques for navigating including utilizing natural references and using

a compass. To put your skills to the test we have our students learn how toestimate distance underwater and using that knowledge navigate a recip-

rocal heading of approximately 40m and then a 30mx30m square using a

compass and returning to the starting point. To finish the dive we have our

students guide us through a portion of the reef and return to the starting

point using nothing but natural references. During the knowledge develop-

ment you learn how to navigate in different conditions taking things suchas visibility, currents and topography into consideration. These skills are

important to make the most of your dives, make your air last and minimize

stress which is always a plus.

Search and Recovery Diver

This is one of our more technical dives that we do here on base. This por-

tion focuses on teaching divers the techniques and knowledge needed to

search for small to large objects that have been lost underwater and need

to be recovered. Youll learn about which search patterns to use depending

on the object you are looking for. From expanding square patterns lookingfor large objects such as a treasure chest, or using a line and reel to execute

an expanding circular pattern to locate the smallest of items such as a ring.

During the dive we also have our students rig a lift bag to a heavy object

using one of the three knots they learn during the course and then safely

bring the object to the surface while adjusting buoyancy for themselves andthe lifting device. We also discuss various other search patterns, the haz-ards involved and the dive planning required to do a search and recovery

dive safely. This dive shows a very different aspect to diving from the norm

and really challenges our students by performing complex tasks under-

water. It is also excellent preparation for your PADI Rescue Diver Course

when it comes to searching for a missing diver.

Deep Diver

This is one of the most popular and sought after fields of diving and is also

the second mandatory dive of the Advanced Open Water course. Just the

shear fact of going to 30m is amazing in itself but it is not the only point

of this dive. Our students learn about the physiological effects of diving

deeper and how to plan accordingly. They learn how to deal with gas nar-cosis, managing air supply and what additional equipment may be needed to

execute specific dives. To finish this training we then go to 30m to explore

the deeper reefs here at Pez Maya. We see things like black coral and the oc-

casional nurse shark, and along the way we may even present certain games

to test your motor functions and cognitive skills at depth as opposed to the

surface. We also bring along various objects to show you how the increasedpressure effects different materials and objects. Finally all of our students

are given a colour chart so they can witness colour change at depth and

note which spectrums penetrate deeper. All in all this is definitely a favorite

and also an important skill to have while progressing as a diver.

So as you can see the PADI Advanced Open Water Course is an extremely fun and beneficial experience for any diver. In

general the course is challenging and fun but at Pez Maya its just that much better. As with all of our courses, because our

volunteers stay with us for extended periods of time, we not only introduce and assess these advanced skills but we have theopportunity to continue to refine your skills and provide feedback until you are a safe, confident and independent diver with

a new arsenal of skills and experience.



12/21

The DiveAcademy

By Kerry Passingham

In October 2014 GVI launched their rst ever Dive Academy inpartnership with XTC Dive Center, a PADI 5* IDC Resort, in Mex-

ico. There are multiple Dive Academies around the world oer-ing similar internships but none that combine the dive training

with such a strong focus on marine conservation.

For several years GVI have run internships worldwide that takevolunteers up to the rst level of professional dive training ofPADI Divemaster. Since the GVI Dive Academy launch in 2014 GVIMexico are now able to oer internships developing volunteersfrom Open Water Divers all the way up to PADI Instructors. Thisnew agship program is called the MSDT Internship.



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For those of you who might not be in the know, allinterns spend their rst 12 weeks here at the PezMaya base on the Yucatan Peninsula progressingfrom Open Water Divers to Rescue Divers, gainingtheir Emergency First Responder and AdvancedOpen Water Certications along the way. Volun-teers are also certied as PADI Coral Reef ResearchDivers (CRRD) which they obtain after gaining ex-perience monitoring the health of our coral reefthrough the collection of data on sh or coral spe -cies. As well as proving their buoyancy and diveskills in water, they attend lectures and completeknowledge development sections to be worthy ofthe CRRD certication. These lectures consist oftopics like threats to the reef and the intercon -nectivity of coastal ecosystems.

The volunteers have opportunity to be involvedin all the dierent research programs at Pez Mayawhich include studies on bird biodiversity, ma-

rine debris, and invasive Lionsh populations anderadication. To add to their conservation learninginterns are set environmental based assignmentsto increase their understanding of the work thatis done at Pez Maya and scientic research tech -niques worldwide. In addition to the dive and sci-ence training interns are also given presentationson leadership skills and styles, and given the chanceto work on these skills during leadership days andchallenges.

All volunteers experience how to use a compressorto ll tanks, how to operate the marine radio and

emergency oxygen administration. During the lastfew weeks on base interns are provided with theirDivemaster materials and given presentations onbasic dive theory so they are more than ready toocially start their training when they arrive at XTCDive Center.

Now for the NEW stu!! Those interns moving allthe way up to PADI Open Water SCUBA Instruc-tors (OWSI) will spend their nal 18 weeks of theprogram at XTC completing their professional leveltraining. Schedules will vary depending on whenPADI examiners are available for the Instructor Ex-aminations, but the Divemaster component mostoften takes 12 weeks to complete, with the nal 6weeks of training being dedicated to the InstructorDevelopment Course and Instructor Examinations- before beginning training for the Master SCUBADiver Training (MSDT) preparation program! At theend of the MSDT internship interns are certiedPADI OWSIs with the ability to teach 5 specialtycourses. They are then free to nd jobs worldwideand gain experience teaching to enable their MSDTstatus.

During their time at XTC interns will have expe-

rience using a modern compressor, customerservices and sales, and equipment maintenance- alongside all other standard components of theDivemaster and Instructor courses. A focus onmarine conservation is kept throughout, provid-ing interns with several environmental workshopscovering topics such as Shark Awareness, ProjectAWARE, CONANP (Mexicos main environmentalgovernment agency), and experience especially onthe invasive Lionsh eradication.

Interns who gain their PADI Divemaster and Instruc-tor status through GVIs Dive Academy come awaywith a lot more than certication cards. They comeaway with a strong understanding of life in a ma-rine conservation base, practical coral reef healthresearch monitoring experience, an increasedknowledge and awareness of local and global con-servation issues, as well as an understanding of thelogistics and day to day runnings of a successfulPADI 5* IDC Dive Resort.

If you have already been a volunteer at Pez Mayayou will have experienced most of the elementsexplained above rst hand but we thought youmight want to have a bit more of an in depth un -derstanding of the internships that happen hereand the added components the interns completewhilst on base and at XTC. Oh and of course giveyou all the juicy details about the new MSDT In -ternship. If you have already got the marine con-

servation experience you can jump directly to theDivemaster or MSDT programs, just contact ourCountry Expert in the oce and they will give youall the information you need. But you are alwayswelcome to come back to Pez Maya and help outon the monitoring of the coral reefs!



14/21

The wonderful world

of BCD MaintenanceBy Jim Clark

Your Buoyancy Controlling Device or BCD to all of those in the diving world, is an extremely important piece of equipment. Anyone with

their own equipment will know how essential it is to take care of it, and how vital it is to ensure that it is maintained and cleaned properly,

to make them last as long as possible.

The first thing you need to know for looking after your BCD is what to do with it once you have been on a dive:

- Always wash your BCD with fresh water after every dive, inside and out, and make

sure to never use solvents that could damage the equipment. Ensure that this is done

immediately if you have just been diving in chlorinated water as this can break down

rubbers and plastics quite quickly.

- To prevent mold growth and bacteria you can use salt water, this will inhibit the

growth of mold/fungus. However once the water has evaporated you will be left with a

BCD covered in salt, this might seem irrelevant but these crystals can do major damage

to your BCD bladder and can tear or rupture it.

So now the extra bits, this only takes a few minutes and is essential for extending the

life of your BCD, it is how the clean the inside of your BCD. You need to hold down

the deflator button while having a good flow of fresh water up into the mouthpiece,

so that it goes inside the bladder of the BCD. Once it is full, slosh the water around to

make sure every part of the inside gets a good clean, then you can dump out the water

through the inflator hose to clean the last bit. Hold the BCD with the hose at the lowest

point, so all the water drains out. You can repeat this step again, but you should be fine.

- Then you need to inflate the BCD through oral inflate or a tank, a good amount needs

to be in there, and this is to ensure that the internal bladder does not dry stuck together.

As this could cause big problems when you come to use it again, and potentially tear

the bladder.

- Finally leave it to dry in a shaded area, if putting it away for the night, put a bit of air

into the BCD while in storage ready for you to dive again, hopefully the very next day!

So that is your guide to general maintenance of your BCD, now we will look into the problems that can occur with a BCD, how it affects

your dive and how they can be fixed.



15/21

Problem:BCD is self inflating

Dive? If you notice it self-inflating before a dive, try to switch it out with another

if available. If you are on a dive and it starts to self-inflate you should end the dive

there, however if you are confident enough with your skills underwater, you can

disconnect the low pressure inflator hose. This will stop the BCD from inflating,but you will then have less control with your buoyancy as you will not be able to

use the inflator hose.

Fix it? This problem can happen from a few things, the inflator button can be cor-

roded and full of salt, small adjustments done during a dive or pre-dive check can

cause the button to stick and slowly inflate. Also the O-rings in this mechanism

could need lubricating to ensure a smooth movement. This can be fixed by yourself

or taken to a technician.

Problem:BCD not holding air

Dive? Usually this is noticed before a dive on buddy checks, and is due to shoul-

der or kidney dump problems . If it is one of these two then it can usually be fixed

before a dive so it is safe to continue into the water. If this happens during a dive,

then you should ascend to the surface, but be aware that you will have difficulties

staying buoyant on the surface, so stay close to your buddy for help.

Fix it? For shoulder and kidney dumps, if they are damaged or have been knocked,

they might not make the seal which holds the air inside. For both of these you can

actually unscrew the dump, inspect the rubber seal has no cracks or foreign objects

around it, and then put them back on, ensuring that the threads are matching up , as

this is one of the most common reason for leaks at these sites. If the leaks continues

to happen take the BCD to a professional to have a good look at it.

Problem:Small leaks on the body of the BCD

Dive? Small leaks can be very common, small bubbles, no troubles does get

thrown round quite a bit. Before or during a dive, they should not be a big enough

problem for you to not enjoy the underwater world, so get in the water , but keep an

eye on it, or have your buddy watch it!

Fix it? Small bubbles, no troubles however a lot of them from different places on

the BCD can start to be a bit worrisome, these are small holes in the bladder of your

BCD which is leaking out. A damaged bladder, should ideally be fixed by a profes-

sional or you buy a new BCD a very easy thing to say but, not always practical.

If it is just a small hole there is the option of using a commercial seal: aquatic seals,

aqua glue, lots of different names; but all do the same thing, patch a little hole to

extend the life of your BCD.

These are the main problems that can occur with a BCD. Proper care of them and annual services will ensure that they will last a bit

longer, because lets be honest these pieces of equipment are pretty expensive, so the less we spend the better right? Keep enjoying the

dives out there. You now have a bit more knowledge to continue in the fantastic world of diving!



16/21

The Story of

EmpanadaThird part

By Steffanie Ransom

As he started to swim,

the waves felt much rougher,

the current was strong,

to get further was tougher.

Living in the Mangroves,

the water was calm,

and even in a storm,

there was no need for alarm.

The trees and the plants

would protect any fish,

it was the easiest of lives

if that was ones wish.

But Empanada was not now

the pup he once was,

he felt strength surging through him,

and he knew it because

his curiosity was piqued

by the lessons hed learned,

and there was now nothing for him

if, to the Mangroves, he returned.

Pulsing through tides,

timing them in and then out,

his fins became giant

and his head lost all doubt.

Once he was through

the worst of the surge,

he adapted to salt water,

the fresh he could purge.

He looked all around him,

he felt he had grown,

both in body and in mind,

his voice lower in tone.

And something else he noticed,

as he closed in on the reef,

his stomach was growling,

he had so many teeth!

He felt so ashamed

and scared of his hunger,

the reef was so beautiful,

hed never want to plunder!

But what good was that,

when each fish that swam by

looked moist and delicious,

he just couldnt lie.

And just as he thought

the temptation too much,

a turtle swam by him,

muttering angrily and such.

Hes a scourge to the reef,

if I did it Id fail,

but its for the good of the

Ow!

And swam into his tail.

The turtle reversed

and gaped, wide of eye,

the size of Empanada

made her fear she would die.

No please dont eat me,

I have more yet to give!

My names Furtile Myrtle,

the guys need me to live!

Empanada blinked

(or he would if he could),

He wouldnt eat Myrtle,

he explained he was good.

Calm down my friend,

my teeth wont deploy;

I just couldnt bear it

if this reef I destroy.

Now Myrtle blinked

(she actually could)

But you cant be serious,

you totally should!

Not me, of course,

now that were friends,

But this reef needs sharks,

on them it depends!

But what do you mean?

Look at all this!

If I gave into my hunger,

its not just fish you would

miss;

Id eat turtles and rays,

Id take over the town,

If this reef had a king,

Id take the crown!

Well thats presumptuous,

Said Myrtle, quite right.

Theres plenty other sharks

with a much bigger bite.



17/21

But do you see the abundance

and diversity of life?

Without corals and fish,

thered be nothing but strife.

Empanada agreed,

but did not understand,

why this turtle would say

that the reef would withstand

if he and all sharks

ate everything,

from the head to the tail,

each fin and each wing.

You dont feast all day,

but you do do your part,

to make sure theres balance

to this reefs central heart.

Empanada nodded,

slow to be sure,

So if we didnt eat fish,

thered be too many more?

Exactly! Thats it!

Furtile Myrtle did shout.

Coral reefs need balance,

thats what its about.

The coral need plankton,

and the fish eat the coral,

and you guys eat fish,

its nothing but moral.

Empanada smiled,

licking his lips,

And theres further good news,

if youre looking for tips.

The cool thing about sharks,

a fact rarely told,

is that you euthanize

the sick, the weak and the old.

You keep our gene pools strong,

and hey on that note!

Theres a turtle you should meet,

Hes over there by the boat.

You see, hes too old,

and a danger to us,

Hes perfectly ready,

hell go without fuss.

Wait just one second,

let me get this straight,

youre leading me to a friend

so hell meet his fate?!

Lets not throw around friend

so fast and so loose,

this is the circle of life,

not a swim to the noose.

Even though that metaphor

didnt quite hit its mark,

the Turtle had a point,

after all, hes a shark.

From the small and safe Mangrove

all the way out to sea,

Empanada became

the conscientious shark he would be.

He knew every purpose

for of each part of the reef,

he knew of the seagrass,

and of the Mangrove relief.

And as he chomped on that turtle

and others watched on with glee,

he caught the eye of a female,

as yellow as he.

With an urge that was new,

and a satisfaction for life,

he felt the strong inclination

to take a wife.

So with the best line he had,

he swam up to she,

So I know this little Mangrove

And the rest was history.



18/21

By Naufrago feat Zack

Come gather round peopleWherever you roam

And admit that pollution

Around you has grownAnd accept it that soon

Youll be poisoned to the bone

If the reef to you is worth savin

Then you better start preserving or youll be diving alone

For the reefs they are a-changin

Come divers and trawlers

Who profit from the sea

And hold back your nets

Youre causing a disease

And dont fish too soon

This path do not chooseFor theres not telling how it is ending

The winner now, will be later to lose

For the reefs they are a- changin

Come presidents,ministers

Please heed the callDont stand in the hallway

For he who turns blind

Will be he who has sinner

Theres an ocean outside ragingSoon shake your windows

And rattle your wallsFor the reefs they are a-changin

Come mothers and fathers

Throughout the land

And dont leave behind

Plastic choked sandYour sons and your daughters

Must understand

The ocean is rapidly fadin

Please recycle and use eco brands

For the reefs they are a changin

Our limits are known

The science is clear

Carbon dioxide

Should make us all fear

An ocean of acid

Is fast coming hereThe order is rapidly fading

For the chemical imbalance

Is abundantly clear

For the reefs they are a changin

SINGALONGTOBOBDYLAN`S

THETIMESTHEYAREA CHANGIN



19/21

The

PezPuzzler

The rules of the game are simple:each of the nine blocks has to

contain all the numbers 1 to 9within its squares. Each numbercan only appear once in a row,

column or box.



20/21

With this app you'll be able to:

Learn about GVI Mexico's main objectives.

Follow our Facebook Feed and give us a Like.

Have a better point of view of La Pennsula de Yucatn Region with the interactive map and find all our projects,initiatives and locations of interest.

Read interesting articles about the region and about our projects with videos and galleries in our Digital Library

made just for you.

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We'd love to hear from you. Please contact us: [email protected]

Hope everyone enjoys our app made with love for our volunteers.

-GVI Team, Mxico.

Global Vision International

App for our Volunteers

in Mexico.



21/21

Pez Maya Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 4

Documents

Transcript of Pez Maya Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 4