Title – Scorpion Fish
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
Scorpion fish blend in perfectly to their surroundings, you will hardly ever see them unless they decide to move, but that’s not all they have to defend themselves with. Their dorsal fin has evolved into a set of short sharp spines that will inject nasty venom into anyone who steps or puts a hand down on one. It is highly unlikely to kill you, but you the following is a list of symptoms associated with a sting from this fish:
Severe Local Pain, Swelling
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhoea
Shortness of breath
High or Low blood pressure, rapid or slow heart rate
Fainting, Delirium, Seizures, Paralysis
Treatment recommended is:
Wash the area with salt water. Remove any foreign material at the wound site. Contact the hospital. Soak the wound in the hottest water the person can tolerate for 30 to 90 minutes, if instructed to do so. Contact Poison Control Centre for appropriate treatment instructions.
Beyond The Blue is all too aware that accidentally stepping on a scorpion fish is rare, but the number of people with health care problems or who need hospital visits whilst travelling is not so rare. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we examine the subject of what to do if you find yourself in need of medical care, when you are far away from home. We also discuss the different types of insurance available and the importance of choosing the one that is going to best suit the needs of your travel plans.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Nudibranch
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
This Nudibranch (Phyllidia varicosa) is a type of sea slug that lives on the coral reefs of the Philippines. But Nudibranchs can be found in most tropical reefs around the world. They tend to be small and difficult to spot (this one was only about 2 cm in length). Nudibranchs really don’t look like our typical image of slugs and are generally brightly coloured and beautiful to look at. But you have to look hard to find them.
Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but it is also in the detail.
At Beyond The Blue we believe detail is important and when we run our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we tailor it to suit the specific needs of those attending. We ask you to fill out an Pre-booking Form that indicates the outline of your travel plans, so that we can present the information most relevant to you. The detail is important and rushing a general overview would be wrong for us to do, when presenting a workshop and wrong for you to do when exploring a new country.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Manta Ray
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
No one quite knows how big Manta Rays get, reports of rays with a wingspan of in excess of 9 meters have been reported and even a 6 meter Manta can weigh in at over 1.5 tonnes. However on average a Manta like this one would have a wingspan of some 4 meters.
Fortunately these monsters of the sea are almost completely harmless to humans, being plankton eaters they glide through the water like eagles soaring and often seem completely oblivious to you diving just a few meters away. The only way they will hurt you is if you were to approach or try and touch one and then you might get a slap with a very big wing for your troubles, but this would not be an aggressive attack simply a very big fish wanting to get away from you.
Manta Rays are the highlight of any dive and some people fly half way round the world just to have an encounter with one.
Things are not always what they seem and you have to make judgements on things you see every single day; sometimes you will jump to the wrong conclusion because insufficient information is available. At Beyond The Blue we know that Manta Rays are generally harmless and we also know that approaching people or animals you are unfamiliar with can put you in a very vulnerable position. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we examine situations in which you might find yourself that would make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe and look at different ways of dealing with these situations. This dynamic risk assessment approach will help you to reduce the risks during your trip.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Barracuda
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
The Foster's barracuda (Sphyraena forsteri) tend to shoal and like many animal species the safety in numbers allows them to confuse their predators, just as their smaller prey try and confuse them, by shoaling in their ten of thousands.
Staying in open public places is one of the most basic steps you can use when trying to act safely in an unfamiliar location.
Travelling alone doesn’t mean you have to stay that way. In most countries you will struggle not to meet other travellers and when you do its worth remembering that if you want to experience something in a remote location, it is worth taking them along. Safety in numbers is not exclusive to the fish world.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop was set up to help individuals learn the skills they will need to travel round the world in a safe and confident manner.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Lion Fish
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
The Common Lion Fish (Pterois volitans) is one of the reefs most stunning fish and make a great subject for underwater photography. They are very confident, protected from attack by larger predators by the poisonous dorsal spines and the pectoral spines that they have evolved.
This adaptation has given the Lion Fish the enviable position of being well protected from those other fish that might view it as a tasty morsel. Potential predators are given the clear ‘keep clear’ message through their bright colouration.
When travelling round the world it is important to demonstrate that you are not vulnerable through the signals you send out. At Beyond The Blue we believe that the way the Lion Fish protects itself by drawing attention to the warning colours, is not exactly what we would recommend. But through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we will teach you personal safety techniques and communication skills that will help you to blend into your surroundings and enable to send messages to ‘predators’, which may make you an unattractive target for them.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Nemo
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
Fish names are just one of the things that change from country to country and not just because of the language. The Great White Shark is known as a White Pointer is Australia; the Bull Shark is known as a Zambezi Shark in Mozambique; and the Anemone Fish (Amphiprion clarkii) (sitting on a Bulb-Tentacle Sea Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)) is now known the world over as Nemo! Thanks Disney…
At Beyond The Blue we believe in plain speaking, there is no hidden agenda or jargon that you will not understand. Our courses are open to everyone who thinks that it may help them in their journeys. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop gets straight to the point, we don’t try and scare you or paint a rosy picture where there is none. Our sole objective is to ensure that you learn skills that will help you travel safely and prepare well for what you can expect to come across, when so far away from home.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Dive Prep.
Date – May 2006
Location - Malapascua Island - Philippines
Of the many extreme sports that are available in different parts of the world, diving is the one that people come back to time and time again. There is some debate as to whether diving should really be classified as an extreme sport, but whatever your opinion, diving has been growing as one of the most practiced sports in the world for many years and the recreational dive market is now very substantial.
There are many great dive destinations around the world, but each destination has its own merits and dangers. Some should really only be tackled by experienced divers and some are better for learning then others. At Beyond The Blue we can advise you on the best dive destination in the world and the best ones to suit you. We provide this detail within the destination advice session of our workshop or through specific consultancy services.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop can help you to choose the destinations that will suit you best and help you prepare for travel with all the advice you will need to complete your trip safely.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
