MilaBooks.com Newsletter
The Sea-gram
December, 2014
For ocean lovers, divers, and
"deep-thinkers." |
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 | | Christmas Tree Worms Growing on Star Coral, Palancar Gardens, Cozumel, Mexico, Paul Mila photo� |
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Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday Wishes to our readers. 
Chillin' out after a dive,
on the stern of Alison's boat, Maximus |
In early December we were back in Cozumel Mexico, where I found the perfect subject for this holiday issue's headline photo -- Christmas Tree Worms growing on a coral head. Read more about them in this month's Featured Creature column, below.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of scuba diving is the unpredictability of each dive. You never know "who" you might run into. One minute a hawksbill sea turtle might join you on Palancar Reef, . . .
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Swimming with a hawksbill turtle,
Palancar Gardens, Cozumel |
. . . and the next minute you're swimming along with a nurse shark.
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Following a nurse shark, Paso de Cedral, Cozumel |
But wherever in the world you dive, excitement awaits!
Of course, not all the interesting critters live below the waves. Walking along San Francisco Beach after lunch at Carlos & Charlies with my nieces Kristen and Brittany, we stopped to hang out with a friendly pelican.
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This issue's photo section below features my underwater video collection on Youtube. I hope you enjoy the videos.
If you have a photo with an interesting story or would like to share a good dive yarn, let me know at paul@paulmila.com and I'll be happy to include your story in a future issue.
If you know someone who would enjoy reading Sea-gram, perhaps a friend in need of an overdue "dive fix," please forward Sea-gram to your buddy, using the link at the end of the newsletter.
To view past Sea-grams click our ARCHIVE link below:
I hope you enjoy Sea-gram ! Sincerely, 516-578-1482 |
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Underwater Video Cornucopia
By Paul Mila | |
I have been fortunate to experience exciting diving around the world, and even more fortunate to capture many of those exciting adventures on video.
Click the link to my underwater video collection and select "who" you would like to swim with: eagle rays, barracudas, nurse sharks, moray eels and sea turtles in Cozumel, reef sharks in the Bahamas, humpback whales in Tonga, gray whales in Baja, wreck diving in Roatan, and a host of other adventures:
(At the bottom of the Youtube page, click on LOAD MORE to view additional videos.)
(Note: Tonga humpback whale footage courtesy of Rob Barrel; Bahamas reef shark footage courtesy of Stuart Coves.)
Photo Equipment:
SeaLife 1000 and 1400 Cameras set to Underwater Video mode, using natural light. |
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Featured Creature . . .
Christmas Tree Worms
By Paul Mila, Carle Place, NY |
Christmas tree worms are fascinating animals, appearing at first as plants to a casual observer. They are abundant throughout the Caribbean, making their homes encased inside the limestone skeletons of various types of living coral. They come in a wide variety of colors, greens and blues in addition to the colors pictured below.
They measure an inch or two in diameter, and are usually found in clusters protruding from the surface of a coral head.
Christmas tree worms settle onto the coral as floating larva and establish themselves by building a tube into the coral, usually by finding an opening created by fish which graze on the coral. They remain in their tube for life, growing their tube as the coral grows.
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Christmas Tree Worms Growing on Brain Coral, Cozumel Mexico
Paul Mila Photo |
The worms are highly sensitive to vibration, sensing water movement, and to fast changes in light, an indication that a predator (or a scuba diver) may be passing overhead.
They react quickly, in the blink of an eye retracting into the protection of their tube-homes. Getting a good close up photo requires a stealthy approach by a diver, otherwise the worms disappear into the coral with lightening speed. |
| About MilaBooks.com |
www.milabooks.com
is your home for exciting dive adventure novels and YouTube videos featuring various ocean creatures.
Coming soon: Bubbles Up, a non-fiction foray into Planet Ocean, with co-author Judy Hemenway.
 | | Click the reading dolphin and swim into our website |
Thanks for visiting, and we'll see you next month!
MilaBooks.com
75 Titus Avenue
Carle Place, New York 11514
516-578-1482
To forward Sea-gram to a friend, please click the "Forward email" link below. |
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Featured Creature:
Christmas Tree Worms
Story lower left column. | |
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| Quick Links | |
Updates & Miscellaneous Features
And the winner is . . .
 | | The Winning Book Cover, Selected By Our Sea-gram Readers |
Thank You to the readers who voted last month, and helped Judy and me select the cover image for Bubbles Up from the three candidates we displayed.
We will be in touch with you and send a token of our appreciation.
The photo shows dive buddy Ken Cross, on a deep wall dive in Roatan, Honduras, in June 2012.
We plan to publish Bubbles Up during the first quarter of 2015.
We will keep you posted!
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Speaking of Roatan . . .
If you visit Roatan, make sure you stop in at Layle Stanton's
Latin American Lifestyle & Art
Gallery and Garden Cafe
Diver and entrepreneur Layle Stanton has expanded her art gallery to provide a great dining experience.
Check out Layle's blog and learn how she collects her indigenous art: Layle's Blog
LALA Gallery and Garden Cafe
West Bay, Roatan
+504)9572 0433
lala@lala-cafe.com
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Whale Watching,
A Little Too Close!
These snorkelers swam into a school of baitfish on which humpback whales were feeding.
What happened next was . . . well, take a look:
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Whales Almost Eat Divers
(Original Version) |
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Headed to Hawaii?
Sea-gram reader Paul Stessel set us this story about the latest efforts to track tiger sharks in Hawaiian waters:
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Sea Shepherd Update
Check out the latest news from the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Organization:
Sea Shepherd News
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Amazing Underwater Photography
Sea-gram reader Martha Weisberg sent in two great links to underwater photography sites.
Click and enjoy the images of these outstanding photographers:
Alexander Safonov
Felix Salazar
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www.cozumelisparadise.com
A fun dive site, where you can rent a beachfront condo, view great dive photos, and more!
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GUEST LINKS
For the best scuba experience in the New York area, contact
Scuba Network of Long Island
Sales, Service, Basic & Advanced Dive Instruction,
Local Diving & Exotic Dive Trips
www.scubalongisland.com
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For the best in Cozumel diving, check out:
Scubawithalison.com
Looking for your Slice of Paradise ?
Contact Nancy Edwards at:
www.cozumelliving.com
or
Jaime Ramirez, at:
http://www.residenciasreef.com/
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Available Links!
Post a link to your web site on Sea-gram!
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Join Our Mailing List
If a friend forwarded Sea-gram to you and you'd like to receive future issues, let us know. Click the JOIN link above, or e-mail me at paul@paulmila.com
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