Mini shell pasta with a creamy smoked bacon and pea sauce

Ingredients
• 10 slices smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic
• a small bunch of fresh mint
• 150g Parmesan cheese
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1 chicken stock cube, preferably organic
• 400g dried mini shell pasta
• olive oil
• a knob of butter
• 300g frozen peas
• 2 heaped dessertspoons crème fraîche
• 1 lemon

Serves 4-6
This is one of the dishes I cook for my kids, but to be honest, it’s so good that me and Jools always eat it too! Mini pasta shells are actually meant to be added to soups, but they’re quick and easy to cook, which makes them a good thing to serve with pasta sauces. All in all this should take you no more than five and a half minutes to cook. However, if you decide to go for a bigger type of pasta, remember that it will need more time to cook than these mini shells.

To prepare your pasta
• Finely slice the bacon
• Pick the mint leaves and discard the stalks
• Finely grate the Parmesan

To cook your pasta
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop in the stock cube (if using)
• Stir until it’s dissolved, then add the mini shells and cook according to the packet instructions
• Get a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the butter
• Add the bacon to the pan, sprinkle a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp
• Meanwhile, finely chop your mint leaves
• As soon as the bacon is golden, add your frozen peas and give the pan a good shake
• After a minute or so, add the crème fraîche and chopped mint to the bacon and peas
• Drain the pasta in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water
• Add the pasta to the frying pan
• Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice over the pasta
• When it’s all bubbling away nicely, remove from the heat
• The sauce should be creamy and delicious but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to thin it out a bit
• Add the grated Parmesan and give the pan a shake to mix it in

To serve your pasta
• Divide your pasta between plates or bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves
• Lovely with a simply dressed green salad

Shark finning in Sipadan

Yes, shark finning is happening on Mabul island as resorts are being built non-stop on Mabul and Kapalai for the tourist dollar. In this time of economic crisis, we divers should vote with our money in protecting the sharks from areas that are deemed protected, yet not. Mabul/Kapalai are not part of any marine protected area, but there is a park fee for diving in Sipadan. This fee goes to Sabah Parks, presumably for the protection of Sipadan.

The finners come from a fishing village on the island of Mabul and not attached to the resorts in any way. However, the resorts hire their staff from the islanders, and we are contributing to the resorts. What is the point of paying RM40 to protect Sipadan if the outlying areas will be decimated? At 120 divers per 1/2 day (240 per day), RM9600 a day is being given to Sabah park for the maintenance of the rest area and toilets?

We fully understand that the fishermen are autonomous and deserve the right to make a living. However, when they are making a living on an unsustainable resource, in an area where we tourists pay money to go to see that same particular resource, then the authorities have to decide whether to attract tourism or accede to a short term gain by 5 fishermen.

If the resorts are not contributing to the local community, being via employment, schools or other benefits, then they are also limited in their outlook for the future of tourism in the Ligitan Island group. As diving tourists, why should we contribute to the decline of a beautiful area by supporting the resorts which do not protect their own resources?

In conclusion, we strongly urge the resorts to campaign Sabah Parks to prohibit shark finning in the Ligitan island group area. If the area is not protected, we will choose to dive in other areas of South East Asia where the marine life is protected with the money collected.

SAY NO TO SHARK FINNING

Nitrox (Enriched air)

Nitrox? EANx? Enriched air?
Everyone of us has breathed nitrox. Nitrox means a mix of nitrogen and oxygen and the word "nitrox" doesn't tell the relations of those elements. So air is nitrox too because it contains (basically) nitrogen (79%) and oxygen (21%). The base of word nitrox is the expression Nx/Ox, where N is the chemical sign of nitrogen and O is the chemical sign of oxygen. So basically nitrox can be any mix of nitrogen and oxygen containing 1 to 99 % of oxygen (and rest is nitrogen).

Enriched air oxygen means a nitrox mix which has more oxygen than air has, so then the mix has 22-99% of oxygen. Enriched air nitrox has also shorter name, EANx, where x is the percentage of oxygen, ie. EAN40 (40% oxygen in the mix). Also EANx40 label is used sometimes (the letter "x" is preserved in the label). Usually people mean EANx when they say "nitrox", and so do I further here.
However, it is important to the relations of enriched air nitrox and nitrox, because nitrox can also be "hypoxic" mixture containg less oxygen than air! Then we say that the mix is hypoxic, ie. it has less oxygen than 21%. Hyperoxic nitrox is EANx, and normoxic nitrox is basically air, 21% of oxygen and 79% of nitrogen. Hypoxic mixtures are not recreational diving, but air and EANx usually are.

Is nitrox safer than regular air?
This is one of the most popular myths regarding nitrox diving. People usually refer the avoidance of DCS (decompression sickness) when they claim EANx to be safer than air.

Let's take a look at the diving accident statistics! DAN (Divers Alert Network) has statistics of DCS cases in the USA, which is based on DEMA/NUADC and PADI New Diver Benchmark reports. According to them, the probability to get DCS by air diving is about 0.004% (1 to 25000). Based on this number, and on the PADI Undersea Journal 3/97 magazine, the probability to get DCS by air diving even once during 500 dives is 1.98% (1 to 50). The risk is 1.49% in nitrox diving in same amount of dives. So... so far the difference is marginal, even though nitrox seems to be a bit safer.

But an accident doesn't have to be DCS only, and when diving with nitrox there are several other concerns too that air diving doesn't have. Gas blending, analyzing errors, oxygen clean equipments, CNS clock etc. may also be a source of accident. In this point I have to say that nitrox diving is not dangerous when done right, but these points have to be counted when people talk about safety. So nitrox diving is safe, but not safer than air, generally speaking.

Myths
Besides the safety myth above, there are several myths regarding nitrox diving:

People who don't know much about nitrox think sometimes that it is used for deeper dives. Well, it is not, but it is mostly used on mid deep dives, ranging from 20-40 meters (~60-130 feet). The more oxygen you have in the mix, the shallower will the MOD (maximum operating depth) be.

It is also a common misunderstanding to think that it causes less narcosis. This would be due the fact that it has less narcotic nitrogen. But oxygen is also narcotic, and according to some references it is maybe as narcotic than nitrogen, and together with nitrogen it could be even more narcotic

Why should one dive with nitrox?
Simply: to gain more bottom time and to have shorter surface time intervals. For example, if you dive two dives to 20 meters (66 feet) with one hour surface time, the no decompression limited bottom times will be 45 minutes and 24 min, respectively. Now, if do the same with EAN40, will the bottom times rise to 98 min and 61 min, respectively. (PADI diving tables)

Another example: Two 25 min dives to 25 meters (83 feet). The surface time will be at least 2 h 19 min (in no decompression limits), but with EAN40 you don't even have to have the surface time! (PADI diving tables)

EANx is also used in technical and commercial diving to shorten the decompression times.

How much does it cost, where do I get it and who can dive with nitrox?
Nowadays nitrox doesn't cost much more than air, maybe 1.5 times as much roughly (Sometimes less, sometimes more. Ask for your local diving center.). Several diving centers fills nitrox, but you have to be certified first.

Sipadan: On track to be on list of 7 new nature wonders

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's internationally renowned diving haven of Pulau Sipadan in the state's east coast is on track for qualifying in the listing as one of the seven new wonders of nature.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjum said an official supporting committee had been set up as the key qualifying step for Sipadan stipulated in the contest website www.new7wonders.com.

He said the committee was headed by Sabah Tourism chairman Tengku Datuk Zainal Tengku Mahmud and among its tasks was canvassing support the get people to vote online for the nation's sole oceanic island known for its 3,000 species of fish and dozens of varieties of corals.

"We only knew about three weeks ago that some people who had dived at Sipadan had nominated the island for the listing and we moved quickly to qualify by setting up the official supporting committee," Masidi said on Friday.

He said the nomination would not only further highlight Sipadan and the pristine beauty of nearby islands but also create more awareness among Malaysians about the need for conservation efforts of the island.

"From what I understand, the next round of selection would see more stringent conditions being applied including that about what conservation efforts are being carried out there," Masidi added.

Sipadan was nominated under the island category in the seven wonders contest and is currently in 17th position behind Thailand's Ko Phi Phi, Bora Bora, the Galapagos, Cocos Island and Terra del Fuego, among others.

The other categories were landscapes and ice formations, mountains and volcanoes, caves, rock fomations and valleys, forest, nature reserves and national parks, lakes, rivers and waterfalls as well as seascapes.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman urged Malaysians to cast their vote online for Sipadan to be listed as one of the seven wonders of nature.

"Sipadan is an underwater gem known to among divers worldwide. We should be proud of it," he added.


By RUBEN SARIO (TheStar 20 February 2009)

Similan, Phuket Thailand this coming March 2009

Here's the teaser...

Stay tune for more of my expedition to Similan Island this coming March 2009

"Sometimes there are things that words just cant begin to describe...."

"Sometimes there are things that words just cant begin to describe...."

If you seek adventure, you’ll find plenty, whether it’s in a sunken ship as you uncover its secrets, in a far corner of the world amid other peoples and cultures, or in your backyard - closer than you imagined possible.

If you love nature, you’ve come to the right place. No other environment approaches the abundance, diversity and vibrance of a pristine coral reef. You can see more different species in ten minutes there than in ten hours in the most unspoiled wildernesses above water. But with time, you’ll discover that even unlikely places that seem empty and sterile to the inexperienced eye - like a lake or flooded quarry - teem with intriguing organisms - a reminder that nature’s imagination exceeds ours.

If discovery drives you, welcome to inner space. It’s somewhat cliche, yet true, that we know the surface of the moon better than we know the bottoms of the oceans. Even at the most popular dive sites, you’ll see things most people never see and go where most people never go. Even with hundreds of dives under your belt, visiting a new site thrills you with discovery, and visiting a familiar site is a bit like coming home.

Scuba diving means rising to new challenges. It’s one of those rare activities that deliver adrenaline and intensity, or serenity and peace. You can take on challenges that require training, planing and focus: searching for and recovering lost objects, descending to 30 meters / 100 feet (if your diving level permits) or exploring your favorite dive site after sunset. Or you can drift along in some of the world’s most tranquil and beautiful settings, with your biggest immediate worry whether you want to stop and photograph that starfish or not. Either way, diving grows with you - there’s always something new to see, somewhere new to explore, some new way to enjoy the experience. No other endeavour so easily matches exactly what you’re up for, tomorrow and ten years from now.