August / November 2007
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700ft on one breath... 
As some of you may remember Herbert from my last newsletter; see: May - July 2007. Well I'm very pleased to announce that Herbert, already a World Record holder has recently smashed his own record by 29 meters/96 feet, to set a new world record under the "No Limits Free Diving" to a depth of 214m/707ft in Greece last month!!! The total time for this memorable occasion was 4 minutes and 24 seconds. No Limits is the deepest free diving discipline, in which a diver descends on a weighted sled and returns to the surface aided by a buoyancy device. For more information on this record and Herbert Nitch: |
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New Staff members |
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Sexy new web site on the way... 
Neco Marine is in the process of up grading our web site, and its going to look hot. Aleksandra Bartnicka, a Polish chick who is an expert in web design and graphics, has recently opened a new company called "The Design Company, Palau" and this is the lady who has been doing all the hard work on our new site, which will be going live very soon... For more information on The Design Company Palau visit: www.palaudesign.com |
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Beautiful Palau... 
We now have on sale "Beautiful Palau", filmed by Shawn Veins. Shawn Veins a cameraman for the Survivor show came and joined us in February and March this year to film our latest Palau movie, and this time we have it on DVD. The short movie features aerial, underwater and land footage with a cool sound track to listen to while day dreaming about Palau. For more information, please contact us at: info@necomarine.com |
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The hot rod of compressors & free Nitrox 
NECO Marine recently invested in a membrane system to improve our services even more by providing free Nitrox 32% to all our divers. We chose to deal with Nitrox Technologies, and together with Bert, our custom designed system called NTZ2520 was born. So for the Tech bit...Take a 17cubic foot NTX2520 membrane at 175 psig (pounds per square gauge), driven by an oversized Atkin's Rotary Screw Low Pressure compressor, combined with our twin Bauer K-15's and...well to put it in laymen terms...we can make enough Nitrox for all your dive friends and all their dive friends...and still be home for dinner! |
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Critter Corner: A rainbow colored fish 
For those of you who have visited us here in Palau and possibly had a trip to Yap, there is a good chance that you have seen a Mandarin Fish. The Mandarin fish has become the Holy Grail in photography. This very elusive little fish has kept many a photographer and cameraman entertained (or frustrated) to get that perfect shot of these striking beauties. These little fellers are small, reaching at maximum 6.7mm (2.6 in) for males and smaller for females. Their body design of swirls, dots, squiggles and stripes made up of incredible neon colors such as orange, blue, yellow and green makes them look something like a young child would draw. If you can't find Mandarin Fish in your fish ID book, try looking under Dragonets. The Mandarin fish is the most spectacular of Dragonets. They usually live on shallow protected lagoons and inshore reefs in various depths. In Palau they are found in the shallows among corals and leaf litter and on the slopes of the Rock Islands. Mandarin Fish lake, is aptly named and is a regular stop for those wishing to see these rainbow colored fish in action, they can also be found around the entrance of Chandelier Cave. As fish go, Mandarin fish are pretty promiscuous. Researchers have monitored and reported on Mandarin Fish populations, and their findings are pretty amazing. Night after night a group of 3 to 5 females gather around their own "street corner" approximately 20 minutes after sunset. Males visiting these sites display courtship behavior in the hopes to attract females. To spawn, the female joins one of the males and rests on his pelvic fin. The pair will then rise slowly above the coral reef and at the peak of the rise, a cloud of eggs and sperm is then released in to the water. As with any attractive fish species these days, there is a decline in their population. Because of their vibrant color, they are in high demand for aquarium owners. The male Mandarin Fish more so, as they are usually bigger than the females. Thus, less males left in the wild to mate with females. Source: National Geographic, Marine Bio.org and Robert F Myers; Micronesian Reef Fishes Guide. |
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Did you know... Sharks attack some 50-75 people each year worldwide, with perhaps 8-12 fatalities, according to data compiled in the International Shark Attack File (ISAF). Although shark attacks get a lot of attention, this is far less than the number of people killed each year by elephants, bees, crocodiles, lightning or many other natural dangers. On the other side of the ledger, we kill somewhere between 20-100 million sharks every year through fishing activities. |
Jeremy Gorges is the latest addition to the Dive guide/Instructor staff at Neco Marine. Jeremy is 21 years old, so he is also our youngest staff member, from British Colombia, Canada. After working on Black-Beards Cruises, Jeremy was "discovered" in 2006 at the DEMA show.
Lizbette Tumakreng has taken over the position in the NECO Marine office working with Josie, doing all the daily accounting and invoicing This is who you will close your account with when you have finished a delightful holiday with usor you may find her as your Rock Island Tour guide for the day. Lizbette is Palauan, she is 20 years old and has just recently finished a 1 year Tourism course and Palau Community College.
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photos by Mandy Etpison, Bert Yates, Kevin Davidson, Bhoyet Etpison
designed by The Design Company Palau