Re: HELP: Scuba-diving terms

[Kees de Bondt <cbon -at- WXS -dot- NL>]

On 28-09-1998 17:10 Robert Nusbaum wrote:


>Quote:
>
>Over 60 different scuba-diving opportunities (areas? spots?) await the amateur
>scuba-diver, among them AUDFENRIFFPASSAGEN, wracks, drop-offs und
>STRD6MUNGSKANALE
>
>What are those capitalized words in English? The first one is literally "outer
>reef passage" and the second "current canal".

I see you are dealing with reefs in the Maldives. For these two words you
need to know the Maldivian geography. The Maldives consist of small sandy
islands, grouped together in atolls, surrounding an inner sea. E.g. the
North Male and South Male Atolls.
The reefs at the inner side of the atoll and also surrounding the
individual islands, are called the inner reef. The outer reef surrounds
an entire atol, seperating it from the free (Indian) ocean.

Aussenriffpassagen = boat trips to the outer reef (5 to 20 km from shore)
Stromungskanale (o = o-umlaut) = is the sea strait between North Male and
South male Atoll, where many pelagic creatures may be found: manta's,
whale sharks, etc.
>
>Wracks, I gather, are boats that have been sunken (sunk?) either in a
>shipwreck, or deliberately, so that coral will grow on them. A sort of
>artificial coral reef.

wrecks: boats, ships and other sunk-offs to be covered with coral.

>BUT:  Does one just call it a wrack, or do you sometimes need to say (as the
>source text sometimes does) that it's ARTIFICIALLY sunken or DELIBERATELY
>sunken?
>And if you have to say that, which one of those do you say?

As a rule wrecks are the silent remnants of a naval catastrophy, however
sometimes - for fun of the scuba diver - old ships are sunken
intentionally to form an artificial (planned) reef.
Sometimes it is done by chains of old tyres...

>
>Is PARASAILING a word/sport in English?

Parasailing is a popular sport in Europe - especially in the Austrian /
South German Alps - where you start on a favourable summit and will fly
down by means of a small light-weight construction of wings. It is an art
of (one-person - gliding, in the way Icarus did...
If there is enough wind, you might do that in the Maldives as well.
>
>Quote:
>The only uninhabited island in the Maldives, Bodu Huraa was linked by a STEG--
>PONTOON?? CAUSEWAY? WALKWAY?--to the tourist island of Veligandhoo in 1988=

STEG = a long small bridge, an art landing-stage
>
>The islands are very very small and pretty close together. Is one of those the
>right word?
>
You can circle most islands along the water line in just seven minutes:
that size...
Call them Bounty islands... :-)
>
>What do you call the place you set off (in a boat, I presume) to scuba-dive
>from? In German it's BASIS. In English: STATION? BASE?

scuba station is the usual choice, base may also be used. Anyhow, it is
called for the premises where the equipment is stored, an air-pressure
station is situated, a scuba shop and a hotel. Usually located on the
waterfront.
>
>
>And what do you call the place where you actually jump into the water after
>you leave the station or whatever it's called and arrive at your scuba-diving
>destination?
>DIVING POINTS?  I'm sure that isn't it.
>
Call it Dive Site
>
>And these places (geographically speaking, not where you jump in) where you
>scuba-dive, are they called SCUBA-DIVING AREAS?  Or are they SCUBA-DIVING
>OPPORTUNITIES?
>That sounds right to me.

Dive area, or - also - dive site
Scuba-diving opportunities is a glossy-folder term...

>And are straw roofs in the Maldives plain old straw roofs or are they thatch
>or something else?
not that old or antique. Every couple of years they need to be renewed
after the August storms.
>
>And if a bungalow is described (in German) as being "covered with palm leaves"
>does that mean the outer walls or the roof?
>If it's the roof, would you say "palm-leaf covered roof"? And if it's the
>walls, what would you say? Or...?
The walls are used to be built of coral-mortar. The roofs are either
palm-leaves or corrugated iron, or even roofing-tiles
>
>
>Does anyone know of a source for tourist-type terms like this (German-
>English)?

Travel a lot into those areas... <joke>.

I suggest, by reading glossy folders regularly
>
>
>I appreciate any life-lines or life-preservers you can throw my way.

dont get drowned...
>

Scubaliyours...
Kees de Bondt


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