General information Venue and transport MSW 2006 will be held at the Jerma Palace Hotel (http://www.corinthia.com/jerma), in Marsaskala, a small seaside resort on the southeastern tip of mainland Malta. Marsaskala is located around 8km the airport and Malta s capital city Valletta. The hotel is located on a small promontory on the eastern side of the town (see Appendix A). Participants are required to make their own transport arrangements. Depending on the time and day of arrival at the airport, the best two ways of transport to the hotel are by Taxi (which costs around EUROS 18, one way) or bus. Participants opting for the latter need to take two buses: the first (Bus No 8; every 20 minutes) leaves the airport (ask for the Gudja Airport Bus Terminus) to Valletta and then (Bus nos 19 or 20; see Appendix B) Valletta to Marsaskala. Each bus trip costs around one EURO). For further information on the local bus service, please see http://www.maltatransport.com/en/new/publictransport/buses.shtml Participants who opt for taxi should request transport at the White Taxi booth located in the airport arrivals hall, otherwise the fare charged may be much higher!
Registration desk and meeting halls The registration desk will be located in the Captain s Lounge next to the Gabriel s Suite, which will serve as the conference hall for oral presentations. Round table sessions will be held in the Deck Suite, which adjoins the Gabriel s Suite. Poster sessions will be held in the Gabriel s Suite Lobby, which is located outside the Gabriel s Suite. The registration desk will be open at 1800 on Sunday 28 th May. Thereafter, it will open at 0815 on a daily basis throughout the duration of the workshop. Signs will be posted close to the hotel reception to indicate the location of the conference and round table session halls, and reception desk. Name tags Name Tags must be worn throughout the workshop, including the social events. If you lose your name tag please go to the registration desk and you will be provided with a replacement. Business services Services related to photocopying, faxing, printing etc. will be available at the hotel reception desk against a fee. Internet The hotel is equipped with a wireless service for participants who have a PC with wireless LAN. Vouchers for using the wireless service are obtainable the hotel reception desk against a fee. The Hotel also has an Internet room adjoining the hotel reception. Catering The registration fee includes lunch and coffee breaks throughout the duration of the workshop (Monday to Friday). The registration fee also includes a welcome buffet that will be held on Monday 29 th May at 2000. You will be informed of the venue for the welcome buffet during the workshop, since we aim to hold the event on the Hotel s veranda next to the waterfront, but this depends on weather conditions. Participants will also be hosted to a dinner at the Trattoria Boccaccio in Vittoriosa (located around 5 km Marsaskala) on Thursday 1 st June at 2000. Transport to and the restaurant will be provided free of charge. Participants are required to make their own arrangements for dinner on Tuesday 30 th May, Wednesday 31 st May, and Friday 2 nd June, and any other days spent at the hotel outside the workshop period. This includes lunch and dinner on Saturday 3 rd June. For those attending the dive/s and or boat trip, the fee paid for the boat trip includes a packed lunch (see Dives/boat trips below ). There are several restaurants in Marsakala, particularly along the waterfront, that serve good food. Diving in the vicinity of the hotel The Jerma Palace Hotel has a small dive shop which can cater for participants wishing to dive close to the workshop venue (the hotel itself). There are extensive Posidonia oceanica meadows just off the hotel s waterfront, while arrangements can be made with the dive shop to attend a shore or boat dive not far the hotel. Participants who are not SCUBA divers may want to bring along a mask and snorkel so that they can swim over the seagrass meadows located off the hotel s waterfront.
Dives/boat trip The boat trip will consist of a cruise along the northern coast of Malta and Comino, which supports some of the most extensive meadows of the two seagrasses Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa found locally. A stop will be made off Comino at a site where meadows of P. oceanica extend to a water depth of 44 m. Participants who are qualified SUBA divers will have the opportunity to dive at this site to observe the deep water seagrass meadows. Arrangements can be made for those wishing to be accompanied by a diving instructor, against a fee. Another stop will be made in the vicinity of the Blue Lagoon in Comino, which is known for its very clear waters and striking scenery. Participants who would like to dive using SCUBA in shallow waters (5 15 m) and others who would like to swim and/or dive using mask and snorkel may do so in the vicinity of the Blue Lagoon. A light lunch and refreshments will be served on board the vessel while anchored at the Blue Lagoon. If time permits, another stop will be made at Cirkewwa where a mixed Cymodocea nodosa/halophila stipulacea meadow is present at a depth of around 30 m. Participants (who are qualified divers) will have the opportunity to dive at this site to observe the meadow. The holding of the boat trip is subject to weather conditions. Any fees paid in advance will be refunded in the eventuality that the trip is not held, and a shore dive will be held instead. Please note the following: i) Transport to the boat trip departure site will leave the hotel at 0900, while the boat trip will start at 10.00 and may extend to 1800. This means we will arrive back at the hotel in the evening or just before. It is therefore important to plan your travel arrangements accordingly. Remember that your registration fee covers SIX NIGHTS. Accommodation to cover additional nights at the hotel (e.g. to enable you attend the boat trip/dives) must be paid extra. In this regard, please contact Lucienne Bugeja at mswinfo@um.edu.mt ii) The fee you have paid for the boat trip covers land transport the hotel to the boat departure point and back, the boat trip itself and a packed lunch and drink. iii) If you intend to dive, please be aware that both dives planned for the event will take place in relatively deep waters (the first dive at around 42-43 m and the second at around 32 m). Therefore, we do not recommend these dives to Participants who are inexperienced or those who have not dived for some time. Instead, you may want to dive in shallower waters (circa 5 15 m) during our stop in Comino (where participants who do not dive using SCUBA may dive using mask and snorkel and/or swim). iv) If you intend to dive, you will need to pay extra for hire of any SCUBA equipment required. To give you an idea of cost, hire of a 15L cylinder costs around EUROS 4, while hire of a full kit costs around EUROS 36. Please send details of your requirements IN ADVANCE to Joseph A Borg at: joseph.a.borg@um.edu.mt, so that the necessary preparations will be made. Remember that if you plan to do 2 dives, you will need 2 cylinders (15L capacity each). v) SCUBA divers are also reminded to bring along their international diving qualification (PADI, BSAC, CMAS etc) since you will not be able to hire diving equipment without it.
Appendix A Map of Marsaskala showing the location of the workshop venue.
Appendix B Bus Number 19 - Passes through: - FLORIANA - BOMBI - BLATA L-BAJDA - MARSA - FGURA - ZABBAR - 01/10/2005-15/06/2006 Freephone: 80072393 www.maltatransport.com Our Ref: 39 MONDAY TO FRIDAY Our Ref: 40 SATURDAY Our Ref: 41 SUNDAY 06:30 07:15 08:15 10:30 11:30 15:30 16:30 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:30 21:00 07:10 07:55 08:55 10:10 11:10 12:10 13:10 14:10 15:10 16:10 17:10 18:10 19:10 21:10 06:30 07:30 08:50 09:45 10:30 10:45 11:20 11:30 11:40 11:50 12:40 12:50 13:20 13:40 13:50 14:45 15:45 16:45 17:30 17:45 18:30 18:45 19:30 19:45 20:30 20:45 21:20 07:10 08:10 10:10 10:25 11:10 11:25 12:00 12:10 13:10 13:20 14:10 14:20 15:10 15:25 16:25 17:25 18:10 18:25 19:10 19:25 20:25 20:50 21:10 21:25 22:20 22:40 06:30 07:30 07:45 08:10 08:45 09:45 10:30 10:45 11:30 11:40 11:50 12:45 13:20 13:45 14:45 15:45 16:45 17:30 17:45 18:30 18:45 19:30 19:45 20:30 20:45 21:00 21:20 07:10 08:10 08:25 08:50 09:25 10:10 10:25 11:10 11:25 12:10 13:10 13:25 14:10 14:25 15:10 15:25 16:25 17:25 18:10 18:25 19:10 19:25 20:25 20:50 21:10 21:25 22:20 22:40
Bus Number 20 - Passes through: - FLORIANA - BOMBI - BLATA L-BAJDA - MARSA - FGURA - ZABBAR BY PASS - 01/10/2005-15/06/2006 Freephone: 80072393 www.maltatransport.com Our Ref: 42 MONDAY TO FRIDAY Our Ref: 255 SATURDAY Our Ref: 44 SUNDAY 08:00 08:50 09:50 10:50 11:50 12:50 13:50 14:50 15:50 16:50 17:50 18:50 19:50 20:50 08:35 09:25 10:25 11:25 12:25 13:25 14:25 15:25 16:25 17:25 18:25 19:25 20:25 21:25 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 08:45 09:45 10:45 11:45 12:45 13:45 14:45 15:45 16:45 17:45 18:45 19:45 20:45 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 08:40 09:40 10:40 11:40 12:40 13:40 14:40 15:40 16:40 17:40 18:40 19:40 20:40