Apr
25
Not exactly one of the world’s top spots for scuba diving, but when life gives you lemons . . .
St. Andrew student Anne Villarin had never scuba dived until this week. She is on the Helena Lions Swim Team and said it was really fun to be able to breathe underwater.
This is also the first time sophomore Mary Holbrook has experienced scuba diving.
“I’ve never had a fear of water, but I’ve never been a fan of holding my breath for a long time,†she said.
Apr
24
Interesting write-up on the course being offered at the Waynesboro YMCA.
If humans were meant to explore the depths of the ocean, they would have gills. Since most don’t, underwater enthusiasts turn to self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, or scuba, to get their aquatic fixes.
Apr
23
One of the cool things about large aquariums is that somebody has to clean them and feed the fishies.
Apr
21
DiveHappy has a good write-up on the best dive sites in Thailand. Worth checking out if you need a reason to drool this winter. 
Apr
19
Great story over at Live Science on the reasons why and how dolphins spin.
Once a dolphin breaks the surface, everything changes.
As it enters the air, the dolphin sheds all of the resistant forces that slowed it down in the water. And that’s when things really get dizzy.
Airborne, the spinner dolphin can make up to seven revolutions in as little as a second.
Apr
18
Geologists have noticed signs that a major portion of the African continent might be splitting apart.
Geologist Dereje Ayalew and his colleagues from Addis Ababa University were amazed — and frightened. They had only just stepped out of their helicopter onto the desert plains of central Ethiopia when the ground began to shake under their feet. The pilot shouted for the scientists to get back to the helicopter. And then it happened: the Earth split open. Crevices began racing toward the researchers like a zipper opening up. After a few seconds, the ground stopped moving, and after they had recovered from their shock, Ayalew and his colleagues realized they had just witnessed history. For the first time ever, human beings were able to witness the first stages in the birth of an ocean.
Apr
18
David Mattila and Ed Lyman, from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, have developed several home-made tools to assist rescuers in freeing whales caught in fishing line and nets.
I’ve spoken to people who rescue marine mammals and several volunteers have died attempting to give aid to trapped whales. The volunteers know that the mammals mean them no harm but when you’re dealing with a multi-ton animal of that size, a simple slap of the tail while thrashing around could not only kill a human but is likely to take out any rescue boat the volunteers are on.
Apr
17
As happens with many wonderful and beautiful destinations, cruise ships are both a blessing and a curse. Cruise ships bring visitors, money, and a boost to the local economy but the extra people often ruin exactly what made the place special to begin with.
Examples of this are everywhere. I’ve noticed this especially in Cozumel. You know when the cruise ships are in even if you didn’t see them. Cruise ship tourists are typically of the hit and run mentality. They have a very fixed and often very short stop and they try to pack as much of whatever it is they came to do as possible. Some shop and the stores suddenly are overwhelmed with tourists. Dive sites are suddenly overrun with divers. Bars and restaurants are overflowing.
And then suddenly . . . they all disappear.
Belize is starting to get a taste of the cruise ship tourist and people are having mixed feelings.
Apr
17
Wonderful news from DiveHappy about the rebirth of Koh Phi Phi which had been devistated during the 2004 tsunami.
All during 2005 volunteers and locals put in thousands of hours of work cleaning up not only on land but underwater. Divers have cleared some 280 tonnes of debris from under the water and beaches returning Ko Phi Phi to an excellent diving opportunity.
Apr
14
Apr
13
Has it been awhile since you last practiced some of your underwater hand signals? The Recreational Scuba Training Council – which includes IDEA, PADI, PDIC, SDI, SSI, and the YMCA – has produced a nifty little PDF that you can download and review.
An old instructor tip for stuff like this that you might like to save and have available in your gear bag to review from time to time is to print the pages out and then go to your local Kinkos and have them heat laminate the pages. They won’t stand up to taking them on dives with you but you don’t have to worry about them getting ruined by a few drops of water either.
Apr
12
Personally, I’m not much of a fan of snorkels. However, as a PADI dive instructor, I’m required to wear one when teaching or acting in any sort of official capacity so I always have one packed and ready to go in my dive kit. Out of habit it ends up going with me on non-teaching dives as well.
I mostly swim face-up in the water and so I never really even put the snorkel in my mouth. In full equipment, I’ve always found the face-up puts my body in an optimized position to get the most power out of each fin kick. Even in rough seas, I still prefer this style. Thinking back, I don’t remember a time when I’ve ever used a snorkel during a surface swim so part of my view on snorkels originates from my belief that a diver should shed any gear he doesn’t plan to use on the dive (except emergency equipment such as signaling devices, etc). I mean, I wouldn’t carry a wreck reel on my belt to do a drift dive along the reef in Cozumel even though it’s a useful (and even required) device for other types of dives.
Divester provides a good counter-argument though. It might not change my mind about what I prefer but it’s a good read in terms of the arguments for wearing (and using) your snorkel. Well worth the read.