Wounded service members learn to water ski, scuba, sail in New York

By billrini

Jun

30

Soldiers and Marines severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan will have the opportunity to learn adapted water skiing, scuba and other water sports as guests at the 2006 Adaptive Water Sports Festival, presented by Disabled Sports USA, the Wounded Warrior Project, Graybeards, and the Fire Department of New York City.

Specially trained volunteers from the FDNY, including Firefighter Tom Westman, winner of the CBS 2005 Survivor series, will be on hand to teach the “Wounded Warriors.” Despite the fact that most have single and even multiple amputations and other severe injuries, all will participate and learn.

Wounded service members learn to water ski, scuba, sail in New York

Scuba Geek

By billrini

Jun

30

Are you a scuba geek? Or did you ever wonder Why Two High Tides a Day? or Why people breathing helium have the “Donald Duck” Effect when they talk? Then this is the site for you. Scubageek is a collection of articles on scuba science that are written with humor to get you past the math and physics.

Scuba Geek – Divester

DOT team up with Scuba Diving Magazine

By billrini

Jun

29

DIVERS in the US now have easier access to the Cayman Islands’ dive sector, thanks to a collaborative effort by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Scuba Diving Magazine.

Both organisations joined forces recently in an innovative and exciting programme to bring industry news and information to divers across North America.

Cayman Net News: DOT team up with Scuba Diving Magazine

Dive bids to solve wreck mystery

By billrini

Jun

28

Archaeologists are to investigate a wreck reported to be that of a German warship previously said to have been salvaged and scrapped.

Records claim the V81, which was at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, was raised in 1937 after foundering off the Caithness coast 85 years ago.

However, members of Caithness Diving Club said it was still on the seabed.

Archaeologist Simon Davidson, of Nottingham University, said: “It’s a wreck that shouldn’t be there.”

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Highlands and Islands | Dive bids to solve wreck mystery

Dive Indonesia

By billrini

Jun

28

Inspired by the fact that Indonesia plans to create a marine protected area covering 2.96 million acres, I thought I’d poke around a bit and see what else I could learn about the area.

Dive Indonesia

Bottoms up

By billrini

Jun

28

Of all the outlandish experiences on offer to travellers, little compares with the unnatural thrill you get from breathing underwater. At first, it seems so wrong. You put your head under — perhaps in a swimming pool or a shallow lagoon — and you can see other student divers around you trying to come to terms with the sheer strangeness of it all. You exhale, and a plume of bubbles appears briefly in front of you, trembling like a living thing as it leaves your body and enters the liquid world. You realise that breathing has become the most enthralling thing you’ve ever done. You are becoming a scuba diver, and it feels so right . . .

Bottoms up

Portugal Promotes Scuba

By billrini

Jun

28

IPIMAR, THE Portuguese institute of investigation of fishing activities and the sea, has announced its desire to promote scuba diving to Algarve tourists, in order to make the activity more sustainable in the region.

Portugal Promotes Scuba

Two scuba divers rescued in La Jolla incidents

By billrini

Jun

28

Two scuba divers were pulled from the ocean Saturday in separate incidents within minutes of each other in La Jolla, a lifeguard lieutenant said.

About 11:30 a.m., lifeguards were called to the area of La Jolla Shores, where a diver was spotted floating face-down in the water by her dive master, Lerma said.

Two scuba divers rescued in La Jolla incidents

Scuba diving becoming popular sport in W.Va.

By billrini

Jun

28

When West Virginians want to participate in an outdoor adventure, the obvious activities come to mind: whitewater rafting, rock climbing or skiing.

But the co-owners of X-treme Sports in Beckley think another outdoor activity will soon make a big splash in the Mountain State.

“Scuba diving is really growing in popularity,” said owner Alan Floresca. When he and Jim Holt took over the shop ten years ago, everything in it revolved around scuba diving.

How-To: Build Your Own Drysuit Dryer For $30

By billrini

Jun

21

After I went diving last weekend, I hosed off my wetsuit and hung it on the fence to dry. In this hot Florida sun, it dried in about 30 minutes, and I believe the sun killed any bacteria hiding in the neoprene. I don’t have a drysuit, though, so I don’t have any experience drying them. Consequently, I was pleased to learn about Dave Dalton’s snappy drysuit dryer. Of course, Dave Dalton is a tinkerer. You might not have to go to this much trouble to dry your drysuit, but if you like fooling around in the garage, then this kind of project might appeal to you.

How-To: Build Your Own Drysuit Dryer For $30 – Divester

How-To: Make An Underwater Housing for $19

By billrini

Jun

20

When Ian Usher wanted to make a short film using his dog, Baxter, as its subject, he really wanted to take some underwater shots of the dog swimming. Rather than invest in an underwater camera and attendant housing, however, he decided he’d just make the housing himself. Using a borrowed Panasonic camcorder, some plumbing pipe, a piece of glass, and some sealant, Usher made his housing for $19. Here’s how he did it:

How-To: Make An Underwater Housing for $19 – Divester

Dive Site Directory — A Directory For Dive Sites

By billrini

Jun

20

If you’re on the hunt for some dive site information, then you might want to check out the aptly named dive site directory. Begun by Clare and Matthew Slightam as a free source of reference for the diving community, it’s a great resource for divers trying to scrape together information about potential dive destinations, especially those that are a bit off-the-beaten-path. When it began, dive site directory featured only 80 dive sites covering 3 countries. Today, it houses over 510 dive sites in 25 countries!

Dive Site Directory — A Directory For Dive Sites – Divester

Recent shark attacks and sightings no cause for alarm says expert

By billrini

Jun

18

A shark expert says there’s no reason for the public to be alarmed.

“It’s their ocean basically,” says John Naughton, Pacific islands environmental coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service. “People if they use common sense they should minimize the chances of encountering sharks.”

Recent shark attacks and sightings no cause for alarm says expert

Singapore Scuba Diving

By billrini

Jun

16

A recent item on Channelnewsasia.com highlighted the increasing popularity of diving amongst Singaporeans – the idea that it’s an expensive hobby has been thrown off and now many students are signing up to try out scuba. Now Singapore itself is not famed for its pristine waters, so I was wondering where these guys go to dive. Given their country’s location at the end of peninsular Malaysia, Singaporeans have a huge choice of world class, accessible dive spots around them. A quick Google found two established Singapore dive schools – Waikiki Dive and Orpheus Dive.

Singapore Scuba Diving – divehappy.com: Scuba Diving In Thailand and South East Asia

Professional Association of Stupid Divers’ T-shirts Available NOW!

By billrini

Jun

15

John Moore runs Divebums, a San Diego-specific dive information website. Over the years, he’s made marine-themed t-shirts and calendars. However, his most recent creations focus on the little known — but increasingly popular — specialty courses known as Stupid Diver and Advanced Stupid Diver. These courses, of course, are only offered through the dive instruction organization known as the Professional Association of Stupid Divers (PASD). Once you complete the certification requirements (which are, very, very easy to do), you can get your own t-shirt and proclaim to the world that you’re a proud member of the Association of Stupid Divers!

Professional Association of Stupid Divers’ T-shirts Available NOW! – Divester

How-To: Estimate Water Temps Before Diving – Divester

By billrini

Jun

15

Unless you live in the Caribbean, and the water temperature is constant, knowing the sea’s temperature in advance of going diving would be great. If that happened, you could select accurately your exposure protection even before leaving home. In an effort to provide divers along Santa Catalina Island with this ability, Catalina Conservancy Divers (CCD) has installed a number of “temperature devices” (known commonly as thermometers) at multiple locations and depths around the Island.

How-To: Estimate Water Temps Before Diving – Divester

Engineering Students Make ROV Capable of Diving to 400 Feet

By billrini

Jun

14

Recently, a team of 9 engineering students from Rochester Institute of Technology constructed a ROV capable of diving to 400 feet. Dan Scoville — a 2005 RIT grad who claims to have located 3 virigin, undisclosed wrecks in Lake Ontario — led the team and largely financed the project. Scoville and the team intend to use the ROV this summer to explore the wrecks in Lake Ontario as well as to search the Atlantic Ocean.

Engineering Students Make ROV Capable of Diving to 400 Feet – Divester

Study: Colorful, Rare-Patterned Male Guppies Have Survival Advantage in the Wild

By billrini

Jun

14

Reporting in the June 1 issue of the journal Nature, scientists from six institutions detail how male guppies with the most colorful — and most rare — patterns are more likely than their more commonly colored counterparts to survive in the wild.

“This study provides very solid support for frequency-dependent survival,” said principal investigator Kimberly A. Hughes, an animal biologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “We found that rare color patterns of these guppies had a highly significant survival advantage.”

Underwater Times | Study: Colorful, Rare-Patterned Male Guppies Have Survival Advantage in the Wild

Monk seal twins receive crucial care in captivity

By billrini

Jun

13

A rare pair of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal twins — only the fourth set of twins ever documented — was brought to Honolulu from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge aboard a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft early yesterday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service are working to ensure the pups are given the best chance for survival and hope to return them to Midway Atoll, where they were born, in the fall, officials said.

Monk seal twins receive crucial care in captivity – The Honolulu Advertiser

Study: Overfishing Puts Southern California Kelp Forest Ecosystems at Risk; ‘So Sensitive’

By billrini

Jun

12

Overfishing presents a much greater risk to the kelp forest ecosystems that span the West Coast — from Alaska to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula — than the effects of run-off from fertilizers or sewage from the shore, say scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The findings have important implications for the design of California’s Marine Protected Areas.

In an article published in the May 26 issue of Science, researchers describe the first study to compare the top-down versus bottom-up human influences on the food chain of the kelp forest ecosystems.

Underwater Times | Study: Overfishing Puts Southern California Kelp Forest Ecosystems at Risk; ‘So Sensitive’

12 Dives in Grand Cayman: A Trip Report

By billrini

Jun

12

Between June 1 and June 6, my father and I enjoyed Grand Cayman’s charms. During our well-deserved vacation, Don Foster’s dive operation took us out as we explored the reefs and the marine life off the western and northwestern edges of the island. Ultimately, we managed to squeeze in a dozen dives, all of which were at least “very good,” and some of which were “spectacular.” Topside, we did some exploring, too.

12 Dives in Grand Cayman: A Trip Report – Divester

Thailand Dive Sites At A Glance

By billrini

Jun

12

Thailand is blessed with many world class diving sites – and there’s so many of them, it can get a bit bewildering about where to go. The Tourist Authority Of Thailand has a very good summary of the different sites on a single webpage, with links out to separate pages on each of the different major dive destinations. It’s well presented, with maps and some beautiful photos to get you in the mood for what you’ll see. There’s also practical info on how to get to each destination too.

Thailand Dive Sites At A Glance – divehappy.com: Scuba Diving In Thailand and South East Asia

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | New shark discovered in US waters

By billrini

Jun

12

A new type of hammerhead shark has been discovered in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, marine scientists say.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | New shark discovered in US waters

Researcher: How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans

By billrini

Jun

11

“We can see from fossils that whales clearly lived on land – they actually share a common ancestor with hippos, camels and deer,” said team member Martin Cohn, Ph.D., a developmental biologist and associate professor with the UF departments of zoology and anatomy and cell biology and a member of the UF Genetics Institute. “Their transition to an aquatic lifestyle occurred long before they eliminated their hind limbs. During the transition, their limbs became smaller, but they kept the same number and arrangement of hind limb bones as their terrestrial ancestors.”

In findings to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists say the gradual shrinkage of the whales’ hind limbs over 15 million years was the result of slowly accumulated genetic changes that influenced the size of the limbs and that these changes happened sometime late in development, during the fetal period.

Underwater Times | Researcher: How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans

Scuba Diving Liveaboards Compared

By billrini

Jun

11

There’s an excellent scuba diving liveaboards comparison chart tucked away on the Divernet website – it covers not only Thailand and other countries in the Asia Pacific region, but the major diving regions across the world. It looks a bit clunky, but the information is invaluable and a good start to figuring out which company you should invest your hard earned cash with for a dive holiday.

Scuba Diving Liveaboards Compared – divehappy.com: Scuba Diving In Thailand and South East Asia