NOAA, Proteus Ocean Group to explore uses of groundbreaking underwater lab NOAA and Proteus Ocean Group offsite link have signed a formal agreement to use the “underwater space station of the ocean,” PROTEUS™, to advance marine science, research and education. Together, NOAA and Proteus Ocean Group seek to develop a deeper understanding of the ocean environment and reveal solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing concerns, including those related to climate change. [See NOAA media release] -- Posted Thursday, May 4, 2023 by chb
Case Study: Computers in Marine Exploration In March 2023, Carol Cotton, RuggedPCReview.com's Director of Photography, participated in an expedition to the Silver Banks marine reserve off the coast of the Dominican Republic to record and document humpback whale behavior. Her departure coincided with the world's governments finalizing a new UN Treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Cotton brought along a compact rugged Windows-based Durabook R8 tablet computer as part of her gear. Read about the review trip and Cotton's experiences with the rugged tablet. [Read Case Study: Computers in Marine Exploration] -- Posted Monday, April 3, 2023 by chb
Marine archaeologist George Bass has died George Bass, known to many in the dive community as the “Father of Marine Archaeology,” passed away this week at the age of 88. He has written and edited twelve books and over a hundred articles, five of which are featured in National Geographic. An early practitioner of underwater archaeology, he co-directed the first expedition to entirely excavate an ancient shipwreck at Cape Gelidonya in 1960 and founded the Institute of Nautical Archaeology in 1972. He then became a professor at Texas A&M University, where he held the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Chair in Nautical Archaeology. -- Posted Friday, March 5, 2021 by chb
Olympus TG Tracker now US$199! While the Olympus TG Tracker isn't anywhere near as popular as GoPros, it is an absolutely fabulous, super-compact little 4k video camera that can also do 8mp stills. It can handle depths to 100 feet without housing and comes with everything you need to shoot above and under water. The TG Tracker is so good that we take it on every dive trip and every dive. And now Olympus has them on sale for $199 (usually $349). [See Olympus TG Tracker deal] -- Posted Friday, March 22, 2019 by chb
Great scuba cameras: Canon G7x/WP-DC54 housing We've tested and reviewed a large number of cameras underwater over the years, both with and without housing. Initially, it was safe to say that the average underwater photographer would get one decent shot out of ten, if that. That has changed dramatically. We explain why the Canon G7x with its WP-DC54 underwater housing has become our go-to camera on dive trips, and why it works so well underwater. [See review of the Canon G7x and WP-DC54] -- Posted Wednesday, March 20, 2019 by chb
Battery replacement for old dive computers Maybe you're using an older dive computer. Or you keep one or more old dive computers around as backups (we always dive with two wrist-mount computers, in case one fails). In any case, eventually the battery dies and it may be difficult or impossible to have it replaced. We can greatly recommend Terry at uwatecbattery.com in Florida. He's an expert at replacing batteries in old dive computers, not only Uwatec. -- Posted Thursday, September 20, 2018 by chb
Mexico declares Revillagigedo Archipelago a marine sanctuary Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has established the Revillagigedo Archipelago marine sanctuary via decree. Measuring over 57,000 square miles and encompassing San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida and Clarion, the sanctuary, which is about 250 miles south of the tip of Baja California, is the largest fully protected marine reserve in North America. [See Mexico Creates Pacific Marine Sanctuary To Protect Its ‘Crown Jewel’] -- Posted Tuesday, November 28, 2017 by chb
Tragedy Strikes Multiple Scuba Record Attempts DeeperBlue.com reports that two scuba record attempts ended in tragedy. In the first case, Polish diver Waclaw Lejko failed to surface after attempting a 275m/902ft dive in Lake Garda, Italy. The second incident occurred in the water off Toroneos Bay, Greece, where Bulgarian technical diver Theodora Balabanova died while attempting to break the women’s overall depth record with a dive to 231m/757ft. [See DeeperBlue.com article] -- Posted Wednesday, October 4, 2017 by chb
Billion dollar dive shop 20 years ago, a little company called Atlantic Diving Supply started selling wet suits to Navy SEALS. They operated out of a trailer behind a dive shop. Last year, they had sales of over a billion dollars from Federal contracts. And almost ten billion dollars in the last ten years. Looks like one can make money with a dive shop... [See article] -- Posted Saturday, August 12, 2017 by chb
Global coral bleaching event likely ending After analyzing satellite and model data, NOAA’s experts say coral reefs around the world may finally catch a break from high ocean temperatures that have lingered for an unprecedented three years, the longest period since the 1980s. The latest NOAA forecast shows that widespread coral bleaching is no longer occurring in all three ocean basins – Atlantic, Pacific and Indian – indicating the likely end to the global coral bleaching event. Scientists will closely monitor sea surface temperatures and bleaching over the next six months to confirm the event’s end. [See Global coral bleaching event likely ending] -- Posted Friday, June 30, 2017 by chb
Review: CoCo View dive resort, Roatan, Honduras CoCo View on the Honduran island of Roatan has long been one of our favorite places to dive. We re-acquainted ourselves with CoCo View again during an early October 2016 product review trip. And took the opportunity to update our detailed review and description of this unique dive resort where one can go from a 100 foot wall dive to the bar in ten minutes. [See review of CoCo View dive resort on Roatan, Honduras] -- Posted Tuesday, October 11, 2016 by chb
iPhone 7 does survive on scuba, deeper than we thought Well, the team at EverythingApplePro actually took the new iPhone 7 on scuba. Shooting 4k video for five minutes each at test depths of 10 and then 15 feet worked fine, with no leakage or damage to the phone. At 20-25 feet, the iPhone 7 still worked and recorded video, but apparently had begun leaking and enough water made it in to disable the start button and, back on dry land, eventually the phone. Definitely not recommended, but it shows that the new iPhones are able to survive not just rain, but even full submersion. [See video of iPhone 7 on scuba] -- Posted Thursday, September 29, 2016 by chb
Apple Watch Series 2 waterproof The good news: the Apple Watch Series 2 is waterproof down to 50 meters, which is 164 feet. The bad news: Apple cautions not to use the watch for scuba diving or "other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth." So you get you cake, but you can't eat it. There's a swimming app, though, and it should be interesting to see how that works. -- Posted Thursday, September 8, 2016 by chb
Trip report: Diving the North Carolina Coast Just below "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" off the Outer Banks of North Carolina lies the "Crystal Coast" with its own assortment of historic and artificial reef wrecks. ScubaDiverInfo made a quick trip to see, with the help of the folks at Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, NC, what diving the North Carolina coast is like. [See Diving the North Carolina coast] -- Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2016 by chb
Trip report: Diving wrecks and reefs of South Florida How exciting could diving off Pompano Beach, Florida, possibly be? Very much so as ScubaDiverInfo found out during a product-testing week of wreck and reef diving with the great folks at Pompano Dive Center. Seven wrecks in six days. And we even had a nice close-up with a hammerhead. [See Diving South Florida May 2016] -- Posted Monday, May 23, 2016 by chb
Mermaiding: Making a splash for a bigger cause Who doesn't love mermaids? Mermaids are not only in lore, but also movies (The Little Mermaid, etc.), on TV, and they rival unicorns in popularity in fantasy art. Now there are even mermaid schools, where interested parties can learn mermaiding as sport, with special mermaid fins and all. One of them is run by former Singapore national swimmer Nicole Cheng – who goes by the moniker Mermaid Lilith and is a strong proponent of mermaiding as sport. [See Mermaiding: Making a splash for a bigger cause] -- Posted Friday, April 15, 2016 by chb
The world's most luxurious liveaboard dive boats For many/most divers, being on a liveaboard is not only on top of the list of dive adventures, but also an exercise in trying to find affordable liveaboard deals. If price is not an issue, then check out Fred Garth's "The world's most luxurious liveaboard dive boats" feature on CNN. [The world's most luxurious liveaboard dive boats] -- Posted Friday, April 15, 2016 by chb
Reducing drag underwater We may swim with the fish, but compared to them we scuba divers are about as hydrodynamic as a cathedral. Ma href="http://www.deeperblue.com">DeeperBlue has published a very interesting four-part series entitled "Diving Performance — Beyond Drag" by Ron Smith. Smith is an aerospace engineer and inventor who developed the DOL-Fin hydrofoil type monofin products. Great reading. [Read Diving Performance — Beyond Drag] -- Posted Wednesday, April 6, 2016 by chb
Underwater breathing gills project raises US$800k funding Things that sound too good to be true usually are, at least with current technology. That didn't keep a SciFi-looking "artificial gill" project by Triton that would allow its wearers to breathe underwater for up to 45 minutes at a max depth of 15 feet to raise over US$800k on the Indiegogo startup fund raising site (see campaign). The International Business Times has doubts (see here) -- Posted Tuesday, March 29, 2016 by chb
Interest soaring in dive lessons The Sunshine Coast Daily reports that after years of a steady decline in the worldwide recreational diving industry, growth is now the trend. At a recent conference in Italy, Scuba Schools International — one of the world's largest dive retail organisations — confirmed that for the first time in many years, learn-to-dive courses had increased. In Australia, many retail dive businesses did not survive the global financial crisis and those that did were burdened at the same time by an unrelenting workplace health and safety crackdown across Australia. Thankfully, those times have passed. Retail dive businesses as well as dive charter operators are optimistic about their future. [See article] -- Posted Friday, February 12, 2016 by chb
Deep dive world record attempt ends in tragedy Dr. Guy Garman, a St. Croix physician and scuba diver, was attempting a world record 1,200 feet deep dive off St. Croix on August 15, 2015. The dive was scheduled to be ten-hour and twenty five minutes total. Support divers were supposed to meet Garman at 360 feet after 38 minutes on his way up, but he never arrived at that first stop. Garmin, who had almost 600 dives to his name, but reportedly only had been diving for four years, had a previous personal deepest dive of 810 feet in April 2015. [See St. Croix Source] -- Posted Sunday, August 16, 2015 by chb
National Geographic short: The dangers and excitement of cave diving Cave diving is one thing. Doing it in arctic climates in snow and ice is another. A short movie produced by Klattermusen, a team of outdoor enthusiasts in northern Sweden, shows the close camaraderie between them as the Expedition Bjuralven team explores the longest underwater cave in Sweden. [See video] -- Posted Monday, August 3, 2015 by chb
DAN testing underwater drone that may revolutionize diving safety DAN Europe announced it is testing CADDY, which stands for "Cognitive Autonomous Diving Buddy" and is an underwater drone and floating satellite designed to understand the body language of a scuba divers in distress. CADDY is essentially composed of two ‘robots' operating autonomously — one from the surface and another one from the vicinity of the diver. The latter will interpret a scuba-diver's behaviour and is intelligent enough to detect anomalies. Meanwhile, the surface robot navigates the underwater drone and can communicate with the command centre in case of emergency. [See DAN media release] -- Posted Wednesday, July 29, 2015 by chb
Divers remove invasive surgeonfish The Miami Herald reports how two divers in Florida spotted a bright yellow fish they had never seen before, and reported it to the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, a Key Largo-based non-profit organization that serves as a regional clearinghouse for control of exotic marine fish species. The fish was a mimic lemon peel surgeonfish, native to the Indo-Pacific and the first of its kind documented in Florida waters. It was caught and a REEF representative said the removal might have averted an ecological disaster similar to the spread of lionfish — another Indo-Pacific invader now well-established in the Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. [See Miami Herald report] -- Posted Tuesday, January 13, 2015 by chb
New scuba depth record: 1,090 feet On September 18, 2014, Ahmed Gabr, a 43-year-old Egyptian broke Nuno Gomez' previous depth record of 1,044 feet. Both record were done in the Red Sea off the coast of Dahab in Egypt. Descent took 14 minutes, the overall dive with deco almost 14 hours, and Gabr, a special forces officer in the Egyptian Army and diving instructor for 17 years, used 92 tanks. See how it all went at Ahmed Gabr's website and also on on the Guiness World Record site. -- Posted Thursday, October 9, 2014 by chb
New GoPros! GoPro announced three new cameras, those being the top-of-the-line Hero 4 Black (US$499), the Hero 4 Silver (US$399), and a new basic camera, just called Hero (US$129). Most important features: the Hero 4 Black can do 4k/30fps, 2.7k/50fps and 1080p/120. The Hero 4 Silver seems to have roughly the same capabilities as the old Hero 3 Black but includes, a first for GoPros, an integrated LCD. The new entry-level Hero can do 1080p/30fps and 720p/60fps and is built directly into a waterproof housing. [See GoPro press release] -- Posted Monday, September 29, 2014 by chb
The demonization of whale sharks Whale sharks are among the least aggressive creatures on earth. They feed on plankton. Yet, it's seems to become fashionable among attention seekers to demonize these gentle giants. A video on whale sharp "attacks" made the rounds a few weeks ago. Now there's another clip that bleats "Insane Shark Crash!" and goes "The scuba diver has to scurry out of the way to not become lunch during shark week!" Yeah, right. [See YouTube video] and ScubaDiverInfo's report on whale sharks] -- Posted Monday, August 18, 2014 by chb
$2 million private pool with cave and scuba Imagine having a 360,000 gallon 60-foot wide, 26-foot deep pool with a 300-foot river, diving rock, hidden grotto, cave system, bridges, and a kitchen. That's what US$ 2million bought a couple in Utah. [See $2 million scuba pool] -- Posted Sunday, August 17, 2014 by chb
DUI acquires Ocean Management Systems DUI along with their European partners, BtS Europa AG and CCR Sp. Z o.o. has acquired Ocean Management Systems (OMS), a maker of high end technically-oriented dive equipment. The new company will be called Ocean Management Systems GmbH and will be based in Germany. -- Posted Monday, August 11, 2014 by chb
Travelog: St. Kitts and Saba with Explorer Ventures The ScubaDiverInfo team spent seven adventurous days onboard Explorer Ventures' Caribbean Explorer 2, testing equipment and diving off the islands of Saba and St. Kitts. Our illustrated travelog covers all the details of the trip. And this time the weather cooperated and we had great conditions, unlike on the same itinerary back in 2010. [Read Saba/St. Kitts scuba travelog] -- Posted Wednesday, July 16, 2014 by chb
Costa Condordia dive video Days before salvage workers attempt the historic task of refloating the marooned Costa Concordia off the coast of Giglio, Italy, newly released video has revealed the ghostly world -- frozen in time -- deep inside the luxury cruise ship. See 7-minute scuba video of divers around and inside the Costa Concordia. -- Posted Saturday, July 12, 2014 by chb
CBS Miami on Florida cave diving Nice feature on cave diving by CBS Miami's David Sutta, including a great seven minute cave video covering Florida caver Brett Hemphill's experiences and adventures. [See Cave Diving: The Explorers] -- Posted Monday, June 30, 2014 by chb
Learning about Lake Huron shipwrecks Michigan State University Extension published an article on the Lake Huron waters that are home to many diverse shipwrecks—from wooden schooners to steel-hulled steamers—lying pristinely preserved by the cold, fresh waters of the Great Lakes. Diving and snorkeling these waters offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore underwater history. To learn more about northern Lake Huron shipwrecks and visiting these sanctuaries at the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary website. Another great resource is Discover Heritage Route 23. -- Posted Monday, June 30, 2014 by chb
Shore diving on Bonaire The Miami Herald ran a nice article by Kayleigh Kulp on shore diving on Bonaire. The author describes the freedom that comes with being able to dive from the shore whenever and wherever you want, using rental gear and vehicles, and being able to exchange tanks at 24-hour drive-throughs around the island. [Read "On Bonaire, diving from shore beats taking a boat"] -- Posted Monday, June 30, 2014 by chb
AERIS merges with Oceanic American Underwater Products (AUP) announced the merger of two of their recreational dive companies, AERIS and Oceanic. Each of these companies currently offer similar product lines to the diving industry worldwide. Effective September 1st, 2014, these lines will be combined and sold exclusively under the Oceanic brand. [See press release] -- Posted Tuesday, June 17, 2014 by chb
Cool and useful gear: StarTech's 7-port USB charger Every now and then we need to mention some of the truly useful gadgets that come into our lab, that we end up using all the time, and that a lot of our readers out there could probably use, too. One such gadget is StarTech's 7-port USB charger. It's amazing how nice it is to charge all your gear at once and use only one wall outlet. [See StarTech 7-Port USB Charging Station] -- Posted Monday, June 16, 2014 by chb
Great White bites off 6-GoPro rig What happens when a Great White Shark really doesn't want to have her picture taken? Even with a six-GoPro 360degree rig? Well, she just bites the cameras off and lets them drop and vanish in the abyss. Good thing for the divers that the cameras were mounted on a long stick. [See video on YouTube] -- Posted Friday, June 13, 2014 by chb
How deep is your love? It's always nice to see couples getting married underwater. In this instance, they got married underwater and they weren't even divers! [See How deep is your love?] -- Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2014 by chb
Lionfish invasion growing in Florida waters Lionfish, beautiful to look at and usually willing subjects for underwater photographers, have now spread all the way up the US East Coast to the Carolinas and as far south as Brazil. The ScubaDiverInfo.com dive team certainly sees them more and more wherever we go. Read the Tampa Bay Times article on Lionfish invasion growing in area waters. -- Posted Saturday, May 10, 2014 by chb
Prince William becomes British Sub-Aqua Club president Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as president of the British Sub-Aqua Club. BSAC is the UK's leading dive club and also the UK's scuba's National Governing Body, providing internationally-recognized diver training via a network of clubs and centers across the country and overseas. -- Posted Saturday, May 10, 2014 by chb
CONTOUR returns to POV camera market Contour, pioneers of the action sports camera industry, is now under new ownership and seeks to once again be a key contender in the Point of View (POV) camera market. After completing a financial overhaul, reorganizing its plans for new product innovation and building a framework for improved distribution, Contour says it is back on the map, re-launching its website that currently offers the Contour+2 with wireless smartphone connectivity, the waterproof ROAM2 and a range of accessories. -- Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2014 by chb
Olympus reveals its latest outdoor camera Olympus, the company that pioneered outdoor cameras, is expanding outdoor shooting and sharing capabilities in even the most challenging of conditions with a new flagship. The STYLUS TOUGH TG-3 brings a high-speed f2.0 lens, expanded macro capabilities, GPS, and Wi-Fi for sharing pics and full 1080p video from (almost) anywhere. Divers can take it down to 50 feet, and the camera can handle almost any abuse in the great outdoors. [See description, analysis and specs of the Olympus TG-3] -- Posted Tuesday, April 1, 2014 by chb
Mark your calendars: DEMA 2014 DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, announced that the DEMA Show 2014 will take place November 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. DEMA also reorts that Trade Show News Network (TSNN) announced its list of the top 250 trade shows of 2012 and DEMA Show has been recognized with this prestigious rank. This is the fifth time in recent years that DEMA Show has been recognized as a top trade show of the year! [See DEMA Show 2014 page] -- Posted Thursday, March 27, 2014 by chb
Canon Powershot D30: waterproof to 82 feet! We love the small and handy size of waterproof cameras, but all too often we can't take them on dives because their depth rating won't allow it. The new PowerShot D30, Canon's latest waterproof camera, provides a solution as it is waterproof to 82 feet, 20 to 50 feet more than the competition. The 12.1 megapixel PowerShot D30, which is also temperature-resistant down to 14F and can handle 6.5 feet drops, has built-in GPS, can shoot full 1080p HD video, ad retails for US$329. We can't wait to test it! [See Canon press release and Canon D30 product page] -- Posted Saturday, March 8, 2014 by chb
About.com's oxygen administration recommendations Natalie Gibb, who writes about.com's Scuba Diving section, ran a very helpful article about administering oxygen to victims of a scuba diving accidents. Gibb explains how and why pure oxygen helps, how it affects various types of diving accidents, and touches on the primary considerations for administering oxygen. [See Oxygen First Aid Is Recommended for All Scuba Diving Injuries] -- Posted Thursday, February 13, 2014 by chb
Liquid Image unveils new video products at 2014 CES in Vegas Our friends at Liquid Image (the ones that make the scuba video masks we've been using and testing for years) launched some exciting new products at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. One is the Ego LS, a 4G LTE enabled wearable and mountable Camera that can stream action video live through a cloud service to social networks. This one's certain to be a strong competitor to GoPro. Another is the Liquid Image OPS Swim Goggle for HD video for smooth in water/underwater motion. -- Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2014 by chb
PADI being sued over bad air diving death The family of a woman who died in Cabo San Lucas allegedly from lethal levels of carbon monoxide in her scuba tank is suing PADI, accusing PADI of inadequately covering precautions against carbon monoxide, which is taste- and odorless. It seems questionable to us that PADI should be sued over this, but having had firsthand experience with bad scuba tank air in Mexico and the lack of response after reporting it, ScubaDiverInfo supports stricter testing and procedural regulations. [See article on CBCnews] -- Posted Wednesday, December 18, 2013 by chb
Celebrating 90 at 90 A British Royal Navy veteran celebrated his 90th birthday with a 90-foot wreck dive off the coast of Cyprus. Ray Wooley, who said he stopped logging dives after he reached 1,000, said "After all these years of diving I just thought I'd take the opportunity to do something underwater to celebrate getting to the age of 90." [See article at Wirral Globe] -- Posted Monday, November 25, 2013 by chb
PADI to include computer simulator in open water courses PADI and DiveNav have entered into an agreement to include access to DiveNav's computer simulators for PADI Open Water Diver students learning with the computer option. Available are DiveNav's divePAL Advanced and Nitrox dive computer simulators, with one model-specific recreational computer simulator of the student's choice. Limited distribution of this new feature will be available as early as December 2013. -- Posted Friday, November 1, 2013 by chb
Roatan's "Prince Albert" #1 Most Amazing Sunken Ship on Earth The "Amazing Beautiful World" ran a feature entitled "10 Most Incredible Sunken Ships on Earth" and, according to them, one of our most favorite wrecks is also their most incredible sunken ship. That'd be the Prince Albert off Coco View resort on Roatan, Honduras. That's certainly quite an honor. [See 10 Most Incredible Sunken Ships on Earth] -- Posted Tuesday, October 29, 2013 by chb
Now available: Becoming A Scuba Diver "Becoming A Scuba Diver -- From Pool to Sharks: Journey & Reflections Of the First 250 Dives" by Conrad Blickenstorfer is now available on Amazon! It's a detailed 370-page book on becoming a diver, from the first breath underwater, learning the dive gear, the initial frustrations of a new diver, then the first dives at Lake Tahoe, advanced classes and dives in Florida's sinks, caverns and rivers, and the magical first ocean dives in Roatan. From there it's on to drift diving in Cozumel, the first liveaboard experience in the Caribbean, the first thrilling encounters with sharks, diving wrecks and kelp, playing with seals, diving with the giant mantas of Socorro, and swimming with whale sharks off Isla Mujeres and in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Between diving experiences there are contemplations on scuba-related topics: altitude diving, dive computers, nitrox, cave diving, rebreathers, nitrogen narcosis, Hollywood's portrayal of scuba, Cousteau's legacy, humorous encounters, and self-analyis as a diver. I invite you to share my journey through the first 250 dives. [Get Becoming A Scuba Diver on Amazon!] -- Posted Saturday, October 5, 2013 by chb
The Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy Mermaid aficionados alert: The Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy offers its students, both young and older, realistic mermaid tails and a comprehensive course load including mermaid snorkeling, mermaid scuba diving, and mermaid fitness. Yes, it's true. See the The Philippine Mermaid Swimming/Monofin Swimming Academy. -- Posted Wednesday, September 25, 2013 by chb
Scuba divers raise warship A team of scuba divers launched a full scale rescue mission of a warship, and they actually raised it. It was a very small warship though, just about four feet long. The ship, a model replica of the American Second World War destroyer USS McNair, had sunk in choppy waters and poor visibility at Setley Pond near Southampton in the UK. [See article] -- Posted Wednesday, September 11, 2013 by chb
Is Lake Tahoe still clear? On August 6th, the 7th anniversary of my PADI Open Water Certification, Carol and I finally went up to Lake Tahoe for a dive again. Over the years I have reported on the ins and outs of high altitude diving in great detail, and so I won't go into that again. This time, I wondered whether Lake Tahoe was still as clear as it used to be. [read more...] -- Posted Saturday, August 10, 2013 by chb
Juneau, Alaska, hyperbaric chamber closes Alaska Public Media reports that after more than 30 years of operation, scuba diving emergencies can no longer be treated at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau. Now, the closest chambers for public use are in Anchorage or Seattle. One of the reasons the hospital decided to discontinue the program was the chamber hadn't been used since 2011, the other was cost. The hyperbaric chamber was moved out of Bartlett Regional Hospital three weeks ago, and now sits in NOAA storage in Juneau waiting to be shipped to Seattle. [Read why and how this happened] -- Posted Saturday, August 10, 2013 by chb
Rock quarries as a scuba diving option The Chattanooga timesfreepress.com reports on local rock quarries as great option for local scuba divers that can't always travel to more distant dive places. The report includes a description of the Loch Low-Minn Dive Resort near Athens, Tennessee, where ScubaDiverInfo.com's very own Carol Cotton uses to train and certify her scuba students. [See article] -- Posted Thursday, July 25, 2013 by chb
DEMA Show dates for the next few years DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association confirmed the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL as the venue for DEMA Shows 2017 and 2019. So for those who like to plan ahead, here are the DEMO show dates for the next several years:
2013: November 6-9 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL 2014: November 19-22 | Las Vegas Convention Center, North Halls, Las Vegas, NV 2015: November 4-7 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL 2016: November 16-19 | Las Vegas Convention Center, South Halls, Las Vegas, NV 2017: November 1-4 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL 2018: To Be Determined 2019: October 30-Nov 2 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL -- Posted Thursday, July 18, 2013 by chb
Lionfish Public Service Announcement DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, released a PSA aimed at providing basic first aid instructions for Lionfish. The release comes in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission adopting changes that will waive the recreational license requirement for divers harvesting Lionfish using certain gear. The FWC has also excluded Lionfish from the commercial and recreational bag limits, allowing people to take as many invasive fish as they can. [See DEMA's Lionfish Public Service Announcement on YouTube, and REEF.org's Lionfish Rsearch Program] -- Posted Wednesday, June 19, 2013 by chb
When it rains on a dive trip...
Dive trips are expensive and you want to get in as much precious diving as possible. You can't wait to get the next 10 or 20 dives under your belt. But when you get there.... it rains. [Read of the ScubaDiverInfo team's latest adventures] -- Posted Wednesday, June 12, 2013 by chb
Alabama Reef Foundation sinks "LuLu" On May 26, the "LuLu," a newly re-christened 271-foot retired cargo ship, was sunk in about 110 feet of water, 17 nautical miles south of Perdido Pass in Orange Beach. The event was the culmination of a nearly year-long effort by coastal tourism officials through the nonprofit Alabama Gulf Coast Reef and Restoration Foundation to build a new year-round scuba diving attraction with whole-ship reefs in Alabama, adding to one of the largest artificial reef programs in the U.S. [See photos of the Lulu's sinking] -- Posted Friday, May 31, 2013 by chb
Study: Clinical aspects of hyperbaric treatment A total of 5,278 DCI cases among commercial fishery divers (about half on scuba, half on surface hoses) were treated from February 2000 through December 2010 in a hyperbaric facility in northern China, yielding the DCI case series study with the largest number of cases treated in a single hyperbaric unit. Interesting reading. [See Decompression Illness: Clinical Aspects of 5278 Consecutive Cases Treated in a Single Hyperbaric Unit] -- Posted Saturday, May 18, 2013 by chb
Olympus to cut back drastically in compact cameras Olympus -- which we always had a fondness for because of their engagement in underwater cameras -- reported it had returned to profitability in fiscal 2012, but its imaging business posted a loss for the third straight year. And with its market for digital cameras rapidly shrinking, Olympus dramatically lowered its 2013 sales target for compact digital cameras to just 2.7 million, down from 5.1 million in 2012. Our take: It's mostly a matter of everyone now having a smartphone with a built-in camera. We always liked Olympus and have done numerous detailed underwater camera reviews for them, but for the past two years they have refused every one of our requests for review units, so unfortunately we could not help them spread the word. -- Posted Wednesday, May 15, 2013 by chb
Honduras yet again delays ban on commercial lobster scuba diving Honduran lobster divers continue to get bent and die, and declines in lobster harvests drive them to dive deeper and longer. Honduras had committed to outlawing commercial scuba diving for lobsters, but has been delaying the ban to give the roughly 3,500 people who rely on it for a living to transition to other jobs. [See "Time for Honduras to End Scuba Diving for Lobster"] -- Posted Tuesday, April 23, 2013 by chb
Blog: A few days of diving in Florida, and logistics One thing that's different about a week of meandering from dive spot to dive spot is logistics. When you fly somewhere and stay at a resort or liveaboard, you get to park your gear and be done with it. Not so when you move from place to place. Here's how the ScubaDiverInfo.com team spent a few days of driving and diving and exploring in Northern Florida.... [read illustrated blog] -- Posted Friday, April 5, 2013 by chb
New: ScubaDiverInfo.com's video page Whenever we test underwater video cameras and still cameras that can do video (which is most by now), we compile and publish videos shot with those cameras. We usually upload them to YouTube for viewing there, but have now added our own video pages from where you can see most of the videos, sorted by camera. [See ScubaDiverInfo's Video Page] -- Posted Thursday, April 4, 2013 by chb
Fujifilm introduces rugged freeseproof XP200 camera with wireless, 1080p/60 video and 50 foot depth rating With the 16-megapixel FinePix XP200, Fujifilm adds a most impressive offering to the rugged/waterproof camera space. Its 50-foot depth rating makes the camera truly useful for many dives, and is a definite and much appreciated step up from the 33 feet that was the maximum for these types of cameras for several years. And it's freezeproof as well and can handle drops from more than six feet. Add to that 5X optical zoom, 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second, and the ability to wirelessly view and transfer pictures, all for a MSRP of US$299. [See description, analysis and specs of the Fujifilm FinePix XP200] -- Posted Friday, March 22, 2013 by chb
Review: SeaLife SL975 Fisheye Wide Angle Lens SeaLife's SL975 Fisheye Wide Angle Lens (US$299) snaps onto any SeaLife DC-Series housing. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the lens during a recent scuba product review expedition in Honduras and came away impressed. Used with our review SeaLife DC1400 rig, the SL975 lens provided roughly 16mm wide angle, making spectacular shots possible. See our analysis of the SL975 and the kind of underwater images we shot with it. [See SeaLife Fisheye Wide Angle Lens review and image gallery] -- Posted Thursday, February 14, 2013 by chb
Review: SeaLife AquaPod The key to getting good pictures underwater is getting close, and especially so if you use a wide-angle or fisheye lens. But getting close can spook the fish and critters, and it's not a good idea to get within a foot of, for example, a moray or a lion fish anyway. SeaLife to the rescue with their simple but ingenious US$69.95 AquaPod monopod. Usable with almost any camera with a tripod mount (and it even comes with a GoPro mount), the AquaPod quickly became indispensable to the ScubaDiverInfo.com dive team. [See SeaLife AquaPod review] -- Posted Monday, February 11, 2013 by chb
Ski 'n Dive the same day: Homestead Resort Crater We've often thought of skiing and diving at Lake Tahoe the same day, but Utah might be an even better place to do that. The Zermatt and Homestead Resorts in the Utah village of Midway are offering a winter lodging and activity package with skiing the beautiful Wasatch Mountains and then scuba dive in a natural, geothermic hot spring known as the Homestead Resort Crater. The crater is sort of like Devil's Den meets Hot Tub, a 65-feet deep cavern crater with 92 degree water! [See Homestead Resort Crater video] -- Posted Monday, February 11, 2013 by chb
DEMA calls for nominations for the 2013 Reaching Out Awards DEMA is requesting nominations for the 2013 DEMA Reaching Out Award, asking the Diving Industry to submit the names and qualifying information of those Industry professionals who have made a significant contribution to the sport of scuba diving. For details about nomination requirements and selection criteria review the 2013 Reaching Out Award Nomination Form. -- Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2013 by chb
Book review: The Cavern Kings, by Jeff Bauer Author/cave diving instructor Jeff Bauer's independent but immaculately executed book "The Cavern Kings" (288 pages in print; also available as eBook) tells the tale of three friends who, after a close call underwater, decide to take a cavern diving class. It's a story of friendship, relationships, personal goals, triumph and tragedy. While a work of fiction, there is a great deal of detail on cavern diving, making the book both entertaining as well as informative. See review of "The Cavern Kings"] -- Posted Monday, January 21, 2013 by chb
The Treasure Hunter, and how one thing leads to another Blog entry: "This isn't totally scuba-related, but it's close enough. And it's another interesting example how one thing can lead to another and then to another. So I am in Roatan at CoCo View resort, listening to resident expert Doc Radawski's most interesting lecture on Roatan's history, politics and general dynamics. That included a chapter on treasure hunting, which is always an interesting subject..." [Read more] -- Posted Monday, January 14, 2013 by chb
Liquid Image announces even tinier Ego Mini HD action camera At the 2013 CES in Las Vegas, Liquid Image, makers of the video mask, introduced the Ego Mini WiFi-enabled sports camera that's even smaller than the already tiny Ego that we recently used for video diving off Roatan. The Ego Mini measures 1.6 x 0.85 x 2.0 inches and was designed to fit inside helmets for unobtrusive use and reduction of wind resistance. The Ego Mini can take 12mp stills, record 1080p/30 and 720p/60 video, an cost US$199.99, with a deepwater housing optionally available. -- Posted Thursday, January 10, 2013 by chb
Liquid Image EGO camera underwater video Liquid Image, the folks who make the video masks that we always take on our dive trips, introduced the stylish little EGO mountable HD vidcam and ScubaDiverInfo.com tested a couple on our recent product review trip to Roatan. About the size of a GoPro but rounded and colorful, the 1080p-capable EGO comes with WiFi, a smartphone interface app, and runs just US$179.99, or US$219.99 with an underwater housing. We used it with and without an optional Liquid Image torch. [See video we shot with the LiquidImage EGO on YouTube.] -- Posted Monday, January 7, 2013 by chb
DEMA 2012 For 2012, DEMA was back Las Vegas after last year's event in Orlando. The annual conference was held November 13-16, but this time at the Sands and not at the Las Vegas Convention Center. ScubaDiverInfo was there, and we saw a lively, informative show covering a wide cross section of anything and everything related to scuba diving. [See our illustrated report on DEMA 2012] -- Posted Saturday, December 8, 2012 by chb
Casio develops pocket-size transceiver for Scuba use Casio announced it has developed an underwater transceiver that lets users have spoken conversation via ultrasound and bone conduction technology when scuba diving. Casio says the device is small enough to attach to the strap of a diving mask so divers can converse normally with the scuba regulator in their mouths. [See Casio Yamagata press release] -- Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2012 by chb
Scuba tank-powered dirt bike What all can you do with a scuba tank? Dive, of course, but an engineering school graduate in Australia used it to power a dirt bike. The O2 Pursuit bike, which looks quite impressive (you first don't even see the tank), runs over 60 miles on a full scuba tank, and can reach almost 90 mph top speed. [See Air-Powered Motorcycle Runs on Scuba Tank, Rotary Engine] -- Posted Tuesday, November 6, 2012 by chb
Fighting Asian clam invasion in Lake Tahoe A project is underway at Lake Tahoe to rid iconic Emerald Bay from an Asian clam invasion by using large rubber mats to suffocate the pests that have already overrun the southeast portion of the lake. [See article] -- Posted Wednesday, October 31, 2012 by chb
Obama and Romney pumpkins underwater You know it's election time in the U.S. when even the ever popular underwater pumpkin carving at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary produces likenesses of the two candidates for President of the United States. [See Florida Keys hosts underwater pumpkin carving contest] -- Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012 by chb
Full review: Panasonic Lumix TS20 For about half the cost of one of the top-of-the-line waterproof compacts, you can get the 16mp Panasonic Lumix TS20. It, too, can handle big drops, dust and icy water, but the depth limit is 16 feet, about half that of the more expensive waterproof cameras. And there are fewer features and no GPS. We gave the Lumix TS20 a good workout around and in the water. Are you saving money with this camera? Or will you regret not spending a bit more? [See full review of the Panasonic Lumix TS20] -- Posted Saturday, October 20, 2012 by chb
GoPro Hero3 -- good news for divers, and everyone else GoPro released the Hero3 with a slimmer, lighter body, integrated WiFi, a better lens, better audio and numerous other improvements. The Hero3 has a new flat-lens housing that's compatible with all older mounting hardware. The Hero3 comes in three very different editions (white (US$199), silver (US$299), and black (US$399), so there's now a GoPro camera for everyone. [See our detailed analysis of the Hero3] -- Posted Thursday, October 18, 2012 by chb
Full review: 16MP/1080p Nikon Coolpix AW100 The Coolpix AW100 represents Nikon's first underwater camera since the fabled Nikonos ceased production back in 2001. A sleek, elegant 16-megapixel camera, the AW100 has a 33-foot depth rating, can handle 5-foot drops, is freeze and dustproof, can do 1080p HD video at full 30fps speed, has a bright 3-inch display, and includes powerful GPS capabilities. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the US$349 Coolpix AW100 on intense dive trips in the Sea of Cortez and off Isla Mujeres. [See full review of the Nikon Coolpix AW100] -- Posted Tuesday, September 25, 2012 by chb
Crater Lake, Oregon, closed to divers until next year
With its surface at 6,700 feet, Oregon's Crater Lake lies higher than Lake Tahoe (6,230 feet), and at 1,943 feet, it's deeper too (Tahoe is some 1,644 feet deep), and it's supposed to be the clearest lake in the US. But now the roundish Crate Lake, which has a diameter of just five miles, has temporarily become closed to divers while park ecologists develop a plan to keep out invasive species. Not that diving Crater Lake is easy. It's a one mile hike down 700 feet, and then another hike to the best dive site. Watch the terrific 10-minute movie to get an idea of what Crater Lake is all about. -- Posted Thursday, August 30, 2012 by chb
Liquid Image HD324 video mask: diving Cancun Cancun may not be known as a primary dive location, but there's plenty to see underwater! ScubaDiverInfo.com used the latest Liquid Image video mask, the HD324, to dive the world-famous underwater museum, swim and dive with whale sharks, and explore the shallow reefs teeming with fish. [See Liquid Image video mask HD324 video on YouTube] -- Posted Sunday, August 26, 2012 by chb
Bad air You've read about bad air, but may have never experienced it yourself. What does bad air mean? Simply that the air in your tank is somehow contaminated. At worst, it contains carbon monoxide from the exhaust of a compressor. That can be deadly and you can't even taste carbon monoxide. Jacques Cousteau described one such incident at a dive at the Fontaine des Vaucluses that nearly turned fatal. Most of the time, bad air isn't as serious, but it can still affect your dive majorly. [... read more] -- Posted Saturday, August 25, 2012 by chb
DEMA works with Garmin to expand reach of DiveCaching DEMA has begun working with Garmin's geocaching website, Opencaching.com to promote the real-life environmentally-friendly, in-water game of DiveCaching which is geocaching with the added twist of caches and landmarks hidden underwater. DEMA now encourages those owning a DiveCache on other sites to also log their cache with a free account on Opencaching.com. [See DEMA press release] -- Posted Friday, August 10, 2012 by chb
Ultimate Diver Challenge: Palm Beach Count Think "Survivor," but with underwater mazes, blackout masks and imaginary sea critters in need of rescue -- all against the watery backdrop of Palm Beach County's celebrated scuba dive sites. And the show is even expected to air in January of 2013, once producers shop it to various networks. [See 'Survivor'-like reality show in PBC puts divers to the test] -- Posted Friday, August 10, 2012 by chb
Full review: 16MP/1080p Pentax WG-2 can handle 40+ feet The Pentax Optio WG-2 represents Pentax's 13th generation of tough, waterproof cameras, and the maturity shows. Sporting a unique design, the 16-megapixel Optio WG-2 has a 40-foot depth rating, can handle 5-foot drops, is freeze and crushproof, can do 1080p HD video at full 30fps speed, has a wide-format 3-inch display, and is chuck-full of features and tricks. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the US$349 Optio WG-2 on a week of diving and exploring in the Sea of Cortez. [See full review of the Pentax Optio WG-2] -- Posted Thursday, August 2, 2012 by chb
Review: Sea of Cortez Midriff islands on the Rocio Del Mar Scubadiverinfo.com spent a week on board of the 110-foot Rocio Del Mar live-aboard vessel. The trip began at Puerto Penasco at the northern end of the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, and took us exploring the Midriff islands, with diving at Angel island, Salsipuedes island, and San Pedro Martir. We swam with whale sharks, sea lions and dolphins and enjoyed the stark beauty of these untouched, uninhabited islands. [Read our full review of the Rocio Del Mar liveaboard experience]. -- Posted Tuesday, July 31, 2012 by chb
Full review: The rugged, waterproof Canon PowerShot D20 Three years ago, Canon introduced its first waterproof compact, the PowerShot D10. It was a good camera, but had a few areas that needed improvement. Canon listened and fixed everything with the PowerShot D20, introduced this year. It's a US$349 12-megapixel camera that is waterproof to 33 feet can handle 5-foot drops, temperature extremes, and can also shoot 1080p HD video. There's a terrific 3-inch screen, good battery life, and logical controls. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the PowerShot D20 on a week of diving and exploring in the Sea of Cortez. [See full review of the Canon PowerShot D20] -- Posted Thursday, July 26, 2012 by chb
ScubaDiverInfo.com off to the Rocio Del Mar! Your intrepid ScubaDiverInfo.com editors will spend the next week (July 7 to 14) onboard the good ship Rocio Del Mar. We'll be cruising and exploring the Midriff islands in the Sea of Cortez. Expect a full report on the Rocio Del Mar live-aboard, as well as our field impressions of the Canon PowerShot D20, the Nikon Coolpix AW100, the Pentax Optio WG-2, the Panasonic Lumix TS20 and a gaggle of GoPros, including 3D. -- Posted Friday, July 6, 2012 by chb
Jessica Biel now a professional scuba diver? Not. When actress Jessica Biel tweeted that she had just completed her PADI Advanced Open Water scuba certification, the media fell all over itself proclaiming that Biel was now a "professional scuba diver," "deep sea diver" and certified to "perform solo scuba dives." A wee tiny bit of fact checking would educate any professional news person that advanced open water certification does not a professional deep sea scuba diver make... -- Posted Monday, July 2, 2012 by chb
Rhea's Diving Services divers reach new record depth at Fontana Lake, TN It's been reported that our friends at the renowned Rhea's Diving Services dive shop in Maryville, Tennessee, reached a new depth record at Lake Fontana, 399 feet. What makes that even more impressive is that at the current lake level of 1,700 feet, which qualifies Lake Fontana diving as altitude diving, the Rhea's divers record actually amounts to a 425 feet dive in terms pressure ratios. -- Posted Monday, June 11, 2012 by chb
Full review: Olympus Tough TG-810 Sometimes you don't want to take a long a big-bulky dive housing. That's when a waterproof camera like the Olympus Tough TG-810 comes in handy. The 14-megapixel TG-810 has a bright, hi-res 3-inch LCD, can do 720p HD video, and handle 33 feet of water (as well as 6-foot drops and icy temperatures). We examined the TG-810 during a full year of diving in diverse, demanding environments and came away impressed. [See review of the Olympus Tough TG-810] -- Posted Friday, June 8, 2012 by chb
ScubaDiverInfo.com resort/liveaboard reviews rank high on Google! At ScubaDiverInfo.com we pride ourselves in creating some of the most detailed dive resort and live aboard reviews in the business. Apparently Google thinks so as well as most of our recent reviews rank in the top 5 on Google! Coco View, Roatan? #3. Explorer Ventures Turks & Caicos? #1. The Solmar V? #6. The Occidental Grand on Cozumel? #1. And so on. -- Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2012 by chb
Australia to allow diving on Japanese WWII sub Australia will open up to divers the wreck of a Japanese mini submarine that attacked Sydney harbor during World War II. Anyone caught damaging or removing part of the wreck would face penalties of up to US$1 million. [Read article] -- Posted Monday, May 28, 2012 by chb
GoPro flatlens housing now available GoPro has announced the launch of its own Dive Housing with a flat glass lens that allows for sharp stills and video underwater in all resolutions without vignetting. Waterproof to 197ft / 60m, the new Dive Housing is compatible with all of GoPro's HD HERO cameras, mounts and accessories. The package includes the waterproof Dive Housing, a protective lens cap, tether string and assorted mounting hardware. MSRP is US$49.99. Important: a flattens hosting is absolutely necessary to get sharp video underwater with a GoPro Hero camera! -- Posted Monday, May 14, 2012 by chb
DEMA and DAN release Lionfish PSA DEMA and the Divers Alert Network (DAN) collaborated on a new public service announcement aimed at providing basic first aid instructions for Lionfish related injuries. The PSA is in response to the increasing number of reported injuries which have been attributed to the species' alarming population increase and invasion into nonnative waters. [See Lionfish PSA on YouTube] -- Posted Tuesday, May 8, 2012 by chb
Scuba Show 2012 in Long Beach, CA This weekend (May 5th and 6th), the Scuba Show 2012 will be taking place at the Long Beach Convention Center. It will offer more than 310 exhibitor booths and about 50 different informational and education seminars on the deep blue world of scuba diving. The event has been a staple in Long Beach for about 25 years. [See Scuba Show] -- Posted Friday, May 4, 2012 by chb
Interview with a NAUI instructor and scuba shop owner Businessreport.com ran an informative interview with Mark Smith, former commercial diver, NAUI instructor, and owner of Underwater Adventures in Baton Rouge, LA. [read] -- Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2012 by chb
Northwest Dive & Travel Expo The Northwest Dive & Travel Expo will celebrate its 5th year in Tacoma, WA April 21-22, 2012. Founded by Dive News Network Media Group in 2008, the Dive & Travel Expo will showcase the snorkeling, scuba diving and travel to the passionate traveler and adventurer. [See Dive & Travel Expo website] -- Posted Friday, April 13, 2012 by chb
Book review: Setting the Hook, by Peter M. Hunt This independent but immaculately executed 276-page book tells the tale of a diver's relationship with the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria that sank in 1956 and subsequently became the ultimate scuba adventure, the "Mount Everest of diving." The book fully deliveres on the diving, adventure and technical fronts, but it is the human angle of the author's very personal journey that elevates this book above a mere description of events. [See review of Setting the Hook] -- Posted Monday, April 2, 2012 by chb
Full review: SeaLife DC1400 Pro Duo SeaLife's latest underwater camera, the DC1400, has 14-megapixel, tons of features, and, most importantly, can now do 720P HD video. ScubaDiverInfo.com did a detailed test of the DC1400 Pro Duo package (list price US$1,129) that includes camera, housing, a strobe, a video/photo lights, brackets and cables. [Read full review of the SeaLife DC1400] -- Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by chb
DEMA comments on ADA requirements for pools DEMA submitted comments in favor of delaying the deadline date for certain requirements of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act on March 23, 2012. The extension of the date for compliance with the new requirements proposed by the Department of Justice relate to provision of accessible entry and exit for existing swimming pools and spas outlined in the 2012 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The comments were submitted by Tom Ingram, DEMA's Executive Director. [Read DEMA comments] -- Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by chb
Edelman PR refuses review Edelman PR refuses to let us review Adobe Lightroom. Talk about alienating the media. -- Posted Monday, March 12, 2012 by chb
DEMA's 2012 Board of Directors DEMA, the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, announced that its 2012 board consists of Stephen Asmore of Tabata USA (President), Bonnie Borkin Filippi of Bonnier (VP), Jeff Nadler of PADI (VP), Tim Webb of Caradonna (Treasurer), and Werner Kurn of Ocean Enterprises (Secretary). -- Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by chb
Scuba tank explosion in Houston Alarming report from Houston where KVUE News reports that one or more scuba tanks exploded in a car fire [Read report] -- Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by chb
World War II ship to be artificial reef off Fort Myers Beach, Florida Fort Myers Beach will soon have another attraction in a World War II ship that's planned to be sunk as an artificial reef in about 100 feet below the Gulf. The ship is the 165-foot USS Mohawk, and the Lee County Commissioners, which moved forward with a plan, think the USS Mohawk artificial reef could be in place as early as next summer. -- Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 by chb
New cave diving certification program debuts The Our World Underwater scuba show is taking place February 17-19, 2012, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention center in Chicago. Among the many new products and programs to be available to diving enthusiasts is a new Cave Diving certification program being introduced by the National Association of Scuba Educators (NASE). -- Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 by chb
The GoPro phenomenon: how much better is the new GoPro Hero2? No sooner did we publish a big feature on GoPro and its tiny Hero high definition camera that's taken the world by storm than GoPro released the Hero2. Is the new Hero really twice as fast and twice as sharp, as GoPro claims? And have some of the issues we had with the original Hero been fixed? We gave the tough little Hero2 a full workout, both above and under water. [Read The GoPro phenomenon: how much better is the new GoPro Hero2?] -- Posted Tuesday, January 3, 2012 by chb
The amazing Tank Bangers Some divers sort of sing underwater, but no one does it like The Tank Bangers! See for yourself! -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb
Divers find 1940s plane off Florida A group of scuba divers did a 185-foot "random drop" off the coast of Palm Beach County and found a remarkably well preserved airplane that may be a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver that went down in the early 1940s. [See wptv.com report and video] -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb
Night dives: exploring fluorescence Did you know that a lot of coral and sea creatures are fluorescent? You normally can't see the fluorescence, even on night dives, unless you use special lights and filters. Scubadiverinfo.com procured some special fluorescence detection gear from a company called NIGHTSEA and used it on night dives at Coco View Resort on Roatan. Talk about experiencing and exploring an entirely new world! [See "Night dives like you've never experienced before"] -- Posted Thursday, December 22, 2011 by chb
Anderson Cooper: The Gardens of the Queen In case you've missed Anderson Cooper's "The Gardens of the Queen" on CBS, you can see it now on the 60 Minutes website. It's rare footage from some completely protected reefs off Cuba. Lots of sharks, good interviews, too. [See The Gardens of the Queen] -- Posted Monday, December 19, 2011 by chb
ScubaDiverInfo.com product testing week on Roatan ScubaDiverInfo.com editors are spending a week at the Coco View Resort on the Honduran island of Roatan to test and review a variety of dive and underwater photography and imaging gear, including cameras and lights from Canon, Olympus, Sealife, Bonica, JVC, Liquid Image and GoPro, and new Scubapro gear. Also on the agenda: fluorescence night diving with custom flashlights and filters from NightSea. -- Posted Friday, December 9, 2011 by chb
Sea Save underwater preservation charity auction The non-profit Sea Save Foundation launched a scuba charity auction available for viewing now at the BiddigForGood auction site. There are over 40 items, such as terrific dive trips to Fiji, Indonesia, Galapagos, etc., cool underwater photography equipment and much more. Get great stuff, and money raised supports a variety of ocean conservation projects (like these). [Check out the Sea Save underwater preservation charity auction] -- Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2011 by chb
IUCN now lists Giant Manta as "vulnerable" species IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has designated the Giant Manta Ray (manta birostris) as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The primary thread to mantas is that their gill rakers are particularly sought after and are used in Asian medicinal products. [See the very detailed IUCN giant manta listing] -- Posted Tuesday, November 15, 2011 by chb
Review: Liquid Image Wide Angle Scuba Series HD322 It's been three years since we first came across the Liquid Image video masks that combine a camera with a scuba mask and can even accommodate dive lights. Since then, we've taken various models of the Liquid Image mask on dive trips all over the world. The unusual masks have become a standard part of our dive gear, and now we had a chance to dive wrecks and snorkel/dive with whale sharks with the Liquid Image Scuba Series Wide Angle HD322, where "HD" stands for High Definition. [See full review and videos of the Liquid Image HD322] -- Posted Monday, November 14, 2011 by chb
GoPro announces flat-lens underwater housing At DEMA 2011, GoPro announced a new underwater housing with a flat lens to correct the blur/focus problems GoPro Hero and Hero2 cameras have underwater. The new housing will be sold as a separate item starting Q1, 2012. No price has been announced. Several third party fixes have been available to correct the GoPro underwater focus problem (see our detailed Hero review), but it's good to see that GoPro itself has acknowledged the issue. Also, expect a full review of the new Hero2 with lots of underwater footage (including 3D if we can procure a second Hero2) mid-December. -- Posted Sunday, November 6, 2011 by chb
Review: Bonica/JVC HM650 Dual Light Package Many compact cameras and dSLRs can do very good video now, but it still takes a dedicated vidcam to offer 1080p video, 40X optical zoom, gigabytes of internal storage, and the ability to take stills while shooting video. Add to that a good underwater case and two strong 1,500 Lumen LED lights and brackets, and a travel bag, and you have the Bonica/JVC HM650 Dual Light Package. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the setup extensively and it earned our recommendation. [See full review and video of the Bonica/JVC 1080p HD video package] -- Posted Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by chb
Colors at depth Divers learn in class that colors disappear underwater because as we go deeper, water filters out more and more of the wave lengths that allow us to see color without artificial light (such as a flash). Except that sometimes we see color at depth anyway. The picture to the left was taken off the Caribbean island of Saba at 90 feet. See more examples of color at depth at Scubadiverinfo.com [see colors at depth] -- Posted Saturday, October 22, 2011 by chb
The GoPro phenomenon: what the world-beating little 1080p vidcam can (and cannot) do For the past half year, the amazingly inexpensive little GoPro Hero 1080p video camera accompanied ScubaDiverInfo.com to wrecks, reefs, a sea lion nursery, and some of the most remote dive locations on earth. Read about our experiences with the GoPro, what it can do and where we ran into issues. [Read GoPro Hero review] -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2011 by chb
DAN workshop proceedings available The Divers Alert Network (DAN) has made available for download the entire proceedings of its April 2010 workshop on Recreational Diving Fatalities. The 280 page PDF document contains almost 20 fully formatted documents on investigation, fatality data, training and operations, cardiovascular fitness, etc. [Download Recreational Diving Fatalities Workshop Proceedings] -- Posted Thursday, October 13, 2011 by chb
San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition Recap From the venue, to the number of attendees, to the quality of the films screened, to the professional filmmakers in attendance, this year’s San Diego Undersea Film Exhibitoin blew my mind. Click here to read my full recap. -- Posted Friday, September 30, 2011 by jroualdes
Shark fin ban movement gains high profile support WildAid, whose mission it is to end the illegal wildlife trade by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection, has announced additional high profile support for the movement to ban the trade and sale of shark fin products. NBA star Yao Ming and leading Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Yue have joined forces with Sir Richard Branson in a global campaign to save sharks. In California, Assembly Bill 376, which will ban the import, trade, and possession of shark fin in California, has already passed both legislative bodies with bi-partisan support and currently awaits the Governor Jerry Brown's signature. [See WildAid press release] -- Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 by chb
Bonica/JVC HM650 high definition vidcam Amazing what the new generation of super-compact high definition vidcams can do. Our friends at Bonica made available one of their JVC HM-650 packages for our recent underwater product review trips to Socorro (giant mantas) and Isla Mujeres (whale sharks). A full review of the setup will follow, but get a load of the video and image quality of the Bonica/JVC system: Swimming with whale sharks -- Scuba diving in Cancun -- JVC photo collection from Cancun -- JVC photo collection Socorro/Islas Revillagigedo. -- Posted Wednesday, September 21, 2011 by chb
Snorkeling with whale sharks off Isla Mujeres, Mexico -- Posted Monday, September 12, 2011 by chb
Full resort review: The Riu Palace Las Americas Resort, Cancun
Scubadiverinfo.com stayed at the Riu Palace Las Americas in Cancun for a week and loved it. The Riu is a wonderful, elegant, impressive all-inclusive, and a great homebase for diving (via Scuba Caribe) and snorkeling with whale sharks (via Scorpio Divers). [See full review of the Riu Palace resort in Cancun, Mexico] -- Posted Thursday, September 1, 2011 by chb
Nikon joins the rugged/waterproof camera market with the Coolpix AW100 Nikon, the company that once dominated underwater photography with their legendary Nikonos film cameras, has finally joined the rugged/waterproof compact camera market with their new Coolpix AW100. Equipped with a 5X NIKKOR ED glass lens, a 16mp CMOS sensor, GPS, e-Compass, a 3-inch 480k screen, and the ability to record 1080p HD video, the AW100 is freeze proof, can handle 5-foot drops, and can handle depths to 33 feet, making it suitable for many of the shallower dives. The AW100 weighs 6.3 ounces, comes in orange, black or blue, and retails for US$379.95. [See Nikon Coolpix AW100 product page] -- Posted Monday, August 29, 2011 by chb
What About Bob? Ten minutes into our boat ride from Lahaina to Molokai, our dive master shepherded me and 12 other divers into the boat’s cabin for our pre-dive brief. One person remained—a man appearing to be in his sixties, sporting white stubble, tattered tan shorts and a blue shirt. See Full Post -- Posted Friday, August 12, 2011 by jroualdes
PADI to celebrate 20 millionth scuba certification PADI announced it will soon issue the 20 millionth scuba diver certification. In recognition of this milestone, PADI Regional Headquarters around the world are giving a dive trip for two to Australia's Great Barrier Reef aboard the Spirit of Freedom to the diver who earns the 20 millionth diver certification. [See PADI news release] -- Posted Monday, August 8, 2011 by chb
Scuba Hall of Famer Sally Wahrmann survives a close one Scuba Hall of Famer and noted wreck diver (60 dives to the Andrea Doria) Sally Wahrmann survived a close call when she got swept off the line in a strong current at Texas Tower wreck, a collapsed radar platform 60 miles off the Monmouth County, N.J., coastline that went down in a January 1961 storm, killing 28 Air Force personnel. A combination of Wahrmann's cool and expertise, an experienced dive boat captain who did all the right things, and a fishing boat that was closeby combined to a happy ending. [See coverage] -- Posted Saturday, August 6, 2011 by chb
Mexican couple underwater wedding A Mexican couple decided to have their wedding underwater in Cancun. The ceremony, performed at about 17 feet, was witnessed by over 200 guests in scuba gear. The couple decided on the underwater venue to draw attention to the preservation of sharks. [See report] -- Posted Wednesday, July 20, 2011 by chb
Glass-bottom boat baiting results in shark accident The Freeport News reports that a scuba diver from Florida was bitten by a 8-10 foot shark while diving Shark Junction off a private yacht. The accident apparently occurred when a nearby glass-bottom boat began throwing out bait to lure the sharks. [See Freeport News report] -- Posted Monday, July 18, 2011 by chb
DEMA files suit over Florida dive boat licence law DEMA, the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, filed suit trying to stop the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from enforcing a charterboat license law that imposes license fees up to US$2,000 per year and dive boats used to take saltwater fish for noncommercial purposes, which includes lobsters. Dive boat operators argue that they should not be subject to the same fee schedule as recreational fishing boats. [See Miami Herald report] -- Posted Monday, July 18, 2011 by chb
Image Gallery: Islas Revillagigedo (Socorro) 2011 New image gallery with 320 pictures from the Islas Revillagigedo (San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida) now up. Sharks, Mantas, Dolphins galore. [See image gallery] -- Posted Wednesday, July 13, 2011 by chb
Review: Socorro islands on the Solmar V
Scubadiverinfo.com spent eight days on board of the 112-foot Solmar V live-aboard vessel. The trip began at Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, and took us to the Islas Revillagigedos, or Socorro islands, with diving at San Benedicto, Socorro, and Roca Partida. We saw giant mantas, sharks of all kinds, dolphins, other pelagics, and even whale sharks. [Read our full trip review of the Solmar V live-aboard experience] -- Posted Monday, June 20, 2011 by chb
The 200th dive I finally had my 200th dive, and just like #100, it was at a memorable location. Much went through my head as I plunged into the ocean backwards off a panga at Roca Partida, as remote and wild a dive location as one can find. More remote even than the tiny island of French Key off the coast of Providenciales for my 100th. [...read more] -- Posted Friday, June 17, 2011 by chb
Inexpensive WD Rugged Case adds moisture and impact protection to external USB 3.0 drive Anyone needing more on-the-go storage for their pictures and such should take a look at Western Digital's new WD Nomad Rugged Case. It's an inexpensive box that provides moisture, dust and impact protection to WD's line of My Passport external drives. We tested the new WD Nomad Rugged Case (US$29.95) with a 500GB USB 3.0 My Passport Essential drive (US$99) and came away impressed. Vast storage, no power supply needed, super-fast, and perfect for a dive trip! [See description and impressions of the WD Nomad Rugged Case] -- Posted Tuesday, June 14, 2011 by chb
Ricoh introduces water-resistant camera Ricoh announced their new 16-megapixel PX compact digital camera with a 2.7-inch 230k display, a 5X optical zoom that stars wide at 28mm, and 720p HD video recording. The PX records on SDHC cards, has 28 scene modes, measures 3.95 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches, weighs 5.5 ounces, and is available in green, silver and black. Best of all, the US$249 Ricoh PX is waterproof to ten feet and shockproof to five feet. Ricoh has been concentrating in special purpose cameras for a while now, and the PX looks like an interesting addition for anyone enjoying the great outdoors. [See Ricoh PC product page] -- Posted Monday, June 13, 2011 by chb
Seeing underwater Seeing well underwater is not a given for divers who need glasses or even just readers. The higher magnification of water helps some (especially those who need just readers), but there will come a day when a diver needs a real solution. We found ours at Prescription Dive Masks, a Southern California business that specializes on prescription dive masks and nothing but, and they are opticians, too. [Read About Prescription Dive Masks...] -- Posted Wednesday, May 25, 2011 by chb
Gentle Leviathans, Where Are You? "Gentle Leviathans, Where Are You?" is the title of a thoughtful blog report by Kathryn Taubert at naplesnews.com. The author had just returned from Utila (Honduras) where she had hoped to swim with whale sharks. Utila is usually such a reliable sighting spot of whale sharks to warrant the presence of a Whale Shark & Oceanic Research Center, and Taubert's concern is that the whale sharks behavior may have changed due to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. [See Gentle Leviathans, Where Are You?] -- Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 by chb
DEMA launches DiveCaching The Diving Equipment Marketing Association (DEMA) has officially launched their new real-life, environmentally-friendly, in-water game called DiveCaching. DiveCaching is an underwater variation of “Geocaching,” a decade-old game that uses a GPS device and simple search skills to locate hidden land-based caches. For more information about DiveCaching, including finding and hiding a cache visit www.DiveCaching.org. -- Posted Tuesday, May 17, 2011 by chb
Advice for those who seek dive jobs in exotic locations Anyone who's ever thought of leaving the daily griund here in the US and work as a dive master in some tropical location should take a look at a post and a great response at expatforum.com. The detailed response provides a lot of valuable and realistic information. [See Looking to Leave America for Koh Tao for a scuba life] -- Posted Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by chb
Visiting and diving the Georgia Aquarium Encountering sharks in the wild is rarer than one might think. Many divers never see a shark, and for many others it is a once in a lifetime experience. But if spotting any shark underwater is an uncommon occurrence, the chance of encountering a whale shark is practically nil unless you go on special whale shark trips, and even then success isn't guaranteed. There is, however, a way to not only see whale sharks, several of them, but also more sharks than most divers will ever see, all in one dive. That's when you dive the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta... [read about diving the Georgia Aquarium] -- Posted Sunday, May 8, 2011 by chb
Toshiba offers waterproof US$150 HD vidcam With Cisco dropping the popular Flip video cameras, for which housings were available from several sources, watersport enthusiasts now have to look elsewhere for inexpensive HD video hardware. One alternative is Toshiba's pocket-sized waterproof Camileo BW10 camcorder that can shoot full HD 1080p video up to six and a half feet under water, good enough for snorkeling and more. The BW10 had a 2-inch display, HDMI output, 10X digital zoom, SDHC card storage and you can also take 5mp still pics with it. [See Toshiba Camileo BW10] -- Posted Monday, April 25, 2011 by chb
DEMA brainstorms about future of scuba industry A good number of DEMA members and other industry representatives attended Vision 2020 sessions, hosted by Beneath the Sea 2011, to talk about the dive industry and where they see it in 5 or 10 years. Most commonly mentioned: The importance of scuba retailers and supporting them; the need to listen to divers and tailor products and programs to their wants and needs; more “face time” between new divers and instructor/store personnel, as well as putting fun activities back into diving; a need to better embrace the internet and leverage it to the industry’s advantage; use and benefit from social media. Our take: These are noble goals, but they describe what should have happened five or ten years AGO, and not IN five or ten years. -- Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 by chb
The Frugal Photographer: UW Tripod This is the first video in a new series we're calling "The Frugal Photographer." So what inspired this series? Click here to find out.
ScubaDiverInfo Attending the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival We're attending "Program 7: Sharks & Vanishing Marine Life" Saturday starting at 1:00 pm PT. If you're interested in attending the festival, but can't, don't worry--we're tweeting live throughout. Lean more here. -- Posted Thursday, March 3, 2011 by jroualdes
"Sanctum" stunt diver killed in Australia One of the stunt diver in James Cameron's action thriller Sanctum was lost at at Tank Cave, Mt Gambier, in South Australia. The diver, 29-year-old Agnes Milowka, went missing from a group of divers and was later found dead. Milowka was a world-renowned cave diver very familiar with Tank Cave. Our sympathies go to all involved. [See news report] -- Posted Monday, February 28, 2011 by chb
5th Annual Ocean Adventure Expo May 28/29 in Florida The Blue Wild announced the dates, speakers, and special anniversary plans of the 5th Annual Ocean Adventure Expo that will take place May 28 & 29, 2011, at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It will feature top names in freediving, scuba diving, underwater videography and photography, spearfishing, marine artwork, and exhibitors from around the world. -- Posted Thursday, February 24, 2011 by chb
SeaLife introduces Mini II underwater camera SeaLife introduced 9-megapixel Mini II Dive & Sport digital camera that doesn't need a special case to be waterproof to 130 feet. The Mini II is also crushproof, shockproof (6-foot drop), and includes all of SeaLife's clever underwater color compensation modes. The Mini II runs on two AAA batteries, uses SD/SDHC cards, does VGA video, and is compatible with most of SeaLife's popular accessories. No optical zoom, but the price is a very affordable US$259.95. [See SealLife Mini II] -- Posted Friday, February 18, 2011 by chb
Thailand bans scuba on damaged coral reefs According to an article in British MailOnline, Thailand is banning scuba divers from dozens of dive sites to protect the deteriorating coral reefs in the Andaman Sea, which apparently is seeing the worst case of coral bleaching in a decade. While it is generally accepted theory that unusually high surface water temperatures cause the bleaching, some marine scientists claim that unregulated tourism - including people walking on coral, mooring of boats over reefs and contaminating the water - is to blame, hence the closing of the dive sites. Thailand's National Parks director said, "We did not close all of the national parks, just some of the dive sites. Tourists can still go see the forests and the mountains in these parks." [See article] -- Posted Monday, January 24, 2011 by chb
USS Kittiwake sunk off Grand Cayman There's a new wreck to dive on Grand Cayman. The USS Kittiwake, a 251-foot former submarine rescue ship going back to 1945, was sunk in 60 feet of water as an artificial reef on January 5, 2011, at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach, on the West or lee side of Grand Cayman just off of the Sand Chute Dive site. There are some great YouTube videos of the sinking and then the first dive. Also check the Kittiwake official website. -- Posted Friday, January 7, 2011 by chb
Kodak releases first waterproof digital camera Kodak introduced its first waterproof (up to 10 feet) digital still camera that is also dustproof to withstand dirt, dust and sand. The 12mp EASYSHARE SPORT has a 2.4-inch LCD, Kodak’s Smart Capture feature, multiple scene and color modes, and will be available in white, grey, red, yellow and blue for US$79.95 in spring 2011. -- Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by chb
$500 Underwater Tripod... No Thanks! While I've got most of the video gear I need, I still don't have an underwater tripod. No problem, it can't cost that much, right? Wrong! Most tripods cost between $400 and $500. After all the money I've spent on lenses, housings, video lights, memory cards, no I have to spend several hundred more bucks on a tripod? Not necessarily. Check it out my homemade underwater tripod here: $500 Underwater Tripod... No Thanks! -- Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 by jroualdes
New York State Underwater Blueway Trail Pilot Project Many years ago I was working on an "Urban Cultural Park" project back in New York. The idea was highlighting and linking urban cultural resources in sort of a master plan. Now, New York is contemplating the New York State Underwater Blueway Trail Pilot Project, a scuba diving trail with the goal of boosting heritage tourism by preserving and promoting significant underwater sites such as the numerous shipwrecks in New York's lakes and shores. [See article in the Saratogian] -- Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 by chb
Maui: Black Rock Dive Profile One of my favorite Maui dive sites is Black Rock--a large lava rock that divides Kannapali Beach. It's known for being a great spot for night dives, cliff jumping and seeing some of Maui's biggest green sea turtles.
Black Rock is nearly 200 yards in length, running North-South. At its deepest it's only 30 ft. It's flanked by a reef that roughly 30 yards wide. Before diving Black Rock, contact Lahaina Divers and ask about the dive conditions.
If the swell is coming from the South, conditions will likely be ideal. If the swell is coming from the North, be careful. The current as. Check out ScubaDiverInfo's Black Rock dive profile here: Black Rock Dive Profile -- Posted Wednesday, December 8, 2010 by jroualdes
Charging scooters catch fire in High Springs, FL motel There have been stories of exploding Lithium-Ion laptop batteries, and now there's been a fire incident with charging scuba scooter lithium batteries. A charging scooter caught fire in the Cadillac Motel in High Springs, Florida, a favorite place to stay for Ginnie Springs cave divers. The fire spread to the room and caused considerable damage, but the man was rescued unharmed. [See story] -- Posted Monday, December 6, 2010 by chb
The Making of Under the Sea 3D What weighs 1,200 lbs., cost $5,000 to operate for three minutes and requires the film to be changed every three minutes? If you guessed Howard Hall's IMAX camera, you're right. See how Hall and his team filmed great white sharks in South Australia here: The Making of Under the Sea 3D -- Posted Sunday, December 5, 2010 by jroualdes
Sealions video with the Olympus E-PL1 On a recent dive trip to the Islas Coronado, we were entertained underwater by a whole gaggle of young sealions. We had an Olympus E-PL1 camera along and taped it all for you. -- Posted Tuesday, November 23, 2010 by chb
Wes Skiles cause of death remains unknown The recent death of internationally known cave diver and filmmaker Wes Skiles remains a mystery. The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's office could not determine the cause of death, and an examination of Skiles' re-breather itself, the tank and the gas inside found nothing wrong. [see source]. -- Posted Tuesday, November 23, 2010 by chb
Full review: Olympus E-PL1 and PT-EP01 housing If you like the size, weight and cost of compact digital cameras, but can't live without the interchangeable lenses of a dSLR, you should look at the new class of interchangeable lens cameras that seek to combine the best of both worlds. ScubaDiverInfo.com conducted a detailed review of the Olympus E-PL1 camera with its PT-EP01 underwater housing, and found much to like. The PL1 is capable of excellent performance even under trying conditions, at lower cost and less bulk than a dSLR system. [Read full review of the Olympus E-PL1 with PT-EP01 housing] -- Posted Tuesday, November 16, 2010 by chb
Lionfish make Wall Street Journal In an article entitled "The Lionfish Creates an Uproar, Bringing Out the Hunters," the Wall Street Journal examines the whole lionfish issue, concentrating on increasing efforts to spear lionfish and promote them as a delicacy. -- Posted Monday, November 15, 2010 by chb
Shooting HD Video with Digital SLRs: What You Need to Know The emergence of HD video capable Digital SLRs, like the 7D and Nikon D300s, has forever blurred the lines between camcorder and Digital SLR. If you're considering making the dive into Digital SLR video or are just getting your feet wet, here's what we think you should know... Shooting HD Video with Digital SLRs: What You Need to Know -- Posted Tuesday, November 2, 2010 by jroualdes
Win "The Best Dive Job In The World" PADI has a new promotion where someone will win "the best dive job in the world," which is 7-months' worth of PADI scuba instructor training on Bali. Equipment, training, accommodations, etc., are all included (an over US$16,000 value). How do you win? By either submitting a 1-minute video or a 500-word essay on “Why I want to change my life and become a PADI Instructor.” See BestDiveJob.com for details, and watch the promo video. -- Posted Tuesday, November 2, 2010 by chb
Expert scuba: diving in cold water If you’re used to diving the warm waters of the Caribbean and you plan a trip to go diving off the Pacific coast, you might want to consider making a few dives in a lake or quarry where the visibility isn’t perfect and the temperatures are colder to acclimate some before you go. [Read more] -- Posted Monday, November 1, 2010 by chb
Blue Spring Florida Dive Profile Check out ScubaDiverInfo's Blue Spring Florida dive profile and video here. -- Posted Monday, October 25, 2010 by jroualdes
Las Islas Coronado, and back to the Yukon
If you want to swim with sea lions, lots of them, then there's almost nothing like the Islas Coronado, a small groups of islands about an hour south of San Diego. Scubadiverinfo.com spent an enjoyable day there, diving with Waterhorse Charters. We also visited Wreck Alley again, and this time viz at the Yukon, Ruby E. and the NOSC tower was quite good. [read more...] -- Posted Monday, October 25, 2010 by chb
Review: Bonica/JVC HD video combo Bonica, the folks who specialize in selling economically priced underwater still and video equipment, has expanded their offerings with a variety of packages based on JVC and Sony cameras. Scubadiverinfo.com did a full, detailed review of a Bonica/JVC HD video package based on the JVC GZ-HM550BU HD video camera capable of recording 1080p. The package comes with an underwater case, two LED lights, adapters, filters, etc. [Read full review of the Bonica/JVC HD underwater HD video package] -- Posted Friday, October 22, 2010 by chb
Review: Explorer Ventures Caribbean Explorer II
Scubadiverinfo.com spent a week on board of the 115-foot Caribbean Explorer II, operated by Explorer Ventures. The trip began at St. Kitts, included Saba and ended at St. Maarten. The weather was a bit iffy, but we had seven unforgettable days of cruising, diving, camaraderie and land trips. [Read review of the Caribbean Explorer II liveaboard] -- Posted Monday, October 11, 2010 by chb
Ever smaller underwater cameras: Chobi Cam At ScubaDiverInfo.com we've been reviewing ever-smaller digital and video cameras, but none nearly as small as the Chobi Cam that's smaller than an eraser and even with its 70-foot housing easily fits into the palm of your hand. It can only do 640 x 480 pixel VGA video and take 1.2mp pics, but it's probably just a matter of time until we see 1080p video in such tiny packages. US$227 including waterproof housing. [Check it out at the Japan Trend Shop] -- Posted Monday, October 11, 2010 by chb
Mozambique Shark Fin Trade Growing BBC, Phillipe Cousteau Jr. and his team recently visited Mozambique to document the growing shark fin trade. According to the below clip from the film, most people in the country live off just $1 per day. It’s obvious why shark finning is so appealing when the fins from a large shark are worth as much as $60. Just "six sharks can provide a year's income,” says the narrator. [read more...] -- Posted Thursday, September 30, 2010 by chb
Former oil rig near Sipadan serves as dive resort What can you do with a retired oil rig? Convert it into a dive resort, of course! That's what the folks behind the Seaventures platform did. It is located in the Celebes Sea, which is bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and combines the amenities of a truly unique dive resort with the convenience of a liveaboard and the accessibility of Sipadan island and some of Borneo's best dive sites. [Read article in the Wall Street Journal and view the Seaventures website] -- Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by chb
Manta Ray steals dSLR camera rig! The folks at IntoTheDrink.com are famous for producing some of the most exotic travel show footage ever. Recently, they did a manta ray night dive off Kailua Kona, Hawaii, , and one of the mantas snatched the cameraman's Canon 5D Mark II rig and took off with it. And it's all on video! See it on YouTube here. -- Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by chb
Mala Warf Dive Profile Last month, ScubadiverInfo's Joe Roualdes visited Maui to dive Black Rock, Slaughter House, Five Caves, Old Airport Beach and my personal favorite... Mala Warf -- also called Mala Ramp and Lahaina Pier. Read his report on Mala Warf and view his high definition video report. [read more...] -- Posted Thursday, September 23, 2010 by chb
Ban Shark Fining in the Bahamas SUNCO Wholesale Seafood Ltd. is exploring the export of shark fins caught in the Bahamas. Learn more and sign a petition to ban it here: Ban Shark Fining in the Bahamas -- Posted Monday, September 20, 2010 by jroualdes
Ban Shark Fining in the Bahamas While it seems unthinkable, commercial shark fining in the Bahamas may soon be legal. SUNCO Wholesale Seafood Ltd. is exploring the export of shark fins caught in the Bahamas. Despite contributing to the Bahamas' growing eco-tourism sector, sharks are unprotected because they've never been commercially fished in the country. "Tourism as an industry not only accounts for over 60 percent of the Bahamian GDP, but provides jobs for more than half the country's workforce," according to Encyclopedia of the Nations. [read more...] -- Posted Monday, September 20, 2010 by chb
Beginners Guide to Video Lights We just wrapped up our beginners video light guide, which defines lingo, explains techniques and common errors and highlights some popular video lights. Check it out at Shinning Light on Video Lights. -- Posted Sunday, August 29, 2010 by jroualdes
Underwater Video Tips & Tricks From a Pro Becky Kagan, Owner of Liquid Productions, LLC, recently posted a super-helpful video on underwatervideography.com that highlights video techniques -- plan your shots before getting into the water. [...more] -- Posted Friday, August 27, 2010 by chb
Review: Flip Ultra HD with Ikelight housing and PRO-V8 light Flip has sold millions of their little vidcams, and the latest ones record 720P HD video. Add an Ikelite housing and light and you have a very handy underwater video setup that is very affordable and lets you shoot very good video without weighing you down. We tested the setup on dives at the California Channel Islands and on Roatan. [See review of the Flip Ultra HD with Ikelite housing and PRO-V8 LED light] -- Posted Thursday, August 19, 2010 by chb
Great Lakes Shipwreck Alley slideshow OurAmazingPlanet.com just published a very nice slide show of Great Lakes maritime history with a number of great wreck pictures. See Shipwreck Alley's Sunken Treasures' -- Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2010 by chb
Full review: SeaLife DC1200 -- best SeaLife yet ScuabDiverInfo.com tested the 12-megapixel SeaLife 1200 camera on location in Roatan and came away impressed. The new "piano key" controls make using the camera much easier, even with gloves. Shutter and zoom controls are large, too, as is the 3-inch display. The camera was fast, forgiving, and very well matched with the external strobe. Our DC1200 Elite package (list US$899) included the camera, underwater case (200 feet), external flash, wide angle pop-on lens, bag, cables, and represents an excellent buy. [See full review of the SeaLife DC1200] -- Posted Thursday, August 5, 2010 by chb
Rugged HD vidcam with G-sensor and GPS contest! Oregon Scientific has long been known for supercool, yet affordable electronic gadgets. They're doing it again with a rugged, all-terrain, waterproof (to 65 feet), shock-resistant HD video camera that can record 1080P video onto microSD cards up to 32GB. The Oregon Scientific ATC9K camera comes with numerous mounting options and can be attached to a helmet, handlebars, surfboard, snowboard, etc., can measure G-force during acceleration, deceleration and hang time, and there's even an optional GPS module to record location, speed and distance using Google Maps or Google Earth. You can even share video of your outdoor adventures on the ATC9K’s Facebook page for a chance to win a grand prize package worth $750! [See Oregon Scientific ATC9K camera Facebook contest] -- Posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 by chb
Report: Back to Roatan Armed with six cameras and vidcams to review, scubadiverinfo.com returned to Roatan and spent ten days at one of our all-time favorite dive resorts, CoCo View. With a couple of exceptions, we found the dive sites unaffected by the May '09 quake, a good number of lionfish (in December of 2008, there weren't any), and the kind of terrific diving Roatan is famous for. 28 dives later we returned waterloggged and with over 2,500 pictures on our cards. [Read our detailed illustrated report "Back to Roatan"] -- Posted Monday, August 2, 2010 by chb
Book review: Dragon Sea, by Frank Pope Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology and Greed off the Coast of Vietnam is an exceedingly well-written book chronicling the uneasy cooperation between a profit-oriented businessman and a science-oriented marine archeologist on the salvage of a mysterious 15th century junk carrying a huge load of Vietnamese ceramics. It's an interesting study of treasure hunt vs. underwater archeology and great reading on saturated diving, South China Sea salvaging and the tools of the trade. [See review of "Dragon Sea] -- Posted Sunday, August 1, 2010 by chb
Full review: ContourHD 1080p with H2OV housing Thanks to CMOS technology and microSD card storage, you can now do 1080p HD video in a camera that weighs less than an iPhone. We tested the ContourHD 1080p camcorder both in and outside of its extra-sturdy underwater H2OV housing (good to depths of 300 feet) and came away impressed. There's no onboard LCD, but you quickly get the hang of it, and the camera never gets in the way. [See full review of the ContourHD 1080p camcorder] -- Posted Thursday, July 29, 2010 by chb
Book review: Into the Deepest and Darkest, by Joseph Emmanuel If you ever wonder about the preparation, logistics and operations of deep diving world record attempts, you'll love Joseph Emmanuel's new book "Into the Deepest and Darkest -- Deep Diving Adventures in South Africa and the Gulf of Aqaba." A support and safety diver to world record holders Nuno Gomes and Verna Van Schaik, the author describes dynamics, build-up, and circumstances in an easygoing, conversational tone. [See review of "Into the Deepest and Darkest"] -- Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by chb
RIP Wes Skiles Wes Skiles died while diving off West Palm Beach on Wednesday, July 21. He was conducting a routine filming dive when the accident occurred. No one else was injured. There are no further details regarding the accident at this time. The exact cause has not yet been determined and we are awaiting official reports. Wes has been a tireless advocate for springs, springsheds and the conservation and protection of Florida’s water resources. At the time of his death, he was excited about the upcoming issue of National Geographic Magazine, which features his photographs and the cover shot. [Read "Saying goodbye to Wes Skiles"] -- Posted Friday, July 23, 2010 by chb
Panasonic introduces much improved TS10 waterproof camera Panasonic has released a follow-up to its initial rugged and waterproof camera. The new Lumix TS10 seems to have addressed almost all the issues we had in our detailed review of the Lumix TS1. The new TS10 is now freezeproof, its controls are easier to read, the tiny mode wheel has been replaced, the zoom is in a normal position, and the lens has been slightly moved so that your fingers are less likely to interfere. Oh, and the price has come way down (US$249 instead of the TS1's initial US$399). Way to go Panasonic! Now let's hope the TS2 will soon become the equally improved TS20! [See Panasonic Lumix TS10 product page] -- Posted Thursday, July 22, 2010 by chb
Blue Lake Tahoe, how much longer? Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevadas has long been known for its blueness and exceptional clarity. Even four years ago, we still saw clear and mostly blue water. Sadly, things have been going downhill. The lake is still gorgeous and looks very blue, but as soon as you go under, it looks decidedly green. On a June 2010 dive at Meeks Bay, things looked murky green until we discovered blueness underneath. Whether this is due to the invasive Asian Clam (see report in Sacramento Bee) or some other phenomenon is unclear, but the visuals were dramatic as our picture to the right shows. -- Posted Monday, July 19, 2010 by chb
Lionfish now established in Roatan ScubaDiverInfo.com spent ten days at CoCo View Resort on the Honduran island of Roatan and has found lionfish now firmly established there. Lionfish, native to the Indian Pacific region, are an invasive species along the south east coast of the US and the Caribbeans. Rapidly propagating and without natural enemy, the foot-long and longer lionfish is said to have a devastating impact on local sealife. Multi-colored and gorgeous to look at, lionfish look more like tropical birds and they are non-aggressive towards humans, but their rapid spread at almost all depths is cause for concern. We saw lionfish on virtually every dive, whereas in December of 2008 we had seen none. Local dive masters will spear them, and a Ph.D. student from the University of Alabama was on site to take cultures to further the understanding of lionfish. -- Posted Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by chb
Did the US Navy use scuba in 1945? Did the US Navy use scuba towards the end of World War II? According to the 1951 movie "The Frogmen" it did, in its special Underwater Demolition Teams. The movie shows the use of UDTs to clear beaches of mines and to blow up docked enemy subs. It all makes for great footage and we recommend the movie for scuba history buffs, but scuba wasn't actually used in the US Navy until the early 1950s, and even then they probably would have used rebreathers for covert underwater missions. [See Watching "The Frogmen" (1951)] -- Posted Thursday, July 1, 2010 by chb
Steamer L.R. Doty found in 300 feet of water off Milwaukee Not all ship wreck found are in the ocean; some of the really interesting ones are in lakes. Take, for example, the 300-foot L.R. Doty, a massive, wooden steamship that sank in 1898 in Lake Michigan. The ship remained lost until a tug owner snagged his nets at an obstruction in 1991 and thought it might be the L.R. Doty. However, it wasn't until this May that our friend Jitka Hanakova, owner of Milwaukee's Shipwreck Explorers and captain of the dive boat Mollie V, found the L.R. Doty, and on June 16, Hanakova and team of tech divers descended to the wreck at 300 feet. [Read full report] -- Posted Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by chb
Joe Roualdes joins ScubaDiverInfo.com blog team Welcome Joe Roualdes, who is a PADI dive master and has joined ScubaDiverInfo.com as a contributing blogger. Joe will focus on relating his experiences learning about underwater photography and video, dive-related stories of all kinds, and dive profiles. [Check out Joe Roualdes' blog!] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb
Religious dive trips? The National Catholic Register ran a feature entitled "Praying Underwater" that reports on the various underwater religious shrines around the world and includes a list and facts about some of them. [See Praying Underwater] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb
Scuba businesses starting lawsuits against BP The BP oil spill catastrophe is starting to affect all aspects of life in and around the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, a growing number of businesses and individuals are launching lawsuits against BP and other companies linked to the spill. Among the first scuba businesses to sue is Adventure Sports II of Montgomery, Alabama. -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb
Full review: 33-feet rated 14mp Panasonic TS2 Panasonic is rapidly establishing itself as a major digital camera manufacturer, and also offers cameras for underwater use. The Lumix TS2 is Panasonic's follow-up on last year's somewhat limited TS1. With a maximum depth of 33 feet, the 14-megapixel TS2, which lists for US$399, can now be used for diving. It also has a much wider temperature range and is altogether tougher yet. We gave the Lumix TS2 a good workout in the cold waters off the California Channel Islands. [Read full review of the Panasonic Lumix TS2] -- Posted Sunday, June 27, 2010 by chb
Waterproof case for the Amazon Kindle For those who want to take their Kindle near or in water, M-Edge Accessories now offers the Kindle Guardian case. It's a nicely designed polycarbonate affair that comes in black, blue or red, runs US$79.99, and uses anti-reflective film to cut down on glare. Unfortunately, max depth is 1 meter, or just over three feet. So no Kindle reading during lengthy deco stops. [See Guardian Case for Amazon Kindle] -- Posted Thursday, June 17, 2010 by chb
Kelp-diving the California Channel Islands If a week on a live aboard sounds great, but the cost and time requirements doesn't, consider a 3-day boat dive trip to the California Channel Islands. It probably runs less than a quarter the cost, but it's a terrific experience to dive the cool, wild waters of the Pacific, swimming through magical kelp forest, seeing Garibaldis, sea lions, horn and swell sharks, urchins and sea stars galore, and perhaps dolphins and even a humpback whale or two. Read our trip report from three great days onboard the 80-foot ship Conception by Truth Aquatics out of Santa Barbara [read trip report] [see picture gallery] -- Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2010 by chb
Camera in Ikelite housing floats from Aruba to Key West! A blog in the Miami News Times tells the remarkable story of a digital camera in an Ikelite housing getting lost in Aruba, and then being found 1100 miles away in Key West, having floated all the way there. But that's not all: on the way, it apparently encountered a sea turtle that managed to trigger the record function, and so you have a video of the camera bobbing along the turtle (see video on YouTube). The odd trip is reported here. -- Posted Monday, June 14, 2010 by chb
US$149 waterproof Kodak Playsport 1080p vidcam Earlier this year, Kodak joined the ranks of camera manufacturers offering waterproof models with the Kodak Playsport video camera that can also do 5mp stills. The Playsport shoots full 1080p high definition video (as well as 720p and WVGA), has 128MB internal memory, a SDHC card slot, comes in three colors (purple, black, blue). You can take it down to ten feet, and it costs just US149. 10 feet, of course, is not enough for most scuba dives, but the camera'd still be handy to have around on a dive boat! -- Posted Monday, June 14, 2010 by chb
Don't Buy Dive Gear Online In her diving blog, Natalie Gibb outlines the reasons why divers should buy local instead of shopping online. Yes, online commerce is here to stay and it often makes sense, but if you want to continue to have your local dive shop to hang out, get advice, help you out, and organize trips for you, buy your gear from them! [See Don't Buy Dive Gear Online] -- Posted Thursday, May 27, 2010 by chb
Experimenting with dive gear When I first took my certification classes a few short (it seems) years ago, I had absolutely no idea what kind of gear to buy. So I asked for expert advice and bought my first snorkel, pair of fins, mask and boots list in hand. It was good advice as, 133 dives later, I am still using that exact same set of gear. In fact, I am also still using the same BC, regulator and dive computer. more ... -- Posted Monday, May 3, 2010 by chb
Old destroyer will help create East Coast's largest artificial reef 30 miles off Ocean City The state of Delaware announced that it received from the U.S. Navy the title to the 563-foot USS Arthur W. Radford and plans to sink it in 130 feet of water at the Deljerseyland Reef, an underwater site 30 miles from Ocean City, Md. (read about sinking the USS Arthur W. Radord). While divers welcome the news, editor Jim Perskie of pressofatlanticcity.com hates the plan and calls it "just ocean dumping." -- Posted Monday, April 12, 2010 by chb
Interesting stuff: Motorola dive computer and U-Boot in a lake Interesting scuba-related stuff: Industrial designer Mario Icaza contemplates about computers and diving in a series of doodles and concepts, and we found an interesting report on freshwater diving in an Austrian lake, the Attersee. Amazingly, there's even a U-Boot there at 170 feet (check the Attersee report and YouTube video on the U-Boot. -- Posted Friday, April 9, 2010 by chb
Sevengill shark sightings off the coast of San Diego nbcsandiego.com reports on increasing sightings of the rare sevengill shark off the coast of San Diego. The very balanced report includes video footage of the sharks in kelp forests and interviews with divers. [See Rare sharks spotted off coast] -- Posted Monday, April 5, 2010 by chb
USS Kittiwake to be sunk as artificial reef off Grand Cayman According to the Cayman Islands tourism department, final arrangements are underway for the sinking of the decommissioned 251 foot naval ship, the USS Kittiwake off the northern end of Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. The sinking is scheduled for June 2010 and the wreck is certain to become a popular scuba diving site, as well as a welcome artificial reef for all sorts of sea critters. -- Posted Friday, April 2, 2010 by chb
Mistrial declared in case of diver left behind A mistrial was declared in a case where a (unharmed) diver left behind by a dive boat sued the dive operation for US$4 million. The incident took place in 2004 when the diver, who surfaced early due to equalization problems, was left at an offshore rig by a dive boat that continued on to a second dive site 10 miles away. [See mistrial] -- Posted Tuesday, March 30, 2010 by chb
Environmentalists vow suit to close Three Sisters, Kings Spring Snorkeling and observing manatees around Crystal River, Fla. is an unforgettable experience, yet environmentalists now seek to make that impossible with a lawsuit to close Kings Spring and Three Sisters to swimmers and divers. The environmentalists charge that swimmers drive manatees away from the warmer waters of the springs and into colder waters where they may die from the cold. As is, there are special manatee sanctuaries closed to people, but the curious manatees often come out to investigate snorkelers. As far as we are concerned, motorboats pose an infinitely greater danger to manatees than swimmers. [Read Environmental Group Vows Suit] -- Posted Tuesday, March 30, 2010 by chb
Full review: Liquid Image Scuba Series 320 HD video mask With so much to see underwater, a lot of divers take along a still or video camera. That's a lot of fun, but it also means you have your hands full, and especially so if you also need lights. That's where the camera and video masks from Liquid Image come in. They are dive masks that have a still/video camera built right into the mask, and they can also accommodate dive lights. We tested the Liquid Image Scuba Series 320, which can shoot 720p high definition video, and report on our findings in detail. [See full review of the Liquid Image Scuba Series HD 320 video mask] -- Posted Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by chb
A dip on the wild side of Cozumel Statesman.com ran a nice report entitled "A dip on the wild side of Cozumel," referring to the roads less traveled on the Mexican island's east side. We've been there and author Pamela LeBlanc certainly got it right. And there's also a nice bit of general info on Cozumel. [See article] -- Posted Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by chb
USA Today article on Roatan USA Today ran an article on how Roatan helps put Honduras back on the travel map, noting that the island is becoming more than just a scuba diver's secret hangout, mostly due to the increasing number of cruise ships that stop there now. [See article] -- Posted Saturday, March 13, 2010 by chb
Maldives ban shark fishing The Maldives are following the Micronesian island nation of Palau in imposing a complete ban on shark fishing. That's good news for the rapidly dwindling shark population, and actually also for the Maldivian economy -- a study showed that a single reef shark is worth US$3,300 a year to the Maldivian tourism industry, as opposed to one-shot value of US$32 if the animal is killed. [See article] -- Posted Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by chb
Diver rescues shark with Frisbee around its neck It's not something likely to happen, but somehow a nurse shark off the coast of Palm Beach, Fla., managed to get his head stuck in a ring Frisbee. Two divers saw the predicament the shark was in and managed to free the animal. See excellent pictures of the rescue here. -- Posted Friday, March 5, 2010 by chb
The power plant cooling controversy Many power plants suck in huge amounts of water, then spit it out again a bit warmer and a lot deader. This has been going on for decades. Is it acceptable? The LA Times published a good article on the issue. [...more] -- Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by chb
Popular Blue Spring park closed for swimming, scuba Blue Spring State Park in Florida covers more than 2,600 acres including the largest spring on the St. Johns River. It's also a manatee refuge and a popular place for scuba diving. Concerned for the welfare of the endangered Florida manatee that have suffered from the unusually low winter temperatures, state park officials announced this week they won't open Blue Spring State Park to swimming and diving on March 1 as planned. -- Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 by chb
Review: Wyndham Resort, Cozumel Cozumel is a (drift) diving paradise, and you want to be as close to the great dive sites like the Santa Rosa Wall or the Palancar reefs as possible. ScubaDiverInfo.com spent a week at the Wyndham Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive 3-1/2-Star resort. Read about our experiences with the Wyndham resort, the food, the accommodations, the facilities, and, of course, the diving with Sand Dollar Sports. [Read detailed review of the Wyndham Resort and Spa, Cozumel] -- Posted Friday, February 26, 2010 by chb
Pentax releases waterproof Optio W90 camera
With the competition raising the ante in the waterproof/shockproof digital camera market, Pentax has announced the Optio W90. It's a 12.1-megapixel camera with a nice 5X optic zoom that starts wide (28-140mm equivalent), can handle 4-foot drops, freezing temperatures, has a "digital microscope" mode with LED illuminator, and can record 720p high-definition movies. Unfortunately, the US$329 W90 is still only waterproof to 20 feet (most of the competition can now handle 33 feet) and chances for a review are slim as Pentax never answers our emails. -- Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by chb
Scuba diving price fixing in Catalina?! It appears that an antitrust and price fixing case came before the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. It involved accusations of price fixing for scuba diving tours on Catalina island. The case was settled, but it's sad to learn this kind of thing is going on in our industry. -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb
Sony unveils waterproof touch-screen DSC-TX5 Sony unveiled the US$350 10-megapixel DSC-TX5 Cyber-shot digital still camera with 4X optical zoom that Sony claims is the world's thinnest and smallest certified waterproof (up to 10 feet deep) digital still camera with Optical SteadyShot image stabilization and touch operation. It is also Sony's first digital camera with a CMOS sensor that is also freeze-proof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, shockproof up to about a 5-foot drop and dust proof, and it can record HD video. -- Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by chb
Bonaire resort puts bounty on lionfish If you've been diving in the Caribbean the last two or three years, you probably saw something that wasn't there before: the beautiful but apparently destructive lionfish. A Bonaire resort -- Captain Don's Habitat -- has now announced a "bounty" award for divers who spot a lionfish during a special weeklong Marine Park Lionfish "Wrangler" event March 6-13, 2010. -- Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by chb
Scuba Hall of Fame names 2010 inductees The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame will induct the following honorees in a January 30, 2010 celebration on Grand Cayman: Dr. Eugenie Clark, Wyland, Nick Icorn, Francis Toribiong, as well as the following early diving pioneers: Louis Boutan, Yes Le Prieur, Benoit Rouquayrol, Auguste Denayrouze and Henry Fleuss. -- Posted Friday, January 29, 2010 by chb
Panasonic introduces LUMIX TS2, waterproof to 33 feet In an attempt to catch up with Olympus and Canon in the waterproof camera market, Panasonic introduced the new LUMIX DMC-TS2, a successor to the company's first rugged digital camera designed for active outdoor use, the LUMIX DMC-TS1. Featuring HD video recording capability, the new 14.1-megapixel LUMIX TS2 further strengthens its toughness when compared to its predecessor and is waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof to 10 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit and dustproof. The TS2 has a 4.6X optical zoom that starts wide at 28mm, and a 2.7-inch high-res LCD. No word on pricing and availability yet. -- Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 by chb
Report on coral bleaching in Florida Most divers have seen coral bleaching, the whitening of corals that occurs when the coral's symbiotic algae dies off. Most generally blame that on pollution or global warming, but apparently coral is very sensitive to cold water as well. A report released by The Nature Conservancy describes coral bleaching in Florida due to recent water temperatures dropping to 52 degrees. The coral reefs of the Florida Keys are the basis of a unique and diverse ecosystem that forms the third largest barrier reef in the world. Reef-related expenditures generate more than $4.4 billion annually in southeast Florida and reef recreation supports more than 70,000 jobs (2001).[See report on coral bleaching by The Nature Conservancy] -- Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 by chb
Competition for Liquid Image masks? We're high on the Liquid Image scuba video masks (and they just released some more cool new underwater products at the 2010 CES show in Las Vegas), but now it seems like they have some competition from a video mask sold at Etronixmart. The mask apparently takes 1280 x 960 video, stored on 4GB internal memory, max depth is 200 feet, and you operate it with a magnetic ring. -- Posted Tuesday, January 12, 2010 by chb
Japanese Whaler rams, sinks Sea Shepherd catamaran The ongoing altercations between Japanese whaling boats and the Sea Shepherd conservation organization (documented in the Whale Wars" TV coverage) escalated January 6, 2009, when the Japanese "security" ship Shonan Maru 2 rammed the Sea Shepherd's US$2 million catamaran Ady Gil, causing catastrophic damage. Japan continues to kill whales despite a worldwide moratorium. Click on the image for a larger version, and see Sea Shepherd coverage and video on CNN. -- Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 by chb
Kodak introduces rugged waterproof HD vidcam Eastman Kodak Company introduced the KODAK PLAYSPORT Video Camera, a rugged, durable and pocket-size HD video camera with a 2-inch display, a SDHC card slot for up to 32GB, and ability to capture full 1080p HD video. There's HDMI output (cable included), face tracking, electronic image stabilization, the camera can handle ten feet of water without extra housing (let's hope someone will make an deepwater case for it), you can also capture 5-megapixel stills, and it'll be available in April 2010 for just US$149. -- Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by chb
Star Trek wetsuits! If you're a diver and a Star Trek fan, there's probably nothing cooler than a custom-made Star Trek wetsuit. Yes, they are available in blue, red, or gold and decked out with the original rank insignias. They are made to order, available in 3/5/7mm, and cost US$434 to US$449, minus a discount if you are a member of the Roddenberry Dive Team, run by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's son. Not inexpensive, but also not unreasonable for a custom suit, and priceless for Star Trek fans! [See Star Trek wetsuits] -- Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 by chb
Full review: Olympus E-620 with PT-E06 underwater case The Olympus E-620 is a versatile 12.3-megapixel digital SLR that offers an excellent balance of performance, quality and features in a package of modest size and weight. Combined with the Olympus PT-E06 underwater housing and a couple of Olympus UFL-2 underwater strobes, it makes for perhaps the best consumer-level underwater camera rig we've tested. The camera itself lists for US$699 with a 14-42mm Zuiko Digital lens. [Read full review of the Olympus E-620 digital SLR camera with PT-E06 underwater housing] -- Posted Thursday, December 31, 2009 by chb
Best photography books of 2009 There's a lot of good photography books out there, and you can learn a lot from them. Editor Carol Cotton picked the best ones of 2009, including a description of each. [See the Best Photography Books of 2009] -- Posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009 by chb
153 scuba-diving Santas set world record A group of UK scuba divers brought together through a diving forum called Yorkshire Divers, dresses up in santa costumes each year to raise money for a charity. In 2007 they raised a few hundred pounds with 8 participating santas. Last year they had over 80, and this year they set a world record with 153 simultaneous scuba diving Santas at an inland dive site called Vobster Quay in Somerset. -- Posted Tuesday, December 22, 2009 by chb
Guanahacabibes (Cuba) and Scuba Diving Too bad we can't dive in Cuba. [See Guanahacabibes and Scuba Diving] -- Posted Thursday, December 17, 2009 by chb
Tiger Woods' private liveaboard Ahh... how nice it must be to be really rich. Tiger Wood's US$22 million yacht apparently measures 155 feet, which makes it larger than almost all liveaboards. And it's nicely equipped with an 8-person jacuzzi, a gym, a theater projection system, a gourmet kitchen, BBQ grill, two motor scooters, scuba facilities, and an elevator. [See Tiger's yacht and a slide show of what it looks like inside] -- Posted Monday, December 14, 2009 by chb
Free iPhone dive site database app Divetime.com, the world's largest online dive site database, now has a free iPhone application where you can search for dive sites, read about dive sites, and also describe and rate dive sites. The app provides access to almost 12,000 dive sites all over the world. Search for "divetime" in the iPhone app store. -- Posted Monday, December 14, 2009 by chb
Replace your Zodiac with a ScubaCraft! From the extremely cool and expensive adult toys front: the ScubaCraft! It's a super-elegant speedboat that can be used just for fun or also as a yacht tender, and it can also dive. Available in a 3 person and a 6 person version, the ScubaCraft uses a standard 4-cylinder motor for speeds up to 50 mph when on the surface, and a number of electric thrusters when underwater. Maximum depth is 100 feet (with a 160 feet option), and you need scuba gear when underwater. [See the ScubaCraft website -- Posted Friday, December 11, 2009 by chb
Review: Turks & Caicos Explorer II liveaboard ScubaDiverInfo.com spent a week on Explorer Ventures' Turks and Caicos Explorer II liveaboard, a large, spacious (124 feet) liveaboard vessel that offers incredibly easy and enjoyable access to numerous dive sites around the Turks and Caicos Islands. A great crew, excellent food, generously sized facilities and five dives every day (if you're up to it!) make this weeklong trip unforgettable. Pricing is reasonable, dive sites diverse and you even get to see sharks. Compared to its primary competition -- the Aggressor -- the Explorer Ventures boat is older but is slightly larger, has an extra upper deck, and trips are somewhat less expensive. [Read full review of the Explorer Ventures Turks & Caicos Explorer II] -- Posted Friday, December 4, 2009 by chb
Review: Occidental Grand, Cozumel Cozumel is a (drift) diving paradise, and you want to be as close to the great dive sites like the Santa Rosa Wall or the Palancar reefs as possible. ScubaDiverInfo.com spent a week at the Occidental Grand, an all-inclusive 4-Star resort. Read about our experiences with the Occidental resort, the food, the accommodations, the facilities, and, of course, the diving. [Read detailed review of the Occidental Grand, Cozumel resort] -- Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 by chb
Casio joins the waterproof camera market Given that Casio has been selling tough and rugged G-SHOCK watches for over a quarter of a century, one might wonder what took the company so long to enter the increasingly lucrative water/shock/dust/crush-proof segment of the digital camera market currently dominated by the likes of Olympus, Pentax, Canon and Panasonic. Whatever Casio's reasons were, Casio now has a tough waterproof camera of its own (though only ten feet), the new 12.1-megapixel Exilim EX-G1. [See description and specs of the Casio Exilim EX-G1] -- Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by chb
Drift diving in Cozumel When people think of diving in Cozumel, they generally think of drift diving. That means the current is such that the dive boat drops you off in one location and then picks you up at another. Drift makes everything a little different from diving in places where the boat is moored and you’ll always get back to the boat in the same spot. It also means there is no anchor line that can be located on the way back and back up. So how does drift diving in Cozumel work? [Read about drift diving in Cozumel] -- Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by chb
Need a cellphone while diving? Ocean Reef can help. If you really, really, really cannot be without a cellphone even while diving, Ocean Reef has just the solution for you. Their Alpha UWCP Underwater Cell Phone uses an underwater communication unit that is integrated with a speaker and microphone and can be easily installed on any one of the Ocean Reef full face masks. The unit is wired with a quick-detach 130 foot cable to the surface. {See the Ocean Reef underwater cellphone] -- Posted Thursday, November 5, 2009 by chb
Telegraph.co.uk article on cave diver Jill Heinerth Telegraph.co.uk did an article on Florida cave diver Jill Heinerth, covering her diving career and some of her major exploits, such as being the first person to cave dive in an Antarctic iceberg. [See Telegraph article on Jill Heinerth] -- Posted Monday, October 5, 2009 by chb
Scuba Comics At the end of August, Disney announced it will buy Marvel Entertainment for about US$4 billion. Disney paid this incredible amount of money because Marvel's thousands of comic book characters -- which include including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four, etc. -- can be extremely lucrative business. But did you know there was a time when there were a good number of scuba-themed comics? Examples are "Sea Devils," "The FrogMen," "Frogman," "Undersea Commando," "The Aquanauts" and more. See a great compilation of scuba comics at Diving Into Scuba Comics. -- Posted Tuesday, September 22, 2009 by chb
The sharks of Turks and Caicos Shark tours are cool, but seeing sharks in the wild is even better. If you want to see plenty of sharks on a nice Caribbean dive vacation, go to Turks and Caicos. We saw dozens of sharks off West Caicos on our seven day trip aboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II, including reef sharks, blacktips, nurse sharks and I believe also a silky. [View Turks and Caicos shark pictures] -- Posted Thursday, August 27, 2009 by chb
Review: Panasonic's waterproof, shockproof Lumix TS1 After years of building Toughbook computers, Panasonic has entered the waterproof/shockproof/dustproof camera market with the 12.1-megapixel TS1. The camera has a terrific folding 28-128mm equivalent zoom, can do 720p high definition video, and excels in picture quality. Max depth is limited to 10 feet though. [Read review of the Panasonic Lumix TS1] -- Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2009 by chb
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