Divester's Last Dive
Well, it's time to doff our dive gear, wash it off, and pack it away. Before we go, though, we wanted to say thanks to all the people who visited Divester and supported it over the last two-and-a-half years. It's been so much fun for us, and we hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. In conclusion:
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Bill Reals says, "What a long strange trip it's been. I've enjoyed my time here at Divester, it was a great way for me to share some of my technical leanings for things like cave diving, wreck diving and my obsession with DPVs. I'm sorry to see it retire but the old posts will still be around and you may see some of us on other blogs in the Weblogs family. To all the readers out there, thanks for the suggestions, comments and praise." You can check out Bill's blog at www.reals.net.
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You can check out Eric Brodeur at his cleverly-named blog, ericbrodeur.com.
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As for me, I'll be moving to Divester's sister blog, Gadling, where I'll be diving into the world of travel.
Dive safe. See you on the hang bar!
REEF Field Surveys for 2007
REEF recently announced their field survey schedule for 2007. If you haven't ever taken one of these trips, maybe now's the time to consider it. Not only are they fun, educational, and conservation-minded, they're tax deductible! Who ever heard of taking a tax-deductible dive trip?! Thanks, REEF! Upcoming trips include: - Grand Turk, February 17-24 -- 7 nights/8 days - $990
- Tortola, British Virgin Islands, April 14-21 -- 7 nights/8 days - $974
- Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, May 22-27 -- 5 nights/6 days - $TBA
- St. Vincent, June 9-16 -- 8 days/7 nights - $1,050
- Key Largo, Florida*, July 7-14 -- 8 days/7 nights - $1,093
- San Juan Islands, Washington, July 23-26 -- 4 days/3 nights - $818
- Kona, Hawaii, August 4-11 -- 7 nights/8 days - $1,485
- Woods Hole, Cape Cod, September 11-16 -- 6 nights/5 days - $509
- Bonaire*, September 22-29 -- 7 nights/8 days - $1,063
- Utila*, October 20-27 -- 8 days/7 nights - $1,110
- Anguilla, November 10-17 -- 8 days/7 nights - $975
- Cozumel, December 1-8 -- 8 Days/7 Nights - $544
*Trip led by Paul Humann, recent inductee into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame.
Fatal Accident Caught on Tape, Update
Yesterday, we featured a short video discussing Yuri Lipski, a diver who died in Egypt's Blue Hole in 2000. Naturally, YouTube has some other clips concerning Lipski's death. In the first video, there is additional commentary (not in English) and additional footage, including some of Lipski's body on the sea floor, his BC unstrapped but not removed -- as if he had been trying to wriggle out of it. The second video, much shorter, is a close-up. It *appears* to me that the second clip is also of Lipski, but I may be wrong.
Warning: these videos are graphic, particularly the second. You've been warned.
Our World Underwater, February 9-11
Don't forget that Chicago's Our World Underwater is scheduled for the weekend of February 9-11. According to the press release on Scuba PRWire, this year's show will host over 200 booths featuring dive destinations, training agencies, equipment manufacturers, apparel and dry suit companies, and a variety of regional dive centers. Don't like crowds? You might want to steer clear, as OWU anticipates between 15,000 and 17,000 attendees. Packed with educational seminars and workshops, the event will also feature a pretty smokin' film festival, emceed by Stan Waterman (geez, he's everywhere!). Moreover, the winners of the Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide Underwater Competition will be announced Saturday night. The show opens Friday night at 6 and runs through the weekend. Admission is $10.
Jack Connick's "Getting Started in Underwater Photography"
Jack Connick has started writing a monthly column for Northwest Dive News. Discusiing underwater photography, Jack plans to concentrate on cold-water dive photography, but I'm sure tropical divers will learn lots, too. Fortunately, he plans to re-print the articles on his blog, so check in often if you don't subscribe.
In his first article, Jack discusses the importance of experience and not engaging in unnecessary task-loading. He also goes over important questions to ask yourself before making the often-expensive leap into underwater shooting. What do you want to do with your photos? Where are you going to be shooting? How much can you really afford to spend? These are some of the questions Jack walks you through.
Komodo Mooring Buoy Project, 2007
If you're a diver who's looking to get involved in some conservation efforts on your next dive trip, consider heading to the Komodo National Park. The Park's Conservation Fund has teamed up with a marine biologist to install throughout the Park environmentally-friendly "Manta Ray mooring balls," which are drilled into sand patches or rubble areas. There are already 14 mooring balls in this Park; the newly-formed alliance wants to install up to 30 balls, which will protect the reef system from anchor damage by local fishermen, big liveaboard dive boats, and visiting yachts. The Park is seeking qualified divers -- in other words, Nitrox-certified and capable of working at 100 feet -- to assist with the installation. Participants will learn multiple skills, ranging from rope splicing to operating an underwater jack hammer. Although the trip is work-oriented, there will be time "for the occasional leisure dive." Interestingly, the organizers hope to film the project for use in other conservation projects and awareness campaigns. You'll be a movie star!
The trip is from February 18-26. Only 4 spaces remain. The cost of the trip -- which includes shared accommodation in air-conditioned cabins, meals, diving, tanks, weights, and presentations -- is $800. For more details, check out the National Park's website or the Coral Reef Alliance.
Sounds of the Deep, A CD for Underwater Lovers
Tired of listening to your co-workers heave great sighs as they monotonously staple and shuffle unread memos back and forth? If you're worn out listening to NPR's awesome live concert recording of the excellent band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, then check out Sounds of the Deep.
This new CD, for sale through the British Library's Online Shop, features seals, whales, dolphins, and other marine animals making sounds...in the deep. While some of the sounds may be familiar to you, I'm guessing not many people have heard the mating call of the North Sea haddock. Think of their rumbling call as somewhere between a motorcycle and Barry White. You can hear a short sample of their call on the BBC.
I may be going out on a limb here, but I don't *think* your significant other is going to be swept away when you throw this disc on the CD player. Even the British Library's sound archive's wildlife curator, Cheryl Tipp, could only muster this, um, half-hearted accolade: "It really is quite a novel sound, it's fascinating."
[Via X-Ray Mag]
Dive Video of the Day: Scuba Divers Fighting Underwater
It isn't educational. It doesn't feature marine life. It's not relaxing. However, this 59-second clip of scuba divers battling it out underwater is still pretty cool and deserves to be showcased as a Dive Video of the Day. Anybody know where the footage is from?
My favorite part is right before the end, when you see a head peek up ominously from behind a rock. What is that? Some kind of mutant underwater lizard?
Divers Play Poker Underwater, Raise Money for Charity
This weekend, a group of Missouri divers raised money for their local American Red Cross chapter. No, they didn't hold a bake sale. They didn't sponsor a raffle, either. Instead, they participated in an underwater poker tournament organized by the Calypso dive center. In exchange for a $25 buy-in/donation to the Red Cross, participants received scuba gear and tanks for the afternoon. Those who weren't playing could watch the card-play over a live feed coming through a monitor inside the Calypso. Apparently, participants collected hundreds of dollars for the Red Cross, which came to the rescue of the community after a tornado slammed through the area in 2003. No doubt the participants used waterproof playing cards for the game. I wonder if they drank beer from their SCUDAs?
Father and Son Make Very Cool ROV for $300
Jason Rollette, an electrical engineer, and his 12-year-old son, Trevor, have simple dreams. For example, they want to showcase their home on the Parade of Homes to raise money for the local library. Moreover, they want to explore the lakes and rivers near their Milwaukee home. So they built their own ROV for roughly $300. It took them 4 days. Fashioned from 2- and 4-inch-diameter PVC piping, controlled and powered by a laptop, and steered by a joystick, their ROV can swim more than a quarter of a mile, dive to depths of 250 feet, and watch the whole thing over the live feed the camera sends back to shore. Next up: a motorized claw for grabbing treasure...or whatever they find in the Wisconsin waterways. If you want to see how they made their ROV, they have the specs, parts list, and footage of the ROV in action on their website.
Related:
- 14-Year-Old Builds Working Sub Out Of A Pig Trough
- Engineering Students Make ROV Capable of Diving to 400 Feet
- A DIY ROV That Uses Atari Joysticks As Controllers
- DIY ROV for $100
[Via Digg]
The Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel -- The Dive Boat of the Future?
Meet the Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel. Its friends call it the WAM-V. This new, spider-like watercraft features ultralight, flexible catamarans and a modular design that allows for a variety of applications. The WAM-V has ocean-crossing capabilities with a range of up to 5,000 miles; very low fuel consumption; low draft; and minimal wake. With room for 12 passengers and an optional dive platform available, this 12-ton, 100-foot vessel may be the coolest, sportiest dive boat on the planet. Attach a video camera to the tip of one of those catamarans and send the feed into the cabin, and people will be screaming, "Faster! Faster!"
[Via Gizmag]
Fatal Diving Accident Caught on Tape
In 2000, Yuri Lipski died while scuba diving in Egypt's famous "Blue Hole." During his dive, Lipski had a video camera strapped to his head. This 5-minute clip shows portions of Lipski's final moments, as well as some analysis of the tragic end provided by specialists. Don't expect to be amazed by the level of analysis -- in my opinion, they seem far too emotional and engaged in the clip to be objective -- though they do help clarify what's going on on screen.
Of course, it's a bit morbid to watch a person's final moments. Hopefully, though, divers can use the footage to help protect themselves against similar accidents.
The Great Barrier Reef to Become "Functionally Extinct"?
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- comprised of 2500 experts from 130 countries -- the Great Barrier Reef could become "functionally extinct" within a few decades. According to the Panel's leaked report -- the final, official draft of which should be available this Friday -- the reef will (might?) die from bleaching, which occurs when water temperatures grow too high, and which involves a breakdown of the symbiotic relationship between corals and their color-giving zooxanthellae. Interestingly, the cooling waters associated with last year's Cyclone Larry preempted the potentially catastrophic bleaching event that scientists had predicted for 2006. However, the thought is that by 2030, the GBR will likely begin suffering from routine bleaching events and quickly perish.
What's most disturbing to me about this news is that the GBR is the largest living organism on the planet. Able to be seen from space, a dead GBR would be a permanent, hideous scar -- a constant reminder of beauty and life wasted.
[Thanks, Drew!]
Scuba Hall of Fame Inducts New Members
As promised, the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame inducted the class of 2007 into its hallowed halls this past weekend. Sadly, I wasn't able to make it to Grand Cayman to cover the event, but apparently it went off without a hitch. Nobody threw drinks. Nobody caused a scene and demanded a refund. No food fights broke out. Rather, the event -- emceed by the great Stan Waterman (himself inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000) -- was serene, pleasant, and polite. Of course, the Hall of Fame is still only a virtual Hall and has no actual brick-and-mortar facade...yet. During the induction ceremony, however, Minister Charles E. Clifford announced that, "The Ministry and Department of Tourism will work with the board to make the Hall of Fame vision a reality." Can't wait to visit!
