ScubaVision Productions

• Interview with John Hanzi, Dive Safety Officer at the New England Aquarium and author of adventure novel Out of Hell's Kitchen
• Whiteface (The Anchor) at West Caicos
• The Driveway at West Caicos
• Boat Cove at West Caicos

• Anybody can make videos.
• It's easy.
• It's fun.

It's been a few weeks since Part I and Part II of Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Adventures aired. Well, guess what? Part III, Sharks At Risk, airs tonight. In tonight's episode, Cousteau seeks to dispel two myths: first, that sharks are not mindless man-eaters; and second, that the ocean is not brimming with the creatures.

In Sharks at Risk, Jean-Michel Cousteau and his team meet sharks face-to-face in Rangiroa (220 miles northeast of Tahiti), the second-largest coral atoll in the world, and an underwater paradise famous for its large concentration of sharks -- which faces huge threats. They also explore the world of great whites in South Africa's "Shark Alley." If you want to read a summary of tonight's episode, check out PBS' website, which also hosts a 2-minute sneak-peak of the episode. But don't let that spoil your appetite for tonight!

[Thanks, Dad!]

Yup, it's true! As part of their "Oceans 2006: A Year of Exploring," the Monterey Bay Aquarium is planning to add new podcasts twice each month. Since they only started podcasting in June, there's only two shows available:

• the 3-minute going to extremes in a deep sea submarine; and,
• the 2-minute deep sea worms with some big bones to pick.

Along with the podcasts, there are related links so you can learn more about the topics. So cool. And a great length! Have a listen.

[Via Cephalodpodcast]

I don't think there's a diver in the world who has NEVER touched a piece of coral. Maybe it was on accident when navigating through a swim-through, or maybe it was while trying to get that "perfect shot." Of course, we all know we're not supposed to touch coral, but sometimes it happens. And, after all, it's not really that bad, right?

Well, according to Stephan at Beautiful Oceans, it IS that bad. In a recent podcast, Stephan explains what happens when divers touch a coral reef and what may happen to coral colonies when we do (worst case scenario: coral colony eradication). Although some coral is hardier than others, Stephan makes an obvious, practical suggestion: don't touch any of it. Give the short podcast a listen, and maybe on your next dive, you'll try harder to avoid the coral.

This statement -- while controversial -- shouldn't be all that surprising. After all, some photographers carry around a lot of bulky gear, and they can't possibly attend to their buoyancy, set up for a shot, and watch out for the coral all at the same time, right?

Recently, Stephan and Ian from Beautiful Oceans have started podcasting, and the podcasts are very intelligently done. In their most recent podcast, for example, Stephan explains that specialist photographers -- divers using big, bulky camera equipment -- cause an average of 1.6 coral breaks every 10 minutes. Extrapolating, this means a specialist diver causes an average of 112 coral breaks over a week-long vacation. That's awful! (In contrast, divers using small point-and-shoots "only" cause about 0.3 breaks every 10 minutes.) If you want to pick up some simple tips from Stephan about how NOT to destroy the coral while shooting marine life, head over and listen to his podcast. In five minutes, you can learn quite a bit from Stephan.

Stephan and Ian have a number of other podcasts posted, all of which are brief, articulate, and educational. I particularly liked the one concerning Fish Swimming Styles and their relative efficiencies. You'll never believe how fast a triggerfish can swim. Thanks, guys. I feel smart now!

If you want to listen to people talk about scuba diving as you're running, riding the bus to work (or while you're at work, for that matter), working in the yard, or drifting off to sleep, check out these new podcasts available for download:

1. Jim and Dennis at Bottom Time Radio have two new podcasts that they've posted recently. Show #12 is an interesting interview with Eric Douglas from DAN. Show #13 features Brian Galecki, author of Rum Runners, U-boats, & Hurricanes. #13 also features me (I provided the news) and Scuba Kitten. Despite her name, Scuba Kitten is NOT a porn star.
2. The guys over at Blue Beyond interview Stuart Ford of Rebreather World. During their conversation, they talk about rebreathers, Scupedia, diving around London, and more. Good stuff. Beware: Americans may need a translator.
3. Dive Films has some new stuff available, too. Some of the videos can be streamed directly to your computer from their site, while others have to be accessed through iTunes. For example, I particularly enjoyed the short on Beqa, Fiji.

If you know of any other hot dive podcasts, let us know.

If you want to learn more about Jean-Michel Cousteau's "Ocean Adventures," the Ocean Futures Society -- the non-profit Jean-Michel created to bring awareness and protection to the world's oceans -- has several interesting podcasts available for listeners. The first one is a general discussion of the "Ocean Adventures" series, highlighting the Voyage to Kure. Two others podcasts define and discuss Marine Sanctuarires. All of these make good introductions to Cousteau and the importance of the ocean in a healthy ecosystem.

Personally, however, I found the most recent two podcasts to be the MOST interesting. One is a discussion with Jean-Michel's children, Celine and Fabien (who Erik interviewed recently), who talk about their experiences working on the Ocean Adventures series and what it means to be a Cousteau. The other is an interview with Blair Mott, the Ocean Futures Society's chief diver, who explains what it takes to live up to Cousteau's standards.

All of them are good. None of them are overly-long. Any of them would make a nice companion during lunchtime.

Bottom Time Radio’s newest podcast is available. Dennis and Jim have become quite adept at selecting interesting guests, asking them the right questions, and getting good responses. For two “Regular Joe’s,” they’ve carved out quite an interesting and solid little niche.

Podcast #11 is divided into two parts. The first part is an interview with an excellent, articulate, and handsome young man who reports on several dive-related items in the news recently. OK…OK…I admit it: it was me. I provided the news. If you’ve listened in the past, you might recall that I pre-recorded the news. This time, however, I spoke with Dennis and Jim over the phone and we discussed the news together. It was lots of fun, and I think it sounds great.

The second part – which is really the focus of the show – is an interview with Carrie Kohler, the wife of Richie Kohler. Carrie works with her husband on Dive Portal DVD, a soon-to-be-released semi-regular DVD magazine. Following the lead of DVD magazines like ScubaCore, Dive Portal will interview dive experts and focus on dive news and destinations around the world.

Dennis and Jim are getting really good at interviewing people, and this podcast is no exception. Listen for yourself.

In the podcast interview with Foots, in which he discusses his Lost City of Atlantis, he mentioned that he would be creating a huge underwater pyramid, complete with swim-throughs, and featuring an area in the center of the pyramid where divers can relax; remove their regs and breathe; and talk to one another. So cool. Yesterday, Foots emailed me some photos of the mold for the Pyramid of Atlantis, which is under construction currently. And the pictures are friggin’ sweet! According to Foots, the pyramid will be 18 feet tall and each base will be 22 feet long. When finished, the pyramid will weigh in excess of 40,000 pounds and feature 8 swim-throughs. Ultimately, he plans to construct two of them for his City.

If you want to see more photos of Atlantis, check out the detailed photos of the sculptures and the photos of Foots sinking the sundial and some of the pillars.

If you’re thinking about purchasing an underwater video camera, but you don’t know exactly where to begin, you should check out Underwater Digital Video, a website dedicated to the art of shooting underwater. In a recent article, Lee Peterson helps the novice camcorder-purchaser break down the important components of how to purchase a suitable underwater video camera. The first question to consider, of course, is how much money you have to spend. Another important consideration is what you plan to do with the camera. Are you planning to shoot lots of high-speed action, like shark feedings? Maybe you want to shoot some tight, controlled scenes, like wrecks. Depending on your needs, your camera choice will vary. He also warns against – and explains his rationale for – purchasing a camcorder to take still shots.

Are you already an underwater video whiz? Then, you probably don’t need to check out Peterson's article. Instead, you might want to read Bill’s HD Camera Gift Guide. Alternatively, you might be interested in the DV show’s podcast – partially recorded underwater! – in which the presenter tackles some more advanced topics like aluminum versus acrylic housings; what kind of lenses work best; and more.

[Via Dive Photo Guide]

Joe Cocozza works for CNN and runs a great web service called Pod Diver, which is both Pod Diver Radio and Pod Diver TV. Pod Diver is “for hardcore scuba divers from hardcore scuba divers,” and you can subscribe and listen to Pod Diver through a variety of sources. In his newest radio podcast, for example, Joe talks to John Chatterton about his new project, Dive Portal.

I subscribe to Pod Diver TV, and last night I watched episodes 7 and 8. They are great. Episode 7 describes scuba diving on Midway Island, which is 1100 miles west of Hawaii – literally, in the middle of nowhere. In episode 7, Joe interviews local divemasters; provides some stunning underwater footage of some of the local wrecks and karst formations; and demonstrates how easy it is to see one – or five! – Galapagos sharks on any particular dive. Midway’s inaccessibility is its blessing: it’s a bitch to get to, but once you’re there, you’re among a select group of divers to have visited this glorious spot.

Episode 8 is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Waterdance,” which is a DVD showing how marine animals move. From that description, I was not…let’s say…chomping at the bit to watch the short film, but it was really worth it. Episode 8 shows Donald Tipton and his crew diving with Atlantic spotted dolphins in Bimini. It begins a bit slowly – Tipton talking; the crew horsing around on the liveaboard – but when Cocozza shows how close and how curious the dolphins are, it’s a truly remarkable thing. In the end, it was absolutely worth a watch.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned Lloyd Godson. Lloyd is currently designing a self-sustaining underwater habitat, called the BioSUB. Over the next few months, he’ll be building it, and in August, Lloyd plans to deploy it in a lake in Australia. Using both plants and Like-A-Fish technology to provide his oxygen, Lloyd will be the BioSUB’s first resident. What a cool, exciting adventure!

As soon as I read about Lloyd, I wanted to learn more. Recently, I caught up with Lloyd, and he shared with me his plans and hopes for the BioSUB. I recorded our conversation and turned it into Divester’s third podcast. If you want to hear an interview with a creative man with boundless ambition, then check out Divester’s podcast interview with Lloyd. Although you may not have heard much about Lloyd in the past, I predict you’ll be hearing a LOT about him over the next few months, especially as the BioSUB’s deployment draws nearer. Check out the interview and tell us what you think! At just under 18 minutes, it’s the perfect length for a lunchtime listen!

And in cae you're interested, don't forget you can subscribe to Divester's podcasts through iTunes, or Divester's RSS feed!

I know you’re all chomping at the bit for a new Divester podcast, but rest assured that Divester is thiiiis close to posting its newest one. Recently, we were listed in iTunes, and if you’d like Divester podcasts delivered right to your iTunes account, it’s now possible. (If you subscribe, iTunes will allow you to download our previous two podcasts, and automagically deliver to you all future casts.) Of course, you can always just visit Divester and download either the podcast with Anat from Scuba Core or the interview with Foots talking about his Lost City of Atlantis directly. It’s up to you. Anyway, get ready…because Divester’s third podcast is just around the corner. Hope you like it!