March 2022

DAN Announces New Enhanced Membership

Enhanced Membership includes all the benefits divers and travelers have come to expect from their DAN membership — plus higher coverage limits and a curated selection of additional benefits, including up to US$500,000 in emergency medical transportation and travel assistance benefits, a continuing subscription to the print edition of Alert Diver magazine, new global security evacuation coverage, new search and rescue coverage, and more.

Strange lumpy terrain on Pluto unlike anything previously observed in the solar system indicates that giant ice volcanoes were active relatively recently on the dwarf planet, scientists said on Tuesday.
Strange lumpy terrain on Pluto unlike anything previously observed in the solar system indicates that giant ice volcanoes were active relatively recently on the dwarf planet, scientists said on Tuesday.

Pluto may have a subsurface ocean

This publication may be thought of as a dive publication by many of our readers but our scope is actually a bit wider. It is really about water and the realm under the surface, and the lifeforms we may encounter there.

So of course we are intrigued and chuffed to learn that subsurface oceans of water may exist even on Pluto. At least, that is what a closer study of photos taken by NASA's New Horizons mission seems to conclude.

These findings will cause us to re-evaluate the possibilities for the maintenance of liquid water on small, icy worlds that are far from the Sun.

Lynnae Quick, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

To stolte forældre og en baby på live-aboard i Rødehavet
To stolte forældre og en baby på live-aboard i Rødehavet

På live-aboard med baby

Efter at have haft dykkerforbud i et par måneder på grund af graviditet, blev min dykkertrang så stor, at vi besluttede at booke en dykkertur til Det Røde Hav til efteråret. Cirka tre måneder før barnet blev født, bookede vi derfor ind på en live ombord i Det Røde Hav. Vi tog en vis risiko, fordi der ikke kunne opnås afbestillingsbeskyttelse i tilfælde af sygdom eller ulykke forårsaget af graviditet eller fødsel...

Can flying ever become truly carbon neutral, or are airframers claims just another case of "greenwashing"?
Can flying ever become truly carbon neutral, or are airframers claims just another case of "greenwashing"?

Airbus A380 flies on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Don't we all want to be able to fly to our favourite dive destinations with a net-zero carbon emission? If our flights can be fuelled with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), we might just be able to travel long distances without a bad conscience over making climate change worse.

Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem.
Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem.

Seagrasses are natural carbon dioxide sink, thanks to symbiotic bacteria

Seagrasses need nutrients to thrive, particularly nitrogen (N). Up to now, it has been assumed that the nitrogen is taken up by the seagrasses through leaves and roots from the surrounding seawater and sediment.

However, in many of the regions where seagrasses are most abundant, there is little nitrogen to be found. Furthermore, while nitrogen is abundant in the sea in its elemental form (N2), seagrasses cannot use it in this form. 

Mares EOS 20LRZ Torch

The Mares EOS 20LRZ underwater torch is a rechargeable torch with 2300 lumens of power and 100 minutes of autonomy.
The Mares EOS 20LRZ underwater torch is a rechargeable torch with 2300 lumens of power and 100 minutes of autonomy.

The Mares EOS 20LRZ Torch, at 2300 Lumens is one of the most powerful torches on the market for it's size. This handy size and powerful waterproof torch with rechargeable battery and adjustable beam angle. The adjustable beam angle allows you to change the torch from a spotlight to a wide angle floodlight making the torch very adaptable and useable for a wide variety of tasks.

The beam angle can be adjusted from a tight 12° spot light to sharply illuminate a small area to a wide 75° beam which is great for photos, video and illuminating a wide scene. Just twist the head of the torch to adjust the beam width.

The switch controls the lighting mode for High, Low and SOS Strobe with a maximum power output of 2300 Lumens. The torch has a removable and rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery that you can be charged inside the torch using the supplied USB charging lead.

All neatly packed in a padded protective case with zipped opening.