Dangerous Shallows
Dangerous Shallows - In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod - tells the story of a quest to solve maritime cold cases.
Dangerous Shallows - In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod - tells the story of a quest to solve maritime cold cases.
According to a study that appeared in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, new research has indicated that sea urchins may use the entire surfaces of their bodies—from the ends of their "feet" to the tips of their spines—as huge eyes. Scientists have long known that marine invertebrates react to light without any obvious eye-like structures, raising the question of how the animals see.
Maybe the concept of ‘responsible shark diving’ sounds a little oxymoronic, but there are many things that you can do to protect yourself and the sharks during your interaction. First and foremost, I can’t stress enough the need to gain as much knowledge as possible about the animals and their environment. To go into the water without at least a basic idea of how the sharks are likely to react is foolhardy to say the least.
Jump back to the summer of 1996 and British Cave Diver Mike Thomas presents me with a copy of aquaCORPS magazine, (and I still have this issue in my office today). It was a defining moment in my diving career. Mike had taken me under his wing, showing me there was more than 30 metre, single tank, recreational, air diving. The aquaCORPS issue was N11, October / November 1995 and I vividly remember being thrilled to learn of a brave new world of diving.
Knives, spear-guns and other objects that can be used as weapons must, obviously, be checked. Any sharp objects packed in checked luggage should be securely wrapped to prevent injury to security screeners.
A team of paleobiologists surveyed hundreds of modern and ancient whale skeletons for decompression syndrome, which occurs when quick pressure changes force air or fat bubbles out of blood vessels.
Such damage would have been common when whales first began plunging into the depths of the ocean, says Brian Beatty, of New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, US, who led the study.
For those of us fortunate enough to call Southern California home, the Channel Islands offer world-class diving in our own backyard. Comprised of eight islands stretching over 160 miles of Pacific Ocean, the Channel Islands boast over 2,000 terrestrial plants and animals, including 150 endemic species, rivaling the Galapagos for diversity.
It is the nightmare of every diver who dives the Dutch North Sea—getting entangled in a fishing line of old net, unable to free yourself. The Dutch wrecks are becoming an ever popular destination for both the fishing and diving industry. A threat to both, fishing boats and anglers can lose their nets and lines on wrecks, and divers can lose their lives.
What does a fish exporter from Norway, a Chief Information Officer and diving instructor living in the Netherlands, a renowned lawyer based in Cyprus, a Project Manager working in Sweden, and an expat French Technical Diving Instructor have in common?
Just their name, their size, and their menacing looks can evoke feelings of terror, fear and instinctive rejection. However, if you have the privilege to be able to dive with big tiger sharks, as I have, you might fall in love with them, at least you will bond with them in a mysterious way.
Have you always wanted to dive with sharks? Hug a dolphin? Explore shipwrecks, caves and colorful coral reefs? What if you wanted to have all of these adventures wrapped into one destination? Then, it is time to visit the Caribbean island of Grand Bahama.
The Bahamas are an English speaking island nation known to most of us, but for very diverse reasons. For many living in Florida or nearby, it’s a location for a quick day or weekend break for beach or casino. For Europeans, it’s an offshore financial and investment capital.