Press Release
Received from: Long Island Diver’s Association

LIDA Annual Film Festival

LIDA Annual Film Festival

We are very excited to return to an in-person event this year and will be hosting the film festival at Hofstra University. After three years of Covid restrictions, it’s time for divers to once again enjoy the pleasures of meeting in person.

You are invited to submit proposals for possible inclusion in this event. The Film Festival is an annual fundraising event for LIDA and traditionally features an exciting slate of world-renowned speakers, filmmakers and photographers.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Shipwrecks of War Off New York and New Jersey Coasts

The waters running north to south from the Long Island coast to northern New Jersey are nicknamed “Wreck Valley” by local divers. Larry Cohen and Olga Torrey share the stories of some of the war shipwrecks found in these waters, located off the US northeastern coast.

Words:
Larry Cohen
Olga Torrey
Images:
Larry Cohen
Olga Torrey
Diver Olga Torrey exploring the USS San Diego
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Wrecks & Archaeology

Due to navigation errors, lousy weather and war, there are hundreds of shipwrecks in the waters of New York and New Jersey. These are unfortunate marine disasters, but they do provide habitat for marine life. As a matter of fact, both New York and New Jersey have an artificial reef program, where they sink ships on purpose. Many of these wrecks are at depths of 24 to 45m (80 to 150ft).

Underwater Canyon Could Become America’s Newest Marine Sanctuary

This summer, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wants the public to weigh in on whether Hudson Canyon should become part of USA's national marine sanctuary system.

Dive Industry News and Matters

Hudson Canyon is the largest underwater canyon along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, and is about 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The canyon ⁠— about 2 to 2.5 miles deep and up to 7.5 miles wide ⁠— provides habitat for a range of protected and sensitive species, including sperm whales, sea turtles and deep sea corals.

The canyon’s rich biodiversity is integral to the region’s economy, underpinning commercial and recreational fisheries, recreational diving, whale-watching and birding. 

Press Release
Received from: Long Island Divers Association

Long Island Divers Association Film Festival Presentation Lineup

LIDA

This year’s unique LIDA Film Festival will be a great way to relax and enjoy some of the best underwater images while dreaming of your next underwater adventure. Here is a sneak peek at the lineup of world-class underwater photographers and videographers we will feature this year:

Michel Labrecque & Julie Ouimet
"Freaks...of nature"

Rick Morris
"Heroes to Heroes Restoring the Reefs"

Nancy McGee
"Uncomfortable"

Press Release
Received from: Discovery Diving Team

42nd Annual Underwater Treasure Hunt

This event is a true ‘treasure hunt’ where divers get to scuba dive off the rock jetty at Radio Island in Beaufort, NC. They seek treasure in the form of numbered oyster shells.

After numbered oyster shells have been found and collected, we then return to the dive shop for a pig pickin’ feast and the drawing for prizes. It’s all very exciting and makes for a really fun day! This event is one of the largest single-day gatherings of divers and like-minded people in North Carolina.

Popular Dive Spot in Pennsylvania faces closure

Dutch Springs, a popular inland dive location in the Northeast, is facing closure. The land has been sold to a developer who reportedly plans to use it for a massive warehouse.

Dive Industry News and Matters

Dutch Springs has been the location for sport, technical, and public safety divers to gather for the last 41 years. Divers travel to Dutch from all over the Northeast for training, socializing, or underwater fun. 

Dutch Springs is crowded with open water students, technical divers trying new gear, and photographers practicing their art every summer weekend. Owner Stu Schooley and his staff have done a remarkable job filling the lake with attractions, including various boats, trucks, airplanes, a school bus, and helicopters.

Fish thrive on WWII shipwrecks

NOAA exploration of North Carolina wrecks offers detailed glimpse into unexpected “islands of habitat.”

Ecology & Science

In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) undertook a closer examination of the wrecks of the German U-boat U-576 and the Nicaraguan freighter SS Bluefields, using glass-domed submersibles. The two historically significant and deep (200m) shipwrecks sank near one another on the continental shelf of North Carolina, USA, during World War II.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Sand Tiger Sharks of North Carolina

There I was, off the coast of North Carolina at a depth of about 20m (60ft) when the shadowy shape of the WWII wreck Caribsea came into view—but it looked almost as if it was moving! Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a cloud of tiny bait fish completely covering the wreck. As they moved, the ship seemed to move with them; and then, out of the swarm, a massive, tank-like, gray silhouette emerged. It moved at one speed and in one direction, not altering its course an inch. I smiled so much my mask began to leak—it was a sand tiger shark.

Words:
Brandi Mueller
Images:
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Travel & Trips

Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) look mean but in reality, they are quite docile. As I watched, at least 12 sharks crisscrossed the Caribsea wreck; they almost seemed to be in a perfect state of Zen. Easily identifiable by their pointy, cone-shaped heads (and also by their jagged and fierce-looking teeth, which show even when their mouths are closed), the tops of their bodies are a dark gray with darker colored spots, and their undersides are bright white. Their tails also have the unique characteristic of a notched upper lobe.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Graveyard of the Atlantic: Wrecks of North Carolina's Outer Banks

One of the problems with the proverbial bucket list is that whenever you tick a dive trip off the list, it seems that you add at least three more destinations to it. This is exactly what happened to me. I had never considered North Carolina as a dive destination, much less one of the top wreck diving locations in the world. But, after running across other wreck diving enthusiasts who frequented the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” yet another destination was added to my list.

Words:
Brandi Mueller
Images:
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Wrecks & Archaeology

Wreck diving is one of my favorite types of diving because I love the history of how the wrecks came to be underwater, and North Carolina has plenty of that. The history of more than 2,000 wrecks lie in the waters off this eastern state and the stories range from pirates, the Civil War, World Wars, hurricanes, storms and other maritime mistakes that took down good ships. The Graveyard extends along the entire North Carolina coast.

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