Op'eds and commentaries

On the brink

Diving is a recreational pastime, meant to offer pleasure and respite from our hectic work schedules and the relentless flood of troubling news that seems to worsen daily.

We have always strived to write about and focus on the wonderful adventures, the beauty of the underwater realm, and to provide educational infotainment that enhances our experiences and appreciation of what lies beneath the surface.

A return to the “old normal” in the dive industry

We have recently returned from another DEMA Show, and it is heartening to witness the dive industry’s resurgence following the pandemic. The show felt like a return to the “old normal.” However, there is an intriguing duality at play here—the old is becoming the new normal in the dive industry.

With nearly three decades of experience in the dive industry, I may be considered a senior member by conventional standards. Yet, at many dive shows, it does not quite feel that way. Amid the attendees, you will find plenty of grey hair, a few walkers, and even some mobility scooters.

This little fellah is trying to tell you something. Do you know what? That posture is a signal

Clone of Formel Tech UK

Every time I look up into the starry night sky, I cannot help but wonder what other worlds are out there and whether there is life among all those twinkling stars.  Are we alone in the universe?  

I guess I am just like most people—haven't we all reflected on this most fundamental existential question at some point?

It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas… Nitrox in Sport Diving: How It All Began

Scuba diver on nitrox at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. (Credit: G.P. Schmahl / NOAA / NOS / NMS/ CC BY 2.0 DEED)

This article is an abridged version of an early chapter in Simon Pridmore’s history of the early days of technical diving, Technically Speaking—Talks on Technical Diving, Volume 1: Genesis and Exodus. The nitrox saga would end up as the subject of vitriolic debate and bitter division in the sport diving community for half a decade. This is its origin story.

The price we have to pay

I have just booked my flight to the DEMA Show—the world’s largest dive show and industry event. When I made my reservation, I selected Scandinavian Airlines because they now offer travellers the option of purchasing sustainable biofuel as part of the flight ticket, so one can fly with lower CO2 emissions. I also opted to pay for a full carbon offset of my trip. It hurt my wallet, but it lifted the ache I had in my tummy. Being a transatlantic trip, it did not come cheap, but I do not see that one has a choice any longer.