1/12/12
11/19/10
Freediving - a Whole New World
At DEMA 2010, Scuba Schools International announced its collaboration with Guinness World Record holder Mike Wells in launching its new freediving training program.
Freediving, also known as apnea or breath-hold diving, is becoming increasingly popular around the world. It's a great way to see the sea, unhindered by cumbersome gear and undistracted by the sound of bubbles. It feels like you're flying, like you're supposed to be there - a truly exhilarating experience, even for seasoned scuba divers.
Freedivers enjoy the athleticism, adventure, mystique and personal challenge of the sport - as well as the obvious observation of the underwater world. It's just a great and easy way to get wet. Sometimes, the logistics of scuba diving can be tricky, and in some areas scuba isn't permitted at all - but that doesn't have to keep you from seeing what's down there! There's most certainly something interesting in your local quarry, lake or coast - all you need is fins, mask, snorkel, and appropriate exposure protection (like a wetsuit), and you're good to go!
Freediving instruction can also be obtained from SCUBA certification agencies PADI and NAUI, among others, though the new SSI program boasts the support of some of the world's most prominent and experienced competitive apnea divers.
Check out the full article on freediving (with more info and helpful links to get you started) at Divescover! You might discover a whole new world..!
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Freediving, also known as apnea or breath-hold diving, is becoming increasingly popular around the world. It's a great way to see the sea, unhindered by cumbersome gear and undistracted by the sound of bubbles. It feels like you're flying, like you're supposed to be there - a truly exhilarating experience, even for seasoned scuba divers.
Freedivers enjoy the athleticism, adventure, mystique and personal challenge of the sport - as well as the obvious observation of the underwater world. It's just a great and easy way to get wet. Sometimes, the logistics of scuba diving can be tricky, and in some areas scuba isn't permitted at all - but that doesn't have to keep you from seeing what's down there! There's most certainly something interesting in your local quarry, lake or coast - all you need is fins, mask, snorkel, and appropriate exposure protection (like a wetsuit), and you're good to go!
Check out the full article on freediving (with more info and helpful links to get you started) at Divescover! You might discover a whole new world..!••cd••
11/9/10
Diving Cageless with Great White Sharks
First off: apologies for the long absence; it's been a crazy November so far! Won't happen again....
Divers in Mexico's Baja California are swimming freely with Great White Sharks, enabled by Amos Nachoum's company, Big Animals Expeditions.
Apart from the obvious levels of personal insanity required to do this, is the practice good or bad for the sharks' reputation and the dive industry as a whole?
Read the full article on diving cageless with great whites on Divescover (please feel free to comment)!
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Divers in Mexico's Baja California are swimming freely with Great White Sharks, enabled by Amos Nachoum's company, Big Animals Expeditions.Apart from the obvious levels of personal insanity required to do this, is the practice good or bad for the sharks' reputation and the dive industry as a whole?
Read the full article on diving cageless with great whites on Divescover (please feel free to comment)!
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10/27/10
This is "news"... um, what?
Timothy Hurst has compiled a hilarious (if more than slightly scary) list of what passes for prime-time news in the US of A - also known as "Glenn Beck's 10 Greatest Anti-Environment Freak Outs".
My favourite excerpt is #6, where Beck claims that environmentalists' interest in health care and Earth's future viability is indicative of the desire to create a "master race".
#5 is pretty good fun, too - apparently, former American VP and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore is intent on creating a new Hitler Youth, not on teaching ecological responsibility to children.
Here are those two, but make sure to visit ecopolitology.org to see the rest of Hurst's compilation!
This post is not intended to bash Americans - Joe Average doesn't have any more control over the propaganda machine than you or I do, and 9/10 Americans that I've met would have the same incredulous reaction to these "news" clips as the rest of us.
The people in power over there, though - hoo, boy... sigh.
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My favourite excerpt is #6, where Beck claims that environmentalists' interest in health care and Earth's future viability is indicative of the desire to create a "master race".
#5 is pretty good fun, too - apparently, former American VP and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore is intent on creating a new Hitler Youth, not on teaching ecological responsibility to children.
Here are those two, but make sure to visit ecopolitology.org to see the rest of Hurst's compilation!
This post is not intended to bash Americans - Joe Average doesn't have any more control over the propaganda machine than you or I do, and 9/10 Americans that I've met would have the same incredulous reaction to these "news" clips as the rest of us.
The people in power over there, though - hoo, boy... sigh.
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10/25/10
Sea Shepherd Unveils New Interceptor Vessel
Sea Shepherd unveiled its new interceptor vessel this past Saturday, at a Hollywood fundraiser.
The new vessel, the Ocean Adventurer, is a 12 year old, 35-meter monohull, will take the place of the Ady Gil as Sea Shepherd's fastest interceptor vessel. The Ady Gil was (arguably) intentionally rammed by a Japanese whaling ship, the Shonan Maru #2, and subsequently sank in the Southern Ocean.
The Ocean Adventurer is larger than the Ady Gil, and not quite as fast, however it is stronger and can carry more crew, fuel, and supplies. Paul Watson believes it will "suit our needs perfectly", adding that "we now have three ships, an upgraded helicopter, eighty crew, new equipment and I believe we will be more effective this year than last year, and last year was a very effective year".
Interceptor vessels have become highly important to Sea Shepherd's campaign to stop whaling in the Antarctic. Captain Paul Watson says "ironically, the most successful thing that Sea Shepherd does to save whales in the Southern Ocean is to do very little at all". Water cannon duels, boardings, and lobbing chemicals at the whaling ships' decks all have a measure of effectiveness, but blocking the slipway of the factory ship Nisshin Maru to prevent the transfer (and hence the processing) of dead whales is by far the most successful tactic in the Sea Shepherd arsenal - so far.
Sea Shepherd states that although the vessel has been secured, it was purchased with a loan that still needs to be repaid. Despite a strong desire to name the new ship "Godzilla", Sea Shepherd hopes to name her after a sponsor who makes a donation of >$1M.
Other Sea Shepherd Campaigns
Sea Shepherd manages several ongoing campaigns across the globe:
In Defense Whales Worldwide
Defending Dolphins Worldwide
Defending Galapagos
Stop the Canadian Seal Slaughter
Defending Sharks
This year's Southern Ocean campaign, "Operation No Compromise", marks Sea Shepherd's seventh voyage to Antarctic waters. They will continue until a kill quota of zero whales is established in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary - and hopefully, the world!
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| Conceptual photo from seashepherd.org |
The new vessel, the Ocean Adventurer, is a 12 year old, 35-meter monohull, will take the place of the Ady Gil as Sea Shepherd's fastest interceptor vessel. The Ady Gil was (arguably) intentionally rammed by a Japanese whaling ship, the Shonan Maru #2, and subsequently sank in the Southern Ocean.
The Ocean Adventurer is larger than the Ady Gil, and not quite as fast, however it is stronger and can carry more crew, fuel, and supplies. Paul Watson believes it will "suit our needs perfectly", adding that "we now have three ships, an upgraded helicopter, eighty crew, new equipment and I believe we will be more effective this year than last year, and last year was a very effective year".
 | |
| Conceptual photo from seashepherd.org |
Sea Shepherd states that although the vessel has been secured, it was purchased with a loan that still needs to be repaid. Despite a strong desire to name the new ship "Godzilla", Sea Shepherd hopes to name her after a sponsor who makes a donation of >$1M.
Other Sea Shepherd Campaigns
Sea Shepherd manages several ongoing campaigns across the globe:
In Defense Whales Worldwide
Defending Dolphins WorldwideDefending Galapagos
Stop the Canadian Seal Slaughter
Defending Sharks
This year's Southern Ocean campaign, "Operation No Compromise", marks Sea Shepherd's seventh voyage to Antarctic waters. They will continue until a kill quota of zero whales is established in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary - and hopefully, the world!
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10/24/10
Climate Change vs. Capitalism - the feast is almost over...
Author, activist, and globalization expert Jerry Mander speaks strongly in his latest essay - "either capitalism lives, or mother Earth lives".
Capitalism is built around the economy of scarcity - supply and demand, and the basic assumption that in for practical purposes, the supply is endless. Increasingly, though, we are becoming aware - or admitting - that we live on a planet with finite resources, and that the idea of continuous and increasing growth, expansion and economic output is neither possible, nor realistic. The old ways don't work anymore...
A quote from Mander's article:
"Look around you. The clothes you are wearing, the chair you are sitting in, the implements on the stove, the stove, the floor and walls of your room, its carpet, the lights and the switches, the electrical lines in the walls, your mobile phone, the road outside, the car you drive and all its tyres, wires, metals, glass, fabrics, batteries; airplanes, skyscrapers, tanks, missiles, computers ... were all once minerals and metals dug up from the earth, then shipped around the world, transformed, assembled, shipped again to a store near you, and sold. Or else they were living beings: trees, plants, animals, fibres, corals that had their own independent existence. Even "synthetics" began as natural elements. Is your shirt made of polyester? Polyester is plastic. Plastic is oil. Oil used to be dinosaurs, trees, plants. All of it is nature. The entire material economy began as part of the earth, buried in the ground, or it grew from it, or it was alive before we transformed it. But it's disappearing fast."
The original article is extremely relevant, highly politicized, and very interesting - you should definitely read it!
We, the species, must undergo a paradigm shift in thinking if we are to survive - a statement which should not sound the least bit alarmist. Have a look at this photo, taken from the Voyager spacecraft - the tiny blue dot is us. That's it, that's all - there is no more. Conservation, broadly speaking, means the wise management of finite resources - something we can all get behind.
Read Jerry Mander's article "Climate Change vs Capitalism - the Feast is Almost Over!
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Capitalism is built around the economy of scarcity - supply and demand, and the basic assumption that in for practical purposes, the supply is endless. Increasingly, though, we are becoming aware - or admitting - that we live on a planet with finite resources, and that the idea of continuous and increasing growth, expansion and economic output is neither possible, nor realistic. The old ways don't work anymore...
A quote from Mander's article:
"Look around you. The clothes you are wearing, the chair you are sitting in, the implements on the stove, the stove, the floor and walls of your room, its carpet, the lights and the switches, the electrical lines in the walls, your mobile phone, the road outside, the car you drive and all its tyres, wires, metals, glass, fabrics, batteries; airplanes, skyscrapers, tanks, missiles, computers ... were all once minerals and metals dug up from the earth, then shipped around the world, transformed, assembled, shipped again to a store near you, and sold. Or else they were living beings: trees, plants, animals, fibres, corals that had their own independent existence. Even "synthetics" began as natural elements. Is your shirt made of polyester? Polyester is plastic. Plastic is oil. Oil used to be dinosaurs, trees, plants. All of it is nature. The entire material economy began as part of the earth, buried in the ground, or it grew from it, or it was alive before we transformed it. But it's disappearing fast."
The original article is extremely relevant, highly politicized, and very interesting - you should definitely read it!
 |
| That's it. That's all. There is no more... |
Read Jerry Mander's article "Climate Change vs Capitalism - the Feast is Almost Over!
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10/22/10
Farmed Salmon Gets Even Worse - Really.
Thanks to the ever-vigilant Health Canada, aquaculturists in New Brunswick, Canada are now treating our food with restricted neurotoxic pesticides.
Sea lice plague salmon farms in th Bay of Fundy. Farmed salmon are densely packed into offshore nets, unable to swim away - a perfect scenario for the tiny parasites to feast and to breed. An ever-widening chemical arsenal is used to dissuade the tiny copepods from their free lunch.
The latest chemical to coat the catch is called Alphamax. The active ingredient is deltamethrin, a neurotoxin which, although metabolized by the body over time, has (like DDT), been found in breast milk in areas where the chemical is used for agricultural purposes.
Environment Canada expressly forbids the use of such chemicals (Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, page 83). The fish are to be removed from the water, literally bathed in chemicals, and replaced into the sea.
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot??
Salmon farms like those in the Bay of Fundy are by their very nature perfect breeding grounds for parasites like sea lice; such prevention measures are necessary for economic success. But on top of infecting wild salmon with an epidemic of sea lice, the densely-packed salmon release release highly concentrated, chemical-laden waste into the sea, severely impacting their surroundings. In addition, it takes about 3kg of feeder fish to produce 1kg of farmed salmon.
The negative impacts of aquaculture are fairly well known, though there is much debate surrounding the subject and much long-term research is still incomplete. But on the neurotoxin issue, at least, the answer seems clear - shouldn't Environment Canada be stepping in here?
Let's encourage them!
Jim Prentice, Canada's Minister of the Environment might be a good place to start - why not drop him a polite line at his Parliament Hill office?
--
Room 401, Confederation Bldg.
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Office Phone: 613-992-4275
Email: prentice.j@parl.gc.ca
--
I couldn't figure out who to address a communique to,but EC's Atlantic office is located at
--
45 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 2N6
Telephone: 902-426-7231
Email: 15th.reception@ec.gc.ca
Eventually, the straw breaks the camel's back...
••cd••
The latest chemical to coat the catch is called Alphamax. The active ingredient is deltamethrin, a neurotoxin which, although metabolized by the body over time, has (like DDT), been found in breast milk in areas where the chemical is used for agricultural purposes.
Environment Canada expressly forbids the use of such chemicals (Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, page 83). The fish are to be removed from the water, literally bathed in chemicals, and replaced into the sea.
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot??
The negative impacts of aquaculture are fairly well known, though there is much debate surrounding the subject and much long-term research is still incomplete. But on the neurotoxin issue, at least, the answer seems clear - shouldn't Environment Canada be stepping in here?
Let's encourage them!
Jim Prentice, Canada's Minister of the Environment might be a good place to start - why not drop him a polite line at his Parliament Hill office?
--
Room 401, Confederation Bldg.
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Office Phone: 613-992-4275
Email: prentice.j@parl.gc.ca
--
I couldn't figure out who to address a communique to,but EC's Atlantic office is located at
--
45 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 2N6
Telephone: 902-426-7231
Email: 15th.reception@ec.gc.ca
Eventually, the straw breaks the camel's back...••cd••
SCUBAPRO Releases iPhone Dive Log App
SCUBAPRO UWATEC has released an updated version of its dive log for iPhone.
In short, it's an electronic dive log, just like SmartTRAK software. "Dive Log Book For iPhone" boasts extended functionality over its previous iterations. Divers can still enter and track profile information, gas mixtures, and other technical details of their dives - but now, the application will stream live local weather conditions, including wind speed, wave height & frequency, water temperatures and more, allowing for more comprehensive dive pre-planning. The data comes from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration), among others, so it's probably pretty reliable.
Also included with the app is a library of video and still images of some of the most common species of marine life to aid with identification (it would be so cool if they made this user-editable, like a wiki!) and the ability to wirelessly sync dive data with your PC using SmartTRAK and DataTRAK, two popular dive-tracking programs from UWATEC. The software is compatible with all UWATEC dive computers
Icing on the cake: the app is free.
When they make a Palm Pre version, I'll be really impressed!
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Also included with the app is a library of video and still images of some of the most common species of marine life to aid with identification (it would be so cool if they made this user-editable, like a wiki!) and the ability to wirelessly sync dive data with your PC using SmartTRAK and DataTRAK, two popular dive-tracking programs from UWATEC. The software is compatible with all UWATEC dive computers
Icing on the cake: the app is free.
When they make a Palm Pre version, I'll be really impressed!
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10/18/10
Someecards Holds Plants Hostage
Someecards.com is threatening to kill one plant every hour until a million people sign its petition to the US government to expand and protect public green spaces for the future generation.
Eco-vigilantism at its finest - I'm still laughing!
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Eco-vigilantism at its finest - I'm still laughing!
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Underwater Restaurant at Hilton Maldives
I received these photos in an email and I'd like to share them... being a chef and a diver, this couldn't get any better for me! I wonder if I can get a job there?
FYI, the restaurant is called Ithaa, and is called Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, and is located, predictably, on Rangali Island in the Maldives. Bookings are available from US$850 per night...
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FYI, the restaurant is called Ithaa, and is called Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, and is located, predictably, on Rangali Island in the Maldives. Bookings are available from US$850 per night...
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