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What you get for what you earn

So… I’ve been on land for some time and I’m bored out of my skull. Obviously I don’t have much to write about since all I’ve done is recovering from my sinus infection. Anyways; I’ve had some time on my hands and a few thoughts has passed through my head even though I’ve been trying to avoid brain activity all together. One of those thoughts was of mathematic nature. Now, when I resort to philosophy in mathematical terms it’s normally a supreme sign that I need to get something to do, not to turn into something like John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind”. Anyways; what was going through my mind was how much my income actually was compared to what I could earn elsewhere, or rather; what I would have to earn elsewhere to be able to get for my funds there, what I get for my funds here. And [...]

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Aqualung Slingshot Fin

I recently purchased a pair of Aqualung Slingshot fins. I have several different sets of fins but have always been a die hard Blade fan. I kinda hesitated on the slingshot thinking they were just another gadgety product with no benefit. After using them I have to say I am impressed. They are really great especially if you are having to chase students. The foot pocket is very comfortable and not to rigid. The different settings make them great for easy dives or for hard currents. They are easy on the legs, to me, even at the tightest setting. It was even easy to change the setting underwater with gloves. I have used them on a few regular dives with students and on some drysuit dives. They were still powerful with my drysuit. Plus you’ve gotta like the “mermaids don’t like competition video”!

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The Great Pacific Plastic Garbage Patch

Dead Albatross, killed by floating plastic

Until recently, many people had never heard about or seen pictures of a massive floating patch of discarded plastic waste larger than Texas floating in middle of the Pacific Ocean. Victims include sea birds, fish, sea turtles, ocean mammals, and ultimately humans, creators of the “Throw-away Society.” Kate Bradshaw, writing for Maui Time, estimates the massive floating plastic patch is twice the size of Texas: The Great Garbage Swirl http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2009-01-29-68584.113117_The_great_garbage_swirl.html Please invest seven minutes to watch this riveting presentation concerning this deadly problem by Captain Charles Moore, who is credited with having discovered this symptom of a planet gone mad: Captain Charles Moore’s Presentation http://www.ted.com/talks/capt_charles_moore_on_the_seas_of_plastic.html The article below, by Jacob Silverman, provides additional information, and links to numerous sources illustrating how humans have turned the world’s largest ocean into the world’s largest “landfill”. Pacific Ocean = World’s largest “Landfill” http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm Finally, this Wikipedia link provides detailed diagrams of how the [...]

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Whale Watching!

The pacific coast of Costa Rica is very often thought of as a place for Pelagics. This is very true and we are currently in the middle of one of out 2 whales seasons. Whilst we see dolphins throughout the year whales tend to visit specifically during 2 time periods. The first season is from December through to April, and the second season is August through to October. There are 70 species of dolphins and whales in the world and it is estimated that approximately 25 visit the waters of Costa Rica. This is for a variety of reasons, whether they are migrating, mating, birthing or feeding, the warm waters with currents bringing plentiful food are an obvious attraction. Some of the more frequent visitors are false orcas, spinner dolphins, pan tropical spotted dolphins and the humpback whale. One of the most prolific and recognizable of the whales species is [...]

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Florida- Home of Diving Variety

“Hi, I’m Florida. I heard you were looking for some diving.” Many divers across the Northern Hemisphere, especially in these cold winter months (as I write this, I am in shorts and a t-shirt ), are thinking, “I’m getting pretty sick of this low-visibility quarry and this dry suit.” Their diving fantasies are reaching fever pitch, imagining a place where the sun is shining, the only temperature they can find in the 30s is that of their mixed drink, and the underwater world provides rich, colorful vistas, chock full of coral and teeming with tropical fish. Welcome to my home. Believe it or not, I am not describing the Bahamas, or even the Mediterranean. In fact, most of you reading this don’t need a passport or to spend a full day on a plane to get here. Welcome to Florida. Most divers know there is some diving here, and have [...]

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To have a sinus infection and a hero from Madrid

To have a sinus infection and a hero from Madrid The boat turned the bow to the sea again and I was sitting on the sundeck thinking that I could have had use for more than a day in between the trips. I had left Marsa Alam around 1:30pm so arriving in Hurghada later the same evening there was no use in wasting time. Go directly to the Dive Pro’s local waterhole. There I got together with Henrik and a few other people in a desperate attempt to kind of socialize. You definitely need to spend some time with people who are neither guests on your boat nor co-workers in between trips. I often think of the dive industry in general, and Hurghada in particular, as an “Upgrading Facility for Nuclear Family Waste”. Maybe it’s the only place where we, the people who does not fit into the norm of [...]

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Why you should Rock a Rubber Suit!

If you are simply diving for pleasure and not intending on exposing yourself to any toxic waste you should still be aware of the existence of vulcanized rubber suits, particularly those with the Swedish Viking brand and specifically their old Sport and new ProVSN drysuits.

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Rescue Diver To Divemaster

Well Its been about a week or so since I have signed up for the Divemaster course with Shorncliffe dive centre in the snow swept South East of England. First off this is the first step on the professional scuba courses and professionalism is of paramount, so after paying my course fees! it was a new drysuit neck seal, new set of regs, crew pack so not an inconsiderable sum, but necessary to start on my journey. Week one: Friday the fifth, all day from 10.30am in the classroom with Chris my instructor and fellow Divemaster trainee Paul we went through every knowledge review that we had home studied the previous week into great detail, we were then thrown in at the deep end and asked to prepare a dive site map and present a dive briefing to four other instructors, a quick visit to the toilet and ten to [...]

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Adiabatic Compression and Scuba Diving…

Getting my Instructor excited by opening the gas valve all the way, fast OR Adiabatic Compression, as it applies to scuba divers. Why does my instructor get excited? What exactly is adiabatic compression and why do I need to know about it? Your instructor gets excited because of the possibility of fire or explosion! Adiabatic compression is defined as a process where high-pressure gas flows at or near sonic velocity toward the low-pressure end of a piping system with a major restriction, such as a dead-end, a down sizing, or an abrupt turn. The likelihood of a reaction (ignition) increases with increases in the rate of gas compression and gas temperature.¹ So let us break that down into terms that are understandable and apply to scuba diving and let you the diver understand why it is important. We all use compressed gas, usually air, to scuba dive with. Some divers [...]

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Flamingo Tongue Flood

There have been localized Flamingo tongue "blooms" in spots all over the Caribbean - Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Mona Island, Puerto Rico to name a few. Are they making a comeback, or is this a sign of trouble?

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What you get for what you earn

Aqualung Slingshot Fin

The Great Pacific Plastic Garbage Patch

Whale Watching!

Florida- Home of Diving Variety

To have a sinus infection and a hero from Madrid

Why you should Rock a Rubber Suit!

Rescue Diver To Divemaster

Adiabatic Compression and Scuba Diving…

Flamingo Tongue Flood

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