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 [...]
Categories: featured, Scuba Diving in Egypt Tags: living live in Egypt, Scuba diving Egypt
The Great Pacific Plastic Garbage Patch
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 [...]
Categories: Conservation, featured Tags: pacific plastic garbage patch, plastic trash
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 [...]
Categories: featured, Scuba Diving in Florida Tags: dive florida, Dive sites Florida, Scuba Diving florida
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 [...]
Categories: featured, Scuba diving destinations, Scuba Diving in Egypt Tags: sinus infection
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.
Categories: Drysuit diving, featured, Scuba Diving products Tags: Drysuit diving, scuba drysuit, scuba gear, used scuba gear
The World’s Best Shark Dive
When someone finds out that I photograph sharks for a living, they invariably ask two questions: Have I ever been bitten and where is the best place to dive with sharks. I’m pretty good at answering the first question: “No, I haven’t. In fact, most sharks want nothing to do with me. I have to hold my breath and avoid eye contact just to get close to them”. This often leads to a period of confusion and disbelief followed by a funny look of disappointment. Then they generally walk away nursing their shaken preconceptions. I can’t be sure but I think a lot of them are thinking; what does he know? He just photographs them. I’ve seen Jaws. This guy is an idiot. The second question is vastly more difficult to answer because I have never been able to decide where the best place to go shark diving is. It [...]
Categories: featured, Scuba diving destinations, Shark Diving, Types of Diving Tags: Cocos Island, Fish Rock, Guadalupe Island, jaws, shark attack, shark dive, shark diving, sharks
Sea Turtles In Crisis
PUT SEA TURTLE FLYING OVER SANTA ROSA WALL HERE All sea turtle species (green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, loggerghead, and olive ridley) are officially classified as either “threatened” or “endangered.” They are in trouble for many reasons. One is natural predators: Turtles are menu favorites for tiger sharks, and hatchlings are devoured by sea-birds as they scamper across the beach seeking safety in the waves. But their most significant threat is from earth’s number one apex predator: humans. Coastal development destroys nesting and foraging habitats. Shore lighting confuses turtles’ navigation ability, since they rely on moonlight and starlight. Commercial fishing gear (gillnets, baited long-lines, trawl nets, etc.), kill thousands of turtles every year as wasted “bycatch.” Finally, tens of thousands are taken directly by humans annually for eggs, meat, and decorative jewelry. For more about threats to sea turtles, visit this link: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/threats.htm Sea turtles have been called “Ambassadors of [...]
Categories: Conservation, featured Tags: Cozumel diving, hawksbill turtles, Sea Turtles
NAUI Advanced Scuba Rescue
This article summarizes the necessity of good, in-depth scuba rescue training. All agencies offer this level training although the NAUI course focuses on scenarios in addition to skills, real world experience.
Categories: featured, NAUI Tags: Dive Training, NAUI, Naui Expert, Scuba Career
What happens in Egypt stays in Egypt
Teaching diving is something that I don’t often get a chance to do in this day and age, with the exception of the occasional Nitrox course. Then again, that is more theoretical- than practical application and doesn’t really include any “in water skill training”. Hence the smile on my face when I received the news that I was to teach the Rescue Diver Course and the Dive Master Course to an English girl called Ashleigh. My only concern was how I would manage to fit in the training parallel to guiding certified divers on liveaboard trips. Fortunately we had a week on land due to lack of bookings, so the theory and confined water training was easily completed with help from Theresa (my colleague on the boat) acting as a victim. We had a great time and since Ashleigh worked as a life guard at a swimming pool, prior to [...]
Categories: featured, Scuba diving destinations, Scuba Diving in Egypt Tags: dive sites in Egpt, diving in Egypt, Scuba Egypt
