Boat Diving Unchartered: Planning a Dive from a Private Boat
They both sensed that something wasn’t right. “From that depth we should have been able to see the boat,” says my friend Lance, a…
Dive Environments
Reefs in the Deepfreeze: Understanding Cold Water Corals
In the fall of 1974 I made my first dive on a Pacific coral reef. But unlike what you might imagine, it didn’t take…
In Over Your Head: Exploring Overhead Environments Safely
Seeing a sunken hulk materialize out of the blue is a thrill I never tire of. It doesn’t matter if it’s a ship, plane,…
In between Worlds: The Diver on the Surface
My first voyage aboard a submarine was an event to remember. I had worked and planned for years, and then finally the time was…
Shifting Baselines: Putting the World’s Oceans in Perspective
At day’s end, groups of divers gathered on the back deck to watch the sunset and share the adventures of the day. On one…
The Census of Marine Life: How Scientists Intend to Count All the Fishes in the Sea
There are things you know, things you don’t know, and things you’ll never know. That’s one of the immutable laws of science. But occasionally,…
Muddy Waters: Techniques for Low-Vis Diving
Call me a wimp if you want, but my enthusiasm for diving is proportional to how far I can see underwater. It is safe…
Ins and Outs: How to Choose Entry and Exit Locations
Entering and exiting the water are fairly simple tasks once you learn the correct techniques. From shore, divers shuffle in with fins in place…
Shore Diving Made Simple: How to Set Up a Base Camp
Although it rarely is part of the Open Water certification course, selecting and setting up a base camp is a skill that every diver…
Cavern Diving: A Beginner’s Guide
You’re gliding into a vast underwater cavern. In the crystal-clear water all around you majestic stalactites hang down from the cavern ceiling like icicles. Cone-shaped stalagmites rise up to meet them. Gnarled tree roots snake through the cavern’s roof to get a drink of water. But wait…you must be dreaming, because you’re only an Open Water-certified diver. You can’t possibly be exploring the inner sanctum of an underwater cavern, because this type of diving is suited for only those expert divers who’ve had a lot of advanced training, right?