Tanking Up: An Inside Look at Scuba Cylinders
Precious few things are as seemingly simple as a scuba cylinder, but don’t let that fool you. Although a cylinder may seem like a…
The Library
Barracudas: Monsters of Sea Lore, But Not In Real Life
It was just after midnight on a moonless night when we slipped into the watery blackness in hopes of filming a great barracuda, the…
Pinnipeds, Unplugged: Seals, Sea Lions and the Walrus
Long before we cleared the point, we could hear the cacophony of incessant barking, meaning there was no doubt that we were going to…
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…
The Funny-Looking Bottom Dwellers: Not-Made-For-TV Sharks
Hear the word “shark” and, if you are like most people, you probably think of hair-raising scenes filled with snapping jaws and mouths full…
Coral Reefs: Fall of the Cities Beneath the Sea
“Coral reefs of the world have continued to decline since the previous GCRMN report in 1998. Assessments to late 2000 are that 27% of…
Form and Function: Sea Creature Shapes Examined
My camera was set up with a relatively wide-angle lens but the sea lion was moving so fast and so unpredictably that I was…
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?
Complex Crustaceans: The Lobsters
When I was a kid, starting every year somewhere around the beginning of April, I knew exactly how many days were left in the…