The Wonderfully Wacky World Of Fishes
When full grown they vary in length from less than one-fifth of an inch/1 cm to almost 50 feet/16m. Their weight ranges from being…
The Library
How to Control Seasickness
There are many ways to describe it: tossing your cookies, hugging the porcelain, calling for Ralph or letting out a technicolor yawn. but no…
Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke
I remember vividly a dive trip to the Philippines, where we often had to shuttle from our large transoceanic vessel in small outboard wave…
Protection from the Sun
It’s very tempting to lie out in the sun, to soak up the warmth, to work on a tan. I know my first instinct…
MATING GAMES: Courtship and Seduction in the Sea
The first time I was asked to go grunion hunting, I was extremely flattered. You see, I was new to the San Diego area,…
When a Diver Has a Fever
The last thing anyone wants to happen on a dive trip is that he or she becomes ill, but sooner or later it happens…
Waiting to Exhale: Diving’s Golden Rule Explained
As a child of the ’50s, I was a big fan of the hallmark TV series Sea Hunt and its indomitable hero, Mike Nelson,…
Kelp – Forests in the Sea
During an ideal day, few places on earth appear more inviting than a southern California kelp forest. On the surface, the Pacific is calm,…
Smoking and Diving – A Bad Combination
When I was a medical student at Duke University, we all observed the wards full of heavy smokers with lung cancer, heart problems and…
Water World
Most of us take water for granted. We drink it, bathe in it, water the lawn with it, wash the dishes and car with…