Snorkel FM Radio

by Neil Woodburn on

We’ve posted before about a very cool underwater music player which transmits sound to your ear drum via vibrations sent into the jaw bone.

Well, now there is another player in the underwater music category. The Amphicam Aqua FM radio snorkel snaps on to a regular mask and provides swimmers with plenty of listening pleasure also using a “unique bone conduction technology” according to the website. The difference here is that one must bite the mouthpiece for sound to be “conducted through the teeth and into the inner ear.” Very cool. Or, very scary. I’m not sure which.

The only problem? Since FM waves don’t travel underwater, reception disappears when one dives down. In fact, the whole contraption works only because an antenna is weaved into the snorkel, thus poking above the water.

This might be cool for those of you who like to swim laps with goggles and a snorkel. I tend to snorkel in remote locations, however, where FM frequencies are usually hard to find. Personally, I’d prefer the SwiMP3 –- all the MP3 files I want, and the ability to dive down.

(via the LA Times)

World’s Best Islands Based on “Activities, Beaches, Culture/Sites, Lodging, Restaurants and Scenery”

by Willy Volk on

For me, a dream vacation involves a wide, white, sandy beach for relaxing on; bathtub-warm, blue water for scuba diving in (or sailing over); a very funny book for transporting me a bit further from home; and a bar nearby that serves frozen drinks — for all the rest of the time. While I certainly enjoy active vacations, I also enjoy laying around a bit. Consequently, I’m always on the lookout for ideas about islands worth visiting.

According to this list, the Top 20 islands in the world — based on Activities, Beaches, Culture/Sites, Lodging, Restaurants, and Scenery are:

  • Bali
  • Kauai
  • Maui
  • Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
  • Mount Desert, Maine
  • Tasmania
  • Hawaii
  • Galapagos
  • Santorini
  • Santo Stefano
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Thatch Cay
  • Blue Lagoon
  • Grand Bogue Caye
  • Allan
  • Caritas
  • Cerralvo
  • Pakatoa
  • Isla de sa Ferradura

The site provides details about what makes each island special, though some of the descriptions are as spare as the islands themselves. Nevertheless, the list makes a nice jumping-off-point if you’re dreaming about island travel…

Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, July 14

by Willy Volk on

On Saturday, July 14, Big Pine Key — a quiet, easy-to-miss Key between Islamorada and Key West — will host one of the most unusual festivals in the US. The 23rd annual Underwater Music Festival will allow divers to explore Looe Key Reef — part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — to the rhythms of the sea. Literally.

Staged by a local radio station, the event features the station’s music selections broadcast underwater via speakers suspended beneath boats moored on the reef. (The playlist typically includes ocean-themed tunes such as “Yellow Submarine” and “Fins.”)

Moreover, local divers will dress as Sonny and Cher, Elton John, David Crosby — and even a mermaid. An Elvis impersonator will rock the house that day, and divers can even check out some underwater art. For more details about this summer concert, contact the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-872-3722.

I attended the event last year, and it was a lot of fun — though somewhat disorganized. TIP: If you’re interested in seeing Elvis or the other underwater “musicians,” be sure to ask early and often about their location. They only perform for a few minutes, and not all the dive boats know where they are. Despite the confusion, the day was still a lot of fun, and the diving was good.

One for the Road: The Fragile Edge

by Kelly Amabile on

Conservationist Julia Whitty has a new book out this week about her travels beneath the surface in French Polynesia. The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific chronicles the author’s dives in the waters off Rangiroa, Tuvalu, and Mo’orea. The environmentalist shares scientific insight and personal perspective about sea life and the magnificent coral reefs. She also includes colorful stories about the people she encounters during her dive expeditions, creating a tale that weaves between the human and natural worlds.

Whitty writes for The Blue Marble Blog at Mother Jones and wrote the May/June cover story as well. She has also written for Harper’s and produced documentaries about the oceans for PBS, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel, among others. She previously wrote A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga, which was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She’ll be appearing this evening at Olsson’s Arlington/Courthouse location in Virginia.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of April 22

by Adrienne Wilson on

Time to catch up on some of what you may have missed over the week… Without delay let’s hop right to it!

5. Write for Wend:
Here is your chance to get your travel writing out there and into a new glossy. Don’t save all those adventure tales for the grandkids – write for Wend and share them with us all.

4. 24 Hours of Flickr:
This May 5th Flickr is calling all around the world to photograph their daily routine and submit one single great photo from the day for an event/project called 24 Hours of Flickr. While something like such has been done before, it is still awesome to participate in if you haven’t before and love the Flickr community.

3. Environmentalist Greats Tour:
Heal the world and make it a better place – Yes? Then why not head out on one of these mean-green-eco-machine type tours… Okay, they aren’t mean, but you get the picture.

2. Underwater Post Offices and Mailboxes Around the World:
I have a hard enough time finding a post office on land and I’m not one of the greatest swimmers, so going underwater to mail off a package isn’t quite my thing. For those who do love exploring the ocean fully clad in scuba gear and discovering new exotic creatures (like underwater mailboxes) please send me a little something when you’re down there. I’d appreciate it.

1. A Canadian In Beijing: Two-Wheeled Matrimony:
Ember doesn’t stop does she? In fact she recently found a bike to keep her going and going in the land where bicycles almost totally rule the road. See what’s happening in Beijing now that she has her first set of wheels.