Kayaking the Galapagos

by Erik Olsen on

It’s one of hose paddling trips I’ve ALWAYS wanted to take. There are your supreme paddling spots and then there are the supreme among the supreme and the Galapagos falls into this latter category. This piece by Tim Farmer
first appeared in the December 2006 issue of Canoe & Kayak, and in it, Herr Farmer paddles this amazing island chain where Darwin first glimpsed the flora and fauna that would lead hm (eventually…that is) to think up the theory of Natural Selection. But the paddling there is said to be some of the finest in the world, and a quick read of this article explains why.

Pristine waters, ample wildlife, a respectable climate all many many miles away from any pollution addled civilization. The islands are a volcanic archipelago composed of some 13 major islands and a handful of smaller islets. They are scattered over 28,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, roughly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, so yes, you are about as far away from things as yo can get. Short, I suppose of paddling Easter Island off Chile, the world’s most remote island…which would also be cool to paddle, albeit more boring in a way since there is not nearly the same amount of wildlife there. We’re talking, of course, about iguanas, tortoises ,dolphins etc. There are many restrictions to paddling and diving around the Galapagos, but if you go with a local outfit, they can help you with them.

Man, hard to come off of a trip to Detroit and see this kind of article.

Glowing off Vieques

by Erik Olsen on

If you’re a diver or have spent much time near the ocean, at some time or another, you’ve probably seen the bio-luminescence of wee sea creatures. I’ve seen seals slipping through chilly seas at night and the luminescent trails they leave behind like ghosts and I though to myself that t was about the coolest thing ever.

As you may or may not know, bio luminescence is the ability of living organisms to produce light through chemical reactions. Lots of creatures, from fish and microorganisms to insects and plants, glow in the dark, and though the colors are usually limited to green and blue, reds also occur in rare cases, for example in the family of bio luminescent fish known as the loosejaws. One of the places where high concentrations of bio luminescent creatures can be found is the island of Vieques, off the east coast of Puerto Rico.

Here is a site all about the experience of swimming in luminescent lagoon of Bioluminescent Bay.
Tell me this would not be amazing.

Poor Little Giant Squid

by Iva Skoch on

It turns out the giant squid is not a creature out of science fiction. The Japanese have captured it on film, Fox News reports. The creature was 24 feet long! Next time I am scuba diving off Ogasawara Islands (south of Tokyo), I’ll be on the lookout for the world’s largest invertebrates!

The sad part is that the squid actually died while being captured. Now, you can watch for it in your neighborhood sushi joint.

Underwater Mp3 Player

by Erik Olsen on

I’m big into listening to my ipod while I paddle or do various un-extreme water sports, so I like to keep an eye out for new products along these lines. One that just recently caught my eye is the Freestyleaudio Fusion Amp Waterproof MP3 Player which is apparently quite suitable for all sorts of water sports. Whether you are into surfing, wakeboarding, paddling, maybe even snorkeling, he Freestyle is waterproof and submersible up to 10 feet. It also can withstand decent levels of shock ( no word on awe, however) and is quite lightweight, weighing in at only 35 grams. It’s NOT a hard drive player, however, so you’ll have to be selective about what you choose to put on it. It comes with a built-in flash memory of 256MB or 512MB and runs $119.95.

Shark Info.org – Photos and Video

by Erik Olsen on

Sometimes I wonder whether the Discovery Channel should start an entire network and call it The Shark Week channel. I seems every time I flip through channels with my remote control, I encounter another program about sharks, which inevitably show dagger-toothed Great Whites prowling around a couple of caged divers. The thing is, I usually can’t pull my eyes away. We are a strange species in that way: we love to watch real-life monsters who could, in unfortunate circumstances, eat us.

Well if you can’t get your fill of man-eating fish on TV, you can always pop over to a site like sharkinformation.org, which has got a multimedia chum line of shark videos and images. The videos, especially, culled form the BBC and YouTube, will pretty much ensure that you won’t be going in the water again any time soon. If you’re like me, you may also develop a sudden sympathy for seals, those lovable mammal snacks who always seem to end up caught inside the jaws of, well, Jaws.