Itchyfeet on Rarotonga

by Adrienne Wilson on

Itchyfeet is an excellent travel log and source
for divers planning their next big vacation. Though
the site isn’t geared directly towards divers, featured articles on diving the Yucatan,
Roatan, and Dry Tortugas National Park certainly set the tone that it may be. I fished through a few before stopping at
this primer for folks planning a trip to Rarotonga in the
famous Cook Islands. The sleepy island, inhabited by the Maori people, is known for it’s lush tropical
volcanic landscape, coconut palms, reefs, and lagoons. We’ll call it paradise in Polynesia for now and how
I’d love to be there now. Whether you’re hiking, swimming, or diving a little ways away from the island there
is tons to do to keep one entertained.

 

This being my first run in with the little piece of paradise and several other unique locales to
escape to, I’ll definitely be back to Itchyfeet in the future.  

Surfer Kicks Big White’s Ass

by Erik Olsen on

It was Father’s Day, and Jake Heron, a professional crayfisherman was out surfing with his friend while his kids
watched dad hanging ten from the beach. Then a Great
White came along and attacked Heron, flinging him around and tearing gashes into his body with its razor sharp
teeth. What did Heron do? Why, he punched the damn shark in the nose and gills and head as hard as he could.

Sure, he ended up with 20 stitches in his right arm and 40 stitches in his right thigh, but the shark let go, and now
the kids have one of the best dad-is-a-shark-ass-kicker stories ever.

Related links:

Twelve-year old attacked by
shark

Shark attacks

Deep Sea Animals of the Gulf

by Erik Olsen on

Over at Divester we posted about a
recent study of the deep sea fauna of the Gulf, the area ravaged recently by Hurricane Katrina. I’ve fascinated by all
things deep sea, and have raved about some of the things that have been done recently in the depths. For example, I
tell a lot of folks I know to make sure and see James Cameron’s Aliens of the Deep when they get
a chance (and see it at IMAX, please, it’s much better on the big, big screen in 3D).

Well, some scientists who have been conducting a study in the Gulf, in the deep regions in the Gulf of Mexico, at
about 1,800 feet, they have discovered a range of odd sea life never before seen including a 6-foot squid that they
believe attacked their camera.  The study is part of
Operation Deep Scope, and
includes the use of a very heavy camera (220 pounds) that they left on the sea floor to snap photos of various life
down there. The camera uses red light, a new innovation that prevents creatures from being blinded (which apparently is
a problem with white light). Very cool.

Diving the Maldives

by Erik Olsen on


I was just recently talking with a diving friend about the places I’d most like to dive,
and both of us mentioned the Maldives. The Maldives are a cluster of small islands in the Indian Ocean whose elevation
is just a meter or two above sea level.
Some scientists have speculated
that if the global ice caps melt, the Maldives will disappear beneath the ebb and froth of the sea. But maybe you
already knew that?

 

One thing I’ll bet you didn’t know: the Maldives are actually their own country, and for a long time in years past,
they were famous for their cowrie
shells, which were used as currency. Sadly, no longer. You will likely get strange looks when you tip your dive
guide with shells.  Anyway, the writer of

this piece goes on a live aboard in the islands and confirms what many dive magazines say: that the Maldives are
the locale of some of the finest diving in the world. One of the more common sights are whale sharks, which are
the size of greyhound buses, but amazingly docile.

The Trilobis 65: Underwater Viewing Capsule

by Erik Olsen on

So here is one of the more amazing things I’ve seen in a while. A new podlike ship is being buiilt that will allow
passengers to kick back and enjoy their favorite Pinot Grigio as they observe the underwater world around them.

The Trilobis 65 is a circular vessel being built by a company in
Seattle called Underwater Vehicles, Inc. It consists of four levels
connected by a spiral staircase, and the bottom level, a circular capsule with a 360 degree view, sits ten feet below
the water. Powerful lights will illuminate the water around the observation deck, attracting fish and curious divers.

There was an excellent Popular
Mechanics article about the Trilobus from a few years ago, but it looks like they are getting ready to launch the
first one later this year. The company says that special marinas are being constructed to allow a small fleet of these
things to dock together, creating little villages for underwater observation. The price tag is hefty…4-5 million
per…ouch. But hopefully some enterprising, sciency tycoon (Paul Allen, hello?!) will purchase a few and open them to
the hoi polloi.

Very cool.