Another Top Ten Hotel List

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here it is folks. Just when you started working on the first couple ten list of hotels I am going to
provide you with another. I was hoping to follow-up on the actual chain of
eXtreme Hotels I blogged about a few months
back, but my google search retrieved these results instead. Gayot dot com has a list of their
Top 10 Extreme Hotels and they are
considered such for very different reasons. Sweden’s popular Ice Hotel makes the list due to its being completely made
of ice while the Skyland Ranch out of Washington state keeps the Native American way of lodging
alive.  

 

IMO, the best on the list has got to be the Jules’ Underwater Lodge located in Key
Largo, Florida. I’ve never been, but I want to go badly. The underwater research lodge was inspired by the world of
Jules Verne and certified divers can enjoy unlimited diving while earning an Aquanaut certificate. Whether you’re
actually diving or not, staying there must be a real treat from what I’d imagine. Anyhow, check out the list for other
incredible extreme stays around the globe.

Gadling Podcast: Intv. John Chatterton of Shadow Divers

by Erik Olsen on

If you have never heard the name John Chatterton, I assure
you that you will know of him soon. John is one of the central characters in the new book Shadow Divers, easily
one of the most riveting books I have read in years, and soon to be a movie directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Alien,
Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down).

The book chronicles the adventures of John and his buddy Richie Kohler, who
discover a wreck off the coast of New Jersey that turns out to be a mystery German U-Boat. Nicknamed the
"U-Who", the boat’s existence puzzles the German government and even the most die-hard U-Boat experts, and
over the course of six years, John and Richie spent countless hours trying to determine the identity of the wreck. In
the process, three people die, succumbing to the wreck’s dangerous depths (it lies at 230 feet), and John and Richie,
at first bitter rivals, are drawn into a lasting friendship that lasts to this day.

Having read the
book, it was no surprise to me that it is being made into a film. Like Into Thin Air and Perfect Storm, the book is not
only an adrenaline rush, but is filled with intense human drama that will translate perfectly to the screen.

In our podcast interview with John, you will hear some of the story behind Shadow Divers, and hear a very cool,
self-professed "regular guy" talk about his passion for diving and how his life has changed as a result of
the book. John and Richie are now the co-hosts of the History Channel’s superb TV program Deep Sea Detectives, which
takes them around the world to explore the origin and demise of other wrecks.

It was a pleasure to
speak with John. He’s a totally cool guy.

Give a
listen.

Host: Erik Olsen.
Format: 24 minutes

Deep Blue: New Diving Film

by Erik Olsen on

Another nice cross-posting opportunity with our sister site Divester, this one is about the new film coming out this
summer called Deep Blue. I am very eager to see this when it rolls
around New York City. The film is done by the same folks who did the documentary series Blue Planet, and so promises
the same style of luscious underwater images. Pierce Brosnan narrates, adding a James Bondian tone to the film.

I caught the trailer here and was impressed. Very impressed. It kicks
off with a startling fact…eighty percent off life on earth lives in the ocean. Is that true? I had no idea. It then
follows with another cool factoid: more people have been on the moon than have seen the ocean’s deepest depths. Wow.
Makes sense though since the pressures down there are so great. Anyway, the images in the trailer are

really superb, and if they don’t make you want to catch this film, and/or to take the kids to see it, something is
wrong with you.

Some Incredible Shark Pics

by Erik Olsen on

Over at Divester, we often blog about sharks. Really often. I’m not sure what
the allure is other than they are amazing beasts, pretty much our only earth-bound predator (with the exception of
bears, I suppose), and are pretty much the closest thing we have to the monsters of our imagination. Face it, they not
only intrigue us, they scare the hell out of us, and nothing motivates better than fear.

So while I don’t often post over here about sharks, this time I’m making an exception because
this series of photos
from National Geographic is pretty awesome. A group of scientists with
the Wildlife Conservation Society have begun a shark-tagging project to mark Great Whites for further research and
tracking. They’ve started “small” with great whites that measure six to seven feet, but have moved up the scale now to
tag sharks measuring 13 feet long and weighing 1,650 pounds. This stuff is unreal.

Vote for Sport Diver Cover

by Erik Olsen on

An avid fan of both diving photography AND Sport Diver Magazine, I couldn’t
resist pointing folks to a little online contest over at the magazine’s Website. I mentioned the contest over at
Divester (our dive blog), but figured I’d mention it here, too, since I know we have
some diving fans who read Gadling.

The idea is simple: pick a cover and vote. The winner will be
made the cover of the September issue. I was partial to cover 2, but you may have a different preference. Kind of
mindless, but fun.