Pros: Simple and easy introduction to VR, eye-catching, immersion is passive but enjoyable, no nausea
Cons: Just three scuba diving “experiences,” all relatively the same, only iOS, needs more sea life variety, graphics could be better
VR Scuba Diving is a virtual reality app by Lime Works, LLC and is part of the growing wave of VR apps popping up on the scene. Luckily for those new to VR like myself the app can be used with or without headgear (I tried both ways) so all can take part in the experience.
After downloading the app from the App Store, there will be a two information screens showcasing which Google Cardboard headset works with the app. From there, tap “PLAY” to get to the actual game which brings up three “experience” options. The Taiwan Experience, Green Island Experience, and Wakatobi Indonesia.
You can choose to view these settings in fullscreen (image one) or through the Default Cardboard vision (image two). If you don’t have a VR headset, you can use the fullscreen method for a 360 VR experience. Those with a headset will use the latter. (PHOTOS 5 & 6 INSERTED HERE)
Taiwan Experience
After launching this experience, I literally laid in my bed just like, “Wow.” There are fish swimming around, colorful coral reefs, and your fellow scuba divers linger around you as silent companions (see below). The background music is generic but not distracting. The visuals will keep you entertained enough to forego the “soundtrack.”
Green Island Experience
The Green Island Experience was just as beautiful and relaxing—but it looks exactly the same as the Taiwan Experience. I found myself becoming disinterested quickly as I realized there wouldn’t be much difference between the two. There was nothing strikingly distinctive that made me feel they were unique from one another. Yet, the visuals were still enjoyable.
Wakatobi, Indonesia
Wakatobi was probably the most enjoyable experience. While much shorter than the previous two, the visual content in this experience was more rich. You swim with water snakes, colorful coral fish, and reefs. Unfortunately, you’re quickly taken out the experience by a title screen and then dropped back in to the beginning of the experience randomly. But I appreciated the different scenery.
All in all, VR Scuba is less a game and more of an experience. It’s fun but passive, as there isn’t much to do. The app is certainly acceptable for ages but I would steer this more towards kids as it would likely keep them entertained longer.
-Alexis Williams is a senior at New York University, who writes frequently about culture, film and Millennials of color.
A GROUP of scuba divers have been filmed saving a shark that has a large kitchen knife sticking out of its head.
Diving instructor Brett Johnson was leading a group of tourists on a dive in the Cayman Islands when he saw the stricken creature.
YouTube / Matt Lamers
Divers came to the shark’s assistance after noticing the knife in its head
YouTube / Matt Lamers
Brett Johnson spotted the stricken creature on a dive in the Cayman Islands
Brett, 30, said he sprang into action after noticing the huge blade sticking out of the animal’s head as it lay on the seabed.
Footage shows him swimming down towards it as it hovers around the bottom.
He slowly approaches so as not to spook it before gently pulling the kitchen implement out.
The grateful fish then swims off towards the cameraman – showing the shocking wound left in its head.
Brett told the Cayman Compass: “At first it looked like it was just sleeping as most nurse sharks usually are, but then we noticed something coming out of its head.
“I can’t say what happened or why it ended up getting knifed in the head, but fortunately it came out easy enough and the shark seems to be doing all right.
“It was seen again on Wednesday swimming around the same reef.”
YouTube / Matt Lamers
The diving instructor approaches the animal slowly before pulling the blade out
YouTube / Matt Lamers
A deep cut can be seen in the shark’s head as it swims away towards the cameraman
Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom dwellers and are not generally considered dangerous to humans.
They sometimes bite if they feel threatened but are generally not aggressive, feeding on small fish and squid.
The incident has sparked fears for the animals in the islands, where they have been protected since 2015.
It’s the James Bond gadget on everyone’s wishlist.
The rebreather, a system that lets you breathe underwater, has got Mr Bond out of some tricky situations.
Now one South Korean designer Korea has taken inspiration from the spy’s device to create a concept gadget that claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish.
The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea
HOW TRITON COULD WORK
To use Triton, swimmers would bite
down on a plastic mouth piece.
Two arms, which branch out to the sides
of the scuba mask, have been developed to function as gills.
The scaly texture on the arms conceals small holes in the material where water is sucked in.
Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the liquid so that the user can breathe comfortably in the ocean.
Using a very small but powerful micro compressor, the system compresses oxygen and stores it in tanks.
The gadget is powered by micro battery around 30 times smaller than a battery.
The device, however, is only a concept and questions remain over whether it would be technically feasible to recreate.
The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea.
While it may not be as slick as a rebreather, designer Jeabyun Yeon, who came up with the concept, believes it will change the way people approach water.
To use Triton, swimmers would bite down on a plastic mouth piece.
Two arms, which branch out to the sides of the scuba mask, can then function as efficient gills to deliver oxygen.
The scaly texture on the arms conceal small holes in the material where water is sucked in.
Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the liquid so that the user can breathe comfortably in the ocean.
Using a very small but powerful micro compressor, the concept system would compress oxygen and store it in tanks.
The entire gadget is powered by micro battery which is around 30 times smaller than a current battery that can quickly charge 1,000 times faster.
But you may have to wait a little longer before placing an order as the product is still at concept stage.
Mr Yeon describes it as ‘a future product’ that could one day replace complicated scuba equipment.
A more radical design was recently unveiled by a South Korean designer Korea which claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish
The mask, dubbed Triton, acts like a fish gill to extract oxygen from water so that the user can keep on breathing while under the sea
A designer in South Korea has taken inspiration from James Bond’s rebreather (left) to create the Triton gadget that claims to instantly transform the user into a human fish
Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the water so that the user can breathe comfortably
Mr Yeon describes Triton as ‘a future product’ that could one day replace complicated scuba equipment. Let’s wish them the best in development!
A BRITISH couple on their dream scuba holiday have told of the moment they thought they had been left for dead after being abandoned in shark-infested waters for seven hours.
Julie Byrne and husband Jeff, both 52, were diving off the coast of Mauritius when they surfaced, realising their dive group had been left behind by the tour boat.
SWNS:South West News Service
Jeff Bryne and wife Julie survived being stranded at sea for more than seven hours in shark infested waters
SWNS:South West News Service
The couple had been diving off the coast of Mauritius with Julie, pictured, the day before being stranded
SWNS:South West News Service
The abandoned group were rushed to a nearby club for medical treatment
The couple, with three other divers, were then pulled by a strong current that dragged them 12 miles from land into open water, the home of hammerhead and bull sharks.
Julie said she had been left traumatised after the harrowing experience.
She said: “We thought we were done for. That this was it. We’d perish in the water and our bodies would never be found.
“We saw helicopters flying overhead. We yelled and screamed but they couldn’t see us.
“When you’re in waters where you know sharks are common, your mind plays tricks.
“Each time a fish or leaf of seaweed brushed my ankle my heart would stop.
“We were constantly on the lookout for fins, but the waves were so high and the water so choppy that we couldn’t see a thing.”
The couple from Carlisle managed to link arms with the three other divers who had been left abandoned, with the group treading water for seven hours.
They were only saved when a passing boat spotted Jeff’s surface marker buoy, a bright marker that is used by divers to attract attention.
But the group were left with severe sunburn as well as struggling with dehydration and swollen tongues due to the salt water.
SWNS:South West News Service
The couple were spotted when a passing boat saw the surface marker buoy
SWNS:South West News Service
Julie Bryne, 52, moments after being rescued 12 miles off the coast of Mauritius
SWNS:South West News Service
Julie has not been in the water since the horrific incident
SWNS:South West News Service
Julie, pictured diving the day before the harrowing experience, said the group had thought they were going to die
Julie, a mum of two, now also suffers PTSD.
The couple had travelled to the area in the hope of seeing coral, parrot fish, lobsters and barracudas.
Booking with the dive company DiveSail Travel through their hotel, the couple set out for a dive.
But they had no idea that earlier that morning, a boat had capsized in rough seas not far from the dive site, killing a baby and a child.
The conditions also plagued the dive trip, with the dive leader signalling for the group to surface due to choppy waters and low visibility just half an hour into their second dive.
But when the divers surfaced, they realised they had been left abandoned in the water.
Julie said: “Panic immediately set in, and some of the younger members of the group freaked out.
“The dive leader told everyone to remain calm and started blowing his whistle saying the boat would hear them and come back.
“But we quickly realised no one could hear us and the boat wasn’t coming back to get us.”
The group, who were unable to swim ashore due to the strong currents, were forced to struggle with tropical storms, blazing heat and eight foot waves.
JAWS-DROPPING
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SHARK ALERT
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TATS ROMANTIC!
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NOT FLYING OFF THE SHELVES
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She said she never looked down but one of the divers, a German girl was continuously peering into the water.
She said: “I knew what she was searching for. We all did.
“Nobody mentioned the ‘S word’, but we were all thinking about it.”
On a neighbouring island, La Reunion, swimming and surfing are banned because of fear of shark attacks – 18 attacks and seven deaths since 2011.
The dive company alerted the Coastguard who launched a search and rescue operation involving 22 boats, two helicopters, and a plane.
SWNS:South West News Service
One of the rescue party signalling to a passing helicopter after the group was picked up after being left in the water for seven hours
SWNS:South West News Service
Julie and Jeff Bryne posing at their resort in Mauritius, told each other they loved each other when they thought they were going to die
SWNS:South West News Service
The view from the couple’s hotel, with the couple having booked the trip through their hotel
SWNS:South West News Service
Divers on their way to the site with the dive company now suspended indefinitely
Julie said: “Our tongues started swelling, white and hard, cracking with too much salt water.
“Jeff kept his mask on but his face around it was burned to a crisp.
“I wanted to cry. I was so tired and frightened. It was devastating to think we were all going to die.
“Jeff, told me to stay strong and have hope but when the helicopter passed us by I was on the verge of breaking down.
“I told Jeff I loved him and he said he loved me.”
The group were eventually found and taken to a nearby yacht club for medical attention.
Julie said: “Everyone was crying at first, then hugging then laughing.
“I was hysterical.”
She has not been in the water since but her husband Jeff said he would not let one bad experience ruin his love of diving.
SWNS:South West News Service
Jeff pictured at the couple’s resort before they were left stranded in shark-infested waters
SWNS:South West News Service
Helicopter searching for the lost divers in the shark infested waters with the group having desperately tried to get the attention of search parties
SWNS:South West News Service
The couple from Carlisle were on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday
SWNS:South West News Service
A topographical map of Coin de Mire, the area in which a couple were stranded in shark infested waters
Stephane de Senneville, director of DIVESAIL Travel, the company that contracts out trips to a third party scuba company, DiveSail Consultants LTD said: “The mistake was the decision made by the dive master, Christof Nadaud, who chose to swim away from the protection of the cove and into sharp currents which dragged them out to sea.
“Although everyone came out alive and no one was hurt – the end result was positive.”
An investigation was conducted by the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association (MSDA) who found the company negligent and DiveSail Travel has since had their license suspended indefinitely.
“Hugues Vitry the president of the technical Commission of the MSDA said: “The actions of the skipper and the dive master were negligent.
“Together they put the lives of the divers at considerable risk.”
A diver has filmed the bizarre experience he had when a shrimp cleaned his teeth underwater.
Drew Kaplan opened his mouth wide and let the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp drift in to inspect his pearly whites in Maui, Hawaii.
The fascinating crustaceans spend their lives swimming inside the mouths of fish to remove the parasites that lurk there.
Kaplan learned to mimic the fish around him, opening his mouth wide and patiently waiting for the shrimp to attend to him.
He has had the treatment several times since perfecting the technique – sometimes holding his breath for around 40 seconds to get a deep clean.
But the service isn’t without its dangers.
Drew Kaplan opened his mouth wide and let the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp drift in to inspect his pearly whites in Maui, Hawaii
Deep clean: Kaplan made a compilation video of the times he’s captured the bizarre phenomenon on film
Kaplan warned viewers of his video that eels often lurk near to groups of cleaner shrimp.
The diver, who has filmed scuba and snorkelling trips in Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, said that the deep-sea dental treatment must work because his teeth are in good condition.
In the caption to his YouTube video, Kaplan said: ‘Since I have no cavities, I guess it works.
He has had the treatment several times since perfecting the technique – sometimes holding his breath for around 40 seconds to get a deep clean
The diver, who has filmed scuba and snorkelling trips in Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, said that the deep-sea dental treatment must work because his teeth are in good condition
‘Oh, and it feels just a bit scratchy, not bad. And it’s lots of fun. ‘
He added: ‘But beware of eels.
‘They are often living with the cleaner shrimp.’
Since Kaplan uploaded the video in 2013 it has been viewed almost 25,000 times.
WHAT IS THE PACIFIC CLEANER SHRIMP?
The Latin name for the red-and-white striped shrimp is Lysmata amboinensis.
They also sometimes go by the name of Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimps.
Most individuals grow to between five and six centimetres long.
The fascinating crustaceans spend their lives swimming inside the mouths of fish to remove the parasites that lurk there
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums says: ‘The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is omnivorous and will generally scavenge and eat parasites and dead tissue by cleaning larger fishes and so on.
‘It waits for its clientele at so-called cleaning stations where it is often accompanied by other fish and shrimp species offering similar services.
‘Some species will even clean the inner surface of the mouth and gill cavity without being eaten.’
It had been a great dive on the USS Spiegel Grove, a large intentionally sunken ship off Key Largo, which is now a popular destination for advanced level scuba divers and all manner of sea critters.
One woman diver probably didn’t think the dive was so great. She ended up sitting near the front of the dive boat madly rubbing ointment on a red rash that covered the upper parts of both her legs.
When diving on the Spiegel Grove, most divers enter the water, pull themselves along a line attached from the boat to the mooring ball line and then descend the mooring ball line — very handy to use when there are currents and for safety stops to vent off nitrogen during ascents.
The downside of this is that some of the mooring lines attached to the Spiegel Grove have picked up a few passengers such as fish hooks and certain types of small fire coral and other stinging critters that can make a diver’s day very unpleasant if grabbed or bumped into by an unprotected arm or leg.
That is what happened to the woman diver. The current pushed her bare legs into the line during a safety stop. Ouch!
Fire corals have nematocysts (barbed, threadlike tubes that deliver a toxic sting) and some have sharp edges that cause lacerations or abrasions.
Over their diving careers many folks, including me, have experienced a sting or burning sensation from accidently touching or bumping into a fire coral. Most of these encounters are unpleasant but the sensation and embarrassment soon subsides.
A person’s reaction to fire coral depends on the amount of exposure to the toxins, extent of the abrasion for a hard coral and any pre-existing sensitivity — like some folks have for bee stings.
In some cases the accidental contact, besides symptoms of immediate stinging and burning, causes more pronounced skin reactions including red welts, blisters, and considerable itching.
The Divers Alert Network — a non-profit organization that provides dive safety information, emergency services, and insurance for the dive community — says it gets about 12,000 to 13,000 information calls each year. The good news is that it only gets approximately a call a week pertaining to someone who has had a run-in with a coral.
Fire corals are hydrozoans, rather than true corals, and are cousins to other hydrozoans such as the Portuguese man-o’-war.
Fire corals, which get their common name from the painful stings they inflict on divers, include colonies composed of tree-like branches, solid colonies that are typically dome-shaped, and colonies that grow on the substrate (surface or material on or from which an organism lives).
Fire corals live at depths up to 120 feet in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean Sea.
According to reef experts Paul Humann and Ned Deloach the three types of fire coral in the Caribbean are branching, blade and box. Another type of coral, lace coral, lacks the “batteries of stingers” of fire coral. Lace corals can irritate sensitive skin but are not considered toxic to divers. The Florida Museum of National History says the branching and blade varieties are found in Florida’s waters.
Fire corals have different appearances. Some grow in small, bubble like patches on other corals. Some look like seaweed. Others grow in thin branches and may have small or large bubble shapes at the end of each branch. Certain fire corals appear like large, stiff leaves.
Reef-building fire corals may appear green, cream, yellow or orange. Species with branches have hollow cores that can be easily broken. Other types of fire coral form thick colonies capable of withstanding the movement of waves.
The stinging cells of fire corals are used to capture prey, which are then engulfed by the corals’ specialized feeding polyps.
Like other coral, fire coral also gets nutrients because of its special relationship with certain types of algae that live on it. The coral gets oxygen and food. The algae get a secure place to live and compounds for photosynthesis (the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water).
Reproduction is more complex in fire corals than other corals. The polyps reproduce asexually (without the union of male and female eggs and sperm) producing jellyfish-like medusa.
The medusa contains the reproductive organs that release eggs and sperm into the water. Fertilized eggs develop into free-swimming larvae that eventually settle on the substrate and form new colonies. Fire corals can also reproduce asexually by fragmentation. (http://www.arkive.org/fire-corals/millepora-spp/)
Fire corals face the same threats as other corals reefs including: poor land management practices that cause the release of sediment, nutrients and pollutants into the oceans; overfishing resulting in the increase of macro-algae; destructive fishing techniques that damage the coral; and, bleaching.
Many types of fire coral are brittle and can be broken by storms and unintentionally by scuba divers. But, sometimes the damage is intentional.
In Brazil, fire coral colonies are extensively damaged when yellowtail damselfish are captured for the aquarium trade. “They are often deliberately smashed and fishes hiding amongst the branches are ‘shaken out’ into plastic bags.” (See earlier site at arkive.org.)
Because fire corals are important to the health of the world’s reefs they are protected in many locations. “All species of stony corals (scientific order Scleractinia), including fire corals (Genus Millepora), as well as sea fans of the species Gorgonia flabellum and Gorgonia ventalina, are protected from take, attempted take, destruction, sale, attempted sale or possession under Florida Administrative Code Rule 68B-4216.” (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/programs/coral/threats.htm)
All new divers are taught the importance of good buoyancy control to avoid placing their hands or other body parts where they may harm them, ocean creatures or the fragile reef.
But, as occurred to the lady diver at the start of this column, accidents do happen. It is a good idea, even in warm water, to wear a thin protective wetsuit and gloves if holding onto a mooring line is necessary. That said, some dive locations prohibit gloves to discourage touching or holding onto the reef.
There are some first aid treatments if you do happen to get stung by a fire coral.
▪ Rinse the affected area with vinegar or use a paste of baking soda.
▪ Remove any fragments taking care to avoid direct contact with bare fingers or hands – wear gloves or use tweezers if available.
▪ Hot water, heat packs, cold packs or ice may give some pain relief – do not place ice or unheated freshwater directly on affected skin. Rinse again with vinegar.
▪ Certain over the counter cortisone creams may be helpful but, if uncertain, check with a knowledgeable physician or pharmacist before applying the cream
▪ Notify a physician if you have a serious allergic reaction or develop a fever.
▪ Proper cleansing is very important. The most frequent complications from non-stinging coral scrapes are inflammation, which leads to poor healing and possibly a secondary infection.
The Divers Alert Network provides information on first aid for marine life injuries. The organization’s website is: http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/
*Reef Coral Identification, authored by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach, founders of Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), is available from REEF through the organizations website (http://www.reef.org/) or its Key Largo Store, 98300 Overseas Hwy | Key Largo, FL 33037
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
If some people are destined for a specific career, then Ocean Ramsey— yes, that’s her real name—was meant to become a preeminent shark and marine researcher and conservationist. From her home base on Oahu, Ramsey has traveled the world to study sharks in their diverse habitats and bring awareness to the threat that numerous shark species currently face.
She’s also an advanced free diver (a diver without a breathing apparatus), scuba instructor, business owner, and designer. When she’s not traveling the world free diving, she’s at home in Hawaii working at her own company, One Ocean Research and Diving.
Her cause went viral when she was caught on tape riding the back of a fully grown great white shark with no cage or other protection. There’s also the fact that she’s attractive enough to be a model and does much of her work in barely-there bikinis.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
Maxim spoke to the gorgeous 30-year-old scientist about conservation work, eco-activism, and what it’s like to literally ride a great white.
How did you get into shark conservation?
My parents love the ocean, and I imagine part of the reason I love that environment must come from growing up the way I did. I have a degree in marine biology, specialized in ethology (animal behavior), and studied specifics on shark body language, how they establish their social hierarchy and avoid confrontations.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
But I realized that if I only focused on studying sharks and publishing papers, then another 600 million sharks would die while I conducted my six-year study. That realization was the point when everything clicked. I knew I needed to take the science, conservation, diving, and all aspects to a new level with a new approach, so I co-founded the company One Ocean Research and Diving.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
What does your organization do?
My company has a team of mostly female marine biologists who take people out daily to dive with sharks and learn about their biology, physiology, behavior, body language, and how we humans can adapt our own behavior based on our scientific understanding of sharks and their role in the ocean ecosystems. This is all to aid us in creating safer, and more fun, interactions.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
Are sharks really in such peril?
Currently, shark populations have been decimated, with most shark species seeing 90 percent declines, and many species are being pushed to the brink of extinction. The beautiful (and toothless) whale shark, the largest fish and shark in the ocean, was just moved to endangered-species status a few months ago, joining the hammerhead on the growing list of shark species that are quickly being wiped out due to many wasteful practices. Shark finning and regular shark sport fishing are the two biggest causes of these declines.
Anyone up for a little iguana yoga? (All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks)
You gained a lot of attention when a video surfaced of you riding an enormous great white named Bella. What was that like, and how did it happen?
Honestly, I worry that beautifying the experience may entice others to try for a similar experience, which would be a bad idea. But truthfully, some of the absolute best moments of my life have been free diving with white sharks. There is nothing like it, and there are no words that can do it justice.
I’ve been studying and working with more than 30 species of sharks around the world for over a decade, and that GoPro footage of Bella and me was not at all my first time diving with white sharks. I spent years going in and out of cages and absorbing as much time and qualitative information as I could watching them interact with one another. Interacting with sharks is very humbling. I feel a tremendous honor being able to share their space and have them treat me as an equal or similar predator.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
If you don’t mind me saying so, you are an extremely beautiful woman. Do people ever underestimate your expertise or professionalism because of how you look?
I hope that if any of my talents, features, or natural gifts can be used to better highlight the message I am trying to share…then I am grateful that I can be a voice, a spokesmodel, if you will, for them. It’s ironic that sometimes they title photos of me with sharks as “Beauty and the Beast,” when to me sharks and nature are absolutely gorgeous. I did a lot of modeling in my 20s and am still signed [with agents], but every time I get a call to do a project I’m either on our company’s boat or on an international conservation effort.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
What makes the Bahamas so unmatched for a shark scientist or marine biologist?
The Bahamas is a special place because it is protected from shark fishing. It’s a marine-protected area for sharks, meaning that sharks can thrive, existing in plentiful numbers. It’s a world-class destination for diving with and studying tiger sharks, greater hammerheads, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, and Caribbean reef sharks. The warmer, shallower waters mean that diving to observe and study shark behavior is easy and practical for longer periods of time.
I definitely recommend Staniel Cay, where they have cute nurse sharks and adorable swimming pigs, or venture to Tiger Beach to see enormous tiger sharks.
All images courtesy of Juan Oliphant/@OneOceanDiving/@juansharks
What else should we know about sharks, and how would you recommend we get involved?
I am grateful I get to dive with them daily, and the more I study and learn, and the more time I spend with them, the more my understanding, appreciation, and respect grow. They really are one of the most amazing animals on the planet, and anyone who has ever been lucky enough to go diving with them knows how true that is. I highly encourage people to go out and take the plunge and go for a dive with sharks with a well-educated and experienced guide. Sharks are apex predators, not puppies, but they are not monsters.
My organization’s message is simple. Humans and sharks can coexist, and we need sharks to exist because they affect us all. From the air we breathe to the majority of protein the human population consumes, we all rely on the ocean, and sharks are a vital component of a thriving, productive ocean and planet.
Hawaiian Sunscreen Ban?! Can that happen??? Well, a Hawaiian state senator, proposed a bill that would ban the sale of chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate across the islands. Prescriptions for the sunscreen would be allowed. As nanny-state un-american as that may sound, it may turn out to be a good thing for the health of Hawaii’s coral reefs.
Sunscreen may be good for your skin, but some kinds are not necessarily the best for the environment
Last month, Will Espero, a Hawaiian state senator, proposed a bill that would ban the sale of chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate across the islands. Prescriptions for the sunscreen would be allowed.
Why? A ton of sunscreen winds up in the global coral reef system every year — 14,000 tons, to be exact — and research indicates that oxybenzone can lead to coral bleaching. Some studies suggest one drop is even enough to damage the reefs.
To those who know the underwater world well, this isn’t new news. Many divers are warned to steer clear of chemical sunscreens — when we swim, after all, lotion can bleed off onto the reefs.
According to Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, “researchers have found oxybenzone concentrations in some Hawaiian waters at more than 30 times the level considered safe for corals.”
The beaches of Maui, specifically, have already suffered the consequences, reports Scientific American.
Of course, the bill isn’t a suggestion to skip SPF on the sunny beaches of Hawaii. After all, there are two kinds of sunblock: Chemical blockers use ingredients like oxybenzone and octinoxate to absorb UV radiation from the sun, preventing it from causing damage. But physical (or mineral) sunscreens, with ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, block UVA and UVB rays from ever reaching your skin; and the National Park Service says these have not been found to harm the reefs.
Even better: Dermatologists agree that physical blocks are gentler on your skin. Good for you, good for the environment, and no painful sunburns in sight? We’d say that’s a win-win(-win).
Ever since I heard the announcement of Bill Paxton’s death on Sunday morning, I’ve realized that there’s a whole lot I didn’t know about the talented actor. For example, I didn’t realize director James Cameron and Bill Paxton had been friends for several decades until I read Cameron’s touching response to Paxton’s death, which he shared in an email to Vanity Fair on Sunday afternoon. According to Cameron, the two started working together on someone else’s films, building sets for director Roger Corman. From there, they became not only collaborators, on films like Titanic, but also close friends.
TMZ broke the story that Paxton died of surgery complications and in a statement, Paxton’s family shared, “A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker.”
Paxton’s above-mentioned decades of work were frequently spent alongside Cameron. Their first on-screen collaboration was Terminator, in which Paxton was given a small (but hilarious) role as a punk who is given the old one-two by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s robot self at Griffith Observatory. Later, Paxton would go on to appear as a supporting actor in Cameron’s most heralded films — Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic. He was also a part of Cameron’s undersea documentary, Ghosts of the Abyss, in which the duo and historians travel to the final resting place of the Titanic.
Source: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Cameron’s words about his late friend really pulls at the heart strings. The opening, — “I’ve been reeling from this for the past half hour, trying to wrap my mind and heart around it. Bill leaves such a void” — is totally a sentiment that can be shared by anyone who’s experienced a loss. The full statement is as follows:
What a beautiful tribute, shared by someone who clearly knew Paxton well and will miss him greatly.
Bill Paxton in the following video talks about him and Cameron being on PCP together… Somebody spiked the on set clam chowder! A case of beer saved the day…
The Bahamas… if anyplace in the world is said to have multiple personalities, it would be the Bahamas. With over 3,000 islands and cays, there are many ways it can be different. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a part of the Commonwealth of Nations, formerly called the British Commonwealth. While they drive on the right-hand side of the road. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory Turks and Caicos inhabit the Lucayan Archipelago. The Archipelago is included in the West Indies, however, it is not a part of the Caribbean. However, most people including those from the Bahamas do consider it a part of the Caribbean. Many Bahamians look at their country as two distinct parts: the main islands and the Out Islands. Each with a different lifestyle and culture. For the tourist and more importantly the scuba diver two very different vacation experiences. The tourism industry is the largest employment sector with over 50% of the jobs being in this industry. Second is the finance sector.
Bahamas Main Islands
The Main Islands of the Bahamas are Grand Bahama Island and New Providence Island along with a few nearby cays and islands. The population of the Bahamas is about 400,000 and 80% of those people live in the Main Islands. Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, is located on New Providence Island. This island and the connected small Paradise Island is home to over 70% of the countries population. Nassau is also the center of tourism in the Bahamas. You will find casinos, luxury shopping and hotel chains here. Nassau is the busiest cruise port in the world and 70% of the countries tourist are cruise ship passengers. Grand Bahama Island is the home of the city of Freeport and about 10% of the population.
Darby Island and Rudder Cut Cay, Exumas
Photograph by Christina Hawkins
Diving Bahamas Main Islands
Diving in the Main Islands is legendary. There have been so many underwater scenes filmed around New Providence Island, including iconic scenes in James Bond movies, it is often called “Underwater Hollywood”. Many of the best dive sites are on the western edge of the island and are near the area known as the Tongue of the Ocean. The Tongue of the Ocean is a
The Tongue of the Ocean is a deep-water trench that is between Andros Island and New Providence Island. The reefs around New Province Island are generally in the 60 to 80-foot range. Whereas the floor of the Tongue of the Ocean is between 3,600 feet (1,100 m) to 6,600 feet (2,000 m) deep. The reefs benefit from the deep water as nutrients are brought from the depths. Sharks and other pelagic also visit the shallow reefs. Expect to see sharks on just about every dive. Looking over the edge of the reef into deep water you may see some of them way below you. There really is some great wall dives here.
Meanwhile, Grand Bahamas Island also has a great reputation for scuba diving. The Underwater Explorer Society (UNEXSO) has been in business for over 50 years and is considered the pioneer in shark feeding. They introduced hand feed of sharks in 1993 and are still doing it. They offer a range of shark diving and also diving with dolphins.
The Out Islands – Family Islands
Once you exclude the two main islands and their few nearby cays, the rest are what is called the Out Islands. You will also see them call the Family Islands. Only one percent of these 3,000 islands are considered inhabited. Many of the “uninhabited island” do have homes on them, often a single residence for a wealthy individual. Andros is the fifth largest island in the West Indies and largest of the islands in the Bahamas, many times the size of both of the Main Islands together. While ten percent of the country’s population live on the island, it’s large size means great portions of it are not inhabited.
Eleuthera and the Exuma Cays are also destinations know for its diving. The Exuma Cays start about 35 miles southeast of Nassau. The archipelago of about 365 cays and islands are separated into three sections and they span about 80 miles north to south. Resorts here are more relax and do not have the commercialism you will find in the Main Islands.
The Bimini Islands are the closest to the US mainland and may be the most known of the Family Islands. Here you will find a mix of small resorts and large scale resort complexes. The area is also considered one of the best sport fishing destinations in the world.
Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island Bahamas. A short distance from shore the Blue Hole drops to 663 feet (203 meters). Photograph by Christian Afonso
Diving the Family Islands
Diving the Family Islands/ Out Islands offers such a range of diving opportunities it hard to believe it is all the same country. Eleuthera and the Exuma Cays are on the eastern side of the Bahamas with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. This can create some robust diving conditions. However, the western side of the islands are protected and can have calm conditions. This area is a favorite for those seeking a liveaboard destination.
Andros provides the diver many different options. As mentioned the Tongue of the Ocean is between this island and New Province Island. On the Andros side of the Tongue, you will find what is called the Andros Fringing Barrier Reef. This reef system is 190 miles long and is considered one of the healthiest reefs in the world. It extends from near the shoreline of Andros to the Tongue of the Ocean. Some marketing claims it is the third largest reef system in the world. This is hard to confirm as the reef does not meet the definition of a barrier reef nor a fringing reef but is somewhat a hybrid of the two. The reef’s many dive sites both along the wall and closer ashore give divers many types of dives to choose from.
Another aspect of diving Andros is that it has the largest concentration of blue holes in the world. Some of these blue holes are located on land providing an experience similar to the cenotes of Mexico. Others are located in shallow waters and allow divers to drop beyond recreational diving depths. Caver divers will find many underwater cave systems to keep themselves challenged.
Sharks are one of the big draws to the Bimini Islands. Located less than 60 miles from Florida, it is on the deep side of the Florida barrier reef. This deep water is a migratory route for many shark species including hammerheads and great whites. Florida has made shark feeding illegal in the states waters so many of the Florida dive operators have relocated its shark feeding to the waters off Bimini islands. Other large pelagic are found here and the wall diving is incredible.
You can spend years diving the Out Islands and still be amazed what you can find. The many shallow coral reefs and cays have created thousands of ship wrecks many still waiting to be discovered. Wall dives, ship wrecks, caves, coral reefs, drift dives are all waiting for you.
