My Dragon's Lair Sharing is the reason for my being...: Scubadiving from Gadling

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Reason #451 Why I'm Afraid of the Ocean Posted Jul 5th 2007 4:19PM by Justin Glow
Filed under: Paddling, Scuba Diving, Stories, Africa

I'm not afraid to admit it: the ocean scares me. I know that, for the most part, it's an irrational fear, created out of a childhood of JAWS-induced nightmares. I just don't like going in the ocean, and I'll do everything in my power to not to wade past my knees. Unless, of course, there's a group of children or a rather good looking girl going in the water. Then, and only then, will I comply and follow lead into the salty bad dream, so that I don't appear to be the complete and total wuss that I am.

It's seeing pictures like the one above that absolutely do not help to fight my fear of the ocean. Well, I suppose it's not a fear of the ocean itself -- (pool) water does not bother me. It's what lives inside that counts. Sharks, jellyfish, sting rays, barracuda, whatever -- they're all disgusting, vile creatures better suited for consumption, or peering at through a thick sheet of glass, than swimming amongst.

Snopes says the photo is real. It was taken from the September 2005 issue of Africa Geographic, and it is, indeed, a Great White. Scary. [via] Permalink, Email this, Linking Blogs, Comments [1]

Snorkel FM Radio Posted Jun 25th 2007 2:25PM by Neil Woodburn Filed under: Scuba Diving, Gear

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) Permalink, Email this, Linking Blogs, Comments [1]

Underwater Post Offices and Mailboxes Around the World Posted Apr 23rd 2007 1:36PM by Willy Volk Filed under: Scuba Diving

With the proliferation of WiFi and cell phones, does anybody mail postcards anymore? I haven't gotten one in years, so I assume the answer is "no." If, however, on your next trip you decide that you not only want to send a postcard, but you want to do something unique, why not send a card from an underwater mailbox? Though not common, there are five underwater mailboxes for you to visit:

Vanuatu Post created the world's first underwater post office. Situated within a marine sanctuary off Hideaway Island, this post office, staffed by a postal employee, can receive mail if you are a visiting diver or snorkeler. The best part? The lines are always short.
On Japan's southeastern coast, there's a mailbox 33 feet beneath the surface of the water -- the deepest mailbox on record. Each day, the contents are collected from the box, which reportedly contains as many as 200 pieces of mail. Conveniently, the group who developed this post office also invented Surumail: edible, squid-flavored postcards.
Malaysia's Reef Dive Resort has set up what it believes to be that country's first underwater mailbox. Any mail sent through this mailbox is sealed inside a plastic bag and postmarked with a special stamp.
St. Thomas, USVI, has an underwater post office inside its Underwater Observatory, which means you can get the "underwater stamp" without getting "underwater wet."
Paradise Island, in the Bahamas, boasts an underwater mailbox adjacent to a spiraling 100-foot tower.

I'd love to get a postcard sent from an underwater mailbox. The first person to send me one gets an Amazon gift certificate worth 10 times the amount of the postage.

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Undersea Eatery Posted Apr 18th 2007 2:03PM by Erik Olsen Filed under: Scuba Diving, Oceania, Maldives

I caught news about this cool restaurant in the Maldives at first over at this blog, and I was getting all giddy over the post heralding a "all new undersea restaurant". Then I realized that the blog post was dated in 2005, so I had to rewrite things.

But I am still going to post about the restaurant because I have to say it's really cool. I literally just left the Atlanta Aquarium and was blown away by some of the huge walk-in aquariums. Whale sharks swam overhead! But to sit and have dinner, perhaps a lightly baked fish, with the ocean and sea life overhead, well, that'd be great. Not to mention how cool to be in the Maldives, said to be the location of some of the best diving on the globe. So if you're planning a trip to these islands before they disappear under the waves due to global warming, check out the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, and then let us know what you think.
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Take a Dip in the World's Deepest Indoor Pool Posted Mar 23rd 2007 2:38PM by Jonathon Morgan
Filed under: Scuba Diving, Belgium

Scuba diving in a pool seems a little pointless, right? Maybe not, if the pool is 33 meters deep.

That's what you'll find at NEMO 33 -- the world's largest indoor pool. Not only is it an exceptionally long distance from the surface to the bottom, once you get down there, you'll find a number of interesting rooms and passageways to explore.

The pool, located in Brussels, was designed by John Beernaerts, a diving expert, both as a unique space for Belgian divers, and also as an underwater film set.

These days, anyone can hop in and take a dive for €10 to €20 (depending on when you dive). You don't even need your wetsuit -- as NEMO 33 provides suits, masks and fins. After the first 15 minutes or snorkeling or freediving, you're set loose to explore.

If you do end up checking it out, take an inside tip from blogger Amy at Wolfstad.com: "Get in the water fast and descend to your maximum depth quickly, before it gets too crowded."

Sounds like a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.

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Labels: Africa, Gadling site, scuba diving, White sharks