Spectacular Nudibranchs : One of the most fascinating sea creatures that scuba divers seek is the bottom-dwelling, jelly bodied nudibranch (NEW-dih-bronk). Their shapes and colors vary wildly, but these shell-less mollusks are part of the sea slug family, Nudibranchs bear some of the most unusual shapes and intricate patterns of any animal on Earth.  As some of the most beautiful creatures of the sea, underwater photographers delight in taking pictures of the slow-moving nudibranch. More than 3,000 known species of nudibranch exist, and new ones are continually being identified. Nudibranchs live throughout the world’s oceans, and are particularly abundant in shallow, tropical waters. The scientific Continue reading →
The Elusive Octopus : Scuba divers who have sighted an octopus slipping and sliding discretely across the ocean floor or safely hiding within its surroundings are truly fortunate. An octopus is one of the most fascinating sightings for a diver. Over 300 species of octopuses live in oceans and seas around the world. They have eight tentacles, no backbone, three hearts, and a large brain. They move through the water by jet propulsion via a funnel in their mantle, which acts like bellows. Octopuses release a concentrated blast of  ink-like substance to raise a smokescreen for predators. Octopuses (like squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses)  are invertebrates, so Continue reading →
What Are the Main Jellyfish Types? : What are the main types of jellyfish? More than 350 jellyfish species have been identified, but scientists believe as many as 2000 species exist worldwide. Jellyfish live in all the world’s oceans and some freshwater lakes. Jellyfish live in fresh water bodies that connect to sea water. Jellyfish live in waters within and surrounding the Antarctic, Australia, France, the United States (including Hawaii) and Africa. Main Types of Jellyfish Cannonball, Jellyball or Cabbage Head jellyfish (stomolophus meleagris) – Cannonball jellies have round white bells that have a brown or purple band of pigment below them. This species have no tentacles. They feed Continue reading →
China’s Lion City Beneath Qiandao Lake : Beneath the waters of China’s Qingdao Lake (in East China’s Zhejiang province) lies Lion City, a fascinating, purposely flooded ancient city that scuba divers and archeologists are thrilled to explore. Qingdao Lake is a man-made reservoir for construction of the highly controversial Xin’an River Dam project in 1959. The Xin’an River Dam is a hydroelectric station whose structure and technology is replicated in other countries. More than a million people were displaced with the flooding of Lion City in 1959. The Chinese name Qingdao means Thousand Island Lake, and indeed, more than 1,000 lush islands jut through the lake’s surface. Today, Qingdao Lake is a succesful Continue reading →

What Are the Main Jellyfish Types?

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What are the main types of jellyfish? More than 350 jellyfish species have been identified, but scientists believe as many as 2000 species exist worldwide. Jellyfish live in all the world’s oceans and some freshwater lakes. Jellyfish live in fresh water bodies that connect to sea water. Jellyfish live in waters within and surrounding the Antarctic, Australia, France, the United States (including Hawaii) and Africa. Main Types of Jellyfish Cannonball, Jellyball or Cabbage Head jellyfish (stomolophus meleagris) – Cannonball jellies have round white bells that have a brown or purple band of pigment below them. This species have no tentacles. They feed Continue reading →

Flying After Scuba Diving

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Experienced divers know there are specific rules for flying after scuba diving. Why do divers have to wait to fly after diving? The answer relates to pressure inside the body. If the surface is the baseline, each of us has one atmosphere of weight at this level. We don’t notice this weight. However,for every 33 feet of sea water (fsw) or 10 meters  we descend on a dive, we add another atmosphere to the pressure. This pressure turns nitrogen in our blood into solution and our plasma becomes supersaturated. During ascension, the opposite is true. Pressure decreases as we ascend altitude. Continue reading →

Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary

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Plan to scuba dive at Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Looe Key is a living coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies south of Big Pine Key. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). Part of Looe Key is designated for Research Only to protect some of the patch reefs landward of the main reef. Find the best cruise jobs! Looe Key is about five miles offshore of Big Pine Key. Looe Key is a groove and spur reef that parallels the Atlantic side of the Florida Keys. Looe Key got its name from the HMS Continue reading →

Scuba Diving Vacation in Cozumel

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Plan a super scuba diving vacation in Cozumel with plenty of excitement for everyone in your group or family. Cozumel lies in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Cozumel is opposite Playa del Carmen and near the Yucatan Channel. Visitors save up to 70% off vacation travel by scheduling trips during the summer months. Cozumel’s summer climate In May through June, seas are usually flat; skies are sunny and cloudless. The water temperature ranges from 79 to 81F degrees. Visibility is typically 100 – 300 feet or greater when rains don’t fall on the island. Boat rides are particularly pleasant during this time when Continue reading →

Navy SEALs – Extreme Scuba Divers

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Navy SEALs  Are Extreme Scuba Divers The Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, and Land teams) are the United States Navy’s principal special operations force and extreme scuba divers. SEALs are a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) and the maritime U.S. Special Operations Command. SEAL training is aerobic and mostly underwater. SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) and combat swimming are top priorities for SEAL training. SEAL Beginnings On November 23, 1943 on Tarawa Atoll  in the central Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Marines recognized the need for technical underwater skills. In that incident, may Marines drowned or were attacked on offshore reefs and obstacles in the surf. Their landing craft was unable Continue reading →

What’s So Great About Drift Diving?

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What’s so great about drift diving? The drift dive is the epitome of fun and easy. Ideal conditions and some planning ensure a great diving experience. Scuba diving for most people is a recreational pursuit. People don’t dive because they have to; they dive because they enjoy some aspect of the sport. Adventurous divers often choose to modify their dive to make it more fun or easier. Drift diving is both. What’s so great about drift diving Drift diving is the absolute grand master of lazy diving. Divers may need to kick a little, but swimming is not required. Once Continue reading →

3 Poisonous Jellyfish and Where They Live

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Jellyfish are one of the most prolific creatures to inhabit the marine waters of the world. They have survived 500 to 700 million years and have developed a sophisticated system for self-protection. Scuba divers sometimes unknowingly cross the stinging tentacles of a jellyfish. These encounters are usually painful but treatable. Some jellyfish stings, however, are often poisonous due to potent toxins they inject. While searching for food, jellyfish can snag an unwitting swimmer, diver, or surfer.  Sometimes jellyfish travel in groups, and many are quite spectacular to view from a distance. Jellyfish often wash ashore and die on the beach. Their poison tentacles Continue reading →

China’s Lion City Beneath Qiandao Lake

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Beneath the waters of China’s Qingdao Lake (in East China’s Zhejiang province) lies Lion City, a fascinating, purposely flooded ancient city that scuba divers and archeologists are thrilled to explore. Qingdao Lake is a man-made reservoir for construction of the highly controversial Xin’an River Dam project in 1959. The Xin’an River Dam is a hydroelectric station whose structure and technology is replicated in other countries. More than a million people were displaced with the flooding of Lion City in 1959. The Chinese name Qingdao means Thousand Island Lake, and indeed, more than 1,000 lush islands jut through the lake’s surface. Today, Qingdao Lake is a succesful Continue reading →

Save Money On Beach Vacations

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The beach is an incredible experience for everyone; scuba divers and non-divers alike. Here are three simple ways showing how to save money on all your beach vacations. Regardless of whether you want to travel to far away shores or take a weekend trip to a nearby coast, everyone enjoys the beach experience. Don’t miss giant opportunities to save money on your next beach vacation. 3 Ways to Save Money on Beach Vacations Find an unused rental at the beach of your choice that has a discount price. Often, timeshare property owners advertise their vacation opportunities at real discounts. All sorts Continue reading →

Scuba Diving Crater Lake, Oregon

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Scuba Diving Crater Lake, Oregon – Labor Day 2012 Planning a Labor Day trip to Crater Lake over the 2012 weekend? Leave your scuba diving equipment at home. The National Park Service has temporarily closed the lake to scuba diving over the threat of invasive species. Park rangers say they’ll keep the lake off-limits to divers until they develop rules to ensure that microscopic species, such as quagga mussels, spiny water fleas and viruses, don’t hitchhike into the pristine lake waters on diving gear. Park Superintendent Craig Ackerman says the lake is becoming more popular with divers, raising the threat that some Continue reading →

More Jellyfish News

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jellyfish norwegian

We can’t seem to get enough jellyfish news! Why? Maybe it’s because jellyfish have been around at least 500-700 million years, and their numbers are multiplying uncontrollably. Jellyfish can live where no other creatures can or will: in toxic waters created by humans, in areas where their predators are over fished, and at incredible ocean depths. They can reproduce sexually or asexually. They spawn daily when there is enough food and light. When the life of a jellyfish is threatened, the jellyfish drops its eggs immediately, so they can fend for survival. An ocean area taken over by jellyfish is Continue reading →

Bora Bora Island Paradise Diving

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Bora Bora is a main island in the Society Islands of French Polynesia in the area called Oceania. It is known as one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world, an island paradise. Novelist James A. Michener writes that Bora Bora’s blue lagoon is “so stunning, that there are really no adequate words to describe it.”  Bora Bora is often called the Pearl of the Pacific. The island offers plenty of beach resorts, sightseeing tours, cruises, and scuba diving and surfing opportunities. Made famous by books, movies, and its stunning beauty, Bora Bora is a popular tourist destination. Bora Bora lies about 140 miles (230 Continue reading →

The Elusive Octopus

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Scuba divers who have sighted an octopus slipping and sliding discretely across the ocean floor or safely hiding within its surroundings are truly fortunate. An octopus is one of the most fascinating sightings for a diver. Over 300 species of octopuses live in oceans and seas around the world. They have eight tentacles, no backbone, three hearts, and a large brain. They move through the water by jet propulsion via a funnel in their mantle, which acts like bellows. Octopuses release a concentrated blast of  ink-like substance to raise a smokescreen for predators. Octopuses (like squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses)  are invertebrates, so Continue reading →

Can a Rebreather Enhance Your Recreational Scuba Dive?

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clownfish doubletipped anemone

Can a Rebreather Enhance Your Recreational Scuba Dive? Simply put, a rebreather allows recreational scuba divers to stay underwater longer than the typical scuba breathing apparatus. Rebreathers are advanced scuba gear, originally developed and typically used by the military, especially the U.S. Navy SEALs. Advanced and commercial divers also use rebreathers. Intensive training is strongly recommended. What is a rebreather? A rebreather is a breathing mechanism used by scuba divers to provide a breathing gas containing oxygen with recycled exhaled gas. With conventional recreational scuba gear, you breathe in through the mouthpiece and get a fresh lungful of air from the tank on your back. When you breathe out, the exhaled air goes out through Continue reading →

Best Sites to See Marine Life

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Best Sites to See Marine Life Belize. In April, May, and June, southern offers opportunities to scuba dive and snorkel with the gentle whale shark. Look for these pelagics three days before the full moon until three days after the last quarter moon. The spawning of Cubera snapper attract whale sharks. April through June is also the spawning season for other species of fish and the mating season for turtles. Bali, Indonesia. In April and May, see manta rays. Tobago. From April through August, leatherback turtles arrive on  beaches to lay their eggs and whale sharks migrate past the island. Galapagos Islands. May through August, whale Continue reading →

Spectacular Nudibranchs

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One of the most fascinating sea creatures that scuba divers seek is the bottom-dwelling, jelly bodied nudibranch (NEW-dih-bronk). Their shapes and colors vary wildly, but these shell-less mollusks are part of the sea slug family, Nudibranchs bear some of the most unusual shapes and intricate patterns of any animal on Earth.  As some of the most beautiful creatures of the sea, underwater photographers delight in taking pictures of the slow-moving nudibranch. More than 3,000 known species of nudibranch exist, and new ones are continually being identified. Nudibranchs live throughout the world’s oceans, and are particularly abundant in shallow, tropical waters. The scientific Continue reading →

What Is Scuba Diving?

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If you’re thinking about learning to SCUBA dive, here is a quick overview of the sport. Scuba diving is a water sport that enables us to breathe underwater while exploring fascinating and unbelievable oceanography and vast marine life. The word SCUBA is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Scuba divers usually dive with a partner or buddy. The required scuba training is easy to find in any city. There are several levels of dive training. Everyone starts at the same level. Everyone has to show specific underwater diving skills to become certified. Most dive sites around the world require proof of scuba Continue reading →

Scuba Diving the Spanish Canary Islands

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Scuba divers enjoy the variety and uniqueness of the marine life in the Canary Islands. These Spanish islands are well-traveled by European tourists. The islands offer many above water and underwater activities. When to dive: Year around. June to October is warmest for diving. In winter, a dry suit or 7mm semidry is enough. In warmer months, a 5mm wet suit with hood and gloves is suitable. Water temperature: 63°F (17°C) in February to 24°C (75°F) in August Visibility: 65 – 100 feet (20 – 30 metres) Dive types: Caves, tunnels, sheer walls, wrecks Marine Life: Angel sharks, rays, moray eels, garden eels, cuttlefish, octopus, lobsters, Continue reading →

Rescue Divers Still Work the Costa Concordia

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On the evening of January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which had set sail just a few hours before, crashed into a reef near Giglio Island, Tuscany, Italy. Passengers had not yet received the required safety and exit procedure to use in an emergency. It was about dinner time when the ship sailed much too close to Giglio, hit the reef surrounding the island, and its hull was severely gashed. From reports, all passengers knew immediately that an emergency was at hand. Chaos ensued as frightened passengers tried to get off the ship. The ship’s captain escaped, but could not explain Continue reading →

Scuba Dive the Tyrrhenian Sea

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Scuba diving sites abound in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea that spreads west of Italy to Corsica and Sardinia. On the north is the Isle of Elba, and on the south is Sicily. The south and west boundaries are an estimate that depends on where the Mediterranean Sea ends. Other popular small islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea include Capri and Ustica, and the active volcano of Stomboli. Major ports in this sea are Cagliari, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo. Check out the scuba diving sites around the Tyrrhenian Sea: Italy Sicily  Ustica