Are you fit for scuba? June 12, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia , add a commentScuba diving really is an activity of two halves. On the one hand, you must carry heavy gear along rocking boats and make strenuous entries and exits, whilst on the other, you submerge, weightless, and relaxed, whilst looking at the wonders laid before us. So it is understandable that some people who go scuba diving look, well, less sporty than others.
With that in mind, exercise physiologists, Jessica and Jaime Adams, have created a fitness program designed specifically for scuba divers, called ‘Fit for Scuba’. In the form of a printed manual, it is available from Amazon and will soon be available from Divers Alert network (DAN).
Here is their own intro to the program;
Divers are concerned with safety; we have buddies, follow dive plans, keep dive logs, and complete routine maintenance of our gear. However, many of us neglect the most vital piece of equipment…our bodies…
Due to common misconceptions, scuba diving has been highly ignored by the fitness industry. As you know, dive gear alone places an additional load on the body. The physical demands of entries and exits must also be considered. Above all, scuba divers must always be physically and mentally prepared for challenging conditions that may arise in this dynamic underwater world. As you know, almost every diver has a story about a difficult exit from the water or a challenging current.
“Fit for SCUBA” is a tool for becoming a safer, more fit diver. The simple instructions and illustrations in this manual can help you improve your fitness level. Deciding to participate in a fitness program may be the best decision that you can make to improve the quality of your diving experience. Now all you have to do is follow through on your plan.
PADI Relaunches PADI.com June 7, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia , add a commentPadi have unveiled their new look for Padi.com. Apparently the new website ‘reflects a clear focus on PADI’s three key messages: Start Diving, Keep Diving and Teach Diving. With video testimonials, fresh new photography, flash imagery and interactive tools, PADI.com is much more than a utilitarian corporate website – it has become an icon of the industry’s fun and adventure.’
Scary isn’t it. An icon of the industry’s fun and education. It doesn’t render well on Internet Explorer 7, and from a web developer and scuba diver’s point of view, it is awful. It doesn’t have an RSS feed so you cannot subscribe to the latest news on the site, which of course you can do here.
Interview with Scuba Diving’s Bev Morgan June 5, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia , add a comment
I saw this at Divester and thought I’d mention it on scubageek. Bev Morgan was recently interviewed by Fathoms Magazine and they have quite a long writeup about it. Here is an introduction;
From A humble beginning as a lifeguard, he’d go on to amass considerable wealth as the founder of Diving Systems International, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial dive gear. Along the way he helped originate the first dive training programs in the U.S., started the company that became the multi-million grossing wetsuit conglomerate Body Glove, indulged himself in a variety of hedonistic (and sometimes scientific) voyages of discovery to the South Pacific and beyond, and ended up as soul mate and confidant to rock musician David Crosby. Honored by DEMA as one of its first inductees into diving’s Hall of Fame, Morgan remains an intensely private man who has shunned the limelight in spite of his considerable successes.
It is an interesting interview, and Bev has certainly been around, with comments regarding fighting off sharks near Mexico and a two month visit to the Galapagos.
Mary Rose Scuba Diver Marks 40th Anniversary of First Dive June 1, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia, WreckDiving , add a comment
Earlier this month there was a presentation to mark the 40th anniversary of the first dive on the Mary Rose. To commemorate the event John Towse, one of the two scuba divers who performed that first dive presented the original search chart to the Mary Rose Trust.
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Researchers present video of volcano erupting 550 mtrs underwater May 25, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia , 1 comment so far
I often have a look through Underwater Times for some interesting stuff and found an article today, regarding a team of scientists who have been watching volcanoes erupting at the bottom of the ocean, 550 metres deep, near the Mariana Islands northwest of Guam.
The researchers have now observed eruptive activity at the site during three separate visits over a period of more than two years, suggesting that these types of deep-sea volcanoes erupt chronically for longer periods than other undersea volcanoes located on the mid-ocean ridge. The eruptive activity they just observed at a volcano dubbed Northwest Rota-1 was explosive, but provided some of the closest observations ever of a volcano, thanks to the help of an underwater robot.
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Wikiscuba needs more contributors May 23, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia, general , add a comment
A few months ago I posted about Wikiscuba, which is a project I started with another scubadiver, Charles. The idea is to create a scuba diving encyclopedia which compliments successful websites like wikipedia and wikitravel, by providing information specifically for scuba divers. The whole website is free and non-commercial, just like wikipedia and wikitravel, and also aims to provide information which is non biased and has a neutral point of view. I think it would be really cool to have a resource like that on the web, for all scuba divers to benefit from.
Well, so far the project has been progressing well, and I can see that it is starting to take shape, but we could do with more scuba divers contributing information. If you find you have a little time on your hands and would like to see what wikiscuba is all about then hop over and take a look. If you see some information which is incorrect, you can simply edit it, and even create new pages with just a click of the mouse.
