Text and Illustrations By Jill Heinerth I have never figured out why so few North American technical divers wear helmets. Perhaps helmets never reached the Pantheon of hip here? Divers in other parts of the world would never consider exposing their scalps to the ceiling of a cave or wreck …

Text by Ray Stevens As the deep-sea oil and gas industries continue to thrive, demand for a solid marine infrastructure is expected to continue as well. This means that specially trained underwater welders will be needed to complete the building of underwater structures. For some, a career in underwater welding …

Text by Jill Heinerth Ask a rebreather diver what drives their rebreather and they will undoubtedly tell you, the oxygen sensors. These annually disposable devices are critical to creating a safe breathing loop and yet when not functioning properly can reduce a $10,000 investment in life support to a …

DIVER magazine would like to announce an amendment to our current Gear Guide issue. Our pricing of the Shearwater NERD (page 24 of Volume 41, Issue 1) should be CAD$2,500, and not $950 as printed. This is an editorial mistake by us, we put it down to a mixture of pre-Christmas excitement, narcosis, …

With over 72{c383baab7bef8067e8c9786a45d8006c492489841a98fe37723e304bb1ddd030} of the world’s surface taken up by ocean, there is a huge amount of ocean still to be discovered. Only 5{c383baab7bef8067e8c9786a45d8006c492489841a98fe37723e304bb1ddd030} of the world’s Oceans have been explored and even though it is such a small amount, given how much surface area these oceans cover, we …

The Diving Almanac is the ultimate authority on diving exploits and history, but what’s the story behind the stories? By Jeffrey Gallant I was dreaming of overnight success… Reality struck at my first DEMA Show where I met veteran publisher Rick Stratton who looked me straight in the eye and said: …

Text and Photography by Jill Heinerth Originally published in Volume 40, issue 7. Click here to subscribe. Pioneering Scuba diver Marjorie Bank never made it to my age. She died prematurely, the result of a massive heart attack. As a younger diver, I was inspired by her career and charisma. She …

Will reactivate initiatives lead to a SCUBA renaissance? Text by Robert Osborne, photography by Jill Heinerth It was a magical moment that Wendy Truman will never forget: the end of a dive in Belize.  She was hanging on the down line for a safety stop “when I heard a kind …

Text and Photo by Tobias Friedrich Sometimes you just get lucky. We were diving on the Red Sea wreck, Chrisoula, when good fortune came my way in flash. I was waiting for a fellow photographer inside the wreck, filling up most of a small hatchway when this moray eel …

By Jill Heinerth Gliding along with the precise synchronicity of a flight demonstration team, scuba divers piloting radical-looking scooters maneuver into the frame. As viewers we are transformed, drawn into the dimly lit cave of indescribable beauty. If the Director of Photography has done his job, we are engrossed …

By Dr. David Sawatzky In the last three columns I reviewed vision underwater, common refractive errors, and reading glasses/ contacts.  In this column I will finish the discussion of vision and diving by looking at various mask options for correcting your vision while under water. Do You Need to Correct Your Vision? Diving with a …

A chance meeting on a Florida beach became a lifetime friendship between contributor Ellsworth Boyd and 1950s pinup favourite Bettie Page Text and Photography by Ellsworth Boyd The year was 1957. I was lifeguarding in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, one of a dozen Ocean City, Maryland, beach patrol nomads who …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary We use a Swiss Army knife on ALL assignments. First, the plastic toothpick of this old companion is the best O-ring removal tool ever made. Second, other components such as the screwdrivers, scissors or tweezers always come in handy. As Michel was unscrewing …

Text and Photography by Andy Murch Just after midnight on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef near Port Fidalgo, spilling more than 260,000 barrels of Alaskan crude oil into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound. Oil bled from the ruptured hull for three days until emergency …

Text by Jean-Michel Cousteau Three flights from Santa Barbara, California, to Barbados, followed by a 45 minute single propeller plane ride to Union Island, a brisk 20-minute boat ride across the southern Caribbean’s turquoise water to a lush green mountain rising steadily from a seemingly endless ocean, I finally …

Bluewater Photo’s 5th Annual SoCal Shootout September 18-20th, 2015 • Over $20,000 worth of prizes Bluewater Photo is excited to announce the 5th annual SoCal Shootout, happening September 18-20th, 2015. This weekend long competition brings together underwater photographers of all levels throughout Southern California. Starting Friday morning and spanning through Sunday …

One of the most spectacular but little known events along the Florida reefs—as well as around the world—is the annual synchronized spawning of corals. Yes, corals do have sex to reproduce and to observers it looks like a brilliant underwater fireworks display.  In the middle of the night several …

First annual event scheduled for July 18 to attract more women to scuba diving To build awareness and increase interest in diving among women, PADI has launched a “Women in Diving” initiative, including the inaugural PADI Women’s Dive Day scheduled for 18 July 2015. The international event is geared …

Nanuk 935 $259.99 – with foam For all the scuba gear you own and need to transport and store, there is Nanuk. A Canadian company in biz for more than 20 years, they offer a wide range of cases to protect everything from your expensive regulators to your iPhone, and your video …

The Dive Industry Association of British Columbia (DIABC) announced the online release of a new video promoting scuba diving in Beautiful British Columbia. Funded in partnership by the DIABC and Destination BC, and produced by BC’s own SeaproofTV, the video is an exciting 3 minute look at the Canadian …

The Niagara Divers’ Association will present its 21st Annual Shipwrecks Symposium on Saturday, May 2, 2015. This one-day symposium on shipwrecks will feature multimedia presentations with internationally renowned speakers from both the United States and Canada. $44 CDN / US up to January 26, 2015; $49 CDN / US …

Parks Canada have just uploaded a high-definition video on the first-ever tour of the shipwreck of HMS Erebus provided by our archaeologists. Read about the next part of their expedition here.  

Divers are set to revisit the sunken Franklin ship HMS Erebus in the arctic over the next week or so in an ambitious joint operation that will pair up Parks Canada Underwater Archaeology Service and Royal Canadian Navy Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic and Pacific) divers in the first under …

Text by Albert Podell The days and the dreams of my childhood were dominated by the events of World War II. The Nazis and the Japanese were an existential threat to our way of life, and we celebrated our every victory and adored our military heroes. My favorites were …

Without any doubt, the Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia’s most popular and exciting, non-diving event is our annual SHIPWRECKS conference. While you will need to leave your regulators and scuba tanks at home for this event,  there will be no shortage of diving stories, and divers to meet, …

Shearwater Research, responsible for the rather excellent technical computers Petrel and Petrel 2, have released a new and improved desktop application cunningly called Shearwater Desktop. Available for both Mac and Windows users, the new software offers an improved user experience, making it easier to implement firmware updates. Firmware is a vital part …

Artifacts recovered from a shipwreck off Singapore are currently on display at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. See the next issue of DIVER for the feature by writer Stephen Weir.          

Valentine’s day is just around the corner, and what better gift to get your loved one, than a manatee. Ok, so not a manatee per se, that would be cruel. But an adopted gentle giant they you can follow, support and love! Whether you’re buying for your wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend, …

Excitement is building and anticipation is in the air as PADI launches this year’s edition of the “I Heart My PADI Pro” contest. This program gives PADI Divers the opportunity to tell the world why their PADI Professional is the best on the planet. They can win great prizes …

By Dr. David Sawatzky In the last column I reviewed common refractive errors and the effects they have on our vision both in and out of the water.  In this column I will continue that discussion by reviewing reading glasses, contact lenses and how they interact with diving. Presbyopia (far-sightedness associated with age) …

Text by Jean-Michel Cousteau Twenty fourteen is a special year for Ocean Futures Society – this year we are celebrating our 15th anniversary: 15 years of ocean advocacy through our award-winning films and educational programs that teach and inspire us all to protect our ocean planet.  These past 15 …

Text and Photo by Andy Murch When you’re staring into the gaping maw of a whale shark, it’s reassuring to know that the largest fish in the sea is incapable of swallowing anything larger than a grapefruit, preferring instead a diet of tiny organisms that somehow manage to support its …

The Diving Almanac is the book every diver should own. First published in 2007 the Diving Almanac & Book of Records is the only compilation of scuba diving industry information of it’s kind. Previous editions of the Almanac were printed, but the new 2015 Diving Almanac is now a …

California based Light & Motion has been at the forefront of underwater imaging for several years and their Kickstarter announcement has captured the attention of a lot of underwater photographers and videographers! The Sidekick Kickstarter campaign aims to raise $50,000 so Light & Motion can begin full production of their excellent new GoPro light called Sidekick. …

QuikPod From $49.99 A great camera accessory, whether you’re shooting with a dSLR, compact, phone or GoPro, there’s a QuikPod for you. Customize with sturdy tripod legs, a floating lanyard, bluetooth remote shutter, smartphone adapter and more. Good build quality, long lasting and very handy – we have one on every …

At 30, Becky Kagan Schott’s already an Emmy winner but the over achieving cinematographer believes the best is yet to come Interview By Michael Menduno – First published Volume 38 Issue 2   Talent plus personality. That’s how clients and colleagues explain 30-year old Becky Kagan Schott’s rapid ascent in the …