Tag Archive
No Contest
We have taken a long break from blogging because we're putting together an updated version of the Raja Ampat dive guide we produced for Conservation International. The new book will encompass all the of the Bird's Head Seascape, so it's larger and more time consuming to write and illustrate. But we were interested to read the lead article in the latest Undercurrent, the one about Raja Ampat, which must have provoked lots of discussion about the best place to dive. The article and Dave Eagleray's comments certainly provoked some discussion around our house, so we decided to comment. This blog is not about defending Raja Ampat or even where our favorite place to dive might be. This is about the fact that wherever you like to dive is the best place. Our best friend Vickie (she introduced me and Burt so we have a very long term friendship) has been diving about as long as we have. Whenever she takes time away from her busy career, she goes diving. She has the means to travel wherever she wants, and she has known us for over 30 years so she has heard about most of the world's best dive spots. She could have dived with us in Sipadan, Komodo, the Solomons, wherever, but Vickie always goes to the same place: Cozumel. Why? Because she likes it! To her Cozumel is relaxing, easy to get to, and offers plenty of diving, but not enough to get in the way of spending a few evenings partying in town. We don't argue with her about her choice of destination, and we've stopped trying to get her to join us in some faraway, exotic place. We're just happy she's diving and loving it. Another good friend recently gave up diving. He also has the means to travel... More »
The Pleasure is All Ours: Thoughts on Touching Wild Animals
We experienced a very interesting incident a few weeks back during our survey of Cenderawasih National Park. We were there to explore sites for a new dive guide to the Bird's Head Seascape, which will include Cenderawasih, Raja Ampat and Triton Bay. Fifteen thousand-square kilometer Cenderawasih is Indonesia's largest marine park and, for the moment, the biggest attraction is its resident whale shark population. Yes, resident. According to fishermen in Kwatisore, a smaller bay within Cenderawasih, the whale sharks are there all year long. It seems that the fishermen believe whale sharks bring good luck, so they feed them small, anchovy-like fish called ikan puri. The sharks show up just before dawn, circling their boats for hours, almost like pets waiting for a handout. But the largest fish in the ocean is not a pet. In fact, whale sharks are endangered and have been on the CITES Appendix II list for nearly a decade. I was quickly reminded of this when a crew member grabbed one of the Cenderawasih shark's dorsal fin and began stroking it while the shark slurped the fish being tossed overboard. Titus, the park ranger traveling with us, went ballistic. I didn't catch all of the conversation (my Bahasa Indonesia is still limited), but the gist of it was, "Are you crazy? You aren't supposed to touch the wildlife!" Who knew that a desire to feed and touch wildlife transcended cultural boundaries? I thought it was only something that privileged, bored westerners wanted to do. Apparently not, but I still do not understand what is it about getting close to a wild, albeit gentle, animal that makes humans from all walks of life try to physically interact with it. What ever happened to gazing in distant wonderment? I realize that for decades this discussion has taken up many... More »
What’s In A Name?
There’s something very revealing at times about peoples’ names. Remember that a huge segment of our population derived their surnames from their ancestors’ original trades or employment. Just think about how many people you know whose last names are Cook, Smith, Carver, Baker, Carpenter, Speaker, Chandler, Flowers, Fryer, Gardner, Packer, Singer, Fisher, Taylor, Driver, and even Hooker. I even cautiously knew a dentist with the unfortunate moniker “Dr. Payne” on his business card. Not exactly the guy you want doing your wisdom teeth. Of course, it can work the other way… consider the smug satisfaction that dry suit manufacturer (DUI) founder Dick Long has enjoyed over the years. [caption id="attachment_851" align="alignleft" width="305" caption="Stan Waterman in his office "][/caption] But every now and then, fate hands out a surname that is simply perfect… that captures the essence of the person who bears it. I know a guy like that. His name is Waterman. It’s a safe bet that most folks will have name recognition for the likes of Jacques Cousteau or Lloyd Bridges who brought television’s diving hero Mike Nelson to life in Sea Hunt. But for divers, the one person most likely to hit 100% on recognition, popular approval, and appreciation scales simultaneously is, of course, none other than diving’s eloquent ambassador, Stan Waterman. It’s also worth noting that he began diving well before either Cousteau or Bridges first dipped their faces beneath the ocean. Stan’s contribution to the popularity and initial recognition of scuba diving is virtually unequaled. From a humble beginning as a blueberry farmer in coastal Maine, he was inspired to start one of the first pure diving operations in the Bahamas. Chafing at confinement to one locale, he indulged his... More »
Helpful Diving Tips & Observations
I started diving in 1959, so I had my 50th anniversary last year. That's not as bad as it sounds since my father, a senior naval officer, indulged my fascination with scuba after watching the first episode of Sea Hunt with me the year before. We then moved to a distant outpost called Key West and my future career unfolded from the first day in snorkeling gear. I was only eight years old when I did my first dive in Garrison Bight under the watchful eye of an "instructor" who never left the comfort of his deck chair on the pier as I blundered through mask clearing and other exercises and occasionally surfaced to see if I was doing things okay. "Yeah, you're making great progress," he assured me while opening another cold beer. "Now go under the boat and scrape the barnacles off the props and rudder." I guess that was probably the first edition of modern "specialty" courses. But I managed to survive over 18,000 dives to date and have developed a certain perspective over the years that might be useful to other divers. Here are a few tips: 1.You can usually learn more by watching a diver unpack and assemble his gear than from reading his logbook. 2. A diver's experience and skill is more often inversely proportionate to the number of patches on his jacket or c-cards in his bulging wallet. 3. The best insurance policy to make sure the boat captain picks you up after a drift dive is to borrow $50 from him prior to stepping off the dive platform. 4. Never exceed the depth of your ability and training. 5. To get in shape to look your best in a figure-hugging Lycra dive skin, forget the conventional weight loss programs. Try the Ultimate Motivational Diet: You can eat anything you want... More »
Lost in Translation
The diving experience is made up of a number of things. Just getting there at times involves days of transit via airplanes (some of dubious provenance), overnights in bizarre accommodations definitely not in the Travel & Leisure Top Ten, equally questionable local taxis or buses, and occasionally watercraft making the last connection that evokes memories of a distant past era that makes the African Queen with Bogie at the helm look cutting edge. But having once arrived at your destination, I always try to soak up as much of the local culture as I can to complement the diving. "Local culture" can vary widely... from the primitive villages of the Solomons or lost-in-time places like the Banda Islands in Indonesia to camel-tending nomadic tribal fire circles in the Sinai. In such situations, you tend to expect the "unexpected". But some of my most memorable times have occurred in quasi-civilized waypoints while still en route to the boonies. Take Costa Rica. I love Costa Rica... reasonably civilized with normal air flights, phones that mostly work, short flying distance from the U.S., great food, nice ancient culture, beaches, rain forests, mountains, wonderful craftsmen and artists, and a generally affable Spanish-speaking population that also does a good job of indulging foreigners with English, if necessary. But in the early 1990s, getting around the woeful road system if you were trying to get to Puntarenas or Guanacaste or down the Caribbean coast was an exercise in frustration of biblical proportions. Seemingly endless periods trapped in uncomfortable vehicles with no air conditioning and barely any suspension left you feeling every pothole and usually every raindrop that sneaked in through the roof. [caption id="attachment_832" align="alignleft" width="188" caption="Cathryn Castle during photo shoot for Draeger rebreathers in 1995"][/caption] In early 1995 I was hired as a consultant for a new resort... More »
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