Diving with a Purpose, volunteering with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program

by Bill Mashek According to Wikipedia, the whale shark is the largest extant fish species and a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft) Volunteering as a diver for any marine conservation project is a wonderful opportunity for passionate divers. My passion is working as a … Read more

Out of the Black and into the Blue: Diving to Stay Alive

By David, McGuire, Shark Stewards Floating, weightless, my eyes stare down into the impenetrable like the streaks of sunlight. Above me, the weight of one hundred feet of water is the blue Pacific. Ears ticking, throat constricting, my brain screams for oxygen. It is time to return to the surface, to the land of the … Read more

Dive Like Royalty Aboard the Avalon II in Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen

Dive Like Royalty Aboard the Avalon II in Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen                             are these the Caribbean’s last pristine reefs? Dear Fellow Diver: After nearly a half hour, no luggage emerged onto the carousel at Havana, Cuba’s José Martí International Airport. I glanced at my watch. A woman standing next to me noticed and said, … Read more

Shark Attack

“Thump!” “I felt the impact on my back, but I wasn’t sure which part of me was hit. I felt myself being carried through the water like a helpless ragdoll. I remember hoping I wasn’t losing too much blood although after the initial impact I felt no pain. It turned into a dreamlike sequence, an … Read more