ZACATON: The Tragic Death of Sheck Exley

Zacaton is the deepest of five ceynotes located on a large ranch, El Rancho Asufrosa, in northeastern Mexico. It was “discovered” by Jim Bowden and Ann Kristovich on a reconnaissance trip made at the end of two weeks of exploration and surveying in the Nacimiento Santa Clara, a cave system at the base of the … Read more

Filming Navy Subs and Zen Meditation In the Deep

One of the first things that I learned as part of my military officer training was “Do not, under any circumstances, volunteer for anything”. This was especially true in January 1971 at the height of the Vietnam war. But, through a rather circuitous route of give and take between the army and navy, a short … Read more

Deep Breath – The Search for Fame

It’s almost unthinkable that a group of British divers in their mid-thirties would not of heard of the actor James Stewart but that is what I encountered on a liveaboard recently. To think that such a famous stalwart of the Hollywood Dream Factory could have been forgotten only half a Century after he made such … Read more

Historical Perspectives on Dive Tables and Decompression Models

“The reliability of a decompression table or procedure is not determined by any mathematical process, but by what works in practice. What works…is what works!” —  John Crea III “Any passive decompression device can only inform the diver of his or her decompression status. How that information is used is the responsibility of the diver.” — … Read more