The Manatees’ Winter Vacation

The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is a large, slow moving marine mammal that inhabits the coastal bays, estuaries and rivers within the southeastern United States.  It is an endangered, tropical species, with closely related species endemic to regions near the equator.  Manatees found in the United States are in their northernmost habitat range.  During … Read more

Dive Community Makes Key Contribution to Philippines Relief Effort

Author Anne Paylor is an aviation journalist who finally took the plunge and completed her PADI OWD in 2011.  In July last year, Anne spent 10 days diving in Komodo National Park with Worldwide Dive and Sail, during which she completed her AOWD and Nitrox qualifications. She was not compensated for this article In the … Read more

In the Name of Science

We just returned from two dive trips where the focus was on soft science.  In Lembeh we hosted a nudibranch workshop with David Behrens.  Our group identified over 200 species in 10 days.  Dr. Mark Erdmann and Dr. Gerry Allen accompanied our trip to Cenderawasih Bay. In just nine days they discovered three new fish … Read more

Scientists and Scuba Divers Working Together to Save Cocos Island’s Spectacular Marine Life

By Todd Steiner, Executive Director of Turtle Island Restoration Network Twice each year, for the past seven years, I have made the 20-hour trip by boat to Cocos Island, 350 miles from the Costa Rican mainland.  This journey is well-worth the effort – Jacques Cousteau described Cocos Island as the most beautiful island in the world, … Read more

Great Expectations

The reason I am writing this is that, right now – November 2012 – I am sitting on a great dive boat – MV Golden Dawn – after diving some of the World’s Best Dive Sites – eg. Carl’s Ultimate and Newton’s Bommie, at Eastern Fields, and I am disappointed. This is because the visibility … Read more