Dive Pirates

Cayman Brac is second in size to Grand Cayman in the trio of Caribbean islands. RSC and I dove with Reef Divers on Little Cayman a few years ago. This video is of their sister resort on Cayman Brac. First off, yes, it is always this nice.

Second, Dive Pirates provides scuba experiences to the disabled. I didn't believe it could be done until I saw this video. How awesome.

Eyes In Your Head

Nope. Not in the back of your head - IN your head. That's what Macropina has. The green balls it is transparent head are its eyes. The black eye-looking things are olfactory organs - its nose.

Marine Camoflauge

Feel free to watch this whole 5 minute TED video on bio-luminescence and cephalopods, but if you only have a minute, go to 4:00 to see the most incredible octopus I have ever seen.

Divers Down.

Some Very large searches in our databases leave me free to show you this:



This is the "Poseidon Discovery", part of a new breed of consumer 're-breathers.' For those who like breathing air on terra firma, the way god intended, a re-breather recycles the CO2 your breath out back into some usable 02 you can breath. Special forces and researchers (particularly those who engage in more deeper "technical diving") have been using these for years. Now, they are becoming simpler and "cheaper" -- This one costs $7,400, roughly 2-5x the cost of a basic rig.

Two benefits inure from rebreathing:

1. No bubbles. Fish don't like them. Without bubbles, you get to see more stuff.
2. Longer down times. If you are not breathing compressed air, you are not getting the progressively dangerous 02 or N levels that limit dive times. The company claims you can dive twice as long for the same surface time. Heck, a 2 hour dive? You'd need to train up for that kind of stress.

This is What We are Working To Preserve.

Now that is what I call a Goliath grouper. The ones I have seen are teensy in comparison. Want to be floored before the weekend? Check out more at the Wildland Smith Rice Nature Photography Awards.

And it's sturdy!

First off, that is not a doctored photo. I have to keep looking at it to be convinced. Need proof? The lighting on the rig is correct and the whole thing is too akimbo to be anything other than organic.

Let's Go Digital's editors decided, "Let's go put ourselves in mortal danger!" They tested high end DSLR underwater housings both for the camera's underwater color performance and the case's durability, ease of use, and feel. How? By flying to the Bahamas and tossing a bunch of chum in the water. That's how I stay on my toes when attempting to learn a new $5000 piece of equipment while under water -- attract predators.

They liked the Nikon D80. The Shark thought it crunchy and tough, but it had a pleasant 'eau de yuppy'.

The Little Cayman Beach Resort
This is my idea of fun.

And, yes, it looks exactly like that.
This, however, is not:

These are actually beautiful creatures. A 5'-er hung out under the boat for a few dives and it was magical. Just floating there eyeing us and scanning for lunch. Of course, a 4.5'-er hunting in the shallows of the lagoon while were snorkeling--that was a different story. Out we go -- call me a wus and we'll just have to toss you in the lagoon and see what you do.