Petition Amazon To Ban the sale of Whale/Dolphin
Last week, public outcry forced Amazon.com to pull over one hundred whale and dolphin meat products from its Japanese site. Consumers were outraged that the world’s largest online retailer supported the killing of whales and dolphins — and Amazon.com listened. But now, Amazon.com is refusing to put a permanent ban in place to protect these animals in the future. Melissa Sehgal, an Amazon.com customer, is in Taiji, Japan — the site of an annual dolphin hunt that was exposed in the documentary The Cove. Every day she is witnessing how dolphins are captured and killed, and she wants Amazon.com to help stop it. That’s why Melissa started a petition calling on Amazon to never again sell meat from dolphins and whales. Click here to sign Melissa’s petition asking Amazon.com to permanently ban whale, dolphin, and porpoise meat … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Dolphin, Events, Featured, ocean, Promotions, Report, Rescue, Whales
Inshore reefs next for city artificial reef program
by Joe Wilhelm Jr., Staff Writer The City’s Waterways Commission was updated on the progress of the City’s Artificial Reef program Wednesday and learned of efforts to develop in-shore reefs. Dana Morton, City Aquatic Biologist and Artificial Reef Coordinator, was joined by City Planner Jody McDaniel in presenting an update requested by the commission City Waterways Coordinator Jim Suber also helps coordinate the program’s efforts. “Artificial and natural reefs are public resources that provide recreation benefits and income to local economies,” said McDaniel. “Fishing is a multibillion dollar industry in Florida and its estimated economic impact is $5.4 billion and 54,000 jobs associated with the fishing industry,” she said. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission administers a state artificial reef program created by the Florida Legislature in 1982. The program provides financial and technical assistance … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Conservation, Events, ocean, Reefs, Reference, Report
S.B. Filmmaker Mike DeGruy Killed in Helicopter Crash
Mike DeGruy, the internationally respected and unanimously liked documentarian of underwater nature films who called Santa Barbara home, died today in a helicopter crash in Australia just before 4 p.m. local time. He had just turned 60 years old at the end of December, and leaves behind his wife and two children. In charge of curating the “Reel Nature” sidebar of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for the past decade, DeGruy was missing his first film fest in nine years, according to his Twitter page (twitter.com/mvdegruy). He was in Australia to work on his next project, and was slated to continue working sometime next week in Papau New Guinea. The crash, which also killed a pilot from Melbourne, occurred near the town of Nowra on the New South Wales coast, according … Read entire article »
Filed under: Diver, Events, Open Water, Photography, Reefs, Reference, Report
Diver Rescues Killer Whale
A scuba diver in New Zealand diver has rescued an orca, commonly known as a killer whale, he found trapped in a fisherman’s rope. New Zealand media report the whale had become entangled in a rope attached to a crayfish trap off the coast of Coromandel Peninsula. Diver Rhys Cochrane said the whale did not seem to mind when he swam down to cut the rope and said it swam away quickly once it was freed. He said several other whales had watched from a distance. New Zealand orca expert Ingrid Visser watched the video Cochrane had taken of the experience. She said whales are smart enough to know when you are trying to help them. Visser said she could see bite marks on the whale, indicating other whales had tried to free it. Visser … Read entire article »
Filed under: Diver, Events, Featured, Killer Whale, ocean, Open Water, Reference, Report, Rescue, Video, Whales
Proposed bill pushes more state scuba diving
A state representative from Northwest Michigan has proposed a bill that would allow for the creation of more scuba diving opportunities around the state. Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, said he hopes to give lakeshore tourism a boost by making it easier to intentionally sink decommissioned ships or other structures for scuba divers to explore. Currently, Michigan’s law states that vessels can be intentionally sunk only within underwater preserves, MacMaster said. His proposed bill would create a permitting process where an interested party would apply for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Quality. Any ship or other vehicle that would be sunk would need to be cleaned in accordance to federal environmental standards for decomissioned vessels used as artificial reefs, according to the proposed bill. MacMaster said it also would need … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Events, Reefs, Reference, Report
Name the Great White
Saturday January 28, 2012 – Thursday March 1, 2012 Description: Four Great Whites are on their way to Florida. One of the four Great Whites has been named NARCOSIS. The three remaining Great Whites need a name. Register your suggestion for a name and if the name you submitted is the first of that name submitted and selected, you will win one of many prizes being given away by Divetalking. When the names of the sharks have a name, they will reside at one of many springs around the state of Florida. It will be you and your friends task to find them to win more prizes from Divetalking. Once the sharks are placed, a post to their location as to which spring they decided to take up residency will be made. Good Luck! Register (Closed) … Read entire article »
Filed under: Contest, Events, Promotions, Reference, Sharks
10 new artificial reefs coming to Panama City Beach, Fla.
FELICIA KITZMILLER / News Herald Writer PANAMA CITY BEACH — Bay County has committed to build at least 10 new artificial reefs by the end of the summer and more are in the works. At their last meeting, county commissioners voted to accept a $60,000 grant from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to construct 10 new artificial reefs in an area approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about 10 nautical miles from the entrance to St. Andrew Bay at a depth of about 88 feet, according to a board memo. The reefs will augment an existing reef formed when the remnants of the old DuPont Bridge were sunk in that area. Each reef will be composed of four premanufactured concrete and steel pods arranged in grid pattern about 600 feet … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Events, Reefs, Reference, Report
Discussion to open cave diving at Wakulla
By Jennifer Portman Democrat senior writer CRAWFORDVILLE —Opinions were sharply divided at a public workshop Thursday night on whether recreational cave diving should be allowed at Wakulla Spring, the centerpiece of Wakulla Springs State Park. More than 200 people turned out to the Wakulla County Agriculture Extension Arena for the meeting hosted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to get input on a proposal to reverse a 26-year-old policy forbidding public diving in the 300-foot-deep first-magnitude spring. About 100 people filled out speaker cards and were given about a minute each to make their pitches — both for and against the plan — to officials with DEP’s Division of Parks and Recreation. Many of those opposed to the idea wore badges and held small signs that read: “No more threats to Wakulla Spring.” “It may … Read entire article »
Beneath The Sea Meadownlands Exposition Center, New Jersey
.. And to You, A Special Invitation to Our New Dealers Day It’s our lead-in to the show where only you and our exhibitors – over 300 of them, can do business: Friday, March 23rd. Check it: our web site, www.BeneathTheSea.orgClick on ‘Exhibitors’, then ‘Dealer Day Registration’ ps: We do have exhibit space available for you. Zig Armand Zigahn, Executive Director Beneath The Sea Inc. 495 New Rochelle Rd., #2A Bronxville, NY 10708 (914) 664-4310 Zig@BeneathTheSea.org BTS Expo 2012 March 23, 24, 25 ©Beneath The Sea 2012 … Read entire article »
Filed under: Convention, Events, Promotions, Reefs, Reference
Administration unveils sweeping plan to protect the country’s oceans
By Andrew Restuccia The Obama administration unveiled on Thursday a federal strategy for protecting the country’s oceans that calls for improving oil-spill response capabilities in the Arctic and managing the effects of climate change. The draft plan outlines a series of steps that various federal agencies will take to meet the goals of a 2010 executive order that called for ensuring the “protection, maintenance, and restoration” of the oceans. “This action plan will help focus our resources on actions that will enhance the stewardship of coastal and marine resources on which so many communities, small businesses, and American jobs depend,” Nancy Sutley, the head of the Council on Environmental Quality and the co-chairwoman of the National Ocean Council, said in a statement. The plan outlines a strategy for improving federal agencies’ ability to respond … Read entire article »
Filed under: Events, Open Water, Promotions, Reefs, Reference, Report
Public hearing on whether or not to open the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park to cave divers
On January 19th, the Florida Park Service will be hosting a public hearing on whether or not to open the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park to cave divers (see the Media Advisory). Currently, diving access to Wakulla Springs has only been through government permit, with few permits having been applied for and granted. As a result, access to Wakulla Springs has largely been closed to technical divers irrespective of training organization or qualifications. If potential future access is of interest to you, than we urge you to attend the hearing in support of opening Wakulla Springs to properly trained and certified technical cave divers, as well as submitting your opinions in writing prior to the meeting (the address for written submissions is included in the below Media Advisory). If you … Read entire article »
Titanic Items To Be Sold 100 Years After Sinking
By STEVE SZKOTAK RICHMOND, Va. — Items as small as a hairpin and as big as a chunk of the Titanic’s hull are among 5,000 artifacts from the world’s most famous shipwreck that are to be auctioned in April, close to the 100th anniversary of the disaster. Nearly a century after the April 15, 1912, sinking of the ocean liner that hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, a New York City auction is being readied by Guernsey’s Auctioneers & Brokers. That auction house has garnered headlines in the past by selling off such historical curiosities as prized Beatles photos, famous jewels of the late Princess Diana, beloved Jerry Garcia guitars and a police motorcycle used in the Texas motorcade when John F. Kennedy was slain. But nothing as titanic as the so-called … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Auction, Events, Promotions, Reefs, Reference
ScubaExtreme 2012 Annual Manatee Trip
email ScubaExtreme … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cavern, Drift, Events, Manatee, Promotions, Travel, Trip Invitations
New Years Day Dive at Ginnie Springs
Divetalking would like to invite you to dive New Years Day at Ginnie Springs. Bring Friends and Family and come on out and spend the first day of the new year diving. Register for the event and allows me and those attending know you are coming and the number of people. Please bring a dish to share with the others and we’ll make this a day of diving and fun, spending it together. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas Larry … Read entire article »
Filed under: Events, Trip Invitations