REEF internships now available
REEF internships now available The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) has year-round internships available for certified SCUBA divers with an interest in protecting the marine environment. Interns present fish identification seminars to divers, conduct fish biodiversity surveys while diving, learn about lionfish biology, educate local communities about marine conservation issues and assist organizations such as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Coral Restoration Foundation. Minimum qualifications for an internship include a current open-water SCUBA certification, previous … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Diver, Featured, Products, Reefs, Reference, Report, Volunteer
Missing Diver March 28, 2012 in Cozumel UPDATE
Click HERE to read original post. On March 29th, 2012 I received an email from a DM friend working the boats with Sand Dollar this morning regarding the missing diver off Santa Rosa. He writes: Today and Tomorrow will be the last days of rescue for the missing girl. I am sure she never made the surface, I told the captain 15 minutes after we couldn’t find her on the surface. We check other boats in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Diver, Emergency/FirstAid, Events, Featured, ocean, Open Water, Reefs, Reference, Report
Diver Lost in Cozumel March 28, 2012
On March 28, 2012 while diving Santa Rosa, Cristina Cassin fails to surface during an aborted dive. Currents have gotten strong and the dive was aborted. Upon surfacing, Cristina was not with the group. A call over the radio was made. Search and recovery is still occuring at this time. Here is the english translation for the link below. COZUMEL, March 28. – He lost a foreign tourist who was diving on the reef of Santa Rosa. The woman was with a group of divers when he made the sign that was to emerge to the surface, which he did, however, when the group ended the tour and got into the boat that carried them, the crew noticed that she was not . Escalante Genaro Medina, chief officer of Federal Maritime Ward (Remafe) of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Boats, Diver, Featured, ocean, Open Water, Reference, Report, Rescue
DEMA WORKS WITH FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION (FWC) TO PLACE FAIR LICENSURE LANGUAGE IN FLORIDA BILL
Culmination of Effort That Began Last Year Clarifies Responsibility and Ensures Options for Divers and Dive Operators in Fishing and Lobster Licensing Law Following months of close collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), DEMA has succeeded in placing language regarding the licensure of dive charter vessels in Florida House Bill 7025. This Bill amends a previous law which would have forced dive charter operators to purchase a fishing and lobster license … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Boats, Conservation, Diver, Earth, Featured, ocean, Open Water, Reefs, Reference, Report
Underwater World Offshore Jacksonville Florida Event
Thursday March 29th, 2012 @ 7PM Intuition Ale Works 720 King Street, Jacksonville, Fl. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Conservation, Diver, Earth, Events, Featured, ocean, Open Water, Photography, Promotions, Reefs, Reference, Report, Volunteer
Shark fin soup to blame for blue shark decline
by Tamera Jones hey discovered that the sharks feed in exactly the same places in the ocean that long-line fishing boats operate, which means they get caught along with other target fish. The researchers add that such regions are ideal places to implement so-called marine protected areas, where fishing is banned, to safeguard blue sharks and other vulnerable species. ‘These sharks aren’t simply by-catch; we think along with mako sharks they’re being targeted for the shark fin market … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Earth, Featured, Fish, ocean, Promotions, Reefs, Reference, Report, Sharks
Amazon.com Confirms New Policy to Ban Sale of Whale and Dolphin Products
On March 2, 2012, Divetalking posted Petition Amazon To Ban the sale of Whale/Dolphin Today, Internet giant Amazon.com has now officially banned the sale of all whale and dolphin products from its wholly owned Japanese website, following global outrage that these products were offered for sale. Amazon confirmed the prohibition on its main website by adding language under the Food and Beverage section that prohibits “Products containing shark, whale, or dolphin” and Amazon’s Japanese website contains a similar ban on selling whale and dolphin products. The Environmental Investigation Agency and Humane Society International revealed last month that Amazon Japan not only sold products from endangered and protected whale species, but also products containing dangerous levels of mercury. In response, Amazon withdrew all whale products from Amazon Japan within 24 hours, but declined to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Earth, Events, Featured, ocean, Reference, Report, Rescue, Whales
The Canon EOS 5D Mark III
After months of rumors and speculation, the next generation of Canon’s most popular pro-level shooter has arrived. On Friday, the company announced details of its long-awaited EOS 5D Mark III DSLR camera. Notable updates are plentiful. There’s a totally new 22.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor (up from 21.1 on the Mark II) with a new photodiode structure that reduces image noise. The ISO range has been improved — the camera gains two stops on the high end … Read entire article »
Filed under: Photography, Products, Reference, Report, Videography
Lexar® Professional 1000x CompactFlash® Card
Leverages UDMA 7 technology to provide industry-leading 1000x (150MB/s) minimum guaranteed sustained read transfer speed* Capture and store high-quality images and 1080p full-HD and 3D video with your DSLR camera Supports VPG-20 for professional-quality video Blazing-fast file transfer from card to computer to dramatically accelerate workflow** Includes downloadable Image Rescue® 4 software to recover lost or deleted photo and video files*** Compatible with UDMA CF and CF devices Free dedicated professional technical support Limited lifetime warranty Product Literature Where to Buy Ultimate Professional-Level, High-Speed Performance … Read entire article »
Filed under: Photography, Products, Reference, Report, Videography
New Sighting on DECO, the Great White
On March 7, 2012 Divetalking received a new report. Marissa Lasso, Manager at Cave Country Dive Shop located in High Springs Florida along with fellow cave diver Kristi Bernot found DECO in the Devils Eye. Marissa writes “We found your little sharky friend in the devils eye last night at Ginnie Springs! — with Kristi Bernot” Speaking with Marissa on the phone, she states that she and Kristi were both heading out of the eye when … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cave, Cavern, Contest, Events, Featured, Open Water, Reference, Report, Sharks
Oceans Turning Acidic Faster than Past 300 Million Years
By Wynne Parry | LiveScience.com The oceans are becoming more acidic faster than they have in the past 300 million years, a period that includes four mass extinctions, researchers have found. Then, as is happening now, increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warmed the planet and made the oceans more acidic. These changes are associated with major shifts in climate and mass extinctions. But while past increases in the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide levels resulted from volcanoes and other natural causes, today that spike is due to human activities, the scientists note. “What we’re doing today really stands out,” lead researcher Bärbel Hönisch, a paleoceanographer atColumbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said in a news release. “We know that life during past ocean acidification events was not wiped out — new species evolved to replace those that died off. But if industrial carbon emissions continue at the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Earth, ocean, Reference, Report
Underwater ‘Seaview’ lets you explore coral reef
February 2012 by Paul Marks An underwater variant of the Google Street View service will from today begin giving web users an unprecedented photographic tour of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – and another reef in Bermuda will soon be getting similar treatment. Called the Catlin Seaview Survey, the project is a joint venture between Google, the University of Queensland and their sponsor, a multinational insurance firm called the Catlin Group. Part science project and part public outreach, the aim is to learn as much as possible about the reef’s state of health from a panoramic underwater photographic and video survey – and let the rest of us enjoy the reef’s untrammelled beauty online. “For the first time in history, we have the technology available to broadcast the findings of an expedition through Google. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Boats, Earth, ocean, Open Water, Photography, Reference, Report
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