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
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
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
Dolphin strandings in Mass
WELLFLEET, Mass (AP) — There’s no good spot on Cape Cod for dolphins to continue this winter’s massive and unexplained beachings, but a group of 11 has chosen one of the worst. The remote inlet down Wellfleet’s Herring River is a place where the tides recede fast and far, and that’s left the animals mired in a grayish-brown mud one local calls “Wellfleet mayonnaise.” Walking is the only way to reach the animals, but it’s not easy. Rescuers crunch through cord grass and seashells before hitting a grabby muck that releases a footstep only after a sucking pop. One volunteer hits a thigh-deep “hole” and tumbles forward. The mud covers his face like messy war paint the rest of the morning. Rescuers make a quick assessment once they reach the animals. One dolphin is … Read entire article »
Filed under: Dolphin, Featured, ocean, Open Water, 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
Our Living Ocean
Did you know these facts about our oceans? How important is our oceans to you? Please share the knowledge that our oceans are under our care. It is up to you and you to stand up for what is yours and yours. That we, the citizen of this planet are all responsible for the stewardship of this one and only planet that supports our life. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, ocean, Open Water, Reefs, Reference, Report
$10,000 reward in sea lion killings
By msnbc.com staff A group best known for fighting off whalers has joined federal investigators looking into the recent killings of sea lions near Seattle, offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible. Another sea lion was found dead over the weekend, adding to seven others found in recent weeks with bullet wounds. A harbor seal was also found dead. Federal officials planned to examine the latest sea lion on Tuesday to determine if it, too, had been shot. ——————————————————————————– The latest sea lion found was on the Nisqually River, south of Seattle, as were six of the other sea lions. “This is a violation of U.S. federal law and the person or persons responsible for these shootings must be apprehended and brought to justice,” Paul Watson, founder … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Featured, Reference, SeaLions
Conversations with History: Ocean Voyages with Sylvia Earle
I present to you Dr. Sylvia Earle … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Diver, Featured, Promotions, Reference, Report, Training
BBC Planet Earth/Blue Planet Deep Ocean Creatures
Filed under: Featured, Open Water, Reference, Report, Video
Conservationists Find it Hard to Dent Hong Kong’s Appetite for Shark Fin Soup
The Wrong Kind of Status Symbol In many parts of Asia, shark fin soup is considered a delicacy. It is traditionally served at weddings, but it’s also a way for the newly wealthy to show their status. The problem is, the number of people in Asia who are entering the middle-class and can now afford to eat more shark fin soup has grown exponentially in the past decades and – as Jaymi explains in her post about shark finning – there are between 73 and 100 million sharks killed every year, mostly just for their fins. Because sharks are top predators, they are crucial to oceanic ecosystems. Conservationists have long tried to either ban or at least regulate the practice, with various levels of success, and to convince people living where the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Featured, Reference, Report, Sharks
Scuba Extreme Adventure Sports & Travel
Scuba Extreme Adventure Sports & Travel It is the second annual Small Business Saturday, come show support for your local dive shop and remember everyone who comes in gets a FREE gift from us to show our appreciation! We will be in the store until 3:30 this afternoon. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Diver, Events, Featured, Instructor, Open Water, Photography, Promotions, Reefs, Reference, Report, Specialties, Training, Travel, Videography, Wrecks
Friday dives at Blue Grotto, Williston Fl
Want to work off that meal from thanksgiving? A number of divers are headed to Blue Grotto this Friday Nov. 25. to work off the meal we just finished from Thanksgiving. Come on out and scare the crocs and yourself. The turtles fine and so is the vis, cause I bet we’ll be the only three out there… Hope to see ya there. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cavern, Events, Featured, Open Water, Photography, Promotions, Trip Invitations
Happy Thanksgiving from ScubaExtreme
Filed under: Featured, Open Water, Report, Training, Travel
Blue Grotto, Williston Fl. 11/27/2011
For those who are in reach of this dive site, a team of Divetalking divers are heading to Blue Grotto Sunday Nov 27, 2011 to enjoy the peace and the visibility that come to the springs this time of year. If you are available and willing to dive with us, please plan on joining us this Sunday Nov 27, 2011 at Blue Grotto in Williston Fl. We should be arriving shortly after 8AM. Look for the Black Toyota Tundra with the messed up bumpber. The Divetalking team will be setting up and hitting the spring as soon as eveyone present is suited up and ready to go. We plan to perform a couple of dives, shoot some film, hit the bottom and get narced out on Nitrox. If it’s been awhile … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cavern, Diver, Events, Featured, Master Diver, Open Water, Photography, Promotions, Report, Trip Invitations, Videography
Divetalking Official Logo
[singlepic id=445 w=640 h=280 float=center] The logo above is the official logo to Divetalking.com. Divetalking is offering an official Divetalking patch and a Divetlaking wrist band to the first individual that identifies the meaning of the 5 silver stars on the logo. Good Luck … Read entire article »
Filed under: Events, Featured, General Question, Promotions, Reference