Hanifaru Bay: Ecotourism or Eco-Terror?

I’ve never seen a whale shark before. The other day, as I was drying off on the top of the Ark Royal’s dhoni (a traditional Maldivian vessel) after a snorkel, a 6 meter whale shark came swimming into Hanifaru Bay, the small semi-enclosure on the southern edge of Hanifaru Lagoon. Within about a minute of […]

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Mantas in the Maldives

I’m on a liveaboard boat anchored a few hundred yards of a paradise-like atoll in the Maldives.  Above me, stars are shining brightly with no light pollution for miles around to dim them out.  I can say with certainty that I’m living the life.  But alas, for me this is still work and not simply […]

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A Lighting Revolution

It’s funny – it seems like all of the sponsors of the scholarship are on the cutting edge of their area of the industry.  Lucky for me, when I visit them I get to see what’s coming next year and what new products will change the way we explore and experience the oceans.  Lucky for […]

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A Bubble-Free Zone

The breathing-gas economy has a lot to do with it (think about spending 8 hours underwater with only two 3 liter tanks), and the idea of doing surface intervals underwater is definitely exciting, but it was the lack of bubbles – the complete and utter silence – that really sold me on rebreathers.  On our […]

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Rebreathing in California

I’m in between San Diego and LA and I haven’t left the house in three days.  I’m staying with Jeff Bozanic, one of the most knowledgeable and experienced rebreather instructors on the planet, learning rebreather dive theory and spending hours in the pool getting comfortable on the units.  Closed-circuit rebreathers are complicated units, far more […]

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