Oceans of Opportunity

Category: the Life Aquatic | an Evolution

The not so novel concept of a Caribbean Marine Research Center

Interesting read, good in principle, but gives re-birth to lessons that the US government has not yet addressed: the proposal to turn the Guantanamo Bay facilities into a research center. In reflecting on my own career path recently, it dawned on me that I’ve been a part of the ebb and flow of all too…

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Isaac Asimov, and life under the sea

This recent Blog post couldn’t have summed up our conundrum any better: link. The piece kicks off with a quote by Isaac Asimov, stating: “Population pressure will force increasing penetration of desert and polar areas. Most surprising and, in some ways, heartening, 2014 will see a good beginning made in the colonization of the continental…

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New Paper | A Paradigm Shift for Human Exploration

Very pleased to share a newly published paper in the Marine Technology Society Journal (Vol. 50, Issue 1), entitles, “A Paradigm Shift for Human Exploration of the Sea: Standards of Practice, Training, and Program Development for Atmospheric Diving”. download .pdf This is a timely and essential white paper reflecting on the recent efforts to bring together partners…

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Top Underwater Tech Gadgets to Keep an Eye On in 2016

This last year has made me enthusiastic to see the future of diving unfold. While there are certainly numerous ‘big’ issues to address, a few seemingly simple innovations, or rather evolutions of terra firma tech to life beneath the waves, have surfaced (or rather made their first descent!). The following pieces of tech are, in…

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Oceanscrapers & Cities by and within the Sea

Every handful of years we see a short bit of press related to elaborate proposals to construct grandiose and magnificent cities beneath the sea, much like this recent piece in CNN highlighting Vincent Callebaut’s proposed ‘Oceanscraper’. These are all awe-inspiring, intriguing, and draw on dreams buried ‘deep’ within our brains that were all left by the…

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A Big Splash in the Ocean State

Yesterday’s news of a humpback while sighting well within the margins of Narragansett Bay is certainly news- and noteworthy. It seems that there have been more and more of these big splashes and sightings in recent years here in the Ocean State, and that’s a great thing. Last year, there were the beluga whales. The…

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Knots for a Life on the Sea

One cannot underestimate the importance of a proper knot. As a diver, we use knots each and every day both above and below water. It only takes one slip up to be forced to learn a few good knots, as a slip up might not just cost you or a job money, but it could…

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displacement…where will we go?

Amidst the typical news shenanigans as of late, out crept a nice CNN piece on population displacement due to impending climate change: https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/09/world/climate-change-create-poor-homeless/index.html. These are the types of issues that keep me up at night, and hopefully are keeping others up at night too. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the propaganda of climate…

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lose one, break one, steal one

When ordering supplies for a recent project, a colleague arrived at a parts list factoring in the ‘extra items’ we would need with the premise of understanding that divers will ‘lose one, break one, and steal one’. We all had a chuckle, but also understand full well that this is one of those true cultural…

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Gen II Ocean Space Habitat | Hong Kong

Lombardi deploys a Gen II Ocean Space Habitat at the City University of Hong Kong’s Kat O Island Research Fish Raft for integrated mulltitrophic aquaculture research. The Gen II system incorporates dedicated life support, making the system a dependent tool for the diver. Produced by Raymond Man.

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