Category: Mesophotic Exploration
new species of fish discovered ‘in Bahama Deep’
A critical component of our work in exploration is the process of discovery. Visiting a unique environment for the first time exposes limitless opportunities for driving science, and purest discovery lies at its roots. The Bahamas has provided our living test bed for experimenting with novel scientific diving techniques within the mesophotic, or ‘middle light’,…
Read Moreinterview on National Geographic Weekend
Very pleased to share this recent interview from National Geographic Weekend radio, with Host Boy Matson. Boyd and I chatted about recent developments with my portable habitat project. The development efforts are largely complete, thanks to the creativity, hard work, and generosity of Subsalve Inc. here in North Kingstown, RI. The deployment of the system will…
Read MoreSealab | the untold stories that changed humankind’s place on this watery planet
A recent interview in the UT San Diego entitled ‘Underwater Space Race in Scripps Canyon’ discusses Ben Hellwarth’s new book about the 1960’s Sealab project – our country’s ‘innerspace race’ if you will. I’ve written about Sealab before here on ‘a New Life’, as it marked a pivotal time for human exploration of the ocean. This is…
Read Morea new perspective on ‘our’ undersea world for 2012
With the turn of this new year, this is an opportune time to reflect on this year’s past and more importantly – start focusing energies for what lies ahead. The last two years have marked a timely and ambitious push to take my deep exploration work to new depths, and shed light on a new public…
Read Moreand…we’re off! the deep reef awaits
There is no amount of preparation, mental or otherwise, that fully prepares you for an expedition. Big or small objectives, solo or a team – when the stakes are high, the stress is high. While I may not have shown it, my stomach has been in knots for weeks now. Being the leader of the…
Read MoreConquering the Abyss
‘Spooky’ is the word to describe my forays into the deep, and ‘flattered’ would be the word to describe my reaction to this great News Desk piece released by National Geographic. Curiously, I often ponder the realization that it’s been 40 years since Walter Starck used his first ‘Electrolung’ off the deep reefs of Andros.…
Read Moreone small step for man – 8 years earlier
I wouldn’t have thought twice about today being any more significant than yesterday, though thanks to Google I was reminded otherwise. Today is an incredibly significant day in fact – marking the 50th anniversary of mankind’s first steps beyond Planet Earth. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin left our atmosphere on April 12, 1961. The event has likely…
Read Morecarbon dioxide and sofnolime | the necessary evil
Well, we’re just weeks away from setting out to uncharted waters yet again as we continue our explorations ‘in Bahama deep’. This next expedition will focus on Exuma Sound, where much like the Tongue of the Ocean on Andros, the Sound is a deep flanking margin dropping precipitously from the shallows to depths of several…
Read MoreBoston Sea Rovers | March 5 & 6
For those of you in the Boston area, I will be presenting the exciting results of our 2010 ‘in TOTO deep’ expedition at the Boston Sea Rovers clinic on March 5th at 11AM. This expedition is one in a series that focuses on ‘mesophotic coral ecosystems’, or MCEs. The term mesophotic, or middle/medium light, refers…
Read MoreMesophotic Coral Ecosystems | the benthic buzz
The buzz words for today’s benthic marine scientists are undoubtedly ‘mesophotic coral ecosystems’, or MCEs. The term mesophotic, or middle/medium light, refers to the region of the ocean below the photic zone where light is the major driver for photosynthesis by corals and algae, but above the aphotic zone where in the dark organisms rely…
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