Author: oceanopportunity
Confined Spaces and Atmospheric Management 101
Confined space entry is among the most hazardous occupational activities in the industrial sector. The issues that must be addressed are clear ingress/egress of the space, collapse, and of course atmospheric management. The latter is what makes the activity very similar to diving, and in fact, advanced techniques for extended range confined space penetrations are…
Read MoreThe Space within Milan’s Manholes
I’ve visited my share of manholes as a working diver, but never have I ever found one that looks like these: https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/27/arts/street-artist-milan-manholes/index.html Milan artist Biancoshock has transformed several of Milan’s abandoned manholes and other underground space into purposeful artistic installations. This is exactly the type of industrial art and experimentation that we need a whole…
Read MoreOceanOne Robot | an Avatar for the Life Aquatic
The recent news of Stanford University’s OceanOne Robot’s successful salvage/recovery of artifacts from Louis XiV’s flagship came as quite the news to me. Admittedly, I know very little about the robot, however it does warrant some thought and discussion as we consider the value of humans versus robotics within the field of ocean exploration. On…
Read MoreCreating ‘Space’ for Space
Having ‘space’ within space seems to be a critical bottleneck in manned space exploration, second of course to cost-effective round trip travel. Regarding the latter, the various recent private initiatives are certainly making progress, though like anything groundbreaking, there remains a long road ahead. Once we get there, what are we going to do? Answering…
Read MoreInflatable Habitats from Sea to Space
Recent space news is nothing short of exciting: http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/20550/20160409/nasa-and-affiliates-send-inflatable-habitat-named-beam-into-space.htm. An inflatable habitat is headed to space. This of course makes great sense to be light and efficient when considering that weight is probably the single most cost-prohibitive factor when looking at space ventures. In the future, this level of modularity and portability will be what let’s us…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreIsaac 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…
Read MoreNew 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…
Read MoreManfish and Sharkbites
Well, it’s about time a rather frank perspective was cast out there for us, rather than simply continue to take the bait: https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/09/world/shark-attacks/index.html The gist? More shark attacks, yes, but also more people in the water. There are some simple cause and effects in life that just can’t be ignored. In my opinion, shark attacks…
Read MoreTop 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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