Oceans of Opportunity

Category: the Life Aquatic | an Evolution

last breath

Losing the ability to breathe is just plain scary. Most of us have had the wind knocked out of us at one point in time – from an accident, a youthful fight with a sibling, or just had it scared out of you. Losing the ability to breathe triggers a number of physiological mechanisms to…

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take me to space! (or as close as you can get me there)

Given the recent change of pace in the manned space program, it’s going to be quite some time before we humans leave our planet with any permanence. The grandiose plan for a lunar colony might very well be in the hands of the private sector for the foreseeable future. However, manned exploration efforts are far…

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aquatic atrophy

Another week behind me means another 35+ hours of accumulated time at the bottom of the sea. Yes, literally. While most would consider this a glamorous career, or even something out of Hollywood, it’s anything but…most of my days are spent in muddy harbors in pitch black water with close to no visibility whatsoever. Now…

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The 4 Hour Workweek | a Review

Tim Ferriss’ ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ takes us on a journey to find our personal freedoms from mass societal conformity. While Tim’s personal journey may not be 100% realistic for the middle and lower class who often depend on physical labor to make a living, there are several principles throughout the book that indeed hold up…

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Ancient Aliens – the Series on History Channel

Ancient Aliens: THE SERIES premieres on the History Channel on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 8PM with Episode I: The Evidence! In total, there will be 5 two-hour episodes, with the following air dates: Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 8PM – Episode I: The EvidenceTuesday, April 27, 2010, 8PM – Episode II: The VisitorsTuesday, May 04,…

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human journey

This is a borrowed video post from Alex Michael Bonnici, a colleague from the Discovery Enterprise… What particularly caught my attention was the Herman Melville quote from ‘Moby Dick’, “I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote”. This itch is one that cannot be scratched to relief… The torment is what continues to…

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strong in the water

Perhaps the single most gratifying element of my career in diving is the constant renewed focus and situational awareness refinement; and it doesn’t take much to be reminded of just how important focus and situational awareness are when working in the underwater world Having just returned to the water after a six week medical leave,…

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What should have been | Sealab III

Forty-one years ago today (February 15, 1969), perhaps the most ambitious life in the sea programs in history was deployed off San Clemente Island in California. At a depth of 610 feet/185 meters, the Sealab III project built upon the successes great success of Sealabs I and II. The project was spearhead by the US…

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when the blue is blacker than black

With 2010 kicking into high gear, despite the frigid New England weather we’ve had the past few weeks, it’s back to business as usual for many marine contractors. Just this past week I started a major rehab project of a submerged railway system used for launching and hauling large ferries and other transport vessels. This…

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defining the deep envelope

A recent December 5th dive in the Red Sea took steps to define the capacity of humans to foray into the deep. A team of 3 divers using rEvo rebreathers completed a dive to 211 meters depth (about 700 feet). The deep push team included Paul Raymaekers (Belgium), Marco Reis (Brasil), and Pim van der…

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