Category: Dive in to an ‘Ocean State’ of Mind
Can we flush our negligence, or has Narragansett Bay really just gone to $#!T?
Bristol. East Providence. Aquapalooza. Three sewage-related closures in one season remind us that Narragansett Bay can absorb a great deal—but our negligence just won’t go down the drain. I spend a good amount of my working days on—and primarily beneath—Narragansett Bay. Down there, the world is reduced to a few honest things: water, muddy blackness,…
Read MoreThe Sakonnet and the Sturgeon
On June 9th, 2026 I sat through the painful 4 hour hearing for the Coastal Resource Management Council’s (CRMC) assent of SouthCoast Wind’s application to run high voltage export cables up through the Sakonnet River. I very infrequently, if ever, attend these types of public hearings – not for lack of interest, rather that I’m…
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Portable Inflatable Habitats | some context from 2024
In June–July 1964, Ed Link – businessman, inventor, philanthropist – conducted his second Man-in-the-Sea experiment in the Berry Islands (a chain in the Bahamas) with Robert Sténuit and Jon Lindbergh, one of the sons of Charles Lindbergh. Sténuit and Lindbergh stayed in Link’s SPID habitat (Submersible, Portable, Inflatable Dwelling) for 49 hours underwater at a depth of 432 feet (132 m), breathing…
Read Morethe ups and downs of mooring work
Tis the season – water is still cold, brisk morning starts, and a glimpse of spring come afternoon – and the long days out on the water have kicked off. This time of year is a big focus on one thing…mooring work. What is mooring work? Well, for those landlubber readers, a mooring itself is…
Read Morebarnacles for breakfast
This morning I chugged down half a coffee and then slipped beneath the layer of floating cigarette butts, seaweed, and miscellaneous plastic garbage to settle in to my home for the next 90 minutes – scrubbing the hull of a sailboat that had sat stationary in a dirty marina for more than a year. Nothing…
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 MoreIn Memorium | Dennis Perry
Last week, the Rhode Island mud diving community lost a long time friend. Dennis P. Perry 42 of Bristol R.I. died Sunday, January 24, 2016. Beloved son of Robert Perry and Jacqueline Bradley. Besides his parents he is survived by sister Suzanne Murtagh and husband James Murtagh, nephews Jacob and Cameron and his maternal grandmother,…
Read Morethe chronic tinkering disease
Well, I played hookie this Monday morning and went for a dive. Guilty? Heck no…I call it good strategy in that I worked through the weekend so was due for a break and skipped the weekend dive site crowds in favor of the very still and quiet Monday morning. Not a soul in sight. For…
Read MoreIn Memoriam | Lyle J. Smith
Lyle Smith, long time friend, and Owner/Operator of Coastal Diving Services LLC passed away on September 11, 2013. As I’m away from home, I can’t express how deeply regretful I am for not being able to be in Rhode Island to say goodbye to Lyle. The little peace I’ve been able to find is in knowing that…
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