Category: Uncategorized
the decision NOT to dive
Of all the decisions we must make as divers, the most difficult is often the decision NOT to dive. Those of us diving in the commercial sector know that this decision can often cost a business a considerable amount of money, and even earn a sour reputation should a diver show up on sight and…
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 Morethe whoas and woes of winter diving
Our mild fall has passed, and we’re officially into winter diving. The sign for me is waking up to find my hotwater suit (which was hanging out to dry) frozen solid – a less than inviting garment to don at 7AM. So be it… Winter diving here in New England brings us both ‘whoas’ and…
Read Morean illustration of why we do what we do
For the past several months, numerous friends and colleagues have forwarded me a short film about ‘Ray’. It is a beautiful piece that illustrates the lifelong passion we develop as a diver. Beyond ‘just a job’, for those of us that commit to living this life aquatic understand that there is no end point –…
Read Moreliquid breathing and the miracle of life
A wonderful Thanksgiving suprise was the arrival of my little Olive. It goes without saying that she was carefully inspected by her family for gills and webbed feet to see how much of her Dad was inherited right off. All kidding aside, among the most striking elements of Olive’s grand entrance was the realization that she…
Read Moremental health & ‘fitness to dive’
Fall 2011’s Alert Diver Magazine features a piece entitled ‘Psychiatric Fitness to Dive’, authored by Adam Roth MD. I was pleasantly surprised to find the article, as the issue of mental health is a critical one with regard to not only overall ‘fitness to dive’, but also day to day decision making by the individual…
Read Moresubaquatic job security – husbandry 101
Yesterday was a good reminder of where to find job security in the subaquatic realm – husbandry. Every device and structure – from instruments to bridges and piers – is severely abused by the natural forces of the ocean environment, and that means they need constant maintenance and upkeep…great news for us commercial divers. My…
Read Morelessons from day one | refraction in diving
Strike one, strike two, strike three – this was how I started my morning as I was swinging a hammer topside to tack up a pile wrap system while working under a pier. I just plain missed the nail three times. I then switched to my left hand and struck out again. Hmmm…something’s up. Then it…
Read Moreback to black(water)
Back at it – last winter/spring I partook in what was the single longest stretch of commercial diving that I had experienced. The project ran nearly daily for almost 6 months, requiring upwards of 30 hours of underwater time per week. Aside from the sheer exhaustion, I faced a number of other quasi-health problems which…
Read Moreoccupational diving | standards and new frontiers?
At the recent 2011 American Academy of Underwater Sciences annual symposium in Portland, Maine, I offered a presentation highlighting my team’s deep scientific exploration work in the Bahamas. At the tail end of the presentation, I shared a rough pre-production sketch of a portable inflatable habitat that we are constructing to augment the decompression phase…
Read More
Recent Comments