Narragansett Pier Dive Shop

DotEarth at The NY Times reported last week that James Cameron has engaged a team of specialist to help with the BP oil disaster in the Gulf.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/why-cameron-is-diving-deep-on-gulf-oil/

My favorite from the comment section is “You can criticize Cameron for his ego, however, I trust him with the cleanup more than anyone else.”

Gizmodo’s Joel Johnson posted a great piece yesterday about Why you should Scuba Dive. Here is a quote…

“But anyone can learn to dive in the relative shallows, spending a long weekend getting a certification that will let them drop into the waters of a tropical reef and simply lounge, watching the fish dart around coral heads or follow bigger animals attend to their rounds.”

David Pogue has an interesting article in the NY Times today called Underwater Photography Made Easy where he reviews two cameras (Sony’s Cyber-shot TX5 and Panasonic’s Lumix TS2) and two undersea camcorders (Panasonic’s SDR-SW21 and Sanyo’s Xacti VPC-WH1.

It seems strange to me that someone would have to study the behavior of Basking Sharks for years to determine that they also like to winter in warmer climates but they did. At least that is what a study published in Current Biology on May 7th, 2009.

The red in this picture shows the migratory path these great beasts take throughout the year which looks similar to a lot of New Englander’s I know.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/science/sc090507.html

Bags come in two main forms – gear bags and catch bags.  Gear bags are used to carry your snorkeling, scuba, or freediving gear from your home to car to water. They are usually made from canvas and should be sized according to the amount of gear you plan to carry. Padded bags are sold for use on airplanes and are extremely helpful for protecting your regulator and mask. We always recommend you have a hard plastic case for your mask to protect it from dings and scratches.

A catch bag is used to hold the treasures you collect while underwater.  They are often made of strong mesh which will retain its contents yet allow for instant drainage. The most important feature on any catch bag is its strength but having one that you can open single handedly and has a self closing spring is also helpful.
Knives are used for cutting, sawing, adjusting gauges, hammering, and sometimes even protection.  A good knife is one that does not rust and has both a smooth and serrated cutting edges. Your knife should be worn on the outside of your non-dominate leg or arm to allow for easy access.

In an emergency situation underwater, bang your dive knife against your tank to make noise that will travel well underwater and hopefully attract the attention of your buddy.

A dive flag is required to be floated above all divers while they are under the surface.  They are especially helpful in warning boaters of a diver’s presences. Dive flags usually come with a float but replacement flags can be purchased separately.