• Grand Turk, February 17-24 -- 7 nights/8 days - $990
• Tortola, British Virgin Islands, April 14-21 -- 7 nights/8 days - $974
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, May 22-27 -- 5 nights/6 days - $TBA
• St. Vincent, June 9-16 -- 8 days/7 nights - $1,050
• Key Largo, Florida*, July 7-14 -- 8 days/7 nights - $1,093
• San Juan Islands, Washington, July 23-26 -- 4 days/3 nights - $818
• Kona, Hawaii, August 4-11 -- 7 nights/8 days - $1,485
• Woods Hole, Cape Cod, September 11-16 -- 6 nights/5 days - $509
• Bonaire*, September 22-29 -- 7 nights/8 days - $1,063
• Utila*, October 20-27 -- 8 days/7 nights - $1,110
• Anguilla, November 10-17 -- 8 days/7 nights - $975
• Cozumel, December 1-8 -- 8 Days/7 Nights - $544

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- comprised of 2500 experts from 130 countries -- the Great Barrier Reef could become "functionally extinct" within a few decades. According to the Panel's leaked report -- the final, official draft of which should be available this Friday -- the reef will (might?) die from bleaching, which occurs when water temperatures grow too high, and which involves a breakdown of the symbiotic relationship between corals and their color-giving zooxanthellae. Interestingly, the cooling waters associated with last year's Cyclone Larry preempted the potentially catastrophic bleaching event that scientists had predicted for 2006. However, the thought is that by 2030, the GBR will likely begin suffering from routine bleaching events and quickly perish.

What's most disturbing to me about this news is that the GBR is the largest living organism on the planet. Able to be seen from space, a dead GBR would be a permanent, hideous scar -- a constant reminder of beauty and life wasted.

[Thanks, Drew!]

From January 5-20, the guys from Dive Zero Video Magazine will be filming Issue #2 in Roatan Island, Honduras. I can't wait to see what they come up with, as I was a big fan of Issue #1.

During their Honduran excursion, the team will be posting video snippets to their blog every two days, for a total of 6 posts. In addition to their daily adventures, the clips will feature behind-the-scene video -- and clues to a contest that sounds pretty simple. The first 20 people to solve the contest will receive a free copy of Issue #2 and a chance for the grand prize: a trip for 2 to Roatan.

If what you're doing is better than a trip for two to Roatan, then keep surfing the Web. If it's not, then check out the video in which they explain the rules to the contest.

Stingray City offers visitors to interact with dozens of tame(-ish) stingrays. Allowing kids and adults to jump in the water with frozen morsels hoping to attract the creatures, Stingray City is a great opportunity for people to experience the marine world up close. Of course, some people worry that the practice is destructive. To that end, Cayman's Marine Conservation Law was amended recently to provide increased regulation of activities at Stingray City and in other Wildlife Interaction Zones. Among other things, the amended law will help regulate:

1. the amount and type of food fed to rays.
2. the number of tourist boats that can access the zone at specified times.
3. the number of passengers that can be carried to any specific area.

Clearly, the law aims to lessen the human impact on the rays. Ironically, though, Stingray City is not the rays' natural habitat; rays were attracted to the area by fishermen cleaning their boats.

Of course, some people oppose the new restrictions. According to Captain Eugene Ebanks, "Whoever concocted [the Bill] did not have the best interests of the Watersports Industry at heart." Ebanks fears the proposed regulations will create economic hardships for tour operators and dive companies. While overcrowding at Stingray City might've been a problem in the past, lately it seems that bookings at Stingray City have plummeted, so I wonder if this is an attempt by officials to improve the site's over-the-top eco-friendly image.

[Thanks, Doc Jelly!]

Unless you're Jean-Michel Cousteau, or you work for the US Wildlife Service, you ain't getting into the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. The largest protected area under US jurisdiction and the largest marine sanctuary on earth, the NHIMNM boasts more than 7000 species -- one-quarter of which exist nowhere else in the world. Although divers used to be able to reach Midway -- a large atoll in the island chain -- to explore the area's marine life, the area has been off-limits for about 5 years. Remote, untouched, pristine, and glorious, this place might be a diving wonderland -- if only divers could get there.

Amazingly, divers may soon be able to get there! According to Hawaiirama, the three governmental agencies that co-manage the Sanctuary just released an interim plan that will allow visitors to, um, visit as early as mid-2007. (According to the Seattle PI, the Sanctuary could accommodate 30 visitors per night in 2007, and up to 50 visitors per night the following year.) For now, appropriate activities will include snorkeling, kayaking, walking tours, and visits to the historic military sites located on the island. Okay, so snorkeling and diving aren't the same thing, but if things go well, maybe they'll lift some of the restrictions.

If you're interested in getting yourself out to Midway to see what all the hubbub is about, then you should check out the interim plan and comment on it by the February 6, 2007, deadline.

Florida commands 1350 miles of coastline and a $62 billion tourism industry. Pollution, filthy beaches, overfishing -- all these things could destroy the vibrant economy that the state currently enjoys. Consequently, Governor Bush and his cabinet recently signed into law a marine protection plan that could become a model for the nation. Commercial fishing is already banned in the area, but a new law restricts recreational fishing, as well, in a 46-square-mile stretch of ocean 70 miles west of Key West. Although it pales in comparison to the 140,000 square miles of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Monument, the new marine park -- to be incorporated within the Dry Tortugas National Park -- will comprise the largest marine reserve in the continental US (a healthy 197 square nautical miles). Happily, diving, snorkeling, wildlife viewing, and boating will be allowed.

With fish stocks at record lows worldwide, the time is right for this plan to go into effect. The new no-fishing zone will allow some of the area's most endangered species to spawn in safety away from human disturbance. According to David White, a regional director for the Ocean Conservancy, "It's a huge step forward for marine ecosystem management in Florida.... The fish that spawn there will be spreading throughout the Keys."

But is the new law enough? Locals argue that recreational fishermen are not the ones depleting fish stocks. They say that unless commercial fishing is restricted throughout the Gulf -- and their resultant by-catches are reduced drastically -- the effect of a ban on recreational fishing in the marine reserve will be negligible. Moreover, since Charlie Crist (Florida's governor-elect and current attorney general) opposed the ban, the oversight committee that developed the plan agreed that recreational fishing could resume in 5 years without the need for a vote. Considering it takes Goliath groupers, for example, between 4 and 7 years to reach sexual maturity, 5 years, frankly, may not be enough.

But it is a start.

There are lots of things divers DON'T want to see while underwater. For example, I would be less than thrilled about finding a pipe bomb; commercial-grade explosives; or random dive gear on an oil rig. Of course, human remains are pretty high on my list of things I'd prefer NOT to see while diving, too.

Recently, one of Calvin Tang's dive buddies, Nailer99, was diving Washington's T-Dock -- an otherwise great place for a leisurely shore dive -- when he found a mysterious bone. Holding it up to his forearm for comparison, the bone "seemed like a pretty good match for a radius or ulna -- the bones that connect the hand to the elbow." Is the bone human? Who knows. What I DO know is that T-Dock will likely become Seattle's next "in" place for diving, as people frantically scour the area for the rest of the body. See you there!

Minnesota's Quarry Park & Nature Preserve claims to be the most unique county park in the US. It's certainly among the most picturesque. Featuring granite reflecting pools; mountain bike paths over billion-year-old bedrock; trout fishing; geocachers running amok; and a swimming hole 116 feet deep, four of the park's 20 quarries are now ready for scuba divers! Among the park's new dive rules, expect to:

• sign the typical permits, releases, and liability waivers;
• present your C-card and a photo ID to obtain a free Quarry Park dive permit;
• have a parent or guardian cosign the permit if you're younger than 18;
• use diving flags to alert other quarry users to your presence;
• pay for parking.

To see all 9 pages of the (pretty typical) guidelines for divers, check out this PDF. If you want to see a promotional video of the park, you can. If you want me to dive in the park's waters in the wintertime, you've got another thing coming! Brrrr.

Starting this Friday (the 13th!) -- and running through Sunday -- San Antonio's Dive World Scuba will be sponsoring a weekend-long Halloween-themed, dive-friendly blowout. Held at Texas' North Park Canyon Lake, in addition to ample grilling-out, a gumbo cook-off, and "fun dives," the event also features an Underwater Haunted House, a Costume Party/Contest, an Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, and an Underwater Pumpkin Hunt. Twenty bucks gains you entry to the entire event and a 1 in 10 chance of winning a spankin'-new reg, BC, tank, and more. If you live in the San Antonio area, and you love diving, this sounds like where you should be this weekend. If you go, please let us know what an underwater haunted house looks like, so I can design one for next year!

[Via Dive Zero]

Last night was the final installment of Jean-Michel Cousteau's six-part series called Ocean Adventures. Ending a journey that began in April, Cousteau and his team -- which included son Fabien and daughter Celine -- completed a whirlwind tour of America's National Marine Sanctuaries, exploring 7 of the 13 sites and documenting the successes each site has seen. Filled with great undersea footage and some interesting researchers to comment on the work they were doing, the episode was good but, again, light on the science: I could've dealt with some more facts and analysis. That said, the show was nevertheless an excellent introduction to the Sanctuary system and overview of some of the major successes we, as a population, have achieved in trying to protect our environment.

The team opens the show in a big way, with a dive to the wreck of the Monitor, a ship that sunk in 1862. The first underwater location to be designated a Sanctuary, the wreck is intact but crumbling. At a depth of 240 feet, the team dives on helium and collects samples from the ship for researchers to analyze topside. One of an estimated 100,000 wrecks in North American waters, the Monitor is an important piece of history, and archaeologists are working feverishly to preserve as much of it as possible for public display. When I write "feverishly," I mean that figuratively, of course, since restoring an artifact from the site can take a decade!

Next, the team moves to Thunder Bay NMS. Located in Lake Huron, Thunder Bay covers 440 square miles, but this "Shipwreck alley" is home to an estimated 160 wrecks, including the Defiance. The waters, which serve as a training site for Naval Sea Cadets, are chilly and preserve wrecks as though they had just sunk. However, a recent invasion of zebra mussels has covered the wrecks, concerning researchers about how to protect them into the future.

The next destination is Stellwagen Bank NMS, which suffers from an unusual problem: too many lobsters. While most people probably wouldn't consider this an immediate threat, overfishing has removed many of the area's once-abundant cod (which eat lobsters) and left Stellwagen with huge populations of giant lobsters. The problem comes in trying to implement a successful sustainable lobster fishery and convince people to follow the program so that lobsters may be harvested well into the future. By tracking the creatures and studying their breeding habits, researchers hope to be able to manage the population here for decades.

After Stellwagen, the team visits Monterey Bay NMS, a once flourishing sardine fishery that fell on hard times in the middle of the last century after fish stocks collapsed. Having been protected for 40+ years, the Sanctuary now showcases what effective management can achieve: fish are abundant, populations are healthy and diverse, and fishermen, recreational users, and marine life are living together in relative harmony. Moreover, scientists are getting free labor: by installing small tracking devices on the wildlife, researchers are learning more about marine populations than ever before.

Next, the group hits Farallones NMS, and discovers that elephant seal populations are up dramatically. Not surprisingly, white shark populations are up, too. Although the area appears to be rich with sea life, the area was a radioactive material dumping ground in the 1940s and some people are concerned what effect this might have on the marine life, the undersea environment, and even humans, in the coming years.

Cordell Bank NMS is the next destination, and the team has the honor of being the first divers to explore the area in more than 10 years. Due to a strong current and a hearty chop, this isn't a diving mecca. However, the rushing current is responsible for providing plenty of nutrients for this super-productive area. All Sanctuaries should be this healthy.

Finally, the team visits Fagatele Bay NMS, way out in American Samoa. Arguably the prettiest Sanctuary, the lush area is subject to modern fishing practices, including blast fishing. However, through education and conservation, the Sanctuary hopes to monitor and balance the fish populations. Amusingly, even in this tropical destination, while snorkeling children wear just shorts, Cousteau's team wears skins.

In general, the episode was a nice overview of some of the problems and successes in each of the Sanctuaries. I would've liked some more science -- explaining the tagging systems more, for example, or showing how researchers were combating zebra mussels -- but for an hour-long show, the episode was well-done.

Cousteau got the final word, briefly explaining that humans and the sea are intertwined and asking people to be more respectful of the oceans. It was a nice reminder of the relationship we have -- but often forget -- with the planet, but I wonder if his words, buried right at the end of the final episode, will have much effect. In any event, for everyone who watched the show, the message was clear: don't throw trash into the ocean; stop overfishing; respect the oceans; and we'll all be much happier.

Did you watch? What did you think?

As soon as I saw that this video was shot at Hairball, I knew it was going to be the Dive Video of the Day! If you've never been on a muck dive, this 3-minute clip will give you an idea of what the fuss is about. Filmed on the Sulawesi side of the Lembeh Strait, the footage includes a hairy frogfish, a devil scorpionfish, a peacock mantis shrimp, and a gang of urchins. It's terrific. Check it out!

Whew! Tonight's quite a night of TV for ocean lovers!

First, PBS will air Cousteau's final installment of his 6-part Ocean Adventures series. Tonight is the second in the two-part series investigating America's Underwater Treasures. Part I featured a lot of great footage, although some would argue it was a bit light on the science. Hopefully, tonight they'll dig a little deeper.

Meanwhile, Discovery is airing "Sinking of an Aircraft Carrier" tonight, Discussing the sinking of the Mighty O, the show examines the struggles -- inclement weather, flooding, high tempers, and grueling labor conditions -- which threatened the project. It's scheduled for 8pm and midnight, so if you want to watch both, you can!

Beginning in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Cousteau's team dived with Goliath grouper, animals that can grow so big that smaller fish use them as a separate habitat. (In the way that loose space debris rotates around planets, small fish gravitate around these fish. The footage was amazing.) Despite serious overfishing and habitat loss up through the 1980s, federal laws protecting these fish were implemented in the early-90s, and as a result, their numbers are increasing. While there, Cousteau chatted with former commercial fishermen who now advocate implementing additional no-take zones so grouper populations can rebound further. The team also visited the Dry Tortugas National Park, and witnessed one of the world's most amazing spectacles: an annual coral spawning event. Again: some beautiful footage here.

Moving to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary -- a place I've never visited but want to, after last night! -- the team explored the so-called "North American Galapagos." Home to more than 1000 marine species, this multi-use no-take environment is a huge success story: people, marine plants, fish, coral, and marine mammals all seem to live in relative harmony. Although overfishing had previously led to habitat loss for many of the animals, researchers are now beginning to see growing numbers of increasingly large fish inside the Sanctuary. In other words, news is spreading that this place is good for sea life.

Next, the team visited the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the northernmost reef in the US, where the natural gas industry and the Sanctuary complement each other. In fact, the gas platforms seem to have become an oasis for coral and fish in the area -- and both populations are thriving.

Soon after, the team visited Gray's Reef, where many loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. Although threatened by fishing nets, new Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs) are helping to reduce turtle by-catch by more than 30%.

The team also visited the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, where they saw Sanctuary officials working hand-in-hand with Native American tribes to remove ghost nets from area waters. While there, they saw giant Pacific octopus, sea stars, jellies, and Wolf-eels -- fish that mate for life.

Last night ended with a visit to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, where whale populations are thriving, despite problems associated with ship strikes and entanglement.

All in all, it was a whirlwind tour of 6 of the Sanctuaries. However, I enjoyed the undersea footage; the chats with researchers who are trying so hard to bring awareness of these important habitats to the public; and learning that many marine populations are recovering. Some of Cousteau's previous episodes focused a little too heavily on sad news, so watching Part V was a pleasure. Don't forget that next Wednesday, Part VI -- the final installment -- will air. If you want to learn some more about the various Sanctuaries, PBS has an excellent, interactive Flash Guide to the Sanctuaries, boasting photos, information, and lots more. Check it out!

The only question I have is: why did Robert Redford narrate the episode? All the previous installments had been narrated by Pierce Brosnan. What gives?

Did you watch? What did you think?

Episode 5 of the Jean-Michel Cousteau's excellent 6-part Ocean Adventure series continues tonight (September 20th); the final installment is next Wednesday. According to PBS, the final two episodes will cover all 13 of the US' National Marine Sanctuaries and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Monument.

In addition to showcasing the Sanctuaries' beauty, Cousteau and his team will also document how these sites are conservation challenges. Over the course of the expedition, Cousteau and his team will dive among goliath groupers; humpback whales; the giant Pacific octopus; spawning coral; and numerous shipwrecks. If you want to whet your appetite, check out the video preview available on PBS.

[Thanks, Dad!]

Please, please, please don't do this. I'm not begging you to restrain yourself because it's bad, or dangerous, or expensive. You won't be disappointed, or injured, or even upset. In fact, if you do it, you'll probably be happy. Nevertheless, please don't do it. So...what is "it"? Scuba Diving Magazine and the Florida Keys are co-sponsoring an easy-to-enter contest, and the winner receives a free week of diving in the Keys PLUS a free set of Scubapro dive gear! So why shouldn't you do it? Because I really want to win!

What's so great about the Florida Keys? The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, beginning about 45 minutes south of Miami, is home to North America's only living reef. The area boasts 100 miles of vibrant reefs and wrecks -- including the Spiegel Grove and the Shipwreck Trail. Topside, there are abundant restaurants, and other fun things to do, too. And, again, I really want to win!

Anyway, on Scuba Diving's website, there's a very simple form you can complete -- name, address, phone, etc. -- to enter the contest. It takes about 30 seconds. No information on WHEN the winner will be announced, but the site indicates that one "dive professional" -- an oxymoron if I've ever heard one -- will also be eligible to win, and they'll register at the DEMA show in November. Consequently, I assume they'll announce the winners then. In any event, it shouldn't matter to you, because you won't be winning, because you won't be entering. Right? (Please don't!)

Having recently traveled through western Texas' Chihuahuan Desert (and only barely escaping!), I know how lip-crackingly, nose-bleedingly, palm-chappingly dry it can be out there. Diving in the area is one of the last things I would ever consider...unless by "diving," you meant diving into sand. Consequently, I was surprised when I read the headline "A spring-fed pool in dry west Texas has become ... A divers' oasis." Yeah...right.

But it's true! Texas' Balmorhea State Park -- literally, an oasis in the desert -- offers the unusual opportunity to do some diving in the Chihuahuan Desert. Located just south of Pecos, Texas -- and about 200 miles southeast of El Paso -- the Park features a 3,500,000-gallon, L-shaped pool that occupies nearly 2 acres. Filled by a continual flow from the San Soloman Spring, the 70-something-degree water in the pool is available to both swimmers and divers. For an oasis, it sure boasts a huge variety of marine life, from tiny tetra to foot-long catfish to plate-sized turtles, most of which are used to hand-feeding. Although max depth is only 25 feet, the pool boasts a vis of nearly 4 times that! With camping and lodging facilities onsite, if you're looking for a way to beat the heat in Texas, this is it.

As if Sipadan didn't have enough to worry about right now, Malaysia's local news service is reporting that an increasing number of divers are traveling to Pulau Sipadan illegally. The permitted number of divers per day is 120, but dive operators have actively ignored that law. In January, the average number of divers visiting the island was 141; April received the most visitors with an average daily diver count of 235.

When Parks officials discover illegal divers, they eject them from the park. Obviously, this has resulted in a strained relationship among divers, local dive operators, and the Park system. Reassigning permitting has been the government's first step in combating rogue diving in the area. However, it sounds like more stringent permitting isn't the solution; government needs to get the buy-in from the dive operators to limit the number of divers on the island, otherwise the point is moot.

[Via Asia Dive Site]