Divers Direct, which calls itself the world's largest retailer of scuba gear, announced it will no longer publish a printed catalog. Instead, from now on they will provide an online version. Kevin Senecal, CEO of Divers Direct, said, “Our business is based largely on people who are eco-friendly, and this step will reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating the use of almost 40,000 pounds of paper.” The online version has the same look as the printed version but you can also click on items to zoom in and order them. -- Posted Thursday, June 26, 2008 by chb
Grand Traverse Bay designated Underwater Preserve
Grand Traverse Bay and nearby areas of Lake Michigan have been designated as Michigan's 12th underwater preserve. The state Department of Environmental Quality recently announced the designation, which supporters have sought for three years. The Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve Council says it will generate millions of tourist dollars by attracting recreational scuba divers and underwater researchers. The declaration is meant to promote the location and protection of shipwrecks and artifacts on the lake bottoms. [See Traverse site on Scuba and Shipwrecks] -- Posted Wednesday, June 25, 2008 by chb
Florida's Morrison Springs park gets face lift 
Morrison Springs in northwest Florida's Walton County is getting a facelift. Once privately owned, the 160-acre area including the basin with its sequence of caverns is now owned by the state and will be managed by Walton County and the State of Florida. Morrison's caves were once explored in the late 1960s by a young Sheck Exley to a depth of 170 feet, just before a local sheriff dynamited the cave after a fatal accident. Rumors had it that Morrison could be 1,000 feet deep. As is, once construction is completed this summer, there will be new boardwalks, a pavillion, new parking lots, and a scuba dock. -- Posted Sunday, June 22, 2008 by chb
Scubadiverinfo.com answers questions
Should you play sports after diving? If so, how soon? If you get a hooded vest for diving in colder water, is it better to have a vent hole in the hood so air can escape or not? And what are the rules for carrying the proper amount of weight when you dive? What does weight depend on ? How old do you have to be to become a certified scuba diver, and are there additional guidelines? Those are questions submitted by site visitors and answered by our scuba experts. [See answers to scuba questions] -- Posted Thursday, June 19, 2008 by chb
Quarry Diving 
Quarries start out as open-pit mines where rocks and other materials are extracted. Once the quarry is no longer used it may fill with water and become a great place for diving. We got a chance to dive Loch Low-Minn near Athens, Tennessee, a 10-acre lake in the midst of 100 acres of wooded land. [read about diving Loch Low-Minn in Athens, TN] -- Posted Thursday, June 19, 2008 by chb