October 2008

More than 600 diving equipment exhibitors showed their products at DEMA 2008, the annual trade show of the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, which took place October 22-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It was a big and exciting show with lots of new gear, representatives from what seemed like 100s of wonderful dive destinations, and just about anything related to diving. Scubadiverinfo.com was there to cover it for you! [See full coverage of DEMA 2008]

Olympus continues as PADI underwater photography sponsor
Olympus announces its partnership extension with PADI as the official digital underwater photography equipment sponsor of the PADI Diving Society through December 2009. With more than 175,000 members, the PADI Diving Society has direct access to Olympus underwater equipment at various diving events around the world to learn the skills needed to earn a PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty certification. -- Posted Saturday, October 25, 2008 by chb

Computer-controlled BC?
Two students from rom the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Mechatronics Engineering of the University of Auckland designed a computerized BC that would automatically adjust a diver's buoyancy if they get in trouble. The device can also automatically maintain a certain depth. "Our tests so far have proven the device to work, so the next step is to look at its marketability. As far as I know, a device like this does not exist," one of the students said. [Read press release on computer controlled BC] -- Posted Monday, October 20, 2008 by chb

Massachusetts divers reach SS Portland at 460 feet
The steamship Portland sank off the New England coast in 1998 in 460 feet of water, discovered in 1989, surveyed with robots in 2002, and then located by a group of divers in 2007. On August 13 of this year, a team of five became the first to dive the Portland, two of them with rebreathers. They encountered 30 foot visibility and strong currents, but were able to record video. The picture shows team member Paul Blanchette on a deco stop. Read report of the dive and view pictures. -- Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 by chb

Book review: Diving into Darkness
Diving into Darkness -- A True Story of Death and Survival by Phillip Finch is the true story behind the fatal body recovery attempt conducted by the Australian diver David Shaw at Boesmansgat, or Bushman's Hole, in South Africa in January of 2005. [Read review of Diving into Darkness]
-- Posted Thursday, October 9, 2008 by chb

Trivia
The NASA-sponsored research that in 2007 performed 3-dimensional robotic underwater mapping of the 1050 foot deep cenote Zacaton in Mexico where cave explorer Sheck Exley lost his life in 1994 found that the column-shaped cenote [see 3D model] has a volume of 1.35 million cubic-meter, which translates into 357 million gallons, or 11.5 million barrels. If the giant cenote were filled with oil, the United States would use it up in just over half a day. -- Posted Monday, October 6, 2008 by chb

Full resort review: CoCo View, Roatan, Honduras
CoCo View is a unique diver's resort on the Honduran island of Roatan with 26 guest rooms in cabanas, bungalows (on the water) and beachside buildings. It is secluded and rustic, and has just the right combination of modern amenities and tropical charm. It has its own dive shop, five dive boats, store, and recreational facilities, but no conventional restaurants or clubs. Shore diving includes two walls and a large wreck, and there are dozens of coral reef/wall dive sites reachable within minutes via dive boat. Staff is friendly and competent, and the buffet-style food is good and plentiful. CoCo View boasts a very high number of returning guests, and we can see why. [Read full review of CoCo View dive resort on Roatan -- Posted Wednesday, October 1, 2008 by chb