I hope everyone is having a great summer, we’re almost at the halfway point! So if the time isn’t flying by fast enough for you, here’s some links of interest…

A Jacksonville, FL diver claims to have seen a white shark—follow the link for video. Experts say its plausible, but not likely for that area. Watch the video and tell me what you think.

Underwater cameras have been popular for a while, but we’re starting to see more video devices popping up. Here’s a short writeup about the GoPro Camcorder. I want to write an article dedicated to these devices, and I definitely want to try one on an upcoming trip.

The Washington Post claims private islands are no longer just for the rich and famous. At $2000-3000 USD a night, I may have to argue the “rich” part, or at the very least, change it to “well off”.

Sport Chalet, the athletic goods chain, is holding their second annual scuba treasure hunt. You have until July 24 to find sunken “treasure bars” off the California coast and claim some prizes.

Do you like free stuff? Yeah, I hate it too. Well, Nora over at Tactical Gear Blog is running a contest for a Suunto Core watch, valued at $299 USD. Enter by going to the announcement and commenting, in 75 words or less, your most hardcore story. They are looking for divers, climbers, hikers, and all adventure seekers, so go represent scuba!

SNUBA (diving while breathing off of hoses connected to a boat) has caught some attention of the years, but never really caught on as a viable option. The PowerSnorkel seems like a much nicer alternative. The air source is attached to a battery-operated buoy that follows the diver / snorkeler around, providing over an hour of bottom time at depths up to 40 feet. 40 feet is plenty deep to see a lot of great stuff.

More great lost and found stories! An Alabama man lost his wedding ring in Lake Martin. It was recovered when he hired a scuba diver to track it down. At first I wondered why he didn’t just buy a new one, but the articles says it has diamonds. Note to men: buy a cheap wedding band.

A West Virginia couple lost an engagement ring of a dock, straight in the river. A local diver was able to recover it in about an hour and a half of careful sweeps. Search and Recovery sweep patterns FTW!

People have been pushing scuba limits for a while, and the natural extension is small, submarine like vehicles. There have been two popping up in the news lately, one expensive, and one really expensive.

The first is the AquaStar 2, which doesn’t offer much advantage over traditional scuba in terms of depth, but allows you to move around in a much simpler fashion.

The second is the Triton 36,000, which can withstand enough pressure to take you to the bottom of the ocean. It’s made for two, so perhaps it would make a romantic date? I’m saving up for one.

In other news, arguments are being made for turning retired oil rigs into artificial reefs, rather than dismantling them. There are two main points to the argument: sinking could be cheaper and it helps the oceans. The former might work, but do we really think the latter will appeal to those drilling for oil in the ocean?

I’ve posted links like this before because I love stories about people finding old stuff while scuba diving. A Florida diver recently found somebody’s old J.C. Penny’s credit card a mile offshore. Maybe he was hiding it from his wife?

Have a great week everyone!

Wanna spice up your next family portrait? Well, west Michigan residents can have their underwaterportraits taken. Visit the link and you can even watch a video of the photographer in action.

Alright you beer fanatics. Divers found what might be some of the oldest beer in the world. Scientists are hoping to analyze it to understand how beer was made 200 years ago, before yeast was really understood. After analyzing, they want to recreate the recipe. Look for it: Baltic Sea Ale, coming to a bar near you.

You really start to appreciate what a young activity scuba diving is when you read about divers from the 1970’s donating gear to a museum. It’s only 40 years old, yet is considered “historic”. Maybe I oughta hold on to my old wetsuit, it could be a valuable artifact in 40 years!

Some Wisconsin high schoolers got to learn about pressure and buoyancy firsthand, by scuba diving in a pool. I’m sure your high school science classes were this fun. I mean, whose weren’t?

Less exciting, but Divers Alert Network (DAN) just launched a new online store. C’mon, just try and tell me you don’t want a DAN t-shirt.

Ok, it’s almost April. That means spring. Where is the spring weather? I’m talking to you, New York City. Anyways…

Fashion designers find inspiration from the most bizarre places sometimes, but I never thought scuba equipment would make the list. Nevertheless, here they are, fin-inspired stilettos. Practice your giant stride at dinner parties.

Last week we saw some German divers attempting to break the record for longest underwater card game. Well, this group from the UK is ironing in water. Hey, it’s for charity, although I’m still trying to figure out: why???

Some Minnesota ice fisherman caught a surprise: a diver! Someone should ask him what it feels like to be “by-catch”.

I think the year was 1994 when Sammy Hagar crooned the modest hit, “Eagles Fly”. Perhaps it’s time for the remix, “Eagle Rays Fly“. This 300 pound eagle ray jumped onto a boat, where the passengers scrambled to get it off, while avoiding its poisonous tail.

Hello again, everyone! It’s been quiet on this front, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have links for you!

Gimmicks are gimmicks, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be highly amusing. James Cameron gets interviewed underwater to promote a movie. Now that’s dedication!

16 German divers set the record for longest underwater card game. I’m not sure what to say here, except, umm, ok.

Ok all you thrill-seekers. Interested in sky diving and scuba diving the North Pole? The expedition is yours, for the bargain bin price of $75,000 USD.

Interesting twist on the “X things to do before you die” lists. IBTimes instead has 5 must-see coral reefs before they die.

Have a great week!

With all this beautiful snowy weather we’re getting here in the northeast U.S., it makes me wish I was just about anywhere else! That means you should doubly appreciate me sifting through the web finding these scuba-related links for you.

Is there a trend towards lighter weight diving gear to save on baggage costs? I don’t know about that, but at least one company seems to be getting on board.

A D.C.-based dive shop is offering carbon-neutral dive travel. It seems to me you could just as easily purchase the “offset” credits yourself, but the best of luck to them!

AOL News has some tips for cheap spring break travel. Some are decent, if not obvious. At my universities, though, school organized trips were quite more expensive that what I could wrangle on my own.

New England scuba divers found the remains of a 200 year old ship. It amazes me how many unfound wrecks are out there, in waters reachable by scuba. Looks like your chances of finding them go up if you’re willing to dive in Connecticut in January!

It’s been a while! Did you miss me? I’ve had some real-life business to attend to, but I’m back, and ready to kick off the new year in style! Let’s start with a backlog of links.

Scuba Diving magazine named North Carolina the best place in North America to dive with big critters and also the top shipwreck destination. I’m guessing the competition for diving in North America is low, but I’m surprised NC bested Florida. Something to consider if you’re ever near the Outer Banks.

We’ve talked before about eating Lionfish, but did you know there’s a new Lionfish cookbook? Tough time to be a Lionfish.

Sort of old news now, but the Shark Conservation Act made it to the U.S. President’s desk. Who knows for sure what kind of impact this will have, but hopefully it will exert some influence on those who practice shark finning.

Check out this Frommer’s Favorite Travel Moment photo contest winner. Let’s just say it involves a sperm whale.

A man was injured when a scuba tank fell and exploded in his garage. Make sure to lay your tanks on their sides, kids!

Scientists have discovered new coral reefs off Puerto Rico. They’re not really good for diving, unless you’re a tec diver, but they’re good for supplying fish and other nutrients to the ecosystem.

It’s great to be back! Expect a regular posting schedule from now on.