Flightline recently posted a list of tips for avoiding shark attacks. It’s mostly common sense, but there are a few points I’m not sure I agree with. I’ll go over them one by one:

• Swim in a group. The article claims sharks are less likely to attack a group of divers. This white shark research page claims that sharks target lone or small groups of seals, where “small” is defined is 6 or fewer. How often are divers in a group larger than 6? Besides specially trained divers, you should never be diving alone anyway.
• Do not go in the water if you are bleeding. I agree here. The article even points out that there is no research that indicates menstruating women are in additional danger, although there is probably too little data to conclude anything.
• Do not wear shiny jewelry. I’ve heard this advice often for barracuda, but never for sharks. For one, I don’t think big sharks eat small fish. Second, sharks that are attracted to small fish would quickly realize you are not an easily killed prey and leave you alone.
• If you see a shark, stay calm, stay quiet, and stay where you are. I hope everyone knows not to draw attention to yourself if approached by a shark large enough to view you as prey.

What do you think? Am I off the mark on any of these points? Let everyone know in the comments below.

This is a little contradictory to my last post, but nevertheless, sometimes we want to buy gifts for the divers in our lives.

Back in February I posted a list of Valentine’s Day gifts for scuba divers. There’s nothing holiday-specific to that list, so check it out if you’re looking for quick ideas.

Certification is always a great gift, but if you’re looking for something a little less committal for a non-diver, consider gifting a Discover Scuba Diving session. Most shops will set you up with one, and it allows your loved one to try out scuba diving in a very controlled setting to get a feel for things with minimal training. I think it definitely qualifies as an Experience, rather than Stuff.

California loves its artificial reefs, and they’re about to create another one. The USS Kawishiwi has been requested to be sunk two miles off Dana Point, about 45 minutes south of Long Beach.

Scientists have learned that teenage white sharks don’t have jaws strong enough to eat large mammals, like, I dunno, humans, for example. Unsurprisingly, the teenage white shark’s parents just don’t understand.

A diver from my hometown of Charleston, SC, is determined to kill lionfish. In 2009, his yearlong “tournament” brought in 1000 dead lionfish! By the way, he recommends eating them fried.

I’ve been seeing more articles discussing a shift in the public’s thinking this year. A shift of spending money on experiences, not stuff. I whole-heartedly agree, and as a scuba diver, I imagine you do as well.

We should take a step back this holiday season and take a look at what we value. Ask yourself a few questions:

What did you get for Christmas five years ago? Two years ago? Last year?

You probably don’t even remember. How about this one:

Where did you go on vacation five years ago? Two years ago? Last year?

Even if it takes a moment to recall, I imagine these memories are much more vivid in your mind. I’m not saying you have to go on an expensive vacation, but this holiday season, focus more on experiences, rather than stuff. The holidays are usually about tradition, but try doing some different. Go on a mini-adventure. Go somewhere you usually don’t go. Cook something you never cook. Instead of worrying about buying presents, think about simply being present and enjoying the here and now.

When thinking about gifts, think about maximizing their experiences, rather than stuffing their closest. Many already know what a great gift scuba certification is for this very reason. It’s like giving someone a passport to a whole other dimension.

Lastly, I leave you with this recent article from Zen Habits: The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents. Leo makes compelling arguments, that even if you don’t completely agree, should give us something to think about this time of year.

William Trubridge is at it again. The diver currently holds the record for unassisted free diving at 95 meters. He’s looking to break it with 100 meters, that’s almost 330 feet to yankees like me.

Another name for 100 meters is a hectometer. Trubridge is taking advantage of this peculiar name and using his dive to bring attention to the threatened Hector’s dolphin, a victim of trawling and other types of fishing.

The attempt will take place some time this weekend or next week at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.

Naturally, this title caught my eye. Who is Scuba Jack? I had expected a fellow blogger who chronicled their underwater adventures through an appropriately named blog. Instead, I found that Adventures of Scuba Jack is a set of DVDs for pre-schoolers.

Scuba Jack is in the style of Blue’s Clues, for those familiar with the popular blue dog and her clueless custodian. In a series of episodes, Jack takes your children on various learning adventures that seems like a mashup of many other shows (Blue’s Clues, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, Dora the Explorer, etc.). It does, however, include learning about underwater life and creatures. Maybe I’ll watch it.

I’m not sure if I agree with the name “Scuba Jack”, though. He looks more like “Snorkeling Jack”. If nothing else, I’m curious to watch an episode to see where Jack goes diving in such skimpy exposure protection.

Despite his lack of proper scuba attire, I’m sure Adventure of Scuba Jack teaches pre-schoolers lots of valuable skills, especially with the included workbooks. And I’m happy if children are exposed to scuba, underwater life, and all things aquatic from a young age.

Tomorrow is Diversnight, when around 3,000 divers from across the globe will be underwater at 8:10. Started in Australia, Diversnight is meant “to promote the sport of scuba diving, to bring together scuba diving communities from all over the world, and to show how exciting and adventurous the sport is.” Um, ok. Just sounds like a good excuse to go night diving, to me.

Is it just me, or are Scuba Santas popular this year? We’ve got them at Sport Chalets, Blue Planet Aquarium, Vancouver Aquarium, Adventure Aquarium, and who knows where else. Maybe aquariums are replacing malls as the place to have your picture taken with Santa.

This soccer / football player uses a hyperbaric chamber to speed up recovery on his torn thigh muscle, reducing healing time from 6 down to 3 or 4 weeks. I’ve heard of this before, it’s probably something to do with the increased amount of oxygen making blood cells go into overdrive. Let’s hope there’s never a diver with Decompression Sickness waiting in line for the chamber behind this guy.

Read about SNUBA, the scuba / snorkeling hybrid. While hardly the technological revolution this article suggests (the equipment behind SNUBA predates even scuba), it is a nifty way to get people in the water quickly.

Those that keep up-to-date with such things are already aware, but PADI has recently revamped their Divemaster course.

Looking at the changes can be confusing, and a tad daunting, so I’ve broken down what these changes mean for you, based on where you are in your dive career. Simply jump to the header that describes you.

No intention of becoming a divemaster

Let’s get the easy one out of the way. If this describes you, then you don’t have to do anything. Keep diving like you always have been.

Want to become a divemaster

Want to start before 1 July, 2011. If you are starting your DM training prior to July 1, 2011, then you can use either the old curriculum, or the new one. The new program requires 40 dives to begin, whereas the old one only requires 20. If you have less than 40 dives, then, you must enroll in the old program.

You may be enrolled in the old program by a shop that still has the previous materials that they need to move. This is not a big deal. PADI is trying to improve the course, but that doesn’t mean the previous course was bad by any means. If you are given a choice, then go for the new one (why not?).

Want to start after 1 July, 2011. The new program doesn’t mean anything to you. You must use it, so don’t worry about the difference.

Certified by a non-PADI agency. PADI recognizes certification by other agencies as a pre-requisite for a DM course. If you want to do your DM training under PADI, but have a non-PADI rescue diver equivalent certification, then it’s no big deal. Look at the previous categories based on when you want to start to determine where you are.

Current divemaster

Want to stay a divemaster. If you have no intention of advancing beyond your DM certification, then there’s nothing you have to worry about. You’ll still be a PADI divemaster, even after 1 July 2011.

Want to continue on to instructor before 1 July, 2011. If you plan on continuing training to become an instructor soon, you’ll have to eventually get the new materials. Thus, if you haven’t bought your instructor pack yet, you should try to get the new one.

If you, like me, already have the old pack, then you will eventually have to upgrade to the new DM materials if you want to certify divemasters after July 1, 2011. You must also learn the curriculum changes so that you can teach the new curriculum, just like any instructor.

Want to continue instructor training after 1 July, 2011. The instructor materials you buy will probably be the new ones, so there’s nothing different you will have to do.

Current instructor

If you are an instructor who wants to certify divemasters after 1 July 2011, then you will need to get the new instruction materials, some of which are available on the PADI Pro website. As with any changes, you need to familiarize yourself with them so that you are teaching the current standard.

If you will certify divemasters before 1 July 2011, then be prepared to teach either the new course or the old one, depending on which materials your student has. This is nothing new that you didn’t learn during your instructor training.

I believe that should cover everyone. Head on over to PADI Instructor Info for a rundown of the divemaster program revisions and for additional information about the new divemaster program.