The GoPro phenomenon: how much better is the new GoPro Hero2?
No sooner did we publish a big feature on GoPro and its tiny Hero high definition camera that's taken the world by storm than GoPro released the Hero2. Is the new Hero really twice as fast and twice as sharp, as GoPro claims? And have some of the issues we had with the original Hero been fixed? We gave the tough little Hero2 a full workout, both above and under water. [Read The GoPro phenomenon: how much better is the new GoPro Hero2?] -- Posted Tuesday, January 3, 2012 by chb

The amazing Tank Bangers
Some divers sort of sing underwater, but no one does it like The Tank Bangers! See for yourself! -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Divers find 1940s plane off Florida
A group of scuba divers did a 185-foot "random drop" off the coast of Palm Beach County and found a remarkably well preserved airplane that may be a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver that went down in the early 1940s. [See wptv.com report and video] -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Night dives: exploring fluorescence
Did you know that a lot of coral and sea creatures are fluorescent? You normally can't see the fluorescence, even on night dives, unless you use special lights and filters. Scubadiverinfo.com procured some special fluorescence detection gear from a company called NIGHTSEA and used it on night dives at Coco View Resort on Roatan. Talk about experiencing and exploring an entirely new world! [See "Night dives like you've never experienced before"] -- Posted Thursday, December 22, 2011 by chb

Anderson Cooper: The Gardens of the Queen
In case you've missed Anderson Cooper's "The Gardens of the Queen" on CBS, you can see it now on the 60 Minutes website. It's rare footage from some completely protected reefs off Cuba. Lots of sharks, good interviews, too. [See The Gardens of the Queen] -- Posted Monday, December 19, 2011 by chb

ScubaDiverInfo.com product testing week on Roatan
ScubaDiverInfo.com editors are spending a week at the Coco View Resort on the Honduran island of Roatan to test and review a variety of dive and underwater photography and imaging gear, including cameras and lights from Canon, Olympus, Sealife, Bonica, JVC, Liquid Image and GoPro, and new Scubapro gear. Also on the agenda: fluorescence night diving with custom flashlights and filters from NightSea. -- Posted Friday, December 9, 2011 by chb

Sea Save underwater preservation charity auction
The non-profit Sea Save Foundation launched a scuba charity auction available for viewing now at the BiddigForGood auction site. There are over 40 items, such as terrific dive trips to Fiji, Indonesia, Galapagos, etc., cool underwater photography equipment and much more. Get great stuff, and money raised supports a variety of ocean conservation projects (like these). [Check out the Sea Save underwater preservation charity auction] -- Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2011 by chb

IUCN now lists Giant Manta as "vulnerable" species
IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has designated the Giant Manta Ray (manta birostris) as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The primary thread to mantas is that their gill rakers are particularly sought after and are used in Asian medicinal products. [See the very detailed IUCN giant manta listing] -- Posted Tuesday, November 15, 2011 by chb

Review: Liquid Image Wide Angle Scuba Series HD322
It's been three years since we first came across the Liquid Image video masks that combine a camera with a scuba mask and can even accommodate dive lights. Since then, we've taken various models of the Liquid Image mask on dive trips all over the world. The unusual masks have become a standard part of our dive gear, and now we had a chance to dive wrecks and snorkel/dive with whale sharks with the Liquid Image Scuba Series Wide Angle HD322, where "HD" stands for High Definition. [See full review and videos of the Liquid Image HD322] -- Posted Monday, November 14, 2011 by chb

GoPro announces flat-lens underwater housing
At DEMA 2011, GoPro announced a new underwater housing with a flat lens to correct the blur/focus problems GoPro Hero and Hero2 cameras have underwater. The new housing will be sold as a separate item starting Q1, 2012. No price has been announced. Several third party fixes have been available to correct the GoPro underwater focus problem (see our detailed Hero review), but it's good to see that GoPro itself has acknowledged the issue. Also, expect a full review of the new Hero2 with lots of underwater footage (including 3D if we can procure a second Hero2) mid-December. -- Posted Sunday, November 6, 2011 by chb

Review: Bonica/JVC HM650 Dual Light Package
Many compact cameras and dSLRs can do very good video now, but it still takes a dedicated vidcam to offer 1080p video, 40X optical zoom, gigabytes of internal storage, and the ability to take stills while shooting video. Add to that a good underwater case and two strong 1,500 Lumen LED lights and brackets, and a travel bag, and you have the Bonica/JVC HM650 Dual Light Package. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the setup extensively and it earned our recommendation. [See full review and video of the Bonica/JVC 1080p HD video package] -- Posted Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by chb

Colors at depth
Divers learn in class that colors disappear underwater because as we go deeper, water filters out more and more of the wave lengths that allow us to see color without artificial light (such as a flash). Except that sometimes we see color at depth anyway. The picture to the left was taken off the Caribbean island of Saba at 90 feet. See more examples of color at depth at Scubadiverinfo.com [see colors at depth] -- Posted Saturday, October 22, 2011 by chb

The GoPro phenomenon: what the world-beating little 1080p vidcam can (and cannot) do
For the past half year, the amazingly inexpensive little GoPro Hero 1080p video camera accompanied ScubaDiverInfo.com to wrecks, reefs, a sea lion nursery, and some of the most remote dive locations on earth. Read about our experiences with the GoPro, what it can do and where we ran into issues. [Read GoPro Hero review] -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2011 by chb

DAN workshop proceedings available
The Divers Alert Network (DAN) has made available for download the entire proceedings of its April 2010 workshop on Recreational Diving Fatalities. The 280 page PDF document contains almost 20 fully formatted documents on investigation, fatality data, training and operations, cardiovascular fitness, etc. [Download Recreational Diving Fatalities Workshop Proceedings] -- Posted Thursday, October 13, 2011 by chb

San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition Recap
From the venue, to the number of attendees, to the quality of the films screened, to the professional filmmakers in attendance, this year’s San Diego Undersea Film Exhibitoin blew my mind. Click here to read my full recap. -- Posted Friday, September 30, 2011 by jroualdes

Shark fin ban movement gains high profile support
WildAid, whose mission it is to end the illegal wildlife trade by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection, has announced additional high profile support for the movement to ban the trade and sale of shark fin products. NBA star Yao Ming and leading Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Yue have joined forces with Sir Richard Branson in a global campaign to save sharks. In California, Assembly Bill 376, which will ban the import, trade, and possession of shark fin in California, has already passed both legislative bodies with bi-partisan support and currently awaits the Governor Jerry Brown's signature. [See WildAid press release] -- Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 by chb

Bonica/JVC HM650 high definition vidcam
Amazing what the new generation of super-compact high definition vidcams can do. Our friends at Bonica made available one of their JVC HM-650 packages for our recent underwater product review trips to Socorro (giant mantas) and Isla Mujeres (whale sharks). A full review of the setup will follow, but get a load of the video and image quality of the Bonica/JVC system: Swimming with whale sharks -- Scuba diving in Cancun -- JVC photo collection from Cancun --
JVC photo collection Socorro/Islas Revillagigedo.
-- Posted Wednesday, September 21, 2011 by chb

Snorkeling with whale sharks off Isla Mujeres, Mexico
-- Posted Monday, September 12, 2011 by chb

Full resort review: The Riu Palace Las Americas Resort, Cancun


Scubadiverinfo.com stayed at the Riu Palace Las Americas in Cancun for a week and loved it. The Riu is a wonderful, elegant, impressive all-inclusive, and a great homebase for diving (via Scuba Caribe) and snorkeling with whale sharks (via Scorpio Divers). [See full review of the Riu Palace resort in Cancun, Mexico]
-- Posted Thursday, September 1, 2011 by chb

Nikon joins the rugged/waterproof camera market with the Coolpix AW100
Nikon, the company that once dominated underwater photography with their legendary Nikonos film cameras, has finally joined the rugged/waterproof compact camera market with their new Coolpix AW100. Equipped with a 5X NIKKOR ED glass lens, a 16mp CMOS sensor, GPS, e-Compass, a 3-inch 480k screen, and the ability to record 1080p HD video, the AW100 is freeze proof, can handle 5-foot drops, and can handle depths to 33 feet, making it suitable for many of the shallower dives. The AW100 weighs 6.3 ounces, comes in orange, black or blue, and retails for US$379.95. [See Nikon Coolpix AW100 product page] -- Posted Monday, August 29, 2011 by chb

What About Bob?
Ten minutes into our boat ride from Lahaina to Molokai, our dive master shepherded me and 12 other divers into the boat’s cabin for our pre-dive brief. One person remained—a man appearing to be in his sixties, sporting white stubble, tattered tan shorts and a blue shirt. See Full Post -- Posted Friday, August 12, 2011 by jroualdes

PADI to celebrate 20 millionth scuba certification
PADI announced it will soon issue the 20 millionth scuba diver certification. In recognition of this milestone, PADI Regional Headquarters around the world are giving a dive trip for two to Australia's Great Barrier Reef aboard the Spirit of Freedom to the diver who earns the 20 millionth diver certification. [See PADI news release] -- Posted Monday, August 8, 2011 by chb

Scuba Hall of Famer Sally Wahrmann survives a close one
Scuba Hall of Famer and noted wreck diver (60 dives to the Andrea Doria) Sally Wahrmann survived a close call when she got swept off the line in a strong current at Texas Tower wreck, a collapsed radar platform 60 miles off the Monmouth County, N.J., coastline that went down in a January 1961 storm, killing 28 Air Force personnel. A combination of Wahrmann's cool and expertise, an experienced dive boat captain who did all the right things, and a fishing boat that was closeby combined to a happy ending. [See coverage] -- Posted Saturday, August 6, 2011 by chb

Mexican couple underwater wedding
A Mexican couple decided to have their wedding underwater in Cancun. The ceremony, performed at about 17 feet, was witnessed by over 200 guests in scuba gear. The couple decided on the underwater venue to draw attention to the preservation of sharks. [See report] -- Posted Wednesday, July 20, 2011 by chb

Glass-bottom boat baiting results in shark accident
The Freeport News reports that a scuba diver from Florida was bitten by a 8-10 foot shark while diving Shark Junction off a private yacht. The accident apparently occurred when a nearby glass-bottom boat began throwing out bait to lure the sharks. [See Freeport News report] -- Posted Monday, July 18, 2011 by chb

DEMA files suit over Florida dive boat licence law
DEMA, the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, filed suit trying to stop the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from enforcing a charterboat license law that imposes license fees up to US$2,000 per year and dive boats used to take saltwater fish for noncommercial purposes, which includes lobsters. Dive boat operators argue that they should not be subject to the same fee schedule as recreational fishing boats. [See Miami Herald report] -- Posted Monday, July 18, 2011 by chb

Image Gallery: Islas Revillagigedo (Socorro) 2011
New image gallery with 320 pictures from the Islas Revillagigedo (San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida) now up. Sharks, Mantas, Dolphins galore. [See image gallery] -- Posted Wednesday, July 13, 2011 by chb

Review: Socorro islands on the Solmar V


Scubadiverinfo.com spent eight days on board of the 112-foot Solmar V live-aboard vessel. The trip began at Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, and took us to the Islas Revillagigedos, or Socorro islands, with diving at San Benedicto, Socorro, and Roca Partida. We saw giant mantas, sharks of all kinds, dolphins, other pelagics, and even whale sharks. [Read our full trip review of the Solmar V live-aboard experience] -- Posted Monday, June 20, 2011 by chb

The 200th dive
I finally had my 200th dive, and just like #100, it was at a memorable location. Much went through my head as I plunged into the ocean backwards off a panga at Roca Partida, as remote and wild a dive location as one can find. More remote even than the tiny island of French Key off the coast of Providenciales for my 100th. [...read more] -- Posted Friday, June 17, 2011 by chb

Inexpensive WD Rugged Case adds moisture and impact protection to external USB 3.0 drive
Anyone needing more on-the-go storage for their pictures and such should take a look at Western Digital's new WD Nomad Rugged Case. It's an inexpensive box that provides moisture, dust and impact protection to WD's line of My Passport external drives. We tested the new WD Nomad Rugged Case (US$29.95) with a 500GB USB 3.0 My Passport Essential drive (US$99) and came away impressed. Vast storage, no power supply needed, super-fast, and perfect for a dive trip! [See description and impressions of the WD Nomad Rugged Case] -- Posted Tuesday, June 14, 2011 by chb

Ricoh introduces water-resistant camera
Ricoh announced their new 16-megapixel PX compact digital camera with a 2.7-inch 230k display, a 5X optical zoom that stars wide at 28mm, and 720p HD video recording. The PX records on SDHC cards, has 28 scene modes, measures 3.95 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches, weighs 5.5 ounces, and is available in green, silver and black. Best of all, the US$249 Ricoh PX is waterproof to ten feet and shockproof to five feet. Ricoh has been concentrating in special purpose cameras for a while now, and the PX looks like an interesting addition for anyone enjoying the great outdoors. [See Ricoh PC product page] -- Posted Monday, June 13, 2011 by chb

Seeing underwater
Seeing well underwater is not a given for divers who need glasses or even just readers. The higher magnification of water helps some (especially those who need just readers), but there will come a day when a diver needs a real solution. We found ours at Prescription Dive Masks, a Southern California business that specializes on prescription dive masks and nothing but, and they are opticians, too. [Read About Prescription Dive Masks...] -- Posted Wednesday, May 25, 2011 by chb

Gentle Leviathans, Where Are You?
"Gentle Leviathans, Where Are You?" is the title of a thoughtful blog report by Kathryn Taubert at naplesnews.com. The author had just returned from Utila (Honduras) where she had hoped to swim with whale sharks. Utila is usually such a reliable sighting spot of whale sharks to warrant the presence of a Whale Shark & Oceanic Research Center, and Taubert's concern is that the whale sharks behavior may have changed due to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. [See Gentle Leviathans, Where Are You?] -- Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 by chb

DEMA launches DiveCaching
The Diving Equipment Marketing Association (DEMA) has officially launched their new real-life, environmentally-friendly, in-water game called DiveCaching. DiveCaching is an underwater variation of “Geocaching,” a decade-old game that uses a GPS device and simple search skills to locate hidden land-based caches. For more information about DiveCaching, including finding and hiding a cache visit www.DiveCaching.org. -- Posted Tuesday, May 17, 2011 by chb

Advice for those who seek dive jobs in exotic locations
Anyone who's ever thought of leaving the daily griund here in the US and work as a dive master in some tropical location should take a look at a post and a great response at expatforum.com. The detailed response provides a lot of valuable and realistic information. [See Looking to Leave America for Koh Tao for a scuba life] -- Posted Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by chb

Visiting and diving the Georgia Aquarium
Encountering sharks in the wild is rarer than one might think. Many divers never see a shark, and for many others it is a once in a lifetime experience. But if spotting any shark underwater is an uncommon occurrence, the chance of encountering a whale shark is practically nil unless you go on special whale shark trips, and even then success isn't guaranteed. There is, however, a way to not only see whale sharks, several of them, but also more sharks than most divers will ever see, all in one dive. That's when you dive the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta... [read about diving the Georgia Aquarium] -- Posted Sunday, May 8, 2011 by chb

Toshiba offers waterproof US$150 HD vidcam
With Cisco dropping the popular Flip video cameras, for which housings were available from several sources, watersport enthusiasts now have to look elsewhere for inexpensive HD video hardware. One alternative is Toshiba's pocket-sized waterproof Camileo BW10 camcorder that can shoot full HD 1080p video up to six and a half feet under water, good enough for snorkeling and more. The BW10 had a 2-inch display, HDMI output, 10X digital zoom, SDHC card storage and you can also take 5mp still pics with it. [See Toshiba Camileo BW10] -- Posted Monday, April 25, 2011 by chb

DEMA brainstorms about future of scuba industry
A good number of DEMA members and other industry representatives attended Vision 2020 sessions, hosted by Beneath the Sea 2011, to talk about the dive industry and where they see it in 5 or 10 years. Most commonly mentioned: The importance of scuba retailers and supporting them; the need to listen to divers and tailor products and programs to their wants and needs; more “face time” between new divers and instructor/store personnel, as well as putting fun activities back into diving; a need to better embrace the internet and leverage it to the industry’s advantage; use and benefit from social media. Our take: These are noble goals, but they describe what should have happened five or ten years AGO, and not IN five or ten years. -- Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 by chb

The Frugal Photographer: UW Tripod
This is the first video in a new series we're calling "The Frugal Photographer." So what inspired this series? Click here to find out.

ScubaDiverInfo, The Frugal Photographer: UW Tripod from Joe Roualdes on Vimeo.

ScubaDiverInfo Attending the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival
We're attending "Program 7: Sharks & Vanishing Marine Life" Saturday starting at 1:00 pm PT. If you're interested in attending the festival, but can't, don't worry--we're tweeting live throughout. Lean more here. -- Posted Thursday, March 3, 2011 by jroualdes

"Sanctum" stunt diver killed in Australia
One of the stunt diver in James Cameron's action thriller Sanctum was lost at at Tank Cave, Mt Gambier, in South Australia. The diver, 29-year-old Agnes Milowka, went missing from a group of divers and was later found dead. Milowka was a world-renowned cave diver very familiar with Tank Cave. Our sympathies go to all involved. [See news report] -- Posted Monday, February 28, 2011 by chb

5th Annual Ocean Adventure Expo May 28/29 in Florida
The Blue Wild announced the dates, speakers, and special anniversary plans of the 5th Annual Ocean Adventure Expo that will take place May 28 & 29, 2011, at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It will feature top names in freediving, scuba diving, underwater videography and photography, spearfishing, marine artwork, and exhibitors from around the world. -- Posted Thursday, February 24, 2011 by chb

SeaLife introduces Mini II underwater camera
SeaLife introduced 9-megapixel Mini II Dive & Sport digital camera that doesn't need a special case to be waterproof to 130 feet. The Mini II is also crushproof, shockproof (6-foot drop), and includes all of SeaLife's clever underwater color compensation modes. The Mini II runs on two AAA batteries, uses SD/SDHC cards, does VGA video, and is compatible with most of SeaLife's popular accessories. No optical zoom, but the price is a very affordable US$259.95. [See SealLife Mini II] -- Posted Friday, February 18, 2011 by chb