The Beacon
Scuba Diver Gets Shark Off Menu
Meet Carl Robbins, a San Diego diver who made the ocean a little safer for sharks with one simple message: Please don't serve shark fin soup for Chinese New Year.
Upon hearing that Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino was including shark fin soup for its upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations, Robbins led fellow divers and other ocean enthusiasts in an email campaign to remove the controversial delicacy from the menu:
Come Dive With Me
Sunblock? Check. Fins, mask and the rest of my gear…in the bag. Now where’s my passport? Yes, I’m going on vacation next week, and I’m taking you with me so you can see the ocean through a diver’s eyes.
As I prepare for my next diving adventure, I’ve been reminiscing on past trips and realizing a couple things. One is that I’ve been lucky enough to visit some cool places, either as personal vacation or taking advantage of an extra day before a dive show starts. The other is that I have some great stories, and should share them. The best part of diving is visiting the incredible underwater world. The second best part is sharing those experiences with others.
A Manta in 'Lanta
High on my dive wish-list is a trek to Kona, Hawaii to see manta rays, but in the meantime, it appears that I can visit one a little closer to home in Atlanta.
That's right, the Georgia Aquarium, who brought whale sharks to the US a few years ago, is growing their menagerie of aquatic mammoths with the addition of Nandi the manta ray -- the only one on exhibit in the United States.
Mantas are related to sharks, with skeletons made of cartilage. Like whale sharks, they migrate across the oceans in search of krill and small fish. They also face pressure from fishing; the meat can be dried for preservation and dried manta gill plates fetch a good price in the Asian medicine market.
Watch the clip of the Aquarium's newest attraction, and pay special attention to the top of the screen during the last half of the clip; you can see the manta approaching from behind the reporter's shoulder.
Catch and Release, Redefined
All you need is a school of fish, a helicopter and the willingness to jump from it.
Gov. Crist Signs Reef Bill
I'm here at the International Coral Reef Symposium, which brings together coral reef researchers and managers from around the world to present and discuss strategies for saving one of the oceans' most vibrant and valuable ecosystems.
On Monday I watched as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (pictured in the above blurry picture I took via Blackberry) addressed attendees and contributed to improving coral reefs in South Florida by signing a bill into law that will end the dumping of untreated sewage onto South Florida reefs through underwater outfall pipes.
Walrus, the other marine mammal
Dolphins, sea otters, polar bears…bring up a marine mammal in conversation, and most people will think of a cute, charismatic and intelligent creature, fur optional.
Congress Becomes a Zoo
What do you get when you mix members of Congress with exotic wildlife? Photo opps, and one of the most popular events on Capitol Hill.
Thank you, Hugh Bradner
Chances are, you’ve never heard of Hugh Bradner, and you didn’t know that he passed away this week. Or that he had a distinguished career as physicist, professor emeritus at Scripps and diving pioneer.
If you surf or dive, chances are you're in debt to Dr. Bradner for making your oceanic fun more comfortable; he also invented the wetsuit. Although many make this claim, it was Hugh Bradner who first reasoned that trapping water beneath a material containing air bubbles could provide insulation, and designed a suit based on this very principle.
These days, millions of divers, surfers, and even a penguin rely on wetsuits for warmth while enjoying aquatic adventures. Next time you don your wetsuit, take a moment to thank Hugh Bradner for his revolutionary idea.
Our World Underwater a success for sharks
Where do divers in the Midwest go to get their dive fix? To Chicago for the Our World Underwater dive show, a weekend of the latest gear, exotic travel and dive training.
It’s also the perfect place to talk with people about ocean conservation, so Oceana staff and WaveMaker volunteers passed out information on our campaigns and encouraged divers to become ocean advocates, starting with signing our shark petition.
In response to the alarming decline in shark populations, the petition asks Congress to support measures for better shark management, like landing sharks with their fins. Nearly 400 people signed on!
Since then, Congress has introduced the Shark Conservation Act of 2008, a bill which would strengthen protections for sharks.
A very special “Thank you” to our fabulous volunteers: Joyce Stempinski, Liz Sundquist, Parker Whiteway, Jeanine Bremer, Rebecca Hauser, Daniel Tamburich and the Feder family, Rachel, David and Ellie. And my dad (pictured), who enjoyed his first dive show.
Not your average penguin suit...
Wetsuits may not be known for their comfort, but they do serve a purpose: to keep you warm in cool water.
That's the idea behind a wetsuit specially designed for Pierre, an African penguin who was losing feathers on his back. The resulting bald spot exposed him to cold temperatures and kept him out of the water.
Now with his custom wetsuit, Pierre is comfortably back in the water and growing new feathers.
