Color and Current: Scuba Diving in Alor

Although my visit to Alor, Indonesia was far too brief — a lifetime would hardly be enough — when I think of how to describe the scuba diving in Alor, color and currents are the two words that immediately leap to mind. Note: Alor is not a destination for novice divers. The currents both above and below the surface can be unpredictable and strong. Our group was blown off one popular dive site because the currents that morning were just too strong for a safe dive, and we had to execute negative entries at multiple other sites. Because of this, make sure you have an experienced guide who knows the area well, like Donovan from Dive Alor Dive.

Aside from sometimes swift-moving waters and colorful reefs, what can divers expect in Alor?

[See image gallery at scubadiverlife.com]

Off the beaten path

It takes some work to get to Alor — six hours of flying and transit between Bali, Kupang, and Alor. Once you arrive in Kalabahi, the only town in Alor, you’ll see that the islands of the Alor Archipelago certainly aren’t a bustling tourist destination. This means you won’t find 5-star hotels — but you also won’t find jam-packed dive boats and crowds. Your dives will inevitably be more personal, and your group may be the only one on the site. Your focus here will be the diving, as there’s not much else to draw tourists. There are limited accommodations with limited amenities and few, if any, restaurants.  Alor is truly a place for adventurous divers who don’t mind remote and rural locations.

Scuba diving in Alor

The diversity of the scuba diving in Alor is truly mind-boggling. You’ll find drop-offs and pinnacles, sloping walls and swim-throughs. If you love macro and muck diving, you’re in for a treat. Did I mention the visibility? It’s easily 120 feet (40 m) most of the time with water temperatures from 77 to 89 F (25 to 32 C). The reefs and walls are colorful and full of life, even if you need a bit of experience to dive them.

You can see the world’s largest aggregation of anemones — and their colorful resident anemonefish — at Valley of the Clowns (also known as Clown Valley). Other sites feature mandarinfish, blue-ringed octopus, harlequin sweetlips, nudibranchs, frogfish and countless other reef fish. You might also spot various rays, napoleon wrasse, barracuda, wobbegongs, and blacktip reef sharks. Mola molas and thresher sharks appear occasionally, as well as dolphins. We saw huge pods of dolphins on our way to and from multiple dive sites.

 

Some of the dive sites draw the local children, who will congregate around the dive boat. They’ll show off their own diving skills, usually wearing homemade goggles, if any, and engage the visiting divers in various kinds of play. I let one child use my dive mask after he asked. It nearly swallowed his entire face, but he didn’t seem to care as he laughed and carried on diving under the water and showing it off to the kids around him. I’ll be honest — this interaction was one of the highlights of my entire trip.

 

Best time to go

You can dive year-round in Alor, but the best diving is from March to December. There’s a little more current in October and November, and if you’re keen to see a mola mola, you may want to visit in September when your chances are higher.

All in all, Alor offers a diversity of world-class, advanced diving on lively reefs, with amazing visibility in warm waters. The low-key, uncrowded atmosphere is just the cherry on top.

For more on diving and travel in Indonesia, visit Wonderful Indonesia.

 

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Ken Nwadike, the Free Hugs Guy, Spreads Peace, Brings His Message to Social Workers

Ken Nwadike, Jr., spoke at the PA NASW 2017 conference. Known as the "Free Hugs Guy," Nwadike is a peace activist who has gotten involved at events such as the Boston Marathon, protests, and rallies to spread love, peace, and hugs.

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Inside CEO David Callaway’s plans for TheStreet

“It's definitely a big change, but I think it is a logical step in the progression of where the industry is going, to have editors who understand how news works to be in the front office, and to try to help monetize that. As long as you can maintain some sort of wall between the two, I think that works.”

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Diving the Bahamas with Stuart Cove’s and SeaBob

Imagine gliding effortlessly alongside some of the oceans’ most beautiful and majestic creatures. Dream of how it would feel to be as agile and (nearly) as fast as sharks, rays, and big fish. Tantalize yourself with thoughts of feeling even more at one with the ocean and its inhabitants than you ever dreamed you could. Now, head to Stuart Cove’s in the Bahamas, grab a SeaBob and make that dream a reality.

Diving with SeaBob and Stuart Cove’s

Stuart Cove’s shark program is world-renowned and wildly popular among shark lovers and conservationists alike.  Now they’ve added a new element to that incredible opportunity: the Seabob DPV. I was lucky enough to take part in Stuart Cove’s initial launch of their SeaBob program, wherein you can choose to dive (or snorkel) with the DPV. Diving with Stuart Cove’s in the Bahamas is an incredible experience regardless, but diving with sharks during their shark-feeding dive is even more so.  Now, instead of just kneeling on the bottom watching the sharks, you can zip around the water with them on the fastest and quietest DPV on the market.

If sharks aren’t your thing, you can just do a “normal” dive with a Seabob, or take one snorkeling and/or freediving. Either way, you’ll be impressed with the DPV’s speed — so much so that you’ll find it difficult to hang on at full speed. That it’s so quiet also helps keep the marine life from scurrying off more quickly than they normally would.

SeaBobs also have both selfie and front-view cameras that can catch video of your entire dive. Here’s a quick video of some footage I caught:

Who should dive with a SeaBob?

One thing to note: diving with a SeaBob is definitely not for beginners. Divers using a DPV must have good depth control and a strong understanding of how important it is to keep themselves from ascending too quickly or dropping to a dangerous depth. They must be fully aware of their surroundings at all times to avoid collisions with other DPVs, marine life, wrecks or reefs.

Stuart Cove’s is one of the world’s top spots for great shark dives, and now it’s one of the only places in the world you can rent a SeaBob DPV to go on a magical underwater tour – in style.

Featured images by Manuela Kirschner

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Deepblu Launches Dive Pro Campaign — Pros Can Validate Logs, Win Dive Computers

Deepblu has announced a campaign, aptly called “Dive Like A Pro,” to share the benefits of their support features for dive pros. Through the app, pros can connect with students, share dive logs, validate training logs, and use their pages to gain exposure within the industry.

In the campaign, Deepblu is attracting pros to the platform by raising awareness of these features, as well as giving perks out to the community. The “Dive Like a Pro” event is giving out 10 pairs of Deepblu COSMIQ dive computers to pros and their students who verify logs on the platform; in addition, those pros who don’t win are eligible for one of 30 surface marker buoys.

Learn more about it and win: https://goo.gl/hmyhzt 

Perfect for Pros

Why are dive professionals using Deepblu to verify customers’ logs? Because it’s convenient, easy-to-use, and dive pros can build their own reputations on Deepblu.

Now, with new features such as dive-log verification, it’s easier than ever to get things done out on the water. Leaving behind soggy pens and paper, students can send their dive log to their pro via the platform and have it validated with a simple click.

In addition to being a dive tool, Deepblu is the fastest growing online community for divers. This means pros can share video, stories, logs, photos, and links that get their brand out into the world. With this kind of connectivity, there’s virtually no limit to what we can do.

Check out the latest video on “Seven Features That Benefit Dive Pros on Deepblu,”  and contact DeepBlu at info@deepblu.com for more information.

 

 

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Introducing the New SeaLife Super Macro Lens

Available October 1, 2017, SeaLife’s new Super Macro lens allows photographers to shoot as close as 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) with the SeaLife DC2000. Without the macro lens, the DC2000’s auto focus lens can shoot as close as 4 inches (10.15 cm). Gaining that extra close-up shooting distance means macro shooters can capture stunning details of the tiniest sea creatures.

Philippe Eggert, of SeaLife Indonesia, has been testing the new Super Macro Lens — and the results are stunning.

With the new lens, you can capture the crisp details of these miniscule sea creatures, resulting in striking photos that will truly take your breath away.

The SeaLife Super Macro Lens

The Super Macro lens is constructed of optical-grade glass with broadband AR coating on the inner surfaces to maximize light transmission and prevent flaring. The two-element/two-group optics feature a +10-diopter lens that shortens the camera’s minimum shooting distance by more than 50 percent. All the optics are housed in corrosion-resistant, anodized-aluminum frame that’s depth-rated to 330 feet (100 m).

The lens has a 52mm thread mount for attaching to any underwater housing with 52mm mounting threads. Included with the lens is a 52mm thread-mount adapter that fits onto any SeaLife DC-series housing, including the new SeaLife DC2000. The 52mm thread adapter quickly and easily pushes on to the front of the SeaLife DC housing lens port for a tight, secure hold. Once you attach the thread adapter, simply thread the 52mm Super Macro Lens on. The same applies to any other third party 52mm lens or filter. This universal design gives divers the freedom to use the super-macro lens on other housings [with 52mm threads] or use other 52mm lenses on SeaLife DC-series housings.

SeaLife will also be launching the 52mm thread mount along with a 52-67mm step-up ring, so users have a wide variety of non-SeaLife branded lenses and filters to choose from.

“With the addition of the thread mount adapter and our new Super Macro Lens, the creative range of the DC2000 and other SeaLife DC Series cameras will be greatly enhanced” said Bjorn Harms, SeaLife’s VP and lead product developer.

The new lens and mount will be available on October 1^st. The Super Macro lens with 52mm DC Thread Mount Adapter will retail for $129.95; the 52mm Threaded Adapter for SeaLife DC-series housings will retail for $39.95; the SeaLife 52mm to 67mm Step-up Ring will retail for $29.95.

 

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MANUFACTURER FEATURE: BLUE BELL MEDICAL

 

 

About Blue Bell Medical

Founded in 1982, Blue Bell introduced the first true workstation to fit the unmet needs of anesthesia providers.  Blue Bell steadily grew to include carts for other specialty applications, and it was the first to introduce the Malignant Hyperthermia cart.  For more than 35 years, Blue Bell has been providing industry leadership in medical storage products.  We take pride in providing products that are designed and manufactured for high quality, durability, reliability, and ease of use.  Blue Bell remains committed to continuous product development, highly customizable workstations, quick delivery and exceptional customer service.

 

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Hashtag Our Stories: empowering mobile storytellers across the globe

With Hashtag Our Stories, Yusuf and Sumaiya Omar aim to build a global multichannel news network by equipping people in underserved communities with mobile journalism skills to help them tell their stories.

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Sea Turtle Conservation Efforts Paying Off

 

In a rare bit of positive conservation news, it seems that sea turtle conservation efforts are working. Efforts date back to the 1950s, with countries all over the world participating.

Antonios Mazaris of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, working with other researchers, recently published an article in Science Advances. Therein, the team shared the results of a large-scale study on sea-turtle populations. They found that most species of sea turtles, in most locations in the world, are making a comeback. Leatherback turtles in the eastern and western Pacific are one of the exceptions, but overall, it seems conservation efforts are having an effect.

Sea turtle conservation efforts take root

Conservation efforts include legislation against the capture and trade of sea turtles, increased regulation on fishing areas and techniques, and restoration of nesting sites worldwide.

Researchers found one particularly positive development — that even small sea turtle populations can rebound, despite being much more vulnerable than larger populations. One example is the French Frigate Shoals in Hawaii, where the sea turtle population reached a historic low of 200 in 1973. But, with legal protection, that population has since grown to around 2,000 individuals. Researchers now considered this one of the healthiest sea turtle populations in the United States.

This study and the research demonstrate that conservation can be quite effective. Both international legislation and pressure on local governments to protect sensitive and critical areas work when it comes to conservation. Legislation against trade and capture, in conjunction with other initiatives, can also help restore animal populations that are on the brink of extinction.

We must conduct more research to fully understand the health of the world’s sea-turtle population, as well as to understand the underlying reasons for the rebound. Through this, the work conservationists are doing for sea turtles may serve as the best case-studies for the protection of other species.

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3 Benefits of Home Automation

Living in a smart house may sound luxurious but the benefits are definitely worth the investment. Get to know how home automation can positively affect your daily routine by checking out the following:

Image Source: Flickr

It’s Energy Efficient
Having precise control over the power used as well as the temperature can ensure that your home is more energy efficient. This is why smart homes are a part of the appliances that you can use to be more environmentally conscious in your home. Depending on the system that you have in your home, it can suggest energy efficient settings. Source: Property24

Increases Peace of Mind
Perhaps this benefit will not apply to everyone, but for those who habitually worry about whether or not they have taken care of everything at home before leaving for the day, a home automation system is a perfect investment. In short, it offers peace of mind. This is quite beneficial for those individuals who leave each day, obsessively worrying if everything is in order. With so many stresses in daily life, it is nice to take at least one off the list by being able to see what is going on at home without physically being there. Source: Freshome

Convenient
Convenience is one of the biggest reasons that people build and purchase smart homes. These homes give users remote access to systems including heating and cooling systems, intercoms, music and multimedia devices throughout the home. Integrated hard drives allow homeowners to watch video or listen to audio in any room; video intercoms make it easy to communicate with others in the home or visitors at the door. All of these smart home technologies streamline common tasks. Source: HomeGuides.SFGate

Can you imagine how convenient it would be to have automated window treatments? It’s entirely possible! For more information, call us today!

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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Top of the Reef at Wakatobi Dive Resort

Steep walls and dramatic seamounts make for exciting dives, and there are plenty of sites at Wakatobi Dive Resort that offer these profiles. But many of these same sites offer something that few other places can. When reefs rise sharply from deep water to within a few feet of the surface, divers can stretch bottom times beyond the hour mark and discover the colorful world of the shallows.

What lies beneath

Right from arrival, guests get a hint of what awaits beneath the water’s surface as the transfer boat pulls up to the resort jetty. Below, the water changes suddenly from deep blue to sparkling aquamarine, offering a bird’s-eye view of the corals and seagrass beds peeking through the sunlight. This is the outer edge of the House Reef, which lies around 250 feet from shore (80 m) from shore. Both divers and snorkelers can jump in any time day or night.

Most visitors make their first dive at the resort on the House Reef, which offers a good example of what’s to come. After making a short swim or hopping in at the end of the jetty, divers begin on the edge of a steep slope that rises abruptly from deep water to snorkeling depths. And just across the channel, the dive sites of Sawa Island offer even more dramatic profiles, with vertical walls that top out within an arm’s reach of the surface.

Sawa Island

Magnifica is aptly named and is one of the favorite sites around Sawa. Descending from a small plateau perched on a high vertical wall, divers can free fall into the depths, where black coral, colorful sea fans and huge sponges thrive. A leisurely ascent back up the wall might feature schools of jacks, barracuda and snappers and a hunt for macro life in the many nooks and crannies of the reef.

In many places, this type of wall dive would end with a safety stop, hanging on a down line or swimming toward shore. But at Wakatobi, the ascent leads to the bright world of the upper reef, where various hard and soft corals spread into large formations to catch the sunlight. Thanks to modern dive computers, profiles such as this allow divers to routinely enjoy bottom times of 70 minutes or more, and spend up to four or more hours in the water each day.

Coral in the shallows

Some of the reef-building corals most associated with the shallows are in the Acropora family. To thrive, these corals require water that is free of sediment and pollution. They also need bright light and oxygenation from water motion. Most Acropora species, such as elkhorn and staghorn coral, form a tangle of slender branches. Others grow to formations that resemble a tabletop, some bigger than a dining room table. Flitting around these majestic corals are countless varieties of reef fish such as wrasse, damselfish and anthias, many of which live as large colonies. Closer looks reveal macro sightings such as “odd-couple” pairings of blind shrimp with their ever-watchful guardian gobies. Other prize sightings include ghost pipefish, blue-spotted stingrays, octopus, cuttlefish and more.

The coral structures of these shallow reefs are sheltered from the ravages of typhoons and storm surge because Wakatobi sits in an area that rarely sees bad weather or rough seas. This means that the reefs surrounding the resort can develop without damage. It also means that divers and snorkelers can enjoy relaxing boat rides and easy entries and exits to dive boats.

Situated in the heart of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystem, Wakatobi is home to thousands of varieties of fish and even more invertebrates. Marine life thrives under the protection of the resort-sponsored no-take zone. This initiative is especially important to the shallow reefs because they are particularly vulnerable to impacts such as destructive fishing practices.

Ready to spend some quality time in the shallow waters of Wakatobi? Inquire at wakatobi.com or email office@wakatobi.com.

By guest author Walt Stearns

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Avoid obstacles and achieve ada compliance

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Congo’s victims of violence: Why the birds stopped singing

Toronto Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Cooke and Congolese award-winning journalist Badylon Kawanda travelled together to the heart of one of the world’s biggest refugee crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Top Five Coral Sea Dive Sites

The Coral Sea is a marginal region of the South Pacific, stretching from the Great Barrier Reef on the northeastern coast of Australia out to the islands of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. It is a region of plunging depths and seamounts rising steeply 6,560 feet (2,000 m) from the sea floor, attracting pelagics and affording excellent wall diving in 100 to 130 feet (30 to 40 m) of visibility. To dive the best of the remote Coral Sea you need to travel by liveaboard.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions has been running trips out there since 1981. Mike’s boat, Spoilsport, is Australia’s most awarded liveaboard dive vessel. It’s a stable, twin-hull cat, custom-built for diving. There’s a spacious dive deck and comfortable twin/double cabins accommodate up to 28 passengers.

Mike’s been exploring various sections of the Coral Sea over the years and there are a few sites that stand out as favorites.

North Horn – Osprey Reef

Osprey is a submerged atoll, sitting some 37 miles (60 km) from other reefs. Nearly vertical walls rise from the deep, attracting plentiful sharks. Mike runs a controlled shark feed here that buzzes with up to 40 grey reef, whitetip reef and occasional silvertip sharks. It’s an exciting dive and afterwards, keen photographers can do a private shark photo-shoot dive with limited numbers of divers, ensuring fantastic, clean and up-close photos.

Crystal Plateau – Bougainville Reef

The reef descends to a spectacular terrace of hard corals at 65 to 98 feet (20 to 30 m) before edging over into an abyss hundreds of feet deep. Sea fans and colorful soft corals adorn the reef wall where sharks also patrol.

Dungeons and Dragons – Bougainville Reef

The reef top here is cut with an incredible maze of caves, tunnels and swim-throughs, making it an exciting place to search for fish and other critters. Venture beyond the shallows and you’ll find a wall descending to over 3,000 feet (1,000 m) where sharks and barracuda cruise out in the blue.

MV Antonio Tarabocchia – Bougainville Reef

This cargo ship struck the Reef in 1961. The scattered remains include a huge engine block and propeller which now lie on the gentle, sloping terraces of the reef. The clear water, strewn wreckage and abundant fish life, including a resident diver-size potato cod, make fantastic diving.

False Entrance – Osprey Reef

This site never disappoints with exciting fish action alongside colorful gorgonian fans, whips and soft corals. Resident barracuda and schooling bigeye trevally make for great photo opportunities. Keep an eye out for cruising hammerheads in the blue.

Guest post by Mike Ball Dive Expeditions

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Plan 2018 Marketing Strategy with a 2017 Review

The end of the year is the ideal time to appraise the previous year’s marketing objectives and approach the new year with a fresh focus and approach. As 2017 comes to a close, reflection can create a refocused action for the new calendar year.

Want to reset your salon marketing routine in 2018? We’ve created a list of key goals and intentions to be assessed to kick off the new year right.

In-House Marketing Review
Marketing is vital if you want to attract new clients, increase salon profitability, and capitalize on business opportunities. It makes business sense to give marketing the importance it deserves. Take an honest assessment of your salon’s 2017 marketing endeavors. Was there an investment of time, energy or money? If the answer is no, start out by blocking out one afternoon each week devoted to salon marketing objectives, or hire a professional marketing agency to focus on promoting your salon for you.

Brand Identity Review
Is your brand identity looking a little tired? Are your business logo, fonts, colors and photography looking dated? What first impression does your salon create in the minds of your clients? What lasting impression does it make? 

To play a real role in the beauty industry, it is imperative that guests perceive your business highly. How would clients rate your salon? How do they perceive your salon brand? Do they have an opinion on the level of service provided? Will they stick with your salon? Details can make the difference between mediocrity and megastar status in the minds of your clients.

What IS a Brand? 
“Brand” is the definition of a business in shorthand, because you can’t explain the who and the what of your business to everyone (that would be exhausting!). Your brand is your beacon, it signals and calls out to your potential purchasers so they can find you. What does your brand say about you? It speaks volumes without saying a word, good or bad. In a world littered with marketing noise and branding buzzwords, distinguishing your brand from the rest of the crowd is paramount to success.

Branding is a lot like flirting. Imagine the power of a brand that can genuinely flirt and connect with people. Brand is the combination of creative communications tools that say who and what you are in a visual snapshot. These tools communicate your salon’s identity in the form of mediums such as font, color palette, pattern, images, and verbiage (voice). Branding is the creation of charm. How well is your salon brand communicated, does it leave a lasting impression on clients and guests? 

Website Review
An up-to-date, well-designed website sends out the right message about your salon, spa or beauty business. Take an objective view of your salon website. Is it looking tired and dated? As technology, design and fashion/beauty trends quickly evolve a website designed over 5 years ago is considered antiquated. Images should look contemporary, the navigation clear with easy interface, and online gift card purchasing and online booking apps make websites money makers.

If your salon’s website is in need of a makeover hire a professional agency that can customize the perfect website for your salon brand.

Marketing Materials Review
Spread all your current marketing materials on a table and take a long, hard look at them. Have lots of marketing materials to makeover? Don’t tackle them all at once, instead, pick the worst offenders and work through them one by one. Updating your brand collateral is best handled by a professional design agency so all pieces are consistent and beautiful.

Social Media Review
The New Year is a good time to re-evaluate your salon social media pages. The message is clear, many users who follow you on social media hunting for great hair salon offers and promotions. Take your social marketing to the next level by hiring a professional marketing agency with the ability to mix-up the perfect combination of posts that include special offers, beauty trends, hair trends, tips and tricks.

Evaluate the Past 12 Months
A goal without a plan is just a wish. Investing a few hours at the start of the year to write a marketing plan for your beauty salon or spa can have a huge impact on profitability for the year to come. Before looking to the future, take a look back, appraise your business achievements in order to approach the new year with fresh objectives.

Don’t be tempted to skip the evaluation step, taking the time for analysis allows for more-informed planning. At the end of this evaluation you should have a greater understanding of your business objectives and opportunities. 

Your Salon Numbers
> Did your business meet its financial goals last year?
> Did most of your revenue come from existing salon clients or from new ones?
> What percentage of clients only visited once, never to return?
> Which are your most profitable salon services?
> When did you last increase your prices? 

Your Salon Promotions
> What salon promotional activities did you do? 
> What worked? 
> What didn’t? 
> Why not?

Your Salon Website
> Is your salon website mobile friendly?
> How does your site compare to local competitors’? 
> Has the site design or images become dated?
> Is site copy easy to ready and professionally written?
> Are you ranking high on Google so new clients can find you?

Your Salon Marketing Channels
When you deliver your marketing message using a variety of marketing channels you increase the likelihood of reaching your target audience. Repetition works. 
> What marketing channels are you utilizing?
> In-Salon Signage?
> Website?
> Email Marketing?
> Social Media?
> Advertising?
> Marketing Materials?
> New Client Recruitment?
> Loyalty or Reward Programs?
> Contests?

Your Salon Database
> Have you grown your email database over the last 12 months? 
> What incentives have you given guests to sign up?
Don’t forget email contacts are one of your most valuable marketing assets. 

Your Salon New Guest, Loyalty & Reward Program/s
> Do you have salon marketing systems in place for retaining new guests? 
> Are new clients documented and followed up by your team? 
> Have you set up a loyalty or reward program?

Your Salon Competition
Analyze your top 3 competitors.
Review their salon website, their social media, read their online reviews. 
> How do they compare to your hair or beauty business?

Your Salon Guest Services
> How do your guest services compare to your competitions? 
> What is the quality of your recruitment and training you provide your team?
> What do your clients think of your guest services and salon services? 
> Take a look at look at complaints and feedback. 

Your Salon Brand
> What message does the appearance of your salon send out?
> Review your salon marketing materials (salon brochures, salon graphics, price and treatment guides, sidewalk signage, etc.). Are they on-brand and great selling tools or in need of a major refresh?

You
What about your own marketing skills? Are you up to the task? Make marketing a business priority this year, invest in professional marketing services.

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Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves: The Half Moon

 

History of the Half Moon

Off the coast of Miami in 1930, a storm battered the hulk of an old yacht in the middle of the night. Called Half Moon, the yacht had been floating cabaret and fishing barge. On its last night afloat, it succumbed to the waves and settled onto the sand in shallow water off Key Biscayne near Bear Cut. The event was hardly noticed at the time, but a storied racing yacht had met its end.

Twenty-two years before, the yacht lived a different life. In 1908, Krupp Germaniawerft Company in Kiel, Germany, launched the racing yacht Germania. The vessel was more than 150 feet (46 m) long, made of chrome-nickel steel and had a schooner rig. It was a wedding present for Bertha Krupp, for whom the “Big Bertha” guns of World War I were named. A decorated yacht known for its speed, Germania won the coveted Kaiser’s Cup, one of the day’s most famous races. Unfortunately for its owners, the Germania was in Southampton filling its water tanks when war broke out between Great Britain and Germany in 1914. British authorities confiscated the yacht, and imprisoned the crew.

Germania went through several owners, including former Secretary of the Navy Gordon Woodsbury, who bought it in New York and renamed it Half Moon. He refitted the yacht with the latest furnishings, including a piano and an extravagant dining room. Off the coast of Virginia, Woodsbury’s yacht hit a terrible storm, lost a man overboard and had to be towed in. Woodsbury later referred to the storm as “the worst experience of my whole life.” Changing owners, Half Moon found its way to Miami, where it became a restaurant before sinking during a hurricane. It was refloated and was serving as a cabaret and fishing barge when it sank for the last time off Key Biscayne.

Diving the Half Moon

Local diver Terry Helmers of Miami piqued interest in the site. He’d been diving it since the 1980s and after years of research, discovered that it had been called Half Moon. He contacted the Florida Department of State and nominated the site to become one of Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves in 1997. Half Moon became a Preserve in 2000 and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. State archaeologists created a website, videos, an underwater guide and a brochure to help the public interpret the site.

“It is a fabulous site,” says Ani Gonzalez, captain and manager at Deco Divers in Miami Beach. “Half Moon is full of sea life, and it gives visitors a chance to see an actual historic shipwreck instead of an artificial reef.” The site is especially suited for snorkelers because of its depth. Gonzalez also says, divers and snorkelers “should try to visit Half Moon on incoming high tide for the best conditions.”

Visitors to the site will find marine life such as damselfish, sergeant majors, spiny lobster, bristle worms, angelfish and porcupinefish. They can also examine the remains of the hull from bow to stern and see portholes, a skylight, railing, a hatch, and the helm station. The site is in 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 m) of water. There is often only three or four feet of water over the shipwreck, so approach with caution when boating. Mooring balls are in place to avoid using anchors that might damage the site.

As with other historic shipwrecks in Florida, Half Moon is protected by law, so visitors should leave the site and its artifacts in place for future generations. To learn more about Half Moon or Florida’s other Underwater Archaeological Preserves visit museumsinthesea.com.

By Franklin H. Price

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Diver Propulsion Vehicle Training

We’ve all wanted to see more on a particularly spectacular dive. With a diver propulsion vehicle (DPV), you can cover far more territory. But what exactly is a DPV, and what sort of training do you need to successfully use one?

What is a diver propulsion vehicle?

DPVs come in many different models, sizes and capacities. Their main objective is to propel you through the water while you hold onto the machine. DPVs allow you to cover far more distance than just through kicking so you can explore large areas while conserving your air. Obviously, you must still pay close attention to your air consumption and no-decompression limits. A DPV usually consists of a pressure-resistant watertight casing containing a battery-powered electric motor that drives a propeller. The propeller must not harm the diver, diving equipment or marine life.

The PADI DPV specialty

If you’re at least 12 years old and a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll in the PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle course.

You’ll make two dives and learn:

• How to maintain your DPV
• How to plan dives, including procedures for staying with your buddy
• DPV-handling skills, such as making proper descents and ascents
• Potential problems and ways to deal with them

DPV etiquette

DPV operation requires more situational awareness than simply swimming. Operating a DPV requires simultaneous depth control, buoyancy adjustment, air monitoring, and navigation. Buoyancy control is vital for diver safety. Depth changes can occur rapidly when using a DPV, so be cautious when descending and ascending. Generally, you should not use a DPV for these maneuvers.

Be careful around your buddy and other divers using DPVs. Although speeds aren’t great, a diver and vehicle have a lot of mass and impacts can cause injury.

Be courteous to other divers. They might not particularly like a DPV’s sound and vibration, especially when it scares away the critters they like to watch or photograph. If others in your group are not using a DPV, try to stay away from them and go a separate direction.

Always stay with your buddy. It can be exciting to fly around a dive site, but don’t leave your buddy behind. Keep a close eye on each other and know that sometimes one DPV can be slower than another. If you’re using a faster DPV, you may have to wait for your buddy to catch up. If your DPV fails during the dive, you can tandem dive with your buddy back to the boat.

Wildlife interaction

You must be considerate of the aquatic realm when using a diver propulsion vehicle. Lots of small marine life is very well camouflaged and tries to stay hidden. When you’re moving fast on a DPV you can frighten some fish and other marine life if you get too close.

When riding your DPV, be cautious around aquatic organisms and shipwrecks, just as you would without a DPV. Keep plenty of space between you and the reef or the shipwreck you’re exploring.

Avoid touching and disturbing the bottom. Silt decreases visibility and harms aquatic life, particularly corals. It can also clog and damage the propeller.

Pay attention to your fin tips so you don’t accidentally drag or kick anything. You and your buddy should always pay close attention to environmentally-friendly techniques and avoid disturbing or damaging aquatic life.

When I’m using a DPV and I see something cool, I stop the unit and signal my buddy to do the same so we can watch the marine life without scaring it.

Enjoy the ride

With simple dive etiquette and marine-life awareness, DPV diving can be a unique and fun experience. It allows you to really explore the topography of an area and makes for a great dive when exploring walls, reefs and wrecks. Many dive companies allow you to rent DPVs, but we highly recommend signing up for a training course first to learn proper use and safe techniques.

For more information on DPV training at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, click here.

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How to Identify and Photograph Corals

Underwater photography tends to favor megafauna like sharks, whales, and dolphins, or macro critters like nudibranchs and shrimp. Photographers often overlook corals, which are also living animals. But learning how to identify and photograph corals can be just as exciting as snapping images of fish. It’s also the best way to identify and learn more about each species. (See our guides here and here for more tips on Caribbean coral identification).

Corals, for the most part, stay in one place. This, of course, makes them easier to photograph than fish. Taking pictures of corals is an excellent way for novice photographers to get familiar with their camera settings and start learning how to use external lights. Bigger and better colonies await more advanced photographers at each new dive site.

Checklist for coral photography

If your goal with coral photography is to identify each species, there are a few key shots you don’t want to miss. Begin by identifying the coral’s genus level. For example, learn to spot Acropora corals before trying to tease apart each species.

Scale

The scale of the coral, and particularly the corallite’s size, are important for narrowing down species, so include something in the photo to determine scale. A rough estimate of size will do for most corals, although you should sometimes use a ruler for millimeter accuracy. If you don’t have anything with you to include in the shot, wait until a fish swims by. Take a picture of the coral with the fish in the shot and then one without the fish. This can give you a rough estimate of the size which will be enough for most coral species.

Close-up

As with all underwater photography, you want to be as close to your subject as possible without disturbing or touching it. Underwater objects appear larger, so be sure to get up-close for the best shot. Play around with the macro setting on your camera.

A good coral photo is one that showcases all the polyps and tentacles. This really brings a coral photo to life. Up-close shots of corals feature intricate details that are hard to discern with eyes alone. You will be amazed at how a coral looks once your camera magnifies it.

Polyps

As you look closely at corals, you will see that each one has corallites, valley, walls, and polyps. You can read more about coral biology here, including important terms for coral identification.

Thousands of tiny polyps or a single large polyp can make up a coral. Some of the large-polyp species like Mussa or Scolymia can have quite an intricate display of colors. If you have an external light, try snapping a few shots of these corals with and without your light to see how bright they can be.

Polyps can be the same or different colors than the coral colony. To take your coral photography to the next level, look for polyps that are a different color than the coral. And look for polyps that have more than one color, or brightly colored tips.

Observation

Nothing can replace spending time underwater looking at corals. The more you search for corals, the more new and interesting species will stand out. Instead of spending your dive swimming quickly along the reef, stick to a small area underwater and take a few minutes to observe each coral.

If you’re diving with a shop, ask if they allow diving unguided buddy pairs, and then request a dive at an easy-to-navigate shallow reef. Once the boat is anchored or tied off to a buoy, drop down and stay near the line with your buddy until the rest of the group returns. This will give you an entire dive just to observe corals at your own pace.

Online resources

One of the reasons we love coral photography is being able to identify each species once we’re done diving. If you have diligently taken a few colony shots and close-ups of each species, you can use online resources to help with identification. Note that corals are regional animals, so pay attention to where you saw each coral.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) features informative coral sheets on their website, as does Corals of the World. These online resources are sorted by region and species so you can look for corals either way.

Next time you head out on a dive, pick up a camera to start photographing and identifying corals.

By Nicole Helgason

Nicole Helgason is a PADI Dive Instructor with nine years of professional dive experience. She has taught scuba diving in Canada, Dominican Republic and Indonesia, and has managed dive centers in Mozambique and Baja, Mexico. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in coastal geography from the University of Victoria and is passionate about coral restoration and coral reefs. She has a website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

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What I’m reading: Vol. 88.

Hello my darlings,

Surprise!! I’m in Venice. I’m getting ready to hunt for the finest jewelry in Italy at the 2017 VicenzaOro fair. If you’ve seen my previous VizenzaOro recaps, you know that means there are going to be some spectacular pieces to see very soon.

I’ll have a recap for you once I get home, but that’s going to take a week or so because after VizenzaOro, I’m running away to Paris with Mr.

Continue reading What I’m reading: Vol. 88. at Diamonds in the Library.

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VITAL SIGNS WITHIN YOUR REACH: ACROSS CARE SETTINGS AND WORKFLOWS

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Publishers' fear: 'reluctance to innovate'

“What is the single most important risk to a news organisation’s future success?” Perhaps finding new business models? Nope. More disruption from the likes of Google and Facebook? Nope. A lack of trust from readers? Nope. According to our World News Publishers Outlook survey, most publishers say it is a "reluctance to innovate."

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