Scuba Diving Blog by Neutral Dive Gear

Crossed Tanks Silhouette Scuba Diving T-Shirt

2012-04-27T10:50:00.002-07:00

This spring and summer is about color. Bold, uncomplicated color.

So we'd like to introduce you to our latest design, the Crossed Tanks Silhouette Scuba Diving T-Shirt.

Two colors. One bold, uncomplicated design.

Go ahead, take a closer look...

New Trove of Shipwrecks Found in Minnesota's Lake Minnetonka

2012-04-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Cool.

Archaeologists are scanning the bottom of one of Minnesota's largest lakes for unknown shipwrecks, and have already found some.

A renewed effort to see what's lurking at the bottom of Lake Minnetonka has uncovered three historically significant shipwrecks from when the lake was a popular tourist attraction at the turn of the 20th century.

Tempted to don a diving suit and seek out a treasure chest?

You'd come up empty-handed, because these wrecks and others, mostly steamboats, ferries or barges, were stripped clean of anything valuable and some were intentionally sunk when they became outdated.

"Artifacts for us are the fittings on the boats, the different cleats, the wheels if they're left on," said Ann Merriman of Maritime Heritage Minnesota, which found the remains during a sonar survey that also turned up several dozen smaller images that may be rowboats, cars or other long-lost items.

Seeing how the boats were crafted and used is historically important and their locations will be mapped so that they can be recognized as state archaeological sites. That would help keep them safe from disruption and allow divers to explore their wreckage.

"Our goal is to keep wrecks safe from looting, and safe from damage from anchors, but it's certainly not to limit scuba divers' enjoyment of them," Merriman said.

Continue reading...

Dream Job: Two Full-Time Scuba Divers Care for Radisson Blu Hotel Aquarium

2012-04-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Beautiful.

The Radisson Blu Hotel in Berlin has turned an extraordinary idea to reality. A huge Aquadom aquarium has been constructed in the heart of the hotel’s lobby atrium.

This world’s largest cylindrical aquarium is 82-feet high and is managed by the Sea Life Berlin Aquarium.

The Aquadom is filled with nearly 1 million liters of seawater and contains around 1,500 tropical fish of 56 species and tiny reef-like mounds at its base. Two full-time scuba divers have been appointed for the care and feeding of the aquarium’s inhabitants.

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Let's Make Joseph Kony Famous

2012-03-07T10:04:00.006-08:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do with scuba diving.

It's much more important.

Please watch this video and post it everywhere and anywhere.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Scuba Diving Photos from the Costa Concordia

2012-01-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

You can view these and other photos here.

Scuba Diving Boat Coat Blowout

2011-12-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

Make 2012 the Year of the No-Cold Surface Interval.

Take a whopping 40% off our revolutionary Crossed Tanks Scuba Diving Boat Coat when you purchase before January 1st.

Limited supply!

And it's more than just stylish.
Discover superior boat coat technology...

Wounded Soldiers Become Scuba Instructors

2011-12-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Our hoods are off to Brad Hughes and Peter Wesley.

Two injured soldiers have gained diving instructor qualifications after enrolling in sub-aqua rehabilitation.

Brad Hughes and Peter Wesley have become the only recipients of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) open water badge through a pioneering Army scheme.

Mr Hughes, of Llandudno, Conwy, and his friend Mr Wesley, of Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk, have been praised for a "fantastic" achievement.

Both have now been discharged from the Army on medical grounds.

Mary Tetley, chief executive of the BSAC, said: "Gaining your BSAC open water instructor qualification is an achievement in itself, but to do so when battling a crippling injury which has had such a profound effect on your life is remarkable.

"I am so pleased for Brad and Peter and they are a great inspiration to all of our members."

Continue reading...

Body of Missing Scuba Diver Recovered... 26 Years Later

2011-12-08T11:53:00.000-08:00

Wow.

The body of a scuba diver found in a seaside park has been identified as a disabled man who went missing 26 years ago.

Two fishermen found human remains in scuba diving gear tangled up in their nets near Cates Park, North Vancouver, in October.

It has now emerged that the remains belonged to Peter Devoe who was last seen on March 13, 1985.

According to The Vancouver Sun, Mr Devoe, a paraplegic, was enjoying a day out with his fiance and family at Cates Park.

He was diving with his brother when he experienced problems with his equipment. He never resurfaced.

Despite searches being carried out by emergency service teams in the days following the incident, the body of the 29-year-old was never found.

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Aussie Man Uses Scuba Gear to Evade Bushfire

2011-11-29T20:44:00.000-08:00

"I remember looking at my watch. And just looking up and seeing the red and the black going over the top."

While others in the town of Margaret River fled their homes, Peter Fabrici got his wife to safety and then went back to fire-proof his home.

Seeing houses in the distance going up in flames, he donned wet clothing, an oxygen tank and goggles.

When the flames got too close, he jumped into his neighbour's pool.

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Scuba Divers Report Hurricane Rina Shifted Cayman's Kittiwake Wreck 60ft

2011-11-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

And that's 60 feet out to sea.

Strong waves resulting from Hurricane Rina have shifted the Kittiwake wreck about 60 feet out to sea, divers who dove the site over the weekend have reported.

Jason Washington of Ambassador Divers said the former USS Kittiwake, which was deliberately sunk as a dive attraction off West Bay in January, is now sitting 10 feet deeper in sand and 60 feet closer to the sea wall than before the storm.

“It is incredible. I thought, honestly, that if it was going to move, it would move toward the beach. However the storm worked and however the water moved, it moved the Kittiwake towards the wall,” he said.

An enormous anchor chain on the ship has snapped and metal plates on the side of the vessel have also disappeared.

Mr. Washington and others dived the Kittiwake on Saturday and took video footage of the wreck to show how far it had moved and what damage had been done in the storm.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Octopi Wall Street

2011-11-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Shark Therapy

2011-10-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Florida Scuba Diver Sets World Record, Spends Over Five Days Underwater

2011-09-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Wow. And for a good cause.

A Lake County diver set a new world record Friday for spending more than five days underwater.

People gathered around Groveland's Lake David to rally around diver Allen Sherrod, 47, as he stepped foot back on land.

Around 9 a.m. Sherrod broke the world record for the longest freshwater dive by just about 15 minutes.

"This was like amazing. He's tried this two times before. This whole week we knew he could pull it off," said Nicole Plussa, 17, who attempted the women's world record but had to resurface after about 13 hours. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Sherrod walked out of Lake David with a bottle of champagne and his sense of humor still intact.

Sherrod started his dive Sunday at 8:46 a.m., 10 years to the minute since the first hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

He emerged five days, 14 minutes and 32 seconds later.

Sherrod dedicated this third attempt to helping veterans pursue diving by raising money for Wounded Warriors.

Continue reading...

The World's Weirdest Places to Scuba Dive

2011-09-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

And weird is fun.

Bored of diving among the usual coral reefs and tropical fish? Looking for something a little out of the ordinary?

Ever thought about diving in a crack between two continents in some of the clearest water on Earth? Or what about swimming up to an active volcano? Perhaps underwater art is more your thing?

If so, take a look at some of the most unusual, mysterious and awe-inspiring underwater landscapes from around the world.

Continue reading...

Polish Scuba Diving Wedding Breaks World Record

2011-08-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you combine a bride, a groom, 275 guests, and a whole lot of scuba gear?

Why, a new world record, of course!

(Click image to view video)

Meet Cooper, the Scuba Diving Chimpanzee

2011-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Keep in mind chimps don't normally like water, which makes Cooper's latest talent that much more amazing.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Exit question: How long before PADI makes this a specialty?

Maine Supreme Court Ruling Expands Scuba Divers' Beach Access Rights

2011-08-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

While the justices split evenly on the interpretation of why a scuba diver is allowed to use the intertidal zone, the decision itself was unanimous.

Surfers are among those celebrating a Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruling that expands beach rights for scuba divers and leaves room for others to argue that they, too, should have greater access to the ocean.

In a 6-0 decision last week, the court upheld the right of an Eastport scuba diver to reach Passamaquoddy Bay by crossing the wet sand of beach property owned by a neighbor.

The public's right to use the intertidal zone – the land between the mean high- and low-tide marks – has long been a bone of contention in Maine, where coastal ownership law dates back to a 17th century ordinance limiting public use of the area between high and low tide to "fishing, fowling and navigation."

Adam Steinman, a lawyer who also surfs, filed a brief in the case – taken up by the court last November – on behalf of the national Surfrider Foundation.

"From the Surfriders' perspective and from the perspective of the people of Maine and getting access to a very unique resource, the ocean is not really very good if you can't get there," Steinman said. "And if the only way to get there at low tide is by crossing what arguably is private land, then you have a problem. I think this case opens that up."

Continue reading...

Supermodel Kate Moss too Afraid to Scuba Dive

2011-08-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

But it's not the gear or breathing underwater that freaks her out.

It's the fish.

Kate Moss pulled out of a scuba diving course - because she's too scared of fish.

The supermodel is currently holidaying in the South of France with her husband Jamie Hince and a group of pals and was keen to get her formal qualification in diving while she's there but her fear of sea-dwelling creatures put an end to that.

A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Kate has been snorkelling before and dived a bit. She was keen to get a formal qualification, did some of the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifclassroom-based stuff and was really getting in to it. But then she got convinced she was going to bump into a giant, scary fish - possibly a shark - and began to get nervous.

"When a school of tropical fish swam past, Kate got a bit terrified by one of the bigger, grey ones, Pals were calling her 'Skate Moss' all afternoon, joking she'd stumbled across a giant skate."

So instead of going under water, Kate intends to spend the rest of her break on British businessman Sir Philip Green's luxury yacht by relaxing with pals while sipping champagne in the sun.

Continue reading...

Probably not a huge loss for the scuba diving community.

PADI Approaches 20 Million Scuba Diving Certifications Issued

2011-08-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

PADI officials believe the organization will breach the milestone in the third quarter of this year.

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world's largest scuba diving training and certification organization, announced Friday that the organization will soon issue its 20 millionth scuba diver certification. To celebrate the occasion, the organization will be presenting a “Countdown to 20 Million” campaign. which will award the diver who earns the 20 millionth certification AND the instructor who issues the winning certification a trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The PADI organization was started 35 years ago and has more than 135,000 active professional members worldwide and more than 6,000 affiliated retail outlets and resorts worldwide, according to the organization. The 20 million certification milestone easily makes PADI the most recognized name in the recreational scuba diving industry.

“In 1966, Ralph Erickson and John Cronin had an idea about a better way that people to learn to dive. That the PADI organization has grown from the two of them to more than 20 million testifies to the power and wisdom of their vision” says PADI Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Brian Cronin. “It also shows how a mutual passion for diving unites the PADI family around the world. Twenty million certifications only happens because PADI professionals lead diving. I salute their achievement.”

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Let the ongoing 'quality over quantity' debate ensue...

Captain Morgan's Pirate Ship Discovered

2011-08-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Back in March we reported on the discovery of Captain Morgan's lost cannon in Panama's waters.

Now archeologists one of Captain Morgan's five ships has been discovered in the same waters.

The lost wreckage of a ship belonging to 17th century pirate Captain Henry Morgan has been discovered in Panama, said a team of U.S. archaeologists -- and the maker of Captain Morgan rum.

Near the Lajas Reef, where Morgan lost five ships in 1671 including his flagship "Satisfaction," the team uncovered a portion of the starboard side of a wooden ship's hull and a series of unopened cargo boxes and chests encrusted in coral.

The cargo has yet to be opened, but Captain Morgan USA -- which sells the spiced rum named for the eponymous pirate -- is clearly hoping there's liquor in there.

...

The underwater research team included archaeologists and divers from Texas State University, volunteers from the National Park Service's Submerged Resources Center and NOAA/UNC-Wilmington's Aquarius Reef Base. And pirate booty or no, they said the story of Captain Henry Morgan was the real treasure.

"To us, the ship is the treasure -- the story is the treasure," Hanselman told MSNBC's Alan Boyle. "And you don't have a much better story than Captain Henry Morgan's sack of Panama City and the loss of his five ships."

Artifacts excavated by the dive team in 2010, including the six cannons, as well as any future relics will remain the property of the Panamanian government and will be preserved and displayed by the Patronato Panama Viejo.

Meet Norman Lancefield, the UK's Oldest Scuba Diver

2011-08-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Let's pray we're all so blessed to still be scuba diving at 91.

HITTING 91 has not deterred Norman Lancefield from taking on adventures in life.

Because the great-grandfather of two from the Vale of Glamorgan is being hailed as the UK’s oldest scuba diver.

Despite taking up the hobby relatively late – aged 58 in 1978 – Norman has racked up hundreds of dives and completed his latest one at Babbacombe Beach in Torquay, Devon.

Norman is an active member of the Barry branch of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC).

He said: “It’s another world down there and I feel privileged to be able to see it.

“I don’t go much on wrecks and things but I do love to see the seaweed and when I did my most recent dive there was such a variety of seaweed, some small, some big and it is a beautiful part of nature.”

Continue reading...

World's Scariest Shave

2011-08-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

We're not exactly impressed with this portrayal of sharks, to say the least. But the commercial contains scuba diving, and this is a... well... scuba diving blog.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Flippin' Amazing! The Scuba Diving Soldier who Lost Both Legs, Arm in Afghanistan

2011-07-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the inspiring Scott Schroeder.

Soldier Scott Schroeder wears two prosthetic legs and a false arm following a devastating roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan – but that hasn’t stopped him enjoying a spot of scuba diving.

The chief warrant officer has had special flippers attached to his legs so that he can explore undersea worlds once again.

He lost his limbs seven months ago when an IED exploded beneath his transport vehicle. The week-long series of dives, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, is part of a recreational therapy program.

He learnt to scuba-dive back in the 1980s, but his injuries mean that he is having to relearn his skills.

His wife Laura and teenage son Zach have joined him this week. They’re both novices, but hope to earn their first scuba-diving certificate.

Laura explained how his passion for the activity whetted her appetite for it, too.

She said: ‘Every time we go on a vacation, one thing he wants to do is go diving, but he won't do it because we're not certified. So now, when we go on vacations, we can certainly go out with him.’

Continue reading...

Be sure to click over to the article to not only read the rest of the story, but see the other amazing photos of Scott.

Our masks off to you, sir.

Paralyzed Teen Discovers Freedom in Scuba Diving

2011-07-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

Every scuba diver has a story of the first time they discovered the freedom of the underwater world on SCUBA.

But this young man's story is truly an inspiration.

Slicing his cupped hands through the chilly water to propel himself forward, John Harris made his way to the submerged platforms at Whitestar Quarry.

He checked the depth on his gauges, flooded his mask and cleared out the water, and took out the mouthpiece of his regulator as a demonstration of how he would share air.

It was a typical lesson for those learning how to scuba dive. But the smile that spread across his face as he floated on his back in the water after the first of his four certification dives showed something very different.
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Despite being paralyzed in a dirt-bike crash not quite a year ago, the 17-year-old Petersburg, Mich., resident was now one stroke closer to being a certified scuba diver.

"I used to swim all the time," he said after he and his sister, Ashley, finished their first open-water dive. "I never thought it would be fun but it is. I like being free in the water."

Continue reading...

Men's Crossed Tanks Scuba Diving Tank Tops and Long Sleeves Have Arrived!

2011-07-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just in time for a smokin' hot dive summer, our men's Crossed Tanks Scuba Diving Tank Tops have arrived!

And even though it's hot out there, we all know a little warmth after a dive is critical. So we're also releasing our men's Crossed Tanks Scuba Diving Long Sleeve alone side the new tanks.

Live. Dive. Thrive.