@ai6yr@schof@mlanger a bunch of friends of friends got BBQed on that boat. Until that happened, that operator was seen as one of the better ones on the West Coast.
As with all things, safety regulations are written in blood. I haven't been paying attention to what's happened since then but I'm hoping there are some better regulations for new ship construction at least.
Meanwhile liveaboards in other countries burn down with some regularity. One just burned yesterday.
It's always disappointing to see invasive lionfish on Caribbean dive sites, as they devour the local populations and have few predators. That said, they are visually interesting, with so many different colors and textures warning predators about the venomous spines.
@webcubus They look great. I only saw a few smaller ones last time I was there. It seems putting them on the menu (Lionburger) and organizing Lionfish hunting dives helped quite a lot.
@plaimbock they sure are tasty! We had fresh-caught lionfish ceviche on a liveaboard and it was fantastic. They are certainly around in Saba, St. Kitts, and Turks & Caicos but not in huge numbers.
Yellowhead jawfish are one of my favorite creatures to photograph, but they take a lot of patience. They are often quite cautious and will retreat into their burrows, but if you give them some space and remain calm they will sometimes come out and take a look.
@snowgaze they are so fun, but very cautious. The dream shot is to find a male incubating the eggs in his mouth - he will occasionally push them out to oxygenate them and then suck them back in. I've only seen a couple with eggs, but they are extra shy (and reasonably so!).
Further evidence that the litigation-fearing world has gone completely bananas yesterday. Tried to get my son a trial #scuba dive, which takes place in an indoor pool about 4m deep in suburban Adelaide.
The paperwork was simply ridiculous 🤦♂️
When I did the same (40 odd years ago) it was just 'Come to the pool at 9am mate and we'll do it no worries'
75 dives
81h45m underwater
1h27m longest dive
83 ft max depth
Water temperatures: 38F to 86F
25 different dive sites
Most frequent dive sites: Folly Cove (17) and Old Garden Beach (8)
17 different dive buddies!
I did 1 dive in Iceland, 32 in Dumaguete, Philippines, and 42 around New England. Shout out to all my awesome buddies and can't wait to get back to it in 2024!
My favorite dive of the year (and of all time, actually) was our first dive at Punta in Dumaguete. It was non-stop action with a Wunderpus immediately on entry, mantis shrimp, several other species of octopus, blue ring octopus, and then a flamboyant cuttlefish actively hunting with its little harpoon. Absolutely wild stuff!
As a #SCUBA diver I hate to burst everyones bubble but being neutrally buoyant in water does not resemble being weightless. You still feel gravity, you'd get closer to feeling weightless if you went skydiving.
I’ve daydreamed about building an iOS app ever since the App Store launched in 2008. It only took 15 years 🙃, but I’m really proud to have my very own app in the App Store! https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1633233170
There’s just something so personal about seeing your creation respond to your touch as you interact with it, and having it right there in your pocket, always in arm’s reach. I'm totally hooked!
