This unique conference will address the major issues surrounding rebreather technology, and its application in commerical, media, military, scientific, sport and technical diving.  RF3 has two key objectives; an emphasis on safety and the much needed peer review of the state of the art.  As a RF3 delegate you will be part of this important process.

I am a PADI instructor with only one rebreather pool dive under my belt, so I claim to be no expert and know I’ll learn plenty during this three day conference.

But we want to help you, the divers of the world.

Rebreather Animosity

When we post news or articles about rebreathers, the response is typically along the lines of “it’s certain death”. However, in seeing devices like the Hollis Explorer as well as early pieces of the PADI rebreather courses, this is not a niche that plans to go away and is working diligently to become as safe as possible.

When BCD’s were introduced, people thought they were dangerous. Now they’re standard gear.

When dive computers were introduced, people thought they were dangerous. Now they’re standard gear.

When nitrox was introduced, people thought it was dangerous. Now it’s incredibly common.

Will rebreathers be next?

What Do You Want to Know?

Post your questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to get answers from the leading experts in rebreather design, training and use. This is going to be a busy conference, so we may not be able to get answers to every question, but we’ll do our best.

We’ll be live-tweeting, so follow us on Twitter or check the stream below. We’ll be posting on Aquaviews daily throughout the conference, so if you’re not a big Twitter fan, you can catch our summaries here.

Rebreather Forum: An Evolution in the Diving Industry was written by Nick Bostic for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

On March 22, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly declared that day would be a day for global observance from then on: the World Day for Water. On this day, the UN devotes particular attention to the state of the planet’s water resources, and its member nations cooperate by implementing UN suggestions for promoting water conservation within their countries. As World Water Day has gathered more attention through the years, members of the general public will refrain from using tap water for the entire day as a show of solidarity. The day is meant to impress upon people how precious water is as a resource, and the many thousands of ways it is wasted — but can also be saved — according to our preferences.

Water and Food Security: The World is Thirsty Because We Are Hungry

Photo via AZRainman

What is World Water Day? was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Behold, a shiny new toy!

Unless you’ve been trapped under a rock for the last several weeks (or just don’t excite easily), you’ve no doubt been abuzz with Apple’s announcement of the latest iPad soon to be released to a rabid market of gadget geeks, clawing at their faces with unbridled anticipation. Although it does feature a fancy new 5-megapixel camera on the back, as well as the ability to record videos with 1080p resolution, it’s not exactly the diver’s choice for underwater photo- or videography. However, that doesn’t mean it’s just an expensive paperweight for SCUBA enthusiasts. There are some really cool apps available for use on the iPad that we think you’ll find incredibly handy, delightfully entertaining, and possibly game-changing. Here are a couple of our favorites.

Dive Log from More Mobile Software – $11.99

So chic, so classy

If you’re an avid diver, and you’re not keen on leaving your iPad at home all by itself, there’s no reason the two should be mutually exclusive, and now they’re not. The Dive Log app is a cutting-edge solution for the technologically advanced diver, eliminating the need for the old-fashioned paper and pen system and replacing it with a platform for the most detailed information for all your dives. It integrates seamlessly with your dive computer, as well as your desktop or laptop computer for simple transference of information right after the dive. Making an entry while the dive is still fresh in your mind is a snap with this app. Any information you or a dive master might need about your dive history is right at your fingertips, with no worrying about sheets tearing out or water spots smudging your handwriting. Create dive templates to save time reentering repetitive information. Dive buddy signatures are no problem — this app allows anyone to sign using their finger as the “pen.” You can even get reminders from the app about upcoming servicing dates. If you’re ready to step into the future of dive logs, you’ve got to have this app.

TideTrac from Rivolu Pte. Ltd – $1.99

Although this app can only be used for US coastal regions, for a couple bucks you’ve got a wealth of information at your fingertips.

Ummm...no.

One of the cooler features of the TideTrac app is that any stations that you add to your favorites list will be available offline, which is a valuable feature when you’re on a boat, speeding away from the nearest cell tower. Not only can you view tide information for a particular day, you can look up tide information for a whole month if you choose, and you can search tide predictions through 2014, with further dates to be added as they become available. It will automatically account for daylight savings time and different time zones, so that you can brag with confidence that you know when the moon is going to rise in Miami Beach. And for easy browsing, you can look at all your favorite stations on a high-resolution map, and with one touch, access all the available tide information for that selection. Tides are important to divers, and if you want to be in the know, make sure you download this app.

Photos via yto, bfishadow, Nick Harris1

Put That iPad to Good Use With These SCUBA Apps was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

SCUBA symbol on the bank of Vortex Spring

This is the second of a two-part series about the mysterious disappearance of Ben McDaniel, a certified open water SCUBA diver that has been missing since August 18, 2010. The missing persons case remains open.

On August 20, 2010, a call went out to cave divers in the region surrounding Vortex Spring, Florida that a diver was missing, and in all likelihood, a body needed to be recovered from the cave within the spring. Three teams of 16 divers accepted the call and searched for the body of Ben McDaniel for 36 consecutive days, finding not so much as one indication that he had indeed drowned in the cave or the surrounding spring. Every crevice and opening of the cave was fastidiously searched, with the exception of a constricted, dangerous area in the rear of the cave that even highly experienced expert divers had encountered difficulty entering. The owner of Cave Adventures, a dive shop located about an hour from Vortex Spring, made his way into the area in 3 attempts, and found no evidence that any divers had been in there. With the effort it took to gain entry, he speculated that a diver of McDaniel’s stature, over 6 feet tall and 210 pounds, would not have been able to secure access.

Although no evidence was found in the cave that would suggest what had happened to McDaniel, there were some odd clues. Full air tanks were discovered outside the entrance of the cave, which was perplexing to investigators for two reasons. The first was that the tanks were filled with regular air, which is inconsistent with what McDaniel would have presumably learned by reading up on cave diving, as his parents insisted he did, because cave diving often requires a special gas mix, depending on certain factors, such as depth. Secondly, cave divers place extra air tanks along their way inside the cave, so that it is within ready reach if the diver should need it in the cave. In addition to these strange discoveries, McDaniel’s truck went unnoticed by staff of the dive shop at Vortex Spring for two days, despite being parked well within their view. Inside the truck was McDaniel’s wallet with almost $700 in cash, a cell phone, and various other personal effects. The last call placed on the cell phone was to his mother the previous evening.

A stern warning to aspiring yet unqualified cave divers

Ben McDaniel’s parents, Shelby and Patty, attended the searches vigilantly, hoping against hope that one of the divers would surface with answers about their son. They offered a reward of $10,000 to any diver who would brave the incredibly dangerous passage where other experienced cave divers refused to search out of fear for their own lives. Because that area remains unturned, the frustrated and grief-stricken parents have become convinced that is where Ben’s body may be. Their unwillingness to accept that this theory may be incorrect was what led Jill Heinerth to produce a documentary about the mystery.

Heinerth and her husband, Robert McClellan, have produced four documentaries, one of which was “Water’s Journey,” aired on PBS. Heinerth’s initial motive for visiting Vortex Spring was to take footage of a cave dive to present to McDaniel’s parents in an effort to demonstrate the inherent dangers of cave diving and help them to get closure. But after reading McDaniel’s log books, Heinerth discovered that he was mapping the cave, and had made at least one dive to its furthest reaches. She then changed her mind about the approach, concluding that there wasn’t sufficient evidence that he wasn’t in that part of the cave, leading to her decision to make the documentary focused on his disappearance, and to call it “Ben’s Vortex.”

An example of the nooks and crannies within Vortex Spring's cave

Theories as to what really happened to Ben McDaniel abound. Some believe that perhaps McDaniel set the scene for his own disappearance in an attempt to start a new life with no one any the wiser. Others think he drowned at some point in the cave and was swept out to sea. Yet another theory suggests foul play may have been involved, with a former owner of Vortex as a suspect. At the time of Ben’s disappearance, the owner was awaiting trial for the alleged kidnapping and beating of a temporary employee, for which he pleaded no contest and received a fine and probation. The man is since deceased, with suspicious circumstances surrounding his death a month ago.

The McDaniels continue to hold onto hope that their questions will someday be answered. Until then, the missing persons case remains open. The couple has since increased the offered reward to $30,000 for the diver who is able to locate their son in the last reaches of the cave.

Photos via bnorwood, Thespis377

What Happened to Ben McDaniel? Unanswered Questions was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Vortex Spring, Holmes County, Florida

This is the first of a two-part series about the mysterious disappearance of Ben McDaniel, a certified open water SCUBA diver that has been missing since August 18, 2010. The missing persons case remains open.

It’s a story that strikes fear into the heart of every diver: going down and never coming back up. Such is the story of Florida diver Ben McDaniel, who went on a solo cave dive in the summer of 2010 at Vortex Spring, a popular freshwater recreational site for divers and swimmers alike. Although he never resurfaced in society, no trace of him was ever found in the spring or the cave, despite ongoing efforts of police and qualified divers. This unsolved mystery has become the subject of two projects that will be released to the public in the upcoming months. One is a Discovery Channel show entitled “Disappeared,” and the other is a feature documentary called “Ben’s Vortex,” produced by one of the industry’s most respected female divers, Jill Heinerth, and her husband, Robert McClellan.

Becoming an open water diver at just 14, Ben McDaniel is remembered by friends and family as a fearless individual who was passionate about his hobbies, particularly SCUBA diving. Seeking more of a challenge than his open water certification offered, McDaniel decided to try his hand at cave diving, a certification which would have required about two months’ training and 125 logged dives with an instructor or cave-certified dive buddy. Despite the well-known dangers of cave diving and the necessity of proper training, he went ahead on the dives without it.

On the day of the fateful dive, August 18, 2010, McDaniel entered the spring just before sunset, unaccompanied by a dive buddy. On his way into the cave, he was passed by two divers on their way out, one of which was a commercial diver who works for Vortex Spring. Eduardo Turan had come to know McDaniel in the weeks previous to his disappearance as a regular diver at Vortex, and knew that he was gaining access to the cave by jimmying the locked gate that separated the cave from the common areas of the spring. Only cave-certified divers are given a key to the gate, which McDaniel did not have. That day in August, Turan turned around and unlocked the gate for McDaniel. On previous dives, Turan would sometimes wait for the sight of McDaniel’s bubbles at the surface, as an indication that he was decompressing and okay. Turan and the other diver did not wait to see those bubbles this time, and no one knows if there ever were any.

To be continued…

Photos via systemslibrarian, Thespis377

What Happened to Ben McDaniel? A Tragic Mystery was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

via Mike Licht

The Great Lakes are one of the United States’ greatest treasures, not only for their beauty, but also for the amount of history that is contained within them. Unfortunately, they are enduring several environmental threats that are putting entire ecosystems at great risk, as well as the livelihoods and lives of many people. One of their biggest problems comes from invasive species. As we’ve been able to learn from the lionfish invasion of the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean, invasive species can quickly overtake native species and destroy an ecosystem that has been in place for decades, sometimes with little chance of regeneration. If you would like to help with the management of these invasive species, there are several programs that can be found through a simple search on the internet.

Goby

via Benimoto

Unlike the goby that is a popular choice for many aquarium enthusiasts, the gobies that have invaded the Great Lakes are a true menace. These gobies are bottom-dwelling fish, and because of their aggressive nature, are overwhelming native species by taking over their spawning locations and reproducing rapidly. The goby, although diminutive, is a voracious feeder, and is able to forage in complete darkness. Due to their ability to survive in even poor water conditions, the goby has become widespread in the Great Lakes.

Asian Carp

via Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee

There are actually several carp that fall under the name “Asian carp,” but for all practical purposes, there is not one among them that isn’t considered a scourge in the Great Lakes. These carp can have devastating impacts on a number of ecosystems, by way of increasing water turbidity, which causes native fish and bird populations to decline, proving hard to catch based on their filter-feeding habits, and causing physical injury to humans recreating on the water when they jump into the air and strike a person’s body. They have been known to actually break bones!

Zebra Mussels

via andres musta

Originally hailing from the Black and Caspian Seas, the zebra mussel can now be found all across North America in prolific numbers. It is thought the species was introduced by the bilge water of commercial ships containing microscopic larvae. The zebra mussel’s crime is the extent to which they colonize and take over entire native ecosystems, as well as attaching to pretty much anything, causing extensive damage to waterways, harbors, ships, and even water treatment plants. Diving ducks are a natural predator, but the mussels are so widespread they cannot be contained in this way alone.

Ruffe

via Jukk_a

The ruffe is a more recent addition to the Great Lakes’ invasive species, having made its way here from Eurasia around 1986. Also a prolific spawner, the ruffe is highly competitive for the food and habitat of native species, and its strength is in numbers. They reach sexual maturity in their first year of life, and are capable of laying 45,000 to 90,000 per year. Although they rarely grow larger than 5 inches in length, their fins are lined with sharp spines, making them less than appetizing to predators.

Sea Lamprey

via briansuda

An unsightly appearance makes it easy to dislike the sea lamprey, but the real detractor is their effect on the native species of the Great Lakes. These are parasitic creatures, attaching themselves to their victims with many rows of sharp teeth and relieving them of their life force. Most victims die from blood loss or infection from the open wounds the sea lamprey leaves on their flesh. It is a voracious predator of lake trout, a source of great concern since the lake trout is an apex predator in the Great Lakes. As we all know, apex predators are essential to a healthy ecosystem.The sea lamprey has no natural predators.

Invasive Species of the Great Lakes was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Dive The Coast is an upcoming charitable SCUBA diving event scheduled for June 2013 along California’s coast. Why are we telling you about it so early? Because they’re having a test dive tomorrow! Read on for details about the November 19th dive as well as the whole event.

About Dive The Coast

The plan is to have thousands of divers dive the entire length of the California coast, raising money in the form of donations that will go towards conservation groups. On October 15, 2011 a group of divers from five counties did a test dive in  Monterey to calibrate dive distance, depth and tank time. More test events will be held between now and the June 2013 main event, including tomorrow.

Designed to both raise money for conservation groups as well as help divers from across the state (and those willing to travel) to explore parts of the coast line they haven’t before, this is a significant undertaking. Working with supporters including California Diver Magazine, Oceanic and LeisurePro, the group is hoping to have enough divers interested to do a “Dive the Bay” event in June 2012 covering the length of Monterey Bay.

November 19th

The next “calibration dive” will be tomorrow, November 19th. If you’re available, meet at Breakwater Cove in Monterey at 9AM to see how far you can go on a single tank. There will be an after-party with pizza, wine and beer, but if you plan on attending be sure to let them know as soon as possible. Use the form below to RSVP.

Sorry, the cutoff time for RSVPing to the after party has passed! Come join us for the dive though!

How You Can Help

Visit the Dive The Coast contact page to contact your local county organizer. If you are interested in helping to organize, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Orange counties all need someone to take the lead. All money raised must go towards charitable groups. Also, if you are a dive operation or would be interested in volunteering your boat, Humbolt and Del Norte counties could use some help due to limited shore access. If you are interested in being a supporter or participant, email kim@divethecoast.com for more information.

This is shaping up to be a great event, so help spread the word!

Dive The Coast was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

On to the highlights!

DEMA’s Big Announcement

The morning started off with the DEMA industry update meeting. Attendance this year was up slightly over last year, DEMA will be working hard to promote diving to people who enjoy other adventure sports so you may soon have some new dive buddies and promotional materials will soon be available in a wide variety of languages for all of our international readers.

The big announcement however is that DEMA is creating a consumer oriented festival. Planned for April 26-28, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, the Be A Diver Adventure Sports Festival “is a celebration of diving, adventure sports, water sports and outdoor lifestyles and includes events, exhibits, seminars and other activities to promote diving and other crossover activities.” It sounds like a bigger, more fun (not that the industry DEMA show isn’t fun) diving event open to the public.

More Travel Friendly Gear

With airlines restricting carry on quantity and raising prices on checked bags, it comes as no surprise that dive manufacturers are keeping size and weight in mind with new products. Mares has a BCD with a foldable rigid back that collapses down to an incredibly small size. Hollis has a new sidemount rig that is designed to be even more streamlined and travel friendly. Computers from every manufacturer are smaller, yet offer more features and better screens than ever before. Gear bags are being reduced in size and weight to help traveling divers as well. For anyone who regularly travels by air to dive, the next year or two will offer a variety of new gear to help with your travels.

New Suit Materials

Likely designed to help with travelers, but beneficial even to those who don’t fly, many suit manufacturers are using new materials to help strike the best weight/warmth balance. We’ve previously mentioned Lavacore here before and they have been popular at the show. Getting the benefit of 2-3mm of neoprene in the weight of a traditional skin combined with the sizing and layering options of separate tops and bottoms (or whole suits if you prefer) makes for a great new innovation in thermal protection.

If you want to see more frequent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

DEMA Show 2011 Day 2 was written by Nick Bostic for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

The DEMA Show is a combination of an equipment showroom as well as a variety of seminars covering new teaching tools, marketing ideas, product information and more. It’s a fast four days, but I’ll be doing my best to see and learn what I can to report back to you, our readers.

Along with being the Social Media Manager for LeisurePro, I’m also a PADI Master Instructor, so I’ll be reporting on both equipment as well as new training programs. Throughout the event, these articles will be covering daily highlights, but we’ll be covering a variety of topics in greater detail afterwards.

Tech Going Mainstream

PADI is the largest certification agency in the world, so it’s always interesting to see what they’re rolling out to the diving world. This year appears to be a focus on bringing technical diving skills to more people. Rebreather courses and sidemount courses, both available at recreational and technical levels will be available within the next six months to a year. Specialties including self reliant diver and surface marker buoy bring some interesting changes to the PADI learning system. PADI and most other recreational agencies promote buddy diving, so having a structured course focusing on self reliance (solo diving) is an interesting change. While surface marker buoys (SMB) have been popular for other agencies and in tech diving, they aren’t part of the current curriculum in PADI courses, but they have incredible dive safety implications.

Rebreathers Becoming More User Friendly

While not the only manufacturer of Type R (Recreational) rebreathers, Hollis has what appears to be one of the most simple, streamlined, easy to use units. While pricing is to be determined, some speculate it to be in the $5,000 USD price range. Considering it replaces your BCD, tank, regulator and dive computer, this is a small premium over traditional open circuit SCUBA. Designed to be incredibly easy to use with a variety of fail safe systems as well as only needing readily available nitrox, this unit combined with the release of recreational rebreather training programs from certification agencies has a strong chance of success on the market.

People Love Simple, Tough Cameras

While having an exciting booth always helps, the GoPro Hero 2 extreme compact video camera appears to be a Day 1 hit. Bringing significant feature and resolution updates to an already popular product, GoPro cameras are designed for extreme sports, diving included. Combining a small size with multiple fixed mount options, the idea is that you strap it on, press record and go diving. Forget that you’re even carrying a video camera and just allow it to record everything you’re experiencing.

Those are the highlights from Day 1 at the DEMA Show in Orlando, be sure to let me know in the comments if there’s anything you want me to check out or be on the lookout for!

DEMA Show 2011 Day 1 was written by Nick Bostic for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Photo via wwarby

Pumpkins and Knives and Bubbles, Oh My! was written by Creedence for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World