Freediving French Polynesia

The chronology of my last sojourn to French Polynesia was much longer than the travel time from Seattle, Washington, to the capital Papeʻete on the island of Tahiti.

A bird’s-eye view from Moorea

Malpelo

Most fans of big animal action are familiar with the legendary Galápagos, Cocos, and Socorro dive destinations. All are remote and remarkable. Far fewer people know of — let alone have dived — another open-ocean oasis in the eastern tropical Pacific region: Isla Malpelo. 

A silky shark swims through a huge school of bigeye jacks.

Trapped in Ice

Sir John Franklin’s expedition in 1845 to search for the Northwest Passage ended in tragedy when HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with their combined 129 crew members, vanished in the Canadian Arctic, seemingly without a trace. 

Parks Canada underwater archaeologist Marc-André Bernier.

Carbon Monoxide Safety

What is a safe carbon monoxide (CO) level in our breathing air? Learn the effects of CO poisoning and how the limits are derived.

Carbon Dioxide Safety

There are many standards and guidelines for safe limits, including the results of various occupational health and safety studies on the effects of extended exposure. For diving, the situation is different. So what are safe limits for recreational diving with much shorter exposures than navy divers? Particularly, what is a safe limit for carbon dioxide (CO2), the most abundant potential contaminant?