When you get off the boat on Sabang Beach, near Puerto Galera on Mindoro Island in the Philippines, a sign that reads “Welcome to Sabang, Your Gateway to the Center of the Center of Marine Biodiversity” greets you. That phrase defines the diving in the region, as you will not find more fish species anywhere else on Earth.
I have been a fossil geek my entire life. In 2012 I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and in the past 10 years I was able to turn a hobby into a living. Scuba diving for megalodon teeth in the nearby fossil-laden rivers, such as Cooper River, seemed like the most logical step seven years ago, and I haven’t looked back since then.
Diving at night provides an exciting new dimension in underwater exploration. As the light fades and darkness spreads through the water, marine life exhibits different behaviors, and the underwater world takes on a new and ethereal quality.
I am grateful for the safety information DAN publishes, their recommendations for dive medicine physicians, and the peace of mind their insurance coverage provides.
The inland seas of the five Great Lakes have a long history of tragedy and shipwrecks. Mariners who sail their waters know the dangers of autumn storms. Thousands of shipwrecks litter the bottom here due to errors in judgment, equipment failure, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When you think of a billfish, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s a swordfish, a sailfish, or even the giant marlin from Ernest Hemingway’s classic The Old Man and the Sea. It can be confusing because 12 species are collectively known as billfish: one swordfish, four spearfish, two sailfish, and five marlins.
