IN THE 1900s UMBERTO PELIZZARI was a young diver from Busto Arsizio, Italy, who was making headlines by breaking world records in constant weight and variable weight freediving. Needing an edge against his archrival, Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras, he sought advice on fins from a friend who was knowledgeable about innovative freediving equipment: Valerio Grassi, founder of Omersub.
WITH WILDFIRES RAGING IN CANADA, ITALY, GREECE, THE U.S., and elsewhere, divers and dive operators have called DAN Medical Services and DAN Safety Services with concerns about whether the smoke from wildfires may contaminate breathing gas.
MARITIME TRANSPORT HAS MORE TO DO WITH CORAL DISEASE than you might think. Just like most animals, corals can get diseases. Researchers first recognized coral disease in the early 1970s. It has increased over time and become a significant threat in many areas of the world.
HER NAME WAS TOKITAE, which means “nice day, pretty colors” in the Coast Salish language. The Lummi Nation knows her as Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, which is a historical reference to the Penn Cove area, where she was captured along with other young southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in August 1970 near Whidbey Island, Washington, when she was about 4 years old.
IMAGINE SCROLLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA posts or flipping through your favorite dive magazine. Your eye catches a photo of the most pristine waters you have seen. The sun is peeking through the surface, beautifully illuminating coral in pops of color in every direction. A diver overhead perfectly balances the composition.
A READER RECENTLY BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION that over the years multiple Alert Diver contributors have credited a particular dive instructor with providing training that saved their lives.
BEFORE THE INTERNET WAS AVAILABLE, people read print magazines to learn about scuba diving — how to do it, what gear to buy, and where to go. For 51 years, from 1951 to 2002, the king of the genre was Skin Diver magazine. The undisputed queen of cover photography for Skin Diver was Geri Murphy.
PLAYGROUNDS ARE GREAT PLACES for an outdoor workout while traveling. Most local parks have equipment that can facilitate the exercises in this article. Adult fitness playgrounds are ideal but less common than traditional playgrounds. Always be mindful of children’s personal space when utilizing traditional playground equipment. These exercises are also a great option for incorporating family fitness on vacation.
AFTER THE INITAL SCARE AND LOCKDOWNS FROM COVID-19, divers soon started to explore ways to safely get back into the water. Disinfection has always been a consideration in diving, but we needed new standards to allay fears of uncontrolled transmission of infectious diseases.
DIVING IN TOBAGO is defined by the abundance and diversity of marine life in its surrounding waters. Tobago, one of the two islands comprising the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is about 30 miles long and more than 10 miles across at the widest point. It is geographically unique because of its location where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea.
