DAN MEMBER Bandanna BENIFITS

DAN membership has some great benefits. Dive insurance alone puts DAN high on the list of ‘must have’ memberships for everyone who scuba dives, even once per year resort divers should think about it. Beyond that I enjoy the publication Alert Diver. www.diversalertnetwork.org

In the last issue of Alert Diver (NOV DEC 2007) is an article and images from Jonathan Bird called The Bandana Game. If you don’t get the publication you’ve missed a treasure of images as Jonathan’s findings: dolphins invent and play games in the way humans play; for the fun of it.

In the Bahamas, Captain Scott Smith and the Dolphin Dream specialize in dolphin encounters where they frequently engage the game of ‘keep-away’ with a bandanna. Everyone knows a human in water is inefficient. We could never get a bandanna or anything else from a dolphin. The dolphins knows it too, and while they do enjoy taunting snorkelers, at times they engage the swimmers and allow them to grab it.

I can only wonder if someday there might be an Underwater Bandanna League with huge endorsements for these intelligent mammals. Maybe dolphin games become the next reality tv or sport celebrity. The offense and defense lines made up of whales while the agile dolphin running a sweep. Football but flying. When you see Jonathan’s images see if you don’t agree! jump to: DAN

Great work from Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer Johathan Bird. If you’re not yet a DAN member yet… you can read the article; ‘Walking the Walk‘ — When DAN Staff Leave The Building, They’re Still At Work.

December is here so here’s a link to our online store. Perfect gifts for the holidays including our brand new DVD. Relax, Entertain, Meditate. We’d like you to know that a percentage of sales go to Island Dolphin Care. Also take this link to National Geographic Online best prices and availability.  Happy Holidays

What’s Japan Whaling About:

As a kid in science class I recall humpback whales were in danger of extinction. We knew about the scurvy-crazed whaling industry, but we didn’t know much about the animals. The world took action in 1963 placing the mammal on the international endangered species list.

Now we know more, a lot more, about the humpback and other whale species; how social they are, living in pods, speaking through songs, and since 1963 they have been lulled into a false sense of security by a human ban on hunting. What would compare to suddenly lifting that ban? How about making a favorite summer beaches into a killing field for a couple weeks next summer? How would that mess with the “human psyche”? How will these humpback, minke, and fin whale family pods react to being in the cross hair of a high-powered harpoon? Again!

I feel for the whaling industry, but it’s been 40 years. Ya think they could have adjusted in two generations? Japan says the whaling is scientific in nature and that whale populations are back to sustainable levels. Just like the population of one island nation; perhaps they’d like to lift a ban on the beach theory since their population growth is sustainable? Just kidding! Why I oughta…

Japan only wants to take 50 humpbacks. That would appear to be a reasonable number, but environmentalist argue that whales migrate to the Southern Ocean from breading grounds around the world, not just near Japan. World populations of humpbacks have not fully recovered and there is no way of knowing where they come from.

One thing is clear, chasing a wounded animal that has grown to accept the presence of man is just as ugly as shooting a chained animal for a mantle piece, and I think it could create interaction problems. Not for the whaling boat; they seem to win every time. How about the whale watching environmentalist who suddenly reminds a massive humpback how Mommy was taken from the pod? Can’t happen? Preposterous? It has happened with elephants and who could forget Sigfried & Roy’s tiger. Why not whales? They certainly have the intellect. And now we have humans in potential danger of a capsize or worst of all - complete isolationism from any and all human impact.

Japan wants a way to hunt a precious marine resource. Questions remain: How Valuable are these Vulnerable giants? Can the “V” words be balanced? Can Conservative groups, like Greenpeace, accept any Compromise? Can the “C” words be balanced? Of course not, we humans!

A few months back we were shooting HD in the Keys. I had the opportunity to speak at length with photographer Stephen Frink about his impressive career underwater. He’s been all over the world and has amassed an image collection beyond words, so I wanted to know what he knows. I asked him about his favorite dive location expecting to hear about some exotic island I’d never heard of, but that wasn’t his answer at all.

If Frink could pick a favorite dive he’d need to travel backward in time. Interesting answer from a guy who has seen it all. (old man with a camera and the sea) But where would he dive? Key Largo, his home town.

The Keys are home to one of a most impressive array of sea life. Coral is abundant and is starting to make a comeback due to the pro-active efforts of groups like “REEF RELIEF” and The Conch Republic Seafood Company in Key West, and many individuals who spread a wide web of awareness and information about coral disease and damage. And it’s working! Reefs extend some 4 - 5 miles from the narrow string of islands make the Florida reef America’s most extensive coral system. (visit REEF RELIEF and get yourself informed on the state of the coral reefs)

In the Keys the near shore waters, mangroves and shallow gulf side flats are giant incubators for hundreds of species, perhaps more variety than any place on earth. Channels cut by swift currents rip through from gulf to ocean in a continuous flow of water and life sustaining nutrients. The gulf is slightly higher than the Atlantic. This differential current causes the North Atlantic Conveyor, a North Atlantic ocean current crossing and ending in Europe. It is this warm surface ocean water that creates London’s fog. Details can be accessed from The David Suzuki Foundation.

The PennKamp National Marine Sanctuary is a protected area that can be explored with a snorkel or tank. Warm shallow water and abundant animals, dive centers, friendly knowledgeable divemasters and crew help rank The Keys high on the list, but for me it is the access. Within 30-minutes of the dock you will find blue green treasures beyond your imagination.

I mention this because The Keys are known as The Dive Capital of the World. Our great country is protecting and making it available to all visitors, just don’t take any marine life souvenirs.

Don’t Touch. Do No Harm. Be a Ghost. (please be especially mindful of your fins there bigfoot)

Regards,

In the tradition of National Geo bringing us amazing video content, you HAVE to see this magical one minute clip no matter how young you are.
National Geographic For Kids has a clip posted that you’ve got to see to believe. I imagine some cameraflyer spent a dozen weeks watching, waiting, and then this happened.

Let’s face it; these guys are so high-end. I wonder how well they are compensated, although there is a certain personal drive to be on the edge of adventure. The dedication and patience needed to shoot nature, trying to see a rare moment in the live of a wild animal in their natural surroundings… My Father subscribed when I was a child. Every issue was filled with new wonders. There was no web at the time so this was THE source of information. National Geo is still out there finding new species and present new discoveries in new ways that can rattle our beliefs, open our eyes, make us laugh and cry. I watched that magazine library grow through the years. They were lost during a cross country move and my heart still sinks to think of it. My childhood was in those pages.

There’s a Coast Guard tale (they always start with, “And this is no shit…”) from back in the day about an icebreaker in the Bering Strait. The ship breaks ice by powering up onto the sea ice until the ice cracks under the sheer weight.
Two film crews were documenting. The first leaned way over the bow and took several pictures. The National Geo guy put a rope ladder over the bow and wanted to crawl down it to get his shot. I wasn’t there, but I highly doubt a Coast Guard Captain of any size vessel would let that happen. Eventually the ice is too thick for the 500 ton ship and they turn around. That’s when the National Geographic crew went under the ice. Who’s signing up for that film crew?

Just another ho-hum moment from the best in the world. LOL Enjoy their effort.

Terrapin (turtle) rejected and ejected by Cichlids.

Regards,

Ocean Lovers,

Set up your log-in account in our store BEFORE the release date, and it’s a moving target so get it done. If you decide to purchase the DVD within three weeks of the magic release date, your order will include our kick-ash t-shirt. Yes, I said ash and yes, you will be advertising for us. That’s the price of a logo shirt when you get it for free. You have a certain obligation to wear it proudly, talk excessively about it, wash it and wear it again. The next day.

Enough television news for one day. You deserve the total relaxation only underwater video can provide. We’re making it easy.
1 log in. 2 download a clip and check it out first. 3 you’ll get an email. 4 if you purchase a DVD you get a cool shirt. Worst case; you have access to free clips from time to time. GET IN HERE!

Best regards,

Dear friends of the Ocean, announcing pre-release film

The underwater DVD title: HD2O ~ The Florida Keys

This title has entered the final stage of post-production. All content is edited and nearly half has been finished. For a full list of services we perform see our pro-video site under services. We are waiting for audio. This disc needs ninety minutes of tunes - that’s a lot for any composer. The Man is working it hard. Little does he know we have two titles planned for year 2008.

The original release date for “The Florida Keys” was October 31. Despite numerous obstacles we may hit that mark with the standard DVD, with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD release date within weeks.

Several clips are available for free download. Just grab-n-go for iTunes, iPhone plus HD downloads to devices such as AppleTV. Try free clips, if you like what you see? Subscribe to what we will call “Commuter Content”. A steady flow of clips to fit your life style. Sign up for minutes per month, (coming soon) we send you a link to the minutes you desire. Zero hassles.

Please log in to the store even though you cannot spend any money. WHAAAT? At the moment its a store where you can’t spend money… won’t last so take advantage. Grab what you can - while you still can. Sign up and we’ll send a gentle email when new products are available - maybe twice a year? Hardly spam. We have better things to do than harass our customers.

Sign-up and be counted as a FAN of HD2O.tv. Underwater we rarely stand up for anything at all!