In part one of Rick Morris’s “Under the Arctic Ice” series viewers caught a glimpse of what is involved in an Arctic research expedition and what conditions are like in the polar bear’s playground. Part 2 gives an inside view of how the logistics for such an involved project are handled and how the divers and their gear get to the Polar Sea. More than a year of pre-planning and hundreds of hours of correspondence all boil down to one day of frenetic activity.
German housing manufacturer, Subal has issued a press release about its financial reorganization and regrouping. Rumours had surfaced recently that they had faced some liquidity problems, and this is confirmed. However, the company now has new management, and they plan to press forward with new designs, including a housing for the Nikon D7000 (which we hope to review shortly) and a new finder system.
The first-quarter 2011 issue of DAN’s Alert Diver magazine is now shipping and should arrive in DAN US member’s mailboxes in the next week or so. The magazines cover features a stunning over/under shot of lemon sharks at Tiger Beach, Bahamas taken by David Doubilet, whose portfolio is also featured within the magazine. In addition, there are articles on the deep wrecks of Chuuk and diving in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Alert Diver publisher Stephen Frink has also written an article on his blog about the actual printing process for the magazine. It is refreshing in these days of on-screen browsing to read about printing presses and paper!
Amphibico has announced the release of a new housing: The Turtle. Designed for the XR150, XR350, XR550, CX110, CX150, CX300, CX350 and CX550 cameras, the housing is available in six bright colors. Other features include electronic right hand controls, with one-touch white balance and a moisture sensor alarm. It has a fixed front glass, with no port options, and a built-in 3.5” LCD display.
Amphibico will also give $50 to Save Our Leatherback Turtle (SOLO) for every completed housing registration form received by them. The new housings will be available from mid-February at a price of $1195.
As I write this Northern Queensland is being battered by Cyclone Yasi. The BBC reports that winds are reaching up to 290km/h (181mph), buildings are having their roofs ripped off and power has been cut to at least 100,000 people. The storm has struck south of Cairns and is moving inland, with forecasters warning of more severe damage for towns in its path. Yasi was originally classed as a category five cyclone as it crossed the coast which is the highest grade in the scale used to measure such storms. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology later downgraded the storm to category four but still classified it as dangerous.
Many Wetpixel members are in the path of this storm, and we fervently hope they and their loved ones will be OK.
Wetpixel wishes all those who celebrate the Lunar New Year a very happy new year of the Rabbit(fish!).
恭喜發財,萬事如意,主里蒙恩!
Cung hỉ phát tài, Sức khoẻ dồi dào,Vạn sự như ý
새해 복 많이 받으세요
CNN has featured a story entitled “Shark catching drives species to extinction”, highlighting the plight of sharks worldwide. They emphasize that sharks killed 6 people last year, while the shark finning industry killed about 73 million sharks, and that one third of all shark species are in danger of extinction. Matt Rand, director of the Pew Environment Group’s Global Shark Conservation Campaign, is quoted as saying:
If serious action is not taken soon, the fate of shark species playing a viable role in the marine ecosystem – one they’ve played for 400 million years – is in jeopardy. Some say we’ve past the turning point; I hope that is not the case.”
He goes on to talk about the current attempts to influence shark fishing policies at the current summit of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization being held in Rome. Exposure about shark fishing practices at this level can only be good for shark conservation.
GoPro has released the BacPac, a detachable LCD screen for GoPro HD HERO cameras. The screen will allow for easier framing of complex shots and playback of video and photographs directly on the camera and will ship with new backdoors that allow it to be used with existing waterproof housings. The BacPac interfaces with the camera via the HERO port on the camera and is the first of several expansion options that GoPro plan to offer.
The LCD BacPac will retail for $79.99 and is available now.
The February 2011 issue of African Diver is now available for download. Featured in issue 15 are articles about the magic of diving in the kelp forests of the Cape, a follow-up on the improvements made to baited shark diving in South Africa and a review of a visit to Pomene, Mozambique. In addition the magazine features the elusive and mystical dugongs of the Bazaruto archipelago and CJ Coetzee is the featured photographer
Africa Diver issue 15 is available as a free pdf download.
Cuyler Bryant has won first place in the Dialogue Earth Ocean Acidification video contest with the entry entitled “No Shell Blues”. Those familiar with Schoolhouse Rock, the popular educational cartoons from the early 1980s, will appreciate his entry.
Dialogue Earth is a hybrid start-up nonprofit, with a research operation based at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, whose mission is to increase public understanding on environmental topics. It plans to change the way science stories are told to the general public. “No Shell Blues” is the result of their pilot study.