During Earth Day celebrations at Old Dominion University, the Ocean & Earth Science Department deployed an old Inflatable Buoyant Apparatus (IBA) from the R/V Fay Slover. IBAs are special lifesaving devices designed for abandon ship scenarios, where passengers must survive at sea while awaiting rescue. Watch the video here:
Category: nautical
Scuba Diver Plays Sharks & Minnows
My wife and I decided to play Sharks & Minnows, a horror game, where you’re trapped in a pool and need to swim 10 laps surrounded by deadly sea creatures. As you may know, I’ve scuba dived with real sharks and other sea creatures, so this was a fun and scary experience! Link to the…
The History of the Gulf of Mexico
Long ago, there was a giant supercontinent called Pangaea, where all the world’s continents lived in harmony. Over the next 200 million years, the continents experienced a massive breakup and went their separate ways. In the midst of this breakup, a small body of water formed and became what is now known as the Gulf…
Scuba Diving in Nasty, Polluted Water
Deep, murky water. That’s something that instills fear in a lot of people. Normal, sane people stay far, far away from the gloomy depths. Not my younger self. You see, for a year or so, I had a side hustle diving underneath boats and inspecting them. I’d get a call that a boat wasn’t handling…
Relaxing Underwater Footage from Florida Keys
Last week, I dived the Florida Keys for the first time (shocking, I know), and it was incredible! I specifically wanted to make a longer video with peaceful underwater footage showing the beautiful coral reefs and the colorful fish and other sea animals. For me, the dives were very soothing, and I really enjoyed blowing…
Tying a Bowline with One Hand
As a Captain and a Divemaster, I’ve had to study the bowline knot with almost religious fervor. Thus, it’s the primary knot I know and remember, and perhaps, the only knot I can tie one handed. Back in 2019, I filmed myself tying a bowline with one hand. You can watch it here: The video…
Riding a Japanese Ferry – The Tachibana Maru
As an island nation, Japan has many ferries connecting its numerous islands, and they are critical lifelines for the island communities they serve. When my wife and I visited Japan in September 2024, we went out of our way to ride one of these ferries, the Tachibana Maru. This ship runs a route along the…
Bizarre Sea Creatures of Japan’s Izu Peninsula
While scuba diving in Japan’s Izu Peninsula, I encountered many bizarre sea creatures. From peacock wrasse to porcupinefish, there’s all sorts of weird critters here.
How Dangerous are Lionfish???
Lionfish are like living naval mines. See those long fins that look like a lion’s mane? Yeah, those are all venomous spines. For an unwary swimmer or diver, these spines can pack quite a punch. But how dangerous can this “punch” truly be? Let’s put on our scuba gear and find out for ourselves!
The Legendary Dragon Moray
This is the dragon moray (Enchelycore pardalis), aka the leopard or tiger moray. With its impressive colors and mythical features, you can see where it gets the name. I mean, it looks like a legendary beast you’d find in a video game. Unlike typical morays, the dragon moray has curved jaws that prevent it from…
Tidewater Teddy 