Archive

A new study by researchers at the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) has used acoustic telemetry to reveal critical information about the habitats and movement patterns of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) in the waters around Mozambique. The study, conducted with scientists from the MMF, University of Western Australia and Utrecht University was published on 23 January in the journal Marine […]

The Twilight Zone… No, it is neither the name of a fancy new Disneyland attraction nor the sequel of a famous teenage vampire movie. It is actually the unscientific way of referring to a very peculiar place in our Oceans. It’s a transition area, where the natural sunlight is heavily dimmed as the depth increases. […]

Marine archaeologists believe they have found the world’s deepest military wreck – they are now trying to decide which of two American Fletcher-class destroyers they have captured on video at 6,220m in the Philippine Sea. According to Guinness World Records, the previous deepest wreck was a German vessel found at 5,762m. Video footage captured by a remote […]

Technology has the tendency to shake things up. And the diving industry is no different. One of the most monumental technological changes to rock the diving industry was the introduction of the dive computer. The dive computer catapulted the industry forward, removing the need for recreational divers to learn dive tables, making dive planning much […]

AN INSIDE LOOK AT SCUBA CYLINDERS Precious few things are as seemingly simple as a scuba cylinder, but don’t let that fool you. Although a cylinder may seem like a dumb hunk of metal, it does serious work. Filled to capacity, a typical cylinder carrying 80 standard cubic feet of air — enough to fill […]

The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit organization, this week launched a $20 million system in the San Francisco Bay which is the first large-scale attempt to rid the oceans of plastic. System 001 is being towed 450km (240 nautical miles) offshore for a two-week trial before continuing its journey toward the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 2,200km […]

Underwater explorers reveal how breakthroughs in technology are changing marine archaeology. Advances in underwater technologies have ushered in a golden age of exploration and discovery, complementing the classic research and detective work skills necessary to find long-lost wrecks, and helping to make our marine heritage accessible to all. ‘As the technology develops, becoming cheaper and more […]

In the wake of the mass coral bleaching events over the past few years, a new study has found that ocean acidification, caused by elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolving into the ocean, may have a detrimental impact on the ability of coral reefs to regenerate in the future. Mixed with water, CO2 forms […]

This article is the second of a three-part series examining Jacques Cousteau’s legacy in the world of diving and underwater exploration. The first one delved into the history of scuba diving. This part focuses on Cousteau as the educator who taught the world about the ocean. One would be hard-pressed to find someone who has […]

This article is the first of a three-part series examining Jacques Cousteau’s influence on the development of scuba diving technology, his role in educating the public about the ocean, and his contributions to environmental conservation. Diving has such a long history that its true origins are virtually impossible to trace. What is certain is that […]