Cooper River, South Carolina
What could divert me away from the clear saltwater diving I routinely do in the world's most beautiful tropical locations? Shark tooth fossils, of course! Take a look at what I found in the dark, murky riverbeds of South Carolina.
The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
We always do a really big trip every three years. In 2005, that was the beautiful Galápagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. We spent eleven days on the MV Deep Blue courtesy of tour guides Galápagos Adventures and experienced the unique land life of the southern islands as well as the big pelagic animals (that means sharks!) in the north at Wolf and Darwin Islands.
Great Barrier
Reef and Coral Sea, Australia
Here are some photos and a video from a hopefully not once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea off the eastern coast of Australia. Some friends and I spent two weeks Down Under in the summer of 2002.
Grand Cayman, BWI
A bunch of Sun diving buddies and I were down on Grand Cayman's east end in September 2000 for a bachelor's week of underwater sightseeing in the British West Indies. Here are the underwater pics and a video of us at the famous Stingray City.
Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
In September 1999 we went to one of the last great unspoiled diving paradises in the world. We headed out for ten days' diving on Mike Ball's Paradise Sport, the newest and most luxurious of the famous Mike Ball fleet.
Nassau, Bahamas
Our trip to Nassau, Bahamas at Stuart Cove's Dive South Ocean in August 1998, including pictures and a video of our shark feeding dives.
Cozumel, Mexico
Pictures from my annual trips to Cozumel, including some incredible underwater shots and a video.
Key West, Florida
My buddies and I have made several trips down to Key West in the last few years, most importantly to dive Looe Key, a local marine sanctuary. Here are some shots of the fun.
Monterey, California
Some shots of some of the unique Pacific underwater wildlife in Monterey while cruising on the Cypress Sea.
It's amazing how much scuba you can pick up in a short amount of time if you'd just knuckle down and get fanatic about it! Here's a quick summary of milestones in my scuba experience:
; "Scuba John")
| September 1995 | Open Water Scuba Diver certification completed in Virginia |
| February 1997 | Advanced Open Water certification completed in Cozumel, Mexico |
| February 1998 | Boat Diver specialty work completed in Monterey and Cozumel |
| April 1998 | Emergency First Response training completed in Virginia |
| May 1998 | Dry Suit specialty completed in Monterey, California |
| May 1999 | Enriched Air/Nitrox specialty completed in Virginia |
| June 1999 | Rescue Diver certification completed in Virginia |
| September 1999 | Underwater Photographer specialty completed in Papua New Guinea |
| September 1999 | Dive number 100 enjoyed at Ral Island, Papua New Guinea |
| September 2000 | Underwater Navigator specialty completed in Grand Cayman, BWI |
| September 2000 | Master Scuba Diver rating achieved |
| February 2004 | Dive number 250 enjoyed on the wreck of the Felipe Xicoténantl, Cozumel, Mexico |
- If you want information on scuba classes, equipment, dive trips, or anything else diving-related in the Washington, DC area, visit Splash Dive Center in Alexandria, VA.
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Thinking about getting scuba certified yourself? Visit PADI's web page to get the lastest on the world's
leading diving organization. You'll find stuff on courses, trips, and
information on all kinds of other scuba-related activities.
- The Diver's Alert Network (DAN) may save your life one day. They provide evacuation and decompression assistance far and above what your health insurance typically provides and is a must for anyone considering diving on a regular basis.
- The U.S. Navy has a problem: what to do with 400 mothballed ships rusting away in storage shipyards. On April 6, 2001, the Secretary of the Navy released a study by the Rand Corporation recommending that the sinking of these ships to form artificial reefs was the best of all solutions (fellow Republicans: it was also the cheapest, making up for the initial cost in a few years). This option not only would establish habitats for a wide variety of marine animals, but provide jobs for many American taxpayers, including sportsmen and naturalists.
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