I'm a PADI scuba diving instructor, freelance website developer, aspiring writer, and rum enthusiast running away from the American Dream on paradise islands around the world. I love my life!

I know this site has been quiet for a bit. I’ve been busy recovering from a body surfing wipe-out and programming like mad to get a few web contracts wrapped up.

WordPress, the blogging platform used to power TheScubaGeek.com and my other sites, recently released some big changes in version 3.0. I’ve been hacking through the code for the last two months for another project and have grown quite fond of some of its hidden features. The WordPress open source code base is still definitely a “point-oh” (lots of undocumented code and some sloppy implementation in parts), but wow— definitely some big improvements!

I’m going to be porting TheScubaGeek.com to my newest engine based on WordPress 3.0 over the next few days. There may be some interruptions, so bear with me and the mess!

» Read more of 2010 Roatan Marine Park Photo Contest «

As the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico grows ever more catastrophic, it can be hard to truly grasp the scope of this disaster amidst all the rapidly changing numbers and apocalyptic predictions. It wasn’t until I visited If It Was My Home – Visualizing the BP Oil Spill (http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/) that I could get my head around the mind-blowing size of the spill.

Warning: this may be you.

For example, this is the size of the spill compared to my current residence on the island of Oahu in Hawaii:

Try to imagine that entire area covered in an oily sludge….

...like this poor guy here.

I’ve included more screenshots comparing the oil spill to other places around the world.

Be sure to visit http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com to track the spread of the spill.

» Read more of BP Oil Spill vs. The World «

The phenomenal underwater and travel photography of Lia Barrett now has a new home on the web at http://www.liabarrettphotography.com.

Lia and I go back a few years when I was a scuba diving instructor at Coconut Tree Divers on the island of Roatan, Honduras. When I first met her, she was helping film the hilariously disastrous Roatan Movie— the making which was infinitely funnier than the final result. We later collaborated on photo shoots for a few web projects around the island.

Lia probably holds the world record for most time spent inside a homemade submarine (not including Karl Stanley and Barry, of course). For theses images, she was crouched for hours in a tiny spherical dome. She had to keep her lens close to the mere five inches of convex glass separating her thousands of pounds of crushing pressure— but not too close or the cold condensation dripping from the ceiling would fry her camera. She had to wait— and wait— and wait until the right deep sea creature swam by, then try to snap off quality shots with both the submarine and the creature in motion. The results are nothing short of incredible.

Lia has since explored the seas and land of Asia and the South Pacific. She is currently in Australia.

Yaaaay, I’m #1!

My buddy Deshman sent me an email this morning pointing out that I was #1 on Google searches for Ron y Piña. I’ll drink to that.

URGENT ROATAN NEWS

Luca Pagliaro, an Italian native, has disappeared in Roatan, Honduras last week, probably on 16th March 2010, with Mauriliuo Mirabella, owner of a diveshop who has also disappeared. Everybody who has useful news about him please contact me and my mother without hesitation.

Please let me know also when is the last time you have seen him. Thanks.

Licia and Francesca

liciapagliaro@hotmail.com
francesca.vcr@libero.it

It should come as no surprise to my readers that I love rum. Burbons I hate; tequila makes me loco; vodka reminds me too much of college hangovers; gin can be refreshing; but rum— ah, rum!— the primero choice of scuba divers and pirates alike.

As I’ve mentioned before, The Kraken is my new favorite rum (at least since I can’t get my hands on the nectar that is Flor de Caña in Hawaii). I love a nice glass of this delicious dark spiced rum on the rocks, but  my liver does object to consuming such a stout drink on a routine basis. As such, I’ve tried blending The Kraken with a variety of diluents with mixed results.

Kraken and Coke

Definitely tasty, but the rum and Coca Cola thing has been so overdone for me that this was nothing special. I actually prefer the taste of Sailor Jerry’s and Coke, which gives the drink a taste similar to Dr. Pepper.

Kraken and Pineapple

Rum and pineapple is my absolute favorite mixed drink, and The Kraken doesn’t disappoint. Extremely drinkable even mixed at intensities as high a 2:1 rum-to-juice ratios. Admittedly, I prefer the taste of Flor de Caña and pineapple juice (the beloved ron y piña), but The Kraken is a close second.

Kraken and Mango

All I’ve been able to find on Hawaii is mango nectar, which needs to be diluted slightly with water to become drinkable. That said, once stirred in with some of The Kraken, this a very nice drink that works best at a 3:1 rum-to-juice ratio.

Kraken and Sprite

Not a fan. In my opinion, Sprite is better suited for gin drinks. I’d rather have The Kraken on the rocks.

Kraken and Lemonade

JACKPOT! This is the way to mix The Kraken. The alcohol is barely noticeable up to levels of 4:1 rum-to-juice. At higher concentrations (even up to 1:1) the drink tastes similar to a Long Island Ice Tea and is therefore extremely potent. I highly recommend making this drink with real lemonade and not some sugary imitation.

Kraken Mojitos

Yeah, I know mojitos are supposed to be made with a light rum, but the spiced base of The Kraken makes mojitos with this liquor a real treat. Use liberal amounts of mint to offset the darkness of The Kraken.

Still left to try…

• Kraken and Orange Juice
• Kraken Mai Tai
• Kraken Punch
• Kraken Daiquiri
• Kraken Piña Colada
• Others to be discovered…

One caveat: bear in mind that I genuinely enjoy the taste of rum and therefore mix my drinks fairly strong. If the aforementioned ratios are a bit much for you, consider diluting The Kraken a bit more (though doing so is such a shame…).

Dive No.: 1999
Dive Site: Hawaii Loa, Oahu, Hawaii
Max Depth: 45ft/13m
Total Time: 36 mins

Air: 200bar – 120 bar
Mix: EANx36
Tank: 80cu
Weight: 8lbs

Visibility: 40ft/12m
Water: 73F/23C
Exposure: rash guard, 5mm full wet suit (busted zipper), 3mm shorty, 3mm skull cap

Comments:

Autumn had just arrived in Oahu after a long series of flights from Haiti. I had been roped into working the morning charter. Nothing like a 5am start time to say “aloha!”

Conditions were choppy as a fierce tradewinde pressed down on Koko Marina. The air was Hawaiian cold (65F/18C) and the water wasn’t much warmer (73F/23C). We dropped anchor and explored the crater rims of Hawaii Loa. There was a nice diversity of schooling fish above the small coral heads, but, aside from a few small eels, there weren’t any stand-out creatures. Visibility was down and the surge was quite noticeable in the shallows.

Dive No.: 2000
Dive Site: Turtles, Oahu, Hawaii
Max Depth: 40ft/12m
Total Time: 42 mins

Air: 200bar – 120 bar
Mix: EANx36
Tank: 80cu
Weight: 8lbs

Visibility: 80ft/24m
Water: 73F/23C
Exposure: rash guard, 5mm full wet suit (busted zipper), 3mm shorty, 3mm skull cap

Comments:

2000 dives. That’s a lot.

I thanked the dive group for joining me on this milestone dive. I was particularly glad that Autumn was enduring the cold whipping wind and coming along. The longer we lingered on the surface, the stronger the wind gusts blew. It was a bit of a fight to get down the mooring line.

The bottom was stirred up by a thermocline of 70F/21C water, reducing the sandy sections to near silt-out. Above the reef, however, the visibility extended a good 60ft/18m. Cornetfish whipped vertically above the thermocline, using the angle of the early morning sunlight to hunt for prey blinded by the turbidity. A few small moray eels slithered between coral heads. A lonely porcupinefish fluttered against the current.

One of the most infuriating moments of being a Divemaster is when you spot sometime truly unique and tiny but cannot manage to show it to the group. In this case, it was a bright yellow juvenile longlure frogfish. About the size of a marble, I spotted this bizarre creature hopping along the rocky bottom. Unfortunately, the surge took the frogfish away before I could share it with anyone.

Dive No.: 1997
Dive Site: Koko Craters, Oahu, Hawaii
Max Depth: 35ft/11m
Total Time: 38 mins

Air: 200bar – 130 bar
Mix: EANx36
Tank: 80cu
Weight: 8lbs

Visibility: 80ft/24m
Water: 73F/23C
Exposure: rash guard, 5mm full wet suit (busted zipper), 3mm shorty, 3mm skull cap

Comments:

Took a group of college-aged girls out on a turtle-finding expedition around Koko Craters in celebration of one girl’s 21st birthday. The turtles didn’t disappoint, as over half a dozen of the beautiful Hawaiian reptiles glided past us towards the wrasse cleaning stations. Several other turtles were sighted snuggled under the crater rim.

Dive No.: 1997
Dive Site: Koko Craters, Oahu, Hawaii
Max Depth: 35ft/11m
Total Time: 43 mins

Air: 200bar – 120 bar
Mix: EANx36
Tank: 80cu
Weight: 8lbs

Visibility: 80ft/24m
Water: 73F/23C
Exposure: rash guard, 5mm full wet suit (busted zipper), 3mm shorty, 3mm skull cap

Comments:

They loved the turtles so much that we decided to do a second drop on Koko Craters, this time heading for the far crater. Once again, the turtles hung out with us in the gentle current. We also spotted an orange frogfish and a few small eels in the crevices.

map of the undersea cables connecting the internet around the world

Click here to see the full-resolution map of the the undersea internet cables

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