Lionfish are an invasive species from the Indo-Pacific that have rapidly spread across the Caribbean. Without a natural predator, they are quickly devouring the native reef fish (especially juveniles) and decimating the natural order. In the mere eighteen months since I last visited Roatan, the size and population density of lionfish has increased exponentially. Whereas previously it was a bit of a novelty to encounter a lionfish on a dive (and the largest was about two inches), nowadays it is common to see up to a dozen on a given dive (the record kill stands at fourteen inches). In response, the Roatan Marine Park has endorsed the hunting of lionfish as an attempt to curtail overpopulation. Hawaiian slings are available » read more «

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 » read more «

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 » read more «

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 » read more «