My wetsuit is at waist-level as I hear the cries for help. Darting across the dirt road towards Half Moon Bay beach, I scan the dock, the beach, and the water for the source of the shouts of distress. A handful of people stand on the dock, pointing excitedly at two figures struggling on the surface some two hundred meters offshore, their bodies bobbing in and out of sight amidst the rolling waves. My coworkers are charging down the dock. This is the real deal. I’ve been here before. With forty-seven PADI Rescue Diver certifications under my belt, I’ve simulated this situation at least as many times, but the level-headedness with which I execute my training scenarios is quickly usurped » read more «

According to this article on Deep-Sea News, I unknowingly filmed the world’s oldest animal a year ago. Sweeping silently along the silty slopes 1400ft under the Caribbean Sea off Roatan, Honduras, Karl Stanley piloted his deep diving submarine Idabel upon a writhing mass of brittle stars entangled around the brilliant golden lattice of gold coral. My meager five megapixel camera did its best to capture the alien bundle of deep sea life, oblivious to the fact that the gold coral I was filming is over 2000 years old. Turn down the audio… I never edited this video, so the white noise of the submarine is a bit blown out. Read more about the amazingly ancient gold corals at Deep-Sea News…

Given that I’ve been living on Roatan for over four years now, I get the question all the time: “so what’s your story?” Well, here it is: http://www.thescubageek.com/i-am-the-scuba-geek/.

The sweat runs down my brow in small torrents, cascading over my recently-shaved head and obscuring my vision with the tingle of salt that no rapid eye-blinking can remedy. I am poised: arms flexed, balance sturdy, legs braced, steady breathing. My opponent, despite being both fourteen inches and years my inferior, is equally prepared. The bell rings. My arms pump in rapid yet rhythmic alternation, delivering haymakers and uppercuts to the facial region of my foe. He ducks, weaves, and wallops a low kidney-shot to my torso, simultaneously crumbling my defenses and body with a single emphatic blow. I twitch on the ground in agony. Despite the fervent shaking of my arms, I remain unconscious on the floor. The time » read more «