Reef Check Featured on TIME Magazine Online Following Indo-Pacific Coral Study

(From My Inbox Today...)
Source: Reef Check Newsletter

I received the newsletter earlier this evening from Reef Check that their Indo-Pacific Coral Study was featured in TIME magazine online.

Check Out: Reef Check Featured on TIME Magazine Online Following Indo-Pacific Coral Study

Xray Mag issue 18 is now ready for download

(From My Inbox Today...)
Source: Xray Mag

Received a notification this afternoon that new issue of Xray Magazine, online dive magazine, is ready for a download. Xray magazine is free of charge for everyone.

This edition features Socorro Island, to Great White Shark, to Tiger Shark, to Manta Ray, to Treasure Cave... Sounds yummy.

Download: Xray Magazine - Issue 18

If you are diving this weekend, have a safe and great dive!

SCUBA STAR Network

(From My Web-Browing Yesterday...)
Sourse: DAN's website

I found out that the new dive-related website was announced via diversalertnetwork.org. This new website, Scuba STAR Network is a surveying website, where dive safety tracking has an importance, and they are independently collecting the data to promote dive safety. Sounds great, doesn't it?

"STAR" is standing for Safety Tracking And Reporting, and the name says it all. The online survey will be available shortly, and survey results also will be posted online for the enitre dive community to view.


Check out: Scuba STAR Network website

DAN EIT Award 2007

(From My Inbox... um the other day)
Source: DAN, Dive News Wire, and Me

Most of you may be aware - I'm not rubbing this on to you, but had to post this here - that I, Kei, have received the DAN Excellence in Training award for the year of 2007.

This award is usually given 1 DAN Instructor Trainer or Instructor per year, and this is their 4th year providing this honor. This year, the award went double - one went to Valerie Lyttle, also a first-year DAN instructor from Washington State, and the other came to me.

The press release was published through Dive News Wire on August 7, 2007, and the announcement was sent out to people in my Little Black Diver Book. This is not confirmed yet, but the article may be published in the Alert Diver magazine, which is DAN's quarterly membership magazine. I also heard back from SSI, SCUBA Schools International, earlier yesterday afternoon (where my original instructor certification is from!) that the article may be in DBI, which is SSI's Dive Leader magazine.

It has been quite an honor to receive this award, and I'd like to thank all of you for being there for me. I definitely could not have done it without you.

Check Out: DAN Instructors Excel press release from Dive News Wire

If you would like to know more about my DAN courses, FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL me from HERE.

PS> The same article was also posted on DiverWire.com - Click HERE

Man Sets Underwater Pogo Record...

(From My IM Today...)
Source: Yahoo! News

As I was reading this odd news sent via IM earlier this morning, I noticed the word "Underwater" on the side bar... Well, this video news was a little more "odd" than the one I was reading!

NYC man sets a record in underwater Pogo and Hula Hoops. I must say that I have not done either of them underwater before, but I did some stuffs close to that underwater! For example, Underwater Crafting (yes, cutting a sheet aluminum and actually hammering them onto the piece of wood to create art...), Underwater Sliding (going down the incline with a set of weights in the milk crate...) and the best was Underwater Swing (yes, SWING, being neutually buoyant underwater and sit on the swing that's built with a bunch of plastic pipes hang off of pool dividers...)! Swing was so much fun although the whole purpose of having these pipes was for students to practice neutual buoyancy (Buoyancy Hoops, they say), but hey, no one played with underwater swing set before!

So, here it is - think of something you can do other than Underwater Poker, Underwater Black Jack, Underwater Swing! I would love to try Underwater Pogo some day.

Check Out: Man Sets Underwater Pogo Record on Yahoo! News (Video News)

Breast Augmentation Surgery and Diving

(From My IM Today...)
Source: Co-Worker

While the amount of Plastic Surgery performed has significantly increased past couple of years, we as a diver still ask this ultimate question, " what would happen if we descend??"

Scar tissues may absorb more nitrogen during the dive, or your body may not be ready to perform skills underwater safely. There still are little information available to us.

From your open water certification class, you must be aware of Boyle's Law. So... if I get a breast augmentation, does the volume of my implants change also??

Um... Good Question...

There are 2 articles sent to me via IM today, in regards to Plastic Surgery, but Breast Augmentation Surgery and Diving in particular. Links are below.

AS ALWAYS, YOU MUST SPEAK TO YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE YOU START ANY PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND THIS INCLUDES SCUBA DIVING. THIS BLOG ENTRY ONLY PROVIDES INFORMATION.

• Changes in breast implants during diving and at high altitude
• Breast Augmentation Surgery and Diving by Divers Alert Network

Safe Diving if you are diving this weekend!

Designating Underwater Wrecks to New York State Historic Register

(From My ... um... RSS Reader Today...)
Source: Dive News

The news was posted about 6 days ago, but hey... I just read it! There was this interesting news in regards to designating certain ship wrecks to NY State Historic Register.

Check out: Designating Underwater Wrekcs to New York State Historic Register on Dive News