Previously, we told you about the SharkSkunker, a shark repellent device available in a variety of delivery forms. Recently, I caught up with David Schneider -- the SharkSkunker's eternally-smiling inventor -- and talked with him about his product. For nearly three hours, we discussed the SharkSkunker, the numerous hurdles he's had to overcome to bring the product to market, and what's in store for the future.
Continue reading Divester Interviews David Schneider, Creator of The Shark Skunker
If you plan to be in the Seattle area late next month, you might want to stop by Underwater Sports' 28th Annual Divers Fair sale. Scheduled for the weekend of July 28-30, customers can save up to 50% on every imaginable kind of dive gear from companies like Atomic, Apollo, Atlan, Cetacea, DeepSee, DiveRite, DUI, Harvey's, High Tide, Ikelite, JBL, Light & Motion, Mares, McNett, Northern Diver, Oceanic, OMS, O'Neill, PADI, Pelican, ScubaPro, SeaLife, Sea & Sea, SeaSoft, Stahlsac, Trident, USIA, Underwater Kinetics, Viking, XS Scuba, and Zeagle.
According to Calvin Tang, who attended last year's event, "this is honestly, hands down, the best time and place to gear up - especially if you've recently got into scuba." In fact, this year's sale features over 100,000 items, including thousands of regulators, thousands of suits, thousands of computers, and hundreds of tanks. Calvin claims the best part of the event is that all the reps show up to answer questions and to demonstrate their equipment.
Sadly for me, the Fair couldn't be much farther away and still be in the same country. This is too bad, especially since I dropped my reg off to be serviced this week. Upon seeing my vintage Dacor unit, the repairman's eyes popped out of his head and he reminded me that Dacor's replacement parts are hard to come by. Depending on the news he gives me, it may be time to buy a new reg. I could certainly use one at 50% off. Maybe Calvin can buy me one and ship it to me.
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I went to the Scuba Show in Long Beach on Sunday, checked out the exhibits and ran into some friends. I've been planning on going to the yearly Scuba Show for 5 years but something always comes up. This year, I put the event in my calendar and made myself go to it. 
I recently got some new stereo equipment. My old stereo equipment still works great, but it was too big and ugly and bulky for our new house. So what did I do with all the old equipment? Naturally, I shoved it into the laundry room, where it has sat for the past few months. I’ve made a pact with myself that if I haven’t gotten rid of it by the New Year, then I have to donate it to a worthy cause. (And, no, another shelf in the laundry room does NOT constitute a worthy cause.)
Evidently, Vicky Roberts had a similar issue with her scuba gear. She believes that as people upgrade their equipment, they wind up with surplus equipment that is still quite usable. According to the Cheshire Online, Vicky's research found that bidding and auctions tend be a turn-off, so she set up Scuba Kit Market for people to buy and sell their gear. The website doesn’t use auctions, bidding, or charge a commission (unless you sell an item). Rather, the price you see is the price you pay and includes delivery and VAT. (Yes, the site is based in the
Fabien Cousteau, the underwater explorer/shark diver/all around good guy, sent me some pics (and more) from his shark sub expedition that I posted over at Gadling. There are some beauts, too.
We see Cousteau onboard his boat, and then inside the shark sub, preparing to dive. Then the shark is lifted into the water and finally tested beneath the waves. The last picture in the group shows the shark sub swimming with another Great White. Really cool stuff. Thanks again to Fabien.
And if you missed the podcast we did with Fabien, listen to it here.
Remember that scene from Jaws two where Roy Scheider surveys the nearby beach from a shark tower? I suppose if I were swimming at a shark infested beach, having someone gazing over the water looking for long dark shadows would be a comfort. But more comfortable, I think, would if said beach had some kind of shark net or shark shield in place.
After posting about Aquaseal’s Repair Adhesive, I started thinking about things scuba divers should bring with them to make their dive experience better. (No, I wasn’t thinking about swimsuit models – although that’d be good, too!) I was thinking more about practical items for repair, safety, or emergency situations.
When I dive, I always take my lunchbox-sized dry box and stuff it full, with one caveat: if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t go. I figure that anything I need I can buy at my destination, so I avoid wasting time and space packing unnecessary items. But is that a smart way to build a Save-A-Dive Kit?
I found several Save-A-Dive packing lists, from Northshore Frogmen, Lloyd Bailey’s Scuba, and Huron Scuba. The lists are good, but – my gosh! – they’re so long. (Do I really need to carry a spare mask, a sample size of shaving cream, a spare watch, or spare weights?!) I also found some pre-packed Save-A-Dive Kits available commercially, ranging from $17 to $35. Whereas the homemade kits seemed to have way too much stuff, the commercial packs seemed woefully understocked. I’m interested in learning what you think the “necessaries” are that divers should be certain to have with them. Alternatively, if you think the above lists should be “perfect as is,” let me know.
My mother worries when I dive. She knows I’m enjoying myself, but she’s frightened every phone call may be our last. For those of you with like-minded family members, I found a nicely-written editorial discussing safety and scuba diving, which every diver’s mother should read. Maybe there’s a new argument you can glean to assuage some nail-biting.
The editorial is posted on the front page of The Scuba Guide, which is a neat resource that must be new(-ish), based on the relatively small number of comments readers have left (AHEM!). Once the site gets more content online, I'm betting it’ll be a good resource. One concern: the links labeled “See our choices for… [e.g., regs]” are advertiser’s links and are not based on objective reviews. Naughty, naughty . . .
This is a reminder that OceanFest is in 
According to Chemical & Engineering News, Shark Defense of
Initial commercial applications of A-2 will be for reducing unintentional shark catching in the fishing industry; protecting underwater equipment prone to shark bites; preventing endangered sharks from becoming ensnared in fishing nets; and in rescue operations. Ideas for using A-2 in suntan lotion, on hollow surfboards, and as a spray-on product are still in the “Wouldn’t it be cool if . . .” stages.
Oceanfest 2005 is April 15 – 17 in 
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