We Get Back to Our Roots
As many readers know, ScubaNews.com got its start, decades ago, as a print publication called Florida Scuba News. In time, we expanded our distribution to the entire southeast and became simply Scuba News.
Fast forward to the Information Age. Print publishing is all but dead. A new generation of divers wants their news and information on line. Scuba News, like many other magazines, makes the move to the Internet. The catch is, there are a lot of good general interest diving websites out there, making it tough to stand out in the crowd.
One thing we notice, though: No one is specializing in diving’s number one destination, Florida. Florida is where we live, work and dive. No one knows Florida diving better than we do.
That’s why we’re getting back to our roots. As our banner proudly proclaims, we are again Florida Scuba News. The difference is, now we can share news and information on Florida diving with the entire planet.
There are a lot of great places to dive. But if you want to know about the world’s number one dive spot, we are the place to be.
Positive Encounters With Gentle Giants
This is the time of year when Florida’s manatees cluster in Crystal River and Homosassa to avoid the colder waters of the Atlantic and Gulf. It is also the time when divers flock to the same locations to interact with these gentle giants. Among the best ways to enjoy a manatee encounter is to take advantage of one of the many commercially operated manatee tours. This not only increases your chances of seeing manatees, it also helps reduce the risk that you will accidentally cause harm to these big fellows, or run afoul of the many laws protecting them. Learn more and watch video…
Getting Started In Cavern and Cave Diving
Each of us may have different goals when it comes to cavern and cave diving (not the least of which is just staying out of them altogether). Assuming you are somewhat interested in overhead environment diving, the question is really what do you want to do? Your answer will help determine which of the many available avenues is best for you. Just be aware that, if you decide you want to become a fully certified cave diver, you are looking at a fairly substantial commitment. Learn more and watch video…
Deadman's Wreck
The Gulf Breeze peninsula sticks out into Pensacola Bay from the east, dividing the bay proper from Santa Rosa Sound to the south. Just off the northern side near the peninsula tip is a little spit of land called Deadman’s Island. This small patch of sand harboring scrubby trees and prickly-pear cactus forms a sheltered cove that has been used for centuries by mariners plying the waters of Pensacola Bay and the surrounding Gulf of Mexico. With a shallow, sandy bottom that slopes off to deep water with good holding ground, the island was recognized very early by European colonists as a prime location to careen their ships for cleaning. Learn more…
The Bare Bones of Spearfishing
The Bare Bones of Spearfishing is an informational guide into the world of spearfishing. Whether you’re new to spearfishing or you desire to learn new tips and tricks from the experts, this 120-minute DVD covers it! You will learn about the equipment needed in great detail from choosing the right type of speargun, bands, tip selections and more! Learn new techniques for lineshafting and freeshafting plus watch real hunting examples along with raw bonus footage with commentary. More…
The Lost Treasures of the Santa Margarita
Inconveniently for mere mortals, serendipity is not concerned with time, so twists of fate often pass unknown, witnessed only by the sun, wind, and ripples on the sea. For W. Keith Webb and the team of the shipwreck search and discovery company Blue Water Ventures of Key West, the quest for the famed treasure galleon Santa Margarita has been as much about discovering her mysteries as in uncovering her treasures. The saga of the Santa Margarita begins in 1622. Namesake of the patron saint of homeless people, midwives and reformed prostitutes, Santa Margarita was a Spanish galleon of 600 tons, armed with twenty-five cannon. More…
More Features
• New Products from DEMA 2009
• New Additions to Crystal Coast Diving
• The Bridge
Sunken Treasure Brings $1.6 Million
Daniel Frank Sedwick recently conducted a live, on-line auction of treasures recovered from sunken ships. Total bids amounted to more than $1.6 million. Some of the highest priced items, like a gold Escudo Mexican cob dated 1709, sold for $46,000. There were more than 70 other gold Escudos on the block along with hundreds of silver cobs and minted coins. “We exceeded our goal of reaching a million in sales by a big margin,” Dan Sedwick said. “We offered the finest known specimen of a Panama 4 Reale that sold for $22,425.” More…
National Geographic Photo Contest Winner
Bill Goodwin and his wife, Donna, reside in Birmingham, Alabama, and have been frequent scuba diving visitors to Bonaire and the island’s reefs since 2004. Both enjoy underwater photography. Bill’s shot of a peppermint shrimp in a sponge, taken at Margate Bay, was entered into a photographic competition sponsored by National Geographic magazine, where it won top prize. There were 208,000 entries from 28 countries in 20 different language editions of the magazine. Bill placed first place in the Nature category in the English language National Geographic contest, but his image then went on to win first place in the worldwide competition. More…
HMS Victory Case Settled
Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc., pursuant to an agreement reached with the UK Government, filed a motion to dismiss and vacate the warrant for the arrest which was filed in the US District Court on Admiral Balchin’s HMS Victory, a 100 gun ship of the line lost in 1744 in the English Channel. The UK Government has agreed to pay Odyssey a salvage award of 80 percent as compensation for the artifacts which have been recovered from the site and submitted to the UK Receiver of Wreck. A valuation of approximately $200,000 has been agreed for the two cannon recovered from the site, providing for a salvage award of approximately $160,000. More…
More News
• Fins Pack Power in Smaller Size
• NOAA Seeks Public Comment
• Bahamas Bans Turtle Fishing
Did You Know?
- Florida is home to more divers, more dive stores and more dive boats than any other dive destination.
- More divers visit Florida every year than any other dive destination.
- With over 1,300 miles of coastline and thousands of rivers, lakes and springs, Florida has more dive sites — and a greater diversity of dive sites — than any other dive destination.
- Florida is the only major dive destination most USA divers can either fly or drive to.
- If you lined up Florida’s six most popular wreck diving sites end to end, they would stretch for nearly 3,000 feet. (The hundreds of diveable wrecks the state offers would stretch for miles.)
If you dive and you haven’t discovered all that Florida offers, you are — quite literally — missing the boat.