At the Intersection of Science and Shark Tourism - Pure Poetry

One of the reasons we read the Deep Sea News blog almost religiously is because of reports from the field like the following.

Penned with passion, colorful description, and a deep scientific understanding this is about as good as it gets.

Read Inside the Outside this weekend. It's a first person report on incredible whale shark gatherings (400 animals) at the Afuera in Mexico a site only recently discovered by teams of researchers from Project Domino, Georgia Aquarium, the Smithsonian and Mote Marine Lab

You'll soon find yourself wanting to join the ranks of researchers or booking a flight to Isla Mujeres to make your way there.

Kudos to Para Sight for the article, like we said, this is as good as it gets.

Miriam likes Steampunk - So do we

If you're looking for cool oceans content that runs the gamut from recent Antarctic studies to media look no further than Deep Sea News.

It's one of the many reasons we feature these guys on our blog roll, the other reason is that we're just not all that good at finding stunning videos like this one.

If you have 15 minutes today, sit back and say ahhh. Here's to "Lost Things," may we all never lose sight of them:

Karl Stanley Shark Video - Honduras

When you own your own submarine, life at depth can be pretty sweet:

A 10 foot long Smalltooth sandtiger shark charges the Idabel submarine at 900' depth off Roatan, Honduras on Aug 15, 2010. Passengers are Peter Etnoyer and Fred Boltz.

Pilot is Karl Stanley of Roatan Institute for Deep-sea Exploration.

Sky Truth Raises Alarm - Oil in Loop Current?

The 10,000 square mile oil slick that NOAA, BP, and the media are underestimating and under reporting looks to be in the Gulf Loop Current as reported by Sky Truth today (see image).

Major media coverage of this ongoing eco disaster has pegged leaking oil at a paltry 5000 barrels a day. Sky Truth was one of the first non governmental organizations to estimate the oil flow at 26,500 barrels a day.

Last week NPR estimated the oil flow at a stunning 70,000 barrels a day.

As of this morning Sky Truth was the only source to suggest that leaking oil and 700,000 gallons of COREXIT, a toxic dispersant, is now in the Loop Current headed towards Florida and the East coast of the USA.

Update: Loop Current coverage from LA Times Blog.

More coverage at Deep Sea News.

Deep Sea News - Homerun Video "Coffee Warning"

Thanks to Deep Sea News I sprayed coffee all over the place this morning with their latest/greatest video find. Asking the question on everyone's mind, "Can you really trust a Killer Whale?"

I always knew there was something not right about them.

Video Warning - Place all hot beverages at least 10 centimeters from facial areas and computer equipment:

When science get's "Wicked Cool" - DSN

From personal experience we can attest that deep water baiting either by submersible, or by remote camera is probably one of the most surreal experiences a human can have.

There are "things" in the deep ocean that boggle the imagination and raise the normal oceanic cool factor to 11.

So pay heed divers, ocean lovers, and those that like the things that go "bump in the night" because as the guys over at the Deep Sea News blog tell it - your world is going to get rocked August 14th:

The Eye-in-the-Sea camera will be freshly baited with a frozen sea lion carcass in a camera deployment set for August 14th, in the deep Monterey Canyon. Mark your calendars and tune in to the Ocean Research Conservation Organization (ORCA) website for updates on the event. The ever fascinating Dr. Edie Widder, the ORCA President, will be your host.

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Broadcast media’s command performance

We have been trying to get a post out about Google Earths new Ocean. More to the point the stunning content interface that is sure to be be a game changer in the months to come. Thus far our efforts have come up short.

Enter Peter Etnoyer from the Deep Sea News blog. Sometimes you just flounder around trying to encapsulate how utterly striking new technology is. And then sometimes you just give up and say with gratitude "yeah, like he said":

Etnoyer on Google Earth

Ever since yesterday’s release of Google Earth 5.0, I have been trying to convince myself that playing with the new Ocean layer is part of my job. It seems to be working. I’m a graduate student who occasionally gives talks to high schools about the deep-sea.

I’ve tried before to use Google Earth as a presentation platform. When the projection was right, I could spin the globe the Gulf of Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico effortlessly. We would go island hopping on the digital globe, jumping back and forth between the Powerpoint, the DVD player, and Google Earth. Now, I won’t have to. It’s all there together.

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