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DOUG MCNEESE AND ROBERT STOSS TAKE THE HELM OF SSI WORLDWIDE AND ANNOUNCE AN EXCITING FUTURE FOR THE DIVING INDUSTRY.

Fort Collins, Colorado – Scuba Schools International, the premier education and business support organization, announces a change in ownership. March 26, 2008 marked the official changing of the guard – Doug McNeese and Robert Stoss, two recognized industry experts, have joined forces to provide the company with a wealth of experience in all facets of the diving industry: Training, Retail, Manufacturing and International Business.

Doug McNeese (President and CEO) has been involved in the diving industry since the age of 10 when his family opened up their first dive store. In 1982 he purchased ‘The Dive Shop’ from his father and began the expansion of the company.

In 1993 Doug purchased NASDS and in late 1998 merged with SSI. Nine years following the merger, Doug is and will continue to be a driving force in the promotion of SSI Worldwide and strengthening its growth through retailers and manufacturers. Doug strongly believes that the “doorway to diving” is the retailer. His passion is to go beyond what has been done, bring more people into the sport and to make scuba diving a lifetime activity.

“In Europe, Asia and Australia, SSI Regional Centers are growing and gaining market share. In the USA successful retailers continue to join SSI based on a proven business model of creating divers and selling scuba equipment. Resorts in the Caribbean, Red Sea and Pacific are also joining the SSI Network so they can access the hundreds of thousands of SSI Divers around the world,” stated McNeese.

Robert Stoss (Chairman) has been actively involved in diving since 1977 as an avid diver, instructor and retail store owner. For 10 years, from 1987 to 1997, Robert had a successful career with Scubapro® with the final position of Vice President and Business Unit Manger of the North American Diving Division of Johnson Worldwide Associates in Racine, WI from 1993 – 1997.

A new opportunity led Robert back to Germany in 1997 where he purchased Seemann Sub®, a leading German manufacturer and importer for a full line of scuba diving equipment. Over the last 10 years, under Robert’s guidance, Seemann® has earned the reputation as the innovative leader in the price to value dive gear segment. In 2007, Seemann Sub was acquired by Johnson Outdoors.

“I joined the SSI Network in February of 2003 as the licensee of the newly formed SSI European Service Center. SSI Germany has since taken a leadership position in the European professional dive market and today is head to head with the leading agency in Dive Center membership,” says Stoss. “I am confident that this new partnership with Doug will create unique opportunities for SSI retailers, instructors and resorts worldwide.

The Clark family is leaving Scuba Schools International on a high note. From a worldwide perspective, the SSI brand is more widely recognized now than ever before. The company is in peak financial shape and beat its all time high sales and profit goals in 2007. Although there will be a change in ownership SSI will remain focused on the success of the retailer and instructor. SSI understands that dive centers are the gateway to our sport and the backbone of the industry.

“We are very excited about the huge opportunities in the diving industry,” McNeese and Stoss continued. “All we can say is - prepare to be amazed.”

Visit the SSI website at www.diveSSI.com

Tags: SSI

Google SMS adds flight info

We've long been fans of using Google SMS to fetch information from our phones. Now we can use it to retrieve airline numbers and flight status.

http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/

Start using Google SMS. Want to get started right away? Just click the button and we'll send a link to your phone.

Get started now »

Text message your search query to 466453 ('GOOGLE' on most devices) and we'll text message back results.

Personalized SMS saves you time by saving your location. We'll automatically save your most frequently used location for future queries. You can also text 'set location' followed by a city & state or zip to save a new location. Try it out on our demo!

Try our interactive demo to the right and view results on the phone image as you would on your own mobile device. Discuss this product or click here for help.

Enter a search term (Hint: Click on the links under "Search Feature" in the table below to find specific information)

Tags: Google Flights SMS

Sharks of the World (Princeton Field Guides)

It's finally here -- THE DEFINITIVE and COMPLETELY (yes, very literally) EXHAUSTIVE shark guide. I've just picked up my copy and it still feels like a dream. As a serious shark enthusiast, this is the book that I have always dreamed about but has never existed, until now. If you're a shark enthusiast, it would be a tragedy not to acquire this book.

Here's why:

(1) There are lavish full color illustrations of every single species of shark known today -- 404 described species and 49 as-yet-undescribed species on 64 plates, each species in oblique view (not the usual profile shot), giving invaluable information on its shape in 3 dimensions. In addition to the most popular species (such as the great white or the blacktip reef shark), the least well known are also included in this book, such as Deania quadrispinosum or Etmopterus pusillus, or new species, such as Isistius labialis or Somniosus antarcticus. There are 3 plates of 18 species of angel sharks (Squatinidae)! All 5 species of Oxynotus are included! Nine species of saw shark (Pristiophoridae)!

(2) All breath-takingly accurate illustrations are by the same artist, ensuring consistent style. Mark Dando is among the most accomplished of shark artists; his attention to detail is truly astounding. As a discriminating and accomplished fellow natural history artist, I know what I'm talking about. Having said that, please understand that the illustrations chosen for the cover, while wonderfully accurate, are not representative of the exquisite skill demonstrated in his illustrations of more colorful species, such as the ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus). Therefore, at the risk of sinking in the mire of cliche, I nevertheless urge you not to judge this book by its cover!

(3) The work is truly exhaustive, not only in the number of species depicted. Where there is sufficient variation within a species, additional color illustrations depict sexual dimorphism, juvenile forms and races. All species are presented to scale with each other and a scale bar is provided for easy size comparisons.

(4) For those with a taste for the traditional practice of depicting sharks in profile line drawings, the illustrator satisfies in the textual portion of the book. Again, every single species is beautifully presented in a fine ink line drawing from the side (or from the top in angel sharks and saw sharks). With every species is included a detailed range map, and for most species the teeth are also illustrated. For many, the ventral view of the head is also presented.

(5) The text reads like a field guide, providing detailed notes on the measurements, distinguishing features, distribution, habitat, behavior, biology and status of each species, written by leading authorities on sharks. It even includes a checklist at the end so that shark watchers can record their sightings in the field.

I am completely confident that no shark enthusiast will be disappointed in this book. Seriously folks, the editorial review provided by the publisher for this book underestimates its worth. It's truly a gem and will probably remain the definitive reference and the ultimate field guide for a long, long time.

Tags: Sharks World Diving Scuba Nature Bool

Fiji Scuba Diving

"First
things first: There is no island of Fiji. Instead, Fiji is an island
nation of about 300 islands, from small remote islets that seem caught
in an old South Pacific time warp to some of the modern world's most exclusive private resort
islands. So, where to go? Actually, the real question is how do you
want to spend your time? Divers can pick and choose from some of the
best diving locations in the South Seas (the best known, Taveuni, is
legendary for its wall dives), while surfers have long favored several
world-class reef breaks off Tavarua island in the Mamanuca chain just
west of Fiji's largest island, Viti Levu."

Fiji Scuba Diving

Impressive New Image Collection REEF Now Available

Proceeds from this high-quality collection by Scubazoo to benefit Coral Reef Alliance.

Coral
reefs are the largest living structure on the planet, and yet at the
present rate of destruction could mostly disappear by 2050. Created
by the skeletons of live corals, they make up one percent of the
Earth’s surface, are home to 25 percent of all marine fish species,
provide food and livelihood for five million people, and generate
billions of dollars in goods and services. These underwater marvels are
the subject of DK’s REEF (September 2007; hardcover + DVD; $40), a comprehensive and stunning reference to the world’s “rainforests of the sea.” This book is not only a beautiful tour underwater, but it is also a serious call to action.

The superb collection of photographs found throughout REEF is provided by underwater photography specialists Scubazoo . This
leading team of marine photographers has recorded these remarkable and
important structures, along with equally important marine habitats,
including temperate reefs, kelp forests, seagrass beds, and mangrove
swamps.

REEF
progresses in a series of photographic sections, describing the range
of seascapes, the diversity of animals found there, and their survival
techniques and behavioral patterns. The book also
contains photographic essays that demonstrate the immense
pressures—both natural and man-made—that threaten the continued
survival of these unique environments. A series of maps highlights the distribution of reefs worldwide, and a behind-the-scenes section shows Scubazoo in action, capturing the images that are featured in the book.

In addition to the gorgeous photography, an accompanying 30-minute DVD offers breathtaking footage of much of the marine life featured in the book. For anyone interested in nature, diving, or conservancy—REEF will provide hours of enlightenment. Visit our website at DK.com to read a Q&A with Scubazoo , view footage from the DVD as well as images from the book, and order your own copy!

For more information about REEF, please contact Carroll Beauvais at carroll.beauvais@dk.com; 646-674-4041 or Mindy Fichter at mindy.fichter@dk.com; 646-674-4042.

Popular site for underwater photographers continues to generate interest as its serve the diving world.

DivePhotoGuide.com, a leading website for underwater photographers and videograpghers is pleased to announce that Micahel McNamara,
Popular Photography & Imaging Magazine's Executive Technology
Editor, a renowned expert on digital cameras, imaging products, color
printing, and color management systems, and also an underwater
photographer, has joined the growing editorial team as a Contributing
Technical Editor

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists go hi-tech to save coral:

At cold depths, the rate of growth is very slow

Less is known about the floor of the world's oceans than the surface of the Moon.

It
is only in the past few decades that technology allowing humans to peer
into the previously uncharted depths has become available to
scientists.

Remote
Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and manned submersible craft have opened up to
exploration a whole new world of deep marine ecosystems.

One
of the most startling discoveries has been the number of coral reefs
living hundreds of metres beneath the surface, in temperatures ranging
from 4-13C (39-55F).

The
existence of cold-water corals has been known since the 18th Century,
but the vast number of reefs found in the deeper reaches of the world's
waters has amazed researchers.

Yet
just as scientists are beginning to understand the significance of the
coral to the surrounding environment, they are also witnessing
destruction.

'Glacial' growth

Environmentalists point the finger of blame at the fishing industry and the practice of bottom-trawling with drag nets.

This
method of fishing involves scouring the sea bed with huge nets that are
some 60m-wide; they are held apart by two huge metal plates weighing up
to five tonnes.

"It's
heavy gear, and the reefs and the coral colonies are very fragile and
easily damaged," Jan Helge Fossa, chief scientist at the Norwegian
Institute of Marine Research, tells TVE's Earth Report programme for
BBC World.

"So it was quite obvious that this was an activity that couldn't go on," he adds.

Cold
corals are very slow growing. Some individuals are estimated to be up
to 1,800 years old, and many reefs began forming at the end of the last
Ice Age.

Damage inflicted by bottom-trawling can result in catastrophic consequences for the species living amid the reefs.

Onboard the institute's research vessel, Dr Helge Fossa is leading a survey for cold corals off the northern coast of Norway.

Robot eyes

The
Institute provides advice on the marine environment to the Norwegian
government, which is one of the few nations that have introduced laws
to protect cold-water corals.

After
performing a multibeam sonar sweep that provides a real-time map of the
search area, the team launches a ROV through the side of the ship.

Once the vehicle reaches the site 200m below the surface, its four
powerful lights allow the onboard camera to beam pictures back to the
scientists on the surface.

"What
we see here is only coral rubble, and it's trawled out to small
pieces," Dr Helge Fossa observes. "We have so far seen no live coral."

It
is not long before the prime suspect is located: discarded trawling
equipment. Closer inspection reveals that the nets and gear are likely
to be about 20 years old.

Norway's
Coral Act 1999 protects all coral reefs in the nation's waters from
intentional damage, and bottom-trawling has been completely banned in
areas surrounding five specific reefs.

However, the country has the longest coastline in Europe, making monitoring and policing the region a tough task.

Video campaign

To
date, there have been no prosecutions from data gathered by the
space-borne Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), but Dr Helge Fossa's team
hopes images obtained by its high-definition submersible-camera system
will help change that.

"We
know that it is important to get our results out, not only to the
government but also to the public," he says. "That's why we use a lot
of videos, it tells more than a thousand words."

He
said it made people understand why the complex ecosystems needed
protecting: "I have never heard a person in Norway, after looking at
the videos, who objects to protection."

Some
scientists believe that other nations should adopt similar protection
measures as Norway, otherwise many more deep cold-water reefs will
resemble a lunar surface.

The
Television Trust for the Environment's (TVE) Earth Report - Cold Corals
Deep will be broadcast on BBC World on 21 and 23 October 2006. Please
check schedules for further details

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6067806.stm

Published: 2006/10/20 12:17:05 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Under the Blue 2007

Over $20,000 in Prizes!

Next in the series of UnderwaterCompetition.com
underwater imagery events, and on the heels of the popular Our World
Underwater & DEEP Indonesia competitions, Wetpixel, DivePhotoGuide
and the 2007 SCUBA Show are proud to bring you “UNDER THE BLUE 2007”.

Photographers
will compete in four still image categories, including a category for
images that focus on California’s unique and beautiful underwater
environment, and one video category. Winners will share in more than
$20,000 in prizes, including premium dive travel, underwater
photography and diving equipment! Travel prizes include trips to some
of the top photo destinations in the world including Fiji, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea, South Africa and Australia.

2007 CATEGORIES

1. Majesty of the Oceans
2. The Macro World
3. Man & the Sea
4. California Underwater
5. Video

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