The not-for-profit Aurora Trust Foundation has partnered with SubSea Explorers, a marine archeology expedition company and U-Boat Worx, a Dutch manufacturer of submersibles. They are offering a first-of-its-kind program for adventurous individuals to take part in an undersea archeological expedition off the coast of Sicily, not as a tourist, but as an exploration crew member working from inside a private submersible.

The program features eight 1-week missions, beginning June 20 and running through August 21. During each mission, the adventurers will be part of a 3-person crew using a state-of-the-art, air-conditioned submersible to view, document and photograph ancient Roman shipwrecks that sank 2,000 years ago.

After experiencing an equipment malfunction at depth, was it bravado that prevented this diver from asking for help? 

The dive was going well. Randy and his buddy Tom had spent 20 minutes exploring the shipwreck. Though Tom had dived the wreck before, it was the first time Randy had dived it, and he was excited to get back to the surface. They were on the way back to the boat, about 40 feet from the surface, when Randy realized he was low on air. Randy remembered the discussions he and Tom had had about “idiots” running out of air and how irresponsible it was. Hoping he had enough air to make it back to the boat, he chose to keep quiet and not let Tom know he had a problem. 

MANILA —

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen said Wednesday he had found one of Japan’s biggest and most famous battleships on a Philippine seabed, some 70 years after American forces sank it during World War II.

Excited historians likened the discovery, if verified, to finding the Titanic, as they hailed the American billionaire for his high-tech mission that apparently succeeded after so many failed search attempts by others.

Allen posted photos and video online of parts of what he said was the battleship Musashi, found by his M/Y Octopus exploration vessel one kilometer deep on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea.

How cold has it been on Nantucket? Chilly enough to freeze waves.

New York Times Feb 27, 2015 

Last Friday, Jonathan Nimerfroh, a photographer, arrived on the beach and saw an unusual sight: slow-moving waves of slush.

“I just noticed a really bizarre horizon,” said Mr. Nimerfroh, who is also a surfer. “The snow was up to my knees, getting to the water. I saw these crazy half-frozen waves. Usually on a summer day you can hear the waves crashing, but it was absolutely silent. It was like I had earplugs in my ears.”

It is not uncommon for the harbor to freeze, but even a fisherman he spoke with later said he had never seen anything quite like it.

South Florida local divers refer it to it as simply, “the Bridge,” while those from further away call it by its proper name, the Blue Heron Bridge. Located in Riviera Beach, just outside of West Palm Beach, Florida, the Blue Heron Bridge is a diver’s dream.  Situated on the Intracoastal Waterway near the Lake Worth inlet, the diversity of life along with its easy access and affordability (the shore dive is free!) make it one of the most popular dive spots in Florida.  In fact, Sport Diver named it the best dive in North America in 2013!

Divers swarm every weekend to Phil Foster Park an hour before slack tide where the mantra is “in the water 30 minutes before and out 30 minutes after.” The approximate maximum depth at the site is less than 25 — yes, only 25 — feet, but rarely has shallow water been so rewarding! It’s not unusual for divers to get an hour to two-hour dive from a single tank, and the variety of what can be seen is endless: seahorses, starfish and hundreds of species of nudibranchs are counted among its residents.