I received an email from Nuno Gomes' friends informing me of a new world record he set in Egypt last month. A portion of the email: "The shot line was measured under controlled conditions using impartial observers. The official measurement is 318.25 metres sea water. This is a new world record." You may remember Nuno from a previous post of mine. His last record was 282m set in Boesmansgat.

318.25 meters? That's 1043ft. Talk about deep. Nuno and team, if you are out there, congratulations. Click on for a more detailed account.

318.25 meters underwater! originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 16 Jun 2005 08:59:55 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo has launched another fare search engine that scours other websites (expedia and orbitz do not appear to be on the list unfortunetly) for the lowest fares. So far, I haven't found anything thats been "wow I better book this right now" low prices, but some people are saying the site has found them signficantly cheaper fares. On average, I'm only seeing about $5 less for most routes, but hey, every penny counts right? If you see a signficantly lower fare, I'd be curious to know the route - drop a comment.

Yet another airfare search engine... originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 09 Jun 2005 11:24:43 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I started putting some information together for my wedding guests on our wedding in Italy and then suddently realized I could share with all! So if you want to visit a truly amazing small town in Italy but never knew where to start... this is the guide for you. Thanks to picapic, I was able to post up some of my videos and pictures for you readers without hosing my DSL connection, so enjoy.

Continue reading The "Visit A Small Town In Italy" Mini Guide

The "Visit A Small Town In Italy" Mini Guide originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 03 Jun 2005 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I came across another video of Palau's underwater world - specifically the mantas. Not much to say bout it other than, if you like underwater videos, it's a pretty cool video. I've never had the chance to dive with mantas so I'm in particular awe. The music on this video is a little more relaxed than the blue corner video I posted yesterday.

Just a little more Palau... originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 02 Jun 2005 09:57:31 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I was researching my next destination and came across a video someone made of Blue Corner, a particularly fast-paced current-ridden clip-yourself-in or be swept-away shark infested dive. I have no idea what the soundtrack is, but it fits perfectly and I can't stop watching it again and again. Now if only I could come up with the million or so bucks it seems like you need to get to Palau.... Anyway, check it out on picapic.

Palau, wish upon a star.... originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 01 Jun 2005 17:38:21 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It took me a long time to get around to it, but I finally put all the photos from my Cayman Brac Trip online. You can read my trip report on our sister site Divester, here. (If you haven't yet checked Divester out, have a look!)... As you will see, a lot of the underwater photos didn't turn out so hot, but there are a handful of decent ones in the mix.

Cayman Brac Photos Online originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 13 May 2005 12:20:41 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over on our sister site, Divester, I've posted a scuba divign report from my trip to Cayman Brac. The Cayman's are generally considered excellent diving - particularly for their visibility and healthy marine life. Did they live up to all the hype? Read on to find out...

Cayman Brac Trip Report originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 19 Apr 2005 09:25:44 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I came across this article which effectively says that the PADI Scuba Diver certification is completely unsafe and they should do away with it.  The author essentially argues that the certification is a waste because it completely fails to prepare divers. As part of the reasoning, the author suggests that scuba limits are not enforced and divers rarely continue their education. I'd really be interested in hearing people's opinions on this, so please please comment. My own view follows.

Continue reading Accusing 'Scuba Diver' PADI Cert as unsafe.

Accusing 'Scuba Diver' PADI Cert as unsafe. originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:20:46 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I came across this regulator failure story which I thought was pretty interesting. Maybe I have a morbid curiousity with accidents, but I always enjoy reading a story about how someone managed to live against the odds. Read on for an interesting (and scary) tale. Photos of the silo are here.

Regulator Failure at 100 ft? originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 04 Mar 2005 13:10:06 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For those of you that have become skeptical of the traditional trade magazines telling you that Cozumel is still a one of a kind destination, here's something different for you. It's called Undercurrent and they accept absolutely no advertising whatsoever. What that means is that they don't hold back in their reviews of locations, dive shops, etc. While expensive (they have to make up the lack of advertising somehow) and very small monthly issues (think 10-20 pages total), the real gem comes once a year in their Chapbook. It's a huge collection (several hundred pages) of trip reports on every imaginable destination on earth - with little to no censoring of people's trips. Want the real truth on that dive shop in Honduras? The one that let me dive with corroded steel tanks and later admitted they hadn't been checked in five years? You will find it in the chapbook. Needless to say, I'm renewing my subscription this week.

A different kind of scuba magazine... originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 03 Mar 2005 12:30:25 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After posting this story about an in water recompression, a reader pointed me to a story about how in water recompression doesn't always work. If you thought it was a miracle anyone survived the previous story, read this one. If this had been a book, I couldn't have put it down. I promise you won't be able to close your browser. A harrowing tale indeed. Anyone out there have their own near-miss stories to share?

So maybe in water recompression is a bad idea... originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 02 Mar 2005 16:19:03 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you needed a reminder as to why not to dive deep, this article will do it. What I really find unbelievable is that one of them actually survived. While this is certainly a sad (and foolheardy) story, it is reassuring to see that one of them did live. Proof positive that underwater recompression can work. Stories like this is what have kept my personal maximum depth record at 148ft where, I imagine, it will stand for a long long time. When you think about it in terms of stories, thats already plenty deep.

Another deep diving death originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 02 Mar 2005 10:50:15 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some of you may have heard of the missing diver who dissapeared off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii two days ago. Unfortunetly, his body has been found. The cause of death is unknown though based on the description a heart attack seems the most likely cause. See the original post here. Read on for the information on the attempted rescue.

Missing Diver off of Oahu found originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 01 Mar 2005 15:43:11 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I will spare our readers a rant on the futility of such a measure, but it now appears that you can add lighters to the list of items you cannot bring on plane. That includes checked baggage. The reasoning behind this? Remember Richard Reid, the guy that almost blew up a plane by lighting his shoes? He was caught when someone smelled the distinct odor of matches being struck. The FBI concluded that if Mr Reid had used a lighter, the bomb would have exploded. So, in what can only be considered a feat of deductive logic worthy of Sherlock Holmes - lighters are no longer allowed but - you guessed it - matches are. Am I alone in thinking there must be some better way to spend my tax dollars than to come up with half-baked security policies? By the way, if you need a nytimes (or any other "irritation" website) login, check out www.bugmenot.com.

NYTimes - Another Airline Ban originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 01 Mar 2005 13:19:39 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I wouldn't normally post advertised airline fares...  I seem to get twenty of them daily and they never end up being quite right - "Chicago to Orlando $80!". Sounds great until you call them up and find out the fare is only good if you connect in Dubai, Papa New Guinea, Los Angeles, take the ferry to San Diego, bike over the Andes mountains while being chased by rabid dogs.... and leave in 20 minutes. Otherwise, if you want to actually fly there it's $412 plus tax. For once though, I came across a promotion which actually is sticking to fares posted, so here it is. If they don't honor a price for you, post a comment.

Real Airline Discounts (?) originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 01 Mar 2005 11:10:33 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ok, so this isn't exactly about travel, but it involves one of my favourite underwater animations and scuba diving so.... A scuba diving dentist is claiming that Disney stole the idea for Finding Nemo from him. He claims he provided an illustrated manuscript to them and years later, boom, out comes this movie. Normally, I'd dismiss this as another "get rich quick scheme", but this isn't the first time Disney has stolen an idea. Remember The Lion King? Ever heard of Kimba? Well, it looks like Disney copied Kimba. Not convinced? Well, look at this.

Scuba Dive? Are you a dentist? Sue! originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 17 Feb 2005 11:54:20 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The feel good story of the day. A diver who shot a photo of poachers in Malaysia helps police locate them. I saw this kind of thing happen in Roatan too and it always makes me mad. The only thing that irritates me more is cruise ships giving passengers frozen peas to feed the fish (most fish die as a result of eating them, they expand after defrosting).

Divers help snare poachers (yay!) originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 11 Feb 2005 13:57:23 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You've bought an underwater camera and you didn't buy an external flash. You took it on a dive trip. You took more photos than you knew what to do with and with the exception of three, they are all green and blue and ugly. There's no substitute for a good flash, but, there are some things you can do to bring those photos back to life. With the help of a little Photoshop, this guide, and a little practice, you will be amazed.

Continue reading HOW-TO: Editing underwater photos

HOW-TO: Editing underwater photos originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 11 Feb 2005 11:58:10 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I spent the last few days in Ventura, CA. While I didn't have the chance to dive (why do planes fly so high dangit!)... I did find this site with some beautiful pictures (check out those lobsters!) of the Channel Islands. If you are like me and haven't ever been diving on the West Coast, these photos will make you want to go. Speaking of which .... if anyone out there has any suggestions on diving in the SOCAL area, please leave a comment!

Diving in California photos originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:49:56 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Miles for your mortgage originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 10 Feb 2005 13:42:56 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.