Anything that gets new people, young people, any people interested in scuba diving and the ocean is good. I am constantly searching the news for interesting information to share with my friends who express an interest in our sport and our oceans. I was surfing around on some of my favorite news sites this morning and saw a really cool picture taken at a new restaurant in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It seems that this Latin American restaurant owner has found a way to integrate a dining experience with the public’s keen interest in beautiful fish and the ocean. With a little research, I came up with this article that provides a little more detail on the successful business venture. The International Business Times website provides the following information in an article they published on December 10, 2008.

GUATEMALA CITY - The only restaurant-aquarium in Latin America, where diners share a table with species like the moray eel and the zebra shark, has fast become a craze in the Guatemalan capital.

During its opening last Wednesday, around 4,600 customers showed up at the restaurant established in a modern shopping mall on the southeast side of the capital, the general manager of Grupo Nais, Jose Garces, said, adding that he had expected around 3,000.

The son of a Cuban father who emigrated to Guatemala in 1961, and the owner since 1974 of the Nais restaurant chain, Garces said that the Nais-Aquarium has turned into “a real craze.”

Visitors to the mall find long lines of customers waiting to get into the restaurant, not only to please their palates, but also to see the nearly 600 fish of at least 38 exotic species on view.

Moray eels, zebra sharks, moon jellyfish and common guitarfish are among the many underwater attractions.

“Customers wait up to three hours to get in, because the place is already too small for the demand,” Garces said, explaining that the restaurant measures 832 sq. meters (8,943 sq. feet), which includes 15 aquariums and only 98 tables.

Most of the species are in the 39-meter (128-foot)-long mobile aquarium, including two grey sharks that are now each a meter (more than 3 feet) long and are the main attractions.

Garces said that he wants to have five sharks of this species and five more hammerhead sharks, which are brownish-grey in color and can measure up to 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet), as well as some manta rays.

The different species adorning the aquariums were imported from Caribbean countries, Australia, Brazil and the United States, with some fish worth as much as $400. But there are also many from Guatemala, Garces said.

Some 700 Guatemalan workers and 400 for eigners took part in the construction of the building that took 10 months, and 72 of them built the Nais-Aquarium and its reefs made of epoxy resin, he said.

The restaurant’s 160 employees are insufficient to take care of all the customers, many of whom come with their children who leave the display wide-eyed with amazement.

One child told Efe, after entering a bubble to observe the exotic species up close, that never in his life had he seen anything “so pretty” and that what he liked most were the sharks.

From their tables customers have a view of the restaurant’s biggest aquarium, which is fitted with 40 television screens inside of it and a video system to further entertain the visitors.

“You can hear a song by Luis Miguel or see a video by Ricky Martin,” Garces said by way of an example, adding that the restaurant is equipped with a unique system of lights brought from the United States and Belgium.

The investment cost in the millions but was “worth it,” the entrepreneur said during a tour of the establishment, which will have a cost of $45,000 per month just for maintenance of the aquariums.

The Nais-Aquarium has become an ecological center of entertainment and education and has a hospital for marine species, quarantine tanks, a biology lab, a center for nutritional support and an impressive lighting system designed to maintain a natural habitat for the fish.

Visitors take part in the underwater world through various shows put on by divers when it comes time to feed the fish.

The installation of the Nais-Aquarium was authorized by the National Council of Protected Areas and has the backing of environmental institutions of worldwide prestige such as the Ocean Science Foundation and the University of Florida’s Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory.

Garces said that the opening of the Nais Aquarium in Guatemala will be followed by the construction of similar ones in Costa Rica and Honduras in 2009, in Panama in 2010, and in Mexico in 2011.

The innovative entrepreneur, who says he is an “aquarium lover,” expects to receive some 500,000 diners during 2009.

Taken from International Business Times

Phil Ellis

No Food, But We Teach  Scuba Diving at Dive Sports!

One of the most popular items on www.divesports.com and in our retail store is the Tilos Pocket Snorkel.  It seems that many divers want to get that  snorkel off of the mask and stowed in a pocket, out of the way, until it is needed.  One of the things that makes the Tilos Pocket Snorkel different from standard snorkels is the completely self-contained, roll-up design.  Everything you need to roll and secure this snorkel in a tight little ball is right there on the snorkel!  Unlike other pocket models, there is no holster or special holder required to keep the Tilos snorkel rolled for storage.  There is no difficulty stowing and removing this rolled snorkel from a pocket or bag.  And, when you are ready to use the Tilos Pocket snorkel, simply retrieve the snorkel, slide the end from the clip, and it  snaps immediately back to the original shape.  Ready to be snapped on your mask strap!  It could not possibly be any easier.  Self-contained, high-quality, and always ready to use.

Unfortunately, rolling the snorkel seems to be a little bit of a learning task for some users.  So, we have included a short little amateur  YouTube video explaining how simple it is to roll and stow the Tilos Pocket Snorkel.  Take a look.  If I can do it so easily, surely everyone else can.  If you have any questions about the Tilos Pocket Snorkel, please feel free to give us a call.

After viewing this video, if you find that you MUST have one or two of these cool snorkels, simply use the link below to order the Tilos Pocket Snorkel from DiveSports.com.

Tilos Pocket Snorkel - Available at DiveSports.com

Phil Ellis

Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com

We are very close to the end of another year.  It seems like many people are ending this year on a low note.  The housing crisis, the amazing troubles with some of the largest banks in the world, American automobile companies facing bankruptcy, and everyday people finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.  At Dive Sports, we certainly fell the pain.  The economy has been as tough on us as it has on any other business.  Business certainly could have been better though out the year and the Christmas shopping season we have come to count on could have been much better.  Many of you feel the same way about your personal business and finances.

During tough times, we often find it difficult to see our way forward.  The darkest of clouds often obscure any silver lining that might by present.  Tough times make it difficult to focus beyond our own problems, but it is important to look outside ourselves and give thought to what we want for others.  Personally, I would like to just say joy to the world.  No matter who you are, where you live, and what your circumstances, having joy in your life simply makes life better.  In addition to solutions to our own problems, we could also do nothing more meaningful than wising joy to the world.

Merry Christmas from the Staff at DiveSports.com

Phil Ellis

Since our military service people are so important, I guess it is OK to make two posts in a row about how we might express our gratitude for their service.  Over the past couple of days, I have received several emails from people that thanked us for turning them onto the Gratitude Campaign.  Several of them also mentioned the great Budweiser commercial from the Super Bowl.  Anheuser-Bush promised to run this commercial only once, but I will bet you that MILLIONS of people have viewed the video of this great tribute.  You have to admit, it makes you feel sort of good when you view it…and, it is likely to bring a few tears.  Hope you enjoy watching it again.  Personally, I watch it weekly.

Thank you to Anheuser-Bush for choosing to spend your advertising dollars to produce this commercial.   We love it.

Phil Ellis

Gratitude - It Makes You Feel Good

You are standing in line at the ticket counter at the airport and are amazed at the number of people traveling in this bad economy.  I guess at Christmas time, everyone goes home, no matter how tight money is.  This certainly doesn’t help you move past the 26 people in front of you any faster, but it does explain the crowd.  Out of the corner of your eye, you see a young man and young woman walking past you.  Dressed in desert camouflage uniforms, carrying heavy backpacks, you immediately know these are U.S. soldiers or marines….not just because of the uniforms, but because of the upright way they walk and carry themselves.  You continue to glance and notice that the woman couldn’t possibly weigh more than 125 pounds, yet she walks upright, head held high, carrying that backpack that must weigh 75 pounds!  Guys and girls in the military, traveling home for a Christmas visit.  This is a common sight.

Your thoughts bounce back to stories you heard from your granddaddy about his service in the United States Army.  He dropped everything, left his family and friends, just to serve a cause that his government thought was important.  You remember how proud he was of his service and how his face glowed when he talked about it.  You know he was proud and you were proud of him.  For a brief moment, you think about walking over to the young man and young woman and giving them thanks for their service to our country.  You know your granddaddy would.  But, this time it is a little different.  After all, you are still mad at our President for getting us into this mess to begin with.  It angers you that the rest of the world looks on us so poorly, mostly because of the mistakes they think we have made in the conduct of this latest war.  The amount of money we have spent on this war maddens you.  So, you stand still and move slowly through the ticket line.  The young man and young woman disappear into the crowd.

Finally, with your bags checked and your ticket in hand, you arrive at your departure gate.  Here too, the crowd is stifling.  You grab the only seat available in the departure area, and get out the magazine you purchased at the gift store.  Just as you start reading, you hear the announcement that Flight 865 is arriving at your gate.  You know it will only take them a few minutes to empty the plane, do a little cleaning, and then you can board.  Finally, you get to leave things behind and begin your Christmas with your family.  As the passengers start filing off the plane, you notice a man and woman, probably in their middle 50s, waiting anxiously and watching every passenger as they walk out the jet way door.  The man is wearing a black ball cap and he looks like a hard working type.  His hands are a little beat up and he looks like he earns every cent he gets.  The woman, apparently his wife, is standing close to him.  The expression on her face is pure anticipation.  Every few moments, she glances up at her husband.  She knows him well, and she knows how he is going to react when this reunion happens.

All of a sudden, a young man walks out of the jet way door, his head high and he is wearing the same desert camouflage uniform and the same heavy backpack as the two you saw earlier.  The man and woman rush over to him, the soldier puts his backpack on the floor, and the man in the ball cap collapses in this soldiers arms.  This hard working guy probably never cries, but this is just too much for him.  After years of dad holding the son up, now the son keeps dad standing straight. Mom stands watching them both with tears in her eyes. This father hugging this  son is probably the best Christmas gift she has ever had.

This reunion brings a flood of tears to your eyes.  You notice many others having the same reaction you have.  You are seeing the reunion of a military family at Christmas time.  For a moment, you wish you had gotten out of line and said something to the young military man and young military woman you saw in the main terminal.  You wish you knew what to say to this family, holding each other in a flood of tears.  You flash back to six years ago when everyone in the airport stood still and clapped with appreciation when a small group of military people walked through the airport terminal.  Back then, after the events of 911, everyone had great gratitude for our men and women in uniform.  You know that personally, you still do.

This is not about politics.  This is not about the last President, or the current one, or the President-Elect.  This is not about Congress, or political parties, or any other of the myriad of things we have been bombarded with; things that created lines between us.  This is about YOUR personal gratitude that there are those who are willing to give their best years in service for those of us who just stand and wait.  This is about people who take a call, knowing that it could well be the last call of their life.  It is about pure, simple gratitude for a job well done.

The Gratitude Campaign knows that showing your thanks is often a little embarrassing, it often seems like an intrusion into the lives of others, and that doing it very publicly is sometimes a little awkward.  They have developed a way to allow you to show your respect and gratitude every time you see a man or woman in uniform, and to do it in a personal way that both YOU and THEY will understand.  Please visit the website of the Gratitude Campaign and view their video.  Learn about the single gesture that you can give, as a sign of gratitude to our men and women serving in the United States military.  It only takes a couple of minutes for you to view the video and a couple  seconds for you to make the sign.  They will nod back graciously, and you will have the comfort of knowing that you showed your real gratitude for a job well done.  Oh, and if you are the type that doesn’t mind open displays of affection, it is OK to grab them and give them a big hug.

The Gratitude Campaign - Please Visit and View the Video

Update 12/20/2008:  I have embedded one of the videos from the Gratitude Campaign for your viewing.  Please take a minute to email a link to this post to your friends, so they can visit our blog and view this very informative video.

Phil Ellis

Note:  The encounter I described in this post is fictional, but I think this exact same situation happens every day.  My thoughts are certainly not those of the fictional character who is mad about our current situation.  This post was written simply to draw attention to the Gratitude Campaign.  I made a blog post about this organization last year at Christmas.  Gratitude for our men and women in national service is just as important this Christmas. If you are interested in reading the post from last Christmas, click here.

We have just added a new feature to www.divesportsblog.com.  You now have the capability to share any post with your favorite social bookmark service or social web site.  At the bottom of each post on our blog,  you will see a SHARE graphic.  Click this graphic and a window will open, giving you access to all of the links to social and bookmarking sites.  You can choose from over 40 sites, such as Co.mments, Del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, FURL, Google Bookmarks, Squidoo, Technorti, and Yahoo My Web, and many more.  This capability allows you to share our blog content with others and to mark posts of special interest so you can read them later or forward them to your friends.  We encourage you to use this easy and simple tool.  Share the DiveSportsBlog content with your friends and help us expand the popularity of the DiveSports.com network.  Remember, if you like a post, maybe others will!  We are making special emphasis on the Digg network.  If you are not a Digg member, sign up today and DIGG your favorite divesportsblog post.

Phil Ellis

Digg a Gigantic Savings at DiveSports.com

I was doing my morning reading and an article in Kentucky.com really caught my attention.  It appears that the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky has created an attraction that combines the festive celebration of Christmas with the thrill and excitement of the underwater world.  Imagine Santa Claus, his sleigh loaded with toys, being pulled by brightly colored seahorses!  Well, it is for real at this very inventive Kentucky attraction.  Their Scuba Santa Water Wonderland attraction is so popular, it has been featured on several television networks.  Popular with both kids and adults, this is the “must-see” attraction at the aquarium during December.  What a cool way to excite those who love sea life and Christmas?  An excerpt from the article on Kentucky.com is shown below.

Santa Claus has been known to make some dramatic entrances depending upon where you live — from a pirogue in Louisiana to a surfboard in Hawaii — but for the sixth year in a row, he has arrived in Northern Kentucky with a mask and fins and a scuba tank strapped on his bank.

The Newport Aquarium’s Scuba Santa’s Water Wonderland has become so wildly popular with kids, and adults, in the tri-state area that it’s been featured on all three major television networks (CBS This Morning, NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America).

Through Jan. 3, visitors buying a ticket to the aquarium will receive free admission to the Water Wonderland exhibit, and be able to “ooohhh” and “aaahhh” with delight as Santa arrives in the world’s largest underwater sleigh pulled by prancing seahorses. In the spirit of the season, even the sharks are happy as Santa dives into their tank to find out which ones have been naughty or nice.

Aquarium admission is $18.95 adults, $11.95 ages 2-12, free for children younger than 2. For a schedule of the Scuba Santa dive shows, call (859) 261-7444 or visit www.newportaquarium.com.

Read the Entire Story at www.newportaquarium.com

Who says Santa can only be found at department stores, in parades, and in chimneys on Christmas Eve night?  Apparently, the folks at the Newport Aquarium have other ideas.  The read in this article seems to indicate a well thought and elaborately produced Christmas attraction.  So, if you are in Northern Kentucky over the holidays, make a little detour to Newport, Kentucky  and visit the real underwater Santa.

Phil Ellis

Merry Christmas from DiveSports.com

I previously wrote this blog post about a Yahoo! News article on the impact that increasing jellyfish blooms  are having on beach goers and water sports participants.  Jellyfish stings are painful and preventing them is important anytime you go in the ocean.  I was thinking that this might be a good time to discuss a very unique product we offer, the Safe Sea Jellyfish Protection lotion.

A jellyfish stings a human as a final step in a complicated mechanical and chemical detection and defense process.  This complicated “signal and reaction” process is not widely understood, but one company has spent millions of dollars defining the steps in the process and developing a response to interrupt the process.  Nidaria Technology recognized that the signal and reaction stinging process of the jellyfish is one of the fastest processes in the natural world.  Common sense indicated that if they could interrupt any part of the process, they could essentially stop the jellyfish from firing the cells that cause the sting.  Their extensive research and development yielded the Safe Sea Jellyfish Protection Lotion.  Safe Sea is a formulation based on the same chemicals that protect a Clown fish from stinging predators.  When properly applied, the Safe Sea lotion simply makes the wearer “invisible” to the jellyfish.  Without the ability to “know” that an organism in making contact, the jellyfish simply doesn’t send the signal to fire the stinging cells.

Safe Sea lotion does even more than protect against jellyfish stings.  The active chemicals are packaged in a pleasant lotion that also provides protection against sunburn.  Available in SPF 15, SPF 30, and a special SPF30+ formulation for children, users can now combine the beneficial effect of stopping jellyfish stings and protection from the burning rays of the sun.  Priced no more than cost of high-quality sunscreens, it seems silly to use any product other than Safe Sea.  Don’t go near the ocean with a supply of Safe Sea jellyfish protection lotion.  You can use the link below to purchase this product right now from DiveSports.com

Safe Sea Jellyfish  Lotion - Available in 4 Different Protection Levels - In Stock Now!

There are a number of internet websites that claim to offer the Safe Sea product.  We have heard that many of them take the orders, but never deliver the product.  DiveSports.com ALWAYS has this product in stock and ready for immediate shipment.  If you have any questions about the Safe Sea product, please give us a toll-free call at (800) 601-3483.

Phil Ellis

Don’t Let Jellyfish Stings Ruin Your Vacation - Get Protection and Treatment Products

As scuba divers, we have become accustomed to signing liability waivers anytime we want to take a dive class, join a group dive trip, board a dive charter vessel, or participate in any other type of recreational scuba diving activity.  In fact, liability waivers are so common, few divers even question them.  To most, it is common sense that adults who wish to participate in adventurous activities must take responsibility for what happens in those pursuits.  However, the question is not so clear when minors are involved.

It is customary to have a parent or guardian sign waiver documents on behalf of their minor children when the minor plans to participate in dive training and dive travel.  In most states, scuba and adventure sports providers cannot ask the minor to sign; they are not of sufficient age to engage in contracts.  All that is available to the operator is a signature from a well informed parent or guardian.  However, this is an area of great concern for operators, because the legal status of such signatures is not well tested in most states.   The courts in the State of Florida appear to have ruled on exactly this issue.  The following is taken from a December 12, 2008 article in the HeraldTribune.com.

TALLAHASSEE - Parents cannot waive liability on behalf of their children by signing releases before the youngsters participate in motor sports and other hazardous activities, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The 4-1 ruling in the death of a 14-year-old boy while riding an all-terrain vehicle could have broad implications for businesses that offer such activities as go-cart and motocross racing, bungee jumping, horseback riding, parasailing and scuba diving.

“Florida’s children and parents need not worry, after today’s decision, that careless commercial operators may be immunized from their carelessness by the presence of an exculpatory clause in a ticket for admission,” Justice Harry Lee Anstead wrote in a concurring opinion.

The decision cleared the way for a lawsuit against the owners and manager of Thunder Cross Motor Sports Park in Okeechobee County, where Christopher Jones died after attempting a jump. He lost control and was ejected from the vehicle. It then landed on top of him. He got up and began walking away, but then collapsed and died.

A trial judge cited a waiver signed by Christopher’s father in dismissing the lawsuit. An appellate court disagreed and reinstated the suit. The high court approved that decision.

“Up to now, the activity providers were able to use children’s desire to participate as a way to force parents to give them immunity,” said Brad Rockenbach, a lawyer for Christopher’s estate. “You do it because kids want to go.”

Rockenbach said the ruling also should serve as an incentive for operators to make their activities safer.

Whether the decision also affects noncommercial endeavors such as community or school-based activities may require further litigation.

Anstead wrote that he wanted “to emphasize that our holding is narrowly directed at those commercial operators who wrongfully and negligently cause injury.”

Chief Justice Peggy Quince, though, wrote in a footnote to the main opinion that it “should not be read as limiting our reasoning only to … commercial activity.”

“The majority opinion creates many questions and provides few answers,” Justice Charles Wells wrote in dissent.

Wells agreed it is a good idea to limit parental pre-injury releases. But he wrote that such limits should be imposed by the Legislature, not the courts. He added that it is “fundamentally unfair now to declare a new public policy and then apply it to the defendants in this case.”

But the majority concluded it is more unfair for an activity provider to escape liability and shift the cost of treating and caring for an injured child to the parents or the public.

“Therefore, when a parent decides to execute a pre-injury release on behalf of a minor child, the parent is not protecting the welfare of the child, but is instead protecting the interests of the activity provider,” Quince wrote. “Business owners owe their patrons a duty of reasonable care.”

The Supreme Court’s two newest justices, Charles Canady and Ricky Polston, did not participate in the case.

At Dive Sports, we have always recognized that this is uncharted territory in the State of Alabama.  We follow our provider rules and those of our training agency with regard to liability waivers.  However, we have never been under the assumption that liability waivers, signed by a parent on behalf of a minor,  would withstand a legal challenge if the MINOR chooses to take legal action as a result of an accident.  We will follow further developments on this Florida court ruling and similar rulings in other states.  This is an issue that could substantially affect the participation of children in adventure sports.

Phil Ellis

DiveSports.com - Your Source for Real Deals on Scuba Diving Gear

I was just bumping around the internet, looking at my favorite news sites, when I saw an interesting article written by Reuters reporter Maggie Fox and reported on Yahoo! News.  It seems that larger than normal jellyfish blooms are ruining lots of vacations and causing pain and discomfort for swimmers worldwide.  The text from Yahoo! News follows.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Huge swarms of stinging jellyfish and similar slimy animals are ruining beaches in Hawaii, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, Australia and elsewhere, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

The report says 150 million people are exposed to jellyfish globally every year, with 500,000 people stung in the Chesapeake Bay, off the U.S. Atlantic Coast, alone.

Another 200,000 are stung every year in Florida, and 10,000 are stung in Australia by the deadly Portuguese man-of-war, according to the report, a broad review of jellyfish research.

The report, available on the Internet at http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/jellyfish/index.jsp, says the Black Sea’s fishing and tourism industries have lost $350 million because of a proliferation of comb jelly fish.

The report says more than 1,000 fist-sized comb jellies can be found in a cubic yard (meter) of Black Sea water during a bloom.

They eat the eggs of fish and compete with them for food, wiping out the livelihoods of fishermen, according to the report.

And it says a third of the total weight of all life in California’s Monterey Bay is made up of jellyfish.

Human activities that could be making things nice for jellyfish include pollution, climate change, introductions of non-native species, overfishing and building artificial structures such as oil and gas rigs.

Creatures called salps cover up to 38,600 square miles (100,000 sq km) of the North Atlantic New York Bight, but researchers quoted in the report said this one may be a natural cycle. in a regular phenomenon called the

“There is clear, clean evidence that certain types of human-caused environmental stresses are triggering jellyfish swarms in some locations,” William Hamner of the University of California Los Angeles says in the report.

These include pollution-induced “dead zones”, higher water temperatures and the spread of alien jellyfish species by shipping.

Read Entire Article on Yahoo! News - Jellyfish Explosion

Jellyfish stings are certainly painful.  Over the past 5 years, we have seen a gigantic growth in the sales of various products to prevent jellyfish stings or to mitigate the pain and misery once they occur.  Products such as Safe Sea Jellyfish Protectant suntan lotion, Mitigator Jelly Fish Extreme Scrub, and Sting Zapper first aid medication have been very popular products on our website.  Apparently, the news is out and it appears to be getting worse.  Jellyfish stings hurt!

Phil Ellis

Protect Yourself from Jellyfish with DiveSports.com