The Orca Edge

“DIVE LOG Australasia is striving to constantly produce great reading. August 2020 is a bumper issue. Our plan here is to give something back to the diving industry.”
~ Mike Scotland, Publisher & Editor
In the August 2020 issue of DIVE LOG Australasia, Kathryn and I are both doing our best to give back to the dive industry, and are also helping to make British Columbia’s spectacular ocean realm better known to our brothers and sisters living in the land down under.
“Into the Sea Lions Den” is our latest Third Age Expeditions story for our column in Luxe Beat Magazine and we have been awarded another Editor’s Pick!
After splashing into the ocean, we quickly descend 10 meters and kneel down upon the rock-strewn seafloor. At the edge of underwater visibility, we could make out some torpedo-shaped silhouettes. Suddenly, from out of the emerald haze more than 20 female sea lions appeared. Glancing over at my dive buddy, I could see a young female sea lion inquisitively peering into his underwater camera system’s dome port. Two coquettish sea lions stop to pose right in front of me as third one mischievously yanked on one of my fins. Then as quickly as they had arrived, the sea lions exploded towards the surface while unleashing a whimsical series of un-choreographed pirouettes, dramatic turns and topsy-turvy spins. Soon enough, they returned to swarm us again and again.
Link to story: here.
It is a distinct honour for both Kathryn and I to announce we are now Ambassadors for Mobby’s the largest dry suit, wetsuit, and marine sports accessories manufacturer in Japan.
This has been in place for a while. but due to the COVID pandemic some plans were delayed. Now, it’s looking like we will be able to get in the ocean this summer so we can put our Croco Dry FZ drysuits to the test.
Our deepest respect and heartfelt thank you to Mobby’s CEO & President, Mamoru Yasuda san, for the faith he has placed in us. Mr. Yasuda founded Mobby’s in 1963 from his home village of Miyagi, a serene fishing community in Northern Japan’s Sendai district. A legend in the world’s diving community… he is someone whom we hope to have the pleasure to meet in person someday soon.
In the meantime, some of our pictures were featured in Mobby’s catalogue which we just love.
Also, many thanks to our friends Michel Joseph and George Klikach for introducing us to Mobby’s and their drysuits!
Our latest Third Age Expeditions column for LuxeBeat Magazine has been awarded “editor’s pick.” The editor commented… “Perfect article for October.” Kathryn and I were not thinking about Halloween when the finishing touches to the piece were added, so incorporating the word “Graveyard” into the article’s title was kismet.
“Raptures of the Deep: Beneath British Columbia’s Emerald Sea”, our latest Third Age Expeditions column for Luxe Beat Magazine, has just been published.
Queen Charlotte Strait lies between the “top end” of Vancouver Island and British Columbia’s mainland. It is an immense waterway with narrow, constricted passages, fjord-like inlets, large islands and a tangled maze of scrawnier weather-beaten islets. Seasonal upwellings combined with extreme tidal water movement produces an enriched planktonic soup that supports a lush profusion of exotic marine life and more than 400 species of marine fish. These waters also support a healthy population of marine mammals and are deemed to be one of the best places on earth to observe seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoise, Minke whales, grey whales, humpback whales and a resident pod of more than 100 killer whales.
Link to story here
Our latest Third Age Expeditions column about “Fish Photography: The Ultimate Undersea Skill” was published today by Luxe Beat Magazine. It was also selected as an Editors Pick Feature.
Use whatever cover the reef terrain provides and keep the sun behind you. As you slowly creep forward, use as little extra movement as possible and decide how you will frame your subject. If the fish appears nervous, stop and play the waiting game. Every fish has a minimum approach distance. If you violate this limit, the fish will likely swim away. If the fish seem really skittish, simply leave the area and return later in the dive to try again. By then, they will have forgotten about you and resumed their normal routine.
Link to the full story: Here
Our latest Third Age Expeditions column for Luxe Beat Media earned us an “Editors Pick”. This piece we titled, “Unconventional Underwater Photography Tips”. We promised to provide our column readers some photography tips and tricks from time to time so in this dispatch we share some tips to help improve your underwater photography. If you’re seeking something more enlightening than just being told, “Get Close, Get Closer and Shoot at an Upward Angle,” then check it out. https://luxebeatmag.com/unconventional-underwater-photography-tips/
Our latest Third Age Expeditions column for Luxe Beat Media. This story, “Feliz Navidad From Isla Cozumel”, is about celebrating Christmas in the tropics promised to be a grand family adventure with no snow, no tree, no turkey, no stuffing and zero stress. https://luxebeatmag.com/feliz-navidad-from-isla-cozumel/
Our latest Third Age Expeditions column, Descend Into Sombrero Island’s Tubastraea Heart, for Luxe Beat Magazine went live today. Check it out at https://luxebeatmag.com/descend-into-sombrero-islands-tubastraea-heart
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