Lavacore Is Here!

Scuba Emporium has finally gotten it's order of Lavacore in!

BEHIND THE TECHNOLOGY OF LAVACORE

Lavacore is a technically advanced fabric, constructed and engineered exclusively for water sports requiring the ultimate in thermal control and superior comfort. This unique synthetic construction closely matches the stretch and movement of a traditional lycra rash vest, while providing the insulation qualities similar to that of a Neoprene wetsuit. Close to the skin, Lavacore's soft internal fleece and high 4-way stretch produces the ultimate comfort>warmth>weight ratio, a true leader amongst any fabrics within the water sports industry.

Wet or dry, hot or cold, Lavacore helps control your core temperature longer, whether worn as a stand alone garment, or under your wetsuit or clothing.  

OUTER lycra layer is a 180 g/sqm knitted knylon wrap knit Tricot with water repellant treatment to ensure fast water run off and anti wind chill properties.

INTER layer is an impermeable breathable Microporous high stretch PU film which is wind proof and breathable allowing perspiration to be drawn away in hot conditions.

INNER Fleece layer is a 240g/sqm 4 way stretch polyester fleece with elastane. It has Anti Pill treatment, as well as Anti Microbial treatment to reduce odour and eliminate bacteria. 

CORE FEATURES 

• Water resistant outer layer on all lavacore suits facilitates fast water run off and is incredibly quick drying.
  
• Wind proof middle layer provides anti wind chill properties and ensures you stay warm in cold conditions.
• Antibacterial inner fleece minimising odour and eliminating bacteria.
• 4-way stretch makes Lavacore incredibly comfortable to wear.
• Breathable middle layer allows perspiration to be drawn away in hot conditions.
• Lavacore is neutrally buoyant so you won’t be unnecessarily weighted down.
• All Lavacore seams are overlapped during flatlock sewing to ensure maximum water integrity
• Full gusset incorporated into the underarm to offer exceptional arm movement and stretch.
• Sun protection of SPF 30+
• Male & Female specific cut available in full length suits, shirts and vests.
• Lavacore is designed and developed in Cooperation with AERIS, your guarantee of quality.

Check out the catalog here, or stop by Scuba Emporium and check out this fantastic product in person. You wont believe how it feels!

If you Can’t Beat ‘em, Cook ‘em!

So why is a fish that is so beloved in the Pacific the newest Evil Boogeyfish of the Atlantic and Caribbean? Because it breeds at an amazing rate, it eats a large number of tiny reef fish, and it has no natural predators here to keep it in check.

Every month a single Lionfish has the potential to lay 30,000 eggs. If each egg hatches and they also lay 30,000 eggs, you would end up with 8.1 quintillion Lionfish after just three months. Since Lionfish have been known to eat up to 53 juvenile fish before they finish digesting the first, you can imagine how quickly the voracious Lionfish can devastate a reef when no natural predators are there to gobble up a good number of these aggressive ornate guys.

So how do we thin the herd until balance is returned to the reef? 

I would say PADI’s new Invasive Lionfish Tracker Specialty would be a great way to start. The Invasive Lionfish Tracker Specialty class will teach you about the skills and equipment you need to successfully capture, transfer, transport, and euthanize a Lionfish: without incident or injury. And by a surprising coincidence Scuba Emporium’s newest specialty is Invasive Lionfish Tracker. 

Then the only question left is… what do you do with all these tasty, humanely euthanized Lionfish?

I say Eat ‘em Up!

Once you’ve learned to safely deal with the Lionfish’s venomous spines in the your Invasive Lionfish Tracker Specialty class, check out this website to find some great Lionfish Recipies. I think my favorite is the Fluffy Battered Lionfish: maybe the Lionfish Ceviche.

And if you want to learn more about the how the Lionfish is being dealt with in the Caribbean, check out two of our previous posts Shark are Showing their Worth Again and Lionfish, the Beautiful Outlaw.

16th Century Wreck filled with Jade, Coins, and History

Deep Blue Marine Underwater Recovery thinks they uncovered a wreck of the Dominican Republic that sank not long after Columbus “Discovered” America.

The wreck has been tentatively named after the Captain of the ship that found it: “Rawson’s Wreck.” Locals have secretly known Rawson’s Wreck, but it is thought that the actual discovery of this wreck by other treasure hunters was hindered by its close proximity to a sunken German Steel-Hulled wreck. Deep Blue Marine feels any previous sweeps of the area that set off magnetometers would have been attributed to the German wreck and not investigated. It wasn’t until they moved the mast of that German ship that they were able to pinpoint the artifacts under the sand with there own metal detectors.
 
It is though that most artifacts have settled deep into the sand, but Deep Blue Marine reports “simply moving the sand between the coral and rock fissures, we have found silver coins, silver discs with imprinted seals, indigenous stone figurines, small pieces of gold jewelry, and other artifacts such as stone cannon balls and small iron balls covered with lead.  Additionally, we have found a 5-link iron chain (encrusted with sulfides) that was used to support the boat rigging.  At this point we are quite certain that this ship went down sometime in the middle of the 16th century as most of the coins appear to have been minted in the original Mexico City mint prior to 1550.”

My favorite detail from this story is how they determined that the ship sank in a Hurricane. “While the prevailing winds in this area typically blow from east to west, hurricane winds are quite the opposite and blow from west to east.  The position of the ballast stones and the artifacts on this site suggest that the ship blew in from west to east, as would happen in a hurricane.”

As they search deeper into the sand, I can’t wait to hear what else they find. Hopefully they will continue to uncover treasures and stories of early European exploration. And continue to excite us all with what can be discovered as we dive under the surface of the sea.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles: the compass of the sea

I’ve got a confession to make. At times I park my car, go into a store, and when I come out I have to use my key fob to beep my way back to my car. I can’t tell you how many cars I lost before I bought a car with an electric key fob. That is why I have always been amazed at how animals can migrate thousands of miles and find there way back to the same locations months and years later.

Recently a new study from the University of North Carolina thinks it has unlocked the secret of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle’s migration.

The BBC reported “although several species of turtles are known to use magnetic cues to determine latitude, it was believed that this wasn't possible for longitude. However, the loggerhead turtles have managed to surprise researchers by developing a method that involves using the strength and angle of the Earth's magnetic field.

Nathan Putman, the lead author of the research, emphasized that "the most difficult part of open-sea navigation is determining longitude or east-west position".

 

"It took human navigators centuries to figure out how to determine longitude on their long-distance voyages."

Loggerhead hatchlings, however, are able to manage this feat as soon as they reach the sea from their nests.

On reaching the sea, the hatchlings are able to establish the correct course to the open ocean. The young loggerheads then spend several years successfully navigating complex migratory routes over thousands of miles of ocean.

To carry out the research loggerhead hatchlings from Florida were placed in circular water containers and tethered to electronic tracking systems to monitor their swimming direction. The hatchlings were then exposed to magnetic fields that replicated the fields they would come across in two locations on the same latitude but different longitude along their migratory route. The turtles reacted to each magnetic field by swimming in the directions that would, in the real location, take them along their circular migratory route. The researchers say this shows that the hatchlings are able to determine longitude-using information from the magnetic field.

Nathan Putman explains that "along the migratory route of loggerheads, nearly all regions are marked by unique combinations of intensity (field strength) and inclination angle (the angle that field lines intersect the surface of the Earth)".

"Thus, turtles can determine longitudinal position by using pairings of intensity and inclination angle as an X, Y coordinate system.”

Nathan Putman’s collogue, Dr Kenneth Lohmann said “This not only solves a long-standing mystery of animal behaviour but may also be useful in sea turtle conservation”

If you want to learn more about Loggerhead (and other) Sea Turtles, stop into Scuba Emporium and ask us about our Sea Turtle Awareness Specialty Program.

Sharks are Showing their Worth Again

Photograph by Antonio Busiello

Off the coast of Honduras the Caribbean Reef sharks are being fed Lionfish in hopes of giving them a taste for the new invasive species. The Lionfish population is growing fast, and until the local predators learn to eat the exotic visitors, the Lionfish will continue to consume the reef’s population of small fish; which are needed to help keep the reef clean and healthy.

Photograph by Antonio Busiello

Unfortunately the oceans shark population is disappearing fast, and if we don’t stop over-fishing them for fins, food, and trophies we may loose there help forever.




If you want to help make a change click on over to Project Aware’s webpage and sign the petition to Help Give Sharks a Fighting Chance.

What's Hard, Black, and Ready for Action...The New SeaLife Mini II

After months of waiting he new SeaLife Mini II has arrived at Scuba Emporium!!! The long awaited return of this Amazing little camera has had Underwater Photographers jumping out of their dive boots in joy. This feature rich, ultra tough little camera is priced perfect for the entry-level underwater photographer, and loved as a back up camera by even the most experienced of shooters.

• Waterproof to 130ft / 40m
• Shockproof 6ft / 2m
• Fully Rubber-Armored
• Large, wide spread 3-button operation for easy operation
• Easy Set-up mode 1-2-3 graphic on-screen guide for setting camera mode – no complicated menus.

• Land Auto mode for action land pictures & videos in extreme conditions
• Dive and Snorkel modes for underwater exposure control and color correction – no more blue pictures
• External Flash mode for integration with external flash to enhance color and brightness underwater.                                                                             

   

• Video mode at 30fps with Sound
• Soft Rubber grip design for sure grip.
• Spy Mode – The camera automatically shoots continuous pictures at set time intervals.
• Compact, Slim design (pocket size)
• 2x AAA batteries Alkaline(included), NiMH rechargeable or Energizer Ultimate lithium batteries.
• Self-contained dive camera (no housing)
• 9 megapixels for sharp, high-resolution pictures.
• Large 2.4" TFT Color LCD for easy on-camera viewing
• Instant focus lens from 2 ft to infinity
• SD and SDHC card compatible (8GB recommended). 

So stop by Scuba Emporium and check out this little beauty in person; or click on over to Scuba Emporium’s Website.