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The 2023 Iceland whale hunt season is over and resulted in the deaths of 24 fin whales. The season was shortened by the Iceland government because the hunt failed to comply with Icelands Animal Welfare Act. For the record there are three countries that still hunt whales – Japan, Norway and Iceland.
Whale deaths along the Northeast coasts continue to rise. The numbers keep going up. There are a number of obvious reasons like vessel strikes and entanglement but there are also the impacts of climate change and plastic pollution.
The Oceanic + Dive Housing is set to be released. This housing will turn your iPhone into a combination underwater camera and fully functioning dive computer. The Oceanic + app is needed and you can license the app for $10 per month or $80 per year. This is something of a game changer.
Orca Torch has a new underwater video light – the D710V. This is an affordable yet powerful light with a top end of 2000 lumens on the brightest white light setting. You can also dial it down to 600 lumens, plus you also get a red light and to top it off there is a UV light.
DEMA Show 2023 in New Orleans is just around the corner and I will be doing a presentation at the show on new diver motivation. If you are at the show, come by on Tuesday November 14 at 3 PM.
Commentary
The Faroe Islands are a small group of islands halfway between Scotland and Iceland and they have a grizzly ritual of killing pilot whales and dolphins. This ritual killing is called grindagrap. The whales and dolphins are headed into shallow bays where they are hooked, pulled ashore and slaughtered. Many organizations now indicated that this practice is not sustainable, not humane and no longer culturally integral. 69% of Faroe Island residence oppose the grindagrap while only 7% strongly support it. Traditions and rituals are important however, when we understand the impacts or gain knowledge, it should be time to end those rituals.
Group dive travel is a pillar of the local dive shops business model. We train people how to dive, ensure they are properly equipped to scuba and then take them diving, normally to some very cool dive destinations.
Here are the main reasons you should consider group dive travel with your local dive shop
- Convenience
- Experience
- Camaraderie
- Memories