 |
 |
U/W Odyssey: 50 Dives in 50 StatesSome of the 50 adventure dives include: 96°-volcanic crater diving... 35°- alpine lake diving in Oregon... Great Lakes wreck diving... Atlantic wreck diving... oil rig diving... inlet diving... Colorado River diving... fossil diving... bottle diving... missile silo diving... 7600' altitude diving... concrete plants... lead mine diving... iron pit diving... night diving with manta rays... night diving with blue sharks... lobster diving... diving with the governor of North Dakota... mystery spires in Yellowstone... power plants... sunken bridges... sunken planes... submerged buildings, roads, bridges... springs, caverns and caves... the “great lakes” of Iowa... and much more.
Charles Ballinger, a dive journalist and world traveler, has been to 47 countries and has written for 8 magazines in his 48 years. In his book An American Underwater Odyssey: 50 Dives in 50 States, Ballinger chronicles the most distinctive, unusual, “not-to-be-missed” dive sites and even a few of the “better-missed” ones.
At depth, Ballinger explores a side of diving that is rarely reported: The adventure quotient, the thrill of discovery-whether it’s a pristine reef in the Keys or a long-lost pickup truck at the bottom of a murky lake. He looks at countless dive spots whose reflected surfaces look much the same-until those surfaces are penetrated.
“I hope to show that the sport exists beyond the shores of far-off tropical islands," states Ballinger. "And I hope to chronicle the sport through many eyes, as Americans from every state participate in the great sport of scuba diving.”
Underwater Odyssey is available in bookstores, at dive stores or online at Amazon.com or http://www.dive50states.com.
Scuba Holiday Greeting Cards
A new company is diving to new depths to break into the holiday greeting card market.
Home Town Greetings By Hurley has created a series of cards that features “ScubaClaus” — Santa Claus submerged underwater in scuba diving gear.
The photos depict Santa Claus, with full scuba gear strapped to his red suit, diving around colorful corals and fish in picturesque blue water. The company has created seven different versions of the cards, each with a different photo of ScubaClaus spreading holiday cheer.
In addition to direct marketing, Home Town Greetings will sell cards via its web site, http://www.hometowngreetings.com. Interested parties also can purchase Home Town Greetings cards by calling 1-800-606-8839. - from DiveNewsWire.com
Under the Sea Calendar
World renowned underwater photographer Beverly Factor has traveled the globe photographing the mysterious world below the ocean’s surface. In her new 2003 calendar, Under the Sea, this innovative artist presents more of her most stunning images, offering a unique view of the seldom seen creatures under the sea.
This 16-month calendar has 24 stunning colorful new images, from all over the world. This year’s calendar features images from Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Cayman Islands, Palau Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, the Maldive Islands, and Costa Rica.
Each image is captioned with interesting facts, including the dive boat operator and the dive site location. The glossy calendar is 12" x 12" and starts in September of 2002 and ends in December of 2003.
Divers can order direct by calling Envirvision at 949-673-2555 or visiting the web site http://www.beverlyfactor.com and click on The Underwater Store. Visit Beverly’s website for other products, posters, licensing images, and other order information.