I recently received an e-mail from Peter Kendrigan, President of Florida Near Shore, asking if we would link to his website, floridanearshore.com.  A visit to his website showed that he has produced one of the most interesting tools I've ever seen for anyone who dives or fishes off Broward County.

Kendrigan used LADS imagery from the Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection (DPEP).  LADS stands for Laser Aerial Depth Sounding and it is a methodology owned by an Australian company, Tenix LADS Corporation. They flew over the Broward shoreline at night using this laser to scan the ocean floor through the water. They surveyed the bottom, in approximately 500 - 600 foot wide strips, out to a depth of 120 - 140 feet. The laser essentially removes the water layer covering this ocean bottom and reveals the bottom with a resolution of between two to three meters (one pixel in each digital image displayed in the CD's charts). Our reef structures and wrecks/artificial reefs show up very clearly on the images they produced. I was amazed that I actually recognized many of our frequently dived spots easily from viewing the images on this CD.  Reefs, wrecks, holes, and ledges are clearly visible.  Lobster hunters and fishermen take note:  this program will assist you greatly in discovering the best habitat for your prey!

There are 14 annotated charts of seven areas starting at the northern end of Broward County near Boca Inlet and ending at the southern end of the county near Sunny Isles. Another 14 page, non-annotated set is included at the end of the publication for those desiring a clean image.  There are 100 exploded AM and PM images, each with a detailed description of depth and features, with a total of 156 sites.  DGPS numbers appear in minute detail right down to DD MM.MMMM.  The CD contains good descriptions of each dive site and how to find it.  Know the name of a reef but don't know where in the County it is located?  An alphabetical index gives you the depth, the DGPS coordinates and the page it appears on in the CD.

Kendrigan's CD retails for only $19.95 and is available through his website.  It also includes a download of the latest Adobe Acrobat reader in the event that you don't already have it.  Detailed yet easy instructions for navigating the CD and printing charts are included.  I highly recommend this very worthwhile addition to your dive resource library.  By the way, even if you live elsewhere and are visiting our beautiful Broward waters, I recommend you avail yourself of this tool so that you will know where you would like to dive or fish before you make your charter boat reservations.

The DVD is structured into Upper Keys and Lower Keys sections, plus a "bonus" section with footage of night and shark dives. Unfortunately, no information as to the locations or dates of the night and shark dives are given, and the sharks are not identified. Brien Mastriana responded to my e-mail: 

"the Night dive location was in the Keys on a little reef that I call Shark Reef. It is not protected by the National Keys marine sanctuary, therefore, I did not include its location in the dive guide. It is located about 5 miles off Duck Key, 23 feet deep and the pipes that you see are actually masts from an old shipwreck named the Adelade Baker. It is a fun little reef with a lot of marine life for its relatively small size.

"The Shark dive was actually filmed up in Palm Beach. I know, it is a Keys DVD, but it thought that it would be a cool added feature. I was hired by channel 10 news to film that dive a couple years ago before shark diving became banned in Florida. The sharks are Caribbean Reef Sharks. It was a really cool dive!  I have not been able to find large populations of Caribbean reef sharks in the Keys."

You can buy this DVD for $24.99, including tax and shipping, at www.DivingDVD.com or by calling 954-537-9080. In addition to describing the DVD, the web site has links to other SCUBA related web sites.

This 46 minute IMAX motion picture features crystal clear cinematography and island hopping adventure.  On the surface, the viewers visit picturesque Australia, Fiji, the French Polynesia and meet the island natives. Life below the ocean surface is a different story, many of these ocean reefs are sick and dying.

Howard and Michele Hall spent 10 months seeking to uncover the cause of this ecological illness.  The Halls learn that the problem is three fold; overfishing, ocean warming and logging sediment from island construction.  Given these common problems, one must wonder about our own reefs outside the Hillsboro and Boca Raton Inlets.

Despite the technological advancements since Cousteau's first aqualung, the water pressure remains constant. With MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure one eyewitnesses a camera being crushed while filming.  Despite his experience as a diver, Howard Hall becomes a victim of the bends and suffers from deprecompression sickness.

Yet, all is not doom and gloom.  MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure focuses on the rejuvenation of life. The film humorously documents the symbiotic relationships; whether between between a gobi fish and a shrimp or when Michelle allows a creature to explore her teeth and gums. 

The world's first child scuba diver and son of aftermentioned inventor-explorer, Jean-Michel Cousteau makes an appearance in Fiji. Jean-Michel leads a group of Fijian children on a kinesthetic exploration of their local Coral Reef.  The classic songs  by Crosby, Stills & Nash recreates the spirit of exploration that was exemplefied by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969.  Liam Nesson's narration glues the storyline together. MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure is infectious fun.

Click here for the official MacGillivray Freeman's Coral Reef Adventure website. Click here for showtimes.

Actually that would be an understatement. The film was awesome! The film is an expedition conducted by Dr. Carole Baldwin, Marine Biologist at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. You join the expedition by putting on a pair of very high tech 3D glasses, not the cardboard and plastic we're used to. During the film you are face-to-face with the island inhabitants including numerous birds, and the legendary iguanas and tortoises. They are so real, and so close, you feel like you can reach out and pet them.

She then takes you underwater where you feel like you are frolicking with the seals, and diving with a school of hammerhead sharks. The sea life is overwhelming in the variety and numbers of fish life. Dr Baldwin then takes you 3,000 feet below the ocean floor in a submarine and collects numerous specimens which have never before been seen by humans.

The film is an exhilarating glimpse of an exciting world that is rare, and ancient, and still holds many mysteries.

We ended the evening with dinner at the "Ugly Tuna" at Riverwalk.  I'm sure I can say for all in attendance that it was a really great evening and they would do it again in a heartbeat. Now that you know what you missed....I hope you'll join us next time.