CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
Scubaboarders! This idea has been on my mind for quite sometime and if there is enough interest then 2016 can be the year that we start working on this. I would like to gauge peoples interest as well as open myself to any ideas and suggestions.
USA has one of the largest coastlines in the world and the diversity of dive sites that it offers is far greater than some of the smaller island nations that are known for diving tourism. If you go into a bookstore you will see dive guides for Bonaire, Caribbean Bahamas etc but there is no definitive dive guide for USA. Due to this information vacuum a lot of Americans living on West coast have little idea that North Carolina is right at par with South Africa in terms of its shark dives and people on the East coast have little idea that Channel Islands with its giant kelp forests is really a world class diving destination. Similarly, I see a lot of people wanting to dive historic wrecks in Scapa Flow and Truuk etc but we tend to ignore that Great Lakes is truly a world class destination. Had there been a lake anywhere else in the world where 17th century wooden ships were lying preserved due to cold water, a lot of Americans will be paying more money to go to this exotic place than they would to dive Scapa Flow but since these wrecks are virtually in our backyard, we never give this place its due credit. I was personally quite impressed by the cold water diving in Cape Ann MA, but there is far more information available on diving Bonaire (a foreign country) than Massachusetts. If the coast of East port Maine is better then why is everyone going to British Columbia for their cold water diving?
There is also the sad story of local dive businesses closing. It makes me wonder how come one of the richest countries in the world that also has one of the biggest coast lines in the world is closing on their dive shops? I think it is also because if you look at dive magazines, than diving is presented as a form of expensive international travel which few Americans can afford. When people realize the amazing dives that can happen in their immediate back yard then local dive shops all over the USA should see an increase in business and the American diver will realize that some of the worlds best diving is not at some other end of the world. It was only a few hours drive from where she lived.
I believe that it is time to write one of the biggest dive guides ever written, with detailed maps, colorful pictures, local legends, important personalities, regional histories etc. In order for this book to happen, a very large number of divers will have to submit their diving photographs along with detailed information on how to dive their home waters. So far the tentative layout that I have in mind for this is something as follows:
SECTION 1: THE EAST COAST
1. FLORIDA
2. NORTH CAROLINA
3. NEW JERSEY / NEW YORK
4. NEW ENGLAND
5. MAINE
SECTION 2: THE GREAT LAKES
1. LAKE ERIE
2. LAKE ONTARIO
3. LAKE HURON
4. LAKE MICHIGAN
5. LAKE SUPERIOR
SECTION 3: THE GULF COAST
1. FLORIDA'S GULF COAST
2. LOUISIANA
3. TEXAS
SECTION 4: WEST COAST
1. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
2. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
3. WASHINGTON
CHAPTER 5: HAWAII
1. BIG ISLAND
2. MAUI
3. O'AHU
4. KAUA'I
SECTION 6: ALASKA
1. GULF OF ALASKA
2. BERING SEA
3. ARCTIC OCEAN
SECTION 7: SUBMERGED TOWNS AND OTHER UNUSUAL DIVES
1. LAKE LANIER
2. BONNE TERRE MINE
3. NUCLEAR MISSILE SITES
This is just a rough layout of the book but it should give interested folks an idea of how tremendous yet fun this task would be. Once all the information is collected from all corners of the country the result would be a book that none of us can afford to miss. No matter where in USA you are, no matter what your level of experience of certification there is always something in here that you need. If such a book existed, I would have spent fortune to get it and after that, my perspective on dive travel would be so different. It would also be an opportunity to introduce the American diver to the American dive shop. I think everyone in every capacity stands to benefit from such a work.
Id love to hear peoples thoughts. If you happen to be an active diver in any of those areas and would like to contribute then please state below along with suggestions and ideas. Id love to see where this goes.
Cheers -
Captain Sinbad.
USA has one of the largest coastlines in the world and the diversity of dive sites that it offers is far greater than some of the smaller island nations that are known for diving tourism. If you go into a bookstore you will see dive guides for Bonaire, Caribbean Bahamas etc but there is no definitive dive guide for USA. Due to this information vacuum a lot of Americans living on West coast have little idea that North Carolina is right at par with South Africa in terms of its shark dives and people on the East coast have little idea that Channel Islands with its giant kelp forests is really a world class diving destination. Similarly, I see a lot of people wanting to dive historic wrecks in Scapa Flow and Truuk etc but we tend to ignore that Great Lakes is truly a world class destination. Had there been a lake anywhere else in the world where 17th century wooden ships were lying preserved due to cold water, a lot of Americans will be paying more money to go to this exotic place than they would to dive Scapa Flow but since these wrecks are virtually in our backyard, we never give this place its due credit. I was personally quite impressed by the cold water diving in Cape Ann MA, but there is far more information available on diving Bonaire (a foreign country) than Massachusetts. If the coast of East port Maine is better then why is everyone going to British Columbia for their cold water diving?
There is also the sad story of local dive businesses closing. It makes me wonder how come one of the richest countries in the world that also has one of the biggest coast lines in the world is closing on their dive shops? I think it is also because if you look at dive magazines, than diving is presented as a form of expensive international travel which few Americans can afford. When people realize the amazing dives that can happen in their immediate back yard then local dive shops all over the USA should see an increase in business and the American diver will realize that some of the worlds best diving is not at some other end of the world. It was only a few hours drive from where she lived.
I believe that it is time to write one of the biggest dive guides ever written, with detailed maps, colorful pictures, local legends, important personalities, regional histories etc. In order for this book to happen, a very large number of divers will have to submit their diving photographs along with detailed information on how to dive their home waters. So far the tentative layout that I have in mind for this is something as follows:
SECTION 1: THE EAST COAST
1. FLORIDA
2. NORTH CAROLINA
3. NEW JERSEY / NEW YORK
4. NEW ENGLAND
5. MAINE
SECTION 2: THE GREAT LAKES
1. LAKE ERIE
2. LAKE ONTARIO
3. LAKE HURON
4. LAKE MICHIGAN
5. LAKE SUPERIOR
SECTION 3: THE GULF COAST
1. FLORIDA'S GULF COAST
2. LOUISIANA
3. TEXAS
SECTION 4: WEST COAST
1. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
2. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
3. WASHINGTON
CHAPTER 5: HAWAII
1. BIG ISLAND
2. MAUI
3. O'AHU
4. KAUA'I
SECTION 6: ALASKA
1. GULF OF ALASKA
2. BERING SEA
3. ARCTIC OCEAN
SECTION 7: SUBMERGED TOWNS AND OTHER UNUSUAL DIVES
1. LAKE LANIER
2. BONNE TERRE MINE
3. NUCLEAR MISSILE SITES
This is just a rough layout of the book but it should give interested folks an idea of how tremendous yet fun this task would be. Once all the information is collected from all corners of the country the result would be a book that none of us can afford to miss. No matter where in USA you are, no matter what your level of experience of certification there is always something in here that you need. If such a book existed, I would have spent fortune to get it and after that, my perspective on dive travel would be so different. It would also be an opportunity to introduce the American diver to the American dive shop. I think everyone in every capacity stands to benefit from such a work.
Id love to hear peoples thoughts. If you happen to be an active diver in any of those areas and would like to contribute then please state below along with suggestions and ideas. Id love to see where this goes.
Cheers -
Captain Sinbad.