A Southern Kelp Crab on Giant Kelp/Photo: Michael Bear

Yesterday, two San Diego area divers, Dave Hershman and Mike Bear, went out to the Pt Loma area kelp beds for an overnight stay and a night dive.

This area is known for its thick, lush forests of Giant Kelp and abundant species of marine life and yesterday’s night dive did not disappoint.

http://www.examiner.com/article/san-diego-divers-explore-pt-loma-kelp-beds-at-night

For twenty years Seattle Aquarium biologists have been informally monitoring Sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) sightings by recreational SCUBA divers and fishers in Puget Sound.

Since 2003 the aquarium has been conducting formal research studies of sixgill sharks in partnership with NOAA, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.  The aquarium’s sixgill research involves integrated programs using population genetics and visual marker tagging to identify individuals, relatedness, population boundaries, relative abundance and movement patterns of sixgill sharks in Puget Sound. Since 2004 the aquarium has been hosting international meetings of cowshark biologists every other year to share knowledge about these little known species. The international and collaborative flavor of these meetings provide the conference attendees a better understanding of the interest in sharks worldwide and the challenges of studying these elusive animals.

Note: Sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus) biology will also be covered by David Ebert of Moss Landing Labs and Vallorie Hodges, DSO at the  Oregon Coast Aquarium.

See details below for registration and directions:

http://www.seattleaquarium.org/page.aspx?pid=1199

Photo by Howard Ehrenberg

John Chatterton’s name first came into the public consciousness as one of the main subjects of Robert Kurson’s bestselling book Shadow Divers. Kurson’s book, although non-fiction, reads like a novel: Chatterton and his diving buddies discover an unknown World War II German submarine (later identified as U-869) off the coast of New Jersey, kicking off a seven-year quest to identify the wreck. The team’s research takes them far beyond the library, where they pore over old Nazi U-Boat records, looking for information about a submarine that­—according to official records—should not exist. Their search for the truth is marked by technical deep dives, unfathomable risks, and several deaths.

Read more here at California Diver Magazine: http://californiadiver.com/john-chattertonshadow-diver/