Most people familiar with WWI history have heard of the notorious German Flying Ace – the RED BARON. But do you know who shot him down? I’ll give you a hint – it wasn’t a comic strip beagle named Snoopy flying on a doghouse! I live in an old mill that was once owned by his family, so I dug deep into the life of this humble Canadian man who lived in Carleton Place, Ontario.
Need more info about how to select an underwater light? I wrote this for DIVER Magazine w while back, but the information is completely relevant today: https://divermag.com/how-to-choose-a-video-light/
Dry gloves can be frustrating, expensive, and difficult to manage without assistance. In this video, I explain a simple method the keeps me cozy.
Robert McClellan and I are so excited to launch a new apparel and accessory brand that celebrates my art and exploration. Using my paintings of the Canadian landscape and images from the underwater world, we’ve created an ethically produced, sustainable brand that we’re proud to share with the world. Each piece is created on-demand, so waste can be minimized. It’s not fast fashion, but if you can be a little patient for our cut and sew partners to make your items, you will be thrilled with the results!
What do Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, Canadian Geographic Magazine, and a WW2 weapons lab have in common? The secret is at 50 Sussex Drive in Canada’s capital of Ottawa. Robert McClellan and I share the story in our first installment of “My Canada.” If you are wondering about the details of the chemical weapons production, here are a few more interesting points. From 1940-47, the Rideau Falls Chemical Weapons Lab produced flame thrower fuel and B1 dye used to detect mustard gas in addition to a number of other “classified chemical compounds.” By the end of the war, the lab…
I learned to dive in Tobermory, Canada, the site of Fathom Five National Marine Park in Lake Huron. In this small park, literally dozens of 150-200- year-old shipwrecks lie at the bottom of the lake. In some cases, they are almost stacked on top of each other, a testament to the storms of November that were immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot as he sang about the Edmund Fitzgerald. But this wreck, the Sweepstakes, has been visited by more people than perhaps any other Great Lakes Shipwreck. It lies in only 20 feet of water in Big Tub Harbor. Today, people snorkel…
Under Thin Ice In the fall of 2018, I was shooting a film called Under Thin Ice for the Nature of Things on CBC. My colleague and fellow filmmaker Mario Cyr, suggested that we work together to get a shot of a polar bear swimming in the open water. As the icons of climate change, these amazing animals normally hunt on top of the ice, but climate change has forced them into the water to find food – a sevenfold increase of time in the water over the ice. Polar bears can swim 10 kph for 10 days without stopping…
The Graveyard of Shipwrecks – Canada’s Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River As a new diver, I was told that there were thousands of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. I began my diving career at Fathom Five National Marine Park on Lake Huron and saw five wrecks on my first weekend of diving. It seemed like a good start. But that count may be a little off. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum has documented over 6,000 wrecks with the loss of over 30,000 men. But, historian Mark Thompson has estimated that there are more than 25,000 wrecks beneath the watery…
Canadian Geographic gave me the opportunity to put together my thoughts about Women’s Dive Day. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) launched a simple idea in 2015 — encourage women to gather together for a day of their own — Women’s Dive Day. In communities all over the globe, women organized charters, cleanups, workshops, and events. They set records, supported charities, and brought new friends to the sport. Over five years, thousands of events have taken place in nearly 200 countries. This year, the global pandemic may limit physical gatherings, but the sentiment is still strong. Digital presentations and…
Dive into the remarkable underwater vistas of Canada through this series in Scuba Diving Magazine. From the Arctic to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway, Canada has the longest coastline in the world. Eight percent of the landscape is covered by lakes, greater than any other country. I’ll never be able to experience more than a drop in the bucket of diving opportunities, but last year, I completed my goal to take a plunge in every province and territory. This five-part web series offers a peek into what gets Canadian divers excited about their home waters. PART TWO…