J.R.R. Tolkien coined the phrase, “not all those who wander are lost.” There is probably no better description of my life. I was once gifted with a beautiful bracelet with...
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I have spent a lifetime traveling the globe on expeditions and filming projects. This is installment two of my top 100 travel tips to make your journey more relaxed and earth-friendly. 1. Small Footprint – Rolling your clothes and socks saves space. 2. Compress It – Use silicone compression sacs and dry bags to further squeeze the air out of your clothes and maximize packing space. 3. Electronics – Get a cable bag to organize your charging and computer cables. 4. Storage – If you are going to shoot a lot of photos, take a hard drive for backup and…
I’ve spent a lifetime traveling the globe on expeditions and filming projects. In this series, I will offer up the top 100 travel tips. Part one offers the things to do before your trip. 1. Global Rescue – If you are going to be in a remote place, make sure you have evacuation insurance to get home in the event of an accident. 2. Medical Insurance – Ensure you are covered adequately in case of misfortune. Divers Alert Network (DAN) offers worldwide coverage for diving accidents and supplemental travel insurance with proceeds that support diving medical research. Other sport’s organizations…
In February at Hornby Island, British Columbia, Stellar and California Sea Lions rest on the rocks while they await their favorite time of year. In a matter of a few...
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My oldest friend Dr. Jaqueline Windh and I stumble through the forest that is damp with yellow fall foliage and arrive on the cobbled bank of the Quinsam River. We’ve known each other for 50 years and still love the same things we did as kids: getting dirty and observing the natural beauty of our extraordinary world. This reunion is an opportunity to celebrate our friendship and observe the remarkable cycle of life of the various salmon species that make British Columbia their home. Beneath the glassy surface of the fast moving water, eighty or more salmon turn their heads…
As a professional in the industry, I am sometimes sent sample products to evaluate. Recently, OrcaTorch sent me a video light, their D900V. I picked it up at a friend’s dive shop, EPSO in Gatineau, Quebec. As local distributors for OrcaTorch, they had a full stock of the entire line of OrcaTorch products. The D900V is specifically designed for video shooters and answers a need that is unique. Years ago, I asked my electrical engineer brother if he could develop a light that offered different color temperature settings. He never came through, but OrcaTorch did. The resulting product provides four…
Carl Tremblay has the ocean in his eyes. From the moment you step onto his small aluminum cabin cruiser in Saguenay Fjord, you know this is a man who has a lot of passion for his job. “I love this place,” he says with childlike wonderment. While our captain readies the boat and goes through a quick safety briefing, Tremblay pulls out a sizeable spiral-bound book filled with photos of wildlife that he has taken. He spends a few minutes sharing each photo, carefully describing how I will find these things and how big they are. Some the size on…
Making documentary films while immersed in the hostile, yet stunning waters of the Canadian Arctic, I need great technology to keep me warm and safe. The travel, dives, and image making all create their own set of unique challenges, and once you are in the north, there is no way to call up a dive shop for something you may have forgotten. I’ve spent many months in the polar region, most recently helping to create a film about climate change. Camping on the sea ice and then on a remote island outpost, I swam with polar bears, hovered below fighting…
It’s a long journey from Ontario to the little dive shack on Highway 138, just north of the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers. Eight hours of roadway are more beautiful with every turn that I make in my trusty Subaru Outback. The multi-lane highway surrenders to winding a coastal road along the St. Lawrence River’s north shore and pauses briefly at a ferry crossing at Baie St. Catherine. The trees are showing a rusty hint of fall as the stiff breeze ushers in a cold, foggy wind. I cross over the bay in building white caps and…
28-year-old Teddy Garlock has never been shy about reaching out to mentors. As a new scuba diver, at the age of thirteen, he contacted noted shipwreck explorer Jim Kennard. To Garlock, Jim was a local “Cousteau.” Kennard, an electrical engineer by trade, is a shipwreck enthusiast who has found over 200 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, NY Finger Lakes and in the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers over the past 35 years. Using side scan sonar and ROVs, Kennard has spent decades on the lake searching for some of the 8000 or more shipwrecks lost in the depths. In…