Galloping Gertie – A Different Kind of "Wreck" Dive

Sun Feb 15, 2009 12:24 PM EST

"These days most are aware of the location, identification and recoveries from the Titanic. The Titanic was a large ship but in comparison it would take 5.56 Titanics end for end to occupy the space that Galloping Gertie now occupies.

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narrows, galloping-gertie, tacoma, scuba-diving, diving, technical-diving, decompression, currents, pacific-northwest

The Wreck of the Vanlene

Thu Jan 1, 2009 4:29 PM EST

Captain Lo Chung Hung was tense and nervous. He had every right to be. He was passing through some nasty weather and was now dealing with a thick fog that prevented even the sharpest lookout from seeing what was ahead.

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EMERALD SEA ROYALTY - Puget Sound King Crab

Fri Dec 5, 2008 6:42 PM EST

ADM Publisher Curt Bowen looked at me and grinned as he stood on the stern platform of the "San Juan Diver". Moments later he strode into the cold green water lapping up against the massive stone wall that was towering above us.

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science, diving, scuba-diving, crabs, puget-sound, king-crab, san-juan-islands, pacific-northwest

Testing the Waters – Washington's Hood Canal

Wed Dec 3, 2008 7:54 PM EST

In April 1791 Captain George Vancouver sailed from Falmouth, England, with an expedition well-outfitted and equipped with the finest scientific instruments available. His crew of approximately 150 men was handpicked.

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science, washington, washington-state, hood-canal, diving, scuba-diving, marine-biology, fish, fisheries, oxygen-depletion

Diving and Exploring Titanic's Sister Ship - the Britannic

Seeded on Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:09 AM EST (BBC News)

This is a link to an article that I found on the BBC about the current state of the massive liner Britannic, which was the larger "sister ship" to the Titanic. The Britannic was sunk by either a mine or a German torpedo in World War I off the coast of Greece.

diving, scuba, scuba-diving, titanic, britannic, greece, u-boat, submarine, artificial-reef, world-war-1

RETURN TO THE MYSTERY - The Warren Case and Lake Crescent, Part 2

Sun Nov 9, 2008 12:54 PM EST

On July 3rd, 1929, while driving home from the town of Port Angeles in Washington state, Russell and Blanche Warren mysteriously disappeared from the face of the Earth.

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science, diving, scuba-diving, northwest, pacific-northwest, lake-crescent, olympic-national-park, technical-diving, trimix, nitrox

Sound of Silence: Jetsam Technologies, Ltd. KISS Rebreathers

Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:24 AM EDT

The Pacific Northwest is well-known on both sides of the border for technology and innovation in many fields of endeavor – it is only natural that diving would be one of them.

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technology, diving, scuba-diving, rebreathers, ccr, jetsam, british-columbia, pacific-northwest, puget-sound

Sunflower Stars – Hyenas of the Sea

Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:58 PM EDT

Several years ago I headed out to one of my absolutely favorite isolated dive sites in north Puget Sound to do one of my absolutely favorite things – feed a Giant Pacific Octopus.

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science, diving, suba-diving, starfish, sea-stars, sunflower-sea-stars, pacific-northwest, puget-sound, predator, sea-cucumber

The Wreck of the Capilano

Mon Sep 1, 2008 7:44 PM EDT

Captain Samuel Nelson was sleeping fitfully. The smell of wood smoke permeated the air and his lungs were raspy because of it. It was late September, a prime time of year for intense logging on the coast of British Columbia and the slash burning that went along with it.

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history, capilano, wreck, shipwreck, diving, scuba-diving, courtenay, british-columbia, vancouver-island, canada

British Columbia "Wreck Trek"

Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:46 PM EDT

Maybe it was the volume of beer consumed, or maybe it was simply a great idea waiting to happen. In 1989 a group of friends from the British Columbia Underwater Archeology Society decided to hit a pub in Vancouver following a meeting.

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travel, british-columbia, wrecks, victoria, sechelt, campbell-river, courtenay-diving, artificial-reefs, pacific-northwest, hmcs

Diving into a 72 Year-Old Mystery - An Alpine Lake Finally Gives Up its Secrets

Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:40 PM EDT

Dan Pontbriand is a very determined man. Some people might even regard him as stubborn. He has a streak of curiosity within him that sometimes….. well, sometimes it just seems to consume him.

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scuba, scuba-diving, washington, lake-crescent, warren, technical-diving, national-park-service, missing-persons, trimix, nitrox

Canada's Barkley Sound – An Underwater Photographer's Paradise

Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:13 PM EDT

In mid to late summer of 1787 (the exact date is lost) Captain Charles William Barkley sailed into a huge, previously undocumented sound on the west coast of what is now Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in search of Sea Otter pelts.

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travel, canada, vancouver-island, barkley-sound, anemones, nudibranchs, diving, scuba-diving, rendezvous, fish

Wolf-Eel: "The Ugly Old Man of the Sea"

Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:29 AM EDT

A few years back I attended a local showing of the Hollywood blockbuster, "Lord of the Rings". Frequently, the heroes of the film were attacked by masses of hideous, howling and slathering "Orcs".

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science, marine-life, marine-biology, pacific-northwest, wolf-eel, diving, scuba-diving, puget-sound, washington, octopus

The Wreck of the Diamond Knot - "Jewel beneath an Emerald Sea"

Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:04 PM EDT

The cool, dense fog off the waters of Washington's Olympic Peninsula made even the brightest of lights appear dim as the 326 foot Diamond Knot slowly steamed her way through the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward Seattle.

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pacific-northwest, diamond-knot, shipwreck, wreck, scuba-diving, scuba, diving, invertebrates, anemones, puget-sound

The Walls of Quadra Island

Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:07 PM EDT

"Are you guys ready?" the gruff voice shouted over the engines, "you need to go when I say go!" Glancing toward my right I could see my burly friend, Earl Lowe, hanging on to the wheel with one hand while he peered at his watch on his other wrist, his bushy beard slightly …

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scuba, marine-life, pacific-northwest, scuba-diving, british-columbia, rockfish, quadra-island, campbell-river, abyssal, tube-worms

Land of the Clouds

Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:21 PM EDT

Approximately 10,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, vast glaciers molded and shaped the contours of what is now North America.

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scuba, marine-life, pacific-northwest, scuba-diving, cloud-sponges, british-columbia, sponges, clouds, saanich-inlet, vancouver-island

Deep Intelligence - the Giant Pacific Octopus

Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:55 PM EDT

From out of the corner of my eye, I watched as my dive buddy, Jerome Ryan, glided slowly downward into the deep emerald-green gloom that is Puget Sound, sun beams dancing down from the surface glistening on the back of his tanks.

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giant-pacific-octopus, gpo, marine-life, scuba, scuba-diving, john-rawlings, pacific-northwest, octopus, puget-sound, washington

Comments & Feedback

The chatting and exploration of our worlds oceans is a dream that we should all believe is possible. Just as the space program is seeking to discover new worlds and new galaxies, in hopes of at least seeing them, and then perhaps charting them, so should we seek to unlock the mysteries of the deep.
One planet at a time fellas!

— Attila911

You sure do have an exciting life. Keep it up.

— k9kline

I am looking forward to more of your works in 2009. Happy New year.

— teresa-498430

What a great way to escape the crazy world above John.

— Runawaybull

John, such well-written articles side beside clear, striking photographs. Your column is a treasure on Newsvine.

— rickace

Welcome John, I always look forward to your articles.

— diverdown

About John Rawlings

Vineacity

Articles Posted: 16
Links Seeded: 1

Member Since: 6/2008Last Seen: 10/12/2009

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, John Rawlings spent much of his childhood alongside his avid fisherman father gazing down into the emerald g …

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