Canada

Phil Nyutten has died

Dr Nuytten is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the modern commercial diving industry and a significant force in the creation of new technology.

He has created equipment and diving techniques for deep-water diving and technical diving for both the commercial, scientific, and military industries.

Diver reaches Liberator 589D aircraft wreck
Diver reaches Liberator 589D aircraft wreck.

Divers confirm discovery of WWII bomber in Gander Lake

The plane crashed upon take-off when the engine failed on 4 September 1943. The aircraft made a slow turn and barrel-rolled into Gander Lake, Newfoundland. The four-crew members did not survive.

At the time of the crash in 1943, military hardhat divers found the aircraft “Liberator 589D” on a ledge in Gander Lake. They attempted to attach cables to the fuselage to salvage the plane. They were also recovering the body of Squadron Leader John G. MacKenzie.

A diver in British Columbia has been handed down the largest ever fine for getting too close to orcas.
A diver in British Columbia has been handed down the largest ever fine for getting too close to orcas.

Diver Fined CAD 9,000 For Swimming Too Close to Orcas

A scuba diver in British Columbia, Canada, has been fined a record 12,000 Canadian dollars ($9,250) for approaching a pod of orcas too closely.

In British Columbia, vessels must keep at least 200 meters away from orcas and in southern B.C. coastal waters between Campbell River and just north of Ucluelet, vessels must keep 400 meters away. Vessels must be at least 100 meters away from all other cetaceans.

First ever underwater guided tour of HMS Erebus

In a video streamed live from the Queen Maud Gulf off Nunavut, underwater archaeologist Ryan Harris moved from stern to bow, stopping at a handful of different points along the wreck to share clues from the long-sunk vessel.

He started by inspecting two brass six-pounder canons, one of the first features the team saw with a remotely operated vehicle when they began inspecting the site with an “underwater robot”, after the 19th-century wreck was discovered late last summer.

Annapolis finally sunk

The ship was purchased from the federal government of Canada through Crown Assets Distribution in 2008 with the intent of making this the first artificial reef in the Greater Vancouver area.

Leading up to the sinking, the Annapolis has been meticulously cleaned of hazardous and pollutant materials in compliance with federal regulations and an estimated 250 tons of materials (almost everything but the steel hull and aluminium super structure) has been recycled.

Beluga

Churchill tour operators say new boat rules threaten livelihoods

Operators claim new federal regulations meant to protect marine mammals could put them out of business. Wally Daudrich, president of the Beluga Whale Tourism Association and owner of the Lazy Bear Lodge in Churchill, Manitoba, claims rules prohibit boats from approaching belugas any closer than 50 metres.

Astern of the wreck, Parks Canada underwater archaeologist Filippo Ronca measures the muzzle bore diameter of one of two cannons found on the site, serving to identify this gun as a brass 6-pounder

Historic Franklin Expedition shipwreck identified as HMS Erebus

Two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, were part of Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition in 1845 to find the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia.

The ships disappeared after they became locked in ice in 1846 and were missing for more than a century and a half until last month's discovery by a group of public-private searchers led by Parks Canada. It was not known until now which of the two ships had been found.

Over 30 years of searching has culminated with the sonar detection by a Canadian

Franklin shipwreck found in the arctic after 170 Years

One of two British explorer ships that vanished in the Arctic more than 160 years ago has been found, Canada's prime minister says.

Stephen Harper said it was unclear which ship had been found, but photo evidence confirmed it was one of them.

I am delighted to announce that this year’s Victoria Strait Expedition has solved one of Canada’s greatest mysteries, with the discovery of one of the two ships belonging to the Franklin Expedition lost in 1846.

Exposure—How Long, How Deep, How Cozy?

The Royal Mail Ship, Empress of Ireland, was an ocean-going luxury liner on her way to Liverpool from Quebec City when she sank in the Saint Lawrence River, 14 minutes after colliding with a Norwegian collier in the early morning fog of 29 May 1914. She had 1,477 people on board—passengers and crew—and the accident claimed the lives of 1,012, more than 800 of them passengers.