Florida

With its mandate also covering marine-related tourism, the Office is set to play a crucial role in promoting recreational diving and ensuring the health and accessibility of Florida's dive sites.
With its mandate also covering marine-related tourism, the Office is set to play a crucial role in promoting recreational diving and ensuring the health and accessibility of Florida's dive sites.

Florida opens Office of Ocean Economy

Florida has announced the establishment of the Office of Ocean Economy at Florida Atlantic University. This office will develop the state's blue economy sectors, including maritime industries, aquaculture, and tourism, with a strong emphasis on expanding and improving the recreational dive industry.

After hatching, baby green sea turtles in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument hit the water, swimming out to sea to live on their own for several years until they return to nearshore foraging grounds.

Best practices during sea turtle nesting season

Various regions are home to species such as the green, leatherback, and loggerhead turtles. Due to their endangered or threatened statuses, these species are protected by law in most countries, which mandates specific conservation actions and monitoring.

Sea turtles face numerous threats, including habitat loss, human interference, and climate changes, jeopardising their survival and reproductive success.

Dive Rite

Dive Rite has been outfitting underwater explorers since 1984. What started as a small workshop producing thirteen tools for cave exploration has evolved into a global brand with recreational and technical equipment lines that include over 200 products.

Dive Rite developed the canister light, backplate, and Classic wing, entering the rebreather market in 2004 with the O2ptima CCR that has evolved into the more travel-friendly O2ptima CM.

A National Park Service diver documents one of five coral-encrusted cannons found during a recent archeological survey in Dry Tortugas National Park

Florida shipwreck identified as the 50-gun frigate HMS Tyger

Maritime historians and archaeologists, following years of meticulous research and underwater exploration, have confirmed the identity of the HMS Tyger. The ship, originally launched in 1741, played a pivotal role in British naval operations before succumbing to a fiery end in 1742.

There are two subspecies of West Indian manatees: the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) and the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), the latter of which is shown above. In the United States, manatees are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits the take (i.e., harass, hunt, capture or kill) of all marine mammals.

Manatees up for protection

Federal wildlife authorities are re-evaluating the classification of manatees, a move prompted by mounting issues, most notably the devastating loss of seagrass, a critical food source for these gentle marine creatures.

A Long-Overdue Review

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced its intention to revisit the categorization of manatees, contemplating a return from “threatened” to “endangered.” This potential reversal would overturn the 2017 decision to reclassify manatees.

Over the course of decades, polluted and warmer waters have bleached and killed up to 95% of Florida's corals.

Florida's Coral Reefs Under Siege from Rising Temperatures

Florida's coral reefs, a vital marine ecosystem, have been under severe threat due to extreme ocean temperatures this summer. The coral reefs, besides being biodiversity hotspots, also serve as a protective barrier against coastal erosion and are a significant source of revenue through tourism.



Efforts to protect and restore these reefs have been ongoing for decades. Coral restoration, which involves planting coral fragments, has been a primary method employed by scientists.

Newly hatched loggerhead sea turtles
Newly hatched loggerhead sea turtles

Record number of Loggerhead Turtle Nests in Florida

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a non-profit education and ocean conservation facility located on the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach County, Florida.

The research team at LMC monitors a 9,5-mile stretch of beach from Juno Beach up to Jupiter Island between March and October. Juno Beach is one of the world's most densely nested sea turtle beaches in the world!

As of the end of July, the research team documented record-breaking nesting numbers, now totalling 22,469 nests to date this season on local beaches.

Health profiles of the elkhorn coral greatly differed among five examined areas, but the coral samples in the Dry Tortugas thrived compared to all the other sites

Endangered corals show encouraging resilience

In the face of daunting challenges to our planet's coral reefs, a glimmer of hope emerges from Florida's coastal waters.

Scientists from Ohio State University discovered that the endangered elkhorn coral population in the Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida were highly resilient in its ability to adapt and thrive, despite adverse factors like climate change, pollution and disease outbreaks.

Florida Professor Resurfaces After Spending 100 Days Living Underwater

Professor Joseph Dituri from the University of South Florida broke a previous Guinness World Record when he surfaced after living underwater for 100 days.

A retired U.S. Navy Diving Officer and aquanaut, the 55-year-old Dituri embarked on the project in an effort to learn about the effects of hyperbaric pressure on the human body.

He hypothesises that increased pressure has the potential to help humans live longer and prevent diseases associated with ageing.