Mark Powell is going to be a presenter again at this year's Diving Talks
Mark Powell is going to be a presenter again at this year's Diving Talks

Diving Talks lining up a stellar list of presenters

My 28 years as a dive industry professional have taken me to 130-140 dive shows, events and conferences. So perhaps it is understandable that I sometimes feel a little jaded or unenthusiastic about heading out for yet another one.  Many of the dive shows become same-same-ish and the dealings routine.

There are but a few left that I genuinely look forward to and the upcoming Diving Talks, held in Portugal in October, is one of them.

Get your Tickets here

An octopus, sea star, bivalves and dozens of cup coral all share the same overhang in an area adjacent to the Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and New Jersey.

Underwater Canyon Could Become America’s Newest Marine Sanctuary

Hudson Canyon is the largest underwater canyon along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, and is about 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The canyon ⁠— about 2 to 2.5 miles deep and up to 7.5 miles wide ⁠— provides habitat for a range of protected and sensitive species, including sperm whales, sea turtles and deep sea corals.

The canyon’s rich biodiversity is integral to the region’s economy, underpinning commercial and recreational fisheries, recreational diving, whale-watching and birding. 

The 12cm (4.72inch) fossil that caught the eye of palaeontologist Christopher Whalen.
The 12cm (4.72inch) fossil that caught the eye of palaeontologist Christopher Whalen.

Overlooked fossil turns out to be oldest known ancestor of octopuses

Found in Montana’s Bear Gulch limestone formation, the unassuming 12cm (4.72inch) fossil was subsequently donated to the Royal Ontario Museum in 1988. And there it lay quietly in a drawer in the Invertebrate Palaeontology collection for decades while scientists fussed over fossil sharks and other creatures from the site.

Until, one day, palaeontologists noticed the fossil’s 10 limbs and took a closer look.