As your host, with a 13-year career in adventure travel, and a issue04 focus on multimedia production, I will share with you the wealth of excitement available on the Web. As an avid "surfer" myself, I must confess: I'm a junkie. I want instant gratification. What that means is that I not only want interesting subject matter, but I want it to look good—fast! My focus is on sites which provide visual stimulation, are easy to navigate, and just plain function well. As technology moves along, it will take sound and virtual reality to gain my kudos. When I find sites with lots of good links, I'll mention those, too.
FYI, I use a 486DX4/100 with 8Mb RAM, Windows 3.1, a 14.4 modem and SVGA monitor set at 800x600 pixels and thousands of colors. Most graphically enhanced sites look best with these monitor settings (millions of colors if you can), including my own. Netscape 1.2 is my browser and I highly recommend it for viewing graphically enhanced sites (use the link to download the software). In short, if you've got a 14.4 modem or faster, you will find these sites reasonable for download time. If you're using a slower modem, you will most likely find these sites cumbersome. If you're not using Netscape, I cannot speak for how some of these may look.
This month's focus is Scuba Diving.
As one who appreciates pristine reefs in hard-to-get-to places, my associates and I have spent years in search of that perfect dive site. A world-renowned author and photographer, Carl Roessler is also the owner of See & Sea Travel Service in San Francisco, California. As a pioneer in the dive travel industry, Carl is also a pioneer in CyberDiving as his Great White Shark Photos came online early last spring.
>From Australia to Aruba, there's an amazing array of fascinating Dive Sites on the World Wide Web. As a frequent reader of rec.scuba, a Usenet newsgroup, I have made a friend in Amsterdam who posted a note several months ago about diving in Croatia. In the midst of all the horror over there, the peaceful serenity of the underwater world continues. We've now become what I guess you would call CyberPals (or is it e-pals?!) and regularly email each other. After all, isn't that what this "World Community on the Information Superhighway" is all about?
Although not really searching for it, I stumbled across Alexander Vouk's Scuba Hotlist Site in Vienna, Austria, which has some great underwater images from—you guessed it—Croatia! The site also contains diving images from the Red Sea near Egypt, and the Maldives off Africa. Alex Vouk's Media Page is also something to see, as there is a wealth of worthy links there to wander from. Before leaving Europe, if you would like to visit a number of Italian Dive Shops, you can stop by Conforti Scuba Page. This site is also a good source for scuba links to Web Dive Sites around the world.
A fascinating place in the Unites States for diving is Ginnie Springs, Florida. The water of the springs passes through limestone which acts as a natural filter. The clarity there is unbelievable and Ginnie Springs is considered to be among the clearest dive sites in the world! The South Florida Dive Journal is an online dive magazine with some great photos of diving in Ginnie Springs and other areas around Florida.
A very unique site is operated by (surprising to me) Netscape! While not all that pretty, the technology on this page is really cool! If you are using Netscape 1.1 or later you simply must check out this page! Caution: if you're not using Netscape 1.1 or later, you probably will not see the animation effect here. (Frankly I'm not sure what you'll see!) Go to Netscape's Home Page (use the link at the top of this story) to download the software if you want. Another point of interest: the "Amazing Continuously Refreshing Fish Cam"— a camera focused on an aquarium. Every 15 seconds the image is updated automatically. No need to click on anything, just sit back and watch the fish swim in and out of the picture!
MIT's Caribbean Home Page offers a wealth of information from people native to the Caribbean, as well as links to several island government sites, but beware. There's a variety of quality in page design as you have a diversity of designers here. I thought it rather curious that some of these links go to the CIA World Factbook, but it's a tremendous resource tool. You can literally wander anywhere in the world from there.
Next, I thought I would surf on over to the Pacific to see what I could find. The Soft Corals of Fiji have such incredible color that it's hard to believe they're natural. This is why I call diving "the best way to leave Earth without leaving the planet!"
When looking at such an explosion of color, it's like being on another planet where the atmosphere is liquid and gravity is considerably less than what we terrestrials are accustomed to! Matagi Island Resort in Fiji is a tropical paradise nestled atop some of the most spectacular diving in the world! Matagi offers excellent accommodations and superior service from their own on-site dive operation. Their Dive Site on the Web focuses on the diving and natural activities available in Fiji.
While surfing around Australia, I bumped into Margaret in Cyberspace and her Great Barrier Reef Photos. The site was a bit slow to load, but well worth the wait. This is a rare compliment from me as I usually don't wait. Remember...I'm a junkie! Slow sites usually don't cut it with me, but be patient—you'll be glad you spent the time. Margaret definitely deserves recognition for this month's Best Backgrounds and Striking Image Display. So, I guess it falls upon me to bestow the Not just another "Bubblehead" (as avid divers are sometimes called), Margaret is after my heart. Remember earlier in this article when I said sound and virtual reality will get my attention? You've got to look at the home page for Margaret in Cyberspace; it, too, is well worth the visit. Congratulations, Margaret, for a job well done!
Want some great places to while away the online hours? The sport of scuba diving is one of the most prolific on the Web, with reportedly over 2,100 sites! A fun links page is hosted by Steve Mann, Systems Programmer at Michigan State University, Administrative Information Services. Steve Mann's Home Page has some good links but, most significantly, Steve has used some creative graphics to liven up his links page. Also available are some cool dolphin photos from around the Caribbean, including Roatan in Honduras, the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Bahamas. Just for fun, "Mara the DiveDog" and "Nikki the ScubaCat" are also featured! If you've spent time searching links pages, you know that most are just plain, boring gray with black text. Good entertainment, Steve!
Another great links page, operated by Rick Williams, President of Multi-Media Design, Inc., in Newburgh, Indiana, is Rick's Delphi Scuba SIG Pages. Rick's Delphi Scuba SIG Pages are some of the most comprehensive scuba link pages I have found so far. Humor, learning-to-dive information, books and over 200 scuba links. I promise— this site can occupy hours!
For an overview of the entire diving industry, including screen savers, lots of photos, and captivating destination information, visit Lee Roth Media's Adventures Anywhere Dive Site. (Yes, it's mine!) As time progresses, we will be bringing more fun things online, catering to adrenaline junkies like me! Things such as a Photo Gallery, Screen Savers, books, CDsand other multimedia entertainment and educational items will be available online over the next few months. Watch our site for continuous updates.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this story, each month the Adventure Awaits department of WWWiz will focus on a new sport, so check out our Ski Guide in the January issue, just in time for Spring travel planning!
If you have feedback, URL recommendations or would like to see a feature story on your favorite Adrenaline Sport, send an email to me at rothmedia@imagine-net.com. I check it frequently and promise personal responses to everyone.