Flotsam & Jetsam

Enter the Underwater Photo and Video Competition. March 1 is the deadline to enter the 11th Underwater Images Photo/Video Competition. Categories include “Conservation,” “Macro,” “Wide Angle,” and a new one called “Divers and Marine Creatures.” Best of Show and First Prize awards will be dive trips to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Indonesia, among others. Dive equipment and gift certificates from sponsors like Ikelite and Pinnacle will also be given out. Each submission has a $10 entry fee, and more than 80 percent of proceeds go to nonprofits supporting marine conservation. To enter the contest, visit www.uwimages.org.

How Diving Helps Business Owners. While running a dive shop in Tonga, Patty Vogel realized that what she knows about diving also applies to running a business. In an article for Entrepreneur, she summarized thus: 1) Never stop breathing -- using your breath as a natural stress reducer makes you a better leader; 2) Swimming with the current will make entrepreneurship easier and more enjoyable; and 3) Prepare for your next adventure by having the boat wait for you at the end of the dive.

The $23,000 Sharksuit. The Neptunic C Suit made from steel mesh, titanium and hybrid laminates can supposedly withstand shark bites but takes a big chunk from your wallet instead. The suit is a modern version of one tested by shark expert Valerie Taylor in the 1980s (hers, made of butchers’ gloves, only cost $2,000). Neptunic creator Jeremiah Sullivan says he has had no injuries from thousands of shark bites while wearing it, but his Web site states, “We offer no guarantee about the usefulness of this product to protect a wearer from injury of any kind under any circumstances.” See the sharksuit at www.neptunic.com.

Tail Shot. The most unique underwater photo placement we’ve seen is on the enormous tail of a Frontier Airlines Airbus. It’s a turtle shot, one flap up, the other down, taken by subscriber Ken Howard (San Anselmo, CA)., Frontier offered him their standard $1,500 fee, which he found insulting but negotiated a substantially better deal. To see the Airbus turtle tail, go to www.seaimages.org. Frontier is currently looking for shots of adult seals and manatees. For information, email jchua@flyfrontier.com.