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Here's How - Stephen Weir multi-story feature, published April 2009

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' Snorkeling is a gentle sport that is safe, fun and healthy. Unlike scuba diving, one doesn’t need a course before getting wet. Snorkeling leaves no carbon footprint, doesn’t harm the underwater environment and requires little gear beyond a mask, a set of fins, and of course the snorkel. Depending on where you are, a wet suit and a weight belt (to neutralize the buoyancy of the suit) should be worn. While there are advantages to taking pictures underwater using scuba gear (you can stay up to 90 minutes underwater to get a good photograph and you can go deep to take pictures), there are many photographers and videographers who prefer snorkeling and free diving. SIDEBAR: FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SNORKELING AND PHOTOGRAPHY Interested in snorkeling? Consider the following: 1. Only David Blaine can stay underwater for more than 15-minutes (and we aren’t sure he didn’t have a secret supply of air). Some free divers can stay underwater for 10-minutes (and reach incrediable d

Imax Under the Sea Opens Under the Big Screen at Ontario Science Centre

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- Producer and Musical Director Maribeth Solomon (right) attend opening of Imax Under the Sea at the Ontario Science Centre in April. At the Opening - Story to Follow

Classic Toronto Dive Shop Sinks Into History

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. Toronto Dive Industry on the Ropes? First signs that the current recession is taking its toll of Toronto's scuba industry appeared early in 2009 when the classey Toronto dive shop, Waterline, quietly closed its doors. The dive store, located on Avenue Road in the heart of Lawrence Park, one of Toronto's most affluent neighbourhood, has been servicing sport divers since 1992. The shop, established by Wendy Rutherford and her late husband Craig, was a full service store. It offered equipment, repairs, classes and popular dive trips. Waterline was the first shop to use the Internet to effectively communicate with divers throughout the city. Rutherford has always believed in having a close relationship with the dive community. On her website she has long said that the goal of her store was "to provide top-quality merchandise from companies which stand behind their products and value customer satisfaction, and to provide incredible customer service by knowing our products,

Making Myths, Fighting Myths at the Mythical McMichael Canadian Art Collection

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. Early version of a piece written for Sunwings' inflight magazine, summer 2009 edition There is a myth about Canadians that just won’t go away. It says that we are a nation of hewers of wood and drawers of water. Truth is, most Canucks live in urban communities within 150kms of the American border, our trees are for shade and the water comes right out of the tap. A visit to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario (just north of the City of Toronto) shows, however, that the myth has done some good things for the country. The publicly owned gallery is the only major art gallery in the country that solely collects and exhibits Canadian Art, and its most prized works were created by the Group of Seven, painters who painted the myth! In 1920, seven artists – Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston, Franklin Carmichael and A.Y. Jackson – decided, for the first time, to exhibit as the Group of Seven. The Group’s first exhib

Stars on the water compete for Bacardi Cup

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. Canadian Star teams sail against the world's best off Miami Beach in March Bermuda's Peter Bromby and veteran Star Class crew Magnus Liljedahl of Miami won the 2009 Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta Friday March 13th on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. Bromby and Liljedahl sailed to victory on the final race in the six race regatta to finish with a commanding six-point lead over Floridian Mark Mendelblatt, the 2005 Bacardi Cup champion, and crew Bruno Prada (BRA) who finished second overall. The Bacardi Cup Regatta, hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club on Miami's Key Biscayne, attracted sailors from around the world. There were 128 sailors in 64 teams representing 15 countries competed in the race. Eight of the competitors were from Canada including four-time Olympian Hans Fogh and the Queen City Yacht Club (Toronto Island) team of Terry Hofkitchner and Jeff Imai. According to Queen City Yacht Club Vice-Commodore and Diver Magazine photographer Pat Whetung, the r

Diver Magazine at Volunteer Driven Festival - Shipwreck 2009

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. Diver Magazine at Volunteer Driven Festival Welland, Ontario Shipwreck Symposium marks its 15th Year - Niagara Diver’s Association For the third year in a row, Diver Magazine will be at the day long Shipwrecks Symposium in Welland, Ontario. The Magazine’s travel editor, Stephen Weir will be at the annual conference to meet subscribers and to take pictures of the popular dive conference for Diver. The Niagara Divers' Association’s 15th Annual Shipwrecks Symposium, "Shipwrecks/2009" will be held Saturday, April 4th at Welland’s Centennial High School. This year the volunteer driven event features nine multimedia presentations given by both world-renowned wreck experts and local divers. Jonathan Moore is one of the headline speakers. Moore is an underwater archaeologist with Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Service. He will be showing never before seen pictures of the government protected wrecks of Lake Ontario’s Hamilton and Scourge (War of 1812 shipwrecks

Wine and Chocolate New Hampshire tour 2nd story written for Travel Marketing Experts and soon-to-be issued by New Hampshire tourism

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. Granite State Pairs Chocolate and Martinis New New Hampshire Trail is Shaking And Stirring Tourists’ Road Trip Imagination with Chocolate Martini Tour Toronto– In New Hampshire the pairing of martinis and chocolate make for an original, tasty and fantastic getaway. For those who like their vacation shaken but not stirred, the Chocolate and Martini Tour has a licence to thrill. You could spend many nights sampling a delightfully-varied array of crème de cacao and vodka combinations in the great bars of New Hampshire’s Seacoast – from Roosevelt’s at Wentworth (their signature Stoli and Kahlua martini and the molten chocolate cake dripping with Valhrona are out of this world) to the Espresso Hazelnut and the rest of the martini menu at Green Monkey on Pleasant Street in downtown Portsmouth. Just around the corner on State Street, sample exceptional chocolates at Byrne & Carlson, produced in small batches using the finest ingredients. Driving your Aston Martin DBS V12, or hitting t