Wednesday, November 7, 2007

I have 3 World Records in the 2008 Diving Almanac and Yearbook!

Wow! Great News! I just got back from the annual DEMA (Diving Equipment and Marketing Association) Show in Florida. This is the third year in a row for me to attend (I've been a total of 5 times now). I had a great time as always. The show was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 2007. There were close to 11,000 divers and exhibitors there. I saw lots of cool things and many friends from the industry. I was also fortunate enough to have some personal time with my two sisters, my niece and my beloved grandmother. It was just fantastic.

One of the highlights of the show for me was the recognition I received from Jeffrey Gallant, Editor-in-Chief of the 2008 Diving Almanac and Yearbook. This year marked the second publishing of his annual book. It has been called "...the best single reference book ever published for divers" (Undercurrent) and "...truly the most complete diving reference in the world" (Zendive).

I'm very thrilled to announce that I have Three World Records in the 2008 edition of this awesome book!

Record # 326: Most Continuous Bubble Rings in a Row on a Single Breath of Air... 34 Rings! I did that in St. Thomas, USVI on June 27th, 1989. I still have a video of me performing that too! It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much. You see, I have this special trick I do with my tongue....

Record # 330: Most "Shaka" Diver Signs...165 and counting. Actually, I now have over 200 different versions of a "Shaka". I'm writing a book about them. Do you have any new ones for me to add in?

Record # 331: Thickest Log Book... My Maui Logbook is quite impressive (to me at least). It's over 33 inches tall and takes ten three-ring-binders to hold it all together. I've been keeping every dive I've made on Maui in this book. To date I have over 3,150 dives logged! I never thought I would rack up that many in ten years but the book proves I did! Sure makes me feel good when I look through it. Lots of great memories and friends in that book. In one of my older posts here I have a photo of me and my logbook. Check it out!

This years trip to the DEMA Show was just great. I'm already planning on heading back next year....it's in Las Vegas!! Woo Hoo! Check out the 2008 Diving Almanac and Yearbook at www.divingalmanac.com. If you're into SCUBA, this is a great book to own!

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Ten Years on Maui!!! Wow, that was quick!!

Aloha! I'm so happy to announce that I just reached the Ten Year mark here on Maui! It has been such a great decade...the best in my life. I've meet thousands of cool people and done over three thousand dives. I'm very happy on Maui and I hope to be announcing my twenty year anniversary here in 2017.

I wish to give a huge "Mahalo" to all of the people who have come and gone over these last ten years. Many of you are a big reason I have been able to pull it off. Most of you are the reason I do it with a smile on my face. Thank You!!

I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I do know I plan on discovering that here. It's gonna be a great ride. Stay posted for occassional updates.

To commemorate this milestone, I took a picture of me with my log book of all of my Maui dives.


Check it out...I have 3,080 dives in this stack! It's so big, it got me into the "2008 Divers Almanac and Yearbook" as the diver with the Worlds Thickest Continuous Log Book(32 inches and still growing!)! Woo Hoo! Looks like I have a world record! Who would have guessed that??? My log book is one of my most prized possessions. Anyone who has dove with me has probably seen it and is most likely in it. Thanks for all the great dives and memories of my times in the ocean. I can't wait to do it again!

Aloha and thanks for reading this! Have a nice dive....

Doug

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Wow! We've made it to the Future! Jetsons, move over!


First of all, let me say "Thank You for visiting my Blog." Please enjoy my video clips and short stories I've been putting up here. I'd love to have your feedback.

I know this is a little off the usual Diving topic. It's really cool though so I want to share it with you. Something was introduced to me recently and all I can say is "Wow!" This may sound crazy but, I think I've found the next "Microsoft"! Are you an open minded person that would be willing to look at something that could change your financial future? If you are, then when would be a good time for me to show you what I'm talking about?

Did you know you are in the digital age? First Clue...You're reading a BLOG! Who ever heard of this five years ago?? You might be thinking "What the heck is that?" Well just about every thing we use these days is some sort of digital device either for communicating, taking pictures and/or sending information. We all have cell phones, computers, digital cameras, email at home, email at work, etc., etc. The future is here. Everyone is part of this new trend. Would you like to capitalize on it when society changes its technology using habits??? If you are open minded and would like to take advantage of a great business opportunity, then I invite you to please check out my new web site at VMDirect.com/shakadoug.

Maybe you have the eyes to see what I have seen; a way to increase your income without jeopardizing what you are currently doing. Would you like to make money in your sleep like I do? I'm looking for the right people to join my team. Aren't you ready to get a little something going on the side that can really make your financial freedom a possibilty in the years to come? I hope you'll at least take a look at what I've started. If it's not for you, maybe you can think of someone who is in the right place at the right time. I'd love to share this with you. I don't want to make all the money myself and leave you out in the cold! Check it out! VMDirect.com/shakadoug. When you get there, watch the short video. It will give you a quick overview of what we've got that everyone is going to be using in the next few months and years to come. You'll be really glad you checked this out!

Hey, check out this sea turtle video I put up on my Helloworld page today!


Aloha and mahalo,


Shaka D

Monday, June 18, 2007

Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse gets faked out by the Mor-Fin Delfins!

Check out this Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse getting very curious of my new American Delfin!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

"Why I Love My Mor-Fin American Delfins"


Yesterday I made my third dive with my Brand New Mor-Fin American DelFin SCUBA Fins and they absolutely ROCK! I've tried many brands and types of fins over the last 26 years and I've never kicked anything so smooth and light. These make diving as "easy as walking on land". Very minimal resistance and really good forward thrust. The New American DelFins don't put any strain on your ankles. They are light weight and efficient. The new "No Hassle Strap Design" really is just what it says it is too..."No Hassle". Easy to adjust and they don't get all hung up in my dive flag line. These fins are just plain "slippery"!

Here's a demonstration of the speed and simplicity of these fins in action!


I put these fins to the test already with 8 months of diving the prototypes and now I finally have a finished product. I am very pleased and will probably never be in the market for another fin, ever! Hold them in your hands, put them on your feet. You will know just by touching them that these are special fins. They feel almost indestructable....practically bullet-proof! Try them out. You'll discover how easy it is to move in the water when you use fins designed for really fast and efficient pelagic fish!! Why did it take so long for someone to finally start selling fins like this????

Friday, June 8, 2007

Look at this really cool octopus!

Hey, check out this super cool little octopus I watched crawl around on the sea floor yesterday. We were about 30 feet deep, just off the reef at Ulua Beach. This was late in the day, close to 5:30 pm. I got some great photos of him too. They really are my favorite animal ever!!



How I eat a Reese's!


Sometimes I get hungry underwater. I do like sushi, but once in a while, I get the craving for some chocolate and peanut butter! This was absolutely delicious!

Please don't try this at home!

Monday, June 4, 2007

It's Turtle Time!

Hey, this was pretty cool. Look what I saw on my dive today! It's always fun to cruise with the turtles! I think they must laugh inside at how clumsy we are down there!

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Desert Storm at Burning Man 2006



This is an amazing video clip of the massive dust devil we saw at Burning Man last year. It was pretty wild! We watched it from the Outdoor Disco Roller Rink. Look Out!! I don't know who shot this video but I'd like to thank them for posting it on You Tube for us to see. It was really amazing to actually be there and see, hear and feel it in person. Oh yeah, we had to breathe it too! Wild!

Friday, June 1, 2007

Torpedo Diving

I love my Torpedos! They're a lot of fun and I really dig running out to the St. Anthony wreck with them. Here's a hot I put up on You Tube of one of my dive buddies cruising along side. He's not too bad for an U/W cowboy!



I put another clip up with me following a white tip reef shark. It's a little tricky to ride and shoot at the same time, but these Torpedos are usable with one hand. Not too many other dive scooters can claim that! I'm down around 50-60 feet on this shot. Nice visibility!

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Night Octopus at Makena Landing

Night Octopus at Makena Landing

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Here's a short clip I shot of a Night Octopus at Makena Landing. We saw him close to shore, near the end of the dive. It really was the icing on the cake for a great dive! Anyone see many of these critters? They're cool with their red body and white polka dots. Strong suction too!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Aloha once again! Peace Love & Shaka Divers

Aloha everyone and thank you all for the many kind birthday wishes. It is wonderful to wake up and start another year on the planet. I am really looking forward to the many awesome things that will happen this year. To everyone who made it out to Maui Raceway Park for our birthday bash, thank you once again. What a cool cake too!



Just recently, on April 19th, I happily logged my 3,000th Maui SCUBA Dive! Yeah! That's a lot of logging and a whole lot of diving. I took a fun couple from California with me that day and we saw all the cool stuff...turtles, eels, even some sharks! Conditions were fantastic and the dive was a lot of fun.

Here's a new design I'm printing up for a new run of tee shirts and stickers. How do you like it? I think it says it all: "Peace Love and Shaka Divers!" It's pretty cool, huh?



Well, get back to what you were doing and check back soon. I'll try to post a bit more often. In the mean time, "Have a Shaka-Rific Day!"

Friday, April 6, 2007

On Vacation this week up in Park City Utah!

I've been wanting to do this for years now and finally got the chance. Me and my good buddy Chad flew up to Salt Lake City this week to visit another friend who lives there named Stevie. He's putting us up at his place and hooked us up with lift passes and snowboarding gear for the week! Talk about having a cool friend! He and his wife Anna are really taking good care of us. We spent the first few days riding the slopes at a cool mountain called Brighton. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather. It's been in the 70's each day and there's still lots of snow left. We're heading up to Park City this weekend and it's gonna be great fun. Pictures will be appearing soon!

I hear the diving's been pretty good down in the Wailea / Makena area this week. I know someone saw some Mantas at Ulua Beach the other day. I'm looking forward to getting back in the ocean on the 13th, but for now, I'm gonna play on the frozen stuff. After this trip, I'm doing my best to make it a yearly event!

Friday, February 23, 2007

WHALE DAY PARADE 2007


Whew! We did it again. We all survived the 2007 Pacific Whale Foundation's Annual Whale Day Parade and Outdoor Craft Fair / Concert. It was a blast as usual and we did good in the parade. Actually, we did better than good, we did GREAT! Shaka Divers and the Double~Bubble Mermaids had an unrivaled showing in the parade this year and we took First Place as the Best Float of the entire parade! Wooo Hooo!!!! Yeah Baby! It feels good! We had a big picture make the local Maui Weekly newspaper and a lot of people got to enjoy a Free Bubble Bath thanks to us!

I really have to give thanks to all of the people who participated this year. I couldn't have done it without each and every one of you. Thank You! The parade watchers thank you too! And so do the judges! I met one of them at Ulua Beach yesterday and she told me how much fun they thought we were having. She said they just had to vote for us!! Awesome! That's what we were there for to have fun and spread some love, laughter and Aloha. It was very enjoyable to see the people smile and wave their shaka's at us as we inched down the street. There was about a bazillion bubbles in the air too!

This was the first year we had a booth too. It gave is a chance to give away our balloons and showcase some of my underwater photography. Next year, the booth will be better and we should move some photos. It was in a great location this year, right out on the main drag at the crafts fair. Monet hung out in her Mermaid outfit and met with some of the visitors. It was a lot of fun for everyone!

Here's a couple of pictures from the day. See you all next February! Be sure to get to the parade!

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Happy New Year Everyone!

Aloha and Haouli Maka Hiki Hou! That's Happy New Year to you non-Hawaiians out there!

Well, we're off to a great start for 2007. The diving has been great and there's been plenty of critters to see. My first day of diving in this new year turned up 9 sea turtles, a small reef shark, three octopus', a whole bunch of moray eels and another pair of really cool manta rays! No complaints here.

We did get hit by a really large south swell yesterday but that has already passed and things are looking good for the weekend. Come on down to Maui and get wet in 2007! I'll be happy to show you some of my favorite reefs!

Aloha!