San Solomon Springs

Location

Another great place to dive in Texas is at San Solomon Springs. It is in the western part of Texas, and is protected by the Balmorhea State Park. Below is the general area of the park, shown by the star.

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife¹

Springs Details
At the Balmorhea State Park, the San Solomon Springs feeds into a "pool," spanning across 2 acres of the natural springs. The "pool" water is the Springs itself, with only man-made parts of ladders and surrounding walkways.

The environment in the pool is just like a freshwater lake; the divers and swimmers can experience the original and preserved wildlife. To help you understand this unique design, here is a photo of the "pool" attraction.

Source: TX State Park Guide²

Temperatures and Wildlife
The water temperature also remains constant, around 72 to 76 degrees. With water so warm, you can comfortably seek out many fish, including the

• Mexican Tetra,
• Channel catfish,
• Comanche Springs pupfish, and
• Green sunfish.

You can visit the Encyclopedia of Earth to learn about these fish and other wildlife found at the Springs.
    

Diving Rules

You can dive at the park from 8 am until sunset, on any day of the year. Night diving is also available for a $4 fee per person. You need to have at least one diving buddy, because you cannot dive alone. Also, do not touch the environment; the wildlife is protected and we all need to preserve the Springs for future generations to see.

Before you travel to Balmorhea, please read the official Balmorhea State Park scuba rules, so you can have a great time without any preventable problems.


Footnotes
[1] Balmorhea State Park. (2011, March). Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/balmorhea/

[2] Balmorhea State Park. (2008, November 4). Texas State Park Guide. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_bb_004.phtml

Scuba Inventor of 93 Dies

Christian Lambertsen
From the NY Times¹, "Dr. Lambertsen, an expert in respiratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, died on Feb. 11 at his home in Newtown Square, Pa., his son David said." A picture of Lambertsen is shown below.

Source: The Telegraph²

Lambertsen is the man to invent the term "scuba," since he created the acronym Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus in 1952. He invented scuba gear, as The Atlantic³ explains:

His first underwater creation was known as the Lambertsen Underwater Respiratory Unit or LARU (Lah-roo). It was used in World War II and spawned many imitators.

LARU
With this device, the diver inhales pure oxygen. The NY Times¹ explains that

...carbon dioxide in exhaled breath is then scrubbed out through a chemical filter and returned to the diver as purified oxygen.

 “It means that it doesn’t emit bubbles, so if you are swimming under a ship there are no telltale bubbles,” said Tom Hawkins, a historian for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation in Virginia Beach.

Conclusion
Christian Lambertsen contributed immensely to the progression of diving. Lambertsen, his LARU, and his many other inventions will not be forgotten.


Footnotes

[1] Dennis Hevesi. (2011, February 25). Christian Lambertsen, Inventor of Scuba Precursor, Dies at 93. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/us/26lambertsen.html?_r=1

[2] Christian Lambertsen. (2011, February 23). The Telegraph. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/technology-obituaries/8343789/Christian-Lambertsen.html

Flower Garden Banks

Location

The Flower Gardens, officially named Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, is located in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast. The sanctuary consists of three unique areas: East Flower Garden, West Flower Garden, and Stetson Bank, as seen in the map below.

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife¹

Reefs
Each sanctuary is a coral reef area, and is a unique ocean ecosystem in itself. Coral reefs are formed by pressure in the ocean floor pushing up salt, resulting in a "salt dome," named from the dome shape of the salt pile. As the Encyclopedia of Earth² states,

... corals at the Flower Gardens probably originated from Mexican reefs when currents in the western Gulf of Mexico carried coral larvae, other animal larvae, and algal spores northward. A few of the coral larvae were lucky enough to settle on the hard substrate of the Flower Garden Banks and initiate reef growth.

Visit by Boat
You can visit the Flower Garden Banks by boat by leaving from the coast near Galveston. The official Flower Garden Banks website³ states

There are several commercial dive and fishing charter operators that take people out to the sanctuary and surrounding oil and gas platforms. However, if you choose to head out on a private boat, you’ll need to be aware of the sanctuary boundaries, mooring buoy coordinates, sanctuary regulations and reef etiquette.

Since the reefs are protected, you need to be aware of these boundaries and regulations so you can preserve the reefs for others to see and enjoy.


Diving

The ocean creates fast and sometimes dangerous currents, so I would recommend that you first dive in the ocean where a reef is not located. This way, you can learn to keep your buoyancy control in the salt water while not causing damage to reefs during practice. 

Once you can handle the currents, the reefs can be an amazing experience. Be sure to have a still or video camera so you can remember all the amazing wildlife you encounter.

Source: National Marine Sanctuary³

Footnotes

[1] Flower Gardens. (2007, July 30). Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/webcasts/livedive2001/flowergarden.phtml

[2] Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. (2006, October 19). The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Flower_Garden_Banks_National_Marine_Sanctuary?topic=49513

[3] Visiting Your Sanctuary. (2011, March). Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/visiting/visit.html