Without a doubt, the most commonly asked question I get from divers has to do with reading and using GPS coordinates.  This is not surprising since a GPS coordinate can be represented in so many different ways.  Books, magazines, and online sources often display coordinates differently, some using a notation that includes values represented as pure decimal numbers, others using a notation that includes minutes and seconds of degrees.  And some use NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, and WEST indicators, while others use plus and minus symbols instead.  I've even seen books that list coordinates one way on some pages, and other ways on other pages -- within the same chapter! 

But once you understand the different notations and you learn to recognize the patterns, using the coordinates and converting between the different formats becomes pretty easy.  Now before I get into the details, let me just say that the coordinates on DiveSpots.com can be displayed in three different formats, making it easy for you to see the coordinates any way you want them to appear.  Just click a button and we handle the complex math needed to convert between the different formats (ok, it's not that complex).  Here's how...

For any dive spot listed on the site, you'll see the GPS coordinates presented in the simulated GPS unit on the right side of the screen (shown here to the right).  The coordinates are initially displayed in what is probably the most common format, which includes the hemisphere, the hours of degrees, and a decimal value representing the minutes of degrees.  You can flip to the next display format by clicking the "mode" button at the bottom of the simulated GPS unit.  In this second format, the minutes of degrees are represented as a whole number and the seconds are also represented as a whole number.  Click the mode button again and you can see a third format which shows the GPS coordinates as pure decimal numbers (very useful for doing coordinate math, like calculating distances).

Let's start with a short primer.  As you may recall, the earth is divided into hemispheres, divided north-from-south by the Equator, and west-from-east by the Prime Meridian.  What's significant about these imaginary lines on the earth is that GPS coordinates are given relative to these positions.  For example, the latitude N 25° 07.450' is a little more than 25 degrees north of the Equator.  The latitude S 25° 07.450' is a little more than 25 degrees south of the Equator, which can also be written as the negative number -25° 07.450'.  The same applies to the Prime Meridian.  Values to the West of the Prime Meridian (such as points in the United States) are represented with a "W" or a negative number, and values to the East (such as points in Japan) are represented with an "E" or a positive number. 

The hemisphere is sometimes a source of confusion since publishers frequently omit the hemisphere from printed coordinates. This can create problems when using these coordinates with some computer programs since computers always assume a positive number when you don't enter a sign (+ and -, or E and W).  So, suppose you're diving in the United States and you see the coordinates for the Christ of the Abyss as:

     25 07.450, 080 17.800

You enter these coordinates directly into your favorite computer program and suddenly you're somewhere in India!  That's because the longitude was entered as a positive number, which would put it East of the Prime Meridian.  Not good.  Be sure to include the hemisphere!

OK, let's talk about the actual numbers.  Using the latitude N 25 07.450 as an example, we can represent this same location as N 25° 07' 27", or simply 25.124167.  They all refer to the same location.  This is the most common source of confusion.  I get e-mails saying things like, "your site lists the Christ of the Abyss as 25 07 450, but this book I have has it as 25 07 27."  See the problem?  Don't ignore the decimal point!  If it's there, then the seconds are represented as a fraction of the minutes.  If it's not there, then the third value is the number of seconds.  Let's break it down:

N 25 07.450 is read as 25 degrees and 7.450 minutes North of the Equator. 

To convert this to the second form, simply take the fraction, .450, and multiply it by the number of seconds in a minute.  .450 x 60 = 27.  Thus, 07.450 minutes is the same as 07 minutes and 27 seconds, or simply 07' 27". 

The third format, 25.124167 is just the degrees as a pure decimal number.  Take the fraction, .124167, and multiply it by the number of minutes in a degree.  Thus, .124167 x 60 = 7.450 minutes. 

Piece of cake, right?  Right!   Again, we publish all GPS coordinates in these three common formats.  Just use the "mode" button on the simulated GPS unit to find the format that suits you best.  If you download the coordinates directly from our site to your GPS unit, we handle the conversions for you.  If you're entering them manually into your GPS unit, be sure you're using the correct entry format or you may find yourself way off the target!

Have you ever used a dive logbook program, either PC-based or Web-based? Did you find yourself saying, "Jeez, I wish it could do such-and-such!"? Well here's your chance to submit your requests for the perfect dive logbook. We've kicked off a project to add personal and public logbooks to DiveSpots.com, and we'd like to hear from you. What features would you find most useful? What cool thing would make it something you would use regularly? And just as important ? what do you find annoying or useless in existing programs?

Send us an e-mail with your comments and help us build something great. To help you get your creative juices flowing, here's a short list of some useful comments we've already received from our members.

• I would like for my dive log to also serve as a blog, call it a "dive blog" so that I can share my dives with my landlubber friends and allow them to post comments.
• Many of the dive logbook programs are too complicated to use.  They have too many required fields, such as surf temperature, weight used, etc. I want to be able to post my dives quickly.
• I want to be able to share my log book with friends and allow my dive buddies to link up.
• I dive with a club. It would be nice to link the club dive logs together.

Please contribute your ideas, wishes, and comments. This is your chance to get the system you want ? you're the experts and we value your suggestions. Here are some general categories upon which you may want to comment. Feel free to add to this list!

• Sharing / posting photos
• Uploading data from a dive computer
• Searching and sorting
• Posting comments
• Linking with buddies, clubs, dive shops, instructors
• Importing / Exporting
• Maps and GPS coordinates
• Data Fields to Capture
• Printing
• Personal (Public/Private) Profiles
• Distributing via RSS / E-mail Notifications

We look forward to your comments!

The April edition of SCUBA DIVING magazine arrived at the office today. While flipping through my favorite magazine (and I'm not just saying that because they published a story about us!), I was pleasantly surprised when I read, on page 22, "A new web site offers a fresh perspective on dive travel, thanks to satellite maps and GPS coordinates that can be downloaded directly to your GPS unit."

Hey, they're talking about us! Check your mailbox for the April edition. If you don't have a subscription, get one! Or run out to your local bookstore now.

Eric, a good friend of DiveSpots, volunteers with MARS, the Marine Animal Rescue Society.  He was recently called upon to help with an injured Manatee spotted in the canals around the Calusa campground near Mile Marker 102 in Key Largo.  Eric shared this story and photos of this successful rescue.

Eric's Account:

"The FFWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) received a call Tuesday, February 21st, of an injured manatee in the canals around Calusa campground in Key Largo.  The FFWC asked the Marine Animal Rescue Society (MARS) for assistance with a rescue. Five members of MARS (a stranding coordinator and 4 volunteers) met up with 3 FFWC manatee rescuers with their boat at Calusa campground. We went and put the boat in the water and went out in the entrance to the bay to receive a quick run down on deploying the capture net and bringing the manatee onboard. While we were doing that, residents located the manatee in a side canal. We went in and used a kayak and a Sea Doo to herd the manatee out to the bay since the boat can't maneuver well in canals. Once it was out in the bay, we dropped the weighted end of the net, and the boat took off and circled the manatee so as to deploy the net around the animal. The net was a 20-foot high net with weights at one end and buoys at the other end. Once circled, the net is closed off and reeled in. Putting the manatee in the boat is fairly easy but requires strength.  The stern of the boat is level with the water so it's just a matter of pulling it in. We went back to the ramp, off-loaded the manatee, kept him wet, and gave him water to keep him hydrated. From what I was told, it would be driven, in a U-Haul, to SeaWorld in Orlando. The injury was extremely serious -- It was hit by a boat's engine propeller inflicting it with a cut that appeared to be approximately 5 inches deep about 24 inches long. The wound was clearly infected, as you could smell a rotting odor."

 MARS is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of marine animals through, rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education. MARS was founded in 1996 and holds a Letter of Agreement from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to rescue, rehabilitate, and release marine mammals stranded in South Florida.  MARS Board and Staff are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to respond to a marine mammal in distress.  As a volunteer-based organization, MARS relies on trained volunteers to help conduct rescue, transport and rehabilitation operations.  MARS holds free monthly trainings for the South Florida community for those interested in aiding MARS with these responsibilities.

Ocean Fest 2006, scheduled for April 21, 22 and 23, 2006 will take place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This event will feature over 200 dive and adventure sports related exhibits under giant tents at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to the dive exhibits, there will be food vendors, music, fashion shows, free seminars, and thousands of dollars in prizes and raffles!

Like last year, DEMA will host an "introduction to diving" event.  DEMA will have a large above-ground pool where individuals interested in trying SCUBA can suit up and dive in!  Anyone age 10 and up can come out and discover the fun and exciting sport of SCUBA diving in the comfort of a tropically warm 26,000-gallon pool. Event attendees will not only have the opportunity to try scuba diving for free, but also to test out some of the latest scuba equipment. Grab a Rum and Coke from one of the local vendors and kick back by the pool (which will be on the beach) to watch this fun event.

Be sure to check out the exhibits and the great seminars throughout the weekend.  Tickets are $7.00 per person per day (discounts available for multi-day passes). Avoid the lines and buy your tickets in advance.

There are new reports that the famed 888-foot USS Oriskany Aircraft Carrier, the "Mighty O", may finally be scuttled off Pensacola before the start of the 2006 hurricane season.   The reports indicate that the massive ship, to be deployed 22 miles southeast of Pensacola, may be sunk by mid-May 2006.  The Oriskany was slated to be sunk as an artificial reef in mid-2005; however, legal issues surrounding the environmental impact of onboard PCBs delayed the sinking.

The Oriskany will be the first U.S. Aircraft Carrier purposely deployed as an artificial reef.  The only other aircraft carrier available for diving is in Bikini Atoll, in the southwest Pacific.  This will be a one-of-a-kind dive destination in the U.S.

The Oriskany will be towed from its current location in Beaumont, Texas, and sunk approximately 22.5 miles southeast of the Pensacola Pass.  She will be placed on a clean white sand bottom in 212 feet of water.  The top of the structure is planned to be at 50 feet, and the flight deck at approximately 110 feet.  Visibility in the area is commonly 60-100 feet.  The warm Gulf waters and light currents should make for spectacular diving conditions.

• Oriskany Pictures and GPS

Horizon Divers, our newest featured partner in our Key Largo section, is offering a 10% off deal when you dive with them this month! Horizon is a full-service dive shop in the heart of Key Largo. Their dive boat, the "Cheeca View", is a 45-foot Corinthian Catamaran -- more stable and a quick ride to the reefs and wrecks.

Print your 10% Off Coupon today! Ask for Dan and let him know Raf sent you!