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Royal Canadian Geographical Society

Roy Brown and the Red Baron

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Most people familiar with WWI history have heard of the notorious German Flying Ace – the RED BARON. But do you know who shot him down? I’ll give you a hint – it wasn’t a comic strip beagle named Snoopy flying on a doghouse! I live in an old mill that was once owned by his family, so I dug deep into the life of this humble Canadian man who lived in Carleton Place, Ontario.

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Jeopardy and a Secret Chemical Weapons Plant?

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What do Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, Canadian Geographic Magazine, and a WW2 weapons lab have in common? The secret is at 50 Sussex Drive in Canada’s capital of Ottawa. Robert McClellan and I share the story in our first installment of “My Canada.” If you are wondering about the details of the chemical weapons production, here are a few more interesting points. From 1940-47, the Rideau Falls Chemical Weapons Lab produced flame thrower fuel and B1 dye used to detect mustard gas in addition to a number of other “classified chemical compounds.” By the end of the war, the lab…

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Shooting the Shipwreck Sweepstakes

By | All Posts, Into The Planet Book, Jill Heinerth, Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Underwater Photo and Video | No Comments

I learned to dive in Tobermory, Canada, the site of Fathom Five National Marine Park in Lake Huron. In this small park, literally dozens of 150-200- year-old shipwrecks lie at the bottom of the lake. In some cases, they are almost stacked on top of each other, a testament to the storms of November that were immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot as he sang about the Edmund Fitzgerald. But this wreck, the Sweepstakes, has been visited by more people than perhaps any other Great Lakes Shipwreck. It lies in only 20 feet of water in Big Tub Harbor. Today, people snorkel…

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Swimming with Polar Bears

By | All Posts, Arctic, Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Underwater Photo and Video, We Are Water | No Comments

Under Thin Ice In the fall of 2018, I was shooting a film called Under Thin Ice for the Nature of Things on CBC. My colleague and fellow filmmaker Mario Cyr, suggested that we work together to get a shot of a polar bear swimming in the open water. As the icons of climate change, these amazing animals normally hunt on top of the ice, but climate change has forced them into the water to find food – a sevenfold increase of time in the water over the ice. Polar bears can swim 10 kph for 10 days without stopping…

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Underwater Canada 3 of 5

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The Graveyard of Shipwrecks – Canada’s Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River As a new diver, I was told that there were thousands of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. I began my diving career at Fathom Five National Marine Park on Lake Huron and saw five wrecks on my first weekend of diving. It seemed like a good start. But that count may be a little off. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum has documented over 6,000 wrecks with the loss of over 30,000 men. But, historian Mark Thompson has estimated that there are more than 25,000 wrecks beneath the watery…

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Women’s Dive Day

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Canadian Geographic gave me the opportunity to put together my thoughts about Women’s Dive Day. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) launched a simple idea in 2015 — encourage women to gather together for a day of their own — Women’s Dive Day. In communities all over the globe, women organized charters, cleanups, workshops, and events. They set records, supported charities, and brought new friends to the sport. Over five years, thousands of events have taken place in nearly 200 countries. This year, the global pandemic may limit physical gatherings, but the sentiment is still strong. Digital presentations and…

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Underwater Canada Series

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Dive into the remarkable underwater vistas of Canada through this series on Scuba Diving Magazine. From the Arctic to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway, Canada has the longest coastline in the world. Eight percent of the landscape is covered by lakes, greater than any other country. I’ll never be able to experience more than a drop in the bucket of diving opportunities, but last year, I completed my goal to take a plunge in every province and territory. This five-part web series offers a peek into what gets Canadian divers excited about their home waters. PART ONE…

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The Homebound Explorer

By | Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Uncategorized | No Comments

Underwater explorer Jill Heinerth shares her thoughts on being homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jill and Robert discuss the future of exploration, the Scuba Diving industry, and how life may change forever after the coronavirus crisis. Direct download linkJill’s New Book: Into The Planet, My Life as a Cave Diver – USA Order – Canada OrderBook Jill to speak to your groupJill’s Youtube Channel Follow Jill Heinerth on Twitter: @jillheinerthInstagram: @jillheinerth All music used on our podcast are original compositions by Jill Heinerth and Robert McClellan.

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Ice Diving Tips – Staying Warm with a Drysuit

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Reliable drysuits are critical for survival and comfort in cold water. Without proper exposure protection, one could expect to survive for less than 45 minutes in water that is near freezing. In less than 15 minutes, unconsciousness would be likely. The best drysuits are custom-tailored and manufactured with custom features. When wearing heavy layers, you still need good range of motion. A drysuit should be light and soft but also durable and flexible. A cold-water hood should be made with supple, stretchy neoprene that seals well on the face. Undergarments must be of a technical variety that will retain insulation…

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Ice Diving Tips – Scuba Regulators in Cold Water

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Scuba regulators are life-support devices. When you use these under ice and in extreme temperatures, it is important to have confidence in their operation. Regulator free-flows are one of the most significant hazards when diving under ice or in very cold water (less than 4°C). The sudden drop in pressure causes the condition as air passes from the cylinder through the first stage. When high-pressure air passes through the first-stage, it hyper-cools the metal moving parts. In a piston reg, small ice crystals can block the piston open, causing more airflow and trapping the piston open, creating a vicious feedback…

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