DIVE LOG DECEMBER 25 ISSUE 415

inside the bellies of whales, it won’t be long before we’re all asphyxiated. The fact is,” he said, “that nobody seems interested in championing the cause of the tiny stuff, regardless of its importance.” Even for Krabbmann, (a person without equal when it comes to making two plus two equal five) it was a lousy defence of whaling; a stance that he attempted to justify by pointing out the impact that an oxygen-enriched atmosphere would have on diving. “For a start, divers wouldn’t need to be convinced that smoking was a health hazard and incompatible with good diving practice - anyone attempting to light a cigarette could kiss goodbye to their eyebrows; nobody would have to fork out extra money on a nitrox course – that’d all be covered in diving 101; there’d be a greater acceptance of mixed gases for deep diving; and the role of narcosis in causing diving ‘accidents’ would be reduced considerably. And then there’s …”

better read this report from a scientist who claims that some species of phytoplankton, rather than simply doing what plants do best and using the sun’s rays to turn carbon-dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis - and then reflecting the heat back into space - actually absorb the rays and are contributing to the greenhouse effect and the planet’s warming.” “If that’s the case” Krabbmann said, in a typical about-face, “then we should be doing all that we can to protect whales and encouraging them to eat more, not condoning their slaughter. “Penguins, of course, are another matter. All of those black feathers soak up the heat. If they’re allowed to breed indiscriminately then there’s a very real risk that the Antarctic ice cap will start to melt, causing a rise in sea levels that’ll flood out the dive shop.” Sadly, Krabbmann, like many others, gives too little thought to the complexity and magic of life – and the importance of conserving it all.

“Before you get carried away”, I interrupted, “you’d

—-ENDS—-

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DIVE LOG Australasia #415 December ‘25

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