New Magazine for Shark Divers

Remember when there was only one dive magazine? Or maybe two? These days, highly focused new dive publications seem to be coming out all the time. One of the latest is Shark Diver, which calls itself "not just another dive magazine ... a way of life!" Editor-in-Chief Eli Martinez sounds ecstatic about his new venture: "I get to shark dive and bring together shark junkies from around the world," he wrote in a recent issue.

Published in Alamo, TX (shark diving capital of the great Southwest), the bimonthly slick has featured photo essays and articles from some big names in the underwater world, including Walt Stearns, Marty Snyderman, Eric Hanauer, and Stan Waterman. Reader photos and stories are welcome as well.

So far the magazine has garnered support from advertisers such as Whites Dry Suits, Walker's Cay, Sea Vision, Zeagle, the Aggressor Fleet ... even Dos Equis beer. But a lot of the pages contain house ads for merchandise or expeditions being marketed by the magazine, which has formed its own dive club. The club's first outing is a sand tiger shark expedition out of Morehead City, N.C., on August 30-September 2.

The cover story in the most recent issue features whale sharks in the Galapagos. Other articles cover great whites at Guadalupe (200 miles southwest of San Diego), the dogfish of British Columbia, shark week in Palau, a Shark Research Institute tagging project in the Sea of Cortez, scalloped hammerheads at Costa Rica's Cocos Island, blue shark diving in New England, and tales of shark encounters by photographers Jim Abernethy and Doug Perrine. Some contributors, such as Abernethy and Neal Watson, are featured in ads as well, which makes one wonder how objective their reporting might be.

Still, if you're one of those folks who calls in sick during Shark Week on TV and you just can't get enough of your favorite subject in the other dive magazines, give Shark Diver a go. It's $19.95 for a year's subscription and can be ordered on the website (www.sharkdivermag.com) or by calling (956) 782-7969.