News
Florida Boy, 7, Finds Ancient Canoe While Scuba Diving

A 7-year-old boy may have uncovered a piece of history while scuba diving with his grandfather at Owen Lake near Ocala, South Florida.
Koen Ergle saw a piece of wood in about 8 feet of water a couple of weeks ago and pointed it out to his grandfather, former Marion County Sheriff Ken Ergle.
His grandfather wanted to keep moving, but Koen was persistent.
“He was on my secondary respirator and I could hear him making noises and pointing to the wood,” Ken Ergle told the Ocala Star-Banner. “I started fanning the sand off and still wasn’t quite sure what it was.”
He thought it was an old stump or a piece of a dock, but his grandson said it looked like a canoe. And, after two weekends of digging, they found out he was right. A nearly 20-foot canoe emerged from the lake bed.
“This is very complete, this is in good shape,” said Julia Byrd, a senior archaeologist for the Bureau of Archaeological Research, Division of Historical Resources said Thursday. “These are ones we can really learn from.”
Byrd was among the officials who came to the site near Ocala to see the canoe. It will be slowly dried and eventually put on display at the Marion County Museum of History and Archaeology.
Byrd took samples to carbon date the canoe, which some believe could be several hundred years old, and to find out what kind of wood was used to build it.
“Many of the canoes found in Florida turn out to be made of pine, rather than cypress,” Byrd said. “It’s really hard to tell if they are prehistoric or historic. We use to think that the more refined canoes came later, but that is not always the case. People have been living in this area for thousands of years, so that is why we are doing carbon dating.”
The process will take several months.
The family donated the canoe to the museum.
“We just moved here two months ago,” said the boy’s father, Nick Ergle. “It’s amazing to think all the history that has gone on in this area.”
Source: www.nbcmiami.com
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Roots Red Sea is the Travelers’ Choice

There is a remote spot on the coast of the Egyptian Eastern Desert that has been steadily developing an enviable reputation amongst the worlds diving community. It’s absolutely no surprise then that Roots Red Sea has just received TripAdvisors top award, Travelers Choice, the 10th year running it has been recognised with awards from TripAdvisor!
With a passing glance, many divers have dismissed a visit to this gem, its rustic appearance and remote location seemingly enough to deter further consideration. However, those that take a closer look have been rewarded with simply a totally unique experience with awesome diving, an unbelievable welcome and life long memories.
Winning an award once could be luck, every year for 10 years, there has to be a reason. Why not go to find out what it is?
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The BiG Scuba Podcast… with Nays Baghai

Gemma and Ian chat to Nays Baghai. Inspired by The Blue Planet as a child, Nays’ work as an underwater cinematographer and photographer has been showcased by numerous premier brands, including Rolex and Sony Alpha. Nays was featured amongst the Top 30 finalists of the Australasian Top Emerging Photographers competition in the Portfolio and Animal categories. He is a PADI-certified Freediving Instructor and Master Scuba Diver, and can dive to 40m both with and without tanks.
Have a listen here:
Find out more:
- Instagram @naysbaghai
- Website www.runningcloudproductions.com
Find more podcast episodes and information at the new www.thebigscuba.com website and on most social platforms @thebigscuba
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