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Island soldiers pay respects
Sidney man among Canadian Scottish reservists in France this week, page 10
NEWS REVIEW
Book fair coming to Sidney
Pop by The Haunted Bookshop April 23 to 25 for some rare finds, page 12
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
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Student dives into his thesis defence UVic’s Mike Irvine makes history with underwater teleconference from the Salish Sea Angela Cowan News staff
Never one to take the easy road, Mike Irvine not only defended his masters thesis on Monday afternoon, he did it while making university history. The University of Victoria student plunged into the sea at the James Island Road wharf in Central Saanich, pinstripes buttoned over his wetsuit, to explain via underwater teleconference how the use of marine web cameras can revolutionize ocean education by bringing the sea depths within reach of anyone. “The biggest reason for all of this is that there are very few people who know very much about the ocean,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to see what’s down beneath the waves.” Following a lifelong passion for the ocean and scuba diving, Irvine, 27, and several friends first explored the idea by doing a live dive at Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf for World Oceans Day in 2013 with a GoPro camera jerry-rigged to a scuba mask. The equipment was basic, and it was simply an interested audience on shore watching a television set showing the camera’s feed. Public response was huge and the project rapidly expanded with Irvine creating a company to develop and build better marine cameras. He also cofounded The Fish Eye Project, a non-profit dedicated to ocean education. Two years and many innovations later, their live dives can now be streamed on your computer, smartphone or tablet, and the divers can even answer questions in real time too.
UVic masters student Mike Irvine throws his arms up in victory after spending more than an hour underwater - in pinstripe vest and wetsuit defending his thesis via teleconference.
Please see: Thesis helps open a new, page 5
Angela Cowan/ News staff
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