Cruise ship operators would prefer that their passengers exist in a hermetically sealed bubble, where they can enjoy the sea without ever having to be exposed to it; where their passengers can look up occasionally from drinking, dining and spending money in the onboard shops or at the casino to be reminded that the sea is still out there.
The sea doesn’t always cooperate. Last March, we posted about a large wave that smashed into a cruise ship in the Mediterranean killing two passengers. Less tragically, the cruise ship Pacific Sun got caught in bad weather off the coast of New Zealand in 2008. No deaths were reported but 42 of the 2403 passengers and crew onboard were injured. Recently closed circuit videos of the scene onboard made their way to the net and have been widely distributed. If you haven’t stumbled across it yet, it is both fascinating and terrifying.
ALARMING footage has emerged showing passengers and furniture being thrown
A twelve year old male orca whale, named Sumar by SeaWorld, died suddenly at their San Diego facility on Tuesday. Sadly its death was not untypical. Male orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 years. Many live into their 50s and 60s. Female orcas have an average life expectancy of 50 years though some have been known to live into their 90s. Despite a steady food supply and medical care, 
Two projects are underway in Maine and Oregon to produce energy from ocean waves. 
The 
Hurricane Earl, or rather tropical storm Earl, spun its way past New York, far enough out to sea so we had neither wind nor rain to mark his passing. Having missed this hurricane, here is an interesting article on 
An oil platform operated by Mariner Energy exploded today near Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. One worker was reported injured. No one was killed and no significant oil spill resulted. Mariner Energy has been involved at least 13 offshore accidents since 2006 in Gulf of Mexico waters — including a blowout and four fires.
Two major maritime festivals on the US East coast, scheduled for the Labor Day weekend, appear to be generally in the path of Hurricane Earl. The organizers of the 
