Angry Planet

JOURNAL - SEPTEMBER

Sept. 28 2009 - Crystal Beach, Ontario

What a crazy day it was. I knew things were going to get interesting in the Great Lakes, but I was not expecting what ended up happening.

Strong winds gusting to 105 km/h and 4 meter waves lashed the eastern end of Lake Erie, making for dangerous water conditions that were irresistible to local surfers and a few storm chasers. I chased this event with chase partner Mark Robinson, but it didn't turn out so well for him... He was hit by a large wave and slammed down to the rocks & ended up breaking his foot. I brought him to a local hospital and after he was released, we went back out and chased the storm system some more.

A tribute to our dedication and modern pain killers.

He's doing OK, but has to see an orthopedic surgeon to see if he needs to have surgery. No matter what, he's going to be out of storm chasing mode for a while...

At least this chase wasn't a "bust"... Uh, oh wait, I guess it was.

Sept. 24 2009 - Toronto

Summer is over and the brief Canadian autumn is upon us which will quickly become winter. Although it is sad to see the summer go, there are always opportunities to encounter interesting weather, whatever the season. Soon I'll be tracking down lake effect snow squalls, but I'm hoping for at least one more hurricane chase before the season is completely over.

- Environment Canada has recently updated its tornado count from the severe weather outbreak of Aug. 20th. The total now stands at 17 confirmed tornadoes with several other possible tornadoes still under investigation. This ties the record number of tornadoes in one day, matching the Aug 2nd 2006 outbreak. It was a wild day, we typically get about a dozen tornadoes in Southern Ontario each year and this was 17 in the span of a few HOURS!

- Last night I went to the Gemini Awards Nominees party in Toronto. This is a get together for all the people who are nominated in every category. The Geminis celebrate the best in Canadian television and I am nominated for the second year in a row for hosting Angry Planet. The awards ceremony is going to be held in Calgary on Nov 14th.

Sept. 19 2009 - New Broadcaster

Angry Planet can now be seen weekends on all the City TV networks in Canada. Check your local listings to see what time the show airs in your area. Click here to see a full list of the Angry Planet broadcasters worldwide.

Are you interested in coming storm chasing and trying out a storm chasing tour company for yourself? Confused about which one might be right for you. Well look no further. Christoffer Björkwall from Sweden has taken the time to compile all the details from practically all the storm chase tour companies and assembled them onto one page.

www.stormchasingusa.com breaks it all down for you.

For the past 6 years I have been guiding for Cloud 9 Tours so of course I am biased, but go check out the comparison site for yourself.

Sept. 16 2009 - What's Going On

Well, as much as I would love to be out in the Pacific Ocean right now, chasing typhoon Choi-Wan, I chose to not pursue this one. The worst of the storm is going to pass very close to Iwo To (Iwo Jima) as a very powerful typhoon and it is currently at category 5 strength with insane wind speeds of 160 mph!

The expense and high probability of missing the storm due to such a small target island have weighed against any attempted intercept on the outer Japanese islands so instead, I'll be tracking this one from home. The season is still young and although there is no activity hurricane activity in the Atlantic, I am still expecting some more tropical action before the snow flies.

There is still plenty of Angry Planet filming to be done this year and although I can't go into details at this time about what we are planning, expect plenty of photos from new adventures. Season three has been outstanding and I can't wait until they start airing in the new year. As a reminder, season one box set is available from Amazon.com

Sept. 11 2009 - Spaceweather.com

For the third day in a row, photos of my Crystal Cave adventure have been featured on the front page of Spaceweather.com. It is amazing how many hits I've been getting due to the overwhelming response. Thank you so much to everyone who has been sending me emails about the photos. It truly was an incredible experience.

For those of you who would like the opportunity to visit such an incredible place...

Although it is not open to the public, There might be a chance of me returning and putting together an organized trip. Right now I want to see how much interest there is in such a thing. It would not be cheap, but if you think that this kind of thing is for you, send me an email and I can keep you "in the loop." 

Sept. 09 2009 - Toronto

I am back from Mexico and I must say that even with all my journeys to every corner of the globe, and with all I've seen, I can still be blown away by the marvels of Nature.

The Crystal Cave was one of the most incredible experiences. I still have a hard time believing that it was real! The incredible heat, the humidity, the sheer size of the crystals all make the place seem like an alien planet.

I have created a new page with additional photos and descriptions of what it was like.

I use the term "Inner Space Terranauts" to describe the exploration, since it is more akin to going into space than almost anything else on Earth. What makes it even more special is that the cave will not be around forever, future generations may not even get the opportunity to see it with their own eyes. The cave is located about 170 Meters below the water table and the Naica mine pumps out tens of thousands of gallons of water every day to keep the mine working. Once the mine has exhausted the mineral supply in the area, the pumps will be shut off and the cave will once again disappear from sight... Possibly forever.

When will this happen? Nobody knows, so our opportunity to study the cave and learn its secrets is limited.

It was also an honour to carry the Explorers Club flag down into the cave. This was a first!

 
Sept. 04 2009 - Naica Crystal Cave, Mexico

Just a quick update for now... I'm too exhausted to write much. The cave was incredible! we were set up just outside the iron door that protects it and even there the heat was oppressive. There was a whole crew looking after us with a paramedic, a cooling technician and several other helpers.

The cooling suits are basically ice pack vests underneath protective coveralls that help to keep your core temperature down for longer entries into the cave. The backpack respirators. pump air over ice and up to a mouthpiece like a fighter pilot would wear.

Even with all this protection, it was completely unbearable after only 15 minutes or so. Your body basically starts dying as soon as you enter the cave and the heat forces every cell in your body to scream "Get Out"

The beauty of the cave made it worth it. It is unlike anything else on Earth.

I will post a full summary with more photos when I get home from Mexico.

Sept. 03 2009 - Naica Crystal Cave, Mexico

I can't believe I made it here!

I've been up since 3 AM and I've already been through 3 countries today but all the travel was worth it. I've arrived in Naica and I got the chance to go into the mine and down to the crystal cave. Most of our time today was spent in the antechamber, just outside the cave where it is a "cool" 41 degrees Celsius. We were allowed a brief entry to the cave to experience what real heat is like without wearing cooling suits. As soon as you step inside, it is overwhelming. The heat and humidity are instantly oppressive and we were only able to remain inside for 12 minutes. Any more would have been too dangerous.

I can safely say that the cave is the most spectacular wonder of nature I have ever laid eyes upon. It is so stunning that you almost forget how dangerous it really is in there. The beauty is beyond comparison and the fact that it is so difficult to be inside the cave, makes me appreciate it that much more. Tomorrow we'll be spending the whole day in and out of the cave with the protective cooling suits and our cameras are currently warming up inside overnight so that they will not fog up.