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Nikole Ordway bio picture

About Me

I was born and raised in San Diego, California. Went to college at San Diego State University where I obtained a degree in Biology with an emphasis in Zoology. During college I achieved my dream job as a dolphin trainer for the US Navy's Marine Mammal Program. In 2007, I became a PADI Dive Instructor and worked parttime for Sport Chalet teaching classes. In 2008, I packed up and moved to Hawaii to persue a career in the dive industry. While in Oahu I started painting again and I started enjoying my time freediving. Also while I was in Hawaii I acheived another goal of mine, I became a licensed 100 Ton boat captain. At the end of 2008 I packed up again and I was off on my adventure. The rest is still unwritten...

My Passion

I was put on this earth to teach people to appreciate the ocean and the creatures within it. My mission is to use my adventures and my scuba instructor certification to bring awareness to divers and any one else I encounter in my lifetime. If I can inspire some one to get involved and seek awareness to the present issues that our oceans are facing then I've done my job. I would like to dedicate my work to Steve Irwin...he will forever be in my heart guiding me through my mission.

Along with posting stories of my adventures…I would like to update everyone who reads this with the current issues connected too ocean conservation. So please feel free to email questions, concerns, or comments…I would love to hear from you. Also if you feel like one of my updates has touched you and you want to know how to give more or do something…check out the links on this website.

Monthly Archives: March 2009

Extreme Sportfishing and a lesson about catch & release methods

So you all know that  love to sport fish and I came across these videos and I thought they were quite entertaining.

Marlin on a surfboard

Helicopter fishing

So to get some information out there about fishing and the stress it gives the fish I would like to educate on this subject…

There are several reasons to practice catch and release.  Releasing a fish allows it to be caught again and be enjoyed by other anglers.  Also, fishing regulations often require fish of a certain size to be released.  Stress on fish increases when being caught, landed, and released and must be minimized in order to survive this process.

Stress is negative, whether you’re a person or a fish, and the higher the stress level, the longer it takes to recover.  When fish are caught, a number of factors contribute to how much stress they experience. Effects of stressors on fish add up quickly.  The more stress they experience, the lower the chance they will survive if released.

Ways to Reduce Stress and Increase Fish Survival

  • Hook, land, and release fish quickly.
  • Fish with techniques that allow for easy release of fish.
  • As water temperature rises, releasing fish becomes difficult.
  • Fish in shallow water (less than 30 feet deep) to increase survival of fish.
  • “Fizzing” of fish should not be done by anglers

Hope this gives you some answers about sport fishing and remember to always check your local laws about your fishing limits and permits.

Reef Diving in Ft Lauderdale 3/21/09

The seas were rough and the rain poured down but that didn’t keep us from diving Saturday. I went on an amazing dive for Ft. Lauderdale Caves…in one dive I saw a sea turtle which is rare to see, a sea goddess nudibranch, arrow crab, lobster, and a free swimming octopus. And another dive I got a close encounter with a nurse shark!!! I was excited that the day of dives went well.

Dive Profile

Dive 1  34ft  38mins  Dive 2 30ft  38 mins  Dive 3  33ft  44 mins….surface temp 75 degrees F  using my Suunto D4 Computer.

A day in the life of a Scuba Instructor…

So Aqua Lung put together a contest for dive instructors to make a testimonial about why they like their Aqua Lung Slingshot fins. So since I wear them I thought why not make a video and maybe win the grand prize, a trip to Italy!!! So take a look at my video, let me know what you think!!! The Slingshot fins come in sliver, red, blue…and coming soon pink!

Nikole\’s Slingshot Fins Video

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE FOR ME to WIN at Aqua Lung’s website click here.