Melissa Smith is a senior editor for Scuba Diving. An avid writer, scuba diver, backpacker and all-around outdoor enthusiast, she holds degrees in journalism and sustainability studies from the University of Florida. Before joining Scuba Diving, Melissa worked as the executive editor of EcoWatch and as the communications manager of The Ocean Agency, a nonprofit featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary Chasing Coral. Her work and expertise have been featured in outlets such as USA Today, The Guardian, National Geographic, Climbing magazine and MarketWatch.
Back to Scuba Gear
Melissa Smith Articles
Divers discovered the wreckage of *The Providenz*, a 300-year-old Irish ship ran aground by a drunken crew, off the coast of Mandal, Norway.
Recordings of fin whale songs let a scientist measure the thickness and compactness of layers of Earth’s crust up to about 10,000 feet below the seafloor.
The biomimetic design houses an underwater glass wall so visitors and scientists can see marine creatures in their natural habitat.
Researchers boring into an Antarctic ice shelf found a boulder coated in life like sponges, the first of its kind ever recorded, in an environment where larger life was thought to not exist.
The Whale Heritage Site title signifies it as an area has cultural ties and educational, sustainable interactions with both whales and dolphins.
Great dive sites for a drive-and-dive from Pennsylvania to Maine.
Some shark populations have decreased by 70 percent. The oceanic whitetip shark experienced the greatest decline, losing 98 percent of their population in just 60 years.
Extractive activities would not be permitted if the underwater forest is protected as a a National Marine Sanctuary, but research and recreation could continue.
A new study finds that the presence of Caribbean king crabs on Florida reefs combats algal overgrowth harming reefs.