Flotsam & Jetsam

Aggressor or Explorer? Here’s two corrections to list for our January issue. In our story “What You’ll Pay on Your Next Dive Trip,” we accidentally printed Aggressor when it should have been an Explorer. Explorer Ventures is the liveaboard fleet with the “5-5-5 Loyalty Program” that lets divers put their next trip on layaway. Regarding the Flotsam & Jetsam mention about yellow dive flags, the Web site www.TheDiveFlag.com is the right place to buy a flag for $50, plus $5 shipping.

A Dive Error to Laugh About. The Los Angeles Times ran a January 12 story about volunteer divers helping to get rid of a sunken trawler’s fishing net that has been killing marine life near Catalina Island. While the story was well-intentioned, we were puzzled to read that the divers used tanks containing nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas. Did they want to giggle their way down to the bottom to make the work more fun? A day later, the Times printed a correction that the writer really meant Nitrox.

Round Up Fish on Your Next Trip. Divers of all levels can join staff from the Boston-based New England Aquarium for a fish-collecting expedition in the Bahamas from May 3 to 13. You’ll help them find reef fish and invertebrates for the 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank and other tropical exhibits. The last day is spent in Miami, prepping fish for the trip to Boston. The tax-deductible fee will be between $3,200 and $3,500, which includes room, meals and cocktails on the R/V Coral Reef II, up to five dives per day, weights and tanks, and the opportunity to dive in the Aquarium’s 200,000-gallon Caribbean reef exhibit. Contact Sherrie Floyd at 617-973-5248 or sfloyd@neaq.org.

The Ghost of Steve Irwin. Either Italian diver Pino Termini has been holding his breath too long during dives, or he really did see the ghost of Steve Irwin during a December dive on Batt Reef near Port Douglas, Australia. That’s where Irwin was pierced by a stingray and died in September 2006. Termini told the Australian press, “As I started my dive, I saw somebody and was surprised because I saw no other boats around. Then I noticed the person had no tank or mask, and I realized that it was none other than the Crocodile Hunter himself. I freaked out, but Steve looked calm and at peace.” Port Douglas dive shops say no one else has reported a sighting.