Flotsam & Jetsam

EDGE and HOG BCD Recall: Edge Dive Gear received an Edge Freedom Buoyancy Compensator with a complaint of a broken spring in the over pressurization valve. Upon inspection, it was clear that the springs in the OPV exhibit an unacceptable amount of corrosion. In cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on October 20, Edge Gear issued a voluntary recall of the Edge Freedom BCDs, Some Edge Stealth 2 BCDs (units with red weight release handles for weight pockets are NOT involved), Hog 32lb Single Tank wings identified as “Made in China” and all Edge 32, 38 and 58lb wings. For more information, please contact EDGE at (404)579- 7631 or email recall@edge-gear.com

Pirate’s Point: Perhaps my favorite Caribbean dive retreat, the Little Cayman institution turns 25 next year. The owner, 78-year-old Gladys Howard, is unstoppable. While she has had two knee replacements and an artificial joint in one of her fingers, she made 23 dives this summer around Komodo and took the two-hour dragon walk on Rinca Island.

Where do Barracuda Go? Carleton University student Amanda O’Toole recently completed her masters in biology studying barracuda in the Bahamas, which are the subject of little research. Some barracudas carry ciguatera toxin, which can poison humans, but unlike people think, fish in one area do no necessarily carry more toxin than fish in other areas, because the barracuda loves to travel. Some stayed in one spot, but others moved as far as 100 kilometers away, and back. In her studies near Eleuthera, she found that the fish disappear for months in the summer, presumably leaving the continental shelf for the deeper regions, most likely to spawn.

Pressure to Stop Bahamas Shark Feeding: In early October, Jane Engle, a local resident, was attacked by a lemon shark while surfing in the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas. It took more than 75 stitches to repair the bite marks in her calf. This was just two weeks after the remains of a man who disappeared after a boat trip with three others off Jaws Beach were found in the stomach of a 12-foot tiger shark. Some people think the attacks are related to scuba operators feeding sharks. William Engle, the surfer’s husband, told the Nassau Tribune, “there has never, in recent memory, been any shark attack here . . . Personally, I would discourage any shark diving adventures in the Abacos or the Bahamas, where they literally feed sharks to bring them in . . . I don’t think that’s a good thing for the Bahamas because these sharks can interact with other humans someplace else and expect to see food.”

Undercurrent Publishing Schedule: Historically, the Nov/Dec issue has been the Chapbook, but since we have stopped printing Undercurrent, the 2011 Chapbook will be available on line December 1. You’ll be able to download it and even print out specific sections. And we hope to make it available on Kindle. We have added this bonus November issue. Of course I would have loved to continue printing the Chapbook, but the rise of the web, the decline of print media, and the continuing decrease in divers means we’ve had to become electronic to survive. I can’t thank you enough for your continuing support

— Ben Davison