Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
June 19, 2012

They're offering specials on Caribbean trips and a huge grand prize. For departures between August 25 and September 29, enjoy "2 for $2,500" specials to Saba, St. Kitts and St. Maarten, a savings of $645 per person. Offering up to 5 dives per day, this itinerary also has island tours available. To win the grand prize -- an all-expense-paid trip for 2 to the Northeastern Caribbean -- you must "Like" Explorer Ventures' Facebook page to enter the drawing. See more details at our Special Offers page .

If you have Spike TV on your cable menu, tune in this Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT when "Diamond Divers" airs its first of six episodes. Divers from Washington State hunt for billions worth of diamonds off South Africa's Skeleton Coast. Led by crusty, Harley-riding Captain John, they target the original mouth of the Groen River, thought to have an untouched jackpot of diamonds hidden deep in the trenches of the ocean floor. Sounds like a good alternative to "Deadliest Catch" reruns.

The TSA has a recent post about traveling through airports with scuba gear. Charlie Foreman, a customer support manager in Mississippi with 5,500 dives under his belt, gave his advice. Some tips: pack expensive gear in your carry-on; ditto with prescription masks; pack your BC in your dive bag, place it in the middle of your suitcase and surround it with your fins for protection. For all of Foreman's suggestions, go to here

What goes into your wetsuit, and why it costs what it does . . . a diver's death shows why carbon monoxide poisoning may be more widespread than you think . . coral, shmoral -- new methods the dive industry is using to keep you going underwater . . . why overseas divers need to jump through more hoops for DAN insurance than U.S. divers do . . . and much more. . .

The 165-foot-long Coast Guard cutter, put into use during WWII, is being prepared for its new life as an artificial reef near Fort Myers Beach for divers to explore. Sometime in the next few weeks, the Mohawk will be sunk to 90 feet at Charlie's Reef, 28 miles west of Redfish Pass. Replica deck guns and lifeboats will be mounted on the ship, and instead of being removed, the engine will be cleaned in place to add interest for divers, who will be able to swim down the smokestack to the engine room on the bottom deck. The Mohawk is the last remaining ship of WWII's Battle of the Atlantic, launching 14 attacks against enemy submarines between August 1942 and April 1945, and it was the last vessel to radio Eisenhower that weather would be clear enough to launch the Normandy invasion.

Many of them are experts on diving and marine life, and two of our readers just alerted us to new offerings they're making available to the public. John Hoover (Volcano, HI) just released Hawaii Fish ID Pro , an iPad app with more than 300 videos, 900 photos and copious information about Hawaii's 324 types of reef fish. On the opposite side of the U.S., subscriber Herb Segars (Brick, NJ) published Beneath the Garden State: Exploring Aquatic New Jersey. He writes about and photographs the state's fish, sharks, wrecks and artificial reefs, interspersed with his personal accounts of 30 years diving the Jersey Shore. For more information or to order, visit here

Project AWARE Wants to Hear It. The nonprofit just announced the Ocean Action Project, a new program seeking out new, results-driven projects that tackle two areas: cleaning up marine debris and protecting critical shark and ray species. It's particularly looking for locally-focused and measurable ocean conservation initiatives, meaning you should focus on cleaning up marine debris on your local beach instead of getting rid of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- maximum funding given is $5,000. The deadline to apply is August 1; get the how-to's at www.projectaware.org/OceanActionProject

All marine life, great and small, are amazing, but some are cuter, some are just plain weird, especially when caught on video. If you have some time to watch them, Gizmodo's compilation of the "seven weirdest creatures under the sea" , includes Deepstaria enigmatica and the "vampire squid from hell." Then watch Footage Search's version of "The Ocean's Funniest Home Videos" , with penguins, crabs and octopuses doing pratfalls, standoffs, dancing and other activities that look hilarious from the right camera angle.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher

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