Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
August 15, 2012

I had shoulder surgery recently and will be out of the water for awhile -- and perhaps a bit hesitant to get back in. What about you? Have you had surgery - joint replacement, back or shoulder surgery, heart surgery, etc.? How long did you wait to dive after the procedure? Where did you choose to dive for the first time afterwards? How did it feel? What kind of service did you get from the dive operator to ensure all went well? What advice would you give to divers who may be facing what you've already gone through? E-mail me at EditorBenD@undercurrent.org

There's still time left for active Undercurrent subscribers -- and that includes you -- to give your dive buddies (max of 5) a free four-month trial subscription to Undercurrent. Its very simple to do -- just go here . Or click on the big "Buddy Gift" link on the members homepage to send your buddies an invitation. There's absolutely no obligation for them, or you, for that matter -- we don't even ask for their credit card number. We'll send them the invitation and copy you.

Make a dive buddy happy and informed: give 'em Undercurrent .Time's running out, so act now!

Amphibian Labs in South Carolina wants to replace pricey dive computers with its new product, iGills, a waterproof case that lets your iPhone descend down to 130 feet and operate as a dive computer, underwater still and video camera, and digital dive log. An accompanying iPhone app offers depth and temperature sensors, flashlight and digital compass. The case and app support multiple diving modes, including air, nitrox and gauge, as well as ascent rate indication, nitrogen loading tracking over multiple dives and a depth alarm. The iGills case is priced at $330 and available to order at www.igills.com

Improving rebreather safety, part 2: the problem with oxygen analyzers. . . rules for divers to live by, from handling yourself on group dive trips to when to wear tank tops (or not) . . . what goes into your wetsuit, and why it costs what it does . . . can dive shops turn you away if you don't buy gear from them? . . . how a worldwide shortage of helium could affect your diving . . . and much more.

This 22-year-old underwater ocean laboratory in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a gem for some lucky scientists, who spend days at a time on missions while living there, doing everything from researching sea sponges to training NASA astronauts for space journeys. But unless new funding is found, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) will shut it down. Legendary oceanographer and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle, who recently led a team of aquanauts on a six-day expedition to Aquarius Reef Base (in what may be the last journey to the lab), is doing outreach for the Aquarius Foundation, which has set up a Facebook page to secure funding. Meanwhile, Aquarius Reef director Tom Potts told Undercurrent that the base also launched a funding campaign at Indiegogo , and can receive contributions directly through its website (aquariusreefbase.org). Potts also tells us that Key Largo-area dive operators are working on a proposal that will make diving to Aquarius Reef part of a recreational diving specialty course.

One diver who visited Cozumel earlier this summer shares his version of an "Open Water" experience. "The captain of the boat couldn't find our group after we surfaced. We could see the boat off in the distance appearing to look for us. He would circle, then turn back and go the other direction. The divemasters with us inflated two large inflatable buoys, holding them up high -- nothing. We were starting to get worried, watching the boat turn south and disappear from view. Finally, one divemaster suggested we swim for shore. The newest diver in our group had a leak in her BCD, so it wouldn't inflate; we had to hold on to her tank and she had to hang on to one part of the buoys. After an hour, the captain found us and began to head our way, but by the time the boat reached us, we had made it to shore." For an upcoming story, we're looking for stories from Undercurrent readers who've had similar scary experiences with the dive boat they've been on. Has a dive boat moved on you while you were in the water? Were propellers engaged while divers were in the water? Were divers not picked up promptly and left stranded for minutes, hours or worse? And how were those incidents resolved by the diver, the boat captain, and even the dive operator? Share your stories - e-mail them to me at EditorBenD@undercurrent.org

Dive all of Cocos Island's famous sites while helping science research to protect marine wildlife. On the expedition, you can tag sea turtles and possibly hammerheads. Two spots are left aboard Undersea Hunter's MV Argo for Sea Turtle Restoration Project's September 24-October 6 trip. The 130-foot research yacht offers spacious staterooms, fantastic divemasters and crew, and great food. The all-inclusive cost once you're in Costa Rica is $7,110 (and may be tax-deductible). Get more details at http://seaturtles.org/expedition, or e-mail Michele Manso at michele@tirn.net

If you've already dived this wreck near Key West, a new art exhibit called "The Vandenberg -- Life Below the Surface" is worth a second trip. Photographer Andreas Franke shot photos of people going about their everyday lives, then blew them up and superimposed them (in waterproof Plexiglas) to different parts of the sunken ships. Ballerinas at the bar rest their points on one of the ship railings. A girl wielding a butterfly net looks to be catching fish. See more of Franke's artwork.

Earlier this year, we reviewed the stellar book Beneath Cold Seas, a coffee-table photography book of British Columbia's marine life by top-notch photographer David Hall. Now he has come out with a video, combining images from the book with images by Matthew Mayer. You can watch it here , and then buy the book through our website

It's not clear how big an honor it is, but Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley now has his name attached to a blood-sucking parasite that infests fish on Jamaica's coral reefs. The naming is not meant to be a sign of disrespect, says marine biologist Paul Sikkel of Arkansas State University, who coined the name Gnathia marleyi to honor Marley. "I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley because of my respect and admiration for Marley's music," Sikkel told the Los Angeles Times. "Plus, this species is as uniquely Caribbean, as was Marley."

Who would have thought dive course certificates could be such a good drug-smuggling tool? Authorities say a lost-luggage handler ran an Ecuador-to-New York City smuggling ring that disguised drugs in cocaine-soaked scuba diving certificates. Jorge Guerrero, 39, allegedly arranged to ship the innocent-looking but packages on cargo planes from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to JFK. Besides sugar and oatmeal cookies packed atop a pound of cocaine, and chocolate candies laced with half a pound of heroin, the seized shipments included a stack of diving course diplomas that had been drenched in more than three pounds of cocaine, which was apparently to be extracted later.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher

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