Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
September 24, 2012

In May, Miflex recalled 17,000 double-braided, high-pressure hoses which could burst at the consoles Phantom now has similar problems -- its double-braided, flexible high-pressure hoses can burst at the crimp fitting attaching to the first state, leading to rapid depletion of air. They are recalling the 11Q3, 11Q4, and 12Q1 lots (the date codes) of those hoses. Phantom hose users should check the hose male fitting that screws into the regulator first stage -- if the hex is stamped with one of those date codes above, send the hose to Innovative Scuba Concepts, the distributor (no packaging or proof of purchase required). For all the details, go to here

What's the diving like in Florida these days. . . what goes into your wetsuit, why it costs what it does, and why some keep you warmer than others . . . can dive shops turn you away if you don't buy gear from them? . . . how a worldwide shortage of helium is affecting technical diving . . . what one dive operator did after passengers started talking to the media about the death of a diver on one of its trips . . . our readers' experiences about diving after a major medical procedures . . . why you shouldn't take that introductory offer to dive on a brand-new liveaboard itinerary . . . and much more.

Buddy Offer Extended and Expanded

Our give-your-dive-buddy-Undercurrent offer has proved to be very popular amongst subscribers, so we've extended it and now allow you to give ALL your dive buddies (not limited to five anymore) 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. They just choose a username and password and are all set.

Make a dive buddy happy and informed: give 'em Undercurrent. This offer won't last forever, so act now!

It's obvious that Caribbean reefs are in decline, but a new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that they have completely collapsed. In the most comprehensive study to date of Caribbean coral reefs, scientists have discovered that the total amount of healthy coral has dropped from a 50 to 60 percent rate in the 1970s to less than 10 percent today. The hardest-hit areas include Jamaica, the Florida Keys, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico (less than 15 percent of coral reefs surviving), and the least-affected areas are the Caymans, Curacao and Bonaire (25 to 30 percent). IUCN scientists say the remaining 10 percent of Caribbean corals can be protected, and overfishing reduced, by governments establishing marine protection areas, and also working with local fishers to raise the price of individual fish so that fewer of them need to be caught.

Last year, we published excerpts from Dennis and Debbie Jacobson's self-published book , The Scuba Snobs" Guide to Diving Etiquette. . Based on additional "reporting" from recent dive trips and direct input from their readers, the Jacobsons have all new Dos and Don'ts for sport divers to follow, from buddy-diving etiquette to when men should and shouldn't wear tank tops. Order through our Books page and you'll get Amazon's best price -- and our profits will go to save coral reefs.

Next time you're diving in the Caymans, download the Tourism Association's new app , free for both Apple and Android phone users, to find out what's new, where to go and how to get around. Features include daily news releases about what's happening, daily flight schedules and interactive Google maps showing where businesses are located.

Ever heard of Foursquare, the app that lets you "check in" at a spot and alert everyone in the world to where you are? Now great white sharks have their own version of that. Shark Net is a free app for the iPhone and iPad from a team at Stanford University Marine Sciences working on the Global Tagging of Pacific Predators Project. They've been deploying acoustic detection buoys and robotic "wave gliders" in key locations where they know great whites s tend to congregate, and then track them in real time. They've even given the sharks names, such as Chomp and Scargirl. Your app will notify you when Chomp, Scargirl or another shark "check-in" by passing within 1,000 feet of the listening device. Shark Net also has interactive maps, photos of the sharks, historical tracking data and 3D interactive model of sharks complete with unique markings and fin shapes that the researchers use to recognize individuals in the wild.

Kudos to Cathay Pacific, for announcing it will no longer carry shark fin on its cargo flights. The Hong Kong-based carrier, which is one of the world's largest cargo airlines, said in a statement that it would "stop shipping unsustainably sourced sharks and shark-related products." And kudos to the environmental groups in Asia that sent a joint petition to Cathay Pacific, citing Hong Kong government figures that showed 10,500 tons of shark fin were imported into the territory last year, with Cathay Pacific alone handling as much as 650 tons. The airline said that the real figure was much lower, and that while most shark fishing is incompatible with its position on sustainable development, the cargo ban on shark fins will not have a material impact on its business.

The Australian marine conservation pioneer, famous for filming underwater footage in Jaws, died on September 8 at age 78. He had battled myeloid leukemia for two years. A former champion spearfisherman, Taylor turned to protecting marine life after an underwater epiphany made him realize he didn't want to kill then anymore. His passion and proficiency with an underwater camera got Taylor the call from Steven Spielberg to film some of the iconic underwater sequences in Jaws, although later he expressed concern that the blockbuster film had hurt the image of a creature he had come to respect. He's survived by his wife, Valerie, with whom he worked for more than 40 years conserving and filming sharks worldwide.

Not long after we first started Undercurrent in 1975, we wrote of a dolphin trying to get it on with a female diver, but we were pooh-poohed. Over the years, we wrote of similar accounts, and while there was still a lot of disbelief, divers began to realize that they just might become the subject of dolphin love. Now comes this YouTube video of "Stinky", a loner male dolphin cruising the sandbars of Grand Cayman, looking for love in all the wrong places. Michael Maes was diving at Hepps Wall in West Bay with his wife and fellow underwater photographer Alex Mustard earlier this month, and had to fend off Stinky with his fins and camera when the dolphin tried to pin him to the seabed floor. As the trio started to ascend, Stinky held onto Maes, "courting him," says his wife. Stinky has gotten so aggressive that the Cayman Islands Department of Environment has put out a public request to divers and snorkelers, warning them to avoid feeding or interacting with him.

That's what Gary Levine of Reefbuilders International envisions. He's working on a scale replica of England's famous prehistoric stone monument, with construction starting next spring in waters approximately 50 feet deep three miles off Key Biscayne, (near his other famous artificial reef, the Neptune Reef graveyard). Levine wants to build his Stonehenge in its original form, when it was completed between 3000 and 2000 B.C.,. It will take up a half acre of the ocean floor, be built of carved limestone from a local quarry, and the columns (with the tallest of them rising 24 feet from the bottom) will be oriented just like the original, lining up with summer and winter solstices. Levine is looking for help to fund the project, estimated at around $450,000, and he is offering 65 "naming opportunities" those who support his Stonehenge. If you're interested in helping, contact Levine at here

That's what Ben Burville, an underwater photographer and the local doctor in his British town, posted at the beginning of his latest YouTube video. He was diving in the North Sea off the Northumberland Coast last month when he came across a friendly grey seal that hung around to hold hands with Burville and be filmed doing so. As Burville commented on his video, the front flippers of the seal can grasp much like a human hand. Talk about a great dive buddy.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher

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