Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
August 22, 2014

Photos you take of yourself during a dive trip can be helpful to Divers Alert Network. "One common diving injury for which the selfie may be useful is cutaneous decompression sickness, or skin bends," writes DAN's medical director Petar DeNoble in his Dive Lab blog. "It can be confused with allergies, bruising, marine life injuries and other conditions . . . We at DAN have a very limited collection of skin DCS photos, so we propose that divers use their smartphones and digital cameras to document their skin rashes, and send or bring the photos to their doctors for evaluation." Take the photo in an outdoor shaded area, because harsh sunlight might make contrast difficult. If you have any skin changes after a dive, take a selfie of it, send it to DAN and call their emergency line (919-684-9111) for assistance.

That's how much a group of Hungarian deep-sea researchers are seeking in its crowdfunding campaign. They've developed a dive light powered entirely by seawater and are doing a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo to manufacture and sell it. Their pitch: "The SWES (Sea Water Energy System) dive light is a clean-energy, LED light that powers on as soon as it touches the ocean or salt water. Available in 100 and 300 lumens, the SWES light powers its energy cells from the high concentration of minerals found in salt water with plant-based crystal technology." The SWES team has been doing archeological deep-sea research expeditions for 20 years, so they seem credible. If you're interested in funding the dive light ($1,400 is the minimum donation to get one of your own), visit their campaign page at here.

Our undercover travelin' divers review diving in the Red Sea, the Gulf Coast, Fiji and more . . . a new device to make freediving safer . . . why you should research weather conditions before you book a dive trip . . . more of John Bantin's advice on picking the right liveaboard for your needs . . . a province in Indonesia that's only letting one dive operator into its waters . . . and much more.

Talk about the power of a documentary. Blackfish, which raised concerns about the treatment of killer whales at SeaWorld, has stirred up animal activists, who claim responsibility for Southwest Airlines recently ending its 25-year marketing relationship with the theme-park chain. Both companies attributed the decision to "shifting priorities," but their joint press release didn't mention a petition on Change.org with more than 30,000 signatures asking Southwest to end its relationship with SeaWorld. Also, when SeaWorld revealed that its revenues for the second quarter of 2014 were $40 million less than Wall Street expected, its stock plunged 27 percent. USA Today says the revenue drop is due to fewer people coming to the park because of the publicity campaign started by Blackfish.

You may find lower airfares for south-of-the-border diving now that the airline has started flights to the Bahamas, Aruba, Cancun and Los Cabos in Baja California. You can check two bags free of charge on those routes. Hopefully, more competition will mean better prices.

We're gathering reader reports for our 2015 Travelin' Divers Chapbook (get this year's edition ), so send us your reviews of dive operators, liveaboards and resorts you've visited this year. Complete the online form . You can also follow the link "File a Report" on the left side of our homepage; or after logging in, follow the "Reader Report" link in the top navigation bar.

Deepsea Challenge chronicles Cameron's solo dive last year to the depths of the Mariana Trench -- nearly seven miles beneath the ocean's surface -- piloting a submersible he designed himself. A fun side gig before doing Avatar II, but he is indeed a serious aquanaut. The 90-minute documentary, released earlier this month, is in 3-D, of course. To find a theatre near you, go to here.

Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock -- Indonesia experts, pro underwater photographers and Undercurrent contributors -- have just launched Bird's Head Seascape, a detailed website with visitor info, maps, local news and other resources about Raja Ampat, Triton Bay and Cenderawasih Bay. Divers who've been there can give their versions of "reader reports" by adding their photos to the online image library for any of the 200-plus dive sites mapped on the site. Go to http://birdsheadseascape.com

Not only did veteran diver Bob Halstead decide to dive when a cyclone was scheduled to blow in, he surfaced from a dive to find his boat, "Miss Piggy," far away. "The idea was to inflate my BC, turn on my back, use a cloud for approximate direction and swim to the boat with my orange sausage flying bravely above the waves. Great plan except my new (but alas untested, silly me) sausage had a faulty seal in the far end and leaked every breath I blew in." What happened next? Read his Undercurrent blog post "Diving with Cyclone Ita" - along with other great writing from our dive expert contributors - at www.undercurrent.org/blog

Google is helping scientists study the ocean's secrets, and also letting virtual divers watch the action from the comfort of their chairs. Currently, NOAA scientists are using specialized fish-eye lenses in the Florida Keys to apply the "street view" mapping we all use on Google Maps to research and management plans in marine sanctuaries nationwide. The 143-pound riggings are tethered to divers and powered through the water by small motors. The images will help scientists see the successes and failures of coral restoration, and study the effects of warming temperatures, pollution and hurricanes on reefs. More than 400,000 images have been taken in the Great Barrier Reef, the Caribbean and the Galapagos Islands, and now the project will move to Southeast Asia. Many of those photos have been uploaded to The Global Reef Record, and you can get a sample of the Florida Keys photos at here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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