Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
July 16, 2015
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The luxurious liveaboard typically has full charters for its Maldives trips, but it has opened up some spots for individual divers on trips this year and in 2016. For the week of October 23 - November 1, book one spot and the second person gets a 50 percent discount off the list price of $425. In December and January, some trips are offering the second-person discount of 50 percent off the list price of $419. For more details, look at our Special Offers page, e-mail manthirimaldives@dhivehinet.net.mv and view more about the Manthiri at its website.

We get most of our new subscribers from divers who receive our monthly email list and then decide to subscribe to our issues. You can help us add to our email list by sending us a roster of your dive club members, your dive buddies, or even your dive shop customers, as some of our subscriber/shop owners have. We never share any of our names nor do we indicate how a name gets added to our email list. We find that 99% of the people who receive our email love getting updates and many eventually become subscribers, which helps our ad-free nonprofit newsletter maintain itself. Can you help us out? Send your list to me, BenDEditor@undercurrent.org, and I'll be happy to extend your subscription, my compliments.

Technosport is recalling 2,600 of the Omersub Zero Cube dive masks it sold in the U.S. between April 2012 and April 2014, because non-conforming glass was used for the lens, causing them to shatter more easily. So far, 12 shattered masks have been reported to Technosport, which says no injuries were reported. Its sales manager, Mike Stallings, told us the recalled masks, made in China, had 2mm lens. "All those produced after April 2014 now have 3mm tempered lens that have been impact tested; the easiest way to differentiate between the two is the finish of the silicone apron. Masks with a gloss finish are the earlier production with the substandard lens." Divers with recalled masks will get the new ones at no cost. Call Technosport at (800) 853-1911 Monday through Friday, email them at info@technosportinc.com, or go online at http://www.omerdiving.com

We're delighted to report that Jon Scott of the Singing Field Foundation in Plainfield, NH, has awarded us a $1000 grant for our "coverage of environmental issues, advocacy, and fund raising [for causes important to divers]." It's because of our advocacy that the dive industry itself has never bestowed an award on Undercurrent and, in fact, has conveniently ignored us for 40 years. But, that's why our loyal subscribers keep us going; we advocate for divers, and for the environment, which is not always for the financial benefit of the industry. It's especially pleasing that Jon, a diver himself, has recognized our contribution. Thank you very much.

We received a few reports lately about dive gear with which our subscribers have had problems, so we want to cast our net farther as we look into these issues. Have you had any significant gear problem recently? Have you purchased any equipment that just didn't live up to your expectations? Have you had difficulties getting replacements or repairs? Please let me hear from you at BenDEditor@undercurrent.org

John Bantin explains how you can get the most from a GoPro underwater . . . how dive operators are at keeping track of their divers while in the water, and which ones need to do a better job . . . does this class-action suit against AquaLung -- for distributing dive computers it didn't make -- have teeth? . . . our annual analysis of "Why Divers Die". . . and much more.

In the February issue of this e-newsletter, we wrote about how Florida's Attorney General filed a complaint against Ocean Hunters Dive Center in Doral and its owner, Abdiel Falcon, for issuing fraudulent dive training certificates, faking being an authorized PADI instructor and dive shop, and charging 300 people up to $399 for fake certification cards. On June 22, the AG's office shut Ocean Hunters down, and Falcon is permanently barred from doing any type of scuba diving business, and he must pay $50,000 in restitution to the customers he cheated.

Our May article, "Leave the Nautilus Alone," on new research about why the overfished nautilus dies so quickly in captivity, is the latest good example of a dive operator following our recommendation, as Undercurrent readers Gary and Robin Schiendelman (Limerick, PA) tells us. "We recently spent 10 days on the Palau Siren; a nautilus dive is offered on each trip. We decided this was something we could not support, so we opted out. Fortunately, most other guests seemed to feel the same, and didn't do that dive, but our fear was that offering the nautilus dive would continue as long as there was interest by divers. When we saw your article, we knew it was the perfect way for us to petition the Siren Fleet. We emailed them, asking that they discontinue offering these dives, and included a copy of your article. To our surprise and delight, only a day or so later, we received this email reply from the Siren Fleet, "After consideration of your and other guests' comments, management has agreed to stop offering the Nautilus dive on the Palau Siren with immediate effect. Thank you for your very valid points. Your effort is much appreciated." Kudos to the Schiendelmans for speaking up, and to the Siren fleet for listening and making the right decision.

It is the 40th anniversary of this summer blockbuster, you know. But reality may be mirroring fiction a little bit, with seven shark attacks off the North Carolina coast in less than a month, scaring some out of the water. With more sharks making their northerly summer migration up from Florida, should East Coast swimmers - and divers - be concerned? George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File, told the New York Times, there's more a risk of drowning at the beach than getting attacked by a shark there (similar to what he said in our article "Putting a Camera on a Shark," in this month's issue). He has compiled a list showing other relative risks compared to shark attacks, although when it comes to these seven shark bites in less than 30 days, he said, "I've been grasping for answers." If you want to see where the sharks hang out - and plan your dives accordingly -- the organization OCEARCH offers live tracking of tagged sharks worldwide.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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