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Undercurrent Online Update
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 Consumer Reporting for the Scuba Diving Community since 1975
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Dick Bonin, Scubapro Founder Dies
From the early 70s through the 80s, Scubapro was the dominate dive equipment brand, with a cachet as exclusive as Mercedes in those days. Under Bonin’s management, Scubapro created the MarkV flow-through piston regulator; the first buoyancy compensator vest (BCD); the first pilot-valve second stage regulator; the first auto inflator, the first octopus regulator build into the BC hose, and his ever-popular “Jet Fins.” Bonin established the Underwater Manufacturers Association that later became DEMA, which he led in the mid-1990s. He founded Ocean Futures Society, which is now operated by Jean Michel Cousteau. In lieu of donations in his memory, the family asks that everyone dedicate their next dive to Dick Bonin, in the deep blue seas he loved so much. For a salute to Bonin, written by Bret Gilliam in 2011, click here. Coming up in Future Issues of Undercurrent
new research on those deep stops, problems with winged BC’s, case studies on why divers die, the case of the drunken dive instructor, divers abandon their boat in Bonaire, and reviews of land-based Palau diving, an undiscovered resort in Belize, a liveaboard trip to a seldom dived island off Puerto Rico, a splendid Galapagos liveaboard, and much much more. Don’t throw that old computer away
in the last issue of Undercurrent, we wrote about a small operation that can inexpensively replace batteries in just about any computer, even those the manufacturers no longer support. And we also described tough new rules for taking lithium batteries on flights. Stories like these are why nearly 10,000 divers read Undercurrent every month. You can subscribe now and download to your computer, Kindle, iPad, smart phone, … a free copy of our 242-page book There’s a Cockroach in My Regulator, chock full of weird tales from the past pages of Undercurrent. Click here to subscribe. Cayman’s Reefs under Siege
The misguided Cayman government is well along the path to build a major cruise ship terminal, which will destroy several reefs in the process. There may still be time left to block this egregious act, so please read this thoughtful and compelling blog by Undercurrent correspondent Jim Hanson. Voices in the Ocean:A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins
Susan Casey's new book is not only an intriguing, sometimes troubling look at the way we relate to our favorite ocean animal, but also how dolphins relate to themselves and to us. Her interviews with marine biologists, rogues who capture them and self-proclaimed mystics who swim with them provide new insights into dolphin behavior, their conversations, their families, and their relationship to us. Clearly first rate, highly readable book. Order Voices through Undercurrent and you’ll get Amazon’s best price -- and our profits will go to save coral reefs. Special Offer for a Tax Deductible (at least some of it) Cocos Island Trip
Join the nonprofit Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) for one of its three dive expeditions to Cocos Island to help scientists study and protect sea turtles and sharks. You’ll help catch and tag sea turtles, count sharks, and retrieve and deploy an underwater listening device while enjoying more than 20 dives. There’s a special Earth Day Celebration 10-day trip in April aboard the Sea Hunter, as well as trips in August (12 days aboard the Sea Hunter) and a 10-day November trip aboard the Argo. Prices start at $6,135. TIRN is offering Undercurrent subscribers a free rash guard and a raffle ticket worth $100 for a 1 in 200 chance to win a spot aboard a future trip. The price: $6,785, and my accountant would find that much of it is tax-deductible. Visit here or contact info@seaturtles.org. Tanks found with Phony Testing Dates
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is asking divers to help identify aluminum scuba tanks that have phony and invalid RINs stamped into the tank, which erroneously claim the tank has been hydro tested. They appear as a letter “C” over the letter “L,” stamped between the month and year of the hydro test date. The culprit is apparently, someone in Southern California who doesn’t want to pay for proper hydro testing, says Mark Gresham, CEO of the scuba cylinder inspection agency PSI-PCI. In August, a California dive shop found a tank with a phony RIN and a month later, the same markings showed up on a tank in a Hawaii dive shop that had cylinders shipped from California. If you see a tank with the improper RIN, contact DOT official Earl Whitley at earl.whitley@dot.gov or 909-222-9546. Ben Davison, editor/publisher |
You can use our Mini Chapbook facility to quickly put together a file containing only the reader reports you want to see -- select country, years, dive operators and it's done (Non-Subscribers limited to reports in 2009 and before). View it online, download it, print it -- your choice. |
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Note: Our travel writers never announce their purpose, are unknown to the destination, and receive no complimentary services or compensation from the dive operators or resort. Dive trips listed in our emails must be offered by a well-regarded operation that has been reviewed positively by our readers. The operator must include a special offer for Undercurrent subscribers and supporters. Undercurrent is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization and in some cases the operator has made a donation |
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