Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
January 20, 2016
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Move over, GoPro. Nikon just announced a waterproof action competitor. Called the KeyMission, the square device captures 4K video, but unlike current GoPro models, it features wide-angle lenses on both sides, and images are then combined in a 360-degree view. The KeyMission will be available this spring, but no price has been announced. See a teaser of the KeyMission at here.

If you were to search for a thriller to read and only knew the title, which of these two would you select? I asked that question of our readers in our November email. Of the nearly 1,300 votes cast, Tropical Ice won by a 2-to-1 margin so that’s what I’ll call my thriller, which my agent has sold for May publication. What’s the ice? Well, it’s a chum ball, but I’ll offer no more details so as not to spoil the fun. Thanks for helping me select the title.

What gets you a better dive package deal: the Internet or the travel agent? . . . where the wild things are: aboard the Galapagos Sky . . . why dark chocolate makes for sweeter diving . . . our latest “Why Divers Die” investigation, and how divers may find themselves in potentially fatal situations . . . what drunk rats can tell us about diving, drinking and DCS . . . and much more.

Given the threats facing the world's coral reefs, NASA is kicking off a three-year expedition named the Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory, or CORAL, to measure the condition of coral reefs with advanced instruments attached to airplanes. Principal investigator Eric Hochberg told the Huffington Post he and his team will use something called a “portable remote imaging spectrometer” to survey key reef systems in Florida, Hawaii, Palau, the Mariana Islands and Australia. By recording the unique spectral signatures of living corals and algae (as corals die, algae numbers increase), the spectrometer will give an extensive picture of what's happening to the world's reefs, allow scientists to better predict the future, and guide policy makers.

If you’re planning a dive trip to the Big Island, heads up: Cases of the mosquito-borne disease are on the rise there -- as of January 8, 210 cases have occurred -- 190 to Hawaii Island residents, 20 to visitors. Undercurrent blogger “Doc Zeke,” a public health scientist and diver for 40-plus years, has posted his view of the outbreak and how to protect yourself on our blog. Read Dengue Fever in Paradise at www.undercurrent.org/blog.

You probably already know that sunscreen can damage coral, but some claim to be reef-safe. Scuba Diver Life compiled a list of what they view as the truly reef-safe sunscreens currently on the market: Stream2Sea (which we wrote about in our September issue), Green People, Badger Healthy Body Care and Raw Elements. Read the details here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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Subscribers: we've now made it easier than ever to submit your trip reports to our Reader Reports section of the website. Now all your personal information from your last report is pre-filled in for you, including your total number of dives and where else you've been diving. So help other divers benefit from your experience and submit a reader report here -- it's quick and easy.

Dave Eagleray, webmaster
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