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April 18, 2017

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Many Tanks Needlessly Condemned

Professional Cylinder Inspectors Inc. (formerly known as PSI Inc) says that there has been confusion over incorrect information on the US DOT (PHMSA) website, leading to many cylinders needlessly getting condemned. If you’re in the business of filling tanks or have had a tank condemned, visit www.psicylinders.com/documents/sp9791_renewal.pdf

Did You Miss the Boat?

If you were contemplating a visit to the wreck of the RMS.Titanic, you might be too late because trips on Blue Marble’s purpose-built titanium and carbon-fibre submersible to the mighty vessel’s final resting place two miles down, are fully booked. At $105,129 per person, it’s is almost twice as much of that of the last Titanic tourist trip on the Deep Ocean Explorer in 2012. However, not to worry if you missed this opportunity. Los Angeles-based company, The Bluefish, is taking reservations for a similar expedition in 2018-19. Price yet to be determined, but it will include the 8-day round trip from Newfoundland. thebluefish.com/visit-the-titanic

Problems Persist with Sherwood Avid BCs

Dave Nethers (Plano, TX) wrote to tell Undercurrent how his wife’s BC cam band separated from her BC when she slipped and fell. The plastic fittings between straps and air cell are simply not up to the job. Like other owners with this problem, previously reported, she too was offered an upgrade in compensation but on examination of that BC model saw that the design problem had not been fixed. It’s beyond us why Sherwood doesn’t produce a better cam band attachment; perhaps they’re waiting until divers start losing their tanks during dives. There are plenty of other BCs on the market, so for now avoid the Avid.

Jesus is The Regulator of My Life

The Cayman Compass reports a dive group with higher aims visiting Cayman Brac in March. “We also had our daily devotions between these two dives on our boat every day that were led by a different member, which was absolutely fantastic, and we learned much as we shared Christ with each other.” So said Jim Mustoe, trip organiser and CEO of the Key Largo (FL) Worldwide Christian Scuba Divers Organisation. The group stayed at the Cayman Beach resort and undertook missionary work between dives. You can learn more at www.wcsdo.org/local-chapters.php

Is Your Diving Too Monochromatic?

Try gay scuba with Northern California Rainbow Divers! With in excess of 120 members worldwide, they’ve got a trip to the Channel Islands coming up this year and for something further off the beaten track, an October trip on MV Febrina in PNG. www.rainbowdivers.org

Share Your Experiences

Don’t forget to contribute your insights gained while going on dive trips to Undercurrent’s Independent Readers’ Reports. Send details of any trips you’ve made in the last six months by filling out our online form. You can follow the link “File a Report” on the left side of our homepage at www.undercurrent.org. Or after logging in, follow the “Reader Report” link in the top navigation bar. If you’re contemplating a trip, checking the reports for a particular destination will give you a no-holds-barred impression of what to truly expect.

Going Blindly Deeper

A British diver who lost his sight 16 years previously has broken the depth record for the deepest blind scuba dive. British diver Graham Owen, was raising money for seeing-eye dogs and reached 111m (361ft) – yes, you read that right! He was aided by two friends, Steve Arnold and Albi Roberts. They went to Egypt’s Red Sea early mid-March. He reported feeling a strong current at depth but the Pontefract & Castleford Express, a local Yorkshire newspaper, said, “He had great difficulty getting below the seabed.” Don’t we all?

Undercurrent on Facebook

The Undercurrent page is regularly topped up with the most interesting video clips with shark footage still proving the most popular. This month 7000 people were reached with some footage of a lemon shark apparently asking a diver to remove a large fishing hook from its belly while some footage of an Imperial shrimp moving around the head of a nudibranch might have put to rest the debate over whether such still pictures in competitions indicate manipulation of such critters by super-macro photographers.

The Most Dangerous Thing You Meet Diving

It’s your boat. The Florida Coast Guard received a call from a charter boat Lady Go Diver on the afternoon of March 29, off Boca Raton, after a diver in the water was struck by a moving propeller. The injured diver was taken to Delray Medical Center. We remind readers to stay well away from any vessel that might have its engines in gear. Wait for a clear signal that it is safe to approach the vessel before trying to board.

Scuba Camps for Kids

Margo Peyton started Kids Sea Camp around 17 years ago and now creates friendly dive vacations for over 300 families during 16 weeks of the year. With five destinations lined up for this year and a PADI IDC training week in Bonaire next year, Kids Sea Camp has maintained a perfect safety record, with over 7,000 kids now certified and no dive accidents. More info at familydivers.com

Coming Up in Undercurrent

Pelagian, the luxury liveaboard at Wakatobi . . . The downside of tagging sharks . . . Coral reefs update . . . A note from Peter Sotis’ lawyer . . . A robot to take on the lionfish menace? . . . More Snake Oil? . . . A skin bend may be more serious than was thought . . . Sharks butchered off Key West . . . Fake news . . . Are you ready to drop those weights? . . . and much, much more.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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