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For David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi', exp: 2024-08-20, at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
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July 13, 2017

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Suunto Tank Transmitter and Tank Pod Failures

Because at least two of these items have burst when being tested, Suunto’s Ryan Crawford tells Undercurrent they are recalling all they have manufactured. If you’re a user, you should stop using and get it upgraded or replaced by Suunto or an authorized service center. The affected models are SS019098000 and SS005397000 tank transmitters and SS020306000 tank pod (these are part, not serial, numbers). Suunto will extend upgraded transmitter warranties by a year after registering with www.mysuunto.com. For details and how to proceed, www.suunto.com/recall

Tropical Ice, an Eco-Thriller

Divers gather round a frozen baitball during shark week in Belize, as marauding sharks rip out a gory surprise, sending divers scurrying. That’s the kickoff to Tropical Ice, an exciting new eco-thriller tackling shark finning, seahorse mining for phony Asian aphrodisiacs, jaguar poaching, and endless crimes against nature. And scuba travel writer Matt Oliver finds himself smack in the middle of trouble. The book was actually written by the founder of Undercurrent, Ben Davison, who has come out from behind his anonymous cloak to write this roller coaster of a ride that you won’t put down. It’s not self-published – he has an agent and publisher – so you can find it in select book stores or order a copy or a Kindle at Amazon.

Click here for a copy signed by Ben and KL. Read more at www.tropicalicethriller.com

Buddy Inconvenience?

What do you do if you are assigned a buddy you hardly know, a buddy to satisfy that rule that every diver should dive in a buddy pair, a buddy of convenience, and that buddy decides to call the dive early, for whatever reason? Do you go up with him or wave him goodbye while you continue the dive? Write and tell us what you’d do, not forgetting to add your town and state. BenDEditor@undercurrent.org

On-Line Dive Travel Booking Portals

like diviac.com, liveaboard.com, divingspecials.com or divebookers.com are revolutionizing the business and, as mentioned in July’s Undercurrent, traditional travel agents are understandably not happy about it. Have you completed a vacation booked in this way and were there any snags? Are you a liveaboard or resort owner? What’s your opinion of this change in the way of doing business? Now you’ve read the article, we’d like to hear. Write, not forgetting your town and state, to BenDEditor@undercurrent.org

Avoid Swimming in the Chum!

On July 4 a bull shark was seen swimming around Lake Washington near Seattle. Bull sharks can tolerate both fresh and seawater. A team of shark hunters attempted to catch the shark and began dropping chum around the lake. Residents were advised to avoid chum pools during swimming! It’s the sort of thing that would give an Amity Island Police Chief (played by Roy Scheider) a heart attack.

Emerald Charters in the News Again

Things haven’t been going well for Emerald Charters of Jupiter, FL. In late May, seven divers went missing, separated from the dive boat off the Jupiter Inlet and had to be rescued, two of which were recovered by the marine unit of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. In June, Randy Jordan, the company’s principal, was brought ashore and hospitalized after being bitten by ‘a sea creature,’ most likely during a shark feed dive (Undercurrent June) and in early July, six Emerald Charters divers went missing five miles east of the Jupiter Inlet before being located by on-water assistance vessel Sea Tow. If you want to dive out of Jupiter, look for a professional dive operator who won’t set you adrift.

Coming up in Undercurrent

Land based diving in Bali . . . Poisonous air? . . . When is it time to hang up our fins? . . . Worse things happen at sea! . . . St Lucia’s complete package . . . The hidden killer in our midst . . . Bimini Big Game Club gets sued . . . Review of Muck Diving, a book by Nigel Marsh . . . and much, much more.

The Full-Nine-Yards

Arguments rage as to the origin of the expression. Brits think it harks back to the days of Admiral Horatio Nelson, meaning hoisting all nine sails (hung from yard arms) on a square-rigged first-rate warship and going full pelt at the enemy lines. Others prefer to think it referred to someone making one fancy shirt instead of several from a length of material or even the full length of an ammunition belt for a 1914 Vickers machine gun. Either way, that’s what you get with Undercurrent Reader Reports – nothing held back. So don’t forget to file a report on your last dive trip. You can browse thousands of other first-hand reports other subscribers have filed on their land and liveaboard trips, to get the full-nine-yards on your next destination. Your fellow subscribers count on you, just as you count on them so please, fill out our online trip report form here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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