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July 17, 2018

Picture by Saeed Rashid

Can’t See that Computer Display?

For many divers, reading the tiny numbers on a wrist- mounted dive computer display can be a chore. A simple cure is to get a mask with plus-diopter lenses fitted instead of plain glass. The TUSA Freedom Ceos is almost unique in that it is available with a range of lenses up to Plus 4.5 diopters in strength. Or you can opt for a bifocal solution. tusa.com/us-en/TUSA/Masks/Freedom_Ceos

Last Minute Offer to Tag Turtles and Sharks in Costa Rica

Can you get away Aug 9-19 for a largely tax-deductible Cocos Island trip to tag sharks and turtles? Turtle Island Restoration Network has two discounted spots available on their trip aboard the Argo for $6,285 and include meals, nitrox, marine park fee and transfers from hotel to the dock -- it’s largely tax-deductible because you're on a legitimate research expedition. For details, go to http://seaturtles.org/events .

Don’t Take a Powder, says the TSA

Like to carry your own coffee with you on a dive trip? Bring home a bag or two of Indonesian spices? Maybe some beach sand? You must now pack them in your checked luggage, not in your carry-on. New TSA regulations in effect on U.S.-bound flights require overseas airport agents to scrutinize flyers packing more than 12 ounces of any powder (that includes cosmetics) or powder-like substance in their carry-on bags. If they have any doubts about the powder, it may be confiscated — and so may you if you give a smart-ass reply.

Undercurrent Receives $1000 Environmental Grant

Singing Field Foundation, a New Hampshire foundation, has awarded us $1000 for “continuing support for your coverage of environmental issues, advocacy, and fundraising for marine conservation causes." It’s a surprise, a grant we did not apply for, so we are grateful, as a non-profit organization, to be recognized.

Coming Soon in Undercurrent

A less-than-perfect liveaboard in Egypt’s Red Sea . . . Deadman diving update . . . Who’s rude – those who stay down longer or those who complain about it? . . . A new Grand Cayman dive hotel . . . .Out-of-air solutions and panaceas . . . Carriacou, a hidden Caribbean gem . . . . The Ups and downs of [diving in?] currents . . . Sunscreen and its effect on coral . . . Can you be too fit for diving?. . Over-weight or over-weighted? . . . and much, much more.

Subscribe now and get immediate access to all back issues. And download for free, “There’s a Cockroach in My Regulator”, our 242-page book with the most outrageous and insightful true dive stories Undercurrent has ever published. All for $29 for eight months and my personal money back guarantee. To join the club of thousands of other experienced divers who subscribe, get our special rate of $29 for eight months by simply clicking HERE.

Check-In or Carry-on?

Some divers fret about the effects of pressure on their dive computers and other more delicate equipment when they fly, so they carry it on, rather than check it. But, there is no need because the pressure in the aircraft hold is identical to the cabin pressure -- although there might be other reasons to avoid checking-in your more valuable gear.

Spotted: Blue Whale in the Gulf of Aqaba

Bystanders were initially thrilled after spotting a blue whale in the northern tip of the Red Sea, but then became concerned, because there’s typically no krill for whales in the warm waters at the end of the Gulf, sandwiched between Israel and Jordan. It is the first recorded sighting of a blue whale there, and scientists are baffled. The visit may be a result of the underwater dead zone the size of Maine that was recently discovered in the Arabian Sea, 1,500 miles to the south, where there is a total absence of life.

This Wreck Is No Longer Off-Limits

The MV Superior Producer, popular with divers visiting Curaçao, is open again after diving was banned for a year during construction of the nearby Tula mega pier for cruise liners.

Free-to-Read in Undercurrent

Disposed-of single-use plastic has become a blight on this planet. Undercurrent asked the diving industry what it’s doing about plastic packaging to get its own house in order. The responses are less than satisfactory. Read more …

Free-to-Read in Undercurrent

The test of any insurance policy comes when you file a claim, and a Tulsa couple got a nasty surprise when they did so for the cost of hyperbaric treatment in a Mexican hospital. Read more …

Divers We Can Do Without

A New Zealand instructor working in Egypt’s Red Sea told Undercurrent recently he has seen many Russian and Chinese divers not only showing no concern about damaging coral, but using knives to break off coral to take home as souvenirs. Egyptian authorities do nothing to prevent this, he believes, because revenue from the divers has become so important.

Subscribe now and get immediate access to all back issues. And download for free, “There’s a Cockroach in My Regulator”, our 242-page book with the most outrageous and insightful true dive stories Undercurrent has ever published. All for $29 for eight months and my personal money back guarantee. To join the club of thousands of other experienced divers who subscribe, get our special rate of $29 for eight months by simply clicking HERE.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben

Website News
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A Plea: Report a website problems you encounter

As you probably are aware, the Undercurrent website is a very large site with lots of information available. We frequently update the site to enhance its utility for you and sometimes to fix any "bugs" that somehow have cropped up. Though we do check the site thoroughly after making any modifications, sometimes a problem slips by us. We strongly prefer to fix any such, but we can't fix them if we don't know about them.

And that's where you come in -- please report any significant website problems to me Dave Eagleray at problems@undercurrent.org or, better yet, using our contact form, and I will try to fix them. Too many times I've somehow found out about a simple but significant website problem that had existed for a long time, and so had caused difficulties for many users. So please send me details (enough so I can reproduce the problem) and I'll get back with you. Your help in doing such will be greatly appreciated by other Undercurrent readers as well.