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August 16, 2018

The Sculpture Coralarium

Following his extensive underwater sculpture parks in London, Cancun, Nassau, Grenada and the Canary Islands, British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor’s latest venture is in the Maldives. The Coralarium is a semi-submerged tidal art gallery in a lagoon on the island resort of Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi. Accessed by a submerged staircase, the structure itself is a stainless steel cube, and visitors must snorkel or swim 500 feet to it, following an underwater path paved with planted corals.

A "Must Read" Thriller for Divers

That’s what Scuba Diving says about Tropical Ice. Set in Belize at a rundown dive resort called Captain Jack’s Rum Point Inn, it’s a fast-moving scuba thriller written by the founder of Undercurrent. The opening chapter will knock your booties off. It’s followed by a dangerous night dive, shark fins secretly stowed on a remote key, and the beautiful owner of a rainforest lodge with her own deep secrets. Click here to order an autographed copy (we will email you to see how you want it inscribed). Or get the paperback, E-book or Kindle version from Amazon by clicking here. It’s a great diving yarn.

Been In a Washing Machine?

Currents don’t always go horizontally. Sometimes they go up, sometimes they go down. Sometimes they do both in short order -- notably where big ocean currents meet constrictions of channels, or are blocked by underwater obstructions, or the tidal flow is forced to divert around small islands. Have you enjoyed the experience and how did you cope? We’d like to hear. Write to BenDDavison@undercurrent.org and tell us all about it. Don’t forget to give us your town and state.

Earthquake Disaster in Lombok and the Gili Islands

Jared Herb of Manta Dive in Gili Trawangen, reports that the damage on those islands is severe. The 6.9 magnitude quake last week killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands. All dive operations are closed and many staff had their homes destroyed, but they’re focused on raising money to buy supplies for families and cleaning up. You can help by donating to https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/indonesia-earthquake-relief-fund/ or https://pennyappeal.org/news/indonesia-earthquake

News for Sherwood Avid BCD Divers

We’re still hearing from divers who have had their tanks break away from their Avid BCs during a dive, with possibly disastrous consequences. Have you had a problem? More info in September’s Undercurrent.

Coming Soon in Undercurrent

Carriacou, a quiet place with some of the Caribbean’s best diving . . . Sunset House on Grand Cayman . . . diving the Japanese War fleet in Truk Lagoon . . . Siladen in Indonesia . . . overweighted divers . . . is your regulator mouthpiece causing pain? . . . the scuba divers who are most at risk for heart attacks . . . ups and downs of tropical currents . . . in praise of liveaboard diving . . . disappearing Florida blacktips . . . and much, much more.

Paralenz Plus

An improved version of the Paralenz POV camera, designed for divers with an automatic white balancing feature, now has an increased depth rating of 820 feet. With screws now made of titanium, it also has a new aluminum end-cap CNC with a scratch-resistant glass window. Better anodizing of all parts makes for a more scratch-resistant surface, and it has an improved screwless selector ring. $699 www.paralenz.com

Cave Diving Is All the Rage

Summer is usually the slowest season for scuba diving at the water-filled Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri, about an hour south of St. Louis. Not this year. The rescue of the soccer team from the Thailand cave last month has led to an upswing in demand for cave diving courses, says Douglas Goergens, owner of the mine and West End Diving. According to PADI, Cavern Diver certifications have increased 150 percent over this month last year.

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Free to Read in Undercurrent This Month

Can you imagine scuba diving in the narrow confines of an unfamiliar cave system with no clear surface and little to no visibility, all while fighting a strong current? It’s not for the faint-hearted. The world held its breath while two intrepid British cave divers went in search of the dozen boys of the Wild Boars soccer team, who went for a hike in a Thai cave system one June day and were found, trapped by water, two weeks later. And even after the boys were found, there was still the seemingly insurmountable hurdle to get them out safely. It took a heroic multi-national effort. We’ve got the whole story, including why a good nose was important in the search. You can read it for free here.

What You’re Missing in Undercurrent This Month

Great diving from a not-so-great liveaboard in the Red Sea . . . top Picks for Egyptian liveaboards . . . Dive Friends in Bonaire . . . Bonaire shore diving isn’t for everyone . . . the best magnifying glasses for spotting critters . . . are you prepared to run out of air? . . . how to measure tank sizes . . . coral-killing sunscreen . . . marine noise is deafening to fish . . .. . .who are the rudest divers? . . . Questions surround the death of the Sharkwater filmmaker . . . and more.

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
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