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November 23, 2018

Liveaboard and Photo Gear Savings

Bluewater Photo & Travel is offering Undercurrent readers and friends exclusive Black Friday deals. Enter their raffle to get a free trip on the PNG Solomons Master Liveaboard, get a huge discount on your next Socorro, Galapagos, Red Sea, Cocos, or Turks trip, enjoy up to 47 percent off photo and video gear, and a reminder that this is your last chance to win over $75,000 in prizes in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition. Check it all out here: https://www.bluewaterdivetravel.com/undercurrent

Bizarre Travel Advisory

If you are hubbing through the Middle East on your way to a dive destination, be warned there’s a dress code on Saudia Airlines. When Jordan Bishop attempted to board a Saudia aircraft in Jakarta wearing shorts, we were told, he was turned away and had to make a quick switch to long pants to board. Traveling divers, casually dressed, should be warned.

Last Chance for our Special Subscription Offer

You have two days left to get our special subscription offer: $19.95 for 11 months, and a free download of Tropical Ice, the scuba thriller set in Belize and written by the founder of Undercurrent. All that and my personal money back guarantee. To join the club of thousands of other experienced divers who subscribe, get our special rate of $19.95 for 11 months by clicking here.

Single-use Plastic

In November, a devastating 82 tons of debris was removed from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian islands. Undercurrent continues to chase the manufacturers of diving equipment, regarding the single-use plastic still employed in packaging and await responses from most of them. Disposable wet wipes, the ones you carry to wipe your hands, can block pipes and, if discarded in a trash, can in many countries, make it all the way to the oceans, where turtles, fish and other marine life mistake it for food. Totally not cool. Unflushables now make up to 8.5 percent of all beach litter. Scary stuff. Tell your friends.

A Warmer for Your Air Supply

Open a tank valve at the surface and you’ll spot how cold the air from it is. When the air from your tank is depressurized as it is by your regulator, it loses a lot of heat and it’s your lungs that warm up that cold air. No matter how warm or cold the water is you’ll eventually get chilled, increasing your air consumption and cutting short your dive. First seen by Undercurrent at the DEMA trade show in Las Vegas, Atomic Aquatics introduce Scuba Heat, an accessory that sits in-line in your air supply and exchanges heat with the surrounding water to make it more comfortable to breathe. It’s expected to cost around $350. What price comfort? It’s not solely for cold water divers.

The Perfect Gift for a Dive Buddy

That would be Tropical Ice, the fast moving scuba thriller written by the founder of Undercurrent. Set in Belize at Capt Jack’s Rum Point Inn, the opening chapter will knock your socks off, followed by a dangerous night dive, the discovery of shark fins on a remote cay, and a beautiful owner of a rainforest lodge with her own deep secrets. Click here to order an autographed copy (we'll email you to see how you want it inscribed), or get it from Amazon by clicking here.

That Spare Flashlight

Going on a night dive? Many divers carry a fully charged spare flashlight in their BC pocket in case their main one fails. But, why not carry it on all dives? You see, it works very well as an emergency beacon. In several cases where divers have been separated from their boats, they’ve been located at dusk because they signaled their location with their backup light. Thanks to modern LED and battery technology, many compact flashlights pack a powerful punch. For less than $100, you can buy one for your BC pocket. A fully charged light held back for emergency use only could be a godsend the day you need it.

Free-to-Read in Undercurrent

Sunset House in Grand Cayman has been a perennial favorite with American divers for 60 years, but it’s showing its age and getting a bit frayed at the edges, says our unimpressed November undercover travel reviewer. While it’s just the place for beginning divers, there are better basic resorts in the Caribbean that may appear downright swanky by comparison. Our undercover reporter tells it like it is, warts and all. Read-it-for free here.

Don’t Burn up Your Gear While Traveling

Plugging in electrical devices when abroad is not just a matter of finding the right adapter. The different voltages of power in other parts of the world can have a significant effect on the success of your dive trip. Get it wrong, and it’s fireworks. Read-it-for-free here.

What You Missed This Month in Undercurrent

Fake News – the diving version. Don’t believe all you read . . . Zeagle recalls five different BCs . . . Sinister circumstances surround a New Zealand diver’s death . . . A new spin of diver-dolphin interactions . . . Is this diver carrying too much lead? . . . Don’t bust your ears because you have a cold . . . Invading lionfish and crowns-of-thorns may have met their match . . . The ups and downs of ocean currents (part II) . . . Tough lessons to learn from a dive tragedy . . . Did this diver murder his wife underwater? . . . The White Shark Café is a hot new winter hangout . . . Some of the crazy things Undercurrent readers have seen during dives . . . Underwater statues made unwelcome in the Maldives . . . and much, much, more.

The First Recorded Death by a Sea Snake

Sea snakes are abundant in the Indo-Pacific oceans, so they're not an unusual sight for divers. They're not harmless, but no one has ever died from one of their bites, until last month. The victim: Harry Evans, a 23-year-old British backpacker working on a fishing boat 400 miles off the coast of Darwin, Australia. If approached by a sea snake while diving, don't make any sudden moves. At the same time, don’t panic -- just continue swimming, and it will do the same. (From the November issue of Undercurrent)

Last Chance for our Special Subscription Offer

You have two days left to get our special subscription offer: $19.95 for 11 months, and a free download of “Tropical Ice,” the scuba thriller set in Belize and written by the founder of Undercurrent. All that and my personal money back guarantee. To join the club of thousands of other experienced divers who subscribe, get our special rate of $19.95 for 11 months by clicking here.

Your Dive Photos Can Help Scientists

The Sealife Collection Initiative is a collaborative website run by 300 taxonomists, that will classify and display photos and videos of all marine species worldwide. To do that, it relies on divers like you who register online (membership is free) and upload your photos and video to its database, the World Register of Marine Species.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben