Undercurrent Online Update for Non-Subscribers

For at NASJAXDiveClub@gmail.com
Unsubscribe | Forward this email

November 22, 2019  

Is This The Future?

The potential star of the November DEMA show had to be the Russian Hydroid Aquabreather. Looking like something from the imagination of Jules Verne, it’s a closed-circuit rebreather entirely enclosed within a diving-helmet-like device. We saw it demonstrated in the DEMA show pool. Things didn’t go according to plan. Find out how it panned out, with more details of products at the show, in our DEMA report in the next Undercurrent.

Free-to-Read in Undercurrent This Month

The fire that destroyed Red Sea Aggressor I, so swiftly following on the awful Conception fire disaster, has focussed minds on what can happen on any liveaboard. We’ve reported on numerous fires that have destroyed other vessels over the years, albeit without the fatalities. What can you do to mitigate the risks? Together with suggestions from readers, Undercurrent looks at the things you can do to protect yourself, should the unthinkable happen. You can read-it-for-free here.

Unshackled by the Need for Advertisers

Undercurrent is a unique publication that goes where other diving media fear to tread. Subscribe to Undercurrent now for a six-month trial at only $17.95 and get my new 36-page Seven Super Dive Resorts (and one meh) mailed directly to you. To subscribe at this special rate of $17.95 for six months, simply click here.

Is the U.S. Coast Guard to Blame for the Conception Disaster?

The National Transportation Safety Board has repeatedly called for improved fire-safety measures, prompted by numerous small passenger vessels that have gone up in flames. A Los Angeles Times review of federal documents spanning the last 20 years reveals the U.S. Coastguard, which has the sole authority to mandate safety measures, has often rejected the NTSB’s recommendations. More details in the next Undercurrent.

Red Sea Aggressor I Goes Up in Flames

In the early hours of November 1, an American woman died as the liveaboard went up in flames and was abandoned by its passengers and crew. The survivors were highly critical of how the operators then handled the crisis, some would say poorly. Many of the survivors tell their stories in the January issue in Undercurrent.

Never Dive from an Unattended Boat

Three spear fishers left their boat unattended 25-miles out in the Gulf of Florida, only to surface to see it on the distant horizon after its anchor dragged. Melody Shearin Engle, Michael Yagmin, and one other were in big trouble but Melody got her head down for the three-hour swim to catch the drifting boat, call the U.S. Coast Guard on the radio and watch Mike hauled from the waves by helicopter while the unnamed friend was pulled from the water by Coast Guard motor vessel.

Can You Spare Some Change?

Travelers arriving at Los Cabos International Airport will be asked for about $18 each. But local officials say this isn't a tax. It’s a request for a voluntary contribution to benefit a new fund for a Sustainable Baja California Sur. There will be no such collections at La Paz airport.

A Shark Resistant Suit?

Scientists at Flinders University, South Australia, say they are working on a wetsuit that will protect swimmers, surfers and divers from massive blood loss after a shark bite. Testing it in the shark prevalent waters, they enticed some sharks to bite through the material to be able to compare the level of damage. Reducing blood loss can help the emergency services reach a victim before it is too late.

A Bumper Month in Undercurrent

Aiyanar Beach & Dive Resort, Anilao, probably for macro photographers only . . . Fiji, Molokai, Little Corn Island, St.Eustatius – readers report true facts . . . How you can purge plastic from the ocean . . . When your dive boat sinks before you get there – Are you insured? . . . Sharks are not pussycats - as shark divers discover . . . The etiquette of tipping on dive trips Part II . . . Failing to turn your tank on all the way is “Simply Stupid” . . . Parents sue PADI over the Death of their son . . . The potential for a liveaboard fire and how you can mitigate it . . . New fire safety regulations coming for US liveaboards . . . An American diver dies in the Red Sea Aggressor I fire . . The Picture of His Life – the story of making a film about wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum . . . Those underwater photo courses – Readers tell all . . . DIN or Yoke Regulator? It’s time to know the difference . . . Flotsam & Jetsam

Subscribe to Undercurrent Now

Subscribe to Undercurrent now for six-month trial at only $17.95 and get my new 36-page Seven Super Dive Resorts (and one meh) mailed directly to you. The hard-hitting Undercurrent newsletter also gives you access to more than 10,000 reports on dive destinations submitted unedited by its readers. If you are dissatisfied for any reason your money will be refunded. To subscribe at this special rate of $17.95 for six months, simply click here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben