Undercurrent Online Update for Non-Subscribers

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January 19, 2020

The Fire-Stricken Animals of Australia Need Your Help

Perhaps a half billion animals – koalas, cockatoos, kangaroos -- have been killed by the horrific fires. Many species may face extinction. They simply can’t run fast enough to escape. Thousands of volunteers are rescuing animals, treating their wounds, and feeding those who have escaped the fires. Thousands more are preparing and dropping food to millions of isolated animals that are starving in burned forests. You and I can’t go to Australia to join in, but we can donate money to buy urgent medical supplies and food to save the animals, which they desperately need. You can help by clicking here.

French Polynesia Master Runs Aground

Imminent scheduled trips have been cancelled after the liveaboard ran aground on January14. In an email by the operator Master Liveaboards, all guests and crew were said to be safe and a local team was working as quickly as possible to get the boat back into operation. Given the recovery required and subsequent repairs, it is extremely unlikely that the vessel will be operational again in time for further January trips.

Unfettered by the Need for Advertisers

Unfettered by the need for advertisers, Undercurrent is a unique publication that goes where other diving media fear to tread. Subscribe to the Undercurrent now for a six-month trial at only $19.95 and download for free my new 36-page Seven Super Dive Resorts (and one meh). To subscribe at this special no-risk, money back guaranteed rate, simply click here.

Red Sea Aggressor I Fire Survivors Tell All

Just two months after the Conception fire, killing 34 souls, we were shocked to hear of the November 1 fire aboard MY Suzanna -- operating as the Red Sea Aggressor I. One American diver died. The survivors tell of errors that led to the disaster and post-disaster mismanagement that could have been avoided. You can read-it-for-free here.

When Your Cabin Mate Gets Sick?

Have you ever traveling with a group and have one member’s illness threaten your trip? Have you ever been assigned a cabin mate whose illness threatened your health? We’re working on a story and would like to get your experience around sick divers and how you coped. Write and tell us about it, not forgetting to tell your town and state. BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

Nobody On The Boat!

We’ve heard rumors that at some destinations (Belize, Ambergris Caye, for example) a few dive operators are pinching pennies by not have a captain who stays on the boat when you dive. Should the boat drift away or you need help, no one is there. Have you dived with such an outfit anywhere in the world? If so, please tell us about it. BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

Blue Water, White Goddess

Undercurrent’s diving insider blogs are full of gems you might have missed. Bret Gilliam reminisces about his time with the first millionaire super-model Lauren Hutton in Fiji. You can read it and others for free here: https://www.undercurrent.org/blog/

Those of Us Who Like to Try our Regulators

Those of us who like to try our regulators locally before a trip often find ourselves in water colder than that we expect on our upcoming dive. If this applies to you, avoid breathing from, or purging, a regulator in cold conditions before both first and second-stages are totally submerged, because it will encourage ice to form and make the regulator malfunction. Be aware that fresh water of 50°F or colder can easily freeze in the regulator due to the cooling effect as the air from your tank is reduced in pressure.

Please Act to Support the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary

Please act to support the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, which protects a complex and interconnected ecosystem with different habitats and wildlife. DEMA has teamed together with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to write a joint letter of support for the Restoration Blueprint to restore habitats and protect marine wildlife. You can help by signing the letter of support:
https://www.dema.org/news/484582/ALERT---Please-Support-the-Florida-Keys-National-Marine-Sanctuary-by-Signing-This-Letter-of-Support.htm

This Month in Undercurrent

Dressel Divers in Cozumel and Playa del Carmen – a One-Week Trifecta . . . The Cozumel Reef Closure Update . . . A Trip in the Sea of Cortez on a Less-Than-Perfect Liveaboard . . . Mares Discovers the Reason for Full Face Snorkeling Mask Deaths . . . A Row Erupts Over a Great White Shark’s Death . . . Climate Change is Killing Clownfish . . . The Rich Sounds of a Healthy Reef Might Save Them . . . Harrowing Tales From the Red Sea Aggressor I Fire . . . Lithium-ion Battery Safety – Industry Experts Give Their Points of View . . . Was the U.S. Coastguard to Blame for the Conception Tragedy? . . . A Taste of November’s DEMA Show . . . and much, much more.

Undercurrent Has Been Publishing for 44 years and You’re Not Yet a Subscriber?

Why not take our no-risk offer for a 6-month subscription for just $19.95, and you can download free our new 36-page book, Seven Super Diver resorts (and on meh) Our hard-hitting, advertising free, 18-page monthly newsletter gives you access to more than 10,000 reports on dive destinations submitted unedited by the readers. If you are dissatisfied for any reason your money will be refunded. To subscribe at this special rate of $19.95 for six months, simply click here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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