Undercurrent Online Update for Non-Subscribers

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February 13, 2020

He’s Now Seen It All!

That’s what subscriber Andrew Falconer (Bunbury, Australia) told us after witnessing a lady climb down the steps of Busselton jetty, Western Australia, in the company of a scuba diver, while wearing a white helmet connected to a scuba tank slung across her back. She then strolled about the seabed in her pink slip-on shoes. Is this the future of scuba or a Coroner’s report?

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Join the New England Aquarium on its Bahamas Reef Fish Survey Expedition APRIL 11-19, 2020. And it's Tax Deductible

You can explore beautiful underwater sites with New England Aquarium divers on their annual expedition to the Bahamas aboard the R/V Coral Reef II. Using techniques that you will learn from Aquarium staff, participants will gather data on fish populations and their habitats while gaining experience with scientific diving methods. It’s a way to increase your knowledge of reef fish identification and behavior while helping to ensure diverse and healthy animal populations. If you sign up, be prepared to spend a lot of time diving with a great group of people! For information, Chris Bauernfeind at cbauernfeind@neaq.org or 617.973.5248.

Australian Wildlife in Peril Appeal

Remarkably, Undercurrent supporters have contributed more than $52,000 so far and contributions are continuing to roll in. $20,000 has already been distributed. It’s so hard to see how the animals suffer or even can’t get away from the fires, and tens of thousands of volunteers are helping. The money we raise goes for taking food and water into the bush, paying for transport, paying for all the rescue and medical supplies needed, and vehicle support. Coming up is habitat restoration, because, koalas, for example, have lost their trees. The money is being parcelled out to carefully vetted organizations including WIRES, Wildlife Victoria and Koala Rescue, Queensland. Undercurrent is an approved 501 (c)(3) organization. If you wish to make a tax-deductible contribution, click here. Thanks again.

Coronavirus Update (1)

You may have read our February Undercurrent article about sharing a cabin with someone who gets sick and the coronavirus emergency brings this into sharp focus. Nautilus Dive Adventures (Sea of Cortez, Socorro) is among the first operations to take steps and has sent a message out to all passengers booked that reads, “Any divers scheduled to join one of our trips that have recently travelled to affected regions in China and are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, please contact us. If travel is not advised, we will waive any cancellation fees and rebook you onto a later trip without charge.” Can’t say fairer than that.

Coronavirus Update (2)

If you are traveling to Micronesia be aware that the President of the Pacific island nation has declared that visitors are required to have stayed for at least 14 days in a country or territory unaffected by the coronavirus, immediately before entering his country. That means not traveling via China (inc. Hong Kong) or the Philippines. (traveling via Manila is a popular route.) Fiji and the Marshall Islands have taken a similar precaution.

A Message from PADI on Battery Charging

There’s a rising prevalence of battery-powered devices being used in diving situations: smart phones, underwater propulsion vehicles, computers, cameras, strobes, drones and other personal equipment. Following recent boating-related tragedies, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) have recommended that owners, operators and masters of passenger vessels consider limiting the unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and extensive use of power strips and extension cords due to an increased risk of fire. This fire risk also extends to land-based dive operations, especially when charging batteries in hotel and designated camera rooms.

A Template for Liveaboard Fire Safety Precautions

In the light of the recent fires on liveaboard vessels that cost so may lives, owners and operators have been forced to focus on safety issues that may have been taken for granted in the past. We asked Avi Klapfer, of the Undersea Hunter fleet that undertakes trips to remote locations like Cocos Island, in the Pacific, what steps he has taken to ensure the safety of his passengers from fire onboard. His precautions are a good template that we hope others will adopt, and we advise travelers to ask the right questions when they book trips on other boats. You can read-it-for-free here.

This Month in Undercurrent

Mantas and Molas at Two Fish Divers, Lembongan, Bali, Indonesia . . . Macro-life Diving at Alam Batu, Bali, Indonesia . . . An Investment Opportunity for the Gullible . . . When Dive Gear Evidence goes Missing after a Fatality . . . That Weight Belt can Kill You if You Don’t Dump It . . . Belize, Little Cayman, the Conflict Islands - Readers Report . . . An American Underwater Photography Team cleans up again in the World Shootout . . . When Your Cabin Mate Gets Sick? . . . How the Conception was Exempted from USCG Fire Safety Standards . . . A Template for Liveaboard Fire Safety Precautions . . . The Ticking Time Bomb Posed by War Wrecks . . . Unaffordable Drugs in the USA? Turn to Canada . . . Kids’ Sea Camp . . . The Ins and Outs of Trip Insurance . . . A Lawsuit over a Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Sting . . . The Opportunity to get Shark Bytes at Half Price . . . Diving and Politeness -- We Want to Hear from You . . . Flotsam & Jetsam and much, much more.

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Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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