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April 25, 2020

It’s an Ill Wind that Blows Nobody Any Good

A collection of crocodiles took over sunbathing on a Mexican beach after it was closed to regular sunbathers, thanks to the Coronavirus lock-down. The photo was taken by a local photographer in March near the village of La Ventanilla, Oaxaca.

Covid-19 Harms Divers Lungs

Divers who suffered from Covid-19 disease may never be able to dive again, says senior physician Frank Hartig at the Innsbruck University Clinic in Austria. (RAINews.IT) The clinic has treated dozens of corona virus sufferers including six active divers, none of whom had to be treated in hospital, but cured themselves in home quarantine and are considered recovered. But, “the damage to the lungs is irreversible,” said Hartig. “After a Covid-19 infection, even if you have only mild symptoms, you should definitely have a dive doctor examine you thoroughly, even if you still have an upright medical examination.” Undercurrent will provide the complete article in the upcoming May issue.

Was Your Dive Trip Cancelled Due to the Corona Virus?

If so, let us know how you handled it and any problems that developed. We want to hear your stories. Write us at BenDDavison@undercurrent.org not forgetting to add your town and state.

The Planet Recovers

Reports are coming in of Mother Nature taking advantage of the loss of human activity, with underwater photographer Doug Perrine, reporting from Kukio Beach in Hawaii, saying that it’s like going back 50 years in time. In India, 70,000 Olive Ridley turtles took advantage of deserted beaches to storm the Odisha Rookery to mass nest in broad daylight. Weirdly, a beach in Wales, has seen dozens of octopuses walking on to the shore for no apparent reason. Scientists opine that because of a shortage of predators in the ocean, the population has increased beyond a manageable size making some attempt to escape overcrowding by leaving the water.

Expect Higher Air Fares When It’s Over

As the aviation industry looks to the future after the near-total grounding of its passenger aircraft, airlines are expecting higher costs that will inevitably be passed on to passengers. The director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that with governments imposing strict rules intended to reduce the spread of the virus, meaning that aircraft will have to carry fewer passengers as loading is de-densified, they are specifying the number and position of seats that must remain unoccupied. As for using mileage awards, those days may be doomed.

Bali’s Inexplicable Immunity

With only 86 cases and two deaths, both of foreigner (as of April 14), Bali somehow appears to be escaping Covid-19, despite the rest of Indonesia enduring around 5,000 cases, mainly on Java. However, health workers are having to deal with an outbreak of dengue fever, which has been responsible for in excess of 2,000 cases around Ubud alone. Symptoms can be similar to Covid-19.

Buy Tropical Ice, my Scuba Diving Thriller and Get Six Months of Undercurrent Free

Tropical Ice, set in Belize, is filled with diving thrills, reef poaching, nasty shark finners, twists and turns, and diving characters you might have met along the way. Scuba Diving Magazine calls it a “Must Read.” Buy it now for $15 and I’ll give you a six-month subscription to Undercurrent (worth $19.95), Free. There is no risk. If you don’t like Tropical Ice, email me, and I’ll give you all your money back, and you can keep the book. I have only 20 copies left, so you must act now. We mail the 392-page paperback so our offer is good for American addresses only. So act quickly go here.

You Might Not be Able to Travel Now but You Can Dream

This Month in Undercurrent: Cabañas on Clark’s Cay, Guanaja, Honduras . . . What’s with the Star Chart? . . . Metal matters – Are Your Tanks Aluminum or Steel? . . . Stranded in Honduras – A Harrowing Tale of a Utila Escape . . . Good News for Coral in South Caicos . . . California’s Giant Sea Bass – A Promising Story . . . A Newspaper Keeps the Shark Myth Going . . . The Dive Industry and Coronavirus – A Summary of Travel and Chaos . . . Keep Away from Turning Propellers – A Florida Diving Tragedy . . . Nautilus Dive Adventures Gets Some Flack but Responds Well to Criticism . . . A Thoughtless Boater Damages a Florida Scientist’s Coral Nursery . . . Can You Get a Refund for Flight Tickets? . . . How to Clean Your Equipment of a Virus Is Covid-19 in Your Scuba Tank? . . . Letters to the Editor . . . Movies with Scuba to Watch While Self-Isolating . . . and much, much more.

An Essential Free-to-Read in Undercurrent this Month

Covid-19 and the Dive Travel Industry. Thousands upon thousands of divers have had their travel plans, for which they have made a down payment or maybe have paid several thousand dollars in full, quashed. Most never left home, many got turned around at an airport, and many more had their trip cut short and had to struggle to get home. And, as readers of Undercurrent, there’s a fair-to-middlin’ chance you’re one of them. So, what’s the chances of a refund, and how will the industry cope with the crisis? You can read-it-for-free here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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