Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers

For David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi', exp: 2024-08-20, at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )

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November 26, 2022

Ghost Fishing for Eleven Millennia. A diver has discovered the remains of an ancient fish trap, estimated at 11,000 years old, off the coast of Alaska. It was 165 feet deep in water, 44°F cold. Imagine how many unfortunate fish it has caught while it's been down there.

The Heaviest Bony Fish. Researchers have recorded a 6050-pound bump-head sunfish Mola alexandrini in the Azores, North Atlantic, surpassing the record female (misidentified initially as Mola mola), weighing 5070 pounds caught off the Japanese coast in 1996. While scientists estimate it's about 25 years old, they are uncertain because the lifecycle of sunfish is poorly understood. Just published in The Journal of Fish Biology.

Looking for a Gift for Your Grand Kid? Long-time diver, accomplished dive mystery writer, and part-time Cozumel resident Paul Mila has produced a great little sea turtle book series for little kids. Order right here.

The Perils of Veracity in Reporting. Senior Editor John Bantin reflects on the perils he encountered in reporting the truth in diving media. He looks back at how the industry initially reacted against it and why he's now with Undercurrent. It's a new Insider's Blog. You can read it here.

If You've Seen This Cute Little Fellow, You Were Too Deep! From fish on stilts to creatures of ooze, the strange denizens of the deep uncovered during investigations of two new marine parks 1,500 miles off Australia's west coast were a dream come true for researchers. The new marine park territories will protect 285,000 square miles of ocean around Cocos Keeling and Christmas Islands. Researchers collected a treasure haul of species after sampling habitats with small trawl nets from 200 feet down to a depth of 18,000 feet. You may read more about it here.

Dive Travel Insurance Woes? Let Us Hear from You: COVID disrupted dive plans for thousands upon thousands of divers, and many lost lots of money. We're still working on a story about travel insurance for divers, and if you have had any insurance problems, we would like to hear about them. Not just with DAN or DiveAssure, but with any insurance carrier. Let us know how your reimbursement went, good or bad. Please tell us your story. Write to BenDDavison@undercurrent.org, not forgetting to add your town and state.

Malaysia's Sipadan Island Is Overwhelmed by Divers. A once pristine and world-class dive area, it's under severe diver pressure. The local divers association is objecting to the increased number of operators' permits being issued. In the last two years,176 permits were shared by 24 operators, but authorities abruptly permitted 13 more companies to conduct dives there. The east coast Sabah town easily houses over 150 dive outfits, most without a certification standard like PADI or NAUI.

Mermaid Rescue: - In our last Undercurrent issue, we told you about mermaid freedivers rescuing a diver in trouble at the Avalon Underwater Park. Now you can hear their story told to Inside Edition at MERMAID RESCUERS SPEAK OUT.

Challenger Discovery. In March, a team of divers initially looking for a PBM Martin Mariner Rescue Plane that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945, came across a 20-foot segment of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded with seven Astronauts aboard on January 28, 1986. Some of the underwater footage of their discovery can be seen in The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters which premiered on Tuesday, November 22, on the History Channel.

Pugnacious Octopus. Researchers at the University of Sydney, studying Octopus tetricus, the common Sydney octopus, have filmed them gathering debris with their front arms and web and then jet-propelling it from their bodies by ejecting water from their siphon, which they have shifted between their rear arms for the purpose. Octopuses hunt alone, are prone to fight, and even cannibalize one another. And they appear to have another antisocial strategy: hurl jet-propelled clouds of silt, algae and even shells at rival octopuses. Click here to view the article.

Feeding Manatees. Because seagrass is disappearing along Florida's east coast, biologists will again feed harvested greens to manatees this winter. During the winter of 2021-22, biologists dropped more than 200,000 pounds of leafy greens into the Indian River Lagoon, intending to double the amount this winter. In 2021, 1,101 manatees died; this year, the fatality count in early November was 734. Florida's manatee population is estimated to be between 5500 and 7000.

Checklists for Travelin’ Divers. Experienced divers can often become too casual at checking things before a dive. We suggest you do a thorough check that everything is up to scratch before you even set off on a trip, and notwithstanding that, a separate check immediately before each dive. To this end we’ve compiled a comprehensive checklist that you can download, print, and laminate, so you’ll always got it handy with your dive kit. Don’t be too proud to use this handy reminder. It could save a dive or even save your bacon. https://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/UndercurrentEquipmentChecklist.pdf

Your Reader's Report. Have you recently filed a report of your last dive trip? Last chance before we compile them into our annual Travelin' Diver's Chapbook and email it to our subscribers in early December. Just as you count on Undercurrent, your fellow subscribers count on honest reports from readers like you to planning trips because they are unedited impressions of dive resorts and liveaboards not found anywhere else. If you've made a trip recently, whether good or bad, please submit a report. Praise what's good and criticize what's not. Tell all and file your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR. The deadline for this year's Chapbook is December 1.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org