Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers

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

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January 22, 2023

Diver Lost to a Down Current in Cozumel. A North American recreational diver went missing at Santa Rosa Reef, at the southern end of Cozumel, on January 16, when apparently caught by a down current while he was near the surface. Navy personnel began a search for the missing diver after being notified of his failure to resurface and the crew’s failure in locating him underwater. A search alert has been extended to local fishermen in Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. More information in the following issue of Undercurrent.

No Hyperbaric Chamber in the Solomons. Because of damage caused by a recent earthquake, the Solomon Islands’ recompression chamber is out of commission. Because the nearest hyperbaric facilities are 1300 miles away in Brisbane, Australia, you’d better be carrying emergency medical evacuation insurance. More about diving insurance and medical evacuation in the next issue of Undercurrent.

The Most Dangerous Thing You Meet Is a Boat. In early January, a surfacing diver at Los Cabos, Mexico, was hit by a passing boat at popular Pelicanos Beach, one of many spots frequented by divers. Though he has a severe head injury, it is not life-threatening. Undercurrent has recently reported on several similar accidents, which seem to be increasing in popular diving areas where pleasure boats run.

Bob Hollis Passes. A pioneering diver, Hollis dived the sunken wreck of the Andrea Doria more times than anyone on the wreck; in 1981, he was the underwater photographer for the nationally aired movie. Hollis founded Oceanic Worldwide, Aeris, and Pelagic Pressure Systems after he opened the Anchor Shack dive shop in Hayward, California, in 1966, and began developing underwater camera housing, strobes, and hand lights. He even opened a diving resort in Papua New Guinea -- Tawali on Milne Bay. Bob Hollis passed away on January 4 in Salt Lake City (UT), aged 85 years.

Indonesia's Adultery Law is not Intended for You. Indonesia recently introduced a law making it illegal for couples who were not married to share sleeping accommodations. But before you cancel that trip with your lover, be aware that this law won't apply to foreigners. The intention is to allow an Indonesian to take legal action against an unfaithful spouse and requires a formal complaint from an immediate family member. Despite what you might read in the sensational press, romantic trips to Bali are still feasible.

Guadalupe Closed For Good. Despite the optimism of Mike Lever of Nautilus (Undercurrent September 22), it looks like great white shark diving at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, is done. All tourism, including liveaboard diving, has been banned, and film and television crews will be prohibited. Unfortunately, the new management plan has no provisions for protecting the 400-plus great white sharks known to frequent the area. More about this in the February issue of Undercurrent.

Old Scuba Tanks Are Being Repurposed. Key West-born Florida artist Danilo Alayson uses old scuba tanks as his canvas. He cuts the tank, salvaged from dive shops and no longer certifiable for use, with a motorized saw. Pouring resin over the entire painted facade helps render a glass-like finish -- which he describes as a "candy apple" glaze. Alayson is happy to have his marine image scuba tank work in front of potential buyers browsing many of the shops on Duval Street, Key West (FL).

Another Close Call While Spearfishing. Chad Patti was spearfishing 70 miles off the coast of Pensacola over the New Year when a mako shark, the fastest-swimming of all the sharks, "appeared out of nowhere" and chomped down on his fin. His two diving buddies picked him up in their boat. You can view his GoPro footage of the terrifying encounter here.

Coming Soon in Undercurrent: Komodo and Kalimaya island resorts . . . Those dreaded boat surcharges . . . Insurance woes and triumphs . . . Another Cozumel propeller accident . . . Big Manta numbers counted . . . How good is your heart? . . . Yellow band disease in the Indo-Pacific . . . A visit to Turneffe Island . . . another Red Sea liveaboard sinks . . . The tragic Linnea Mills story -- the final outcome? . . . Surviving a liveaboard trip . . . Ships causing a coral-killing epidemic? . . . Ear infections in polluted Indonesian waters . . . Down currents, what causes them and how to handle one . . . and much, much more.

Fans of Amos Nachoum won't want to miss his TEDx Berkeley presentation entitled From Fear to Triumph in the Presence of Ocean Giants. The explorer, photographer, expedition leader, and two-time winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award will be speaking on Saturday, January 28, and you can get a 20 percent discount on the ticket price by using code "AMOS20". For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxBerkeley

The Rarest Marine Life Footage You'll Ever See? On New Year's Eve, a group of snorkelers at the Eyre Peninsular in South Australia encountered a rare juvenile pygmy right whale. At first, they thought it was a shark, but footage captured revealed it to be a juvenile pygmy, of which there have only been about 20 official sightings ever. In January, a Port Lincoln photographer managed to capture even more footage of the individual. You can see it here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org