Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers

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

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February 21, 2023

Insurance Woes? For our next issue, we're working on a story about the woes and triumphs of divers' insurance claims. Have you submitted a claim to an insurance carrier that led to a disappointing response? Tell us about it. Don't forget to include your town and state, and email BenDDavison@undercurrent.org.

The Great Shark Snapshot Success. Shark scientists often rely on anecdotal evidence from divers' shark sightings, a key tool for understanding shark populations and their distribution. Last year Shark Trust inaugurated the Great Shark Snapshot, encouraging divers to submit photos of sharks taken between July 24 and July 31. Around 2000 images of 49 species of sharks and rays were submitted. To get involved this year, start planning your shark observation trip. www.sharktrust.org/the-great-shark-snapshot

Those Junk Travel Fees. As a dive traveler, you must be fed up with those sneaky fees that show up as "resort fees," forced tips, or unexpected fees tacked on to your final bill, though you were never prewarned. And then there are endless airline fees tacked on to the advertised price. Joe Biden has asked Congress to dump these "junk fees," a proposal that should have bipartisan support. In California, a legislative bill was introduced in February to protect Californians from blind charges. In the meantime, if you come across one of those surprise fees, just say "nope." Chances are, it will be removed without a complaint. We've done it successfully.

Where Can Divers Volunteer to Save the Reefs?: We're researching destinations and operations, and if you know of any volunteer programs, let me know. BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

Fatal River Shark Attack. During the first week of February, a 16-year-old girl swimming in the Swan River near Perth, Australia, died after being attacked by a bull shark. Bull sharks can tolerate fresh water and visit estuaries and rivers. They travel up the San Juan River to Lake Nicaragua and have been found in the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois.

Poachers Turned to Conservationists. In the Philippines, all five species of sea turtles -- green, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, and Olive Ridley -- are slaughtered for their eggs, meat, and shells. A local conservation organization (CURMA) is transforming turtle poachers into allies, paying them 20 pesos (37 cents) for each egg collected, four times what they might earn from selling them to keep turtle eggs from ending up on dinner plates. The eggs are transferred to the program's hatchery. Last season they released 9,000 hatchlings. (Reuters)

The Giants are Leaving Us. An American pioneer of the underwater world, larger-than-life Emory Kristof, passed in February. A National Geographic photographer since 1963, he joined many undersea expeditions with Canadian Phil Nuytten, including the exploration of the Breadalbane, the world's northernmost known shipwreck. A member of the 1995 team that first dived the Titanic, he later taught director James Cameron how to illuminate and photograph the ship for his epic 1997 film. Kristof was 80 years old.

After the Dust Settles on the Linnea Mills Case, attorney David Concannon is asking the U.S. Attorney for the State of Montana to reopen the investigation into Linnea's death, believing that the instructor is liable for her death. Details about this case, the outcome, PADI's role, and the call for the investigation will appear in the next issue of Undercurrent.

Unprovoked Shark Bites Were Fewer Last Year. According to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File (ISAF), most of the 57 unprovoked bites last year occurred in the U.S. and Australia. Five proved fatal, down from nine in 2021 and 10 the previous year. Scuba divers, snorkelers, and free divers account for only 12 percent of shark-bite victims -- the majority are surfers or swimmers. As usual, the most bites occurred in Florida, though none of the 16 unprovoked bites was fatal. Two, likely from bull sharks, required amputations. The only unprovoked U.S. shark bite that led to death occurred when a snorkeler disappeared in Maui. Experts are concerned that the reduction in bites in 2022 could reflect the global decline in shark populations. (divernet)

Aqualung Calypso Regulator Voluntary Recall. Regulators with first-stage serial number L077601 -- L077700 or Common Part Number RG126111 containing a potentially defective first-stage body that could lead to a severe free flow of the second stage due to a sudden increase in inter-stage pressure. Any users possessing a Calypso regulator with one of the CPNs or serial numbers listed above should stop using it immediately and contact their supplier for a free replacement. See here for details.

Florida Gets Another Artificial Reef. The former research vessel R/V Manta was sunk 16 miles off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, on January 15. At about 110 feet deep, the wreck features a statue of Christ of the Gulf at a depth of 50 feet and is accessible to basic certification divers. The R/V Manta is due to be joined by its sister ship R/V Dolphin in the coming weeks.

Coming Soon in Undercurrent: Two superb Indonesian dive resorts . . . . The woes and travails of claiming on diving and travel insurance . . . Tips on surviving a liveaboard trip if things go belly-up . . . Can divers release sharks from longlines legally? . . . Those damned liveaboard fuel surcharges . . . Discover Diving experiences may be safer than some think . . . The Linnea Mills story -- is it finally concluded? . . . Hawaiian reefs are at risk from tourism . . . and much, much more.

Your Travel Experiences are Important to Other Subscribers. The ever-growing resource that is the Undercurrent readers' independent reports is one of the main reasons others subscribe. There's nothing like the unvarnished truth delivered by fellow divers to give an accurate impression of what a dive resort and its accommodation or a liveaboard is really like. These reports are unedited and tell it like it is -- which is where you come in. Write a report about a recent trip and post it alongside others. Don't hold back -- tell both the good and the bad. You can even add photos if you wish, and it's easy to compose because you can add to or edit as you go or even come back to finish it later. Go to www.undercurrent.org/SubRR to get started.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org