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 16, 2024

See the World Shootout's 2023 Underwater Photography Winning Shots. In a truly international competition, 28 nights at four PNG resorts worth $18,900 awaits Luc Rooman of Belgium for winning first prize in the "Five Best Images' category. There were 828 other winners of prizes worth $272,000. Eduardo Acevedo of Spain won €2000 in cash for Best Photo overall. To see all the results, go to: www.worldshootout.org

100 Percent PADI or Not At All. PADI now requires all dive centers working under the PADI banner to train divers exclusively with PADI. It will not permit them to offer certifications by other organizations, such as SSI, SDI, CMAS, or the British Sub Aqua Club alongside its own. Many dive centers operators are outraged, and some, such as Werner Lau Diving Centers, have protested on social media. The fish don't care what diving certification you carry.

Remarkably Bright Creatures: If you have yet to discover this fascinating novel of a woman who befriends an octopus in an aquarium tank -- much of the story told by the octopus –--you're in for an enjoyable read. Shelby Van Pelt's novel has sold more than half a million copies in less than two years. She got her idea from Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus, an absorbing nonfiction book that every diver will love.

Banning Shark Finning Does Not Save Sharks. A study published in the journal Science has found that the number of sharks caught by commercial fishing boats is increasing, despite government efforts to ban shark finning. Between 2012 and 2019, the number increased from at least 76 million a year to 80 million. The U.S. banned the sale of shark fins in 2022, but when it comes to reducing overall shark mortality, it's not enough. Entire bans on shark fishing, not just finning, over large swaths of the ocean were the best regulations, reducing mortality by nearly 40 percent compared to areas without shark fishing prohibitions.

Fiji Medical Treatment? Confused? We were! In the Flotsam & Jetsam of the February issue of Undercurrent, we told you about the trauma of third-world medical treatment but posted the wrong link. This month's Cozumel trip writer described his humorous but harrowing tale of going down with appendicitis in Fiji 35 years ago. We posted his story on our website; you can read it here.

Three Divers Hit by Maldives' Sharks. Divers on the MY Myna II were hit by spinner sharks at the same place where in January a 63-year-old American woman lost her leg to the propeller of a dive boat (Undercurrent February). A video made during a staged shark-feed with bait in a basket shows a shark becoming entangled in the weighted downline and going into flight or fight mode. Other sharks were spooked. Several divers were in the water, three were hit and one sustained non-life-threatening injuries when fleeing sharks collided with him. The dive site is hazardous because it's right outside Hulhumale harbor, a stretch of water busy with dhonis taking passengers between the airport, Male, and resort islands. Strong currents, boat traffic, and aggressive sharks make this the most hazardous dive spot in the Maldives. There are moves afoot to ban shark baiting.

Rinsing Your Gear? After a long dive trip, you put your dive gear away until you travel again, which might be a long time. To avoid disappointment later, before you stow it, soak it all in clean, fresh water first (add a little vinegar to leach out any salt deposits). Don't forget to ensure the rubber cap is firmly in place and watertight on your first stage (or screwed on if it has a DIN connection), and never press the purge button on the second stage while it is immersed since that will allow water in. Hang it all to dry in a well-ventilated spot before packing it away.

Paul Humann Passes. Known to divers as the author of iconic fish identification books, Humann was both a publisher and reef advocate. He was 86. Formerly a lawyer, his hobby became a way of life when he became captain of the Caribbean's first liveaboard, Cayman Diver. In 1988, Humann joined with Ned DeLoach, founder of New World Publications, as co-editor of Ocean Realm magazine to produce his famed ID books. More about Paul in the March edition of Undercurrent.

Conflicting Reports. Last month, a 63-year-old American woman lost a leg to the propeller of the diving dhoni operated in conjunction with the Maldives Aggressor II liveaboard. The operating company reports her surface marker had become entangled while a Canadian diver, Eric Alo, who witnessed the accident, reports she was already at the stern ladder when the vessel took off, despite shouts of warning to the crew. Traditional Maldivian dhonis have the dive ladder at the front, whereas the dhoni in question is similar to dive boats elsewhere in that it has diver access at the stern. (divernet)

Other Subscribers Find Your Reports Invaluable. They are your opportunity to tell everyone about your dive trip. Unedited and unmoderated, your reports will brief other subscribers about dive resorts you've visited and liveaboards you have taken. Don't hold back. You can tell both the good and the bad and everything in between. Over 11,000 entries have become essential reading for traveling divers. You can post photos. It's easy to post a report of your last dive trip. And your fellow divers will be thankful. File your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR, and we will also include it in this year's Chapbook, which will be sent to readers in early December.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org