Undercurrent Online Update for Non-Subscribers

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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.

Time to Subscribe to Undercurrent? If you enjoyed our mid-month email, you'll enjoy the Undercurrent newsletter more. In addition, you have full access to more than 11,000 Undercurrent independent readers' reports -- opinions and impressions posted without fear or favor by those who have stayed at the resorts or have been on liveaboards worldwide. I am offering you a seven-month trial subscription for just $19.95. If you want your money back at any time during this period, you'll get it, a promise I've kept since we started publishing in 1975. Click 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.

Read It For Free. The recent liveaboard fires, groundings, and capsizing are not good. You can read about what's happening with liveaboards, for free, even if you are not a subscriber to Undercurrent. You can read it here.

This Month in Undercurrent: A trip to Walindi Resort and MY Oceania in PNG . . . Are Texas coral reefs among the healthiest in the world? . . . PNG: Getting there and staying there . . . Colored lenses for masks? Are they worth it? . . . Liquid Blue and Living Underwater in Cozumel, Mexico . . . San Diego, a hotbed of diving casualties . . . What's happening with liveaboards? . . . Attitude keeps you alive . . . Pointer sticks -- maybe to do without? . . . Ocean Art 2023 competition results . . . The most dangerous thing you'll meet is your boat . . . The Caribbean sea urchin die-off . . . Pity the poor PADI professional . . . and much, much more.

Spare Air Counterfeits. Submersible Systems Inc. has become so concerned about fake versions of its Spare Air reaching the marketplace it has offered to take any counterfeit version as a trade-in for its genuine product made in Huntington Beach, CA. It came about because customers have been disappointed when they cannot receive help or support to repair a faulty knock-off version. See here for details.

Hawaiians are Alarmed. It's a common story after a disaster: What to do with the debris that is collected? Native Hawaiians are alarmed by the thousands of truckloads of debris from the disastrous Lahaina fire that resulted in a toxic wasteland of melted batteries, charred propane tanks, and other material tainted with arsenic and lead, which might contaminate the vital coral reef close to Olowalu, the chosen temporary dumpsite. Officials considered shipping all of the waste off the island but concluded that would be far too costly. Dump trucks are now rumbling each day onto the dump site.

You're Never Too Old. Fifty-eight-year-old Canadian breath-holding free diver William Winram has claimed a new CMAS record in the Variable Weight/No Fins category of 460 feet at Sharm el Sheikh on December 12. He rode a sled down but swam up finless and unaided. The dive took him 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

What You Get if You Subscribe to Undercurrent: We cover subjects other dive publications avoid for fear of upsetting their advertisers. But we don't accept advertising. We are accountable only to divers. Our travel reviews are written by undercover authors who pay their way. Our stories cover equipment problems, liveaboard safety, the ins and outs of tipping, how dive insurance can fail you, and much, much more. In December, you will receive the Travelin' Diver's Chapbook, filled with hundreds of travel reviews by fellow subscribers. Not only that, you will have full access to more than 11,000 Undercurrent independent readers' reports -- opinions and impressions posted without fear or favor by those who have stayed at the resorts or have been on liveaboards worldwide. I am offering you a seven-month trial subscription for just $19.95. And I'll send you a FREE download of the 40-page e-books Eight Great Liveaboards (and One Disaster) and Eight Great Dive Resorts (and One Dog). If you want your money back at any time during this period, you'll get it, a promise I've kept since we started publishing in 1975. Click Here.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org