Letters about our Latest Articles

Our September issue and mid-month e-mail got a good amount of feedback from subscribers about a range of articles.

Siren Calls. First, a correction. In our article about the Siren Fleet losing five of its eight boats to accidents in six years, we wrote that the first boat affected was the Siren Fleet's first vessel, the Siren, sunk after being struck from the rear by a freighter during a night crossing. Undercurrent contributor John Bantin says the boat's name was actually the Sampai Jumpa (meaning " see you again") when it was sunk.

Michael Wood (Edmonds, WA) was supposed to go on the Palau Siren, the latest boat to be damaged (it struck a reef while moored and was severely flooded in August), but had to switch to the Palau Aggressor. His travel agent got the deposit refund from the Siren Fleet with no issues, "but the boat never contacted me, by the way, about the wreck or any accommodations on another boat."

The Oldest Diver Around. In our mid-month e-mail, we wrote about Jean Loughry, an 85-year-old diver from Salem, PA, who is awaiting word from Guinness World Records that she will be named the oldest female scuba diver. We knew some of subscribers could challenge Loughry for the title she's applying for, and we were right. Sam Miller (Seattle, WA) cited Dottie May Frasier, the world's first female certified dive instructor back in 1955, who is now approximately 94 and, according to Mark Young, executive director the Scuba Show (where Frasier was honored last year, " Dottie is still active in the underwater world, and if anyone deserves recognition as the oldest female diver, it is her."

Elaine Blum (Miami, FL) wants to nominate her mom. " She was certified at age 78, and at age 86, is still an active diver , with over 500 dives."

Shark-Feeding Lawbreaker. As we wrote last month, the CBS Miami station reported that Randy Jordan, owner of Emerald Charters, regularly and knowingly hand-feeds sharks, even though it's against Florida law. An Undercurrent reader who has been on Jordan's dive boat for trips writes us, "Safety is not his primary concern, it's all about Randy the showman, finning about, handing out pieces of fish (no chumming here) while putting on his 'one-man show' for the group. Folks routinely lapse into deco on these 90-foot dives, something never mentioned in his briefing. Randy also maintains a persona non grata list of those who challenge the safety of his operation or he suspects may report any infractions to law enforcement. It's only a matter of time before some is injured if not killed by his operation."