Contents of this Issue:
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Roatan Aggressor, Bay Islands, Honduras
Stay Away from Those Propellers: The Most Dangerous Thing You Meet is a Boat
Who Can Save Dying Reefs? Fish!
Climate Change is Eliminating Florida's Male Turtles
Raja Ampat, St. Lucia, Rangiroa, Vancouver Island
Undercurrent Awarded Grant
Want to Create Great Videos with Your Action Camera?
Unsafe at Any Depth?
Carbon Monoxide is a Killer
Instructor Killed by Blasted Tank Valve
Have You Seen This Pink Manta?
When You're Adrift in the Sea
Aqualung Recalls the Exotec BCD
Hydration, Diving, and SIPE, the Killer
Equipment Checks to Prepare for Diving
Flotsam & Jetsam
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good diving, decent boat, great crew; however...
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Dear Fellow Diver,
In late July, I traveled to Roatan for back-to-back one-week trips on the Roatan Aggressor. While I had planned to stay two weeks, it wasn't long before I asked whether a cabin was available for a third week. There was, and I stayed.
You see, many of the dive sites around Honduras' Bay Islands had something unique to offer. Off Roatan, I'll never forget diving close to shore at Black Rock in beautiful sunlit conditions among tiny juvenile butterflyfish and juvenile blue tangs. Off the island of Utila, I saw unique southern stargazers and sizeable scaly-tail mantis shrimp emerging from their hidey holes to claim fresh lionfish. The Grand Cocos seamount was loaded with gorgeous soft coral, schools of blue tangs, and mixed schools of mahogany and yellowtail snappers. A small school of Margate snappers swam among blackbar soldierfish. A trip to Toon Town at Cayos Cochinos offered plentiful blueberry tunicates and Indo-Pacific-quality crinoids. And none of these destinations required much travel, with no overnight crossings.
Sharks congregated for baited dives. While I am not a fan of orchestrating wildlife, I wasn't stubborn enough to sit out. So, I was amazed to see a Caribbean nurse shark seemingly leap straight up in front of me, like an Olympian, to snatch a piece of lionfish! Several
swam directly at me to retrieve a
piece of lionfish that had dropped in
front of my camera dome, sometimes
bumping or nudging me upward so they
could get beneath me. Later, three
nurse sharks buddied up with me, occasionally
photobombing my shots.
To attract reef sharks, the
guides kept the bait in a sealed
bucket, enticing the sharks (which
ranged up to seven feet), along with
Nassau, tiger, and black groupers.
When they released the bait, it was
hit and run. Once, a bearded toadfish
emerged from its hole for a chunk
of lionfish. Large scaly-tail mantis
shrimps seemed to enjoy the thrill of
the chase! When the food was gone,
the sharks moseyed on, leaving us divers to search for any teeth they left behind....
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