Flotsam & Jetsam

Avelo System Gaining Popularity. Avelo is gaining traction in the recreational scuba diving market, now with 22 training sites in Australia, Bonaire, the U.S., and Spain. The system eliminates the BC with Avelo's battery-powered Hydrotank, a scuba tank with a flexible inner bladder into which compressed air or water can be pumped. Avelo Labs, which aims to change how divers control their buoyancy, has recently partnered with Canadian dive computer specialist Shearwater Research. You can read our March 2024 review here. https://tinyurl.com/4hskzpkh

Pioneer Diver Passes. At the age of 89, Hal Watts, who coined the maxim "Plan the dive and dive the plan," has passed. Founder of the Professional Scuba Association International, while working on a law degree in Atlanta, he held the world record for a deep air cave dive at 415 feet. He trained six other world record deep air divers, including his daughter, Scarlett Watts, who in 1999 established a women's world record deep air dive to 425 feet. Hal was among the first recreational divers to dive on the Monitor, a civil war ironclad, off Cape Hatteras, NC. He is credited with the idea of the octopus regulator, which he developed with Scubapro and Sportsways.

Hawaiian Shark Bite. During a January 11 "shark tour dive" off Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii, a shark bit a diver on the arm while the diver was in a bait ball. The diver was employed by the shark tour company. Shark diving and shark tours are big business in the Haleiwa harbor, with multiple crews ushering thrill-seekers to swim with the animals (sometimes from the safety of a cage, sometimes not). Despite crews going out daily, attacks remain uncommon. There were three attacks in Hawaii in 2024, including the tragic loss of pro surfer and lifeguard Tamayo Perry.

Watch Out for Gray Whales. Long-time subscriber Mary Wicksten (Bryan, TX) writes: "I saw the latest comments on snorkelers who want to swim with Tonga whales (Undercurrent mid-November email). They had better not be gray whales, which can use their tails as fly swatters against pests. There is an old Jacques Cousteau movie in which a whale smashed the gas tank on a Zodiac! Old-time whalers called grays "devil whales" because they would fight back. Foolish photographers who try to film gray whales in calving lagoons can run into just about anything in the murky water - several tons of irked whale or even a great white shark snacking on afterbirth."

Where a Dollar is not a Dollar. When you walk into a Cayman restaurant and see a meal priced at $40, you may hesitate but then think, what the heck? It's a special night, so what's forty bucks? Well, it's not $40, at least not American bucks, but about US$48. The two countries' dollars are not equivalent. One of our readers wrote to us recently: "I thought the Caymanian dollar was on par with the U.S., but sadly found out it is not. This makes the Cayman Islands less attractive as an economical dive destination." The Cayman dollar has been equivalent to US$1.20 for 50 years.

A New Crustacean Delicacy? What has 14 legs, lives at the bottom of the sea, and looks like Darth Vader? It's a newly discovered species of supergiant isopod, and should you visit Vietnam, you can buy and eat one. Until about seven years ago, fishermen in Vietnam sold them as inexpensive bycatch seafood products. Since then, however, they have become a pricey delicacy, reportedly tasting like lobster. They live at depths of up to 7,000 feet, grow up to 16 inches in length, and can tip the scales at 6.6 lbs. (NewAtlas.com)

Deadly Sea Turtles. To hunt or consume turtles in the Philippines is illegal, but some communities see them as a delicacy. In December, three people died and 32 were hospitalized after eating an endangered turtle cooked in a stew, even consuming its shell. Dozens of Indigenous Teduray people in Maguindanao del Norte Province reported symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal spasms. Some dogs, cats, and chickens fed the same turtle also died. Turtles may consume contaminated algae and remain healthy, but these are toxic to humans when cooked and eaten.

Deepest Model Shoot Goes Into Deco. The latest Deepest Underwater Model Photoshoot took place in December, 163 feet deep on the deck of the sunk Hydro Atlantic shipwreck off Pompano Beach in Florida, and quickly became a Guinness World Record. The overall dive time was 52 minutes, 14 seconds. The photographer and organizer was Canadian Steve Haining, with model Ciara Antoski, who was supplied with air between shots. To count as a world record photoshoot, Guinness requires a minimum bottom time of 15 minutes with full production setup. Anything less than that is a mere photograph.

Another Guinness World Record, But Why? Master scuba diver 33-year-old Barrington Scott, an ex-U.S. Marine, recently set a Guinness World Record for the fastest time to scuba dive on all seven continents, completing the feat in 19 days, 19 hours, and 40 minutes. We're sure it was great fun and a great adventure, but why does it earn Guinness status? Besides diving, it requires but two attributes: an ability to coordinate travel schedules and deep pockets (a good dry suit to dive in Antarctica can set you back a few bucks). He says the journey "highlights his commitment to inspiring others, especially within the Black community, to embrace adventure and the underwater world." Follow him on Instagram at @bj.thetraveller

Stonewalling in the Maldives. When bad accidents happen in developing countries, don't expect authorities to be on your side. The British parents of a Singaporean schoolgirl, Jenna Chan, killed when her dive boat reversed over her at a popular whale shark snorkeling site in the Maldives two months ago (see Undercurrent's mid-November email), are still awaiting information from the Maldivian authorities who they say are stonewalling. Authorities failed to offer the opportunity for a post-mortem examination of their daughter's body following the incident.

Remote Seamounts Promise Exciting Discoveries. The most recent voyage of discovery led by Schmidt Ocean Institute scientists visited a staggeringly high 1.5-mile seamount and three others in the southern Pacific. Along the Nazca ridge off the Chilean coast, one seamount left the explorers awe-struck. They found themselves amidst a multitude of species that human eyes had never seen. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seamounts are vital sanctuaries for marine life amidst the growing threats of climate change and warming oceans. (Earth.com)

More COVID Repercussions. Toshihisa Tsunoda, a subscriber from Knatou, Japan, wrote a Reader's Report in which he describes losing the equivalent of more than $20,000 for 12 passengers booked on the liveaboard Pearl of Papua in 2020. As you may recall, entry to Indonesia was not permitted that year. He was dismayed when the owner wrote to him, "Your 2020 trip payments have already been paid to vendors and third parties, and we are unable to get that money back." We'd like to hear from any other subscribers who might have lost money, paid in good faith, due to the COVID restrictions preventing a trip or for any other reason. Write to BenDDavison@undercurrent.org.