Flotsam & Jetsam

What? Another Red Sea Liveaboard Up in Smoke: The MY Golden Dolphin III and MY Golden Dolphin II -- what's the difference? The Golden Dolphin III went up in smoke in January, while its 20-year-old sister ship burned to the waterline on February 28. Reports suggested that an electrical short circuit might have caused the blazes, though the cause of the fires remains unconfirmed. Coincidence? Are the owners rationalizing their fleet? Both fires occurred in the Red Sea port of Hurghada. Don't worry. If you still want to take your chances with this fleet, there's still the original Golden Dolphin and the latest 151-foot Golden Dolphin IV to take your booking!

Qualified? Not at ALL: We assume that people who take us diving are qualified to do so, but a Maui snorkel-boat captain, Jeffrey Worthen, got away with using fraudulent qualifications since 2012. His deception was discovered when his snorkel boat struck a rock of Lanai in June 2022, throwing five passengers into the water and injuring several others. The 61-year-old had falsely claimed to hold valid U.S Coast Guard Merchant Mariner credentials required for previous commercial maritime jobs, using the identities of a licensed boat captain, a business-owner, and an ex-girlfriend to fake his qualifications. Admitting was all a lie; in February, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Coast Guard and wire fraud, referring to the electronic transmission of the false credentials to his employer. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

The Aggressor Adventures Owner Passes. Wayne Brown (65), CEO of Aggressor Adventures, passed away in March after an 18-month battle with illness. A passionate diver, after first experiencing the Aggressor Fleet as a customer, he purchased the company in 2007 and began expanding its reach. Under his leadership, the company evolved into Aggressor Adventures, a global adventure travel brand offering world-class liveaboard dive expeditions, as well as river cruises and Signature Lodges in destinations across the globe. He owned Taco Bell franchises in Florida and Georgia before selling them in 2006 to take over the Aggressor company.

Good News for Cozumel. The Mexican government has canceled the Fourth Cruise Pier project following a re-evaluation of the Environmental Impact statement submitted by the developers. The Mexican Center for Environmental Law claims this decision reaffirms the obligation to protect highly sensitive ecosystems like Cozumel's reefs and maintain marine biodiversity, ensuring large-scale projects undergo evaluation with strict adherence to legality, prevention, and environmental precaution principles. Local communities played a significant role in pressuring authorities to correct previous decisions, arguing that there are already enough cruise ships visiting the island. The busiest days in 2026 schedules are projected to bring as many as 35,000 cruise passengers to Cozumel in a single day, about one-third of the population. (Riviera Maya News)

The Largest Coral Colony? Two Aussie citizen scientists, Jan Pope and her daughter Sophie, discovered in Queensland the largest documented coral colony on the Great Barrier Reef. They were participating in the Great Reef Census with the conservation group Citizens of the Reef when they stumbled across the enormous colony by pure chance. From the far north of the Great Barrier Reef to the Hawaiian Islands, simple survey methodology, AI technology, and an accessible conservation program have positioned the census as one of the largest citizen science projects in the world's oceans. For more information on the census, click here. https://citizensgbr.org/

Conception Conviction Upheld. A U.S. appeals court has upheld the conviction of Jerry Boylan, the captain of the dive boat Conception, confirming the manslaughter verdict tied to the 2019 Labor Day fire that killed 34 people on a Channel Islands dive trip. The Los Angeles Times reports the jury's verdict should stand and rejected arguments from Boylan's legal team that the trial judge had used incorrect legal instructions when defining negligence for the jury. The fire aboard the Conception dive boat in 2019 killed 34 people who were trapped below deck while the captain jumped overboard. He faces a sentence of four years in federal prison.

It's Never Too Late. Ever since he was 15 years old, Paul Ehorn, 80, has been searching Lake Michigan for the wreck of the Lac La Belle luxury steamer that sank in 1872. Ehorn and his team finally discovered the wreck in 2022, but didn't announce it until now. He said that was because the team wanted to release a 3D scan of the 150-year-old shipwreck along with the announcement, but inclement weather caused delays. The Lac La Belle was found around 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin. Ehorn said that his team discovered the shipwreck just two hours after arriving at the location suggested by fellow wreck hunter and author Ross Richardson. (Local 12 News)