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Many Tanks Needlessly Condemned
Did You Miss the Boat?
Scuba Boots Meet Main Street?
There are Two Types of Divers
The Pros and Cons of Shark-Feeding Dives
What You Missed in April’s Undercurrent
Our Deal for You: the New 40-page book Eight Great Dive Resorts and One Dog is yours, at no charge,

Many Tanks Needlessly Condemned  April 18, 2017

Professional Cylinder Inspectors Inc. (formerly known as PSI Inc.) says that there has been confusion over incorrect information on the US DOT (PHMSA) website, leading to many cylinders needlessly getting condemned. If you’re in the business of filling tanks or have had a tank condemned, visit www.psicylinders.com/documents/sp9791_renewal.pdf

Did You Miss the Boat?  April 18, 2017

If you were contemplating a visit to the wreck of the RMS.Titanic, you might be too late because trips on Blue Marble’s purpose-built titanium and carbon-fiber submersible to the mighty vessel’s final resting place two miles down, are fully booked. At $105,129 per person, it’s is almost twice as much of that of the last Titanic tourist trip on the Deep Ocean Explorer in 2012. However, not to worry if you missed this opportunity. Los Angeles-based company, The Bluefish, is taking reservations for a similar expedition in 2018-19. Price yet to be determined, but it will include the eight-day round trip from Newfoundland. thebluefish.com/visit-the-titanic

Scuba Boots Meet Main Street?  April 18, 2017

For their latest collection, the fashion gurus at Prada have taken the typical wetsuit boot, redesigned it in several different brightly colored materials for the molded rubber sole, neoprene upper, zip and Velcro strap, and given it a $500 price tag. By attempting to take wetsuit boots out of the sea and onto the street, will they lure the fashion-conscious to endure sweaty feet this summer?

There are Two Types of Divers  April 18, 2017

Those who pee in their wet suits and those who lie about it, hence the common aura encountered on dive decks. Regardless of your standing, if you’re one who likes to jump in the resort swimming pool in your wetsuit after a dive, you may wish to know that a research team testing 31 pools and hot tubs in Canada found evidence of urine in every single one of them. Environmental Science and Technology Letters reports that they found an average of eight gallons of urine in a typical 110,000-gallon pool. As for hot tubs -- you don’t want to know. While urine may not be harmful, it can react with chlorine to create by-products known as DBPs that can lead to eye and respiratory irritation.

The Pros and Cons of Shark-Feeding Dives  April 18, 2017

We asked what you thought of dives where sharks were either baited or fed in order to bring them close for divers to see. It’s actually illegal to do so in Florida’s waters but there are moves afoot to make it also illegal elsewhere in the US. That said, the nearby Bahamas have a burgeoning shark diving industry, as do several other parts of the world. We were inundated with informed opinions representing both sides of the argument and we hope we’ve put together a balanced view of those. It’s free for you to read this month in www.undercurrent.org.

What You Missed in April’s Undercurrent  April 18, 2017

A trip on the Thailand Aggressor to the Similans and Richlieu Rock, in the Andaman Sea . . . The perils of urban diving after a rain storm . . . Proper travel documents . . . Feed-back on Belize, Vieques, Molokai and many other trips . . . A well-known rebreather diver makes the News again . . . Coral cuts that can cost . . . A tragedy unravels in Cozumel . . . Faulty gear or bad judgment? . . . More woes aboard the Sri Lanka Aggressor . . . PADI, from $200K to $700 million . . . and much, much more.

Our Deal for You: the New 40-page book Eight Great Dive Resorts and One Dog is yours, at no charge,  April 18, 2017

with your seven month Undercurrent trial subscription of 20-page monthly issues with no advertising. We tell it like it is. For your gift, I’ve pulled together nine complete first-hand reviews from our best travel reviewers who pay their own way and never disclose their purpose. They tell you the truth about the diving, the fish, the reefs, the food, the beds, and much, much more, so you can pick your next trip with no worries. When you subscribe for $19, you can download Eight Great Dive Resorts immediately or have it mailed to you in the U.S. or Canada. And, as always, if you decide during the first term of your subscription that Undercurrent is not for you, I'll refund your money and the book is yours to keep. Keep in mind, we've been publishing continuously for 42 years. Click HERE for details on how to subscribe and get your free gift.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben

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Note: Undercurrent is a registered 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization donating funds to help preserve coral reefs. Our travel writers never announce their purpose, are unknown to the destination, and receive no complimentary services or compensation from the dive operators or resort.

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