Current Online Updates*
The Latest Dive News   What's this?

Remarkably Bright Creatures
Another Liveaboard Fire
Does Your Dive Boat Driver Wear a Flexible Wrist Lanyard Connected to the Engine Kill Switch?
Rookie Divers Damage Ancient Tulum Site
Key West Diver Killed by Speeding Boat
Surviving a Liveaboard Crisis
Is There Any Underwater Creature You Haven't Seen?
Spearfisherman Killed by Bali Snorkel Boat
Next Month in the Undercurrent Newsletter
Your Fellow Divers Need a Report on Your Last Dive Trip

Remarkably Bright Creatures.   May 12, 2026

No, not us, but the star of Netflix's new film, a captive Pacific octopus living in a research center near Seattle who has more brains than the humans surrounding it. An intelligent movie, featuring a wise octopus, is based on the best-selling novel by Shelby Van Pelt, reviewed by Undercurrent in the February 2024 issue. Starring Sally Field as the cleaning lady who befriends Marcellus the octopus, it's a great character study of octopuses and will give a little tug to your heartstrings if you free your imagination and put a stopper on your diver's “I-know-all-about-octopuses-because-I've- seen-them” point of view.

Another Liveaboard Fire.   May 12, 2026

The Maldives’ MY. Emperor Explorer was engulfed by fire on the morning of May 9 while outside Hulhumalé, the island with the harbor for Male embarkations. All crew and passengers were transferred from the 145-foot 26-birth liveaboard vessel to the slightly smaller Emperor Serenity, and no injuries were reported apart from two people suffering from smoke inhalation. Emperor’s boss, Alex Bryant, told Undercurrent, “[Safety] drills all worked and guests and crew [were] all evacuated safely. It started with the tumble dryer, which is strange as it was a commercial, not a domestic machine like most boats, and they had recently cleaned the filters.” The Explorer was due to go out of service later this month to be replaced by the even larger Emperor Explorer II.

Does Your Dive Boat Driver Wear a Flexible Wrist Lanyard Connected to the Engine Kill Switch?   May 12, 2026

A Rangiroa captain didn't on Easter Sunday, and when a wave knocked him overboard, his runaway boat smacked a diver waiting to be picked up, severing his leg. More about this tragedy in our next issue, but tell us: Have you seen your dive boat operator without the connected wrist lanyard? Have you ever seen an accident or had an issue? Let us know by writing BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

Rookie Divers Damage Ancient Tulum Site.   May 12, 2026

According to a complaint filed by the Institute of Anthropology and History, five inexperienced Brazilian divers damaged ancient skeletons in an underwater cave in Tulum. On April 9, members of the Tulum Speleological Project discovered the damage in the site, home to preserved skeletons dating back 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. The alteration to paleontological remains included damage to the 12,000 (approximately)-year-old skeleton of a bear. The person leading the offending group was not a local guide. (Riviera Maya News)

Key West Diver Killed by Speeding Boat.   May 12, 2026

Having a visible dive flag is supposed to keep a diver out of harm's way. But sadly, it did not help 27-year-old Jocelyn Brown of Summerland Key, who was killed May 10 by a speeding boat. It was no solace that the boat operator stopped, and passengers lifted Brown from the water and rushed her to shore. Brown was an experienced diver, and "She knew the ocean and respected it and always made sure that people were aware when she was in the ocean with flags and buoys," friend Paul Menta, of Key West, told Gwen Filosa of Key West Newswire.

Surviving a Liveaboard Crisis.  May 12, 2026

Barry Lipsky and the Long Island Divers Association have been making valuable presentations about liveaboard safety at dive clubs and many venues around the U.S., including DEMA, and recently three dive clubs in Florida. Topics include building your personal readiness; what to look for onboard; and preparing for an emergency and the importance of muscle-memory, with the motto "It's not liability -- it's survivability." Barry tries to piggyback his presentations around other business activities to cover expenses, so check out a presentation summary, and perhaps your dive club can line him up. Barry@lipskyconstruction.com

Is There Any Underwater Creature You Haven't Seen?   May 12, 2026

We've got a few for you, as well as a fashion show you couldn't have conjured up even when you were a teen smoking your first spliff. Kelly Boesch, who spent many years creating IMAX special effects, is one of the world's leading AI artists, and here are two two-minute YouTube films for you. And turn up the sound, https://tinyurl.com/y8mecyt3 and https://tinyurl.com/b5sn6y2x

Spearfisherman Killed by Bali Snorkel Boat.   May 12, 2026

A 34-year-old Norwegian tourist resting on the surface between dives was hit and killed by a passing snorkel boat on May 2 at Nusa Lembongan. It is a popular diving area known for interactions with mantas and mola mola. A passenger from the boat helped recover him, and he was evacuated to Nusa Medical Clinic, where he was declared dead. He had bruising to the chest and a broken leg.

Next Month in the Undercurrent Newsletter:   May 12, 2026

The joy of being underwater is the feeling of weightlessness, neither floating nor sinking. It's the nearest to flying like a bird you can get. But many divers never get the hang of perfect buoyancy control because they strap on too much lead. Besides never enjoying the essence of diving pleasure, they risk damaging the environment as they crash into things as they go. Next month in Undercurrent, we take a look at over-weighted divers and ask what you can do about it.

As we divers get older, dive centers become more cautious about the medical risks of us going diving, so more and more are insisting on proof of good health by insisting on proper medical certification by a medical professional rather than the familiar self-declaration form. Older Undercurrent readers recount their experiences with medical matters.

Your Fellow Divers Need a Report on Your Last Dive Trip.   May 12, 2026

The unedited reports of your and other members' dive trips form an ever-growing resource, with more than 11,000 entries in the Undercurrent database, for other divers who may follow in your fin strokes. By November 30, please share with your fellow divers where you have been diving, conveying both the good and the bad, as well as everything in between. Your reports will brief other subscribers about the dive resorts you've visited and the liveaboards you've taken. Don't hold back. You can post photos too. File your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR, and we will include it in the year's Chapbook, which will be sent to you and all readers in December each year. We appreciate your support.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

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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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