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Left Adrift for 39 Hours
Do You Really Protect Reefs?
Ocean Photographer of the Year
Turtle Success in Cozumel
Octopuses to the Rescue
Diver Caught Spearing and Eating a Turtle
Amazing Dive Stories
Scuba Tanks Explode
Your Fellow Divers Need a Report on Your Last Dive Trip
September in Undercurrent

Left Adrift for 39 Hours.   September 29, 2026

Not many divers carry dive lights on day dives, but if it weren't for the lights carried by Kim and Nathan Maker while diving from the MV Fling liveaboard in the Gulf of Mexico on July 24, 2024, they would not be here to tell their story. Their light was eventually spotted by a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft after enduring an unspeakable experience. Now they are suing. But will the waiver they signed void their case? You can read the full details of the suit here.

Do You Really Protect Reefs?   September 29, 2026

No doubt you have seen divers land on reefs, kick them, or grab them. What did the dive guide do, correct them or ignore them? What did you do at the time or when back on board? Did you do or say something about it, or decide to stay out of it? What about that obviously careless diver or an over-weighted diver plowing through the coral? Did you take them quietly aside? Did you call them out once you were both out of the water? If not, why not? Have you ever seen a divemaster correct a diver? Or ignore their carelessness? Let us hear your story. Let us know your name ,or if you wish, stay anonymous. But please tell us your story and your thoughts. Write to BenDDavison@undercurrent.org.

Ocean Photographer of the Year.   September 29, 2026

Images from this year's Ocean Photographer of the Year competition, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, feature some of the best coastal, drone, and underwater photographs, and are selected from more than 15,000 entries. Among the winners, Jenny Stock was awarded the Fifty Fathoms award for her photo of an American Crocodile taken in Cuba. You can see other winners here.

Turtle Success in Cozumel.   September 29, 2026

You may soon encounter more turtles than ever when diving around Cozumel. By the first week of September, 5,800 protected sea turtle nests had been registered at Playa San Martin on the windward coast and along the beaches of the Punta Sur Ecotourism Park in the south of Cozumel. These included those of both loggerhead turtles and green turtles. Conservation efforts had already shown positive results with the first hatchlings of the season. By August, 831 turtle hatchlings had been released, which included 215 green sea turtles and 616 loggerhead turtles, and since then around 1000 more nests have hatched. Hatchlings, to survive, will hide in sargassum and elsewhere for many years before returning.

Octopuses to the Rescue.   September 29, 2026

Years of influx by swarms of invasive but inedible blue crabs have caused big problems for fishermen in Italy's Po Delta lagoon by ripping nets and feasting on clams, mussels, and small fish. Authorities hit on the idea of releasing 130,000 baby octopuses, the crab's worst enemy, hoping they'll mature and feast on the crabs. However, you know what will happen to the octopuses if they get out of control. Octopuses aren't inedible.

Diver Caught Spearing and Eating a Turtle.   September 29, 2026

Detained in Indonesia after a video of the event in Raja Ampat went viral, Wei Shang, a Chinese diving instructor, was arrested at the Makassar Airport on Monday, September 14. The 36-second video of a scuba diver aiming a speargun at a turtle resting beside a coral reef in the Fam Islands prompted divers at Diver's Camp Sultra in Southeast Sulawesi to report him to the authorities. Other images purport to show the animal being cooked and served up as part of a meal. Unbelievable!

Amazing Dive Stories.   September 29, 2026

Probably the best-selling book of its genre, Amazing Diving Stories, written by Undercurrent's own senior editor, John Bantin, continues to sell well more than a decade after it was first published. All true stories, tales of the exciting and the extreme rub shoulders with those of people and places that make up the folklore of diving. From the chill waters of Northern Europe to the reefs of the Indian Ocean and Pacific, more than 60 stories come from all around the globe. It's available from Amazon.

Scuba Tanks Explode.   September 29, 2026

A garage fire in Wolcott, CT, caused two scuba tanks to explode, resulting in significant damage to a home on September 19. Tanks, often filled past 3000 psi, act like bombs if subject to intense heat. Just how dangerous they can be was highlighted ten years ago when a worker in an Egyptian tank filling room lost both legs when one exploded. Parts of the tank were found more than 375 yards away.

Your Fellow Divers Need a Report on Your Last Dive Trip.   September 29, 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.

September in Undercurrent.   September 29, 2026

An Indonesian odyssey on Damai 1 . . . A miraculous cave rescue . . . Why are there no prop guards? . . . Thalatta Beach Resort in the Philippines . . . Get up to speed on SIPE . . . That octopus farm is canceled . . . The DAN/UHMS Questionnaire -- readers report . . . Why no test of physical fitness? . . . Adrift for 39 hours -- the diver couple sues . . . Scuba Storyteller -- a book review . . . and much, much more.

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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