Undercurrent Online Update
for Subscribers

For Subscriber David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi' exp: 2024-08-20', at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
October 16, 2015
Cancel all Undercurrent emails

Scientists say that, for just the third time on record, a massive worldwide coral bleaching event is underway. They fear that, because of warm sea temperatures, the result could be the loss of over 4,500 square miles of coral this year, with particularly strong impacts in Hawaii and Florida, and potentially continuing into 2016. It’s happening due to a combination of global warming brought on by burning fossil fuels, a very strong El Nino and a warm “blob” in the Pacific Ocean. Mark Eakin, who heads NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch, says the global bleaching event will span at least two years, and that once corals die, the consequences aren’t easily reversible. “At best, you’re talking about a recovery time of 10 to 20 years.”

Please send us your personal reports of this year's land-based or liveaboard dive trips to be included in the 2016 edition of our Travelin' Divers Chapbook as soon as you can. Just as you rely on Undercurrent, we and your fellow readers rely on you to report your dive travel experiences. Thanks to those of you who have done so – and of course, keep them coming in if you’re taking any more dive trips this month and November. Send in your Reader Report via our online form. You can also follow the link "File a Report" on the left side of our homepage.

Mike Lever, owner of the Nautilus Explorer and Belle Amie, was recently listening to an NPR broadcast about Syrian refugees and the fear, hunger and exhaustion they face as they struggle to find a new, better life in Europe, and he decided to help. “I know how lucky I am,” he says. “I've thought long and hard . . . and have decided that a good starting point is to donate money to a group experienced and committed to providing immediate relief with a bare minimum in management fees.” So he is doing his best to raise $18,000 in individual donations to Doctors without Borders, with Nautilus Explorer then matching donations dollar for dollar, for a total of $36,000. Undercurrent is donating $250. You too can help Mike meet his goal – and help the refugees put their lives back together. Go to Nautilus Explorer’s crowdfunding page for more info.

Box jellyfish, the scourge of swimmers, snorkelers and even divers in northern Australia and the Indo-Pacific, are now more common in Thailand; three people in 14 months have died from their stings. The most recent fatality happened October 6, when 20-year-old Saskia Thies from Germany was stung during an evening swim off the island of Koh Samui (there have been four jellyfish box stings there this year, but this was the first death). The other two deaths occurred at Koh Phangan, another tourist hotspot – one was a five-year-old boy. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biologist at Bangkok's Kasetsart University, told the newspaper Phuket Wan that in the past seven years, the numbers of box jellyfish in Thailand have increased due to global warming, waste from shore that attracts food-seeking jellyfish into shallow waters, and a decline in sea turtles that eat jellyfish. Unlike other jellyfish species, box jellyfish don’t float on the sea surface but swim deeper, making them harder to see, and thus making it advisable not to swim at night.

Part II of No Diver Left Behind: We ask dive operators what tracking and counting systems work best, which ones don’t, and what divers themselves can do to ensure they’re not left behind. . . . the world’s most dangerous dives . . . safety questions to ask yourself before going off to a remote dive destination . . .what gets you a better dive package deal: the Internet or the travel agent? . . . what rats can tell us about diving, drinking and DCS . . . and much more.

Top free diver Guillaume Nery is working with developers on the iBubble, an autonomous underwater vehicle that self-selects the best camera shots. With a depth rating of 230 feet, the iBubble, with a GoPro Hero system plugged into it, will move alongside a diver via a connected bracelet, and choose, on its own, the best camera angle. Once it reaches its one-hour battery life, the iBubble automatically resurfaces. Its developers are offering the first 3,000 people who sign up sneak peeks, exclusive updates and offers – go to http://ibubble.camera.

Animal rights activists celebrated victory on October 8 when the California Coastal Commission voted to ban SeaWorld's orca breeding program, restrict the movement of animals between its parks, and expand the size of its tanks. The halt of the breeding program would mean that the 11 orcas currently at the San Diego facility would be the park's last captive whales. While the ruling is limited to the California park at this stage, it marks another step toward the end of capturing wild cetaceans. SeaWorld officials said they will review the decision and consider options.

The Chilean government has decided to create the world’s third largest fully protected marine park -- 243,630 square miles surrounding Easter Island, famous for its huge stone head statues. Its waters are largely unexplored waters but it’s considered an oasis in the nutrient-poor Pacific – it’s home to 142 endemic species, has the only hydrothermal vents in Chilean waters, and it’s an important spawning ground for tuna, sharks, marlins and swordfish.

The Philippine island of Malapascua is famous as a dive site for thresher sharks, but it’s also infamous for dynamite fishing. That’s what caused the death of Al Bernard Coyoca, 33 on September 30, near the town of Daanbantayan. The dive instructor was there to visit his dad, Enrico, and when he didn’t return after a morning dive, Enrico found him floating lifeless near Barangay Paypay. Officials determined that the cause of death was “traumatic injuries to the head and trunk compatible with blast incidence.” Witnesses saw two men throw dynamite nearby, and these fishermen will be charged with illegal fishing and reckless imprudence resulting in homicide. Enrico says he will seek justice for his son by urging national and local government officials to intensify the campaign against illegal dynamite fishing.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben

*** Do Not Reply to This Email -- This Address is NOT monitored ***

You have received this message because you are a current subscriber/Online Member and/or are a current paid subscriber to the former print edition of Undercurrent . To manage your account settings, visit our Account Center.