Undercurrent Online Update
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For David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi', exp: 2024-08-20, at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )
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November 23, 2018

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Reminder

The December issue will be our 2019 Travelin’ Divers Chapbook, more than 600 reader reports organized and compiled for your download to help you research your next trip or catch up on worldwide dive destinations. It’s always a good read, thanks to our thoughtful subscribers. Will yours be in there?

Liveaboard and Photo Gear Savings

Bluewater Photo & Travel is offering Undercurrent readers and friends exclusive Black Friday deals. Enter their raffle to get a free trip on the PNG Solomons Master Liveaboard, get a huge discount on your next Socorro, Galapagos, Red Sea, Cocos, or Turks trip, enjoy up to 47 percent off photo and video gear, and a reminder that this is your last chance to win over $75,000 in prizes in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition. Check it all out here: https://www.bluewaterdivetravel.com/undercurrent

Bizarre Travel Advisory

If you are hubbing through the Middle East on your way to a dive destination, be warned there’s a dress code on Saudia Airlines. When Jordan Bishop attempted to board a Saudia aircraft in Jakarta wearing shorts, we were told, he was turned away and had to make a quick switch to long pants to board. Traveling divers, casually dressed, should be warned.

The Perfect Holiday Gift for a Dive Buddy

That would be Tropical Ice, the fast moving scuba thriller written by the founder of Undercurrent. Set in Belize at Capt. Jack’s Rum Point Inn, the opening chapter will knock your socks off, followed by a dangerous night dive, the discovery of shark fins on a remote cay, and a beautiful owner of a rainforest lodge with her own deep secrets. Click here to order an autographed copy (we’ll email you to see how you want it inscribed), or get it from Amazon by clicking here.

A Warmer for Your Air Supply

Open a tank valve at the surface and you’ll spot how cold the air from it is. When the air from your tank is depressurized as it is by your regulator, it loses a lot of heat and it’s your lungs that warm up that cold air. No matter how warm or cold the water is you’ll eventually get chilled, increasing your air consumption and cutting short your dive. First seen by Undercurrent at the DEMA trade show in Las Vegas, Atomic Aquatics introduce Scuba Heat, an accessory that sits in-line in your air supply and exchanges heat with the surrounding water to make it more comfortable to breathe. It’s expected to cost around $350. What price comfort? It’s not solely for cold water divers.

Single-use Plastic

In November, a devastating 82 tons of debris was removed from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Undercurrent continues to chase the manufacturers of diving equipment, regarding the single-use plastic still employed in packaging and await responses from most of them. Disposable wet wipes, the ones you carry to wipe your hands, can block pipes and, if discarded in a trash can in many countries, can make it all the way to the oceans, where turtles, fish and other marine life mistake it for food. Totally not cool. Unflushables now make up to 8.5 percent of all beach litter. Scary stuff. Tell your friends.

That Spare Flashlight

Going on a night dive? Many divers carry a fully charged spare flashlight in their BC pocket in case their main one fails. But, why not carry it on all dives? You see, it works very well as an emergency beacon. In several cases where divers have been separated from their boats, they’ve been located at dusk because they signaled their location with their backup light. Thanks to modern LED and battery technology, many compact flashlights pack a powerful punch. For less than $100, you can buy one for your BC pocket. A fully charged light held back for emergency use only could be a godsend the day you need it.

Others Want to Read About Your Trips

You have until November 27 to file a reader report of you liveaboard or resort trip to be included in our 2017 Travelin’ Divers Chapbook. Fill out our online form here. There’s a link to submit a report our the home page (under the list of latest reader reports), and on all the member’s area pages in the navigation bar under Trip Planning. Please send us your reports ASAP, and thanks for helping us keep up-to-date with both the great and the not-so-great dive travel experiences out there.

Who Owns the Wreck?

A District Court in Florida has ruled that the wreck presumed to be that of La Trinité, a 32-gun French flagship, including three bronze cannons each worth more than $1 million, found off Cape Canaveral, is exclusively the property of Spain, the nation that formerly owned it in 1565, rather than that of the salvage company that recently found it.

Coming Soon in Undercurrent

There is no Undercurrent newsletter for December, but you can read the independent reader reports, for which Undercurrent is justly famous when we send you our latest Travelin’ Divers’ Chapbook, which will provide you with endless new options, as well as good advice about operations to skip. It’s our job to help you create the best dive trip possible, and our great thanks to all the readers who help us do just that.

Thanks for being a loyal subscriber.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben