Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers

For David Denson Whiteside (with username 'dwhitesi', exp: 2024-08-20, at dwhite95815@hotmail.com )  

April 20, 2019  

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Was the Joke On You?

Most readers spotted the April Fool’s spoof I sent out on April 1, although a few complained that I didn’t include booking details for Precious Island. Another good dive-related spoof came from The Onion, with an article announcing the launch of a diver’s cuckoo clock designed to go to 10,000 feet deep. “When you buy a Rolex Perpetual Cuckoo Sub-Mariner, you know you’re getting the most durable, highest quality clock available.” Don’t try to buy the clock nor ask for booking details for Precious Island.

Cocos Island Liveaboard Discount

Undercurrent subscribers can take advantage of a special $1,000 discount on a 10-day liveaboard trip to Cocos Island June 8-18, organized by the nonprofit Turtle Island Restoration Network. In addition to viewing and photographing the incredible marine biodiversity of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help TIRN staffers with their ongoing sea turtle and shark conservation research. Interested? Go to https://seaturtles.org/our-work/our-programs/cocos-island/ and quote the code UNDERCURRENT. Much of your cost may be tax-deductible.

Is This Why Whales Beach Themselves?

Divers know that fast ascents can kill. Whales don’t. A study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society highlights a link between naval sonar and the massed strandings of whales. Researchers in Las Palmas, Spain believe the animals could be victims of decompression sickness caused by fear -- they found nitrogen bubbles in the veins of stranded dead cetaceans, and blood clots in several of their organs. When the whales swim fast to move away from sonar, their heart rate accelerates, causing DCS.

When a Manatee Hugs You

While visiting Crystal River to snorkel with its famed manatees in late March, Florida resident Mandy Egner was following the required guidelines, of keeping her hands up while finning, so she was pretty surprised when a large manatee approached, hugged her and then flipped her out of the water. “It was definitely an unforgettable experience,” Egner recalled. There are two sides to every story, but the manatee was not available for comment.

Ocean Reef’s Full-Face Mask Recall

Not to be confused with the Aria snorkelling mask by the same Italian manufacturer, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are recalling about 1,000 Ocean Reef Neptune Space integrated diving masks, made between March and November 2018. They represent a potential hazard due to a possible restricted air-flow. Check if your mask is affected by comparing its serial number with those listed at www.oceanreefgroup.com. If yours is included, return the mask to where you bought it for a free replacement or refund.

Don’t Learn to Dive in A Shark Tank

Sure, starting your dive lessons in a confined space is best, but not if a shark is confined in there with you. A Chinese woman learned this the hard way earlier this month after being bitten in the head by a sandtiger shark while learning to dive in an aquarium in China’s Dalian Laohutan Ocean Park. She was rushed to the hospital, where she received more than 70 stitches to her head in a four-hour surgery, but at least she got out of there with her life.

Why the Skulls and Boobs?

Diver Stuart Vernon went on social media to pose this question: “Why do so many scuba T-shirt designs make it look like scuba is for ex-Navy SEALs, or some sort of badass, when most of us are nice people? When conservation is now in the public’s mind, do you think this gives the wrong impression? Would you really wear a T-shirt with women’s breasts on it, or something more fitting for one of the Hell’s Angels?” Tell us about the worst scuba T-shirt designs you’ve seen – send an email to BenDEditor@undercurrent.org

Boys Will Have Buoys

When Canadian Matt Williams dropped his two sons in the waters off France’s Omaha Beach for a dive earlier this month, he quickly realized the anchor of their 21-foot Stabcraft boat was dragging. He tried to restart the engine; it stalled. So presuming an electrical fault, Williams got to work trying to rectify it, but no luck. It turns out a rope caught around the propeller was causing the problem. Father and sons were soon parted by a prevailing wind. Williams called emergency services, but chalk up the successful rescue to his sons for putting up a safety float that allowed the helicopter crew to find them. That’s another vote for the effectiveness of a surface marker buoy. Don’t dive without one.

Coming Soon in Undercurrent

Truk Lagoon by liveaboard: Is it better than diving it from shore? . . . have you had to wait after a diving injury? . . . Isla Marisol and Glover’s Reef, Belize . . . CoCo View, Roatan, Honduras. . . . are you up to handling a crisis underwater? . . . one man’s ocean cleanup . . . advances in integrated-weight systems for BCs . . . a scuba island for sale . . . and much, much more.

Your Reader Reports

are the lifeblood of Undercurrent because they reflect your own experiences. And because they tell both the good and bad, these reports help make our monthly newsletter a unique source for serious divers. [It's quick and easy to submit a report, and note that you don’t even have to finish it in one sitting: you can save and continue it later – DSE.] Your reports join more than 10,000 others in our online database (and our annual Travelin Divers’ Chapbook), which is easily searchable by any subscriber. And now you can add your photos to the report. We’re also asking subscribers to report on the use of single-use plastic at dive resorts and liveaboards they visit -- this information we’ll use to contact those dive travel operators and compel them to change their ways (and keep those giant garbage patches in the oceans from getting larger). File your report at www.undercurrent.org/members/UCnow/SubRRTopMA.php

Thanks for being a loyal subscriber.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
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