Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers

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

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September 21, 2020

Costa Rica Open to Divers from More States. Good news for divers who wish to visit Cocos Island, famous for encounters with big schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks: Residents of 18 states are now welcome to visit and more to come. Visitors from 45 other countries are also welcome, including from the U.K., the E.U., and Canada. Details here.

Florida Scuba Charters Sued. The family of a woman diver who died from her injuries while diving near Florida’s Lake Worth Inlet last March 29 is suing the operators of the dive boat Southern Comfort. Mollie Ghiz-Flynn died after being drawn into the propellers while waiting to board the vessel. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, accuses Florida Scuba Charters, which owns the Southern Comfort, of negligence. The captain reversed to the divers, a hazardous move, drawing Ghiz-Flynn and her husband Sean under it. The accident occurred when Palm Beach County, due to the pandemic, had prohibited recreational diving, and boat ramps had been closed to recreational vessels. Under the control of the same skipper, owner of Florida Scuba Charters Dustin McCabe, the vessel had been out the previous day and had almost caused a similar tragedy when divers were dragged under the boat as it reversed up to them. One diver saved herself from serious injury by pushing away with her spear-gun. You can read the full suit here.

Don’t Speak Ill of the Dead. After we noted the death of controversial shark expert Erich Ritter in the last email, some readers asked why we did not reprint John Bantin’s article about him from 1999. There’s no doubt Ritter’s approach to sharks was out-of-step with many other shark experts. John’s article shows why.

Battle of the Oldies. Not to be outdone by a stripling Brit Ray Woolley, who’s only 96 years old and made a record-breaking dive to 139 feet in Cyprus last August, an Illinois man is seeking Guinness World Records recognition as the world’s oldest scuba diver after he took dive to celebrate his 100th birthday. Bill Lambert of Rockford made a 27-minute dive in South Beloit’s Pearl Lake on Labor Day. Maybe not as deep as the more experienced diver Woolley, but give him more time -- he didn’t even learn to dive until he was 98.

Put Another Dollar In. Drew Richardson, CEO of PADI, drew some flack when he announced to members and dive centers that PADI was successfully improving corporate profitability by firing employees and charging full membership fees for 2020. At a time when the industry is facing decimation of its regional dive centers through travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic, it spawned both angry and satirical responses on social media.

Pandemic Restrictions Threaten Beach Clean-Ups. In an ordinary year, Californians gather along the state’s beaches, parks, and waterways on the third Saturday of September to pick up trash before it can make its way into the Pacific. Every cigarette butt, bottle cap, and plastic bag in sight is collected and recorded, each a new point in a massive data set built over 35 years of coastal clean-ups. With the clean-up cancelled, both the ecosystem and the data describing it are at risk. Masks, gloves, and other COVID-19-related trash are piling up in remote marine ecosystems. Hakai Magazine

U.S. Shark Fin Smugglers Shut Down. A shark fin smuggling operation based in California and Florida and worth millions of dollars has been shut down. Starting in 2010, members of the conspiracy began using false documents, fake businesses, and dozens of bank accounts in the U.S., Mexico, and Hong Kong to hide the proceeds. Agents from the DEA, HIS, and Fish & Wildlife Service carried out 22 search warrants in Georgia, Florida, Michigan, and California, and seized nearly $8 million in gold and diamonds. NYTimes

A Regular Webinar to Enjoy during Enforced Isolation. Special guests Amos Nachoum, big animal expedition leader, and Dr. Sylvia Earle, joined naturalist Liz Taylor for a discussion on how underwater photography has advanced so much to bring us the wondrous, the vulnerable, and the surreal anomalies of nature to each of us through awe-inspiring images. You can watch it here.

Venezuelan Oil Tanker Draws International Concern. The sight of a huge oil tanker that has taken on water and is leaning to one side off a remote stretch of Venezuela’s coast has triggered international calls for action. After years of neglect, the FSO Nabarima, a rusting hulk full of thick crude, is in a dangerous state of disrepair. If not repaired soon, it could sink and spell environmental disaster. Venezuela’s government has said nothing publicly about its plans, and, unfortunately, U.S. sanctions that ban Americans from doing business with Venezuela scare off many foreign companies from getting involved. maritimebulletin.net

Microplastics are Messing with Fish Physiology. A review of 46 research projects has assessed the toxicity of plastics ingested by fish, finding a severe effect on behavioural, sensory, and neurological functions. Marine biologists at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Monaco found that plastic particles smaller than the diameter of a human hair—less than 20 micrometers—were the most toxic to fish, since the minute particles can pass through internal organ tissues and blood vessels. Hakai Magazine

Forgotten Slave Ships Documented. In the middle of December 1827, the Guerrero, a ship crewed by Cuban pirates, sped through the waters south of Florida to Havana, where they aimed to trade their precious cargo of 561 people kidnapped from their homes in West Africa before foundering on a reef. It was just one of hundreds of ships transporting slaves from Africa. Despite the hundreds of these slave ships that likely litter the shores of the U.S., only a handful have been found. Even fewer have been excavated and conserved. Divers Ken Stewart and the late Brenda Lanzendorf, founders of Diving with a Purpose (divingwithapurpose.org), have been looking for the wreckage. Today, divers of all ages take part in the program, learning to identify and map shipwrecks in the Florida Keys and beyond, as far away as South Africa. Most are members of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers. (www.nabsdivers.org)

Stuart Cove’s No Quitter. Offering a window into the world of dive centers during the pandemic, Stuart Cove of Nassau, the Bahamas, told The Tribune that after months of shutdown, he’ll be bringing back 15 of his former 150 staff when they reopen. That’s 135 still not employed. The pandemic has been devastating to the company, for the Bahamas as a country, and for the world economy. Stuart expressed disappointment that the Bahamas government decided in late June to delay the reopening of tour, excursion, and attraction providers until July 13. The Tribune

Divers Believe They’ve Found a WW2 Submarine. The American submarine Grenadier (SS-210) was scuttled 79 years ago while surrounded by Japanese aircraft and ships in 1943. Now, a group of technical divers claim they found it in October 2019, 262-feet deep and 80 nautical miles south of Phuket. Lance Horowitz, Jean Luc Rivoire, Ben Reynmenants, and Benoit Laborie took several dives over six months to identify the vessel. Reynmenants had gathered information from numerous sources, including fishermen who might have had their nets caught on a raised object before they found the vessel. The divers are keeping the location close to their chests so the wreck won’t be looted by scrap metal salvors, common in the region. Divernet

Orcas Have Taken to Attacking Boats. Reports of a spate orcas striking sailing boats in the Straits of Gibraltar have confused both sailors and scientists. What is causing such unusually aggressive behaviour? The Gibraltar orcas are endangered – there are fewer than 50 individuals left – and adults and juveniles are sustaining injuries, suffering food scarcity, and pollution. Their calves rarely survive. The Guardian

A Missed Opportunity. In the last decade, the world nations have failed to meet a single target to stem the destruction of wildlife and life-sustaining ecosystems, according to a devastating new report from the U.N. From tackling pollution to protecting coral reefs, the international community failed to achieve any of the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets agreed to in Japan in 2010 to slow the loss of the natural world. It is the second consecutive decade that the governments of the world have failed to meet their targets. The Guardian

Stay Safe,

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org