Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers

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

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October 27, 2021

Liveaboard Rammed at Sea with Divers Aboard. Formerly the Yemaya II when it traveled to Malpelo Island, the MV Bahamas L was struck at the stern by a freighter just after midnight on October 10 while traveling from Bimini South to Tiger Beach (near Grand Bahama). Undercurrent correspondent Fred Turoff (Philadelphia, PA) was on board and reported that the damage was enough to end the trip. Still, they were able to limp back to the safety of Freeport. Two guests received minor injuries but were discharged from the hospital soon after evaluation. Fred says, 'It was not the way to end a pandemic-caused two-years interval from diving." . . . Mark Shandur, for the Master Fleet, said, "We were involved in a collision with another vessel where we, and our guests . . . believe the liability lies with the other vessel. Let's see what the lawyers/courts manage to thrash out. As Fred mentioned, it is indeed pretty depressing after just having put all the time, money, and effort into restarting operations."

The Jellyfishification of the Oceans. While many species face extinction due to climate change and other destructive human activities, worldwide jellyfish populations have grown over the past two decades, becoming responsible for beach closures and even power outages (by clogging intake pipes). It's an overwhelming presence. Forbes Magazine

The Man Who Taught Astronauts to Dive: So they could experience weightlessness, Homer Hickam taught astronauts to dive and even taught David Letterman in a hotel pool. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Homer dived extensively on sunken German subs off North Carolina, leading to his first book, Torpedo Junction; U-Boat War off America’s East Coast, 1942. Now comes his new autobiography, Don’t Blow Yourself Up, which spins scores of stories about his military, NASA and diving careers, emphasizing his underwater adventures. In 1995, I met Homer on a Montserrat dive trip. He had dived throughout the Caribbean, especially Honduras, and we soon became friends. I read his next book, the autobiographical Rocket Boys, and was delighted it became the film October Sky (16-year-old Jake Gyllenhaal played Homer). This guy, I thought, has done it all. And he has, which now includes publishing a score of novels. Don’t Blow Yourself Up; The Further True Adventures and Travails of the Rocket Boy of October Sky, released October 26, is the fascinating story of his adult life, much of it with a tank strapped to his back. A great read about a great guy, so get it at your local books store or at Amazon.com.

Love the Caymans? Help its Coral. The dive operation Undercurrent readers love, Ocean Frontiers, is asking for help treating stony coral disease (SCLTD) on 55 dive sites around the east end of Grand Cayman. It wants to raise $80,000 to get the job done. In the last few months, its divers have conducted 225 treatments or survey dives and spent 743 hours on the reefs, a costly and labor-intensive process. To help them tackle the disease, make a tax-deductible contribution through Reef Renewal Foundation International.

Aye, Calypso: Jacques Cousteau is headed to your neighborhood theatre. Becoming Cousteau, an intimate and hugely informative biographic documentary directed by Liz Garbus, digs deeply into the life of the legendary French undersea explorer, his accomplishments, and contradictions. The director's remarkable feat is how she reveals Cousteau, after blowing a hole in the reef at Sha'ab Rumi ("for reasons of conservation"), transitions in his later years into an environmentalist (he also blasted the channel into Belize's Blue Hole). The film is a captivating and articulate documentary that will satisfy and even enlighten those of us who grew up with Cousteau's mesmerizing TV films, read his books, or sang along with John Denver: "Aye, Calypso, the places you've been to. The things that you've taught us, the stories you tell."

Togean Islands National Park's Coral Reefs are 60 Percent Damaged. Located in Central Sulawesi, the coral reef damage results from environmental transformation and illegal explosive fishing. The national park has called on local residents to stay alert to and report illegal fishing activities in Tomini Bay.

Now it's Indonesian Fishermen. Australian skippers are shocked by the large influx of illegal Indonesian fishing vessels operating in protected waters close to the Australian mainland. In the last edition of the Undercurrent newsletter, we explained the problem caused by the Chinese distant waters fishing fleet. The Indonesians, too, are causing problems with crews at coral reefs 300 miles from Broome and at Rowley Shoals Marine Park, where the fishermen are clambering over the corals. ABC

REEF Divers Maul the Florida Keys' Invasive Lionfish Population. Over two days, Team Forever Young bagged 564 invasive lionfish by diving from dusk 'til dawn during the Reef Environmental Education Foundation's Lionfish Derby & Festival. Their haul made up almost half of the 1,215 invasive fish that were culled during the tournament. That four divers were able to kill as many as 50 lionfish in a 45-minute dive is indicative of the massive invasion of these alien fish. You, too, can contribute to eliminating lionfish by ordering them at restaurants and supporting organizations, such as REEF, that work to mitigate their impact in the Western Atlantic. Or, buy Florida wild speared lionfish filets online, delivered directly to your home anywhere in the U.S.

World Shootout -- Last Chance to Enter: It is time to check your archives for what you have achieved and to submit your best shots taken in past years. The World Shootout competition offers 12 categories: Best Five Images, Wide-angle, Macro, Super Macro, Underwater Fashion, Black Water, Humorous, Sharks of the World, Wrecks, Environment and Conservation, Video Clips, and New Underwater Photographers. There's also a global championship. Register to enter by November 1. It's free (this year, like last year, rules differ). www.worldshootout.org

Is Portugal the Next Hot Destination for North American Divers? Portugal is touting the Azores, about 900 miles from Lisbon, as the next big diving destination waiting to be discovered. European divers discovered it long ago, where they frequently encounter rays and blue sharks in the clear, cool mid-Atlantic. It's thick wetsuit-diving. If you fly via the Portuguese mainland, stop to dive the cluster of ex-Portuguese navy vessels sunk just for divers off Portimao in the Algarve. www.portugaldive.com

Underwater Camera Gear Shortage? Better snap up what you want while you can. The worldwide demand for aluminum is making Chinese manufactured strobe extension arms and fittings hard to come by. Jussi Hokkanen, from Mike's Dive Cameras in London, has strong connections with Chinese manufacturers and advises potential purchasers to buy what they find in stores rather than waiting for specific pieces that may be significantly delayed. The same can be said for some underwater electronics.

Mine Divers Go Missing. Three divers went missing on October 3 in a flooded Polish mine, a popular dive site among technical divers. Diving in a group of six, only three surfaced, and rescue attempts for the others were temporarily abandoned due to impossible visibility, probably the cause of the accident. Sadly, three bodies were later recovered. Divers24.pl

Fiji Open for Business. From December 21, Fiji will offer quarantine-free travel to fully vaccinated tourists (WHO-approved vaccines) with a negative RT PCR test made within 72 hours from departure from the U.S., UK, Canada, and many other countries. www.fiji.travel/travellingtofiji

WWII Still Kills Divers. In early October, a 59-year-old German diver was killed after recovering a war relic, thought to be a bomb, from Lake Ossiach, near Carinthia in Austria. It exploded on the shore of the inland lake as he was making a misjudged attempt to renovate it. Der Standard

Contribute Your Own Reader's Reports. They join more than 10,000 others in our online database (and our annual Travelin’ Divers' Chapbook), which is easily searchable by any other subscriber. You can even add photos if you wish. We're also asking subscribers to report on the use of single-use plastic at dive resorts and liveaboards they visit. We'll use this information to contact those dive travel operators and compel them to change their ways (and keep those giant garbage patches in the oceans from expanding). File your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR

Stay Safe, Don't Share Your Air
Wear a Mask, Get Fully Vaccinated

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org