Flotsam & Jetsam

Give Your Dive Gear to a Good Cause. Subscriber Lydia Klein (New York, NY) recommends donating used gear to Project Seahorse, a Vancouver nonprofit that helps set up marine preserves for seahorses worldwide. “I’ve bsen sending my old masks and snorkels to them for years, and I see on their Web site they’d like all kinds of dive gear.” Project Seahorse says old dive masks would be particularly welcomed on its Philippines project. “It will be given to a Filipino fisher to recognize his or her involvement in seahorse conservation.” Go to: http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/AboutPS/Donate.html.

Fiji Aggressor in Flux. Reader Jeff Snyder (Newrk, DE) had a July trip scheduled on this liveaboard when he got notice the boat will be taken out of service in late January, and the franchise owner wasn’t sure when or if he would put the boat back in service in Fiji. “Aggressor did contact Peter Hughes, who had spaces for our week, and would transfer the deposit if we chose to go with them.” We contacted Aggressor’s reservations manager Anne Hasson, who confirmed the boat will have an extensive drydock as of January 24. “The franchise owners are considering several new destinations and will make an announcement once everything is finalized.” We’ll keep you posted.

Old Sow Sucks Up Diver. If you’re diving near the Maine-Canada boundary, stay clear of Old Sow, the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. This swirling hole can reach 200 feet wide. It recently sucked up Kevin Steeves, 34, when he unknowingly drifted into it while diving with a friend off the New Brunswick shore. His friend called the Coast Guard but when a boat arrived, Steeves had managed to wriggle out of Old Sow and reach the Maine shore, exhausted but unharmed.

Check Your Teeth Before Diving. Teeth feeling funny? Get them checked out before your next dive. Mitchell Josephs, D.D.S., says diving can exert pressure on any air trapped in the nerve canals of an abscessed tooth or under faulty, leaky filings. If you’re flying, the trapped air can expand and cause intense pain. So get your dentist to check his work before your next dive trip.

Enough Said. A few years ago, Tiger Woods was asked why he likes to go diving. His reply: “The fish don’t know who I am.” The fish probably will be seeing more of Tiger underwater this year.