Flotsam & Jetsam

Cressi Recalls 1350 BCDs. The defective metal fitting on the inflator hose can restrict airflow, therefore failing to inflate the BCD properly and posing a drowning hazard. They were sold from March 2022 through August 2022. The models recalled by Cressi-Sub USA can be identified by numbers on the label stitched to a BCD pocket and are listed on the website below, https://tinyurl.com/2p8hu325. Consumers can contact Cressi-sub USA at 800.338.9143 or email orders@cressiusa.com

Rebreather Death. Eric Hahn, 27, of Charlottesville, VA, a member of a group called KISS Rebreather Divers and Explorers, died during a weekly dive in the Roaring River State Park in Missouri. The fatality happened around 190 feet deep while five group divers were mapping the Roaring River Spring. It is not believed that there was an equipment malfunction.

Paralenz Out-of-Business. The Scandinavian manufacturer of a popular small underwater POV video camera, a rival to the GoPro, has gone out of business. Most likely, anyone who owns the camera will no longer have support unless another company steps in.

Florida Long-Lines are Devastating Mahi Mahi. Also known as dorado or dolphinfish, the Mahi Mahi is prized by sports anglers and diners. The Miami Herald reports the population is being decimated by lines as long as 11 miles that carry more than a thousand baited hooks. Mahi Mahi are a fast-breeding species, but catches are smaller, and so are the fish. Undercurrent recently reported the plight of two Florida divers being prosecuted - they ought to be heroes - for hauling in a long-line.

The Lionfish King. Isaac Jones of Navarre (FL) and Paul DeCuir of Gulf Shores (AL) were recently recognized as champions of the 2022 Lionfish Challenge, an annual contest. Scores of scuba divers competed for prizes in the summer-long contest. Jones, who won the Recreational Division of the contest, was named Lionfish King after collecting 1,018 lionfish in the northern Gulf of Mexico. https://tinyurl.com/3sx8h4j2/

$3000-worth of checked-in scuba gear goes missing. It failed to arrive in Bali in October, nearly ruining the vacation of an Australian diver. It's been an ongoing problem with the Aussie airline Jetstar, which located the bags several days later in Melbourne. Had the diver stuffed an Apple tag in his bag, he could have told Jetstar where it was. See the September issue of Undercurrent for details.

Correction. Last month (Undercurrent October), we incorrectly stated the wrong web address for Turneffe Flats. It should have read www.tflats.com. We apologize for any distress this may have caused.

Divers Help Sydney Act on Plastic. A week before New South Wales' November 1 ban on single-use plastic went into effect, divers from Divers Against Debris were joined by the state's Minister for the Environment in a community effort to clean up Sydney Harbour. Their goal: to highlight why the ban is necessary. Plastic cutlery, plates, bowls, straws, and polystyrene food containers are included in the ban.

Singing Turtles. Scientist Gabriel Jorgewich-Cohen, a Ph.D. student at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found that turtles, previously thought to be silent, actually communicate with sound. Jorgewich-Cohen suggests they went unheard because their sounds were hard to detect. Sea turtles will sing from within their eggs to synchronize hatching. They also make noises to indicate they want to mate. Perhaps they're singing "Happy Together."

The Perils of Veracity in Reporting. Senior Editor John Bantin reflects on the perils encountered in reporting the truth in diving media and looks back at how the industry initially reacted against it and why he's now with Undercurrent. It's a new Insider's Blog. You can read it here.

Hurricane Ian Damages Artificial Reefs. Notwithstanding the damage it did to Florida on land, Ian also created havoc underwater, damaging artificial reefs and dragging along a red tide of algae that kills both marine animals and birds. In the Gulf of Mexico, artificial reefs as far as 30 miles offshore are now underwater debris sites. And the red tide of algae, which kills the seagrass on which the manatees feed, is threatening them off Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

PADI Goes to Court. PADI will soon be required to testify before a jury in Montana in connection with the death of teenage scuba diver Linnea Mills in November 2020. A judge has overruled PADI's denial of responsibility for the actions of the Gull Dive Center (Missoula, MT) instructors involved in the incident and says the organization must be included as a defendant. PADI is accused of negligence in its oversight of a PADI-affiliated business.

Diver Rescued by a Bunch of Mermaids. Experienced diver Argentinian national Pablo Avila was diving off Catalina Island (California) with two friends on October 22 when he became unconscious. Nearby, Elaina Marie Garcia was with her group of women who, while wearing mermaid tails and sea shell bras, free dive. They were practicing rescue scenarios when they saw Pablo in distress. Flipping over to him, they got his gear off, gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and towed him back to the stair entry at Casino Point where paramedics were waiting. Pablo is recuperating after recompression, but does he have a story to brag about - the first diver rescued by mermaids.

Your Reader's Report. Have you recently filed a report of your last dive trip? More than 10,000 independent readers' reports have been submitted by subscribers to Undercurrent and form the basis of a unique database searchable by other subscribers. They prove invaluable to those planning trips because they are unedited impressions of dive resorts and liveaboards not found anywhere else. If you've made a trip recently, whether good or bad, please submit a report. Don't hold back. Tell it how it is. Undercurrent has no advertisers it needs to please, making it unique among diving publications. Praise what's good and criticize what's not. Tell all and file your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR.