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Fire Destroys Popular Steel-Hulled Red Sea Liveaboard
Another Diver in a Bathroom Was Not So Lucky
Do You Prefer Group Dive Travel? If Not, Do You Book Your Own Trips? Use a Travel Agent?
Another Hit-and-Run Boat Accident
Three Times Guilty
Rarely Encountered Eel Sighted
Cozumel’s Fatal Down Currents
Divers Rescued by a Ferry
Tell Us About Where You Have Been Diving
No Undercurrent for April

Fire Destroys Popular Steel-Hulled Red Sea Liveaboard   March 26, 2025

At 6:30 a.m. on March 13, an experienced German diver, Thomas Menthe, heard the crew shout, “Fire, Fire!” I was in the bathroom, and the fire alarm went off. I quickly left the cabin, went up the stairs, and saw guests running towards the platform. The smoke billowing out of the engine room was the first sign of the fire, which quickly spread,” he told Tauchen magazine. Emperor Divers’ liveaboard Seven Seas, the flagship of its Egyptian fleet, was docked in Port Ghalib, Egypt, after a week’s cruise and was a total loss. But it seems the liveaboard was not to blame for the fire. Neither the ship's engine nor generators were running, as the vessel was connected to the shore power supply. It appears that a faulty dockside circuit breaker triggered the fire. It could not be controlled as Port’s fire hydrants failed, and the boat was quickly destroyed. All the passengers and crew safely disembarked, but many without their documents or personal effects.

Another Diver in a Bathroom Was Not So Lucky  March 26, 2025

In Thailand, 26-year-old Brit Alexandra Clarke died after the dive boat she was on caught fire near the island of Koh Tao on March 16. She was reportedly using the toilet below decks when a fire broke out and ravaged the wooden day boat, unfortunately named the Davy Jones Locker. Fifteen other tourists, two crew, and four diving instructors were rescued by passing boats. The cause of the fire remains unknown, although it broke out as the crew filled dive tanks. The engine room, captain's cabin, and rear restroom were damaged. The captain has been arrested. (Bangkok Post)

Do You Prefer Group Dive Travel? If Not, Do You Book Your Own Trips? Use a Travel Agent?   March 26, 2025

We’d like to know your preference and why. Dive travel can be complicated. Some prefer the camaraderie of group travel, so join a dive shop or club and leave the plans to others. Some travelers want more flexibility, but not the work and risks, and engage a dive travel agent to set up their trips. And others want to do it themselves, scheduling everything from door to door, including interisland flights, single-night hotels, and ground transfers. Have you had any problems on your trips? If you use a travel agent, which one, and have you had any issues? If you prefer to travel with a group, how has that worked out? Let us know why you're willing to tackle the vagaries of new locations. We want to see how our Undercurrent members book their complicated trips so we can pass on to our readers travel tips and advice on avoiding problems. Write to BenDDavison@undercurrent.org and include your town and state.

Another Hit-and-Run Boat Accident   March 26, 2025

On March 1, about a mile off Oakland Park, FL, a diver was surfacing after a 60-foot dive when he was struck by a passing boat that kept right on running despite the diver’s boat being nearby, a surface marker indicating divers in the water, and he and his companion shouting and waving at the oncoming vessel, but the two people aboard were oblivious. The propeller of the passing boat severely gashed the injured diver’s leg. He was rushed to the Broward Health Medical Center for treatment. Authorities are looking for the hit-and-run driver and his boat.

Three Times Guilty   March 26, 2025

Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, of Ocala, obtained a 48-foot boat called the Southern Comfort in March 2020, then lied on Coast Guard forms, saying he would use it for recreation when he actually planned to run scuba diving charters. But then, one of his divers died. The boat propeller sucked her onto it, twisting her leg into the shaft, mangling and cutting her, and holding her underwater. A medical examiner testified that while her deep wounds and leg fractures were not fatal, the pain contributed to her drowning. McCabe was banned from operating the Southern Comfort, but he later applied for COVID relief loans and submitted false information. He faces up to 10 years in prison for seaman’s manslaughter and up to 15 years on other charges. (See Undercurrent October 2024)

Rarely Encountered Eel Sighted  March 26, 2025

A Great Barrier Reef dive guide from the Port Douglas spotted this ghostly-shaped eel curling through the water. It’s a white ribbon eel, also known as a ghost eel, a cryptic species that only usually comes out at night to feed. Few divers have ever seen one, and you can be sure that those who do have no idea what it is.

Cozumel’s Fatal Down Currents   March 26, 2025

Annually, it seems, a diver or two get caught in those powerful currents and disappear forever. That may be the fate of 74-year-old American diver Gregory Romes, who tragically went missing on March 15 when diving with Deep Exposure 2 on the north side of Cozumel near Isla de la Pasión. Some believe a medical emergency may have led to the problem. We wrote a two-piece article about dealing with down currents a few years back. Click here to read.

Divers Rescued by a Ferry   March 26, 2025

On Sunday, March 2, two Australians diving with Perth Diving Academy, based at Hillary’s Boat Harbour, were left at sea after their day boat returned to shore without them. Though they had no surface marker buoys, a crew member aboard a Rottnest ferry spotted them more than two miles off the coast several hours later. One of the divers climbed onto the ferry, while the other was taken back by the tour operator's boat. Perth Diving Academy director Troy Lane refused to comment to the press, only saying everyone was safe and "Nobody died." The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is investigating an incident, certainly motivated by that kind of nonchalance. (ABC News)

Tell Us About Where You Have Been Diving   March 26, 2025

Your independent Readers' Reports are the lifeblood of Undercurrent. They are essential reading for anyone booking a dive trip and are an opportunity to tell everyone about the trip you experienced. You can tell both the good and the bad and everything in between. Unedited and unmoderated, your reports will brief other subscribers about dive resorts you've visited and liveaboards you have taken. Don't hold back. Over 11,000 entries have now become essential reading for traveling divers. You can post photos too. It's easy to post a report of your last dive trip. And your fellow divers will be thankful. File your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR, and we will also include it in the year's Chapbook, which will be sent to readers next December.

No Undercurrent for April   March 26, 2025

We normally take a break in May, but this year there will be no issue of the newsletter in April. We’re busy working on a bumper issue for May.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

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Note: Undercurrent is a registered 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization donating funds to help preserve coral reefs. Our travel writers never announce their purpose, are unknown to the destination, and receive no complimentary services or compensation from the dive operators or resort.

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