Current Online Updates*
The Latest Dive News   What's this?

Spear a Protected Goliath Grouper and Get Arrested
Power Bank Recall
What Some Divers Do to Help Other Divers
Six Bends Cases a Month in Cozumel
When Was Your Regulator Last Serviced?
Spare a Thought for Those Poor Shark Finners
The Unstoppable Lionfish Migration
Divers versus Fishermen
Share with Your Fellow Divers Where You Have Been Diving

Spear a Protected Goliath Grouper and Get Arrested.   June 22, 2025

After nailing a thousand-pound Goliath Grouper, 44-year-old musician Juan Nealon of Pompano Beach tried to surreptitiously discard it after Florida Wildlife Conservation officers signaled for him to come to shore. They had spotted Nealon in a canoe close to the beach, but he paddled farther out and tipped his canoe to scuttle the fish and his speargun. FWC officers soon found the grouper with the spear lodged in it. They arrested Nealon for seven misdemeanors, including spearfishing within 100 yards of the beach, spearing a Goliath Grouper, and harvesting it without a permit. Goliath groupers are highly protected in Florida. They can typically grow to eight feet long and weigh up to 800 pounds, with a lifespan of 30 to 50 years. (Miami Herald)

Power Bank Recall.   June 22, 2025

If you're an underwater photographer (or have a mobile phone), you're aware of the fire risk associated with lithium batteries. If you carry a power bank to charge them on the road, then you’d better check to see if it's an Anker A1263 Power Bank. More than a million are being recalled due to a risk of overheating, posing a risk of fire and burns. Call Anker toll-free at 800-988-7973 or email support@anker.com for more details. https://www.anker.com/

What Some Divers Do to Help Other Divers:   June 22, 2025

Ken Kurtis, an Undercurrent subscriber and principal of Reef Seekers, a Beverley Hills dive tour operator, reminded divers that the Catalina Island Hyperbaric Chamber relies on the diving public for over 50 percent of its budget to operate all hours, every day of the year. And divers got the message. He and Chamber Director Karl Huggins raised $193,320 with their appeal for the chamber this year, culminating in a gala banquet at the Aquarium of the Pacific on May 7. (www.reefseekers.com)

Six Bends Cases a Month in Cozumel.   June 22, 2025

Between November 2019 and November 2023, 289 divers were treated for DCS at the Costamede Cozumel Hospital. Montserrat May Araujo, MD, has reported that 211 required treatment in the hyperbaric chamber, while 78, who had modest symptoms, were ambulatory and treated with oxygen and intravenous hydration. Underwater Hyperbaric Medicine Society

When Was Your Regulator Last Serviced?   June 22, 2025

It's not that complex mechanically, but it has a lot of rubber O-rings in its mechanism, and these can shrink or deteriorate over time. And, valve seats can wear out when left in contact with the valve poppet for extended periods. Don't put your regulator away between dive trips and expect it to perform flawlessly nine months later. Have it serviced and, if you can, test it before taking it on an expensive dive trip. Don't wait to find a problem on your checkout dive.

Spare a Thought for Those Poor Shark Finners.  June 22, 2025

Sharks are in trouble, and now their Indonesian nemeses, the fishermen who cut off their fins, are causing their own demise. To meet the Chinese demand for shark fins for their soup, the fishermen have nearly wiped out all the sharks. Soon, they will need to find a new trade. Guiding divers to where the sharks used to hang out? That's just like giving a job to a guy who robbed you blind.

The Unstoppable Lionfish Migration.   June 22, 2025

It's a sub-tropical species, but a trawler caught the first recorded lionfish in the colder waters of the Mediterranean, off Israel in 1991. Not until 2012 were more found in Lebanon, followed by reports from Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. By 2016, large groups seen in Cypriot waters led to it being recognized as invasive. Now, two specimens of the common Indo-Pacific lionfish have been seen in the Adriatic, a backwater of the Mediterranean, off the coast of Croatia. In fact, an Undercurrent subscriber, Robert Pecoraro, just back from Milos Island in Greece, reports, "Unfortunately, there are a lot of lionfish here. Apparently they infiltrated from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. They are wreaking havoc here, as they are in other areas where they don't belong." Knowing the trouble lionfish have caused in the Atlantic and Caribbean over the past 40 years, it's bad news for the Mediterranean.

Divers versus Fishermen.   June 22, 2025

The rivalry between dive operators and fishermen came to a head off the Hengchun Peninsula in Southern Taiwan on May 17 when three scuba divers waiting at the surface for their dive boat were struck by the propeller of a fast-moving fishing boat. The divers had surface marker buoys (SMBs) inflated, but the fishing boat, traveling at high speed, struck the men and continued without stopping. Two of the three were severely injured, with multiple lacerations, and one had multiple fractures. There is a long-running dispute about whether divers should be diving in the waterway of the Hengchun Peninsula, and a diving operator said that divers there often face danger from passing fishing boats. It's been reported that the captain was accused of failing to observe sea conditions and operating at excessive speed. No word whether they believe the divers were hit intentionally. Taiwan News

Share with Your Fellow Divers Where You Have Been Diving.   June 22, 2025

Your independent Readers' Reports are the lifeblood of Undercurrent. They are essential reading for anyone booking a dive trip and provide an opportunity to share your experience with others. You can convey both the good and the bad, as well as everything in between. Unedited and unmoderated, your reports will brief other subscribers about the dive resorts you've visited and the liveaboards you've taken. Don't hold back. Over 13,000 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.

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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