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

Bravery Award for Diving Instructor
Let Your Boat Crew Know Where You Are
If You Dive the Galapagos, Look Closely
Hit-and-Run Boat Drivers Arrested in The Bahamas
Good News for Coral Restoration
Diving Outside of North and Central America?
Why Don't Seals Drown?
Return of the Blue Sea Dragons
Great White Shark Rivalry?
Share with Your Fellow Divers Where You Have Been Diving

Bravery Award for Diving Instructor.   June 22, 2025

The Mediterranean is not always the millpond it is often portrayed to be. A British diving instructor, Marcus Kitching-Howe, 32, from ABC Diving, Malta, has received a distinguished bravery award after he returned to rough seas after a dive off Malta to help rescue 17 divers caught out by rough seas caused by a sudden storm on March 26, 2024, using a length of rope tied to a handrail to enable those in the water to safely make the shore and avoid being smashed on nearby rocks. He stayed in the water for more than 30 minutes, but was unable to save one Dutch diver who had already died at the surface.

Let Your Boat Crew Know Where You Are.   June 22, 2025

Diving in a current or on a wreck? Ensure your boat crew knows your location by sending up a late-deployment surface-marker buoy. It's easily carried until you need it, and, attached to a line run off a simple spool, you can send it up with a whoosh of air from your octopus rig. Choose a self-sealing version so it doesn't deflate if it falls over at the surface. If you are unsure how to use it, ask an instructor to show you. You'll be sending it up at every safety stop you make, and even from deeper wrecks when you're preparing to come up.

If You Dive the Galapagos, Look Closely.   June 22, 2025

Scientific scuba divers from the California Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Charles Darwin Foundation, have discovered a previously presumed extinct black stony coral species thriving in the Galapagos. The coral initially thrived in the relatively cool water temperatures of the Galapagos, where it was first discovered in shallow waters in 1975. However, it suddenly disappeared following the warm ocean conditions brought by the 1982-83 El Niño event. They have now recorded more than 250 small colonies of the coral across four reef sites.

Hit-and-Run Boat Drivers Arrested in The Bahamas:   June 22, 2025

Two local men have been detained after running over a snorkeler and lacerating his legs. Bret Slough, a 42-year-old U.S. Army Ranger, was 20 feet from shore at Tar Bay in the Great Exumas when a speeding Boston Whaler struck him and kept on traveling. After first aid on shore, he was airlifted to Miami, where he underwent a four-hour operation. Witnesses reported the boat occupants looked back before speeding away.

Good News for Coral Restoration:   June 22, 2025

The Maldives' atolls have been decimated by bleaching -- but help may be at hand. Ten thousand juvenile corals were grown by local operators thanks to a portable seaside coral spawning laboratory called Reefseed. Developed by Australian and Maldivian scientists, the system will allow marine scientists anywhere to spawn and grow coral in weeks rather than months, without external power sources or divers. In the trial at Maniyafushi in South Malé Atoll, corals were deployed via 720 seeding devices across 9 different reefs and passed with flying colors.

Diving Outside of North and Central America?  June 22, 2025

You might be surprised to find that in the far blue yonder, scuba tanks often come with valves that only connect to a regulator with a DIN fitting. It's no problem because most dive operations carry adapters, but sometimes they look a little tired, so prudent divers pack their own adapter. Most dive stores offer them for as little as $20, and they save a lot of anguish by eliminating the possibility of a blown outer O-ring during a dive. Don’t forget you might need an Imperial-size Allen Key to match your adapter if you bought it in the US, as most dive centers with DIN-fitting tanks will use Metric-size wrenches.

Why Don't Seals Drown?   June 22, 2025

After running experiments with seals in a tank, scientists at the University of St. Andrews concluded that, unlike humans, a seal's brain monitors the amount of oxygen in its blood, rather than the levels of CO?, and the animals make their own decisions on how long to stay underwater based on that information. Instead of being governed by an involuntary reaction to the amount of CO? in their systems, seals can judge when their oxygen levels need topping off and head to the surface in a controlled and timely manner. Therefore, they never risk drowning and never experience shallow water blackouts.

Return of the Blue Sea Dragons.   June 22, 2025

After an absence of nearly two years (Undercurrent News January 2024), the attractively colorful but highly venomous blue dragon nudibranch is again washing ashore the on the beaches of Phuket, Thailand, prompting authorities to issue warnings for snorkelers and beach walkers. A deep-water nudibranch, distinguished by a vivid blue top side and feathery gills resembling wings, it is rarely seen by divers because it usually inhabits water too deep. (Bangkok Post)

Great White Shark Rivalry?   June 22, 2025

Notwithstanding the premiere of Netflix's new 90-minute documentary Shark Whisperer about free diver Ocean Ramsey, who interacts with big sharks in Hawaii (Undercurrent June), another young woman has surfaced, challenging the position as Queen of sharks. Andriana Fragola, a professional diver and marine conservationist, spoke with the media about her deep connection with sharks, stemming from years of close encounters and education. The Florida native, based on O'ahu after relocating to Hawaii seven years ago, has dedicated her life to the apex predators. As seen on her Instagram posts, Fragola uses her massive platform to educate her nearly half-a-million followers on shark behavior, showcasing her close calls. You may read more about it here.

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 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.

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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