Current Upwellings
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Bonaire Theft Tropical Pacific Reef Fish Identification And you want to know why divers are going elsewhere? 2004 Chapbook Fishy Friends: A Journey Through the Coral Kingdom Explosive Fin Watch Bonaire Theft November 10, 2003 As we’ve reported many times, if you leave anything of value in an unattended car when you’re beach diving in Bonaire, expect it to be gone when you return. In fact, thieves even hit hotel parking lots these days. Here’s a new twist, reports subscriber David Smedley (Rialto, CA), which occurred on his trip this June. “The punks cut your gas line to steal your gas because of a locked gas cap. So remove the locked gas cap. Cheaper to buy gas than pay for cut gas line (which insurance doesn’t cover).” Tropical Pacific Reef Fish Identification November 6, 2003 At last, Paul Humann, Gerald Allen, Roger Steene, and Ned DeLoach have teamed up to provide a comprehensive fish identification guide covering the fish-rich reefs of the Pacific. The generous 500-page text, displaying 2,500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species, required the combined talents of four of the best marine life authors/photographers in the business. Their collaborative effort makes it possible to identify the myriad fishes that inhabit the warm tropical seas between Thailand and Tahiti. If you have any of Humann’s fish guides, you’ll recognize the style: the concise text accompanying each species portrait includes plenty of information and diagnostic features. Order now and a percentage of your profits will be donated to the Coral Reef Alliance. The price is $45. And you want to know why divers are going elsewhere? November 10, 2003 Lania Rittenhouse, Cayman’s Director for Tourism has said that the number of cruise visitors should be limited to 9,200 per day. On December 16, eight cruise ships will disgorge 20,240 passengers on George Town, Grand Cayman. Radisson Seven Seas Cruises (who built a cruise ship dock on Grand Turk) will have its Seven Seas Navigator visit Grand Turk January 10th for the inaugural opening of the facility. Their stops will include a shore excursion to Gibbs Cay, which is almost unimaginable. 2004 Chapbook November 7, 2003 502 pages of reviews of hundreds of resorts and live-aboards: It will be mailed to all subscribers in December. Not a subscriber? Sign up now. Fishy Friends: A Journey Through the Coral Kingdom November 3, 2003 Looking to share your passion for the underwater world with a special child? With excellent pictures of sand divers, octopus, and scorpionfish fish illustrating a powerful yet entertaining conservation message, this is a great addition to any child’s library. As the picture editor of Smithsonian Magazine says, “Michael Powell’s images in Fishy Friends have a unique blend of clarity, color, and behavior, so important to catching the interest of children, the future stewards of our planet.” The clownfish images are sure to resonate with any youngster who saw saving Nemo. For kids to age 12. Michael Patrick O’Neill, $19.95. Order it now and a substantial part of the profits will go to the Coral Reef Alliance. Explosive Fin Watch November 10, 2003 “My Apollo Bio-fins were flagged by the airport x-ray screen as suspicious,” reports Undercurrent reader Jerry Horn of Seattle. “The operator had to open the bag and inspect them. Four check-ins of that bag with the Bio-fins inside resulted in a TSA opening and hand verification that they weren’t explosive fins. My wife’s bag was never opened once throughout the trip. Her fins are the new Scubapro split fins and don’t trigger the X-ray machine because their density is outside the range that the machine is looking for. A machine operator showed me the 3D views of the scanned bag on a computer screen. The machine is tuned to alert the operator of suspicious items by adding color to those items on the screen: green justifies an inspection, but red requires one, even if the inspector recognizes the shape of the item on the screen. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what fins and other gear trigger the X-ray machine?” It sure would. Looks like Apollo Bio-fins are one of them. Anyone know of others? -- Ben Davison, editor/publisher Previous Upwellings I want to get the full story! Tell me how I can become an Undercurrent Online Member and get online access to the complete articles from back issues of Undercurrent as well as thousands of first hand reports on dive operations worldwide, or subscribe to the printed Undercurrent newsletter