Current Online Updates*
The Latest Dive News

Leaking Mares Nemo Air Computers Recalled
Lost Red Sea Diver Swims 60 Miles to Safety
Australian Liveaboard Company Fined $30,000 for Abandoning Divers
Free Chapbooks for Dive Clubs
Special Discounted Introductory Offer
You Think Stingray City is Crowded?
Avoid the High Costs of Servicing Your Regulator
Divers Banned for Nudity and Peeing
Chime in on Our Blog Commentary and Chat Boards
What you're missing in Undercurrent

Leaking Mares Nemo Air Computers Recalled:  September 9, 2009

The Italian dive gear manufacturer has recalled the Nemo Air due to "quality issue" with the O-rings on the computer's quick connector hoses. The O-ring can fail, causing a slow but continuous air loss. Mares has created a replacement O-ring and divers owning the computer can take it and the hose to a Mares dealer for a replacement O-ring -- the new one is a green color to replace the old black and brown ones. Find a dealer at www.mares.com, or call customer service at Head USA, Mares' owner, at 800-874-3236 and give them your computer's serial number.

Lost Red Sea Diver Swims 60 Miles to Safety:  September 9, 2009

Four Russian divers were found alive a day after currents separated them from their liveaboard; one managed to swim to shore, 60 miles from where the dive started. On August 17, a group of six divers from the M/Y Bohemia were doing a noon dive at Little Brother Island in the southern Red Sea when the four Russians went missing. When night fell, Vitaly Ivanov decided to swim and drift to shore, and was found the next afternoon 25 miles south of the town El Quesir. The three other divers were found by a search boat that evening. That's a much happier ending compared to 2007, when five Russians died in separate accidents on Red Sea dive trips.

Australian Liveaboard Company Fined $30,000 for Abandoning Divers:  September 9, 2009

In May 2008, divers Allyson Dalton and Richard Neely who were separated from the Pacific Star II while diving the Great Barrier Reef and spent the night in the open sea (see Undercurrent's July 2008 issue). While OzSail, the Pacific Star's owner, initially argued it was not at fault for the divers being stranded and perhaps they may have even staged their own disappearance, the courts ruled that the boat crew didn't manage their dive safety system properly. In mid-August, OzSail pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined AUD$30,000.

Free Chapbooks for Dive Clubs:  September 9, 2009

We've got a few cases of leftover 2009 Chapbooks, 32 to a case. We're happy to ship a case or two to any dive club if you pay the shipping. E-mail us at Pete@Undercurrent.org with your address and let us know that your check for $51 ($100 if you want two cases) is on its way. We'll trust you and send the case when we receive your e-mail. We cannot break up a case.

Special Discounted Introductory Offer:  September 9, 2009

Sign up now for a one-year membership to Undercurrent for $29.95, $10 off the standard offer. PLUS that includes a free (hard)copy of our Travelin' Divers' Chapbook 2009, with reviews of more than 1,000 dive resorts and liveaboards worldwide (due to postage costs, the Chapbook is only available to US and Canadian residents). Sign up for this special offer to email subscribers now here (/4email).

You Think Stingray City is Crowded?:  September 9, 2009

Be glad you weren't diving in the Indonesian waters of Bunaken, North Sulawesi on August 16. Otherwise, you would have had to contend with 2,805 other divers who were out to set a Guinness world record for the largest group dive. We hope they minded their toilet manners.

Avoid the High Costs of Servicing Your Regulator:  September 9, 2009

Even if parts are covered by warranty, labor makes up most of the bill. How can you make sure you don't have to pay through the nose for a major overhaul if your regular doesn't need it? To read our September article go to Undercurrent and click on the article "Servicing Your Regulator."

Divers Banned for Nudity and Peeing:  September 9, 2009

If you change clothes and take a whiz in the parking lot, you're not welcome in Lions Bay, a seaside village near West Vancouver. The town council has banned nonresident divers at Kelvin Grove Beach Park, subject to $10,000 fines. An official said, "Too many divers strip down to total nudity at their cars and then urinate around the parking lot, within view of residences. Residents have many anecdotes and photographs." Glynn Miller, secretary of the Pescadero Dive Club in Vancouver, rebuts that divers keep underwear on for their drysuits and as for peeing, no bathroom facilities are supplied. "Divers aren't the only ones doing it. So do people walking dogs."

Chime in on Our Blog Commentary and Chat Boards:  September 9, 2009

We got a lot of reader comments on Bret Gilliam's stupid diver rules blog posting - see what subscribers said in his latest blog, "Great Minds Think Alike." And Undercurrent subscriber Mel McCombie is our first "guest blogger," who wrote about Bonaire's practical secrets. Read those blog postings and more -- there were 6 more posts added in the last month with new ones added every few days. Or go to our online forum, post your questions, advise others, run your own commentary. Take advantage of the Undercurrent community at Undercurrent

What you're missing in Undercurrent:  September 9, 2009

MV Sea Hunter, Malpelo and Cocos Island: how the local weather affects the shark sightings . . . is it worth protesting a dive release you don't like? . . . a must-do winter dive trip off the coast of Cancun . . . how to get published in our 2010 Travelin' Divers' Chapbook . . . why police are now patrolling Grand Cayman's Stingray City . . . the worst-case scenario when a diver on an overseas liveaboard comes on board with no passport . . .thumbs down: dive operators expecting a profit on every dive . . . how you can help to stop the lionfish invasion in the Caribbean . . . and much, much more. Get the full, advertisement-free issue of Undercurrent online every month by clicking here (/4email)

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
Contact Ben

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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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