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Angry Fish
The World's Most Unique Diving
Emergency Breathing from Your BCD
Check Out Our Expert Blogs
A Win for Sharks in Mexico
Sri Lanka Open for Diving
Were You in The Military?
What You're Missing in This Month's Issue

Angry Fish:  June 20, 2011

Perhaps one of the least considered threats underwater is an angry titan triggerfish. We've recently received reports from a couple of divers who were seriously hassled by one of these angry critters. Do you have any stories to share with us about ornery triggers? Or any other fish, for that matter? Please let us know as we are putting a story together. E-mail me your stories at PublisherBenD@undercurrent.org

The World's Most Unique Diving:  June 20, 2011

No doubt, the award for the most unique guided dive trips has got to go to Amos Nachoum, the superb underwater photographer, who for years has been taking experienced divers into the water with sailfish, polar bears, great whites ... animals you can only dream about. While his trips can be pricey, the diving experiences and photographic opportunities -- are unparalleled ... and you've got affable Amos there to help you raise your still shot and video skills to all new levels. To learn more about his upcoming trips see his latest newsletter and visit his website by going to www.biganimals.com. You're in for the thrill of a lifetime. Note: Nachoum will give Undercurrent readers a $1,000 discount for all trips booked thru 2012 -- as long as you mention "I want 2 c biganimals..." when making your reservations and do it by this August 31.

Emergency Breathing from Your BCD:  June 20, 2011

What do you do if you're 100 feet down with two buddies, and both come to you out of air? One solution would be to pass your primary second stage to one buddy, give your octopus to the other, and then begin a slow ascent while valving fresh air into your buoyancy compensator and breathing through your BCD's oral inflator mouthpiece. Even though this has been successfully tested in a variety of predicaments, why doesn't any dive training agency teach the BCD breathing technique? Contributing writer Larry Clinton finds out why. Read the results in the June article "Emergency Breathing from your BCD," free to read at Undercurrent

Check Out Our Expert Blogs:  June 20, 2011

The smartest and funniest people in the dive industry offer their opinions, stories and advice in frequent blog postings on our website, free for the reading. The latest: Margo Peyton, who runs Kids Sea Camps in the Caribbean, gives tips on teaching kids to dive and how to dive with them on trips; photographers Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock talk about how erratic weather has affected Asia-Pacific diving; Papua New Guinea dive pioneer Bob Halstead asks whether it matters if fish feel pain or not; and guest blogger Duane Silverstein, executive director of Seacology, shares the tale of his "wruck" diving trip in the Philippines. Keep up with our bloggers at /blog

A Win for Sharks in Mexico:  June 20, 2011

We're now more optimistic about seeing more sharks during dives in the Yucatan. Mexico's Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries decided earlier this month to ban the fishing of all shark species in federal waters on both coasts. It's not a permanent ban - according to the Fish Information & Services website, the ban will be only during the period of greatest reproductive intensity of the main species, typically between May and August. Still, it's the first such action taken in Latin America.

Sri Lanka Open for Diving:  June 20, 2011

For years Sri Lanka's east coast was off limits due to civil war but now the region, home to a resident population of pygmy blue whales and the wreck of the first purpose-built aircraft carrier, is open to divers. Starting next year, the Maldives-based liveaboard Aquarius will operate out of Trincomalee in northeast Sri Lanka from April to August, when conditions are best. Highlights include snorkeling with the blue whales and diving the HMS Hermes, sunk near the town of Batticaloa by Japanese bombers during WWII and sitting upright at 175 feet (it's possible to dive the upper section on one air tank, while trained tech divers can go deeper). Prices for 2012 trips start at $3,200 and include flights and transfers; British dive travel agency Scuba Travel is handling bookings

Were You in The Military?:  June 20, 2011

Or know a diver who is or was? Reader Rusty Hubbarth (Austin, TX) shares this story from his buddy, Jim, that could help divers who served save some money on their next dive trip. "Flying back home from South Carolina, I checked in at the American Airlines desk and handed the agent my retired military ID and a credit card to pay the $100 baggage fees for the two bags my wife and I had. When I asked for the receipt for my bag fees, I was told they were waived as a courtesy, because I was military. So whatever airline you fly, always use your military ID card at check-in - - whether you're active duty, active duty or retired - - and you may just get your bag fees waived." Get more good dive and travel tips from our readers by subscribing to Undercurrent. Go to Undercurrent to sign up.

What You're Missing in This Month's Issue:  June 20, 2011

Golden Rock Dive Center, St Eustatius: time-travel back to the old Caribbean . . . time for an American Recreational Scuba Divers Association? . . . dive destinations to see big fish, and where to avoid dead reefs and day-trippers . . . scavenger hunts for divers . . . "taxes," "fees" and just plain bribes that divers face . . . how to emergency-breathe from your BCD, and how to clean and disinfect it . . . diver do's and don'ts so you avoid getting hit or run over by boats . . . breathing from liquid: is diving's Holy Grail here? . . . and much more

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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