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Hollis Recalls Some Explorer Rebreather Models
Here's Why You Should Subscribe
What You're Missing in This Month's Issue
Reef Life: A Must Have Guide to Tropical Marine Life
Dive Computer Buddy Meets Its Crowdfunding Goal
Choose Your Dive Boat Wisely
Bravo, Hilton Worldwide
Boat Captain Charged in Diver's Death
Coming Up in Undercurrent
Manta Rays are Safe in Indonesia
A Common Chemical Kills Coral Reefs
Been to our Facebook page?

Hollis Recalls Some Explorer Rebreather Models:  March 21, 2014

Hollis has recalled certain counterlungs for its Explorer rebreather. "We have traced this problem back to one production lot of counterlungs that had weak welds around the retainer fitting, and affected counterlungs can develop leaks over time," the company said in a press release. It has published the serial numbers on its website, and divers with affected counterlungs should contact their local Hollis rebreather dealer; the company will send a free pair of new counterlungs. For more details, go here.

Here's Why You Should Subscribe:  March 21, 2014

Many Undercurrent readers sign up with us because they want to get the scoop on 7,000-plus dive-trip reports from fellow divers about resorts and liveaboards worldwide. Longtime subscriber Linda Tolf (Hopkinton, MA) wrote us, "I have booked many a dive trip using shops recommended by the annual Travelin' Diver's Chapbook and have never been unhappy." George Constantino (Anchorage, AK) says, "For me, Undercurrent is the bible for dive info and trip reviews." They want the best and most honest source of information before spending their hard-earned money on dive travel. Join them and sign up for an annual membership - you'll immediately receive the 2014 online Travelin' Diver's Chapbook. You'll also get my personal guarantee: all your money back, no questions asked, if you're not satisfied. Subscribe now here.

What You're Missing in This Month's Issue:  March 21, 2014

Snorkel with Manatees, Homosassa, Florida: like Disneyland in the water . . . we want the GPS coordinates to this Alabama dive site . . . Sau Bay Fiji Retreat: a South Seas paradise with top-notch diving . . . dive travel perils: missed flights and gluten-free food requests . . . the decline of dive training: part I . . . why you should choose your overseas dive boat wisely . . . two deaths at one of Indonesia's most dangerous dive sites . . . can nitrox damage blood vessels? . . . how narcosis affects memory and thought processing . . . and much more.

Reef Life: A Must Have Guide to Tropical Marine Life:  March 21, 2014

What? Another fish ID book when you thought Paul Humann's and Ned Deloach's were enough? Yes indeed, and while I rarely say this, Reef Life: A Guide to Tropical Marine Life is a must-have for the library of every traveling diver. If you only want one ID book, this is it. Click here to order through Undercurrent and you'll get Amazon's best price. Plus, our profits will go to save coral reefs.

Dive Computer Buddy Meets Its Crowdfunding Goal:  March 21, 2014

DiveNav, a maker of digital dive tools for smartphones and computers, recently went on the crowdfunding website to raise money for its latest product, Dive Computer Buddy, which lets divers quickly download logs from their dive computers to a tablet or smartphone. They asked for $20,000 and raised $25,000 in less than 30 days. With that money, the plan is to put the Dive Computer Buddy app inside its already-on-the-market tool, divePAL, which lets divers plan, analyze and log dives. DiveNav plans to release versions of the dual tools that support model-specific dive computers this summer, with Suunto computers being the first to be supported in June. Aeris, Oceanic, Sherwood and TUSA Zen computers will be added to the group in July, followed by the Mares Puck family in August, and the Cressi Leonardo, ScubaPro and SubGear models in September. For more details about Dive Computer Buddy and divePAL, go to here.

Choose Your Dive Boat Wisely:  March 21, 2014

If you're going on a dive trip overseas and opting to go out with a local dive operator while there, choose wisely. From boat explosions to boat "captains" who don't keep track of divers, Second- and Third-World dive destinations are rife with accidents that injure or kill visiting divers. A recent example: three Thai liveaboards that sank within a three-week period. Read how it all happened in this month's issue; "Choose Your Dive Boat Wisely" is free to read at the top of the homepage at www.undercurrent.org.

Bravo, Hilton Worldwide:  March 21, 2014

The hotel chain announced last month that it would stop serving shark fin and accepting new orders for shark fin dishes by April 1. The ban will then be effect in its 96 owned and managed Hilton hotel properties across the Asia Pacific.

Boat Captain Charged in Diver's Death:  March 21, 2014

In this month's issue, we wrote about seven divers who got swept away by bad weather on February 14 while diving near Nusa Lembongam, a small island near Bali, leaving one diver dead, and another missing and presumed dead. The latest on that story: The captain of their dive boat was charged with negligence two weeks after the incident. The five divers who survived the ordeal told Indonesian police that the boat captained by Agustinus Brata Kusuma could not be found after they surfaced from a 30-minute dive. Kusuma told police the weather became cloudy after the divers submerged, and he followed their bubbles in an attempt to locate them. However, the head of Bali 's search and rescue team challenged that account, saying he had information suggesting that the skipper had left to refuel before heading to the agreed meeting spot. Police charged Kusuma with criminal negligence causing death, and if convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Coming Up in Undercurrent:  March 21, 2014

A return to CoCo View in Roatan: better the second time around? . . . Part 2 of Bret Gilliam's story on the decline in dive training . . . the segment of the diving industry that's growing the most in popularity these days . . . and much more.

Manta Rays are Safe in Indonesia:  March 21, 2014

Last month, Indonesia announced it would become the world's largest manta ray sanctuary. The archipelago's 5.8 million square kilometers of ocean are protected from manta fishing and export. That's because government officials were persuaded by evidence that mantas are worth more alive than dead -- a study published last year in online journal PLoS One said a manta ray is worth up to $1 million during its lifetime, thanks to tourists who will pay to swim with them, but only worth up to $500 when dead. Now conservation groups are teaching fishermen about the value of manta ray tourism, and more than 200 policemen have been prepped to enforce the law.

A Common Chemical Kills Coral Reefs:  March 21, 2014

Thanks to subscriber Jonathan Scott (Waltham, MA) for alerting us to research showing that a common chemical used in many soaps, shampoos and cosmetics is killing young coral reefs at concentrations commonly found in the environment. The study, in this month's issue of Ecotoxicology, found that benzophenone-2 (BP-2) is toxic to coral reefs, causing increased rates of death and bleaching. BP-2 is found in U.S. wastewater, and once in the environment, can quickly kill juvenile corals at even low concentrations. BP-2 is similar to oxybenzone, the active ingredient in many sunscreens (although it is not used in U.S. sunscreens), and it is considered an emerging contaminant of concern by the EPA.

Been to our Facebook page?:  March 21, 2014

We're approaching 10,000 divers now who have "Like'd" our Facebook page (9,911 now) , which we launched only last June. Thanks to all of you who've visited and posted comments on it! If you haven't yet, you'll find interesting dive-related discussions, news, and comments there. Just go here https://www.facebook.com/Undercurrent.org or search in Facebook for Undercurrent.org

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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