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Have Aeris Dive Gear? What to Know For Your Next Servicing
An Underwater Attack makes World Headlines
The Ocean's Experts Subscribe to Us; Why Don't You?
Help Save the Seahorses
What Do President Obama and Leonardo DiCaprio Have in Common?
What You're Missing in this Month's Issue
Treasure Hunter
Florida's New Lionfish Rules - and How Divers Play a Role
The World's Largest Artificial Reef Is Being Built in the Yucatan
Great White Shark Census
Coming Up in Undercurrent

Have Aeris Dive Gear? What to Know For Your Next Servicing:  June 23, 2014

Starting on September 1, owners of Aeris dive gear will need to take it to an Oceanic dealer for servicing and repairs starting September 1. American Underwater Products, which owns both Aeris and Oceanic, decided to merge the two companies, and now both lines will be sold exclusively under the Oceanic brand. Aeris customer service responsibilities and warranties will be accepted by Oceanic.

An Underwater Attack makes World Headlines:  June 23, 2014

When she jumped into the waters off the island of Hawaii on May 8, Rene Umberger, a Maui-based divemaster and environmentalist, didn't realize she would come back up with video footage that would get media attention around the globe. Nor did she suspect another diver would threaten her life while underwater. Read what happened underwater, and the effects that attack is having on Hawaii's aquarium fish-collecting trade - the story is free to read on www.undercurrent.org

The Ocean's Experts Subscribe to Us; Why Don't You?:  June 23, 2014

Duane Silverstein is executive director of Seacology, which helps protect island habitats by offering villages a unique deal: if they agree to a marine reserve, Seacology provides funds for something the village needs, like a schoolhouse or health clinic. It was a joy to get an e-mail from Silverstein that he had just renewed his Undercurrent subscription. "It has been very helpful over many years, both for me as a diver and for Seacology." Join the pros who know about the oceans, and get many of their news and tips from us. Subscribe now for $39.95 per year or $4.95 per month. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

Help Save the SeahorsesHelp Save the Seahorses:  June 23, 2014

Project Seahorse has just launched a new "citizen science" website and app called iSeahorse. Data collected by individuals around the world will help scientists globally in assessing seahorse populations and distribution. Project Seahorse assistant (and Undercurrent subscriber) Katelyn Dick told us that they will provide crucial conservation management plans. Report any observations or send in your photos of seahorses to be entered into the worldwide database. Do so via iSeahorse's website or its free iPhone app.

What Do President Obama and Leonardo DiCaprio Have in Common?:  June 23, 2014

They both recently announced big efforts to save ocean life. During a video address to the international Our Oceans summit on June 16-17, Obama announced the creation of the world's largest marine reserve, where a crackdown on illegal fishing will be a big focus. The 800,000 square-mile reserve in the south-central Pacific contains U.S. territories like Kingman Reef, Kiribati and the Gilbert Islands, and it expands the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Obama also announced a new task force to stamp out illegal fishing and the black market trade in seafood. Later at the conference, DiCaprio pledged another $7 million to marine conservation (he has already donated at least $2 million this year), saying, "This is the most important issue of our time."

What You're Missing in this Month's Issue:  June 23, 2014

Cozumel and Akumal, Mexico: two unique dive destinations in seven days . . . why you should let someone else plan your dive trip for you . . . Damai I, Raja Ampat, Indonesia: luxury and "concierge" diving at a big, big price . . .. . .the foolishness of leaving your dive boat unmanned . . . the case for downloading your dives -- or not . . . readers respond to Ben Davison's "disrespectful" remarks about dietary issues and diving . . . and much more.

Treasure Hunter:  June 23, 2014

Robert MacKinnon made a career out of salvaging coins, silverware, weapons and other valuable artifacts from sailing ships that met their end in the dangerous shallows off Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. The "Death Coast" is known for its strong currents, rocky shoals and submerged rocks. In his book Treasure Hunter: Diving for Gold on North America's Death Coast," MacKinnon and co-author Dallas Murphy tell the story of 40 years of exploration. Click here to order through Undercurrent and you'll get Amazon's best price -- and our profits will go to save coral reefs.

Florida's New Lionfish Rules - and How Divers Play a Role:  June 23, 2014

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) just approved a number of regulations to combat invasive lionfish. Rebreather divers can now harvest lionfish, and divers in tournaments and other organized events can spear lionfish in areas where spearfishing is otherwise not allowed. The FWC also recently released its Report Lionfish smartphone app to allow fishermen and divers to report lionfish sightings in Florida waters.; available for the iPhone and the Android.

The World's Largest Artificial Reef Is Being Built in the Yucatan:  June 23, 2014

The project is called Kan-Kanan, which means "the guarding serpent," and according to the Yucatan Times, it's currently under construction near Puerto Morelos. The artificial reef will comprise more than 800 hollow concrete pyramids, each weighing 10 tons, and they'll be placed on a concrete base. The goal is for the reef to reduce coastline erosion and, once finished, builders say it will be longer than the Brooklyn Bridge and offer a home to more than 13,000 marine species.

Great White Shark Census:  June 23, 2014

The great white shark population is in good health along the California coast, and the numbers likely are growing. George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, led a team that reanalyzed 3-year-old research indicating white shark numbers in the Eastern North Pacific were alarmingly low, with only 219 counted at two sites. They visited top shark-aggregation sites in Northern California- the Farallon Islands and Tomales Point -- and other popular shark hangouts between Mexico and Alaska, and found that the total population is likely well over 2,000. The National Marine Fisheries Service was recently petitioned to add great whites to the endangered species list but declined, based on its own research (it estimates 3,000 sharks), and Burgess's study, just published in the online journal PLOS ONE.

Coming Up in Undercurrent:  June 23, 2014

Our undercover travelin' divers review diving in Indonesia's Lembeh, St. Vincent and the Red Sea . . . how to trim the weight and cut the costs of dive travel . . . Part II of "Why Divers Die": more real-life examples of dive deaths that could have been avoided . . . a new device to make freediving safer . . . John Bantin's advice on picking the right liveaboard for your needs . . . 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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