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Tropical Ice, an Eco-Thriller
Travel Advice
Don’t Ever Stop Diving
Hidden Extras?
Don’t Burn Your Mask!
Sherwood BCD Troubles Persist
Free-to-Read this month in Undercurrent
What You Missed in May’s Undercurrent by not subscribing
So, Please Subscribe: And will send you our New 40-page book - Eight Great Liveaboards -- and One Disaster - at no charge,
And don’t forget to check out Ben’s book

Tropical Ice, an Eco-Thriller  May 16, 2017

Divers gather round a frozen baitball during shark week in Belize, as marauding sharks rip out a gory surprise, sending divers scurrying. That’s the kickoff to Tropical Ice, an exciting new eco-thriller tackling shark finning, seahorse mining for a phony Asian aphrodisiac, jaguar poaching, and endless crimes against nature. And scuba travel writer Matt Oliver finds himself smack in the middle of trouble. The book was actually written by the founder of Undercurrent, Ben Davison, who has come out from behind his anonymous cloak to write this roller-coaster of a ride that you won’t put down. It’s not self-published – he has an agent and publisher – so you can find it in select book stores or order a copy or a Kindle at Amazon.

Click here for a copy signed by Ben and KL. Read more at www.tropicalicethriller.com

Travel Advice  May 16, 2017

Prompted by a report in Undercurrent on a coral cut turning nasty, subscriber Lynda Durfee says that after suffering cellulitis from a skin abrasion due to the sharp edge of a boat ladder in Hawaii, she now carries a generic Keflex z-pack, prescribed by her doctor for travel emergencies, and a prescription antibiotic cream. Keflex is used to treat infections caused by bacteria, including infections of the upper respiratory, ear, skin, and urinary tract. Talk to your doctor about building a precautionary travel kit.

Don’t Ever Stop Diving  May 16, 2017

No matter how old you are! Time magazine reports that when people at an Alzheimer’s disease facility dined in front of an aquarium filled with tropical fish, they ate more, were more attentive and less lethargic. Subscriber Richard Jacoby tells us, “Maybe so, but crawling back into a whaler becomes more of a pain as years pass. As a diver who's well passed his mid-80s, I know. But once under, all is as it should be -- wondrous!”

Hidden Extras?  May 16, 2017

It was two decades ago when John Bantin and Chris Boardman (the Olympic gold-medal cyclist) stayed a week at the Bluff House Club, Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas. They stayed full-board and everything was paid for upfront apart from their drinks. Or so they thought. When they went to pay the final bill, there was an extra charge of $1000 for club membership and “use of the facilities”. This amounted to using the boardwalk to get from their room to the restaurant. They watched while other guests left the reception area after paying their bills and reeling from this unseen extra cost. Have you been hit by hidden extras on a dive trip? Write and tell us about it. BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

Don’t Burn Your Mask!  May 16, 2017

When masks are assembled in the factory, silicone is used to lubricate the process resulting in the glass of every new mask being left with a fine deposit. When you where a new mask, the humidity from your face causes the inner glass surface to fog. Remove this silicone from the glass by rubbing it with some old-fashioned abrasive white toothpaste, rinsing it off afterwards. Never try to burn off the silicone with the flame of a cigarette lighter. You will risk damaging the silicone skirt.

Sherwood BCD Troubles Persist  May 16, 2017

After we reported about problems that some subscribers have had with Sherwood Avid and Luna BCDs, (Undercurrent Sept 16), Michael J Pezze (St Petersburg, FL) wrote to tell us that he took his wife’s Sherwood Solaris BCD to a dive shop to have it checked before an oncoming dive. She had only used it sixteen times and stored in on a hanger in a closet. When the technician tested the tank strap, the tank bracket broke off. The plastic is clearly not strong enough for the job and such a failure during a dive could have caused a disaster. We say: Sherwood, get your act together! You've known about this problem for close to a year! Want to contact Sherwood? www.sherwoodscuba.com/comments.php

Free-to-Read this month in Undercurrent  May 16, 2017

Concierge diving in Mexico’s Cozumel with Aldora Divers. www.undercurent.org

What You Missed in May’s Undercurrent by not subscribing  May 16, 2017

A trip aboard MV Pelagian out of Wakatobi . . . Pelagian and Fantasea II – a bit of diving history . . . Has your wetsuit shrunk since you bought it? . . . Can a robot take on the lionfish menace? . . . Coral reef update – it’s not good news . . . Skin bends could be more serious than you think . . . Worried about shark bites? Go diving! . . . Luck can be good or bad . . . and much, much more.

So, Please Subscribe: And will send you our New 40-page book - Eight Great Liveaboards -- and One Disaster - at no charge,  May 16, 2017

with your trial subscription to Undercurrent. I’ve pulled together eight complete first-hand reviews from our best travel reviewers who pay their own way and never disclose their purpose. They tell you the truth about the diving, the fish, the reefs, the food, the beds, and much, much more, so you can pick your next trip with no worries. Click HERE for details.

And don’t forget to check out Ben’s book  May 16, 2017

www.tropicalicethriller.com

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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