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Mask Alarm!
Scuba Gear in Plastic Wrapping
Subscribe at Our Special Rate and Get this Free Dive Classic
Old Tank Alert!
The Upside of Shark Excrement
What You Missed in Undercurrent’s March Issue
Scuba Diving Regulated By Law
Full-Face Snorkeling Masks
U.S. Travel Warnings
Our Subscriber’s Independent Reader Reports

Mask Alarm!  April 12, 2018

We’re getting reports of Hollis masks with single faceplates (such as the Hollis M1) smashing during leaps into the water. Whether this is because the divers have over tightened the straps, causing tension across the glass, or for some other reason, if you use a Hollis mask be aware of the risk. Some divers have sustained superficial cuts but have been lucky not to suffer eye injuries.

Scuba Gear in Plastic Wrapping  April 12, 2018

While we environmental conscious divers are fully aware that plastic is despoiling our oceans, dive manufacturers are major contributors to the problem. We’re pleading to the diving industry to step up and do something about how they over-package their products in plastic, particularly sturdy items like fins and snorkels. Even if only one turtle dies thinking a plastic fin package was a jellyfish, that’s one too many for this industry. If they are truly concerned about our oceans, then they must demonstrate it to us divers. Write to your favorite scuba equipment brand and tell it to drop the plastic packaging.

Subscribe at Our Special Rate and Get this Free Dive Classic:  April 12, 2018

Subscribe to our 20-page monthly issues of Undercurrent, and if you have a U.S. address, I’ll mail you the reissued classic 208-page paperback book, An American Underwater Odyssey, 50 Dives in 50 States, by Charles Ballinger, detailing a unique dive in every American state. And no matter where you live if you subscribe today, you can download for free Eight Great Liveaboards (and One Disaster) and Eight Great Dive Resorts (and One Dog), two 40-page books written by our undercover reviewers and available only to new subscribers. Click here to subscribe now.

Old Tank Alert!  April 12, 2018

Aluminum cylinders made before 1996 are under scrutiny by a British government agency, the HSE, which reports the catastrophic failures of several made using aluminum alloys HE30/AA6082 and AA6351. The cylinders were manufactured by Walter Kidde in the US, Luxfer, and Reynolds in the UK, and CIG in Australia.

The Upside of Shark Excrement  April 12, 2018

Marine biologists from Imperial College, London and the University of California, Santa Barbara, have discovered that shark feces from these ocean feeders deposited on shallow coral reefs provide vital nutrients. They estimated that more than 200 pounds (94kg) of nitrogen was dropped daily on the research area of Palmyra Atoll with the nutrients fertilizing the reef’s ecosystem. It’s one more reason shark finning is destructive to our oceans.

What You Missed in Undercurrent’s March Issue  April 12, 2018

Two Fish Divers' twin resorts in North Sulawesi . . . When diving disappoints . . . Sending a safety sausage safely . . . Solutions to rescue when lost at sea . . . Does your white light hurt night critters? . . . Are AOW certifications really necessary? . . . Diving in Lembeh can be infectious! . . . Lobsters have feelings too . . . Diving gear to stand well clear of! . . . The Suunto/Aqualung lawsuit continues . . . and much, much more.

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Scuba Diving Regulated By Law  April 12, 2018

The Korean Herald reports that three divers were booked on April 4 at Geoje for night diving without safety equipment such as BCs, near a breakwater and dock. Scuba diving is prohibited from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before dawn, according to South Korean underwater activity law, probably enforced as a national security measure. The regulation of scuba diving is not uncommon in many countries. What’s your take on that? Write to BenDDavison@undercurrent.org - not forgetting to mention your town and state.

Full-Face Snorkeling Masks  April 12, 2018

Carbon dioxide, the by-product of respiration, is poisonous and it gives us the desire to exhale. There is a growing concern that some full-face snorkeling masks can allow CO2 to accumulate inside them, leading to death by drowning. Heidi Williams, the partner of a deceased snorkeler in Hawaii, Bryan Beyer, a lifeguard, is contemplating a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the full-face mask he was wearing when he died in January. This year alone, at least 9 snorkelers have died in Hawaii, many wearing full-face masks.

U.S. Travel Warnings  April 12, 2018

After incidents including one bomb detonation and the discovery of a second pipe bomb on the Barcos Caribe ferry, the U.S. has now given the all clear for U.S. government personnel to use the other ferry services running between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

Our Subscriber’s Independent Reader Reports  April 12, 2018

Our Subscriber’s Independent Reader Reports are the lifeblood of Undercurrent, and they help make our monthly newsletter a unique source for serious divers. Our members spread the word about their trips, telling what’s good, what’s bad and what’s ugly. There’s a vast and ever-growing resource of information that subscribers can see online at the Undercurrent website (and in our annual Chapbook), now approaching 10,000 entries. Non-members may view reports in full up through 2015 at www.undercurrent.org, and partially view more recent ones.

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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