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A Big Scare in Palau
When Did You Stop Drinking?
More Than Two Million Turtles
Let Us Hear From You
Another Liveaboard Burns
Raja Ampat in Trouble
Layang Layang Loses its License
Undercurrent Is More Than Its Newsletter

A Big Scare in Palau.   January 17, 2025

Seven Chinese divers and their dive guide were finally located and rescued after being separated from their boat and drifting at the surface for more than 27 hours. They had dived at Peleliu Cut, a site in Palau, well known for its powerful currents, and went missing midday on Sunday, December 26. A search and rescue operation launched involved the Koror and Peleliu state rangers, Palau's Division of Marine Law Enforcement, and private boat operators. Based on similar dive incidents, the search teams initially concentrated on the area near Angaur in the southwest. Someone in a privately owned boat finally found the group approximately 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Peleliu. In 1994, six Japanese divers went missing and died. One had written on her slate, "We can see you searching, but you cannot see us." Always carry a surface marker.

When Did You Stop Drinking?  January 17, 2025

The recent inquest into the February 2019 death of British music producer Karl Bareham off Australia's Byron Bay found that the deceased's breath smelled of alcohol immediately before the dive, that he was depressed and physically out of shape, and they questioned his regulator's efficacy. One expert medical witness gave evidence attributing his death to alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

More Than Two Million Turtles.   January 17, 2025

That's how many turtle hatchlings volunteers released from Cancun beaches out into the Caribbean in the past two years. The tiny turtles, --green, hawksbill, loggerhead and leatherback hatchlings -- head in all directions, many to the Sargasso Sea. Divers will have to wait up to 10 years to see them return to waters near their nesting grounds.

Let Us Hear From You:   January 17, 2025

We always like to hear from our members, so feel free to write us about anything: questions about stories, equipment or travel problems you have had, even criticism. If you have an idea for a story, let us know. Contact us at BenDDavison@undercurrent.org.

Another Liveaboard Burns.   January 17, 2025

On the last day of a year notable for several liveaboard disasters, the MY. Ocean Pure I caught fire near Waigeo Island in Raja Ampat. The fire's source as thought to be faulty wiring in an appliance in the laundry room. All ten passengers and 18 crew were safely evacuated.

Raja Ampat in Trouble  January 17, 2025

We have hoped that global warming, which has severely led to coral bleaching in the Caribbean and elsewhere, would not reach less populated and more pristine places such as Raja Ampat. Sadly, it has now reached the pristine area of West Papua and Raja Ampat. At the heart of the Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat has been seen as the last refuge of healthy coral growth. Coral bleaching isn't just a local crisis -- it's a global one. This reminds us how connected we are to the oceans and how urgent it is to address the stressors driving this change. You can find out more here.

Layang Layang Loses its License.   January 17, 2025

The operator of a dive resort based on an artificial island and coral reef in Malaysia's Spratley archipelago has had its license to operate revoked. They have failed to refund the 50 percent deposits made by more than 100 prospective foreign visitors for scuba diving packages during the COVID pandemic in 2020. (Undercurrent Flotsam & Jetsam July 24)

Undercurrent Is More Than Its Newsletter.   January 17, 2025

Your independent Readers' Reports are the lifeblood of Undercurrent. They are essential reading for anyone booking a dive trip and are an opportunity to tell everyone about the trip you experienced. You can tell both the good and the bad and everything in between. Unedited and unmoderated, your reports will brief other subscribers about dive resorts you've visited and liveaboards you have taken. Don't hold back. Over 11,000 entries have now become essential reading for traveling divers. You can post photos too. It's easy to post a report of your last dive trip. And your fellow divers will be thankful. File your report at www.undercurrent.org/SubRR, and we will also include it in the year's Chapbook, which will be sent to readers next December.

Ben Davison, editor/publisher
BenDDavison@undercurrent.org

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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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