Flotsam and Jetsam

Smitty Leaves Sea Eye. Algrove “Smitty” Smith, the popular divemaster at Sea Eye Diving in the Turks and Caicos, has left after nine years to start his own dive operation, called Grand Turk Diving, and is now constructing his new shop. To find out when it will be open, e-mail Smitty at DukeofDiving@hotmail.com

Gator Eats Snorkeler’s Arm. While snorkeling in South Carolina’s Lake Moultrie last month, Bill Hedden, 59, had his arm ripped off at the shoulder by an 11-foot, 550-pound alligator. He stumbled to shore and luckily was found by some picnicking nurses who iced his wound and kept him conscious. Wildlife officials shot the alligator, found Hedden’s arm in its belly and rushed it to the hospital in a cooler, but doctors were unable to re-attach it.

Medical Help Needed in Roatan. Between dives at Sueno del Mar last May, Undercurrent reader and dentist Bill Edell (Lake Oswego, OR) volunteered his services at La Clinica Esperanza, a new hospital run by nurse and missionary Peggy Strange that gives low-cost and free healthcare to Roatan residents. “The clinic is better stocked with instruments and equipment than other places I have volunteered,” says Edell. “I worked alongside many dedicated people visiting Roatan to do volunteer health care, the patients were appreciative, the staff friendly and helpful. I recommend dentists, hygienists, doctors and nurses who enjoy great diving and want a rewarding experience to consider volunteering. Take your dive gear, favorite instruments and perhaps some supplies to donate, and you will have a truly rewarding vacation.”

Bog Snorkeling. Talk about poor visibility. The Waen Rhydd peat bog near Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales is home to the annual World Bog Snorkeling Championships every August. This year, 100 contestants from as far away as Russia and Australia snorkeled two lengths of a 60-yard trench cut through the bog in the quickest time possible. In a ‘bog off’ for first place, the winner was Haydn Pitchford from Leeds with a time of 1:42. The bog also hosts the World Mountain Bike Bog Snorkeling Championship in July; snorkelers must cycle two lengths on bikes with lead- and water-filled tires. The latest winner, Roger Heslop from East Kent, breezed through the bog with a speedy time of 41 seconds.