Flotsam & Jetsam

Give Ivan A Big Wave — After striking Grand Cayman, Hurricane Ivan entered the Gulf of Mexico and hit the record books with a 52-foot wave, the highest wave ever reported during a hurricane, according to NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center. A buoy located about 75 miles south-southwest of Dauphin Island, AL, reported the 52-foot wave on September 15. In all likelihood, the wave was actually considerably higher than the 52 feet reported because NOAA’s buoys measure wave heights by taking an average of the highest third of the waves sampled during a 20-minute period. The single highest wave is typically 50 to 80 percent higher than the reported average, meaning that Ivan’s record-breaker may have been as tall as 96 feet.

Two New Recalls — Scubapro is recalling its converters for its Air 2 Alternate Inflation Regulator. This alert is only for Air 2’s on NONFlotsam & Jetsam SCUBAPRO BC’s. Divers who use an Air 2 on a Scubapro BC are not affected by this alert. Because an insufficient bond may cause a break in the converter coupling which could impact the diver’s ability to control buoyancy, anyone using an Air 2 on a non-Scubapro BC should immediately stop use and contact SCUBAPRO at (800) 382-2211, Monday through Friday, 7-5 PST, or go to www. scubapro.com for a free replacement.

Ocean Management Systems is recalling its SCUBA Manifolds. The recall involves the 200 and 300 Bar versions of the OMS Rotating Cross Bar Manifold. The units were sold nationwide at dive stores from December 2003 through September 2004 for about $238 and will be replaced at no charge. Contact OMS at 845-692-3600 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or send an e-mail to kim@omsdive.com.