Flotsam & Jetsam

A Marketing Ploy. A press release about a new camera from Paralenz says, "Naming the camera after the Vaquita is a tribute to the less than 19 that remain." Those 19 don't read press releases and need far more than a tribute to the near-certain extinction of their species caused entirely by human greed in China. Instead, send the profits from this camera to those who are trying to save the last of these precious animals. That would be a tribute.

Help, DAN Left Me in the Lurch. Raymond Haddad, a long-time subscriber from Quebec, got a message from the Divers Alert Network that said, "unfortunately, due to insurance regulation changes, DAN is unable to offer dive accident insurance to residents of Quebec." Raymond contacted us, so we contacted DiveAssure (www.diveassure.com/en/home) and asked whether they can insure Raymond. Not a problem, was the response, and that took care of that. Dear subscribers. How can we help you?

Remembering Mike DeGruy, Expert Photographer. The film Diving Deep: the Life and Times of Mike deGruy, directed by his wife Mimi and featuring Mike's own footage, has been released. DeGruy died in a helicopter crash in Australia in 2012 while working on a project with director James Cameron. The tightly paced documentary, about a cameraman who became an eloquent spokesman for the wonders of the deep and bore the shark bite scars he suffered while diving in the Marshall Islands, is sure to fascinate serious divers.

Another Lithium Battery Fire. This time it was aboard a container ship. During the first week of January, a mis-declared container aboard the Cosco Pacific caught fire and was then discovered to contain lithium-ion batteries, the type we have in most of our rechargeable equipment and a prime suspect in the fires on both the Conception and the Red Sea Aggressor I. The fire was safely extinguished by the vessel's automatic on-board firefighting system.

Safety in Scuba. To survive the raging bushfire approaching her Australia house New Year's Eve, Samantha Kneeshaw threw on her scuba tank, but no mask, and jumped in her pool. The 45-year-old marine biologist survived as burnt debris and ash fell around her. Her house miraculously survived, saved by a homemade roof sprinkler system. And she survived as well. God love her.

A Seahorse the Size of a Rice Grain. Smaller than its cousin, the pigmy seahorse, the brightly colored Hippocampus japapigue, or Japan Pig, was only recently scientifically described after being found among the algae of southeastern Japan. Although the critters have been seen by divers off Hachijo-Jima island, they are distinctly different from other pigmy seahorses in that they have only one wing-like appendage.

Don't Forget the Risk of Carbon Monoxide. Jennifer Hui Cheung (San Rafael, CA) travels with her own portable CO detector, which saved her life on a trip on an unnamed liveaboard in Raja Ampat last fall. She felt unwell at times in her cabin, and when the detector's alarm went off (it did so at 125ppm when 70ppm is considered hazardous), she bailed out, spending the rest of the trip sleeping in the salon along with another couple whose cabin also backed up onto the engine room. CO is a silent killer. Carry an alarm on liveaboards.

Victims of Drug Trafficking. The recently discovered decomposed bodies of three unidentified scuba divers found washed up on the beaches of Sicily have been linked to over 220 pounds of hashish also washed ashore. Smugglers from Morocco tow the drugs in large parcels tethered behind vessels, then scuba divers recover the parcels and load them onto dinghies for transport to the shores of Sicily.

The Bahamas Bans Single-Use Plastic. The use of single-use plastic bags, plastic utensils, plastic straws, and Styrofoam containers including cups, is now banned by the Bahamas beginning July 1, 2020. Is the U.S. watching?

Palau Bans All Reef-Toxic Sun Creams. Johnnie Remengesau, President of the Micronesian island nation of Palau, has banned any sun cream with one of 10 ingredients that are harmful to corals or marine life, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, saying, "We have to respect the environment. It is the nest of life." Hawaii's oxybenzone ban comes into force in 2021.

Diver Stabs Sea Lion. Most divers go to great lengths to dive with sea lions, but not New Zealand diver Matt Kraemer, who stabbed an unfortunate creature because he didn't like the way it was following him. While the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust says it is not OK to harm a sea lion just because you are scared, the NZ police are not pursuing the matter. Perhaps they expect another sea lion to do their duty.

Water-Cooled Scuba DRIVING? It was 109°F in Adelaide, Australia, and Alex Philippou had no airconditioning in his Ford Laser so he and his friend filled it completely with water, donned scuba gear, and drove to the liquor store, wearing masks and regulators. After posting a YouTube video, the idiots were apprehended, then charged with multiple driving offenses. www.tinyurl.com/v8zotyv

Conception Suits Pile Up. Suits have been filed by the families of crewmember Allie Kurtz and several passengers among the 34 dead. The suit claims lithium batteries and phone charging in unsafe sleeping compartments were the cause, and notes the totally inadequate escape design. Attorney Robert Glassman, quoted in the Santa Barbara Independent, said, "We intend to determine . . . why the Conception had noncompliant escape hatches . . . among what appears to be a litany of safety lapses."