Dive News

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Poseidon's BCD Recall : Swedish dive gear manufacturer Poseidon recalled a batch of its W50 wings last month because the seam holding the two bladder halves together can easily break, deflating the BCD. The faulty bladders are marked with batch number 5445 and were sold between September 2007 and June 10, 2008. Poseidon W50 wing users can check the batch number by opening the zipper between the two "legs" of the wing to reveal the inner bladder. Between the bladder's two legs is a tab with article number, batch number and manufacturing year. If you see a '5445,' take it back to your dive shop for a free replacement.

Caribbean Flight Alert : If you're holding tickets to anywhere in the Caribbean, reconfirm those flights right up to your departure day. The rising cost of jet fuel will seriously affect the Caribbean because floundering American Airlines controls much of the market; for example, it will cut daily flights out of San Juan from 93 to 51. Spirit Airlines will close its San Juan hub, and Continental Airlines will soon announce destination and flight cuts. Smaller islands are asking LIAT and Air Jamaica to increase flights and coordinate schedules to fill the gaps. On the bright side, JetBlue plans to add daily flights to Puerto Rico this fall, and Virgin Atlantic may also add extra U.S. flights to the Caribbean.

The Final Word on Tipping, Whether You're Diving At a Resort or on a Liveaboard : Go to www.undercurrent.org to read "Last Word on Dive Tipping," in which I, Ben Davison, the lifelong publisher of Undercurrent (33 years now) sets the rules for tipping on your dive trip. I explain why tipping 15% of a liveaboard trip is often outlandish; where $10 a day for your dive guide is right, and where it's just throwing money away. You'll find it in our July 2008 issue, on the Web, free to nonsubscribers.

What Else Is In The July Issue :

* Get a seven-month trial subscription to Undercurrent for only $29.95, and in addition to your seven issues delivered by mail, you'll receive the all-new 2009 Travelin' Divers' Chapbook as soon as it's off the press;
* In the July issue, you'll find out about: Nai'a, a top-notch liveaboard in Fiji;
* Why stung divers should use hot water for treatment;
* A lethal air compressor on the Baani Adventure;
* Good and bad diving in the Caribbean, Canada and the South Pacific;
* Three Caribbean hubs notorious for leaving dive bags behind;
* Update on the Shear Water shark death;
* An interview with two divers left adrift on the Great Barrier Reef for 19 hours;
* Five divers who fended off sharks, then lethal lizards;
* The fastest fins for divers; Another diver gets charged with killing his wife on a dive trip; and much, much more;