  
Welcome to our online newsletter. We thank all of you who read it and thank you for your encouraging responses. Our aim is to publish information divers and underwater photographers can use. We welcome your questions and suggestions. If you have a link to some informative and relevant site, do send it on. This newsletter is all about sharing. This month our newsletter is all about TRAVEL.
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New Rules Re Traveling with Lithium Batteries Digital is Good for the Environment Favorite New Travel Accessories |
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January. A fresh new year is ushered in with cloudy skies and cool temperatures. As I write this, the weather, even here in Southern California, is not conducive to local diving. Brrrr…So our thoughts turn to travel. . .warm water, sunny skies, clear and calm seas, lovely beaches and photogenic underwater creatures.
We are going to Palau next month. Wish you were, too. It’s one of the world’s best diving destinations. Next was Maldives in October. That trip has been cancelled. The Maldives Aggressor, which we had booked, will not be launched into service till after the beginning of 2009. So our charter was cancelled. We did think of selecting another date, but we have heard mixed reports on the quality of the diving there. Big animals, yes, but big currents and little vis, too. So we have scrapped that trip.
Over the years people often ask me, “What is your favorite place?” I usually answer, “I like them all,” but the truth is, there are a handful of destinations that rank tops in my book: Palau, La Paz, Indonesia, and last but not least, Malaysia.
If I had just one spot left to dive, it would be Borneo, Malaysia.
So with that said, I announce our next destination: Borneo, Malaysia, September 2008. We will dive three extraordinary islands: Mabul, Sipadan, and Kapalai.
We will be diving with Borneo Divers and staying at the Borneo Divers Mabul Resort on the island of Mabul off the southeast coast of Sabah. I have been to Borneo several times and diving the Mabul-Sipadan-Kapalai trio of islands is always extraordinary. Some 3,000 species were first found and classified in Malaysia.
Sipadan is host to huge schools of mackerels, barracudas and other pelagics as well as sharks and turtles, lots of turtles. Sipadan is a turtle sanctuary and has closed its resorts to preserve the environment. We dive there but no one can sleep there and we hear the sea life has increased in numbers dramatically. Mabul and Kapalai sites are in shallow water, host to an amazing array of unusual and hidden critters that us macro hunters love.
We will have details on our website soon. Call to reserve your space now or know more: 949-448-0499.
We can’t imagine Fall without the whale sharks, sea lions, and all the spectacular diving we experience in the Sea of Cortez? To know all about our annual La Paz adventure (except this year’s flight schedule and package price), click here.
Photos by Cara Sherman
Travel Alert! Lithium batteries are used in our digital cameras, video cameras, lighting systems, laptops, cell phones and other peripheral devices. So it’s important to know that effective January 1, 2008, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will prohibit lithium batteries in checked luggage. These batteries are allowed in carry-on baggage.
Under the new rule, lithium batteries are if:
Although you may carry some devices and installed batteries in checked luggage, carrying them in your carry-on is preferred. If loose lithium batteries are found in your checked luggage, they may be confiscated.
You can learn more at http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html
Updated October 24, 2007, TSA’s detailed list of items permitted and
prohibited in carry-on and checked baggage. If you have Adobe Reader, I strongly
urge you to open and print out this brochure.
http://www.airsafe.com/issues/security/tsa_broc.pdf
Aerosols that are personal medicinal and toilet items can be carried on board or in checked baggage. Women, note: hairspray seems to be at the discretion of the security agent. Sometimes even a small pocket-sized can is prohibited, other times, overlooked. Other aerosols, if they may be carried at all, should be packed in checked baggage, regardless of size. The DOT regulations forbid flammable aerosols in any baggage.
You may NOT travel with:
Some pump-spray versions of some of the above items are not hazardous but prohibited anyway. Always, travel with the cap on your aerosol can, whether it is in checked or carry-on baggage.
So says TSA. 3-1-1 refers to carry-ons: 3-ounce bottle or less (by volume), 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag, 1 bag per passenger placed in screening the bin. So, consolidate all your little three-ounce bottles into one bag and be prepared by having it out of your carry-on and ready to place in the X-ray screening bin. Remember, each time TSA searches a carry-on, it slows down the line. Practicing 3-1-1 will ensure a faster and easier checkpoint experience.
Exceptions: medications, baby formula and food and breast milk are allowed
in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be
in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint.
While we’re on the subject of flying, I want to bring up the subject of diving after flying. Of course you know the dangers of flying too soon after diving, but too few divers, even the most experienced ones, are aware that diving too soon after flying can cause decompression sickness (DCS). There is confusion on what exactly is the hazard.
Change in ambient pressure is not the problem. The problem is hydration. Dehydration is the biggest risk factor for DCS, and dry air in an airplane at high altitude can dehydrate you dramatically. It is often advised that you should pass on the beer and wine and drink water, lots of it. Rule of thumb: drink between one-quarter and one-third of a liter of water for every hour you’re in the air before diving.
Another consideration is fatigue. A long trip leaves you tired and more vulnerable to DCS. Best to get a good night’s rest before diving.
There is a sizable list of good reasons to switch from film to digital imaging: you save money on the cost of film and developing. You can see your images right away so you can correct and redo. You can take hundreds of images on a single dive, as opposed to the 36-exposure limit with film. You don’t have worry about the ill effects of X-rays on your film at airport screening. Here’s one more: digital photography is good for the environment. According to Swedish researchers, the silver levels in the water around Stockholm has dropped by 50% in the past five years due to the replacement of film with digital technology.
We always advise travelers to be sure to put name and address tags on and inside (in case the outside tag comes off) all luggage. But if a bag goes missing, it won’t do you any good if it is returned home. These bright yellow vinyl luggage retrieval tags instruct baggage agents (in eight languages) to remove the itinerary you've placed inside and forward your bag to your destination. It says: Here is my itinerary. Please remove and examine if luggage is misplaced. $9.95 a pair. Online at Magellan’s www.magellans.com/store/luggage Go to locks and tags.
For divers and underwater photographers, weight limitations is a big issue. Who hasn’t been overweight and had the pay additional fees when the weight could have been redistributed amongst your bags if you’d only known? We bought and love this Digital Luggage Scale, also from Magellan’s. It weighs luggage up to 100 lbs. Or 44 kg. It’s easy to use. Just hook onto your suitcase handle, lift, wait for the beep, and read the weight on the digital display. Small and light enough to take with you. Takes 2 AAA batteries. $24.85.
How many times have you been miles away from home with a broken piece of equipment and you are not able to fix it? Hardware stores in remote locations or on a liveaboard, no way. "Where there's a will there's a way," I say. Think outside the box. Remember, MacGyver, that TV character who could fix anything anytime anywhere? He was an ingenious guy and his gerryrigging became known as "MacGyverisms." I’ve got some of my own. Go to: www.joeliburdi.com/travelers-resources.htm#mac
One-on-one with me. At my place, Liburdi’s Scuba Center, or over the phone. $50 per hour. I’ll make a photographer out of you before you go on vacation! Call 949-448-0499.
