Reasons why I always bring my LifeLine
The Maldives, Truk, Palau, Grand Cayman, Komodo, next Raja Ampat, I am a trip leader for the Pan Aqua dive shop in New York, and an underwater photojournalist. These days I don’t leave home for any those places without my LifeLine, and I encourage all my travellers to add a LifeLine to their dive gear.
Why? Because !#$% happens! You’ve been there: the current that picks up and starts to move you off dive site, the small boat entry in the wrong place and now you’re in a ball of jacks being fed on by Bronze whalers not on the planned dive site and you and your dive group had best get out of there quickly, the sunset dive that left two divers unaccounted for, and that ripping current just under the surface in the Solomon’s that was going to take you who knows where… these are the remembered reasons why I always bring my LifeLine and strongly encourage those traveling with me to get their own. Then there’s always the added benefit of talking to each other.
Fortunately I haven’t had any of those problems recently, but next time they happen, I and my dive group will be prepared and we won’t be floating alone on a small piece of some remote ocean wondering when the dive boat will miss us and come looking. This time our LifeLine is our safety net.
Maria Hults
Photojournalist
Adventure Travel Leader
Beneath the Sea Vp
Woman Divers Hall of Fame member (2000)