Underwater Current Magazine Scam??

[divetahoe]

I've jumped forth and back (doesn't that make more sense than jumping "back and forth"? doesn't one go forth prior to going back? :06: But I digress.) between the printed subscription and the online only.

The online only subscription is cheaper than the printed one, the caveat being the info is a few months old, since you can't access current issues. Still, the info is good in my opinion.

FWIW.

 

[dlndavid]

I had asked the same question a while back and the publisher actually responded to my question, never did subscribe though.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=88909&page=1&pp=10&highlight=undercurrent+magazine

 

[jasonX5]

The main reason I was interested was one specific article. It said something about a shark attack and Turks and Caicos. I'll be traveling to T&C in a few months. Does anyone recall anything about that article? Thanks

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I've subscribed to Undercurrent for several years also. Before I discovered Scubaboard, it was my favorite source of industry gossip. Of course, now that I'm here, it makes good airplane reading, but not much more.

The publishers are above board and actually pretty nice folks. (I've had a few conversations with them over the years.) I'd suggest trying a subscription to see if you find it useful.

Their comments about advertising is meant to separate the publication from those published by PADI (Sport Diver, Undersea Journal) and from Scuba Diving magazine, which has had many accusations of biased gear and destination reviews based on advertising content. If you're like most of us, you'll read everything you can get your hands on that has diving content. If you don't have a trial subscription to Dive Training, I'd suggest your contacting them at www.dtmag.com. They give a free six-month subscription to new divers. Its editorial focus is on novice divers and the issues they face. It's a great, inexpensive little publication.

Welcome to the board,
Grier

 

[The Chairman]

You know...

We have thousands of contributors here... and you just can't buy them all off! I am more than happy to make the dive ops foot the bill rather than you, and they STILL have no say in the content of the board. None, nada, squat. Unlike any magazine, we are fresh and still searchable for older content (not referring to Uncle Pug).

Undercurrent has a fine reputation and is the most un-biased Scuba magaazine out there, but I like the content of ScubaBoard just fine. However, you just might call me "biased".

 

[Ben Davison]

Sure, we're legit, a nonprofit organization, and this is the 31st year. We have a guarantee, so if for any reason during the first year of subscription you don't like it, we'll send all your money back. All of it. We get about 2000 new subs a year, and return money to about 15.

Ben Davison
Publisher
www.undercurrent.org

 

[verybaddiver]

wheres my invite, eh eh??? is it because i is white?

 

[mdb]

The magazine claims to not take advertisements and gives you a no BS assesment on dive operations good and bad, best places to dive, best equipment not based on advertising etc.. They supposedly travel all over the world "paying their own way" and are not swayed by advertisers. This sounds like a good theory an unbiased dive magazine but smells kind of fishy.

When it smells fishy, it is fishy, outdated info, etc.. This board is a much better source.

 

[Damselfish]

I've subscribed to Undercurrent for a long time and never had any reason to believe anything about it is "fishy." They are limited in how much they can cover and like any publication you may not be interested in some of the things and places they cover. But they seem to do a good job of covering what they do, and it's a good read.

They certainly make more of an effort than most people on message boards of describing places in a non-biased way. I'm talking about a different thing than bias towards an advertiser of anything like that. When you read a personal report it will usually be written from that persons point of view, for example "the diving was the best I've ever done but the water was cold and I wished I'd had my 7mm." But that person may have dove in all of 2 places and think under 82F is cold because they live in a warm place to begin with. Or whatever. Magazines in general should do a better job of that kind of thing but many don't even seem to manage that.

As far as the annual chapbook essentially they are selling you all the reviews they have gotten for free from their readers and some can be out of date, just as the archives here may get out of date. It's ok but getting less useful. (I think it would make more sense if they gave all subscribers access to the reader reviews without an extra fee, and saved some trees by not printing the chapbook.) There is some good stuff but not generally better than you can get here, plus you can ask questions here.

 

[The Chairman]

Hey guys,

I wasn't trying to initiate a comparison between Undercurrents and ScubaBoard. They serve two different purposes. I just wanted to state that I KNEW that it was legitimate for those who thought otherwise. Of course, I am biased, and I pointed that out as well.