Before I go diving, I tell all my friends so they know why I’m not returning calls or emails. I never take a laptop with me. However, at the airport, I often see travelers lugging their laptops, so I guess they’re hoping to keep in touch with people at home. Either that or they want to store and view their underwater photos during the trip. (Ugh, get Epson’s compact Portable Digital Wallet.)

If you like to dive where you can “stay connected,” there’s probably going to be a new and surprising addition to your list. Soon the tiny African island-nation of Mauritius will be the first nation-wide “hot spot.” Known more for its sugar cane, Mauritius has been working hard to become a high-end travel destination. One of its marketing ploys is a national wireless network. It sounds like a cool idea and probably not that challenging: the island is only 40 miles long.

In terms of diving, Mauritius-Info claims there are 1000 different species of fish (!!!) in the area’s dive sites and 30 dive operators serving the island, most of which are associated with hotels. Unfortunately, I could only find the website for one: Dive Mauritius. If Mauritius’ proposed wireless plan pans out, you can bet there’ll be gobs of websites popping up soon.

Yes or No: When you go diving, do you carry any devices so you can remain in touch with people at home? Or are you “incommunicado?”