editorial FEAR IS GOOD
By Alex Brylske
Photo by Joseph C. Dovala
In his famous inaugural address after winning the 1932 presidential
election, FDR uttered the immortal phrase that, "the only
thing that we have to fear is fear itself." While his comments were aimed at
a nation in the midst of the greatest economic upheaval in modern times, the
words can be taken to heart just as well by scuba divers. In fact, the topic
of fear is so elemental to diving that we've devoted two feature articles to
the subject. Last month, I explored the little-discussed subject of the
physiology of fear. This month, Greg Laslo examines the psychological
aspects of fear in an insightful article, "Head Games: Psychology Plays A
Key Role In Conquering Diver Fears." Why all the attention to something that
most would rather not even think about? Because fear is, unfortunately, a
big part of diving. Of course, it makes perfect sense for diving to evoke
fear in any reasonable human being. After all, physiologically we weren't
designed to survive underwater for more than a few brief minutes. Plus, for
most of our lives, we've been told that a lot of the stuff that lives down
there is outright dangerous. Both of these conditions are anything but
conducive to having fun, yet that's exactly what we hope to gain from
diving. Thus, the diving experience is one that's often torn between fear
and pleasure. Fortunately, much of this fearfulness begins melting away as
students learn more, and have a chance to encounter the environment
firsthand. As experience grows, the fear factor continues to diminish, but
it never completely disappears. Nor should it. A reasonable sense of fear,
when it's appropriate, is what helps us develop the healthy respect
necessary to make appropriate decisions when we encounter new or challenging
circumstances. The trick is turning fear from a negative into a positive.
And that's just what good training and practice can do. As the articles
point out, fear is a complex and fundamental part of life that has both
emotional and physiologic components that all divers should understand.
While inspirational, in my mind FDR's comments were incomplete. At the risk
of sounding incredibly arrogant, maybe he should have told us that, provided
we understand it, not only should we not fear fear, but having a healthy
sense of it is a good thing.
Safety Stop Addendum The article on successful safety stops was
excellent, as I have come to expect in Dive Training ("Successful Safety
Stops: It's a Matter of Control," October 2007). There was one special case
not addressed in the article, which is a variation on the midwater stop
shown in Photo 3, with the boat present in the background. This case is a
midwater stop without having the boat in sight, such as one my wife and I
made twice during our recent trip to Maui diving at the Molokini Crater. As
is usual in drift dives, the boat followed the divers' bubbles, but because
of the underwater terrain near the crater, it needed to stand off from the
divers. At the end of the dive, as each buddy team reached their air or
bottom time limit, they were directed by the divemaster to swim away from
the crater and slowly ascend to 15 feet [5 m] for the safety stop, then
surface and wait for pickup by the boat. Swimming away from the crater, even
with 100-foot [30-m] visibility, left the divers in midwater with no bottom
below or boat above for reference. Maintaining buoyancy and absolute
attention to one's depth gauge/dive computer was absolutely essential, as it
was virtually impossible to judge the distance to the surface without the
reference of the boat. Since you will also have no indication of current or
your direction of drift, it is also important to surface slowly with one
hand extended to avoid suddenly encountering the boat, which may be
attending to other divers who have surfaced nearby. James Heimer Houston
Swimming Habits Die Hard Ienjoyed reading the Scuba Skills article "Mask
On, Mask Off: Mastering Mask-clearing and No-Mask Breathing," Dive Training,
September 2007, because I had the problem of not understanding no-mask
breathing when doing my certification course. I attribute my problem with
being trained as a competitive swimmer as a child. As a swimmer, you are
trained to blow out of your nose. Therefore, it was instinct for me to blow
out my nose when I removed my mask, which didn't work well for scuba. I was
able to figure it out on my own by concentrating on not blowing out of my
nose in shallow water where it was much more comfortable. After 5-10 minutes
of practicing and concentrating, I was able to overcome my childhood-trained
swimming skill and transition to my new scuba skill. If research was done on
swimmers versus nonswimmers when learning this skill, I believe it would
find that the nonswimmers would learn the skill much easier. Bev Kester Via
e-mail
Wording Questioned When I first read the article ["Mask On, Mask Off:
Mastering Mask-clearing and No-Mask Breathing," Dive Training, September
2007] one group of sentences struck me as odd. I can see now the author's
intent, but it is still misleading (to me). In the article, the writer says,
"So why not just exhale continuously through your nose? Some divers choose
this solution when no-mask breathing, but since the nasal passages are a lot
smaller than your mouth, there is a tendency not to exhale fully. This can
cause a buildup of carbon dioxide in your blood..." I and several divers
that I know use a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea. A CPAP machine
(Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is simply an air pump that pushes air
through the nasal passages. This provides oxygen to your lungs and
bloodstream in the event that you stop breathing in your sleep. When you are
on a CPAP, you can only breathe through your nose (depending on the style of
your mask). As you exhale, you have to overcome the positive pressure caused
by the incoming air. My apnea is not severe and my air pressure settings are
very low, but some people have to overcome a significant amount of back
pressure to fully exhale. I have not tried a mask removal exercise at 100
feet [30 m], but I'm sure that the pressure at that depth would not be any
harder to equalize against than it is at 30 feet [9 m]. It is certainly much
easier than exhaling against a continuous flow of air. My point is this:
Exhaling through the nose is not that difficult for most, and exhaling
completely should not be an issue. Daniel Garner Via e-mail
Thanks for Dive Site Articles After receiving my September Dive
Training, I just had to exclaim, "Oh, wow! Those guys are hitting all my
favorite Texas dive sites." First, there was your article on Lake Possum
Kingdom (May 2007), and now Balmorhea State Park and its famous San Solomon
Springs. As one might guess, dive sites with crystal-clear water are pretty
hard to find in Texas. For divers like me in the North Central region of the
Lone Star State, it's about an eight-hour drive to the coast, and it takes
about the same amount of time to get to an airport, board a plane and travel
to Cozumel. And then there's the rather prohibitive expense of such "big"
trips. Well, Balmorhea is one way for divers like me to scratch that
clear-water diving itch, even in the middle of winter. Since the water is
about 70 degrees (21 degrees Celsius) year-round and lodging is just across
a parking lot from the entrance, the San Solomon Springs is one way for us
to get wet year-round, even though it's in the middle of what can accurately
be described as a desert. Couple that with sights such as water burbling
right out of the floor of the impoundment, rare endangered species, and lots
of aquatic life, and it's no wonder why many Texas divers love the place.
Thank you for showcasing freshwater sites with articles like this one, along
with the other attractions and features that might be nearby. It's a great
reminder that wonderful dive sites and fun dive excursions can be in the
most unexpected and remarkable of places. We appreciate all you do. Bill
Crowley Archer City, Texas
Identity Clarification I am Jeff S. Simpson, a divemaster in Fairbanks,
Alaska. I am not the Jeff Simpson whose letter appeared in Buddy Lines, Dive
Training, September 2007. Love your magazine. Keep providing all of the good
information. Safe diving to all. Jeff S. Simpson Fairbanks, Alaska
Technological Paradox Alex Brylske's August 2007 article, "Sensing the
Sea," shows the fascination of how technology has become a new set of eyes
and ears into the ocean. Science usually removes the romantic lure of the
unknown. The TOPP satellite transmitters attached to fish to track their
path to the kitchen leaves me wondering just how much further they have to
go today as opposed to 20 years ago when there was a greater abundance of
underwater life closer to home. On the featured graph, there seems to be a
common and long journey to the far reaches of the Pacific from our global
coastlines. Now that we know where the fish go for dinner, will the
mega-ship fish factories that unscrupulously can what's in the kitchen
profit at the expense of our future? While our quest to understand our
earthly brethren is noble, we also develop the tools to help others hunt
them down to kill them. In our efforts to learn more about Planet Ocean to
protect it, could we actually be placing it more in harm's way? Jeff Denning
Riverside, California
 LAKE
SUPERIOR GRAPPLES WITH LOW LAKE LEVELS By Gene Gentrup Lake Superior, the
world's largest freshwater lake, is dropping to levels not seen since the
1920s. Federal hydrologists said that if the lake continued to recede it
could break record lows for the months of September and October. "Lake
Superior is less than 6 centimeters (2.36 inches) higher than its August
record low of 182.97 meters (603.8 feet) which was set in 1926, and it looks
as though the water levels may continue to plunge," said Cynthia Sellinger,
deputy director of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in
Ann Arbor, Mich. "NOAA's lake level forecasts predict that there is a 15 to
20 percent probability that new monthly records will be set sometime this
fall." The record low level for September is 183.06 meters (604 feet) set in
1926. That is also the record low level for October, which was set in 1864.
Records date back to 1860. Lake Superior, with a surface area of 31,700
square miles (82,420 sq km), is second in area only to the Caspian Sea, and
is greater than the combined areas of Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut and New Hampshire. For every inch Lake Superior drops, 529
billion gallons of water are displaced. In the past decade, 12.7 trillion
gallons of water have left Lake Superior. The lake has been decreasing by a
rate of 10 mm every year since 1978, and has dropped two feet during the
last decade. The Great Lakes region has been experiencing warmer winters
since 1997, and the combination of warmer air temperatures and less ice
cover leads to increased evaporation rates during the winter. Also, with
less snowpack, there is less spring runoff to replenish the lakes. Lake
Superior's record low of 182.69 meters (602.9 feet) was set in April 1926,
the same year the lake reached an averaged annual record low of 182.90
meters (603.6 feet) as a result of a major climatic event that led to the
dust bowl. Sellinger said that dramatic water level changes are generally
caused by major climatic events. This includes the record high lake levels
in the 1980s because of extreme rainfall, as well as the most recent drop in
lake levels that were partially caused by the strong La Ni¤a event in 1998
that affected the jet stream through the Great Lakes area and led to extreme
droughts. Lower water levels mean more dredging and less cargo for the
shipping industries that rely on the Great Lakes waterway as an essential
route from Africa, Europe and Asia to ports like Montreal, Detroit, and
Duluth. On average, for every inch of low water levels, cargo ships must
reduce their load by 50 to 270 tons, therefore providing less cargo for the
same amount of shipping time. The economic effect of reduced cargo capacity
eventually trickles down to consumers. Divers also are feeling the effects,
albeit in a less pronounced way. One diver in Duluth, Minnesota, summed up
the effect on shore diving this way: "You can't use the rock you normally
lean on to put on your fins ... because it's a little farther up the beach."
The estimated Great Lakes $16 billion recreation boating industry and the $4
billion sports fishing industry have also felt the effects of lower water
levels. With marinas either dredging, relocating, or closing down
completely, boaters are having a hard time launching boats, as well as
navigating shallow waters and trying to use docks that were built when water
levels were two feet higher. For more information, visit www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/now/wlevels/levels.html.
UNDERWATER CURRENT 'LAST MISSING LINK' Australian scientists have
discovered a giant underwater current that they believe is the last missing
link of a system that connects the world's oceans and helps govern global
climate. New research shows that a current sweeping past Australia's
southern island of Tasmania toward the South Atlantic is a previously
undetected part of the world climate system's engine room, scientist Ken
Ridgway said. The Southern Ocean, which swirls around Antarctica, has been
identified in recent years as the main lung of global climate, absorbing a
third of all carbon dioxide taken in by the world's oceans. In each ocean,
water flows around anticlockwise pathways, or gyres, the size of ocean
basins. The newly discovered Tasman Outflow, which sweeps past Tasmania at
an average depth of 2,600-3,300 feet (800-1,000 m), is classed as a "supergyre"
that links the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Southern Hemisphere ocean
basins, according to a statement from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization (CSIRO), which is backed by the Australian government.
The CSIRO team analyzed thousands of temperature and salinity data samples
collected between 1950 and 2002 by research ships, robotic ocean monitors
and satellites between 60 degrees south, just north of the Antarctic Circle,
and the equator. Ridgway and co-author Jeff Dunn said identification of the
supergyre improves the ability of researchers to more accurately explain how
the ocean governs global climate. "Recognizing the scales and patterns of
these subsurface water masses means they can be incorporated into the
powerful models used by scientists to project how climate may change,"
Ridgway said. The best known of the global ocean currents is the North
Atlantic loop of the Great Ocean Conveyer, which brings warm water from the
equator to waters off northern Europe, ensuring relatively mild weather
there. Scientists say if the conveyor collapsed, northern Europe would be
plunged into an ice age. Earlier this year, another CSIRO scientist said
global warming was already affecting the vast Southern Ocean, posing a
threat to myriad ocean currents that distribute heat around the world.
Melting ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica are releasing fresh water,
interfering with the formation of dense "bottom water," which sinks 2.5 to 3
miles (4-5 km) to the ocean floor and helps drive the world's ocean
circulation system.
STUDY FINDS BROAD DECLINE OF INDO-PACIFIC CORAL REEFS
The loss of coral cover is more widespread than previously believed,
according to an analysis of more than 2,600 coral reef ecosystems in the
Indian and Pacific oceans. Marine biologist John Bruno and graduate student
Elizabeth Selig of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, compiled
more than 6,000 independent surveys spanning four decades, and found that
more than 1,150 square miles (3,000 sq km) of living coral reef have been
lost each year since 1997. The annual rate of coral cover loss across the
region is 2 percent, or nearly five times the pace of rain forest loss
worldwide. The findings are included in the article, "Regional Decline of
Coral Cover in the Indo-Pacific: Timing, Extent and Subregional
Comparisons," which appears in the August 2007 edition of the journal PLoS
ONE. For more information, visit
www.plosone.org.
EVENTS 2007
HISTORICAL DIVING SOCIETY CONFERENCE OCTOBER 26-28 The 2007 Historical
Diving Society Conference will return to the famous Greek sponge diving
community of Tarpon Springs, Florida, October 26-28, 2007. Tarpon Springs is
about an hour's drive from Orlando, Florida. The Historical Diving Society
has partnered with the City of Tarpon Springs for this year's conference.
The conference will include the Friday evening "City Welcoming Reception" at
the historic Sponge Exchange, full Saturday conference at Tarpon City Hall,
and an awards banquet with Zale Parry at The Westin Innisbrook Golf Resort.
There will also be a traditional Greek sponge diving demonstration on
Sunday. Presentations at the conference: "Wooden Tanks and Live Sharks" by
Zale Parry. Internationally recognized as the pioneer female Hollywood
diver, Parry carved her own unique spot in diving history when it was
predominantly a "man's world." In 1954 she set a new international scuba
depth record, and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955. Her career
includes appearances in "Sea Hunt," "Kingdom of the Sea," "Voyage to the
Bottom of the Sea," and "The Aquanauts." Parry will recount her adventures
on both sides of the Hollywood underwater camera. "The History of Great
White Shark Diving" by Carl Roessler. From the early Australian adventures
to current world operations, Roessler will recap the history of controlled
(and some uncontrolled) encounters with the ocean's ultimate predator.
Roessler has hundreds of "in cage" hours filming the Great White Shark. He
is a pioneer of diving tourism, having operated tours to diving's most
remote regions since the 1960s. "Hollywood Underwater" by Kent Rockwell.
From "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Sea Hunt" and "The Creature From the
Black Lagoon," this program is an overview of diving in the movies and on
TV. Rockwell is the associate editor of Historical Diver magazine and a
leading authority on scuba history, including the behind-the-scenes history
of TV's first major diving show, "Sea Hunt." "The Sponge Divers of Tarpon
Springs" by Tom Lowe. Lowe is head of Eagle Productions and maker of the
critically acclaimed PBS documentary on the history of the divers of Tarpon
Springs. Lowe will lead a visual journey back through time, from the birth
of American sponge diving up to the challenges of the modern-day sponge
diver. "The Japanese Divers of California" by Scrap Lundy. Internationally
recognized as one of the leading authorities on the history of abalone
diving, Lundy's 1997 book on the subject sold out. In this presentation
Lundy will show the development of a diving industry on the opposite coast
of America that was also established and developed by immigrants starting in
the late 1800s. Conference tickets are $35 each and available. Tickets for
the awards banquet cost $55 each, and tickets are limited. "Smart Casual"
dress is required for the awards banquet. Tickets are available from the HDS
office at (805) 934-1660, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific
time. To get tickets by e-mail, put HDS Conference in the subject box and
contact the HDS office at hds@hds.org. The conference hotel is The Hampton
Inn and Suites, 39284 U.S. 19 North, Tarpon Springs. When booking, mention
that you are part of the HDS block to get the reduced conference rate. Early
booking is highly recommended. For reservations call (727) 945-7755.
Transportation will be provided from the hotel to and from each event. More
details on this event will be posted at www.hds.org. WOMEN DIVERS HALL OF
FAME SCHOLARSHIPS DEADLINE NOVEMBER 15 The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF)
offers three scholarships and eight training grants for 2008. The deadline
for applications is November 15. Applications for all scholarships and
training grants administered by the WDHOF can be downloaded from the
organization's Web site at www.wdhof.org. All applications must be completed
and submitted electronically by November 15. Recipients will be notified by
February 1, 2008, and will received their awards at Beneath the Sea expo in
Secaucus, New Jersey, in March.
'LEGEND OF THE SEA' TO ADDRESS GATEWAY HAMMERHEADS Legendary filmmaker
Stan Waterman is scheduled to speak at the annual banquet of the Gateway
Hammerheads, set for 6:30 p.m. November 17 at View Over Westport, Westport
Plaza, St. Louis. Earlier this year the "Beneath the Sea" dive show and the
Historical Diving Society honored Waterman as their "Legend of the Sea."
Tickets for the St. Louis event cost $75 for Gateway Hammerhead members and
$85 for nonmembers. Admission includes a meet-and-greet with Waterman,
dinner and dessert, the presentation, an open bar, and prizes. Waterman will
sign copies of his book "Sea Salt" before and after dinner. Copies will be
available for purchase. For more information, e-mail n2airnsea@charter.net
or call (314) 497-4828.
ENTRIES SOUGHT FOR 'BENEATH THE SEA' PHOTO, VIDEO CONTESTS Beneath the
Sea 2008 invites underwater photographers and videographers to its annual
"Worldwide Underwater Photo/Video Competition." The deadline is December 31.
Prizes include a live-aboard trip to Fiji. For contest rules and entry blank
visit Beneath the Sea at www.beneaththesea.org. There you may see the images
of previous winners, get a set of rules and regulations, and download an
application form for this year's competition. The winners of the Beneath the
Sea 2008 Worldwide Photo/Video Competition will be announced at the Saturday
Night Film Festival the weekend of Beneath the Sea's Ocean Adventure
Exposition and Dive Travel Show, March 28-30, 2008, at the Meadowlands
Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. In addition to the awards that
each grand-prize winner will receive, there will be prizes for placing
first, second and third. There is a contest hotline, (718) 409-0240. For
more information about Beneath the Sea, call (914) 664-4310, e-mail info@Beneaththesea.org,
or visit www.Beneaththesea.org.
OUR WORLD- UNDERWATER SHOW ANNOUNCES 2008 DATES The 38th annual Our
World-Underwater Show is scheduled for February 15-17, 2008, at the Donald
E. Stephens Convention Center, in Rosemont, Illinois. The show features
hundreds of booths on dive travel, equipment, environmental agencies,
training and retailers. A number of workshops covering various aspects of
diving will be held throughout the weekend including equipment repair, dive
medicine training, photography, videography, archaeology and treasure
hunting. The popular film festival also will return. The host hotel for the
2008 show is the newly renovated Hyatt Regency O'Hare, adjacent to the
convention center. Rooms can be reserved directly from the show Web site
online or by calling direct (800) 233-1234. Callers should mention that they
are registering for the Our World-Underwater Show to receive the show rate.
For additional information contact Eileen@ourworldunderwater.com.
BOSTON SCUBA SHOW FEBRUARY 23 The 57th edition of the Boston Scuba Show
is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. February 23, 2008, at Marlboro Holiday Inn
and Resort, intersection of routes 495 and 20. Featured guests will be
author Jonathan Bird, showings of Kerry and Linda Hurd's film, "In the Tank
With the Fish," Dave Clancy's "Squalus," and Chris and Fred Calhoun's
"Between Two Wrecks." Alan Budreau will direct other presentations on
in-water videography and "Scuba History 101." Tickets to the event cost $20
and will be available at the door, or by writing to Cecile Christensen, 2
Ocean Ave. (1-H), Gloucester, MA 01930 (checks payable to Cecile
Christensen). Parking is free. For more information, call (978) 525-3432.
BOOKS 'DIVING PIONEERS & INNOVATORS: A SERIES OF IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS'
The latest book by Bret Gilliam chronicles the careers of 20 diving
personalities, including the late Peter Benchley, author of "Jaws," deep
ocean explorer Dr. Bob Ballard, and Zale Parry, the first women to grace the
cover of Sports Illustrated. Other subjects include filmmaker Mike deGruy,
wreck explorer John Chatterton (of "Shadow Divers" fame), IMAX film producer
Greg MacGillivray, and the husband/wife team of Howard and Michele Hall,
documentary underwater filmmakers. Gilliam enlisted help from other leading
writers for some interviews he couldn't conduct himself and Fred Garth, Lina
Hitchcock, Eric Hanauer, Douglas Seifert and Michel Gilbert and Danielle
Alary all make significant contributions to round out the book. Gilliam's
project, which took him 10 years to write, is a large tome, 8 x 11 inches in
size, 496 pages, hardbound, and weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds per copy.
The stories are based on interviews Gilliam started while writing at
DeepTech magazine in 1997 and continued after he founded Fathoms magazine in
2001. He sold that publication in 2005. For more information about "Diving
Pioneers & Innovators," ask for the book at your local dive shop or call
(904 )737-6558. 'THE ART OF DIVING' Photographer Alexander Mustard and
author Nick Hanna join forces for "The Art of Diving," a coffeetable book
promoted this way: "With a perfect blend of art and science, 'The Art of
Diving' recreates the emotional and sensual dimension of diving as well as
it conveys the intellectual fascination of meeting unusual underwater
creatures and observing marine environments." Hanna also is the author of
"The Tropical Beach Handbook," which covered diving and snorkeling in 22
countries. He is the co-author of "Greenpeace Book of Coral Reefs." Mustard
is a marine scientist who received the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year
award and continues to publish papers, most recently in the journal Nature.
The 272-page hardcover "The Art of Diving" is published by The Lyons Press.
For more information, ask your local dive shop or call (800) 962-0973.
'YOGA FOR SCUBA DIVERS' The benefits of yoga for scuba divers is the
subject of a new instructional book from Kimberlee Jensen Stedl and Todd
Stedl. In "Yoga for Scuba Divers," a 128-page softcover book, the Stedls
teach essential yoga poses and breathing practices that can improve diving
performance, and recovery poses that balance those muscle groups after
diving. Photos are included. The couple also explain an unusual breathing
technique that simulates breathing from a regulator for use while practicing
poses. The techniques help train people to breathe calmly through their
mouth while exerting themselves. Kimberlee Jensen Stedl is an American
Council on Exercise-certified group fitness instructor, a registered yoga
teacher, and certified as a rescue diver. Todd Stedl is a professional
writer and has logged more than 200 dives in the Northwest. For more
information about "Yoga for Scuba Divers," visit your local dive shop or
call (206) 883-8172.
 WHAT
IMA SAID: Why It's Important to Listen Story and photos by Marty Snyderman
By profession I am a writer, teacher and underwater photographer. As a
professional photographer whose work gets published, my name routinely gets
printed in the photo credits that accompany the images. Have enough pictures
published and before too long you get some name recognition within the niche
group of divers and others who read photo credits. Frankly it has always
struck me as somewhat ironic, even bordering on dishonest, that the
photographer gets all of the credit. This is especially true when it comes
to underwater photography. After all, my cameras were designed and made by
people in Japan. A team of people in Austria built my camera housings. The
components of my strobes were made in a number of places around the world.
My strobe arms were made in California, and the complete camera system was
recommended by a consultant in New Hampshire. This is only a partial list of
those involved with my photographs, as it fails to include all of the
hardware and software wizards that bring my digital images to life. I should
also acknowledge the scientists who help me understand marine phenomena, and
last, but certainly not least, the divemasters who help put photographers
like me in the right place at the right time to get our shots. If all of
those folks I just mentioned do their jobs right, then I get all of the
credit and it is my name, and only my name, that gets printed alongside the
published images. If you ask me, life is not exactly fair, but in this case
I am the last person who ought to complain. I am too busy reading my name in
print.
Jarima Osepa and the Squid The discussion about credit brings me to a
lady from Cura‡ao named Jarima Osepa. The odds are high that you have not
met or heard of her until now. She goes by the name Ima, and she works as a
divemaster at a dive center in Cura‡ao. I suspect that Ima's name does not
appear in print very often, and if you only look at the photo credit for the
image of the Caribbean reef squid that accompanies this piece, you won't see
her name there this time either. That is just the way things work, or don't,
in the world of publishing and photography. But there is no doubt in my mind
that it was Ima's words of wisdom that she shared with me when giving her
dive briefing before a recent dive in Cura‡ao that were largely responsible
for my photographic success with the squid.
The Briefing After Ima told us about the dive plan and safety
procedures, the current, how to get off and back onto the dive boat, and
gave a description of the bottom terrain, she told us about some of the
marine life that we might see at the site named the Witch's Kitchen where we
were moored. Ima commented that in recent weeks divers had frequently
encountered Caribbean reef squid in the shallows. Toward the end of the dive
briefing Ima asked if anyone had any questions. I did. I asked if she had
any advice for photographing the squid. Ima responded by saying that if
photographing reef squid was my objective that I should head for the
shallows and forego the diving on the wall. She suggested that if I spotted
some squid that I try to be patient and still, and let the squid come to me
rather than attempting to pursue them. Too often divers try to chase the
squid, but Ima said that technique often leads to disappointment. The Dive
As soon as I entered the water I headed for the shallows. With luck on my
side, after only a few minutes I found a trio of reef squid. At first the
squid kept their distance, but heeding Ima's advice I resisted the urge to
swim after them. After a few more minutes the tables turned, and just as Ima
had predicted, they inquisitively approached me. Soon the squid were easily
close enough for me to fill my photographic frame with an individual animal.
Ima's advice was right on the money. After the dive, I was thanking Ima for
her help, when I said the word "squid." Several of the other divers
immediately expressed their surprise because they had not seen reef squid
during the dive. In fact, they adamantly stated that no one had said
anything to them about squid before the dive. Why, they asked, hadn't they
been told to swim into the shallows? To cut to the chase, the divers that
missed out on the squid had also missed out on the last part of the dive
briefing. Instead of listening to Ima these folks were talking among
themselves and taking some pictures of each other on the stern of the boat.
I was aware of what they had been doing because I had a hard time hearing
over the noise they were making, and I had to move closer to Ima and ask her
to repeat her answer when I asked for advice. Had Ima been talking about
safety issues she would have insisted the others give her their full
attention. But seeing the squid, or missing them, was about fun, not dive
safety, so Ima provided the information about the squid and other marine
creatures that we might encounter to those of us who chose to listen. Those
who didn't pay attention missed out. D‚j… Vu All Over Again I had definitely
experienced similar scenarios. In fact, divemasters have helped me acquire
photographs more times than I can possibly recall. It is also true that many
times over the course of my career I have been with other divers who for a
variety of reasons didn't listen to divemasters during a predive briefing. I
don't think it happens because people intentionally choose to be rude,
although sometimes I think there is an element of, "I am an experienced
diver and I don't need to listen." However, in most cases I think people are
having fun, and they just get excited about going diving and fail to realize
how helpful the predive information can be in making a dive worry-free and
fun while making sure that divers see the best of what there is to enjoy. My
Dive Briefing Soapbox I suppose I am climbing up on my soapbox, but it is my
observation that all too often sport divers don't listen to predive
briefings. We assemble gear, futz with cameras, joke around with our friends
and don our gear. The bottom line here is, no matter the reasons, if you
don't pay attention during a briefing, you often miss those nuggets of
wisdom that make the difference between having a great dive, and missing the
boat, both figuratively and literally. That's a big price to pay. If you are
a new diver, or if you are new to a particular destination or type of
diving, you probably have some questions about what the diving and diving
day will be like, and what diving protocol is in different scenarios. There
is always some aspect of the dive such as entry and exit points and
techniques, the water conditions, the direction of the prevailing current,
an area to avoid, the way a boat is anchored or emergency procedures that
need to be discussed so that everyone can assimilate that information into
their dive plan. If there is a smart, safe way to get off of or back onto a
dive boat, or to enter and exit the water for a beach dive, it sure is nice
to know about those techniques. The same is true if you aren't sure you can
find your way back to the boat or exit point, or you are not sure what the
right thing to do is if you happen to get separated from your buddy or from
the dive group. What do you do if someone else gets separated? It is equally
helpful to be aware of other issues such as what to do if a boat pulls free
of its anchorage and whether a boat has a diver recall system. If the boat
does have a recall system that is used during emergencies so that everyone
can return to the boat as soon as safely possible when the system is used,
what does the recall system sound like underwater, and if you hear it,
exactly what should you do? Should you go right to the surface, or should
you make a safety stop? All of these issues and more routinely get dealt
with in a matter of a few minutes during predive briefings. Good divers
develop the habit of listening to those briefings. It isn't just a matter of
getting a photograph, or seeing or not seeing a particular site or animal
during the dive, but everyone's day works better if we all listen during
dive briefings. Whenever anyone fails to listen to, or disrupts, a predive
briefing, everyone suffers the consequences. Those who fail to participate
may miss a lot more than an underwater encounter with an interesting
species. They can miss out on important safety information, and divemasters
get put in the unenviable position of having to decide how to handle the
situation. Divemasters aren't asking us for credit or to see their names in
print. All they ask is that we give them a couple of minutes of our
undivided attention so they can share their wisdom and experience for our
benefit. The knowledge shared in those few minutes can help all of us remain
safe and create memories that last a lifetime.
 'MARTINI'S
LAW,' EAR-CLEARING IN YOUNG DIVERS, AND DCI FROM FREEDIVING By Alex Brylske
Q:New diver John McMaster reprised a question I get periodically about the
good-old days of diver training. "I've been certified for only a few months,
but have been fortunate enough to have been 'adopted' by a small group of
old mossbacks who collectively have more than 100 years dive experience.
Their stories are both informative and entertaining, but some I find a bit
hard to believe. One such story that I find difficult to swallow is that
they contend they're all immune to nitrogen narcosis. One even attributes
his immunity to a high tolerance to alcohol. (Having been drinking with him
on more than one occasion, I can personally attest to his ability in this
regard.) To support their theory, they point to something called 'Martini's
law.' Is there any evidence that supports their claim or are these just
stories to impress newbies like me?" A:I don't doubt that, if your friends
are that experienced, they may well be less susceptible to narcosis than
inexperienced divers like you, but it's not because of any high tolerance
for alcohol. At least there's never been a study to my knowledge to indicate
that. It's interesting that a lot of the mechanisms for nitrogen narcosis,
or what Jacques Cousteau called "raptures of the deep," are still a mystery
to science. For example, researchers clearly have seen distinct differences
in narcosis susceptibility among individuals, but they're unclear as to why
this occurs. Some feel that there's truly an adaptation that happens in some
individuals, while others think that some people just have better coping
skills than others. Correlating this ability to deal with narcosis with a
similar ability to deal with the effects of alcohol makes sense logically,
but isn't supported by fact. As to Martini's law, there certainly is such a
thing, but unlike the laws of doctors Boyle, Dalton, Henry or Charles,
Martini's involves no algebra. Martini's law isn't a bona fide scientific
law; it was a "pseudo-principle" used eons ago in scuba courses to explain
nitrogen narcosis, and is probably why it's so closely associated with
alcohol intoxication among divers who were trained long ago, like your
friends. The "law" held that the effect of every 50 feet (15 m) of descent
was roughly equal to drinking one martini on an empty stomach. (This assumes
the diver is breathing air.) Therefore, a dive to 150 feet (45 m) has the
same effect as slugging back three martinis. The truth is that, while
individuals may vary in their tolerance or ability to cope with nitrogen
narcosis, no one is immune to it. It's also important to remember that
variations in susceptibility can occur in the same individual. In other
words, while you might escape its effect one day, you could just as easily
succumb the next day, even if you encounter the same conditions and depth.
I've always found that the best way to get into trouble is to assume that
"the rules don't apply to me," and that's what the proclamation of immunity
to narcosis sounds like to me. Q:Instructor Kathy Karinowski sent in an
interesting query about a concern with her young diver daughter. "I know
that there was a lot of controversy several years ago when the training
agencies lowered the minimum age for certification to 10. However, I've been
an instructor and elementary school teacher for almost a decade, and
embraced it wholeheartedly; so much so that I certified my own daughter when
she turned 10 last year. She now loves diving as much as I do, but I have
one concern. Like everyone, she has to clear her ears on the way down.
However, she also has to clear her ears on the way up! This hasn't stopped
her nor caused any pain or injury. But I was wondering just why this might
be necessary. Any ideas?"
A:Not even someone with proper medical qualification - which I certainly
do not have - could give you an opinion without first examining your
daughter. However, as an instructor, I have encountered young students with
similar issues; and I've had doctors both approve and deny such individuals
for diver training. In children, the eustachian tube, the structure
responsible for equalizing the middle ear, is more winding or twisted than
in adults. This can make equalization a bit more challenging for kids. (This
is also why ear infections are more common in children than in adults.)
While this normally resolves around the age of 8, it's an individual matter
and could be the cause of the problem. You never explained what you meant by
your daughter having to "clear" on the way up. The last thing she should be
doing is a Valsalva maneuver, which pressurizes the middle ear. On ascent
the middle ear must depressurize, so explain to her that she should never
"pinch and blow" while ascending. One technique that helps depressurize the
middle ear is pinching the nose and attempting to inhale against a closed
throat. This creates a negative pressure in the nasopharynx, assisting the
depressurization process. But remember, this requires momentary
breath-holding, so it's absolutely essential that she stop her ascent during
the technique. Another alternate method that some find effective for opening
the eustachian tubes is wiggling the jaw back and forth, or tilting the head
from side to side. While these techniques may be useful, they should be used
only occasionally. If the need to depressurize her middle ear while
ascending is persistent, then your daughter should be evaluated by an
otolaryngologist who is knowledgeable about diving medicine. However, I
wouldn't be surprised if the problem resolves as she gets older. Q:Bruce
Mendelson sent an interesting question not about scuba but about breath-hold
diving. "Two of my dive buddies recently took a breath-hold diving course
while they were on vacation. They enjoyed it very much, and it sparked my
interest in taking a course as well. One thing that I learned from them is
that it's possible for breath-hold divers to get the bends. I'd always
thought that was impossible. They mentioned that the bends is so common
among breath-hold fishermen in the South Pacific that it even has a name
(which they forgot). Can you give me any more information about this? I was
also wondering, if getting the bends is possible while breath-hold diving,
why aren't students warned about this in their scuba training?" A:As your
friends indicated, though it's highly unlikely, bends is a possible
consequence of breath-holding. The reason that it's so rare is that it takes
one heck of a breath-hold diver to get even near the conditions where it
might arise. But before I discuss the ramifications of decompression illness
from breath-hold diving for scuba divers, let me respond to the first part
of your inquiry. Indeed your friends were right about native South Pacific
islanders succumbing to decompression illness. In fact, it's not confined to
the South Pacific. There are reports of DCI (decompression illness) in the
Ama pearl divers from Japan, who do not use compressed air, and even a few
world-class breath-hold competitors have gotten it. In the South Pacific,
the condition is termed taravana. It was first brought to the attention of
the scuba community by the eminent diver E.R. Cross in 1958. According to
Dr. Ernest Campbell's Web site, scuba-doc.com, Cross actually observed it
while working with the Tuamotu Island natives diving the Takatopo Lagoon of
French Polynesia. The term taravana literally means "to fall crazily,"
something that isn't too difficult to imagine with some severe forms of
neurological decompression illness. There are also other accounts, but
probably the most recent and authoritative come from Dr. Robert Wong who
published an excellent article on taravana in the September 1999 issue of
the Journal of the SPUMS (South Pacific Undersea Medical Society). In it,
Wong summarizes what's known about the condition, as well as reviewing
reports of two Australian cases. Just as with DCI in scuba divers,
recompression therapy is the recommended treatment for taravana victims. The
reason this condition is never mentioned in traditional scuba training is
that it's well out of the range of concern. It apparently requires making
many deep dives - far beyond the capability of all but world-class
breath-hold divers - with short surface intervals. Like classic neurological
DCI, the symptoms include vertigo, nausea, lethargy, paralysis and even
death. While one really has to work at getting the bends when breath-hold
diving, it's nonetheless an important issue for scuba divers. The reason is
that scuba divers sometimes engage in freediving during surface intervals.
The issue of concern is whether the additional residual nitrogen in their
tissues from a prior scuba dive could make them more prone to DCI while
breath-hold diving. Authorities agree that aggressive freediving - like all
vigorous exercise - is a definite no-no between or after scuba diving
because of how it could change circulatory dynamics, and the rate at which
the body eliminates nitrogen. But it is worthy to note that such warnings
are based on speculation rather than empirical evidence. So since no one can
answer the question with any certainty, the best advice is to avoid
freediving until the nitrogen levels in a scuba diver's tissues have
returned to near-normal levels. This takes at least six hours. Recently,
I've heard that some divers think that they can avoid the concern of
freediving during surface intervals by wearing their computer at all times -
including when they're freediving. The logic is that this allows the device
to continually track one's decompression status, even during freediving
activities. While this might make sense intuitively, it may not be
advisable. First, the fast ascents associated with freediving will likely
trigger the rapid ascent warning on most computers. But an even more
important issue than computer mechanics is the physiological effect of rapid
ascents. No decompression model has been validated to take this sort of
behavior into account. However, medical evidence seems to support a
relationship between rapid ascents and DCI. This is still a poorly
understood issue, so prudence should dictate a very conservative approach.
However, so there's no confusion over this, let me close with an important
clarification. What I'm talking about is freediving, not snorkeling. Lying
on the surface between dives with mask, fins and snorkel watching the action
below is not a problem. Just don't exert yourself.
1. The phenomenon in which divers feel vertigo because of the absence of
familiar objects such as a horizon or a wall is called: A. Nitrogen narcosis
B. Boyle's law C. Martini's law D. Blue Orb Syndrome
2. Psychologists detect underlying layers of anxiety measuring what? A.
Trait anxiety B. State anxiety C. Panic quotient D. Teeth chatter
3. The systematic investigation of an area's biodiversity, and sampling
of biological organisms, for scientific research or commercial purposes is
called: A. Ecosystem management B. Species reporting C. Bioprospecting D.
Ocean analysis
4. How much weight divers should don is determined by: A. Salt water vs.
fresh water B. Water temperature C. Planned depth D. All of the above
5. The first rule in using a lift bag is to: A. Use the right size bag.
B. Respect the process. C. Have someone help. D. None of the above.
6. The key to a successful trip involving several family members is to:
A. Be flexible. B. Assign each family a separate room. C. Make sure everyone
stays busy throughout the day. D. A & B are correct.
7. Visiting divers in Hawaii are often surprised to learn that: A. The
sea is not as warm as in other tropical destinations. B. Hawaii is a U.S.
state. C. Visibility exceeds 100 feet (30 m). D. Maui is the second largest
of the Hawaiian Islands.
8. Sharks in the family Hexanchidae distinguish themselves from other
sharks by what characteristic? A. They have six gill slits on each side of
their head as opposed to five found in most sharks. B. They have five gill
slits on each side of their head as opposed to four found in most sharks. C.
They have gill slits on only one side of the head. D. They have no gill
slits.
9. High-pressure air suddenly impacting a damaged or weakened gauge
could cause the gauge to: A. Malfunction B. Shatter, possibly sending
fragments of the instrument into the diver's face. C. Expand
Answers: 1. D 2. A 3. C 4. D 5. B 6. A. 7. A 8. A 9. B
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