Editorial

By Alex Brylske Photo by Joseph C. Dovala

On Visibility And Vision

This month's cover feature addresses what's without a doubt one of the most important features of any dive: visibility. In fact, it's such a common and vital concern that we normally don't even use the full term, referring to it most often as simply "viz." When compared with life on terra firma, the underwater world is generally quiet and, in most cases, speech is impossible or ineffective. Smell, of course, is out of the question, and taste, well, yuck. This adds up to making the diving experience one that's dominated by vision over all other senses. So, with due deference to the few blind divers out there, a dive with zero visibility is pretty much pointless.
As we learned in our scuba class, visibility is determined by two factors that affect the behavior of light as it passes through water: absorption and scattering. Absorption deals with water's innate ability to eliminate light selectively as a function of depth, making most of the ocean — the part down deep that we never see — a black void. The other aspect has to do with the amount of particulate matter in the water column. It's what we formally call turbidity. In other words, some of the light never gets very far underwater, and some that does make it down there is dispersed in such a way that it makes things look dim or blurred. But that's only the physics of visibility.
In addition to its literal meaning, I believe there's also a figurative form of underwater visibility, and it has absolutely nothing to do with physics. The term visibility implies the concept of vision, and Webster defines vision in two ways. It's either "the faculty or state of being able to see" or, more figuratively, "the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom." It's the latter definition that I'm talking about. Note the operative terms "planning" and "wisdom." In diving, these are two key concepts necessary to coming back alive.
Using an analogy to extend the definition, you could look at the "light that doesn't arrive" as a lack of training, and the "light that gets dispersed" as the lack of experience. To use yet another analogy, it's like getting a bit rusty. What this really means is that true underwater vision involves more than just seeing. It requires you to have the requisite knowledge and experience to interpret what's before you in a way that you understand and will keep you safe. And that can happen only if you're well-trained and keep both your knowledge and skills in tune. So, keep that figurative definition in mind the next time someone asks you, "How's the viz?"

Buddy Lines

Warm Thoughts on Hypothermia ArticleMy compliments to Alex on his article on "In From the Cold: What Divers Need to Know About Thermal Stress and Hypothermia," Dive Training, September 2009.
His articles are always thoroughly researched and intelligently presented, and this was no exception. As a diver of over 40 years (those are divers years; my personal years are quite a few more), I have experienced the effects of hypothermia, both as a young diver in the colder waters of California, and as an older diver in many of the 82-degree waters of the Western Pacific and wish I had had Alex's information years ago.
You have a fine magazine, which, obviously from my viewpoint is not just for beginning divers.
A tip of the hat to Alex.
Donald "Digger" Rowe
Via e-mail

Heat Loss Lessons
Thank you Alex Brylske for your valuable points about heat loss during diving ("In From the Cold: What Divers Need to Know About Thermal Stress and Hypothermia," Dive Training, September 2009). I especially enjoyed your suggestion to go from "your cozy 72-degree living room and jump into a 72-degree swimming pool."
I have been a dive instructor for 15 years and nothing ever surprises me anymore. I have at least one student in every group who is dumbfounded to learn that his body will lose heat while he is in the water. Even in warm water. That's an especially important point to make while they're in the warm confines of an indoor pool and before they head outside for their open-water training.
Stan Macy
Via e-mail

Tank Etiquette Addendum
There was one major omission in the Final Check article, "What It Looks Like When…You Follow the Rules of Tank Etiquette," Dive Training, September 2009, and it is one of some delicacy. But since there is no other way to say it, here it is: If you pee in your wet suit during your dive, do not rinse it in the communal rinse tank. Take it off and rinse it in the ocean or lake you were diving in, preferably before reboarding the boat after handing your other gear up to the dive staff or by returning to the water after wading ashore and removing your gear. You could also use the freshwater shower in the rinse area, if one is available.
There is a mistaken impression among many divers that if you pee during your dive, your movement will magically flush your wet suit to alpine-lake purity. Not, of course, if your wet suit is doing its job and maintaining a thin layer of water warmed by your body heat between your skin and your suit.
Finally, a study of the bacteria count in rinse tank water strongly recommended that you should never rinse anything that goes on your face or in your mouth in the communal rinse tank. This includes your mask, regulator, snorkel, and the oral inflator on your BC (buoyancy compensator).
Jim Heimer
Houston

Emergency Insurance Postscript
The article on Global Emergency Service Providers in the September issue requires a better explanation of DAN Insurance ("What Every Diver Should Know About Emergency Transport," Dive Training, September 2009). DAN is considered to be a secondary insurance. In other words, if your primary insurance policy does not cover the medical expense, the DAN policy will. Divers should contact their primary insurance carrier to see what is and is not covered in their policy.
Johnny Basborne
Via the Internet

Always Be Prepared
I really valued your article on emergency transport ("What Every Diver Should Know About Emergency Transport," Dive Training, September 2009). When I first got into diving, I really struggled with the thought of needing emergency medical attention in a remote part of the world. My unfamiliarity with islands hurt my confidence to dive far away from home. I guess I have a fear of the unknown. I knew my chances of needing "911" help were about as small as getting attacked by a shark but the concern was still there.
My attitude changed immensely with information from my dive shop. They answered more questions than they thought a human being could ask. But their reassurance put my mind at ease. Well, at least I felt a whole lot better about it.
The truth is, no matter what we do or where we go, we must always be prepared for an emergency. Plenty of contingency plans and insurance options are available. I encourage all divers to look into them.
Cheryl Biere
Vernon Hills, Illinois

Spearfishing Defended
I don't consider myself a highly political person, nor do I take strong positions on the environment. But regarding your recent letters to the editor about spearfishing, I must defend the sport ("Scuba and Spearfishing," Dive Training, July 2009).
Whatever dwindling supply of marine species exist, spearfishing is hardly to blame. Instead, point the finger at longline fishermen or anyone else who scoops up fish in monumental quantities. They're the problem. Regulate them, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. But leave the spearfishermen alone.
Steve Cahill
Redondo Beach, California

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Two of the world's largest marine protected areas
have announced a historic alliance to enhance
the management and protection of almost 300,000
square miles (780,000 sq km) of marine habitat in the
Pacific Ocean.
President Anote Tong of the Republic of Kiribati
(pronounced Kee-Ree-Bass), signed an agreement with
the United States that establishes a "sister site" relationship
between the Papahcnaumokuckea Marine
National Monument, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands,
and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area near the
equator in the Republic of Kiribati. Managers of both
sites will meet in November in French Polynesia to
formalize the agreement.
Combined, the two sites encompass 25 percent of all
marine protected areas on Earth. The partnership links
the sites and is designed to enhance management
knowledge and practices for these tropical and subtropical
marine and terrestrial island ecosystems.
Eileen Sobeck, Department of the Interior deputy assistant
secretary, signed the agreement on behalf of the
United States. Elizabeth Moore, director of International
Sanctuaries, represented NOAA at the signing.
"In the face of challenges like climate change and
increasing societal demands on ever scarcer marine resources
— challenges that transcend national boundaries
and dwarf the ability of any single nation to
address — partnerships like this one are critical to the
success of our efforts to preserve this natural heritage
for future generations."
When it was established in 2006, Papahcnaumokuckea
was the largest marine protected area
in the world, protecting natural, cultural and historic
resources within an area of about 140,000 square
miles (364,000 sq km). The monument's extensive
coral reefs are home to more than 7,000 marine
species, one quarter of which are found only in the
Hawaiian Archipelago.
In 2008, the Phoenix Island Protected Area was
founded to protect the archipelago's terrestrial and marine
resources, becoming the largest marine protected
area in the world today at about 158,500 square miles
(412,000 square kilometers). The coral reefs and bird
populations of the islands are unique and virtually untouched
by humans. The protected area also includes
underwater seamounts and other deep-sea habitat.
"Our sites are part of a growing
trend globally in ocean protection —
the establishment of large-scale marine
protected areas," said `Aulani
Wilhelm, NOAA's superintendent for
PapahÇnaumokuÇkea. "By partnering,
we hope to collaborate on innovative
initiatives highlighting not only the
ecological connections we share, but
also Pacific heritage and cultural connections
we have as island people
across Oceania."
Removed from most human activity,
both areas serve as global "sentinel
sites" by providing potential early warning
and a comparative baseline of understanding
of how natural, less
disturbed systems react to changing climate
conditions and external influences.
Although geographically distant from
their respective local population centers,
both sites are supported by and rely on
involvement of local and indigenous
communities to develop successful
management regimes.
"Our sites provide ocean insurance
for the Pacific against the depletion
of marine life that has accelerated
across the globe," said Tukabu Teroroko,
director of the Phoenix Island
Protected Area. "Together we can
more effectively address the complex
challenges of managing such large
ocean areas."
"Within these large seascapes we also
have protected islands that provide habitat
critical to the survival of both marine
and terrestrial wildlife," said Susan
White, Fish and Wildlife superintendent
for Papahcnaumokuckea. "This agreement
will help us manage across the
ecosystems by comparing and sharing
our efforts with each other, as we face
many of the same challenges."
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is
a partnership between the government of
Kiribati that owns the Phoenix Islands,
nongovernmental conservation organizations
and regional governments. It is
supported through a "reverse fishing license"
financing program, in which the
government of Kiribati is reimbursed for
the amount that they would have made
from selling fishing licenses. The government
of Kiribati and an advisory
board, working collaboratively to ensure
the long-term sustainability of the area,
administers the trust.

DNN
3-State Coalition Targets Destroyer For Reef
A retired Navy destroyer is closer to
being scuttled as an artificial reef off the
East Coast.
The Navy announced that it is transferring
ownership of the decommissioned
destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford
to the state of Delaware. That state is
partnering with New Jersey and the
Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative
(MARI) to acquire the 563-foot Radford,
which is stored at the Aker
Philadelphia Shipyard. The vessel is being
stripped and cleaned to make it environmentally
viable as a future artificial
reef site and the three states, along with
the Navy, are partnering on a plan to
sink it in an area just 32 miles (51 km)
off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.
The huge new reef site is called Del-
JerseyLand and is equidistant from each
state's major Atlantic port at about 32
miles east-northeast of the Ocean City
inlet, 28 miles (45 km) southeast of the
Indian River inlet in Delaware and 34
miles (61 km) southeast of Cape May,
New Jersey.
If sunk, the ex-destroyer would become
the largest former warship sunk
as part of an artificial reef site on the
East Coast. The 910-foot former aircraft
carrier Oriskany was sunk in the Gulf of
Mexico off the coast of Pensacola,
Florida, in 2006, becoming the largest
warship ever sunk.
About $800,000 is needed to cover
the costs of sinking the Radford. It would
be sunk in about 130 feet (39 m) of water
and would create a vertical profile
from the seafloor of about 70 feet (21
m), along with its 560-foot-plus length.
It was launched in 1975, commissioned
in 1977 and decommissioned in 2005.
For more information, visit www.
ccamd.org/MARI/MARI_home.htm.

GIANT SQUID PULLED
FROM GULF OF MEXICO
Scientists recently found a giant
squid in the Gulf of Mexico. It is only
the second known giant squid obtained
from the Gulf. The first was collected in
1954 off the Mississippi Delta where it
was found floating dead at the surface.
The scientists were aboard the federal
research vessel Gordon Gunter
when the squid was caught in a trawl
pulled behind the research vessel at a
depth of more than 1,500 feet (455 m).
"As the trawl net rose out of the water,
I could see that we had something
big in there … really big," said Anthony
Martinez, marine mammal scientist
for Fisheries Service and chief
scientist for this research cruise. "We
knew there was a remote possibility of
encountering a giant squid on this
cruise, but it was not something we
were realistically expecting."
The giant squid was preserved and
sent to the Smithsonian Institution's National
Museum for Natural History for further study. It measures just over 19.5
feet (5.9 m) long and weighs more than
103 pounds (46 kg).
Photographs of the specimen were
sent from the research vessel to squid
experts at National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) National
Systematics Laboratory, which is
housed at the Smithsonian museum.
Other experts at Smithsonian, the University
of Miami, and Texas A&M University
also confirmed the specimen
was a giant squid.
"This is an incredibly rare find in
the Gulf of Mexico," said Dr. Michael
Vecchione, director for NOAA's Fisheries
Service's National Systemics
Laboratory and a giant squid expert.
"Giant squid have been found more
commonly in areas of the world where
there are deep-water fisheries, such as
Spain and New Zealand, but this is the
first time one has actually been captured
during scientific research in the
Gulf of Mexico."
According to Vecchione, scientists
have known giant squid are in the Gulf
because remnants of them have been
found in the stomachs of predators (such
as sperm whales) from Gulf waters, as
well as from nearby waters of the
Caribbean and Florida Keys. This find illustrates
how little is known about what
swims around in the deep waters of the
Gulf of Mexico.
Giant squid are difficult to capture,
but they are usually found in continental-
slope areas, where the relatively
shallow water near the continent drops
off into the deep sea. They seem to be
concentrated in places where undersea
canyons cut into the slope, where they
feed on fishes and other squids.
For more information, visit noaa.gov.

WOMEN FREEDIVERS
SET RECORDS
The International Assn. for the Development
of Apnea Individual Indoor
Freediving World Championships at
Aarhus, Denmark.
Freediver Jana Strain set a new Pan
American Women's Freediving Record
with an underwater swim of 181 meters
(594 feet) on one breath. Her swim
lasted 2 minutes, 20 seconds, and she
broke her existing record of 171 meters
(561 feet). Strain is only the fifth
woman to swim more than 175 meters
on one breath.
Annabel Edwards of Kona was another
star performer. She set a U.S. National,
North American Continental and
Pan American Record in the Dynamic
No Fins discipline, with a swim of 120
meters (394 feet).

WOMEN DIVERS
HALL OF FAME SEEKS
APPLICANTS FOR
SCHOLARSHIPS
Four scholarships and nine training
grants are being offered by the Women
Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF). The application
deadline is November 15, and
both women and and men are eligible. The value of the scholarships and
grants ranges from $500 to $2,500. All
applications must be completed in full
and submitted electronically by November
15. One exception is the WDHOF
Undergraduate Marine Research Internship.
The deadline for that application is
January 15, 2010. Applicants may apply
only for one scholarship and one grant.
Information and qualifications for each
award, as well as applications, can be
downloaded from the WDHOF Web
site at www.wdhog.org.

BAHAMAS MOVES TO
PROTECT SEA TURTLES
Bahamas now prohibits the harvesting,
possessing, purchasing and selling
of sea turtles, their parts and eggs found
in Bahamian waters.
The Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture
and Marine Resources recently announced
the prohibition, which took effect
September 1. Until then, killing all
but one sea turtle species, the hawksbill,
was legal. Five of the world's seven sea
turtle species inhabit the Bahamas. The
new regulations also prohibit the molestation
of marine turtle nests.
For more details, see www.thebahamasweekly.
com/publish/bis-news-updates/
Ban_on_Harvesting_Marine_Turtl
es_in_The_Bahamas7494.shtml.

GALES OF NOVEMBER
NOV. 6-7
Lake Superior shipwrecks and regional
maritime history will be discussed
during the 22nd annual "Gales
of November" conference, set for Duluth,
Minnesota.
Sponsored by the Lake Superior
Marine Museum Association, the event
is a chance to recognize the power,
mystique and influence of the Great
Lakes through presentations, tours and
other activities.
Educational sessions on diving and
shipwrecks are among other highlights
of the weekend. They include divers
Ken Merryman and Bob Olson who
will discuss the "Benjamin Noble Project";
and Jon Janzen and John Scoles
who will talk about "The Carl D.
Bradley Bell Exchange Project."
For more details, check out www.
lsmma.com or call (218) 727-2497.

RIVIERA MAYA DIVERS
PLAN PHOTO CONTEST
The Riviera Maya Divers Alliance
has announced the first free recreational
and technical "Scuba Diving
Photo Contest" in Playa Del Carmen,
Mexico, during the week of December
5-12, 2009. The contest includes
photo opportunities in the Yucatan
Caves, Caverns and on the secondlargest
barrier reef in the world, the
Mesoamerican Reef.
The contest is designed to celebrate
the diversity of diving in the Riviera
Maya, a diving location that has access
to land and ocean diving. No other
photo contest in the world offers such a
variety of diving and photo opportunities,
organizers say.
International judges will select the
winners of the contest on December 11
at the final ceremony and contest dinner.
The Riviera Maya is south of Cancun
and includes the Caribbean cities
of Puerto Morelos, Playa Del Carmen
and Tulum.
The Riviera Maya Divers Alliance is
a network of dive centers that promote
quality diving in the Riviera Maya
through events and other means. For
more information, visit www.divingphotocontest.
com.

EVENTS
DIVING HALL OF FAME
BANQUET JAN. 30
The International Scuba Diving Hall
of Fame Awards Banquet is scheduled
for Saturday, January 30, 2010, in
Grand Cayman.
Inductees will be Dr. Eugenie Clark,
an ichthyologist known as the "Shark
Lady"; marine life artist Wyland; diving
pioneer Nick Icorn and Francis
Toribiong, who helped Jacques
Cousteau explore Palau in the early
1960s and later opened the first dive
shop on the island.
The banquet Saturday will be preceded
by a Friday film festival. For
more information, visit www.scubahalloffame.
com.

Books
THE FUTURE OF
DIVING: 100 YEARS
OF HALDANE AND
BEYOND
Michael A. Lang and Alf O.
Brubakk, Editors
The symposium results of "The Future
of Diving: 100 Years of Haldane and
Beyond," convened by the Baromedical
and Environmental Physiology Group of
the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, 18–19 December 2008, in
Trondheim, Norway, are reported in 28
papers and 3 discussion sessions. For
more information about the book, visit
your local dive center or http://scholarlypress.si.edu/.

Always Learning

The Alaskan Wilderness:
Where Photographing Sharks Can Be a Bear

Story and photo by Marty Snyderman

There are a lot of ways to visit Alaska. One way is a five-star cruise, but that is not what we are doing. I am going to be part of a six-person film crew, and we plan to camp and dive in Prince William Sound with high hopes of capturing rare images of salmon sharks. Revealing the sharks' direct connection to salmon, and more layered link to land-dwelling grizzly bears, black bears and bald eagles has the makings for a compelling film.
No doubt, this trip has an excellent chance of being one of the highlights of my diving career, but I am also keenly aware that it will likely be extremely challenging. Camping for two-plus weeks is hard. Being completely self-contained for diving and filmmaking makes our expedition exponentially more challenging.
We are going to travel from Whittier, Alaska, in two small, open boats to a campsite in Gravina Bay, a fjord in Prince William Sound that is a long way from the closest road. The boats are Stabicrafts. One is 21.6 feet (6.6 m) long. The other is 18.4 feet (5.6 m) long. If the boats seem small, that's because they are. But being extremely versatile, these boats are ideal for going up into the shallow creeks where salmon spawn and bears and eagles feed.
Lacking cabins on the boats means we will be completely exposed to the weather. It is sure to rain and blow some, and the nighttime lows are likely to dip into the low 40s Fahrenheit (5-6 degrees Celsius). Working in remote areas and wildlife filmmaking often involve some discomfort and inconvenience. It's part of the business.
The bottom line is we will get tested. I've dived cold-water areas before, but not in such demanding circumstances for such a long period
of time. I have very little experience around bears, and I have to admit that makes me a little edgy. Of course, all of my friends were quick to tell me their grizzliest grizzly stories when I told them about my upcoming trip. With friends like that, well….
I don't know what lies ahead. That's why it's called an adventure. I am sure the expedition will test my diving, camping and outdoor skills along with my wits, patience and sense of humor. But I am equally confident that we will have an experience of a lifetime.

In The Beginning
Today I flew to Seattle. That's where I met Travis Swanson, the expedition organizer. We will pick up provisions and one boat, and then Travis and I will drive to his home in Soldotna, Alaska. That is where the rest of the team known as Walking Shark Productions will begin to assemble. This is no ordinary film crew. Their combined skill set provides expertise in logistics, cinematography, sharks, engineering, boating, camping, cooking, diving and the wilderness and wildlife of Prince William Sound. This gang of filmmakers is very good at what they do.
The most important consideration for an undertaking of this nature is safety. Staying dry and warm is paramount. Waterproof — not water resistant — clothing, boots, hats and gloves are a fundamental necessity. Good tents and quality sleeping bags are as important as water, food and first-aid supplies. So is bug repellent. I am told the black flies and mosquitoes can be brutal.
It is diving that has given me this opportunity. I first met Travis years ago when he invited me to Canada to dive with bluntnose sixgill sharks. Travis is an Alaskan. He has lived in and dived Alaska for years, and I feel confident that I am in good hands with him at our helm.

Off We Go
Our four-day drive took us on the famous Alcan (Alaska-Canadian) Highway through the heart of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory before we crossed the border into Alaska. We enjoyed stunning scene after stunning scene with constant views of mountains, rivers, waterfalls, valleys, meadows and wildlife. Along the way we saw moose, caribou, elk, deer, bison, bald eagles, a grizzly bear, black bear and a lynx. But what impressed me most wasn't any one particular view or animal sighting. It was driving through the vast expanse of virtually uninterrupted wilderness areas for four straight days. The drive helped me better understand what it means to venture into the Alaskan wilderness. On the drive we were surrounded by natural beauty, but we were seeing it from a truck. In Alaska we were headed 120 miles (192 km) by boat into the middle of an even more distant, far less populated wilderness, in two small boats.

First Impressions
With the boats fully loaded we set out in the late afternoon. It was foggy, cold and raining. We traveled in daylight until almost 11 p.m., reaching Olsen Island where in the rain we ate MREs (military meals-ready-to-eat) and set up camp. One tent, not mine, flooded that night.
The next day the weather lifted a bit and what was revealed was magical. Our day was filled with sights of humpback whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins chasing baitfish, playful Steller sea lions, snow-capped mountains, the blue ice of glaciers, and icebergs. It was spectacular, but it was also a day of lessons. We motored up to one large iceberg and as we were admiring its beauty we suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound. The iceberg calved underwater, sending a boat-sized chunk of rock-hard ice racing toward the surface. Travis recognized what was happening and maneuvered our boat out of the way. I would have been much slower to react. Travis is Alaska-savvy, and I am grateful for his skill.
No doubt about it, Prince William Sound is as unforgiving as it is alluring, as intimidating as it is beautiful, and everyday living requires keeping your eyes peeled for the unexpected. In an instant Alaska can reveal its wonders — or hand you your head.

The Diving
The film team thoroughly researched our expedition, and everything indicated that our August timing and location were ideal. Uncountable hours went into planning, acquiring boats, building a collapsible shark cage, and making arrangements for all of the other necessary provisions. The money spent on this expedition flowed like Alaskan waterfalls.
After all that, the silver salmon didn't run, and the pink salmon run was extremely light. That meant the salmon sharks didn't show up. At least they didn't show up in any meaningful numbers while we were there. A lack of salmon is a huge problem for fisheries in Alaska, and according to news reports we saw later a lot of finger pointing went on regarding commercial fishing regulations and practices, but none of that changed the fact that the stars of our show, the salmon sharks, didn't appear.
What did show up was rain. Lots of rain. Instead of an average August rainfall of 8 inches (20 cm), we experienced constant mist, rain and torrential downpours. In one 36-hour period our camp was hit with over 8 inches of rain. Tents flooded. Food supplies were awash. Clothes got and stayed wet, and the underwater visibility went to zero. The wind blew, and the thermometer plummeted.
In the end, the scuba gear went mostly unused, although we did snorkel in the salmon creeks.

The First and Last Rule of Wildlife Filmmaking
With so much money, time and effort invested, the film crew had no choice but to honor the first and last rule of wildlife filmmaking. You might not get the film you hoped for, but whatever you do, come home with a film. So we turned our attention to the limited number of pink salmon and bears.
The pink salmon were running in small numbers, but at least they were running. So during the second week we spent long rain-filled days waiting for the right tidal conditions and walking up cold, glacier-fed creeks in dry suits while trying to film bears. That is not exactly how I had envisioned my salmon shark expedition to Alaska. The good news was that ultimately the film crew got the makings of a really interesting film about the challenges of wildlife filmmaking, and somehow I managed to get a few nice photographs of bears and pink salmon without drowning my gear or being messily devoured.
Who would think that a picture of a bear in a creek bed taken with a hand-held topside camera in the rain while wearing a dry suit and standing in a glacier-fed creek and an image of a pink salmon in less than 8 inches of water in a creek would be my favorite photographs from an Alaskan salmon shark expedition? But in Alaska I learned that you should always expect and embrace the unexpected.

No Dumb Questions

By Alex Brylske Photo

Young Kids on Scuba and Narcosis Concerns

Q:A proud dad and diver, Herb Rice, sent in this query about his ocean-loving daughter. "My daughter is 5 years old and has had a fascination with diving ever since she was old enough to be aware of things. She loves the beach, fish, Sponge Bob and all things that have to do with the ocean. So, you can imagine how she feels about my being a scuba diver. I once found her in my garage attempting to put on my wet suit, and wearing my mask around her neck. My wife even has to distract her on the days I go diving because if she sees me pack my gear, she throws a temper tantrum, insisting that I take her with me. She loves the water, and so it's no surprise that she can swim like a fish. My question is, when would it be appropriate to let her try scuba? I know she has to be older to get certified, but I mean just using it in a pool."

A:I doubt that anyone would argue that open-water diving for 5-year-olds, regardless of the precautions, is a prudent idea. But as to the question of diving in the confines of a swimming pool, it's a reasonable question. The children-and-diving issue is governed by two considerations. The first and most obvious is the physiological/medical issues related to physical development. The second and perhaps more significant issue is psychological and emotional development. Some parents may feel that it's safe enough to allow a child to use scuba gear in a pool. However, I must emphasize that children must be closely and directly supervised at all times while on scuba, even in swimming pools or swimming pool-like environments.
As to the question of minimum age, you first need to understand that almost no studies exist on the effect diving has on children. So, all that we're left with is speculation based on what we know about the physiology of diving and what we know about the growth and development of kids. Exactly how these two factors interrelate is largely unknown.
From a physiological standpoint, one important point that often arises concerning very young children like your daughter is lung development. The issue is whether differences in lung tissue or the chest wall might make children more susceptible to pulmonary barotraumas (lung expansion injuries). Such concerns are based on the fact that, up to the age of about 8, pulmonary alveoli are still multiplying, pulmonary elasticity is decreased, and chest wall compliance increased. Although there have been no published data addressing this specifically, some authorities believe that these conditions put children 8 and younger at an increased risk of injury. This is one reason no North American-based diver training organization allows any form of compressed air experience, even in a swimming pool, with children younger than age 8, and another rationale for why age 10 is the absolute minimum set for open-water diving.
Another concern for very young divers is equalization, and whether children have an increased propensity for ear barotrauma. The rationale for this is based on the structure and development of the eustachian tubes. Up until the age of around 8, the eustachian tubes are narrower and more horizontal than later in life. This is why ear infections are more common in children than adults. Perhaps not surprisingly, one unpublished study from a European dive club of 234 children ages 6-12 found ear barotrauma and infections to be the most common medical problem reported. By age 12, the eustachian tubes develop into their more adultlike form, and equalization problems become less likely. The take-home message here is that younger divers need to understand the importance of equalization, and be trained to recognize, and not be hesitant to tell someone, if they are experiencing problems.
In defense of kid divers, there's a long tradition in Europe of scuba instruction involving children as young as 8. For example, the World Underwater Federation (CMAS) has had for many years a formal program and training guidelines to teach 8-year-olds. More recently, here in North America well over a million exposures involving children of this age have taken place in swimming pools through diver training agencies that offer programs designed for the younger set. To my knowledge, no serious injuries have been reported.
Perhaps a compromise would be a device called SASY (Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth). Designed for kids from 5 to 9 years of age, it looks like a scaled-down version of a standard scuba unit (regulator, BC [buoyancy compensator] and tank). The difference is that the BC is really a personal floatation device. So, no matter how hard the child tries to submerge, they can't. However, they can breathe from the scuba device just like mom or dad. Actually, it makes "snorkeling" much easier than using the standard snorkel. If your daughter continues with her enthusiasm for diving, you can re-evaluate the situation in five more years when she turns 10. At that age she does qualify for certification. If you'd like to learn more about kids and diving, take a look at the feature article, "The Younger Diver," that I wrote in the August 2008 issue. For more information on SASY, see "From Innovation to Invention: Supplied Air Snorkeling Debuts," Dive Training, August 1999.

Q:Pam Nickels had a scary experience recently that prompted a very good question. "I was diving in a local quarry a few weeks back and at about 80 feet [24 m] began to feel a little uncomfortable. I've made dozens of dives there, and nothing was new or unusual about the conditions, my equipment or my dive buddy. Still, all of a sudden, I felt like something was pulling me down. It was so frightening that I aborted the dive. Back on the surface my buddy told me that he felt no such sensation and, in fact, my buoyancy trim looked fine. He said it was probably nitrogen narcosis. I've never been narked before, but I always thought it involved feeling euphoric (‘rapture of the deep'). I didn't know it could be creepy, or can it? I'm now very anxious about going deep again, which is a bummer because I was planning to take an advanced course, and I know that a deep dive is required. I really don't want this experience to spoil diving for me, so I'd really like to know what happened. Any ideas?"

A:You must have missed my recent feature article on this very topic ("High on Depth: A Closer Look at Nitrogen Narcosis") from the July 2009 issue. Assuming there was no contaminated air involved — and you can probably rule that out if your buddy had his tanks filled at the same source as you — it's more than likely that you did, in fact, experience narcosis. As I addressed in my article, most divers are only taught half the story when it comes to narcosis. It's probably because Jacques Cousteau himself coined the term that you use, "rapture of the deep." It implies, and most took it as gospel, that euphoria is always a symptom of nitrogen narcosis. As it turns out, that's not always true.
Both research and practical experience have shown that exactly how one experiences narcosis can be greatly influenced by several factors, especially the environment you're diving in and your mental state. Some studies have shown that divers in warm, clear-water environments — conditions likely to evoke a sense of comfort and control — are more likely to experience a sense of overconfidence, well-being and the expected euphoria. But, in a less secure environment, such as the cold, dark environment of a quarry, or if you're in a less secure state of mind, symptoms of anxiety are more likely. And I'd classify the feeling of being pulled to the bottom as a symptom of anxiety. In some cases, even terror and panic have been noted, so your use of good common sense in aborting the dive was the right way to go. I've had this borne out in my experience working with student divers in cold-water conditions. Though not common, I'd sometimes encounter someone on their first deep dive in cold, dark water freak out for no obvious reason. Yet, that same diver did fine diving deep when in warm, clear water.
There's also some intriguing evidence about the nature of nitrogen narcosis from a famous study looking at the role of psychological factors. The researchers were looking at what's termed "negative modeling," a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. The study involved three groups. The first group was taught that virtually all divers succumb to narcosis at 130 feet (39 m), and that symptoms would be severe. The second group was taught about narcosis, but was told that it was far from certain to occur and its severity was downplayed. The final group was given a three-hour lecture on narcosis, including a review of all known research, and told that strong willpower could greatly reduce its effect. Each group was then given a series of cognitive exercises in a recompression chamber at depths ranging from 100 feet (30 m) to 240 feet (73 m).
The results showed an apparent correlation between how the divers were trained and their ability to deal with narcosis. For example, no members of first group could perform past the 200-foot (61-m) level, and two subjects from the second group were also unable to perform. Amazingly, however, members from the third group actually showed better performance at 200 feet than at their surface test, and all but one subject continued to function well to the final depth of 240 feet. While one single study is far too little to determine any solid conclusions, instructors may do well to keep these results in mind the next time they teach their students about narcosis.
So, you see, the phenomenon doesn't appear to be explained entirely by physiology; psychology also appears to play a role. My suggestion to you is not to dwell on this one incident. Go ahead and enroll in that advanced class, anyway. But tell your instructor about your experience, and let him or her guide you through your initial deep-diving experience. I'm confident that this little bump in the road will be easily overcome by someone with your experience and commitment.

1. A tool used by scientists to measure the clarity of water is a device called a:
A. Secchi disc.
B. Transmissometer.
C. Opthometer.
D. Sandial.
E. A and B are correct
F. C and D are correct

2. What researchers term "silent bubbles" present in a diver's bloodstream following a dive can eventually lead to decompression sickness.
A. True
B. False

3. Mathematical formulas used in dive computers to calculate nitrogen
accumulation are known as:
A. Biorhythms.
B. Bio-nitrogenators.
C. Algorithms.
D. Algaerithms.

4. When navigating underwater, the part of the compass that represents the diver's direction of travel is called the:
A. Land line.
B. Laugh line.
C. Lubber line.
D. Lauder line.

5. The world's only seagoing reptiles are:
A. Sea turtles.
B. Saltwater crocodiles.
C. Sea snakes.
D. All of the above.
6. The scalelike coverings on the bodies of some sea turtles are called:
A. Scales.
B. Scurvy.
C. Sarcops.
D. Scutes.

7. The only sea turtle that lacks scutes but is equipped with a tough leatherlike carapace is the:
A. Green sea turtle.
B. Olive ridley.
C. Leatherback.
D. Chilean sea turtle.

8. An issue that often arises concerning allowing very young children to dive is their susceptibility to:
A. Lung expansion injuries.
B. Ear barotrauma.
C. Seasickness.
D. A and B are correct.
E. B and C are correct.

9. During the late 1700s through mid-1800s Great Britain used what is now Sydney, Australia, as a:
A. Tobacco plantation.
B. Gold mine.
C. Penal colony.
D. All of the above.

10. Australia's legendary Cod Hole dive site is famous for:
A. Potato-shaped coral formations.
B. Swift currents.
C. Great white sharks.
D. Large groupers.

Answers: 1. E 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. D 6. D 7. C 8. D 9. C 10. D

Dive Training Quiz