Editorial
Where the Buck Stops
Written by Alex Brylske
I dive off charter boats frequently, so I have lots of opportunities to observe divers. I see good divers and bad, experienced pros and neophytes, and locals as well as tourists. With such variety, it’s tough to draw any uniform conclusions. But there does seem to be a trend and, from my vantage point, it’s not a good one: My admittedly unscientific assessment tells me that divers are assuming less and less responsibility for their own well-being. In fairness, it’s not really restricted to divers; it’s been a societal trend for some time. When something goes wrong the answer is to blame anyone but ourselves. Abandoning responsibility even happens when nothing goes wrong, as I saw on a recent dive.
I was seated next to a couple, and as we assembled our gear, I noticed that both were diving nitrox. A few minutes later, the divemaster began passing around an oxygen analyzer, asking everyone on board who was using enriched air to test his or her gas. “Why do we have to do it?” I heard one of the buddy pair ask the other. “You’d think for what they charge, they’d do it for us.”
“Absolutely!” responded her buddy.
For those of you not familiar with nitrox, whoever fills a tank with enriched air does, indeed, do an analysis. But a second analysis by the diver who will actually use the tank is not only a standard operating procedure, it’s a common-sense practice. As even a slight difference between the assumed and actual oxygen content in a nitrox mixture can lead to disastrous consequences, not doing a predive final analysis of the mixture is foolhardy to the extreme. Yet the couple was not only willing to have someone else do this, they expected it. I’m willing to bet these are the sort of folks who, in the event something had gone wrong, would probably have called their attorney before 911.
Let’s be clear about something: No matter how well supervised the dive, or how safe you’re told it will be, or the reputation of the operator, there’s only one person on earth who can assume responsibility for your safety, and that’s the person you see in the mirror every morning. If you believe otherwise, you’re deluding yourself.
Any true understanding of personal responsibility requires that we ask the question, what really constitutes a safe diver? To me, a safe diver is one who is vigilant, not oblivious; is never afraid to ask questions; assumes nothing and, in the end, accepts that even a well-planned dive can go wrong. A safe diver speaks up when he feels uneasy about some aspect of the dive. Unlike my nitrox divers, a safe diver also refuses to let others do things for him. And a safe diver is the one who, when something just doesn’t look or feel right, isn’t swayed by the herd mentality of “Oh, it will be OK,” and has the guts to say, “I’m not diving today.”
Some of my diving colleagues call me an old curmudgeon, and insist that I’m over-reacting and longing for the good-old days that never really were. I think not, but you be the judge. Take a few minutes, log on to www.dtmag.com and let us know what you think.
Curmudgeon or not, my favorite expression of personal responsibility was illustrated by a small sign that President Harry Truman kept on his desk in the Oval Office. It read simply, “The Buck Stops Here.” If I was king of the universe for a day, I’d have that little tidbit of wisdom tattooed on the forehead of every diver on the planet … and I’d start with those nitrox divers.
Buddy Lines
Thanks for Not Avoiding Controversy
Thanks for Not
Avoiding Controversy
I wanted to commend Alex Brylske on the fine editorial in the May edition of Dive Training [“Isn’t It Time?” which examines in the wake of the Sea World tragedy the wisdom of keeping wild creatures in captivity]. I am encouraged to see someone in his position who is not afraid to take a stand on a controversial issue like that. I hope that it has an effect and gets people thinking about the issue more critically. Small world, for I know Lori Marino, a biologist from Emory University, and discuss these issues with her frequently. Thanks again for stepping up and using your pulpit for furthering a noble cause.
Steve Mussman
Via e-mail
Online Courses
Hurt Diving
I’m in complete agreement with Alex Brylske’s April editorial concerning the shortened training schedules for students [“The Long and Short of It,” Dive Training].
To add to the problem, I think the rush on the part of the training agencies to promote “online” instruction is making things much worse.
Students get far less face time with instructors, show up for pool and open-water sessions with little knowledge beyond what is needed to pass online quizzes and exams, and leave C card in hand with less enthusiasm for their new sport than they would after some classroom time with a live and passionate-about-diving instructor.
Carl Muhlhausen
Lake Como, New Jersey
Health Book Recommended
After reading your article on diving and heart health I must add a resource you need to check out. The book “The China Study” says that during the Korean War autopsies were conducted on many GIs who were killed in action and all of the autopsies revealed major artery blockage. These were 20- to 25-year-old men. The reason for the blockage: They consumed too much high-protein food. Imagine the arteries of the average American diver. I have used “The China Study” to take off 22 pounds in two months and will continue to follow it until I get down to my ideal weight.
Martin Kelly
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
One Vote for Solo Diving
“To Buddy or Not to Buddy” by Alex Brylske [March 2010, Dive Training] was a very interesting editorial. The buddy concept is great in theory but in reality sucks. If I had to wait to dive only with a buddy, then I would get about 12 dives a year in when our club gets together to dive as a group. My schedule and everybody else’s seems to never click. I have only a select few divers I would trust to be my buddy and who I truly trust will be there with the skills and knowledge to help in an emergency, and they feel the same. Count me in as a solo diver.
Steve Gunderson
Libby, Montana
We are Safer With a Dive Buddy
Regarding your editorial “To Buddy or Not to Buddy” [March 2010], first, as I understand it, solo dive courses teach redundancy in everything, including air tanks, buoyancy (dry suit and a buoyancy compensator), extra mask, and so on. If someone is diving without total redundancy, they aren’t diving according to their training, they just don’t want the responsibility of a “less experienced” buddy.
Second, it is the responsibility of every diver to assist those “less experienced” divers. This is an awesome sport, and each of us needs to pass along our knowledge.
Third, if you want to insist on diving solo, you’d better clear it with the captain before paying your money. The safety of each diver is the captain’s ultimate responsibility, and if the captain says “Thou shalt dive with a buddy,” well, that’s it.
Finally, like it or not, each and every one of us are safer with a buddy than without. There is very little a “less experienced” buddy can do to make an emergency situation worse, and often it only takes very little effort to prevent a poor situation from becoming a full-blown emergency.
I have not been diving a very long time — about three years — but have several certifications, and love the sport like no other. Let’s just keep diving (with a buddy) and enjoying our underwater world.
Clark Peters
North East, Pennsylvania
Another Side to the
Metrics Perspective
I have a counterpoint to the letter “Cease Metric Conversion” in the April 2010 issue.
Three countries use the “imperial” system of measures: Burma (now Myanmar), Liberia and the United States. The rest of the world uses the “International System of Units” (a more correct terminology for what many call the “metric” system).
The “standard” system mentioned in the letter is standard only in this country. Even Myanmar and Liberia use imperial and metric interchangeably.
After I moved to the United States from Europe, I spent considerable time “memorizing” how many ounces are in a pound or yards are in a mile, but as the law of the land, I complied and memorized them.
As owner and operator of a dive store for more than 12 years, I escorted divers to locations that use the “nonstandard” system. Some of these places, like popular Caribbean destinations, are nice enough to tell the divers the maximum depth of the dives in feet and meters, but many times I had to translate the briefing information for my fellow divers into the “nonstandard” unit of measure.
Did you know that two units of measure are required on the speedometer of your car? Also, did you know that in 1866 the United States mandated the “metric system” for commercial and legal proceedings?
Despite this, the United States will likely not fully use the “metric” system for some time, but it would be foolish to deny that it will happen. Ask NASA, which had to convert all its data to the “nonstandard” system.
Dive Training is inherently a publication dedicated to … training. I do not resent at all the fact that, like many other publications, it reminds me, in feet and meters, the depth of a dive, and how many PSI and bars are in a full tank.
Paolo A. Lilla
Greer, South Carolina
On Seniors and Metrics
I live on the French Riviera where I enjoy diving, from Nice to Marseilles. We do have nice spots there, including deep shipwrecks. I got certified in 2000. I was 56. Since then, I have logged 650 dives in various parts of the world, including the Red Sea, Mauritius, Sea of Cortez, California and Aruba. Next is the Dominican Republic. So my advice to your 58-year-old reader [“No Dumb Questions,” April 2010]: Go for it, if the doctor says “OK.” On whether Dive Training should bring back metric conversions, the vast majority of countries on the planet are on metrics. Please bring back the metrics.
Jacques Hryb
France
--------------------
The April issue of Dive Training featured the editorial, “The Long And Short Of It,” about the pros and cons of short scuba courses.
What you said online:
A few years back we were in a hurry to get certified because of an upcoming vacation, the store was good at accommodating our schedule, and I was fine and still am as a diver. But I think my wife needed more time to become comfortable and I think it ultimately ruined her. When it was time to vacation for a week this winter our choice was the Caribbean or Vail. She chose skiing.
Geoff Brinkman
I took a short course and I’m fine with everything. I hang out at the store and made some really good friends there and don’t see any bad issue. That said, I have always been comfortable in the water. As a pilot I am used to different environments, and maybe someone less apt would need more handholding and time. It worked for me.
Jerome Pate
I am an instructor and teach for a store that does little with classrooms. It’s not all home study, but I call myself the “pool boy.” No, I don’t have the relationships that I used to. In that regard I agree.
Anonymous
Alex is a dinosaur. Training everywhere is computerized and going farther away from instructors, who should go find other work if they don’t want to just be running people through pool skills. Why do we need to connect with anyone when diving itself is so great? Forget the social aspects; diving is a one-with-nature thing.
BigIntoDiving
BigIntoDiving, you’re an idiot.
An Instructor
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Comment on this issue’s editorial, “Where the Buck Stops.”
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Dive Observer
INDIAN OCEAN MARINE RESERVE NOW WORLD’S LARGEST
Written by Gene Gentrup
Agroup of 55 islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean has been designated the world’s largest marine reserve. The Chagos Islands will be off-limits to industrial fishing and other activities, the British government said.
At 210,000 square miles, the newly protected area will surpass the 140,000-square-mile Papahânaumokuâkea Marine National Monument in the waters of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. President George W. Bush established that reserve in 2006.
The newest reserve, larger than California and more than 60 times the size of Yellowstone National Park, will protect at least 76 species classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Chagos Islands provide a safe haven for dwindling populations of sea turtles and more than 175,000 pairs of breeding seabirds, as well as diversity of deep-water habitats, such as trenches reaching nearly 20,000 feet in depth. The waters around the islands are some of the cleanest in the world, contain the world’s largest coral reef structure, and are home to 220 species of corals and more than 1,000 species of reef fish.
Jay Nelson, who directs the Pew Environment Group’s global ocean legacy initiative, called the decision “a historic victory for global ocean conservation.”
The dive industry’s Project AWARE Foundation is among the supporters of establishing the large “no-take” protected area. The reserve is expected to increase fish numbers over a much wider area due to the overspill of adults, juveniles and their larvae. That wider area includes The Maldives, a popular dive destination about 310 miles north of the Chagos Islands.
For more information, visit www.globalocean
legacy.org.
DESTROYER MAY BE SUNK IN AUGUST
Divers could be exploring a 563-foot destroyer off the East Coast by August.
The state of Delaware recently announced that it had received from the U.S. Navy the title to the mothballed USS Arthur W. Radford, considered a key step in efforts to sink the vessel. The Radford will become the longest vessel ever reefed in the Atlantic Ocean and is tentatively scheduled to go down in August onto the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef site, 26 miles southeast of Delaware’s Indian River Inlet. The reef’s name comes from the three states — Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland — partnering with the Navy to enhance recreational diving opportunities. The Navy also is sharing cost of reefing preparations, including transport of the ex-warship to its resting place in Delaware waters. The total cost for the project is expected to be $795,000.
Following final inspection and clearance in August, the Radford will be towed down the Delaware River and to sea over the reef site, where it will be positioned for several days while the hull is strategically sliced open to allow for a methodical sinking by flooding its compartments.
The superstructure on the 9,000-ton ship will be lowered to achieve a navigational clearance of 60 feet at the reef site, which is in about 130 feet of water. The shipwreck would be set up for recreational divers with the keel at 130 feet deep but the deck at about 65 feet.
For more information, visit www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries/Pages/ArtificialReefProgram.aspx.
KITTIWAKE SINKING SET FOR SUMMER
Late July is when Cayman Islands officials hope to sink the USS Kittiwake.
The 251-foot ship will be put down in 65 feet of water off the northern end of Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, providing easy access of the site for both divers and snorkelers.
Cayman officials are calling the sinking the most significant occurrence in a decade for Cayman’s dive industry.
Prior to sinking, the Kittiwake will be thoroughly prepared with the removal of all hazardous materials and chemicals to ensure that they will not leach into Cayman waters, or pose any threats to divers and snorkelers.
The five-deck, 2,200-ton Kittiwake was originally commissioned as a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship in the Navy during World War II.
The Kittiwake will become an instant habitat for a variety of marine life. With multiple vertical and horizontal cutouts enabling natural light to fill the ship, divers will be able to explore the ship in its entirety immediately after sinking.
The transfer of ownership marks the first time that a US MARAD (United States Maritime Administration) ship has been donated to a foreign government for the creation of an artificial reef to preserve the marine environment.
For more information, visit www.caymanislands.ky/.
PORPOISE AMONG ‘RAREST OF RARE’
What may be the world’s smallest known cetacean has a place on the “Rarest of the Rare,” a list of critically endangered species issued by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), which means “little cow” in Spanish, is also known as the “Gulf of California porpoise” or “Cochito.” They are elusive and timid members of the porpoise family. These porpoises can reach about 4-5 feet in length and weigh 65-120 pounds. Vaquitas have compact, robust bodies and a rounded head with little or no beak.
Vaquitas spend relatively long periods of time underwater to opportunistically feed on a variety of small schooling fish (e.g., croakers and grunts), crustaceans, and cephalopods (e.g., squid and octopus). This species is “endemic” to the shallow, murky coastal waters of the Gulf of California off the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. They are usually found in waters less than 165 feet deep and within 13.5 nautical miles of the shore.
The vaquita’s distribution is restricted to the upper portion of the northern Gulf of California, mostly within the Colorado River delta.
The vaquita’s population has been in decline since at least the 1940s. The decline began when a commercial fishery using gillnets for the endangered totoaba (a large sea bass) was established by local fishermen in the region in the 1920s. The commercial fishery for totoaba ceased in the 1970s, but other fishing still continues. At current rates, the vaquita population may be reduced by more than 80 percent over the next 10-30 years and is in danger of extinction. The current total population of the vaquita is estimated between 500 and 600 individuals.
For more information, see www.wcs.org or www.nmfs.
noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/vaquita.htm.
‘BONAIRE DIVE INTO SUMMER’
Bonaire has announced its annual summer promotion of special packages for various events and themed dives that showcase “Bonaire’s commitment to sustainable tourism practices and marine conservation programs.”
Activities include a Dive Friends Underwater Cleanup, summer-long “Buddy Dive Photo Contest” and several topside activities celebrating the cultural offerings of Bonaire. Dive Into Summer begins June 1 and ends September 30. For more information, visit www.tourismbonaire.com/bdis.
KEY LARGO REEF FEST JUNE 5-10
Snorkelers, scuba divers and underwater photographers can discover Key Largo’s reefs, shipwrecks and large indigenous fish population during the inaugural Reef Fest set for Saturday through Thursday, June 5-10.
The dive-and-stay event kicks off the Florida Keys’ prime summertime diving season.
Reef Fest welcome packets that include an event overview, schedule and wristbands for event admission are to be available at the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce, mile marker (MM) 106.
The festival activities begin with a 6-8 p.m. get-together Saturday, June 5, at the History of Diving Museum, MM 83 bayside, featuring free appetizers and beverages.
Diving and snorkeling commences Sunday with participating dive operators. Events include a “Six-Pack” juried photo competition with awards for shutterbug divers who create a winning six-image portfolio, “treasure hunt” on an area shipwreck, underwater photo scavenger hunt where divers seek out a subject to photograph and a photo seminar with renowned underwater photographer Stephen Frink.
Informational seminars about the importance of fish counts, health of natural reefs and coral restoration efforts also are scheduled.
For more information, including a festival schedule and complete list of Reef Fest’s participating accommodations, dive shops and package details, visit www.keylargo
wrecks.com/reef-fest.htm.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO PLANS
1ST DIVE FESTIVAL
Trinidad & Tobago has announced its first dive festival.
“Under Water Carnival” is planned for June 11-18 and will include weeklong events such as underwater photography seminars, an amateur underwater photography contest, and dive equipment demonstrations for adults and children.
Kids can also participate in the “Discover Scuba” program, and the Rogest Kids Gallery, a two-day aquatic art workshop for kids between 6 and 11 years old, hosted by Canadian artist Ron Steven.
The event is hosted by the Tobago House of Assembly Tourism Division, the Association of Tobago Dive Operators and with support of the Tourism Development Company. For more information, ask your local dive shop or visit www.tobagounderwatercarnival.com.
DOMINICA DIVE FEST JULY 9-18
The 17th annual Dominica Dive Fest is scheduled for July 9-18. Sponsored by the Dominica Watersports Association, Dive Fest was established to showcase the marine environment of Dominica to visitors and residents. A variety of dive packages are offered.
For more information on Dive Fest and to view the full schedule of events, visit www.dominica.dm/site/divefest.cfm.
CAYMAN REUNION
ON TAP FOR NOVEMBER 5-7
Some of the people instrumental in turning the Cayman Islands into a dive destination are planning the “Cayman Cowboys Bucket List Reunion.” The event is scheduled for November 5-7.
Promotional information invites everyone who was involved in the “Cayman diving scene” before January 1, 1990.
Activities planned include a welcome cocktail party with band at the Sunset House Pool on Friday night, boat dives on Saturday and a gala dinner and program on Saturday evening. Catamaran trips to Stingray City/Sandbar and on to Rum Point are planned for Sunday. Ron Kipp and Rod McDowall are coordinating the event. For more information, check out www.ronkipp.com/reunion.
QUARRY PLANS SECOND
WORLD-RECORD ATTEMPT
Gilboa Quarry in Ottawa, Ohio, hopes to break the world record for “Most Divers Submerged at One Time.”
The record, established last year in Indonesia, is 2,486. Last July, Gilboa Quarry registered 912 divers and had 794 divers submerged at once. The second attempt at history is scheduled for July 17. If you’re interested in being part of this year’s effort, visit www.divegilboa.com, e-mail scuba_fuz@hotmail.com or inquire at your local dive center.
JIM HAIGH DIVE PLANNED FOR JULY 25
The annual Jim Haigh Memorial Dive is scheduled for Sunday, July 25, at Haigh Quarry in Kankakee, Illinois.
The event will include door prizes, diving, raffles and music by Od Tapo Imi, which is billed as Chicago’s premier steel drum band. Proceeds from the event benefit Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS) and Diveheart Military Wounded (DMW). For more details, visit www.haighquarry.com or call (815) 939-7797.
WOMEN DIVERS HALL OF FAME’S 10TH Anniversary Commemorative Book
The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of a new book.
The WDHOF is an international honor society that recognizes the achievements of outstanding women divers from around the world.
The 116-page, four-color book is filled with hundreds of member photos, bios and personal stories as well as the history of how the organization came to be.
The book is available for a $25 donation to the WDHOF through its Web site, www.wdhof.org. Go to the home page and click on the button on the left. “Support WDHOF Click Here,” which will take you to the WDHOF NY Charities site to make a donation (be sure to scroll down and designate that the donation is for a commemorative book).
WHOF membership numbers 176 women from 28 states.
For additional information, contact Bonnie Toth, WDHOF chairman at bonnietoth@earthlink.net or Bobbie Scholley, WDHOF president at ladynavydiver@aol.com.
Always Learning
Hunters and Huggers Unite:
When Fish Killing is Warranted
Story & photos by Marty Snyderman
Shortly after I graduated from college in the early 1970s two of my best friends and I spent a few months exploring Mexico’s Yucatan coast and the waters of Belize and Guatemala. We drove a pickup truck from Tennessee to Guatemala, and for the most part we camped or slept in the truck. Heaven was having the front seat all to myself at night, and I could earn that honor by spearfishing for our meals.
When I became a dive instructor in 1975 my attention turned toward trying to make a career out of my interest in underwater photography, but I certainly wasn’t opposed to making a dive to catch a lobster or spear my dinner. Spearing fish and catching other game including lobster and abalone was very popular in the diving world, and almost every dive center proudly displayed images of their staff with fish they had speared and other game they had bagged.
But not long after that the tide began to change. Over the next decade or so many members of the general diving community began to express some serious differences with spearfishing and with spearfishers. Many “fish-hugging” divers openly condemned the hunters. Those who spewed the venom claimed that too many spearfishers were not selective in terms of the fish they shot. According to the critics, all too often spearfishers shot fish that weren’t fit for a meal just so they wouldn’t end their day empty-handed. The word in the critics’ circle was that a lot of underwater hunters lacked respect for the marine environment and conservation.
Hatfields vs. McCoys
During that era, being on a charter boat that had mixed clientele — some divers sightseeing or taking pictures and others who were hoping to shoot some fish for their dinner table — was a bit like spending a day with the Hatfields and McCoys. The atmosphere was often contentious. Ultimately, there was a period when the hunters became the black sheep in the diving family, and fewer divers took up spearfishing.
In those days, underwater photographers routinely spoke of themselves as the champions of the marine environment. According to a vocal contingency of photographers, taking pictures was good, spearing fish was bad, and there was not much middle ground. Clearly, in a short period the pendulum had swung a long way in the opposite direction from where it was when I first took up diving.
It Just Keeps On Swinging
In more recent years underwater photographers have come under fire for showing a lack of respect for the marine environment and having a “get the shot at any cost” mentality. Most dive operators and resorts still welcome photographers with open arms, but also true is that many dive charter operators and resort owners wish underwater photographers would be a lot more conscientious about their reefs and the way we treat marine wildlife. These days, many dive operators claim that far too many underwater photographers and videographers lack buoyancy control skills and, even more importantly, show a lack respect for the creatures we profess to love. The bottom line: All too often the people who kick and break corals, and who grab, manipulate or otherwise harass wildlife are divers who get caught up in the moment while diving with a camera in their hands.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time watching underwater photographers, and my professional opinion is that as a community, underwater image-makers deserve much of the criticism that is being directed our way. Personally, I think we can and should do a much better job when it comes to capturing images without busting up reefs and harassing reef creatures. But personal opinions aside, in the bigger picture it is obvious that once again the pendulum of diver opinion has swung a long way, as many now consider underwater still photographers and videographers to present a greater threat to the reefs than spearfishers ever did.
We’re Not the Only
Ones Causing Trouble
Spearfishers and photographers aren’t the only problem. In some cases, the fishes themselves are to blame.
There are many instances in which non-native species of fishes that have been introduced into new environments wreak havoc in reef communities around the world. In some cases, the introduction was intentional. For instance, the peacock grouper was brought from French Polynesia to Hawaii in the 1950s in the hopes of developing a fishery. In the cases of two species of Indo-Pacific lionfishes now commonly found in the waters of the Western Atlantic and Caribbean, research suggests several possible introduction scenarios. One highly publicized theory suggests it was accidental; a home aquarium on Florida’s Biscayne Bay that contained six lionfish was destroyed in Hurricane Andrew, which led to the unintentional introduction. Still other theories exist.
But no matter how these non-native species were introduced, the results have been devastating. Their populations have exploded, and they are voracious feeders that lack natural predators in the areas where they have been introduced. The result is that both the peacock grouper and the lionfishes have been decimating populations of native fishes. In fact, studies have shown that the peacock grouper consumes roughly 146 native reef fish annually, making it the primary consumer of Hawaii’s native reef fishes. Similar results occur in the areas where expanding populations of lionfishes are being established. A study conducted on lionfish in North Carolina found that 3 percent of their diet consisted of a variety of invertebrates, with the remaining 97 percent being other fishes.
When Hunting
and Killing Helps
Most authorities agree that eliminating the peacock grouper from Hawaiian waters and lionfishes from the Western Atlantic simply isn’t going to happen. Their populations are too spread out and too well established. It might be possible to prevent the populations of these invaders from expanding more broadly, but even that is highly problematic.
Some experts hope to discover ways of making populations of these non-native species unable to reproduce. That is a possibility, but the effort will take time and experimentation, and many agree that this issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible. One way of addressing the invasive species issue is via local eradication efforts. In simple terms, kill the invaders.
And who better to come to the rescue than spearfishers? On the Hawaiian Island of Maui a group of fund-raising spearfishers got together with the county’s environmental coordinator for a series of spearfishing tournaments in which the targeted species was the peacock grouper. Between the tournaments and monthly “kill peacock grouper” days, spearfishers removed about 2,000 of these invasive predators in just one year. The effort saved or helped protect roughly 292,000 other reef fish. That’s huge, but was just a start.
Similarly, in many parts of Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, divers are being encouraged to help keep lionfish populations in check by participating in organized spearfishing events that target lionfishes.
These days I hear underwater still photographers and videographers singing the praises of spearfishers and their efforts to help keep invasive species in check. And spearfishers are asking image makers and other divers where they see invasive species so the spearfishers can better direct their efforts. Never in a million years would I have ever expected such camaraderie and cooperation. In the big picture, it appears the pendulum is rarely still. Given enough time it tends to swing both ways.
No Dumb Questions
Winter’s Effect
on Florida Keys Coral, Ox Tox Issues, and Midlife Career Advice
Written by Alex Brylske
Photo by Marty Snyderman
Q:Lilly Dorman sent a question about the consequences of the terrible winter we had. “I live in the Florida Keys and, like most of the country, we’ve had a very cold winter (for us at least). The local newspaper carried a story about how our reefs have bleached severely due to these unusually cold conditions. But I don’t understand because I always thought bleaching was the result of unusually warm conditions, not cold. Has this ever happened before? And will this have any long-term effect on the reefs?”
A:There’s not nearly enough space in this column, or this entire magazine, to explain the phenomenon of coral bleaching. In fact, even scientists don’t understand it completely, which is why bleaching is a major area of research.
Let’s begin with some basics. Most of the corals you see on the reef host single-celled symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae within their tissues. Though not all shallow-water coral species contain zooxanthellae, most do and they provide the bulk of the food that the coral host requires through photosynthesis. The algae also play an important role in helping corals secrete limestone. The term “bleaching” describes a condition in which these symbiotic algae are lost, or the pigments within the algae disappear. What’s left behind is the thin transparent skin of the polyps, exposing the clearly visible underlying white limestone. (However, because corals also house pigment-containing substances other than zooxanthellae, some bleached coral can appear pale pink or blue.)
Bleaching is a generalized stress response that corals experience for a wide range of reasons including pollution, sedimentation, exposure to air, exposure to too much or too little light, or when either the salinity or temperature is outside the coral’s comfort zone. Normally, when it comes to bleaching, the temperature issue is that it’s too high. Most researchers agree that the abnormally high sea surface temperatures caused by global warming, plus a yet explained association with El Niño, explains the massive global bleaching events that have plagued the world’s coral reefs over the past several decades. However, local weather conditions, such as this year’s severe winter in Florida, caused bleaching due to low sea surface temperature. (Reports from data stations this winter recorded water temperatures in the 50s throughout the Keys, and even at least one report in the high 40s in the Upper Keys.)
As a Florida Keys resident myself, I’m very familiar with the current situation and, frankly, not at all surprised at the bleaching this winter. I happened to have worked here in the Keys during a similar but less severe cold spell back in the winter of 1977. Although the reefs were much healthier then, extensive bleaching was reported, demonstrating that cold temperatures are a precipitating factor. This was also about the time that white-band disease was reported infecting elkhorn coral, and some speculate that the cold stress may have triggered it or exacerbated it.
In addition to explaining why the reefs of the Keys bleached this winter, temperature also explains why many did not. Apparently, the bleaching events were confined mainly to those reefs closer to shore, specifically within or inshore from Hawk Channel. The reefs on the outer reef tract, which comprise the most popular dive sites, did not report the same level of bleaching as the inshore reefs probably due to the influence of the deeper and warmer offshore waters (due to the influence of the Gulf Stream).
As in many areas of science, there are still lots of unanswered questions about coral bleaching. Why, for example, do some corals bleach while others do not? Does the coral polyp or the zooxanthellae initiate the algae’s exit from the host? What role does bleaching have on coral disease or coral health in general? And, finally, as you asked, what’s the long-term consequence of this winter’s bleaching? The answers to these questions are still open and will be the subject of much research and debate within the coral reef scientific community for some time to come.
Q:Abe Youseff asked a question about ox tox. “I got certified about two years ago, mainly because a friend enrolled in a course and wanted someone to take it with him. I really wasn’t all that interested initially, but the bug really bit me. Since then I’ve taken three diving vacations, and have completed my advanced and two specialty certifications. I now have more than 150 dives, and my friends call me the ‘Diving Psycho.’ I’m now getting my nitrox certification and a topic came up in training that no one seems to be able to answer to my satisfaction. I understand the basics of oxygen toxicity, but what I don’t understand is why breath-hold divers don’t seem to get it. With all the breath-holding records being set, they clearly are in the range where someone diving on air would be at very high risk. What’s so different about scuba divers versus breath-holders that makes them immune?”
A:Before we get into the answer, let’s do a bit of review for those who may be unfamiliar with oxygen toxicity (ox tox). It turns out that oxygen — that gas we can’t live without — isn’t always our friend. While we can breathe the air in our atmosphere containing 21 percent oxygen for as long as we’re alive, problems arise when we breathe either pure oxygen at surface pressure for too long, or for a much shorter period of time at an elevated partial pressure. (Partial pressure is just a way of describing that fraction within a gas mixture — like air — that’s composed of a certain gas — like oxygen.) Way back in the 19th century it was discovered, quite by accident, that if one breathes oxygen at too high a partial pressure, a nasty condition known as acute oxygen toxicity occurs. It’s characterized by seizures, which means drowning if it takes place underwater. Breathing pure oxygen isn’t something we do in recreational diving, so that’s not the issue here. Where we can get into trouble regarding ox tox is from breathing air or nitrox at too high a partial pressure.
When using compressed air, and remaining within the recreational diving limit of 130 feet, the partial pressure doesn’t get high enough to cause problems. However, as I’m sure you’re learning in your course, elevated oxygen partial pressures can become a concern when using nitrox even at recreational depths. This is why every nitrox mixture has an “MOD” or maximum operating depth.
As you mentioned, world champion breath-hold divers are now reaching depths where, if they were breathing compressed air, oxygen partial pressures would exceed 3.0 ATA. So why aren’t they dropping like flies from acute oxygen poisoning? There are actually a couple of reasons. First, the amount of oxygen in a single breath is minimal compared with a diver continuously breathing compressed air from a scuba tank. More importantly, the breath-hold diver is continually using even that small quantity of oxygen. These factors combined with the very limited time of only minutes apparently make oxygen toxicity a nonissue for freedivers. Unlike DCS, I’ve never seen a report or heard any secondhand accounts of anyone succumbing to “ox tox” while freediving. However, the one thing we know about the human body is that it doesn’t always conform to rules or expectations, which means that we can’t absolutely rule out the possibility of ox tox in deep breath-hold divers.
Q:A reader who asked to remain nameless is contemplating a career move and had a question. “With the economy in the toilet, and my job not all that certain, I’m considering a career change. I love diving and I can’t think of a more enjoyable and rewarding career. I’ve been an active part-time instructor for over five years at my local dive center. The owners like me, and have promised me a full-time job ‘once things turn around.’ The problem is there’s no telling when that will happen, plus I’d really rather work at a resort. I’m hesitant about making a move because I’m almost 50 years old. However, I’m unmarried and don’t have any kids to support, so I don’t expect, nor need, to get rich. But I do have to make a sufficient income. Is this possible given all the factors I mentioned? I’d be very interested to hear your perspective on my predicament.”
A:I’ve spoken to lots of folks in your situation over the years and the only advice that I can offer is that you’re never wrong to follow your heart. Your situation is anything but out of the ordinary. Quite a few full-time dive professionals enter the industry after spending years in a part-time capacity. Only you can answer the question about “sufficient income.” Frankly, this is one of the most difficult issues to generalize about because most of the job opportunities at resorts are outside of the United States. This makes it almost impossible to realistically compare incomes, and requires that you look at the job in the context of the cost of living in that country.
Another factor to consider is that resort-based positions often have compensation packages that include benefits above and beyond salary such as housing, transportation or meals. So, it’s sometimes difficult to even compare apples with apples. For example, many years ago I worked in the Caribbean as a divemaster for a salary of only $600 per month. Even then, my friends thought I was crazy for accepting such a low-paying job. However, my food and lodging — and even my bar bill — were included in my salary package. So, I walked off the island at the end of my contract with almost every penny that I earned (there wasn’t much to spend it on where I worked). The lesson: Always be careful when evaluating income potential. What might be slave wages in one region could let you live in relative luxury in another.
Also, realize that a starting salary is just that: starting. What the high end may become after establishing yourself as a competent and valuable employee depends on you. Remember, this is business and you are compensated based upon your value to an employer. A savvy employer is always on the lookout for good workers, and poor workers —those who think being a divemaster is nothing but fun in the sun — are shown the door in short order.
Regarding the age issue, there is no evidence that there is any “upper limit” on becoming or remaining a recreational diving professional. I know several dive professionals who are in their 60s and some who are septuagenarians. In fact, unlike other segments of our society, age is often valued because it means life experience, even if it wasn’t as a diver. Because people skills are so vital to the successful dive professional, those who have some years under their belts are often more adept at dealing with a wide variety of customers, something any employer values highly.
The bottom line is that I’ve found that when people want something badly enough, they make it happen regardless of the obstacles and discouragement they may encounter. I wish you the best of luck, and can tell you without reservation that I’ve never regretted for one second my decision to spend my career in the diving industry.
Dive Training Quiz
1. As adults, all baleen
whales lack teeth.
A. True
B. False
2. All mammals are warm-blooded
vertebrates that:
A. Use lungs to breathe air.
B. Bear live young.
C. Have fur or hair at some stage of
their development.
D. All of the above.
3. Manatees spend most of their
time in shallow water but come
ashore for mating.
A. True
B. False
4. Non-native fish species can
wreak havoc when introduced into
new environments because:
A. They lack natural predators.
B. Their populations can explode.
C. They can become voracious feeders.
D. All of the above.
5. For freedivers, the key to
understanding a condition
known as shallow-water
blackout can be explained by:
A. Boyle’s law.
B. Charles’ law.
C. Dalton’s law.
D. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
6. Freedivers prepare for a dive
using a three-phased technique
in a predive ritual called the:
A. “Breathe-up.”
B. “Belly-buck.”
C. “Hype.”
D. “Hyper.”
7. Humans can withstand
increasing depth and lack of
oxygen because of a physiologic
adaptation known as:
A. Oxygen Shunting.
B. Psychotropism.
C. Lung Squeeze.
D. Mammalian Diving Reflex.
8. When making an emergency
swimming ascent, a diver must:
A. Exhale a continuous stream
of tiny bubbles.
B. Vent expanding air from the BC.
C. Prepare to ditch weights.
D. All of the above.
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1. A 2. D 3. B 4. D 5. C 6. A 7. D 8. D
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