You don’t need to go all the way to the Caribbean to swim with Whale sharks!

http://news.discovery.com/videos/animals-swimming-with-sharks.html

This is in my budget.

Hope they aren’t napping when I am visiting…

http://news.discovery.com/videos/animals-sperm-whales-caught-napping.html

And this is just a great title…sea urchin orgies?!

http://news.discovery.com/videos/animals-preventing-sea-urchin-orgies.html

He was following everyone around the beach.

We went down to La Jolla this weekend to check out the Children’s pool. According to the law, People do have a right to use the beach at Children’s pool, but they need to stay clear of the seals, don’t disturb them if they are hanging out sleeping, and DON”T try to pet them. San Diego Freedivers were down there to share the beach with the seals…we each had opposite sides except for the little elephant seal that was sick. He came very close to us and did not look well. Seaworld was called and he was taken back to get some much needed medical care.

A big fish was caught…7 gill shark…and was eaten right on the beach with the BBQ grill. At first, I was not keen on the idea of cooking up a shark in front of the “Friends of the seals” that are there everyday, but the Freedivers needed to show that they do actually EAT the fish they catch. It does not go to waste.

I felt bad for the “Friends” and hope they didn’t feel uncomfortable watching that, but they tend to get a little radical at times and the freedivers had to do that.

it says "Enjoy the Beach" not "stay away"

My friend just bought a new surfboard and asked me to take her out for a lesson. Of course, I agreed! However, after the first 5 minutes into the post lesson- try-out-what-I -just- showed- you part, she stepped on a stingray. Being a seasoned surfer and waterperson, I know to shuffle my feet in the water. I always tell my students to do the same, but she forgot. So…what to do? My friend is crying out in pain and I see a huge hole in the side of her foot….eeew.

EEeeeeeeeewwwww!

First, wipe the area clean and remove any booties or clothing from the area. Then, Soak the affected limb in the hottest water tolerable for at least an hour (this does not mean pee on it!). Try to do this as soon as possible to stop the venom from becoming active.  Because stingray venom is composed of heat-labile proteins, putting the stung area in hot water will alter the tertiary structure of the polypeptide protein molecule by denaturing and thereby deactivating the poison. Ultimately this means that the venom will have less effect. Not only does the hot water help with the venom, but at the same time it will significantly reduce the amount of pain the victim is experiencing.   Other sources of heat such as a high power spotlight, engine manifold covered with a damp towel or hot car hood covered with a damp towel can also be used with caution. An instant hot pack like the kind used in glove warmers may be a good thing to keep on hand in your first aid kit when venturing into stingray territory. An open flame of any kind is probably to dangerous too use due to risk of burning the skin but may be considered if great care is taken to avoid burning and nothing else is available.Beach lifeguards sometimes keep buckets of hot water around the station on busy summer days – you could ask to use it. The venom will often become gel or jelly-like and ooze from the open wound–this is desired.

Wrap the wound in a makeshift bandage from any available clean, lint-free cloth soaked in hot water once the wound has stopped oozing. Use a topical antibiotic to reduce the chance of infection and relieve pain. Don’t bother wasting time and money going to he emergency room right away since there is nothing they can do but watch you scream out in pain and charge you for a bed. The sting will go away in an hour or so. However, if the wound site shows any signs of infection, such as redness, prolonged swelling, or pus, seek medical attention immediately. Topical antibiotics are not a substitute for proper medical attention. Untreated infections can result in loss of limbs or death.

Jelly fish stings are a little different. They have tentacles that inject poison and keep pumping as long as they are attached to you. If you get stung, wash off the tentacles and stingers with rubbing alcohol. In case of sting, follow these first aide procedures;

• Remove the patient from the water.
• Try to calm the patient so they avoid extra contact with active tentacle.
• Do not rub with sand or a towel!
• Avoid getting stung yourself!
• Do not apply a compression bandage!

Inactivate adherent tentacles by the application, in copious quantities, of vinegar, which prevents further nematocyst discharge by ‘fixing’ the cells. As little as 30 seconds application of 5% acetic acid will prevent further nematocyst discharge. Most household vinegar is in the range 4.2 to 5.5% and is quite suitable for the task.

Remove adherent tentacle – ideally after full inactivation. It is wise to continue to apply vinegar during this process and to use tweezers.

Try simple methods of pain relief. Neither vinegar or methylated spirits are useful as analgesics.

If anti-venom and steroids are available they should be administered as soon as possible.

Some people are allergic, so an antihistamine would be good to take if you start to really swell up. Some jelly fish wash up on shore dead. Be careful with those as well since their stingers could still contain poison and still be active.

In the future….remember to SHUFFLE YOUR FEET WHEN WALKING in the sandy shallows and don’t go near stingrays even if they are dead on the beach.

1. Safety
2. Necessity
3. Comfort/Looks/Improvements

Along the lines of necessity I recently purchased a trident tip for my Ray Odor Pole Spear (which happens to come with a standard 6mm thread).  It’s embarrassing to admit (and unfortunately wasteful) that I recently shot a Halibut that got away.  I like to think that it was able to heal and live on but chances are the wounded fish probably didn’t have much chance.  This incident provided a learning opportunity and to that end I researched and sought advice on the best way to shoot halibut.

I frequent spearboard.com and came across a great thread regarding halibut spearing.  After digesting the information I came away with 3 alterations I am moving forward with:

1. Use a trident tip on the polespear.  A trident tip serves 2 purposes which are to immobilize the fish and also to ensure the spear tip remains in the fish.

2. If not using a trident tip ensure the halibut is speared with the head pointing towards the diver.  Also spear at a 45 deg angle and hold the polespear firmly after shooting to make sure the halibut swims up the shaft.  This will help to land the fish.
3. If using a flopper then consider placing a rubber band under the flopper to make sure it remains engaged after penetrating the fish (like in the photo below).

4. Halibut are strong fish! After shooting do not “fight” the fish.  Have a good float line with bungee section so that the fish isn’t pulling at the spear tip to get away but rather swimming against the flexible bungee section.  Eventually the fish will tire and rest on the bottom.  Have the float line attached to a good float (I just purchased a “Bank’s Board” from John at www.banksboard.com).

I was really excited when the trident tip arrived that I went out in sloppy conditions (windy and choppy) but my excitement paid off.  With about 3′ of visibility I searched the same and eel grass for about an hour and finally spotted a halibut.  I took aim, fired, and was amazed when the fish barely moved.  The trident tip just immobilized it as advertised.  Furthermore I had a little trouble dislodging the spear tip from the fish which was good (this bodes well for not losing fish in the future).

All in all it was a rewarding experience and a great lesson learned.

Because water has a specific heat approximately 1000 times greater than that of air and a thermal conductivity 24 times greater than that of air, the body loses heat much faster in water than in air of the same temperature.

Use of apparently adequate thermal protection in prolonged dives, or repeated dives over several days, may produce long slow cooling and undetected hypothermia even in tropical water.

At the end of a dive, a cold diver should be re-warmed.  Cold divers should not make a second dive on the same day, because it is difficult to know when body heat has been restored. However, if a second dive is necessary, it is advisable to overdo the re-warming until sweating occurs, which indicates that body heat has been restored.  The diver should then change into warm, dry clothing and continue some mild exercise to improve heat production and circulation.

Five Strategies for Preserving Body Heat:

For a more comfortable and ultimately safer dive follow these tips for conserving body heat.

 Stay warm before the dive. Heat loss is gradual and can start long before you get to the dive site.

 Stay warm between repetitive dives. Standing around in wet gear between dives can add to your body’s deprivation of warmth through evaporative heat loss.

 Get warmed up as soon as possible after a dive. You can start on the dive boat by toweling off and getting into dry clothes.

 You can develop hypothermia without immediately recognizing it. When choosing your exposure suit, err on the side of thermal protection.

  Become an educated consumer. Visit your local dive shop and have them show you the different styles of protective garments and accessories. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

This is a case for the Surf-fur!!!

New Feature #1

A cozy neckwarmer has been added to the inner neckline. When you snap it up, it is like a warm fuzzy scarf has been placed lovingly around your neck. It will bring you back to the days when mom used to dress you for the 4 minute walk to school right after the big snow storm. The difference is that only one layer is required and you will still be able to put your arms fully down to your sides and turn your head….

New Feature #2

A BIGGER Ipod/ key pocket on the inside

Now you can put your Ipod, money clip, Blackberry, wedding ring, diamond tennis bracelet, AND your keys to the Ferrari in there. It fully velcros shut to lock them in.

New Feature #3

Zen Pockets. Ok, it is not really new…just moved around a bit to a better place… and feeling more …Zen…Om. Now, extreeme caution needs to be used when putting your hand through to the other side. It is for p-u-l-l-i-n-g  UP  p-a-n-t-s and helping you change easily and in privacy.

New Feature #4

Cool toggle used to tighten up the hood for those extra brisk days (this feature has been road tested in Chicago). It will be black, not red.

And the moment everyone has been waiting for……..New Feature #5

New and Improved SNAPS!! These are the highest quality snaps we could find on the market!

And, as always, they are fully wind-proof, water-resistant, breathable and cool looking.

Order yours today!

The parkas are everything you’ve claimed of them and will be a standard part of our dive gear in the future.

“I really like the snap features on the Surf-fur water parka. I pictured myself accidentally falling off the boat with your average dive parka on…one with zippers…and it would be pretty hard to take that coat off under water. I would drown. The Surf-fur snaps will just need a good yank and all snaps pop open.”

He continued to purchase one for all of his kids and his wife. Thanks for that interesting new insight on snaps!