Saftey from Hypothermia
Jul/090
(technical facts from Wikipedia)
Hypothermia is a condition in which an organism’s temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and bodily functions. In warm-blooded animals, core body temperature is maintained near a constant level through biologic homeostasis. But, when the body is exposed to cold, its internal mechanisms may be unable to replenish the heat that is being lost to the organism’s surroundings.
Stage 1-Body temperature drops by 1-2°C (1.8-3.6°F) below normal temperature (35-37°C or 95-98.6°F). Mild to strong shivering occurs. The victim is unable to perform complex tasks with the hands; the hands become numb. Blood vessels in the outer extremities constrict. Breathing becomes quick and shallow. Goose bumps form, raising body hair on end in an attempt to create an insulating layer of air around the body. Victim may feel sick to their stomach, and very tired. Often, a person will experience a warm sensation, as if they have recovered, but they are in fact heading into Stage 2. Another test to see if the person is entering stage 2 is if they are unable to touch their thumb with their little finger; this is the first stage of muscles not working. They might start to have trouble seeing.
Stage 2- Body temperature drops by 2-4°C (3.8-7.6°F) below normal temperature (33-35°C or 91-94.8°F). Shivering becomes more violent. Muscle mis-coordination becomes apparent. Movements are slow and labored, accompanied by a stumbling pace and mild confusion, although the victim may appear alert. Surface blood vessels contract further as the body focuses its remaining resources on keeping the vital organs warm. The victim becomes pale. Lips, ears, fingers and toes may become blue.
Stage 3- Body temperature drops below approximately 32 °C (89.6 °F). Shivering usually stops. Difficulty speaking, sluggish thinking, and amnesia start to appear; inability to use hands and stumbling is also usually present. Cellular metabolic processes shut down. The exposed skin becomes blue and puffy, muscle coordination becomes very poor, walking becomes almost impossible, and the victim exhibits incoherent/irrational behavior including terminal burrowing or even a stupor. Pulse and respiration rates decrease significantly, but fast heart rates can occur. Major organs fail. Clinical death occurs.
Water sportsmen are in even more danger of getting hypothermia because the body loses heat 10 times faster in water than in air of the same temperature. Prolonged periods in the water may produce long, slow cooling and undetected hypothermia, even in tropical water. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) suggests that water sportsmen, especially divers, use protective garments to heat up before, in between, and after dives to insure that the body heat has been restored.
Appropriate clothing (see Surf-fur) helps to prevent hypothermia. Wearing cotton in chilly weather or while enjoying watersports is a particular hypothermia risk as it retains water, and water quickly conducts heat away from the body. Even in dry weather, cotton clothing can become damp from perspiration, and chilly after the wearer stops exercising. Synthetic and wool fabrics provide far better insulation when wet and dry more quickly. Some synthetic fabrics are even designed to wick perspiration away from the body, like fleece.
Given the facts, the Surf-fur is the best garment on the market for protecting from hypothermia. Made of polyester fleece, the Surf-fur is an all-around protective utility dive parka / stadium coat that offers comfort, warmth and safety. It wicks water away from the body and it can be worn immediately after exiting the water. Surf-fur helps the body warm up in-between dives or heats (surf/swim) to re-heat your body to safe and comfortable levels. Do you ever notice how you shiver for hours after being in the water? That is because you have not yet adequately re-heated your body after being immersed in water.
Besides keeping warm and dry, the Surf-FUR coat can be used for changing, wrapping and storing wetsuits in the car, and wearing over a wetsuit to keep the car seats dry.
Dude, only use biodegradable sunscreen in the ocean!
Jun/090
Before going to the beach, you always want to use sun protection. ALWAYS use a product that is safe for the ocean and its’ inhabitants.
Some of the most harmful ingredients that many sunscreens contain, including some that are 
actually biodegradable (such as those made by Nature’s Gate and Australian Gold) are PABA, octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, oils, chemicals or the preservative butylparaben. If your sunscreen has any of these ingredients, it is not safe for use in coral reefs.
According to the report in Environmental Health Perspectives, experiments in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt showed researchers that “sunscreens, by promoting viral infection, can potentially play an important role in coral bleaching in areas prone to high levels of recreational use by humans.” Potentially 10 percent of the world’s coral reefs are at risk for bleaching due to chemicals found in sunscreen. These chemicals can trigger viral infections affecting symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, that live within reef-building coral, the researchers said. When the zooxanthellae, which provide food energy for the coral, die or leave the coral, the coral turns white and dies.
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ccording to the Pacific Whale Foundation, research estimated that 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen wash off annually in the world’s oceans. According to the study, about 25 percent of sunscreen ingredients on the skin are released in the water within 20 minutes. Even with low doses, environmental stress occurred within 18 to 48 hours, and complete bleaching of corals occurred within 96 hours (from www.pacificwhale.org).
Some of the best “reef safe” brands are Soleo Organics (although a little greasy- www.naturalwellness.com) $18, Carribean Solutions (www.carribean-sol.com) $8.50-$17, UV Natural $18.75-$35, and Reef Safe Sunscreen (www.pacificwhalestore.org) $10. They are all reef and ocean safe and completely biodegradable.
When applying sunscreen, put it on at home without your suit on, let it dry and then put your suit and clothing on. When you get to the water, put another layer on and let it dry. Make sure you dry off and reapply every 45 minutes to an hour (if you are in the water) and let the sunscreen dry again before going back into the water.
Techniques On Stopping A Longboard Skateboard
Jun/090
From http://boardsportszone.com/headline/longboarding-tips-stopping/
Cool information on stopping on your longboard skateboard. Always useful when heading down a gnarley road.
Stopping on a longboard is one of the most crucial steps to becoming a better longboarder. It may take awhile to learn some of these techniques but it’s well worth it for your safety. Besides who actually likes getting road rash?
1. Air Braking – Standing straight up with your arms out to increase wind resistance and lower your overall speed.
Wind braking is a very effective technique to decrease your speed (to about 25-30mph if done properly) and is extremely useful when doing downhill. It’s nice to be able to shave some speed off so you can take a turn easier or avoid a potential obstacle.
2. Footbraking – Taking one foot off the skateboard and dragging it along the pavement to increase friction and decrease your speed.
Footbraking is one of the most effective ways to stop and is fairly easy to learn. You simply take your back foot off the board and press it down lightly increasing the weight slowly on your dragging foot so you don’t eat asphalt. I recommend learning footbraking as soon as you start longboarding, it’s extremely useful and can save you a lot of skin.
3. Carving – Turning across the road back and forth.
Carving is probably one of the first things you’ll learn when first starting to longboard. It is one of the best ways to reduce speeds but is pretty hard to come to a complete stop when going fast. The more aggressive and wider the carves the more your going to slow down.
4. Running it off – Jumping off your longboard and trying to run off the speed.
This is probably one of the worst and most dangerous ways to try and stop when going fast. For a new longboarder this is the first thing you think of doing when you start going beyond your limits. It’s very easy to underestimate how fast your going so be sure to know you can actually run the speed off. I certainly don’t recommend this method and your sure to eat some pavement if you make a habit out of it.
5. Sliding – Breaking the skateboard’s wheels out in a controlled movement.
Sliding is hands down the most effective way to stop when longboarding and learning how to do it will make you a much better rider. It is the hardest method to learn but it is well worth it if your going to be going fast. The most popular kinds of slides are the Coleman, Bert and Standup.
6.Rolling off the road – Rolling from the road to another surface to cause friction.
This method involves rolling off the road onto some other surface such as grass or dirt to try and kill off any speed. It certainly is better than running off the board but it can be a bit risky and should only be used as a last resort.
7. Ride it out – Staying on your longboard till the road flattens and coming to a stop naturally.
The best and usually easiest method of stopping. When doing any downhill runs always make sure to scope out the bottom and make sure you have ample room to ride it out and slow down.
So get out there and start practicing these ways of stopping.