Whale Shark Swim
Jan/120
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
Children’s Pool Snorkel Day
Jun/110
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"
How to Treat a Stingray or Jellyfish Sting
Mar/110
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.
Sharkshield
Feb/110
For all of you who are afraid of sharks while diving….and you have bad Karma because you still eat shark sandwiches …here is a great solution for you- the Sharkshield!
Diving Safely- Proper Reheating of the Body
Dec/100
One of the secret dangers of SCUBA diving (or doing any type of water sport where you are immersed in water for any length of time) is hypothermia. Much attention is given to having the proper equipment for diving safely; computers, mask, wetsuit, dive plan, BCs, but people also need to consider keeping the body safe from hypothermia. Here are some suggestions from PADI on how to protect yourself from the dangers of slow cooling…..
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 Su
rf-fur!!!
The New and Improved Surf-fur Water Parka!
Oct/100
We just got the production sample in of our new “improved” Surf-fur water parka and it is to DIE for!!! I don’t want to give too much away, but it is warmer, more functional and the best quality stitching and snaps ever!! I think we are ready to roll!
How I Became a Waterman Part II
Oct/090
Lobster season came and went, probably in perfect time. Lobsterring had worn me out – too much of a good thing isn’t always that good.
April 2009 set in and the summer was approaching. I met my buddy Brian in Ocean Beach for a morning surf session filled with perfect 3 ft mushy san diego waves. At least the breakfast across from the Pier was good! On the way home we drove past the spear shack in OB (619-226-2406). Cindy urged me to stop and take a look. I am glad we did. For whatever reason I hadn’t considered building on the lobster diving and working on spear fishing / free diving but after talking to Mark, a super cool guy, I committed to taking his free diving class. I also talked to my buddy Chris who agreed to try the class out as well.
Our schedules didn’t match up for a few months but we finally joined Mark for the free diving/spear fishing excursion in early August. We were joined by 2 others on the boat. After meeting at Mark’s in Point Loma we drove to Mission Bay and launched by about 10 a.m. On an early August sunday. Mark provided everything including the spear guns. We just had to bring lunch. It was a great deal for $100!
So we anchored in 35 ft off of boomers beach in La Jolla. Mark says alright, let’s start by swimming to shore and back two times! What?! I think we all said “you’re kidding right?”, but Mark was already half in the water and raring to go. That was the toughest probably 2 mile swim I have ever done (the only one too)!
It set the tone for the day. Mark did not mess around, he highlighted the importance of safety, breathing, and technique. I learned more that afternoon then I did the previous year. I thought I would be the one with the short breathhold while the others were excelling but after using Mark’s techniques I blew myself away with comfortable breathholds of one and a half minutes to 35 ft followed by dives to 55 ft with ease! We finished the day by learning the ins and outs of spearing which was cool. Mark is a patient and experienced waterman and I would recommend his class to anyone short of an expert freediver.
So that did it. I was hooked. Not only with the challenges of free diving but also the excitement of spear fishing. In the following weeks I came across an excellent website: www.spearboard.com . This is a great forum for spear fishers (spearos) and the place where I have excellent my learning curve.
With the tips I learned at spearboard I went out and started to get my gear together. I started with a spetton excell mask ($52 ebay) and a spetton flexa snokel ($21 ebay). Now these were recommended on spearboard and I like them very much. Although I now know that Mark at the spear shack will match any internet pricing and has the best top of the line gear(I also bought from the spearshack a cressi lince mask and hammerhead snorkel, both of which are very much similar to the spetton products – although I slightly prefer the spetton versions)! I also bought freediving fins(cressi 2000, $50) used from ebay and those have worked great. I had to get the neoprene booties from the spearshack to wear with the fins. I already had weight belts from the year before (I use 4 lbs with my 3/2 and 8 lbs with my 4/3). …but the best purchase was the Ray Odor Pole Spear($55) I bought from Ray Odor’s site.
I wanted to start with a spear gun but the good advice I read was to learn with a pole spear because it is much easier to load between shots(just place the band in between thumb and finger and stretch the band!), it teaches one how to approach fish, and generally just helps one to become comfortable in the spear fishing arena. The pole spear has excellent follow through because of it’s weight but the deceleration is so fast that you need to be within 5′ of the fish to spear it! The spear came ready to use from Ray, although I did buy a separate tip($15 approx) to put on the spear.
So I am all geared up and ready to go at this point, but where to go and what to do? That’s when I turned to spearboard to introduce myself. It turns out that spearboard is not only a great place to talk and learn spear fishing, etc, but a great place to team up with like minded people and go diving.
My first few free dives with the spear I did by myself. I went out locally in Leucadia off of Beacon’s beach. I kicked out to the kelp and proceeded to take a look around with my new spear. I quickly realized I had two problems. Problem #1: what happens if I shoot the pole spear and lose sight of it, won’t I potentially lose it?
Problem #2: sharks! Swimming in open water by myself is spooky. Swimming with a spear is just a little comforting and making it out to the kelp is just a little comforting as well. …but it’s constantly in the back of my head! More on sharks later.
So problem #1 I solved really quick when I posted the question on spear board. The answer was “don’t let go of the spear”. What?!? Sure enough I tried it out next time. Naturally when you shoot the spear your hand grabs onto the rubber band. Therefore you never worry about losing it, just pay attention to grabbing the rubber band and all is good. It actually feels natural!
So at this point I feel a little comfortable with the spear and I feel increasingly comfortable in the water. My next step is to start spearing fish. …but where to go and what to do?
Breathing Techniques
Oct/090
I need to start out by saying- don’t ever try these techniques on your own without a dive buddy watching. Breathing techniques not only slow down your heart rate but also oxygenate the blood AND remove CO2 from the bloodstream. Why is this dangerous? Because CO2 is what tells the brain to take a breath. Less CO2 equals less brain signals which equals longer bottom time but also potential to stay down too long! …at least this is my understanding.
So now that we understand the fun aspects of breathing techniques let’s get down to the nuts and bolts 
. There were 4 techniques that we were taught by Mark. the advice was to try all 4 but also never perform hyperventillation as the last technique. Also these techniques can be done during the 4 minutes on the surface between dives.
Technique #1: hyperventillating. This is a series of short inhales and exhales, less then a second a piece, which quickly remove CO2 from the blood. These also cause lightheadedness so be careful. If trying these at all which I advise against, always do these as the first technique and only for approx 30 seconds.
Technique #2: deep breaths
Breath in and out in a slow controlled manner. All the way in till absolutely full, then all the way out pushing every last bit of air out. These take about 3 seconds for every inhales and about 3 seconds for every exhale. No faster then this pace. These are my preferred method.
Technique #3: hook breath
Inhale till lungs full and hold for about 4 seconds. Flex chest muscles by crossing forearms in front of chest then exhale. Repeat for one minute.
Technique #4: deep slow breaths
Similar to technique #2, these should be the final breaths. Take deep, slow, yoga type breaths which act to really slow the heart down and relax you. There is no pushing or over filling like technique #2.
Finally when you are ready to dive, inhale your breath using your stomach (diaphragm) and inhale as much as possible (see diagram below). This will fill your lower lungs. Finally fill your upper lungs by expanding your chest and capture as much air in the lungs as comfortable. DO NOT PACK BREATHS. If you do not know what packing is then don’t worry, there is no need for it and it can be dangerous.
…And the last step to a long breath hold is to kick out your snorkel mouthpiece! This causes the mammalian reflex when your lips are pursed and under water. This technique should help with a longer breath hold.
So that’s it! With these techniques you should be able to really increase your bottom time. Remember, CO2 is your friend, so if diving alone do not perform breath holding techniques.
Broad Ocean Conservation Goals Pose Significant New Challenges
Sep/090
|
|||
 |
|||
|
Ironically, areas that have the least amount of human impact are now becoming more accessible to humans due to climate change. A new management plan proposed by the Obama administration is aiming to make some big changes in federal ocean management. The plan sets a national goal of ocean resource protection and creates an ocean council to guide a new ecosystem- based approach. It addresses many areas of ocean policy including offshore energy exploration, agricultural runoff, general conservation, fisheries management and recreation of beachgoers like you! At its core, the new plan aims to set up a new National Ocean Council of top-level officials, who will then guide the new “ecosystem based” approach to ocean management. for the full story in the NY times, visit |
Don’t Eat Sharks And They Won’t Eat You
Sep/090
That is our motto over here at the lab. Since we spend so much time in the water, we want to make sure that Karma is on our side. We don’t eat sharks, period. We started to surf the web to see what is new and interesting in the area of saving sharks. Here is some awesome information that is just the tip of the shark fin… 
Despite the common myth that sharks are mindless “eating machines”, only a few shark species are dangerous to humans. Out of the hundreds of species, only 3 have been involved in a significant number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger and bull sharks. In 2006, according to the International Shark Attack File, there were a total of 62 unprovoked attacks recorded worldwide, of which four were fatal. Considering the millions of beach-goers and recreational ocean users, this is an incredibly small number. In fact, you are more likely to be killed by a vending machine than by a shark.Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems but their stocks are in serious trouble. More than one hundred million sharks are killed by fisheries every year. They are intentionally harvested for their fins, meat or liver oil, and they are incidentally caught as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species.
Sharks are highly migratory and regularly cross national boundaries. However, outside of Antarctica, there are no international limits on shark harvest. With increasing demand for shark fin soup, and little protection, sharks worldwide are at great risk.
Sharks generally rely on their superior sense of smell to find prey, but they also have the ability to sense movement and electrical fields created by prey. Their place in the marine food web is essential for a healthy ocean ecosystem.
The view of the shark as a solitary hunter, roaming the oceans in search of food is only true for a few species with most living far more sedentary lives on the ocean floor. Some sharks are highly social, remaining in large schools. Even solitary sharks meet to breed or on rich hunting grounds, which may lead them to cover thousands of miles in a year. Migration patterns in sharks may be even more complex than in birds, with many sharks covering entire ocean basins.
Several organizations are working in waters all over the world to protect and restore shark populations. Through their policy, science, legal and communications work, they are pushing for true international finning bans, species specific shark management and reduced shark bycatch, as well as decreasing the demand for shark products such as shark fin soup and cosmetic products containing squalene. The loss of sharks, many of which are top predators, will have devastating and unpredictable consequences for ocean ecosystems. Immediate action is needed to protect sharks.
“If the currect trajectory of destruction to the world’s oceans continues unabated, by the year 2048, we can all look forward to a lifeless, putrid body of water lapping at what will be our scum-ridden, trash-covered seashores,”according to Keith Addis, Oceana board member who has been working to save our oceans for 20 years. However, he is optimistic about reversing the damage that has been done. “The most important issues to monitor are over-fishing, bottom trawling and climate change.Currently, we are removing half a billion pounds of protein a day form the oceans, two and a half times more than scientists say the oceans can sustain. To reverse the damage from what is essentially the industrial strip mining of the bottom of the ocean, essentially for a few shrimp, would take 125,000 years. And climate change, among other things, is increasingly acidifying the oceans to levels that are severly disrupting the aquatic food chain.”
What can you do? Eat only sustainably caught fish, check out some of the organizations below and donate to one or two in your name or give as Christmas presents, and or get involved.
Here are some great links;
*Flordia Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department: shark attack files by region, ways to avoid a shark attack, stats, trends and analysis of shark attacks.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm
*Predators As Prey: Why Healthy Oceans Need Sharks. A current report from Oceana on the health of shark populations and why we need them in our oceans.
http://oceana.org/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/Sharks/Predators_as_Prey_FINAL_FINAL.pdf
* Top 10 most shark infested beaches in the world…according to Forbes.
www.forbestraveler.com/islands-beaches/shark-infested-beaches-story.html and click on the “slideshow” to view the
The best Shark movie ever written and directed by Rob Stewart, Biologist.
www.sharkwater.com to download movie.
www.SeaShepherd.org- one of our favorite organizations.
Reef Quest Center for Shark Research www.elasmo-research.org