Basic Life Support

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/quiz/blsfa

Here is this month's quiz that all of should do well on if we have had the pleasure of taking CPR & First Aid w/J.J. & Vera. Hopefully we will never have to use it, but you never know when you might get called into action. So take a course if you have not already. Don't forget to get O2 certified as well in the event you are reqd to assist in a diving incident like AGE, DCI, etc. 

Dippy Diver & Coprolite- Fun to Learn From Our Faux Pas'

I wanted to post a blog to explain again the reason for the monthly call for nominations for the "Dippy Diver" and the "Coprolite" awards. Over this year there have been very few nominations for either. It's not because we have not been diving, but I think there is a belief that you are "ratting" out a partner. The Dippy Diver is for somewhat goofy things that we do that are not necessarily safety related ot they would be in the Coprolite category. Some examples include instead of driving to WPB Major & I thought it would be fun to drive all over the friggin state looking for a place to dive. I don't believe we ever dove, but drove 400 miles that day trying to. How about a mis-communication on who's picking up who for a dive only to leave the person stranded. I think it's a good thing for us to laugh at ourselves.

On a more serious note the Coprolite nominations are more for safety faux pas's we have made during a dive, like towing the dive flag underwater vice on top as it is supposed to be visible to boaters; jumping in the water and after struggling to descend realize that you forgot your weight belt or not checking to see if your air is turned on only to jump in and take a very non-existent inhalation on your regulator. Although these sound like things you might want to talk about iat a meeting they are constant reminder that we can make mistakes and hopefully by sharing those stories all of us can learn and think about what we can continue to do to be safe divers. That is one of our biggest mantras we have is that we teach safety, promote safety and practice safety! Let's all step up and bring some nominations to the meetings. No need to be embarassed! No one is going to think less of you! I know I have had my share of both as many in the club have. See you at the meeting! r2

Did He or Didn't He?

http://www.cdnn.info/special-report/gabe_watson/gabe_watson.html

I normally would not ask that any of you watch the Lifetime Network, but Saturday nite @ 8PM Lifetime will air "Fatal Honeymoon" that is based on the true story of Gabe Watson  and his wife who mysteriously died while diving in Australia on their honeymoon. If you watch I hope you enjoy. I'll be watching!  v/r rick

I Can't EAR You

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/Medsim/Ears

We always hear about various squeezes when we dive; mask squeeze, sinus squeeze, but probably the most prevalent is ear squeeze. Don't equalize from the start of your descent and you could blow an eardrum. Worse yet you could damage your anvil, stirrup, coclea, semi-circular canals. What the heck am I talking about you say? Well if you take a few minutes to look at the link I have provided you get an excellent simulation of what the ear is all about! Understand a little of the physiology of the ear and it might help you when you feel squeezed.  Ciao!

Dive Accident Mgmnt/Decompression Illness

As I mentioned in the last blog earlier this month our club prides itself on our emphasis on safety. Yes we joke about somewhat with our Coprolite Award, but the dive training we teach, and the additional training we offer our members in Advanced Open Water, Nitox, Search &Rescue, CPR, O2 for Dive Related Accidents & First Aid all attest to keeping ourselves and our dive buddies safe. Take this month's quiz to test your knowledge on what to do when things do go bad and we know they can. Thx for being and staying safe! r2


http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/quiz/Dive_Accident_Management__DCI/

So You Think You Are A Safe Diver! Try the Quiz

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/quiz/safe_diver

One thing our Club is noted for is our emphasis on safety and being safe divers. We have already seen this year that even a well-trained, well equipped diver can have troubles that unfortunately can lead to serious injury or even worse...loss of life. Try this month's quiz and see what you learn about how safe you feel you are.

I would also like to personally thank our illustrious club poet who so kindly included some nifty safety limericks in the recent Triton's Call. They were right on the mark as reminders of some of the perils and pitfalls that can occur as we enjoy the world under the surface. Cheers til next month. I am hoping to report that there were no divers lost to the "bug hunt" at the end of the month.

DAN's Top 10 In Dive Related Emergencies

http://www.alertdiver.com/The_DAN_Emergency_Hotline_Top_10_List

Here is an excellent list of things to do that could come in handy in the event of a dive related injury and/or emergency.

Weeki Wachee Tragedy

The below was provided to us by one of our club members, Ricky Dumm, who is very active in NACD. It is a grim reminder of the inherent dangers of scuba diving where we should always keep mindful of what can go wrong, and what to do if it does. As we have seen in some of the caverns we have dived in Florida and for those cave divers who have seen or felt the enormous force coming from our underwater aquifer system it does not take long to pushed up very rapidly or into a ceiling and knocked unconscious all of which can lead to serious trouble. Be safe as you always are! v/r rick (R2)

Subject: Weeki WacheeHey Rick,You had mentioned the other day about the death at Weeki Wachee and here is some information taken from the Cave Diver Forum:On 3/31/2012 at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida, KARST Underwater Research (KUR) team members were performing a series of dives which included entering and exiting the cave system. Marson Kay, a two-year veteran of KUR's all volunteer team, drowned while exiting the cave system. The following information, based on eye witness and forensic evidence, provides some insight into this tragic accident.Following a successful dive into the cave at 180 feet, Marson Kay signaled he was exiting. From that point, a 1/2" braided white rope leads upwards to 142 feet, where the crevasse area of the cavern begins. Although the cave narrows at this point, the rope, now colored orange with a diameter of 7/16", is placed in the largest easement leading to a depth of 68 feet, where daylight clearly can be seen at all times. Instead of following the ropes as he had done multiple times in the past, Marson rapidly moved into a highly restrictive area of the crevasse. It is believed that this behavior was not a calculated decision but a reaction caused by the affects of an embolism he incurred while rapidly ascending from depth. According to the coroner's evaluation, Marson developed a cerebral arterial gas embolism prior to his death. Typically, this condition causes profound changes in mental functioning including disorientation, blindness, paralysis, seizures and loss of consciousness within minutes or even seconds of onset. If it occurs after surfacing, it is often fatal or profoundly disabling even with prompt recompression therapy; when it occurs underwater, the incapacity or unconsciousness it causes almost always results in drowning.Although safety divers were in visual contact and additional safety gas cylinders were in place, he rapidly pushed himself upward into an area where even side-mount divers could not easily access. Several attempts were made to communicate, by means of light signals as well as touch contact. Although Marson was still moving at this time, he did not directly respond to these communication attempts. After approximately 5 minutes, divers reported Marson was no longer utilizing his regulator. A subsequent review of his equipment indicated that Marson had approximately half of his gas supply remaining in both of his tanks and his regulators appeared to be working properly.Cave diving is an intrinsically dangerous activity, just as rock-climbing, mountain biking and even horseback riding. All cave divers understand the risks of diving in underwater caves and accept them as an inescapable part of the activity they are so passionate about. Marson's accidental death is great personal loss to all that knew and loved him as well as to our team. We will do the best we can to honor his memory.

How do you know your O2? Take the quiz!

Many of us have had O2 Training w/Vera. See how much you can remember by taking this quiz. It does not hurt to keep fresh in areas that can come in handy some day although I hope you never get into an extremus situation that requires O2 to be used.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/quiz/oxygen_first_aid_quiz

Do You Know Your Heart? I know it was Valentine's Day this week and I hope y'all had a good one, but now I want to test your knowledge with this month's quiz from DAN. Take a few minutes to answer the 11 question quiz and get smart about your heart! r2

http://www.alertdiver.com/?articleNo=731

Now You Know

In case you thought you knew where the poisonous spines on the beautiful and ornate Lionfish are here is a good pictoral view of exactly which ones are and which ones aren't. This website reference provided by Major Nimock. "Save the Reef, Kill a LIonfish". OBTW they are a tasty fish. r2



http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/07/10/science/earth/FISH.html

Thermal Stress And Diving Quiz Jan 2012

Give it a try! Although we may not experience ice diving there are many facets of varied temps that we can dive in within Florida or some of the other regions of the world our divers go. Brush up on what many of us have forgotten over theyears when it comes to diving in extreme temps. r2
http://www.alertdiver.com/Thermal_Stress