Diving and Death: Florida's Spiegel Grove

Here is the full article that JJ was referring to when he gave his presentation on "task loading" during the January meeting. It's a long read, but well worth the time it takes to read it. It's hard to believe that experienced divers would make these mistakes...

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http://www.cdnn.info/news/article/a070517.html

TUSA REGULATOR RECALL


http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/News/Article.aspx?newsid=985635171

Kiteboarder killed by sharks in WPB

Shark attacks are rare, but here is one that hits close to home. Keep in mind that this kiteboarder was at the surface. It's well known that Great Whites frequent our area in the winter, as they follow the whales that arrive to give birth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35233439/ns/us_news-life/

URGENT SAFETY RECALL

Mares Diving has announced a product safety recall involving the NEMO Air dive computer. Under certain circumstances, the O-ring can fail and cause a slow leak of breathing gas through the Quick Connector. This could require a diver to surface quickly and face possible risk of injury or running out of air.

Consumers should stop using any NEMO dive computer until they have been inspected and repaired by an authorized Mares Dealer or Service Center.

Guys & Gals,

Here are the answers to the Scuba Quiz. The reference for this quiz is the NOAA Diver's Manual. Please don't shoot the messenger if you don't agree with the answers!

Question 1: SCUBA stands for "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus". True

Question 2: Decompression sickness: All the above

Question 3: Nitrogen Narcosis: is similar to alcohol intoxication

Question 4: Underwater pressure doubles every 10 meters while diving. False

Question 5: What % of oxygen and nitrogen are in a standard scuba tank? 21% oxygen 78% nitrogen 1% other

Question 6: An object is less buoyant in ________ than _______? fresh water salt water

Question 7: Holding your breath while scuba diving... is extremely dangerous.

Question 8: The term used for this piece of equipment is... the second stage.

Question 9: Water absorbs heat fasted than air. True

Question 10: If a diver becomes unresponsive underwater, one should... bring immediately to the surface.

Question 11: A thermocline is... an abrupt change in water temperature.

Question 12: As you descend, you consume air from your scuba tank... Faster

Question 13: One reason buoyancy control is important is because need to control their rate of ascent and descent in the water. True

Question 14: A squeeze is a... pressure imbalance where the outside of an object is greater than the inside of an object.

Question 15: Underwater, items you see will appear... magnified by 33%.

Question 16: When the (flat) hand moves side to side (under the chin), the hand signal means...
Out of air.

Question 17: One reason a depth gauge is important is because... Depth dictates how long you can stay underwater.

Question 18: (Waving your hand in an arc from overhead to the water), the hand signal means...Distress/Help

Question 19: BCD stands for... Buoyancy control device.

Interesting Reading

I'm learning about how to use this blog. Came across this article in Cyber Diver News Network, from here on noted as CDNN. It's just another reminder of the many dangers inherent in scuba diving. According to this article, "dive operators in the Cayman Islands typically ignore government regulations aimed at enhancing diver safety." Check it out. If you are unable to click on the link, just copy and paste the link into your web browser.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s090922c.html

February Meeting

Hello Fellow Divers,

I'm new at this, so please bear with me as I learn how to use this blog. The purpose of this blog is to bring you pertinemt safety information that you can use to be safe divers. Stay tuned for more info.