Tag Archive
Cocos Island: An Ocean Oasis
Cocos divers are a committed bunch. (Some might opine that they should actually be committed... to a room with padded walls wearing jackets with sleeves that tie behind you.) First of all, it's not a cheap investment and there's the little matter of a two-day sea crossing of nearly 400 miles just to get there. Upon arrival you are afforded the opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds (maybe thousands) of schooling hammerhead sharks. And tuna the size of NFL linemen, mantas, various billfish, dolphin, bait balls, scores of marble rays the size of coffee tables, and a million or so schools of big eye jack and other species I'm still trying to identify. And, of yeah, you've got an odds on chance of swimming with a whale shark or two and seeing a humpback whale. I began leading trips to Cocos back in 1996 when we used the Sea Hunter fleet as a proving ground for the first editions of the Draeger semi-closed circuit rebreather. If there was ever a location that was better match for the silent stealth of rebreathers, I can't imagine where we might look. [caption id="attachment_1115" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Schooling hammerheads"][/caption] Cocos had already made its reputation as the best big animal dive region in the world. The advent of affordable rebreathers just made it better. Sort of like initially visiting the wild animals of the African Serengetti from a mile away through a spotting scope and then donning a cloak of invisibility to walk among them up close. Prior to 1996, if you wanted to have any real chance at close encounters with the legendary schooling hammerheads, you were forced to dig in to a nook on the bottom, wait for a wave of sharks to approach, and then hold your breath as long as you could. Once the exhaust... More »
A Seaplane Rendezvous: “You Can’t Get There From Here”
I was on assignment nearly two decades ago when scheduling screw-ups got me into the airport late for a trip on Peter Hughes' liveaboard SEA DANCER, I discovered that I had literally "missed the boat". Stranded in Miami with dive model Mary Riley and a load of camera equipment and dive gear, I called my editor to see what could be worked out. "Yeah, we can get you to Provo on tomorrow's plane but the SEA DANCER sailed today and will be down in West Caicos by the time you get in. And there's no airport, no roads and no scheduled boat service. We'll make some calls and get back to you." I hung up with that inspiring promise. Just trying to find a hotel room within a 50-mile radius of Miami in the aftermath of the 1992 hurricane was enough challenge. Watching a blistering cold front whip up white caps in the hotel pool forced us to take shelter in front of Spectra-vision to ponder how many times you can watch Home Alone or 3-D Prison Girls in Bondage. (Answer: twice if you have popcorn, three times if you have the IQ of a weight belt.) The mood was sour. We were out of quarters for the Vibra-Bed and tonight's feature was Wayne's World. Help! Then the phone rang. It was David at the magazine office sounding like the squadron commander from an old Gregory Peck war movie. "We found this guy down in Provo and he's got a vintage seaplane sitting there looking for charter business. The weather's a little stiff but he thinks he just might be able take off from the airport and then land in the ocean next to the ship. Want to give it a shot?" Words like "vintage" and speculative phrases including "he thinks" are not major... More »
Feel like you’re still on the boat after diving?
(Q) Mar 11, 2010 "Hello Doc, I got back from Mexico yesterday, was diving there for 3 days. Didn't have any problems. After the 3 days of diving I felt like on a boat constantly and still feel like it. I have a light headache as well. Please tell me if I should go to the doctor. Is that normal? I noticed I have a high temperature as well (37.8 Celsius degrees) and feel like I have flu." (A) Mar 12, 2010 "Hi k--g, The condition described could be what is called "reverse seasickness," "land sickness" or "mal de debarquement," although it typically takes more than just 3 days of land-based diving to trigger this unpleasant malady. DAN has the following to say about land sickness: "And what about the reverse of sea sickness: sickness on land? It does happen. After you have finished that 10-day 'trip of a lifetime' aboard a liveaboard and have stepped onto solid ground, you may suddenly feel funny and maybe even sick. What happened? 'Land sickness' occurs when you return to dry land after becoming adapted to an environment in constant motion. Your brain has become accustomed to the new input from increased motion. Suddenly, the motion stops. The abrupt change will promptly produce the same symptoms as originally felt upon going to sea." Mal de debarquement, technically a more serious and longer lasting condition, is discussed here: Mal de Debarquement, or "MDD," http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/central/mdd.html Alternatively, middle or inner ear barotruama or inner ear DCS also can manifest with a similar sensation, but typically involve other symptoms as well, such as decreased hearing, ear discomfort, vertigo or tinnitus. Given a fever of 37.8C/100F and feelings of having the flu, my guess is that the sensation described is related to an infection of the inner ear, such as viral labyrinthitis, that results in feelings of disequilibrium. It... More »
Maritime Trivia
As a licensed professional master of vessels from motor yachts to cruise ships, I've lived with the esoteric lexicon of the mariner for nearly forty years. To the uninitiated, the language of the sea might as well be Pig Latin for most casual observers. But the layperson need not feel completely left out. The origins of some common nautical terms are steeped in maritime history and little known to most modern mariners. Some terms are of historical interest, some are amusing, and some will manage to offend. But a look "behind the sextant" is probably worth the education and will dazzle your dinner partners at the next yacht club banquet. The following selections from the sailor's lexicon are offered for your edification: Starboard: the right side of a vessel. This traces its lineage all the way back to Viking ships and galleys propelled by sails and slave rowers. Ships of this era did not use conventional rudders affixed to the transom keel but employed a "sweep oar" or, literally, a "steering board" deployed from the right quarter (aft section). Starboard was derived from this since virtually all ships were constructed "right handed". Port: the left side of a vessel. Since a ship outfitted with a "steering board" on its right side could not be brought alongside a pier without risking damage to this vital maneuvering equipment, all docking was arranged to the "port" side, or city side. The starboard side was kept to seaward. Head: a vessel's toilet. Early sailing craft had notoriously poor performance to windward due to sail designs featuring square-rigged rigging that encouraged the mariner of that day to use downwind or off-the-wind routes. Thus, when a crewman needed to relieve himself, he sought out the "head" of the ship where the downwind aspect of this vantage point favored his bodily functions. Spanker:... More »
New Reefs Can Save the Old
Think about this scenario: You and 15 other divers on a liveaboard motor overnight to an isolated, uninhabited chain of islands. The following morning you pour a cup of coffee, step out on deck to salute the dawn and revel in some much-needed solitude. Big surprise! Unfortunately, the early morning light reveals a couple of dozen other divers watching the same sunrise from two other liveaboards that anchored along side of yours during the night. And, as you look out to sea, you notice yet another boat cruising back and forth near the reef break as if laying claim to the morning's proposed dive site. Crowded reefs have become a common problem throughout the tropics, especially in areas with a plethora of dive operations. For the past week we've been staying at a 5 star dive resort near one of Asia's most popular marine parks. We've been pampered beyond belief, but also forced to share dive sites with several other day boats. We are shocked by the number of divers on any given site, and disheartened to see that the once beautiful reefs that form the backbone of this protected area being dived almost to death. Regrettably, too few operators are willing to pioneer new sites and risk the short-term gain of immediate customer gratification for the possibility of multiple, long-term benefits. Nor are local authorities, accustomed to consistent revenues from business licenses and taxes, likely to stop granting operating permits, even in protected areas. Although marine conservation is a perennial hot topic, we haven't heard much about how exploratory diving benefits the environment. When divers enter a reef ecosystem they become, even for a brief time, part of that system. So, the smaller number of people diving in one spot means less pressure on that particular part of the system. Less obvious,... More »
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