Deadly Jellys: Scientists have
found a new deadly jellyfish off
Australia's tropical northeast coast.
Researchers had previously
thought the thumbnail-sized
Irukandji jellyfish was responsible
for the deaths of an American and
a Briton in 2001, when 160 other
swimmers were also treated in hospitals
because of jellyfish stings.
But a James Cook University
expert said another, yet unnamed,
jellyfish had been linked to
Irukandji syndrome, which causes
severe pain, anxiety, a potentially
fatal rise in blood pressure, and
cerebral hemorrhaging. The jellyfish
species are believed to be
related to the deadly box jellyfish
that infests northern waters in
summer months. More on the
Irukandji at www.reef.crc.org.au/aboutreef/coastal/irukandji.html.
Sea Urchins: Let's not forget
them. Taiwanese doctors report a
case of a woman diver who
stepped on one while beach diving
in Palau. She felt immediate
and intense pain. After having the
spine removed and her foot painted
with Betadine, she later developed
fever, chills, nausea, and persistent serous discharge and tenderness.
Seven days later she was
admitted to the hospital for toxic
hepatitis. (Wu ML, et. al., Taipei
Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan)
Closures: St. George's Lodge
on Belize is closing in May. After 25
years, proprietor Fred Good is
hanging up his fins and heading to
greener pastures. He is looking for a
buyer for the lodge (priced at $1.8
million with his dive business), his
house, and other parcels of land.
Contact him at sgl.belize@btl.net ...
The venerable Turk's Head Hotel
on Grand Turk is closed, and
along with its closure goes the best
restaurant on the island. ... A fire
destroyed the restaurant, bar, and
office of the Arawak Inn on Grand
Turk Island last fall; management
now provides a van for guests to
drive into town for dining, which is
a hassle, although the Inn's 15
rooms include kitchens.
A Thousand Deaths: A freefloating
net from a trawler drifted
into water near Port Salerno, FL, in
February. "Hundreds to a thousand"
sharks and fish and one loggerhead
sea turtle were found dead in a 500-yard ghost net, which had
drifted from its original location
five miles east of the St. Lucie Inlet
near the Six Mile Reef. Divers from
the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration found
the net 10 feet below the surface
and stretching down to the ocean
floor 80 feet deep. "It was graveyard-
ish, almost," Tom Moore said.
"Everything was so badly decomposed.
It was surreal." Investigators
are looking for the source of the
net and a possible violation of the
Endangered Species Act.
The Bible of Diving Medicine:
Bennett and Elliott's Physiology and
Medicine of Diving has, for 30 years,
been the primary underwater
medicine publication used by physicians
and researchers in underwater
medicine. This new fifth edition,
published last year, is the first revision
in a decade. Featuring 30 chapters
by doctors and other scientists,
this 779-page book focuses on the
physiological basis of safe diving, the
pathogenesis of diving illnesses, and
the clinical diagnosis and management
of related disorders. Diving
methods, pressure effects, decompression,
and long-term effects
receive particular attention, but ventilation,
thermal considerations,
drowning, accident investigation,
and diving equipment are also discussed. Edited by Alf Brubakk and Tom
Neuman, the book has 45 international
experts contributing. $149. Purchase
at www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/
bookpicks.shtml and part of the profits
go to support the Coral Reef Alliance.
Rebreather Deaths: Dr. David
Swatzky reports that rebreather
deaths, unlike those among open-circuit
scuba divers, are usually caused by
hyperoxia, hypoxia, or electronic
equipment malfunction. Most often
that death has been traced to diver
error. Rebreathers remove carbon
dioxide and add oxygen to the breathing
mixture. Rebreather deaths
include myocardial infarction, arterial
gas embolism, rare decompression illness,
running out of breathing mixture,
and getting trapped. None of
these deaths is the fault of the
rebreather. Hyperoxia deaths are from
using the wrong gas mix, failure of the
solenoid in the open position, or failure
of the oxygen sensor. Hypoxic
deaths are from the wrong flow rate
used, gas turned off, tank empty, failed
electronics, or failed solenoid. After
studying 25 documented fatalities, Dr.
Swatzky concluded that some fatalities
are due to stupidity, some are from
lack of experience, and some are the
same as open-circuit air scuba diving.
Prevention is to train, train, train. (Great Lakes Chapter of the Undersea and
Hyperbaric Medical Society, 23rd Annual
Meeting, Burlington, Ontario)
From the Aggressor: Matthew
Arnold of the Aggressor Fleet says "In
your February issue you state, 'Many
dive resorts and live-aboards encourage
divers to book directly with them,
so they can save travel agent commissions.'
To the contrary, Aggressor
Fleet lists our dealers (dive shops)
online, encouraging divers to book
through their local shops. We have
increased both travel agency and dealer
commissions to encourage dive
travel. ... Always purchase cancellation
insurance and only deal with reputable
agents and operators."
No Insurance for Divers? Many
divers have insurance policies that
exclude coverage for diving accidents
or set depth limits. The U.S. Senate is
considering legislation to bar health
insurers and health plans from denying
benefits to plan enrollees who suffer
injury while diving, skiing, or engaging
in other legal recreation or transportation
activities. The legislation (the
HIPAA Recreational Injury Technical
Correction Act, S. 423) is sponsored by
Sens. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) and
Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.).