A Tribe Called K2 Buhl-oog!

Football players wear them. So do people competing in hockey, baseball, cycling and a myriad of other sports.

But divers wearing helmets? And being supplied with compressed air via a hose at the water surface that connects to their helmets? Who would have thought it?

During a recent Caribbean cruise I experienced this interesting twist on underwater exploration during a stop at Coral World Ocean Park in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is called “helmet diving.”

We boarded a bus in St. Thomas and were taken on a 40-minute drive on the wrong side of the road – at least what North Americans consider the wrong side — to our destination, which they called “the cove.”  Among the other attractions at this facility are snorkelling, scuba diving and encounters with sea lions, sharks or turtles, to name a few. Equipment can be rented or purchased there. 

The helmet diving base is a large round covered area. After a brief introduction that included instructions and the usual signing of a waiver absolving the facility of liability, gloves and water shoes were provided. We descended a ladder three steps into the water, where a white helmet was placed over our heads, resting on the shoulders. It was the receptacle for the compressed air that was pumped down from the surface.

The helmet, which featured a clear mask, was large enough to enable us to wear our glasses. That was a bonus in clear water where the visibility ranged from 30 to 40 feet. We were told to stay upright to prevent water from entering the helmet. Breathing was normal, but we had to purge our ears.  The helmet weighed 70 pounds, but with the buoyancy created by the water we experienced a weight of just 15 pounds when we were below the surface.

Descending the final steps of the ladder to the ocean floor 20 feet beneath the surface in 81-degree Fahrenheit (27.2 Celsius) water, we began our helmet dive walk. Two scuba divers guided us on the 30-minute trip. An added safety measure was a chain along the route; we were told to hang on to because the water was fast moving. Unfortunately, one of our helmet divers had to leave the water after experiencing breathing difficulty. While it should not be a problem for most people, those who have breathing difficulties or who suffer from claustrophobia might not want to try it.

Of the five of us taking part in the helmet dive, I was the only one who scuba dives. It struck me that helmet diving is an excellent opportunity for those who do not wish to go the scuba route to see some of the underwater world that thrills divers. But in exposing helmet divers to that same visual experience – especially in the clear waters of the Caribbean – it is also a vehicle to attract new people to scuba.

I would highly recommend helmet diving to anyone thinking of getting into scuba diving, or to those who just want a glimpse into a diver`s world.

Kathy Dowsett, owner and operator of

www.kirkscubagear.com

In keeping with the season another part of the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef and one of my favourites is the Christmas Tree Worm.

So name because of the shape of the extruding part of the worm.  The trees are the mouths of the worm. Christmas tree worms feed primarily by filtering the food from the water around it.

Each spiral is actually composed of feather-like tentacles which allows any prey that are trapped in them to be transported straight towards the worm’s mouth. they also use the trees as gills.  Any sudden movement or sounds near the worm and it retracts immediately into it’s tube.

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Buoyancy is one of the most critical skills in a Scuba divers’ training regimen. It is more art than science. Continuing to build on the skills with the right training is essential. Following are ten tips to help you develop better buoyancy!

Keep Reading

The Sea of Cortez, one of the most unique bodies of water on the planet, is the closest “salt water” for Scuba divers in Arizona. This amazing place has lured folks like John Steinbeck, Jacques Cousteau and millions of others for its romance, sea life and quaint oceanside hamlets.

The Rocio del Mar is a new luxury liveaboard that, after three years of construction and ocean testing, launched this summer making the Sea of Cortez its home.

Keep Reading ….

Honduras is Dangerous

WARNING: US State Dept say not a good time for diving Honduras (and Roatan) Due to the military coup on Sunday, June 28, 2009, the US State department issued the following warning.

“The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the current unstable political and security situation in Honduras, and recommends that American citizens defer all non-essential travel to Honduras until further notice.

This Travel Alert expires on July 29, 2009.” They do also point out that while the resort and outlaying areas are calm, scuba divers traveling to Roatan Island typically enter and leave the country through the big city airports, leaving them susceptible to potential violence.

See the report here http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_honduras.html

Costco sells an almost perfect dive gear wash, dry and storage rack/cart

If you store your dive gear (kit for the rest of the world) in a garage or other cart accessible area, this rack, which we found at our local Costco ($89 US), can be a great convenience for you. The chrome rack comes with locking wheels and is very simple to assemble. It will easily hold more than all the gear for a dive couple including weights. We added an old shower curtain to the top with wire ties to serve as a drysuit hanger.

Not only have we found this cart to be amazingly practical and a time saver, it also serves as a memory tool. A full use cycle goes as follows:

1. We roll the cart to the back of the car, lock the wheels and load in all of our gear.
2. There is no need to go over the dive gear checklist because when the cart is empty we have everything we need.
3. After the dive, we empty the gear from the car onto the cart.
4. Roll it over to the hose for an easy fresh water rinse. If we dunk it goes right back on the rack.
5. Roll it to a shady area or warm indoor area for drying.
6. Roll it back to the storage area, ready for the next dive.
7. We also have a DryGuy dryer for hoods that we plug in after the rinse cycle and leave it on the rack so we do not forget the hoods.

This inexpensive “off the shelf” rack has cut our packing, unpacking, and cleaning time by more than half, and helped us never leave a piece of gear at home.

What Science Says About Beach Sand And Stomach Aches

ScienceDaily (Aug. 12, 2009) — By washing your hands after digging in beach sand, you could greatly reduce your risk of ingesting bacteria that could make you sick. In new research, published in the Journal of Water and Health, scientists have determined that, although beach sand is a potential source of bacteria and viruses, hand rinsing may effectively reduce exposure to microbes that cause gastrointestinal illnesses.

“Our mothers were right! Cleaning our hands before eating really works, especially after handling sand at the beach,” said Dr. Richard Whitman, the lead author of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study. “Simply rinsing hands may help reduce risk, but a good scrubbing is the best way to avoid illness.”

For this study, scientists measured how many E. coli bacteria could be transferred to people’s hands when they dug in sand. They analyzed sand from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Using past findings on illness rates, scientists found that if individuals were to ingest all of the sand and the associated biological community retained on their fingertip, 11 individuals in 1000 would develop symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Ingestion of all material on the entire hand would result in 33 of 1000 individuals developing gastrointestinal illness.

In a further laboratory experiment, USGS scientists determined that submerging one’s hands four times in clean water removed more than 99% of the E. coli and associated viruses from the hands.

In recent years, USGS scientists have discovered that concentrations of E. coli bacteria in beach sand are often much higher than those in beach water. Follow-up research at beaches around the nation by many scientists has resulted in similar findings, although the amount of bacteria in sand varies depending on the beach. Although beach water is monitored for E. coli as mandated in the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act 2000), beach sand is not currently monitored for contamination.

Recent analysis of seven beaches across the nation by the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that beachgoers digging in sand were more likely to develop gastrointestinal illness after a day at the beach compared to those not digging in sand. The association with these illnesses was even stronger for individuals who reported being partially covered up in sand. Because children played in the sand more frequently and were more likely to get sand in their mouths, they were more likely to develop gastrointestinal illness after a day at the beach.

“The excess illnesses we observed among those exposed to sand generally consisted of mild gastrointestinal symptoms, but it is a good idea to be sure to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after digging or playing in the sand,” said Chris Heaney, lead author of the UNC study.

E. coli is an indicator of recent sewage contamination and if it is present, pathogens harmful to human health are also likely present. The origin of these bacteria is often unknown. They can persist throughout the swimming season, remaining a potential contamination source to beach visitors.

Results of these studies highlight the need to intensify efforts to determine sources of microbial contamination to beaches and associated risk of playing in beach sand.

Journal reference:

1. Whitman et al. Hand-mouth transfer and potential for exposure to E. coli and F⁺ coliphage in beach sand, Chicago, Illinois. Journal of Water and Health, 2009; 7 (4): 623 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2009.115

What Science Says About Beach Sand And Stomach Aches. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/08/090811091836.htm