Let's all be careful out there

[MHK]

It seems that old man Mr. Murphy has decided to spend some time in the local waters lately, so I thought I'd take a minute to remind everyone that it couldn't hurt to take an extra minute or so in the pre-dive checks, or to pay a bit more attention underwater. In the last 2 months or so we've had the 2 RB fatalitites, I understand there were 2 additional fatalities in the last week; 1 embolism; and 1 rescue of an unconscious diver at the rigs on Wednesday. I also heard some poor unsuspecting bug hunter is short 1 finger..

In any event, with bug season now upon us, we usually see a increase in injuries as a result of divers being out of the water for the better part of the year since the end of last bug season, so please take a minute to be a bit more careful, and who knows maybe even buddy up with someone ;-)

 

[lns92]

Hi MHK, Very good advice. The black fish season started in NY Sunday 10-1-06 and the hunters were out. This past Saturday my dive buddy was bitten by a bug while diving " Louies Reef " off of Coney Island. For those of you who never heard of " Louies Reef." It was discovered about two months ago by tyhe Captain of the Dive Boat Karen. By the way. Great advise. LNS

 

[MHK]

Hi MHK, Very good advice. The black fish season started in NY Sunday 10-1-06 and the hunters were out. This past Saturday my dive buddy was bitten by a bug while diving " Louies Reef " off of Coney Island. For those of you who never heard of " Louies Reef." It was discovered about two months ago by tyhe Captain of the Dive Boat Karen. By the way. Great advise. LNS

I see 2 things of interest to me:

1) You are new to the board so welcome aboard;

2) and more importantly, I see you are from Staten Island.. I was born and raised in South Beach. Nice to see another Staten Island boy on the list..

 

[Ken Kurtis]

MHK wrote: "In the last 2 months or so we've had the 2 RB fatalitites, I understand there were 2 additional fatalities in the last week, 1 embolism and 1 rescue of an unconscious diver at the rigs on Wednesday. I also heard some poor unsuspecting bug hunter is short 1 finger.. "

I concur with Michael's overall thought (in fact, I wrote two editorials for our newsletter Friday expressing the same general thoughts). As we detailed in our "Why Divers Die" panel at the Scuba Show, most of the time, these accidents get set into motion due to diver error. But I also want to make sure we have all of our facts straight so wanted to clarifiy a bit.

There was a rebreather fatality in August and another one about two weeks ago. We have record on one additional fatality about a week ago and a non-fatal accident opening night, as well as the non-fatal rig accident. However, we don't have any information on a fourth fatality beyond the three mentioned. Can you clarify or provide additinal info?

The finger-chomping lobster story is apparently true. Maybe the bugs are striking back??????



I echo Micahel's thoughts: Dive smart, dive safely, and be careful. The life you save may be your own.

 

[riguerin]

The finger-chomping lobster story is apparently true. Maybe the bugs are striking back??????

I don't know the exact details on this incident, but it is a very real danger. While spiny lobster do not have the big intimidating claws that their New England cousins posses, they are still very well armed. One of the most dangerous to hunters are the sharp serrations that run down the edges the tail section (they look like saw blades). You really want to exercise caution in avoiding this area when handling a bug. A couple good tail slaps from a larger bug will remove a finger, no problem.

 

[Cacia]

oh wow, did not know that.

makes sense. Watch out for the kelp too. I inflated myself right into a bloom once near Ripper's cove.

 

[drbill]

The word I heard upon returning to Catalina after the chaos of opening weekend was that the diver lost the finger to a moray in a hole with the lobster. Can anyone confirm that?

I spent opening weekend safe and sane topside in Morro Bay. Too many infrequent divers go back in the water on this weekend.

 

[Empty V]

I spent opening weekend safe and sane topside in Morro Bay. Too many infrequent divers go back in the water on this weekend.

It was pretty nuts to say the least.

Billy

 

[Rickster]

My .02 cents:

This time of the year, especially lobster season, alot of divers go out looking for bugs. Some of them have not been diving on a regular basis. The excitement level is high, the conditioning level is low. There are alot more divers in the water, and alot more divers that are out of shape, and are not using good judgement. Some are forgetting their skill level and training. If you have been out of the water, take a refresher, start diving earlier to condition yourself, and always dive with a buddy.

Thank you,
Rick

 

[scjoe]

The excitement of the hunt, particularly in new locations at night, often results in mistakes. That is why my secret spots over the years have been Fish King, Santa Monica Seafood and 99 Ranch.