DIVE 'BUD' CAUGHT BY COPS
A 24 year old Canadian man has been charged with a count of controlled substance delivery, a felony worth four years in the slammer. Jesse James (yes, really) was spotted in the St. Clair River swimming from Canada to Marine City, Michigan, in full SCUBA gear and with eight pounds of marijuana in a watertight pipe. An observant citizen spotted the suspicious yet audacious diver, and alerted the authorities. It's unlikely he was diving with an SMB.
Cayman's Guardian
Divetech, one of the Cayman Island's best known dive centres, will kick-off its year-long 20th anniversary celebrations in January sinking a 13-foot tall sculpture created by Canadian artist Simon Morris (see interview page 54). Another Morris statue, 'Amphitrite', pictured, is
one of Cayman's most famous dive attractions. His new work,Te Guardian of the Reef, a mythological half man, half seahorse creature, will take up his sentry post 65 feet (20m) down just off Lighthouse Point at the northwest end of Grand Cayman. Jay and Nancy Easterbrook of Divetech, will
'Amphitrite' at home off Grand Cayman Island Right: Simon Morris sculpts his new work, Guardian of the Reef
donate $1 from every dive made on the Guardian for the island's conservation education program. Goal is to raise $20,000 in the first year. Saying that all the world's reefs need protection
and guardianship, Morris is hopeful his bronze sculpture creates environmental awareness. It's currently being cast at U.S. foundry and will be unveiled at the DEMA show in November, before continuing on to its home at Grand Cayman.
UNDERWATER SCAN FINDS CHANGES IN DIVER CARDIAC FUNCTIONS
A small study published in the journal Acta Physiologica has used submerged ultra sound technology to indentify changes in heart functions during and after a dive. The Italian study involved a total of 18 divers; 16 male and two female. The average age was 42 and each diver was experienced with at least 100 logged dives. None were smokers and none of the divers had heart or lung disease. The scuba subjects underwent ultrasound scans on land before and after the dive, as well as
twice during the dive, at two different depths: 10 minutes at 33 feet (10m), and 5 minutes at 16 feet. (4.8m). Special wetsuits were worn allowing the ultrasound probes to be attached directly. During result analysis it was found that the left ventricular volume significantly increased, while bloodflow into the ventricles decreased. Such changes during immersion signify an increase in the risk of cardiac problems for unfit divers. These changes may be attributed to a shift in blood from the lower to upper body while diving. It was unclear if higher rates were induced by stress while undergoing the ultrasound tests.
Analyze your gas
Following the tragic death of a well respected and experienced cave diver in Florida in August, the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) has released an advisory underscoring the importance of gas analysis. The organization urges
several gas analysis procedures that include: 1. Analysis of every cylinder, whether you think it is filled with air, Nitrox, Trimix, or Oxygen
2. Labelling all tanks with gas content and MOD
3.Removal of all old Oxygen, Nitrox, and Custom Mix labels if the cylinder is to be repurposed
standardization of
4.Making gas analysis a team project Following the Florida fatality, divers took to
social media sites in large numbers to promote awareness of gas analyzing not just for cave diver specialists, or experienced mixed gas divers, but for all divers, with some advocates calling for gas analysis to become standard practice among recreational open water divers as well.
NO MR. BOND, I EXPECT YOU TO BUY...
Everyone's favourite underwater car sold for a whopping $968,000 at a recent London auction. The Lotus Esprit, seen in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Roger Moore as 007, fully functions as a submersible, but has no wheels, so it's not ideal for those shore dives.
NEWS BITES
FIND NEMO SEQUEL STORY CHANGED
The sequel to every child's favourite movie - Finding Nemo, has undergone a small story amendment in the wake of the SeaWorld slamming documentary, Blackfish. The movie, Finding Dory, will still end in an aquarium, but one that offers its fishy inhabitants the choice of staying or leaving. The change is seen by some as a significant acknowledgement of the negative impact of marine animals in captivity.
SCUBA AD FOR SUPERBOWL?
US dive gear manufacturer Edge / Hog are calling for your help. One lucky small business can win an ad spot at the 2014 Superbowl, reaching an incredible 121 million viewers. "If we won this, it wouldn't just be about us, it would be about showing the world how cool diving is." To lend your support visit:
www.smallbusinessbiggame.com
www.divermag.com 15
Photo: Geri Murphy
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