WANTED: Female scubadiving volunteers to test contraceptive implants

We all know that as of yet, no woman has volunteered to dive while being pregnant because there is no way of knowing how the pregnancy might be affected.

Sure, there are several sea mammals that gestate underwater but then again, they can stay up to an hour underwater on a single breath . . . So, if a human female can do that, maybe she'd have the prerequisite for being pregnant. Maybe humans can be pregnant and dive but there is no research to substantiate that and with no volunteers, no research, no research, no proof. It's the old chicken and egg thing.

Now, with that overlong intro done, on with the title topic:

Referreing to a recently introduced subcutaneous device with time release of female hormones so as to provide contraception. The device releases hormones into the body by way of the implant put under the skin and so for a period of 3 years.

There is no specific bibliography or experience on the special subject as regards to scubadiving but, as the release of active substances is based on solution of the chemical principles, and not on mechanical or electrically driven injection, there should be no adverse side effect connected to diving.

A piece of advice could be to investigate about the resistance to external pressure of the implant with the manufacturer, as this can be an issue of interest not only for diving but also for any other kind of activity wherein undue pressure would be applied on the implant.

The only other implants that are frequently used underwater are breast implants. But then, what are those implants filled in with ? Salt water, kind of like sea water now, isn't it.

Quick way of identifying a potential stroke victim

There is an email that is circulating and that is actually spreading valid information. A change from all those hoax emails spreading urban legends.

As usual, I checked snopes for the veracity of the information and it appears to be genuine. The three step method consist in asking the suspected stroke victim to:
smile
raise their arms
repeat a simple sentence coherently (the sun is bright today)

If the person fails at any one of those three simple tests, one should immediately call 911. There are new drugs that, if administered within 3 hours of a stroke, can limit disability from strokes caused by clots. This means that time is of the essence.

Of course, don't go about asking anybody to smile, raise their arms, etc. There has to be a just cause for concern, such as a person dropping on the floor (loss of balance, diziness) which they would dismiss as just losing their footing. But if the fall looks suspicious (no ice, no slippery surface, no uneveness on the walking surface, etc...) then use the fall as an excuse to do a quick physical check up. After all, the person did fall and could have twisted or broken something. Then, follow the check up with the three step test.

In a scuba diving situation, someone who is victim of a decompression sickness could show similar signs. A diver trained in neurological assessment could probably spot the subtelties. But whether a diver is the victim of a stroke or a deco sickness, in both cases, speed of intervention is important. Scubadivers should be especially conscious of such signs and act on them. Because of the bends, some of those signs.

Disturbing photo of a possible underwater crime scene. It seems that the diver in the red circle has been murdered.

Read the full article here.

Pink dolphins are for real

It's not like when seeing pink elephants!

This particular dolphin was spotted and photographed by Capt. Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service on June 24th, 2007 during a charter fishing trip on Calcasieu lake.
The lake is just east of the Texas-Louisiana border and connects to the Gulf of Mexico.

According to marine biologist Dagmar Fertl, this event was only the third reported sighting of an albino bottlenose dolphin in the Gulf of Mexico (going back to 1994), and the fourteenth spotting anywhere in the world (the first coming in 1962). Biologists speculate that, in addition to the rarity of their birth, the scarcity of albino bottlenose dolphins might be due to their having poor eyesight, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and a coloration that provides poor camouflaging, factors which could significantly decrease their chances of reaching maturity.
(Source: Snopes.com)

Additional photos can be seen here.

My first comment, ever

In updating my blog, I noticed that on Oct 30, I received a comment. The first time ever that a reader left a comment. Thank you Lovescuba.

The pumpkin dive post did bring a lot of traffic.

I think I will add a few more pix. Well, one more since the other photos are kind of blurry. It was cloudy and gloomy so the exposure time gets longer, which makes the pictures blurry.



The event was fun as my friends at PlongeeXL know how to organize an event.

We had a little problem getting the 9 foot tall figure to stay up at time and we couldn't get all the tricks that were planned to work but that'll be for next year.

The evolution of Blogrush

Blogrush is an interesting concept.
The only thing, though, is that I keep getting links to golfing and fishing blogs even though I am listed in the diving category.

I guess there aren't enough diving blogs out there to serve up diving related blogs.

As for me, I will put in more time on my blog in the coming weeks to keep it updated, fresh, interesting, humorous and informative as only I can :-)