Posted by Chris White on Wed, Sep 19, 2012 @ 01:02 AM
Based on article by DocVikingo
Look, Dont't Touch
Scuba diving is traditionally a look, don't touch kind of sport, but even careful divers can inadvertently run into trouble. By far the most common diving injury is the common scrape, usually from coral. Marine aware divers dive without dive gloves and many marine protected sites ban the wearing of gloves so that divers will not be tempted to touch marine life. So the chances of an accidental scrape become more likely to occur.
Types of Injuries
Irritations often occur as a result of a brush with coral or sponges. Coral scrapes can be painful and sometimes difficult to heal because the living organisms in the coral can get into the wound and cause infections. Contact with a sponge can leave irritating fibres in the skin, producing an itching rash that can range from mild to severe, possibly with pain and blistering.
Prevention & Treatment
Even if you're careful, it's likely you'll come into contact with coral someday. My first encounter with fire coral gave me an inflamed hand that lasted one week. If and when you get a scrape, here's what to do:
1. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure your body is covered, even if just by a dive skin.
2. Regularly irrigate a scrape with copious amounts of vinegar over a period of about 30 minutes.
3. Apply triple-antibiotic to the wound twice a day for a couple of days.
4. Scrapes can become infected even with proper initial care. Watch for hotness to the touch, redness or red streaks around the site, swelling, discharge of pus, or fever. If you see them, contact a doctor.
5. Fragments of coral sometimes become lodged beneath the skin and the body mounts a prolonged allergic reaction to them. In some cases, debridement is required to resolve the reaction.
Even in the absence of embedded coral remnants, it is not unusual for a marked hypersensitivity response to a coral injury to continue for three to four weeks before significantly improving. Sometimes the lesion will resolve but then return.
If a scrape doesn't substantially resolve within a month, or gets worse, you should consult a dermatologist.
Worst Case Scenario
Even innocent injuries can turn deadly if you have an allergic or severe reaction. After any accident, watch for severe swelling, dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, weakness, muscle pain, cold sweat and a rapid heartbeat. If any occur, call DAN’s emergency hotline immediately. CPR may be necessary until help arrives.
The Turtle Bay Dive Boat and Dive Centre carry first aid kits that can be used for on the spot treatment; however the nearest large hospital to Moalboal is South General Hospital which is 90 minutes drive from Moalboal. So my advice to all divers coming to Moalboal, or to a remote dive location in the Philippines, is to make sure you are a paid up member of DAN (Divers Alert Network) so that expert advice is just a phone call away.
Posted by Chris White on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 @ 12:19 AM
As children we saw the world as an opportunity to try a new and exciting experience every day. Sights, sounds, smells and colours dazzled our senses with each journey we took and life held boundless discoveries for us to make. However, with every passing year the novelty of worldly delights begins to wear – until relief from the daily grind is all that we truly seek to discover on our annual holidays.
Imagine if there was a new, thrilling world that you had never seen before, just waiting to be glimpsed.
We’ve all seen trees, mountains, lakes and sunsets. But how many people have experienced the marvel of the world underwater? Only by seeing it can you truly believe the breathtaking beauty of life at the bottom of the ocean. This is the ultimate destination for anyone looking to escape a life of normality and to push themselves to learn a rare and most valuable skill.
Scuba diving is not just a sport, but a lifestyle. Those who learn the skill find that it becomes a passion that consumes them, and they soon find themselves always searching for the best diving spots and the most sought-after sights. With some of the top diving destinations containing around 40,000 square kilometres of intricate coral reef, there is an enormous variety of marine life to be found. There are hundreds of species of multi-coloured fish, along with sharks, rays, turtles and a whole host of plant species that you never knew existed.
The best way to begin the learning process is to take a break from your daily routine and discover the diving holidays Maldives, Philippines, India or Red Sea getaways can provide. Wherever there is sea, there is life to be a part of – and learning on holiday will make the experience even more magical.
Taking your first breath underwater will be something you never forget – the power to immerse yourself in nature that was never intended for human eyes. With the help of an experienced PADI trainer you will embark upon a course designed to slowly adjust you to the diving experience and gain the confidence you need to swim underwater for a prolonged period of time. Most diving holidays include lessons for children and adults, as well as even the more experienced divers, in order to build and sustain a safe level of skill for all the family. Courses usually follow the basic principles of:
- Starting off in a pool to learn the basic skills of diving
- Studying the theoretical part in a classroom at the resort or online
- Completing adventure dives with various challenges in order to build confidence
- Reviewing skills if you haven’t dived in a long time
- Practise, practise, practise!
There are also numerous other opportunities to develop your new skills further, such as completing courses in a specialist field such as underwater photography, emergency first aid, rescue diving and becoming a master diver. With such a lot of activities to choose from, it is little wonder why divers are continually seeking more unique challenges. So try it, and rediscover the child within you and a whole new world!
To Find out more about PADI diving courses you can take at Turtle Bay Dive Resort, click on this link PADI Dive Courses.
Article written by contentlobby.com
Posted by Chris White on Sun, Jan 16, 2011 @ 08:16 AM
Our Spanish guests – Jose Mate & Alicia Garcia sent by Viajes Buceo – had the first whale shark sighting of 2011. They were diving at the Copton marine sanctuary on January 15, 2011 when they looked out into the blue and saw the whale shark. Sorry no pictures this time as they did not have a camera.
Posted by Chris White on Sat, Dec 11, 2010 @ 04:10 AM
Most divers by now have heard of the thresher shark cleaning station at Malapascua, Cebu. It is great to get up close to a 3m thresher even if you have to get up in the wee hours of the morning. Now at Pescador Island, we have something really cooool! The huge sardine balls attract threshers and many more predator fish. On December 9, 2010, our group of divers was lucky enough to witness a thresher in action. It dashed in amongst the ball of sardines and with a few quick sweeps of its tail it stunned a few fish which it the n proceeded to feed on them. WOW what a sight. I plan to post the video very soon.