Dive Log - Dili Rock Dec 09

OK, so the rainy season has started and the vis is dropping, but who cares when you have a new macro lens!

Brown Banded Pipefish

Hinge Beak Shrimp

Nembrotha lineolata

Lionfish

Shrimp

Photos thanks to Ashley Woo

Diver Safety - Surfers Ear

Having experienced this myself this week, I thought it would make interesting reading. However its not so common in tropics:-

Q:	I've been told I have surfer's ear. What does this mean and will it affect my diving?
A:	An exostosis is a narrowing of the inner half or the bony part of the circular outer ear canal by bony swellings. These localized bony swellings grow slowly over a period of years in response to the irritation of cold water on the skin of the outer ear canal. They are called swimmer’s nodes and are common in the surfing community. This condition is not related to infection nor is it caused by infection. This blocking of the ear canal, by preventing water from draining out, makes the person more susceptible to outer ear infections. The bony swellings continue to grow while there is a continued exposure to cold water, and the temperature that qualifies as cold, is that found in sea water and outdoor swimming pools in temperate climates. When the medical examination reveals early development of, or there is an established exostosis, it is important that measures are taken to prevent the continued growth of the exostosis. If swimming in non-tropical waters a hood should always be worn, or for surface swimmer’s only, some form of ear plug should be used. The narrowed ear canal is more prone to blockage by wax or debris, and more susceptible to otitis externa. An exostosis on the floor of the ear canal can form a sump which retains moisture and predisposes to infection. Some advise on ear care for divers: 1.If ears have a natural tendency to occlude with wax, have them checked regularly, particularly before a prolonged diving trip. 2.Do not poke anything into the ears (finger or cotton bud) 3.After every dive: Rinse both ears out with fresh water to wash out contaminated water and salt, which is hydrophilic. • Instill a couple of drops of 5% acetic acid (vinegar) in 60% ethyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol suffices) in to both ears. You may use a commercial solution like Aqua Ear to treat your ears after every dive or exposure to water. • If very prone to ear infections, blow warm air into external canal using a hair dryer. There is no specific risk for diving. It is recommended to have surgical removal if there is associated hearing loss or repetitive infections of the outer ear.

Source: Divers Alert Network

New Certifications this week

Congratulations to all the new divers certified at Dive Timor Lorosae this week:-

Joao - Open Water

Tim - Open Water

Santos - Advanced Open Water

Lucilia - Open Water

Chris - Open Water

Coleen - Advanced Open Water

Chris - Rescue Diver

Andrew - Open Water

Silly Pics

Guy

Roger, Sato & Maarten

Gian

Diver Safety - Excercise and Diving

For all those hashers that want to run after diving:-

Q: I regularly exercise and want to continue my routine on my vacation. I am worried about diving and exercise. Is there any information that can help me plan for both.

A: Timing of Exercise and Diving
After accepting the need for regular exercise to maintain physical fitness, the next issue concerns the timing of exercise training and diving. Scheduling outside physical fitness activities can be problematic when an active diving schedule is maintained. While part of this is simply a time management problem, there are other considerations. Conducting intense physical exercise too close to diving activity can be problematic for more fundamental reasons.


Bubble formation, while noted earlier as not equivalent to or a guarantee of DCS, can indicate an increased risk for it. Intense physical activity -- generally with substantial muscular forces and joint loading (the application of forces on joints) -- is believed to transiently increase micronuclei activity, the presumed agent of bubble formation. Intense physical activity too close to diving may therefore be problematic. Physical activity after diving may also stimulate additional bubble formation, possibly through a combination of increased micronuclei activity and increased joint forces. Interestingly, some preliminary work has shown that an intense bout of exercise conducted 24 hours prior to diving may reduce bubble presence in humans,3 possibly by inhibiting micronuclei activity. This potentially protective effect was not seen with exercise conducted closer to dive time. While this effect needs to be validated, the preliminary findings may support a simple rule of thumb for scheduling exercise. To reduce the risk, it is a good idea to avoid intense exercise 24 hours before and after diving.


The near-dive window will be best for low-intensity activities. Those who participate in cross-training activities may find it easiest to accommodate this schedule. For those who are more single-minded, diving may fit well into training rest days for those who put the priority on exercise, while training may fit best into diving rest days for those who put the priority on diving. Overall, lower training intensities will likely be more appropriate for the latter group, but accommodations can be reached.

Source: Divers Alert Network

Welcome Will

Welcome Will, our new Divemaster trainee. Will is British and as tall as Roger was, so spends his life ducking. He will be with us until the end of February

New Divemaster - Tim

It was a very long course but Tim finally completed his Divemaster Training. Congratulations! Even his cocktail was delayed when Sato shook rather than stirred it and it exploded in the bar.

And in True Dive Timor Lorosae tradition - the Snorkel Test!



















Getting prepared

Ready to drink

How good did that taste?

Dive Log - 7th December 2009

This weekends diving had some great turtle sightings, good to hear:-

Lone Tree - 2 turtle
Dili Rock - Turtle and bumphead parrotfish
K41 - A seahorse possy
Jaco - Leopard Shark and turtle

New Certifications this week

Congratulations to all the new divers certified at Dive Timor Lorosae this week:-

James - Open Water

Hilman - Rescue

Antonio - Open Water

Bernado - Advanced Open Water

Jack - Advanced Open Water

Joao - Advanced Open Water

Diver Safety - Donating blood

Here's an interesting one from the DAN website. We had a recent diver that donated blood in Baucau then went diving on the way back to Dili

Q: If I donate a pint of blood how soon afterward is it safe to dive?

A: Immediately following blood donation, the volume of circulating blood is reduced. Provided the donor eats and drinks normally, blood volume returns to normal within 24 hours. Diving within the first few hours after donating blood is not advisable because of the possibility that reduced blood flow could cause impaired inert gas washout after a dive, and thus an increased risk of decompression sickness. We have no reason to believe that it is necessary to wait more than 24 hours after donation before scuba diving.