--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00013 Date: 07/12/95 From: MIKE CALABRO Time: 10:18pm \/To: LAYNE SEELY (Read 2 times) Subj: Dive computer specs ==> On 08 Jul 95 04:53:00, LAYNE SEELY wrote to MIKE CALABRO about: Dive computer specs MC> LS> Personally, I dive with the Beauchat Aladin Pro. I have been diving MC>What features do you like best about it? LS> It's idiot proof! You don't have to turn it on before you get into LS> the water - just fall in. The display is large and easy to read with LS> only the info you need to dive safely: current depth, max depth, LS> current dive time and max time at that depth. The max time left is LS> great for multi-level diving. It also has audible alarms for ascending LS> too fast. It will dictate decompression stops with depth and time LS> spent. If you ascend slowly you can make the deco stop symbol go away. LS> *** NEVER DIVE PAST THE TIME LIMITS --> DECO DIVING IS NOT SAFE *** With this in mind, if you DO go into deco, does the computer lock up? Does the display have just plain numbers, or does it use bargraphs? Can the user replace the battery? Thanks again! Mike ... O Oysters come and walk with us, the Walrus did beseech. --- FMail/386 1.0g+ * Origin: (1:267/135) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00014 Date: 07/06/95 From: PAUL LEBUREL Time: 08:41pm \/To: ALL (Read 2 times) Subj: Password failure message! hi --- FMail 0.98 * Origin: Default origin line (1:153/8000) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00015 Date: 07/11/95 From: SEAWITCH Time: 05:38pm \/To: LOU VALLONE (Read 2 times) Subj: Calif. Shark Attack RE: Calif. Shark Attack BY: Lou Vallone to All on Sat Jul 08 1995 01:29 pm Apparently-to: seawitch@980.sasbbs.com From: Jason Janofsky Date: Sun, 9 Jul 1995 09:13:53 -0700 Here is the first hand account for once the press didn't exaggerate/ regards Newsgroups: rec.scuba Path: its.hooked.net!decwrl!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom . com!marco From: marco@netcom.com (Marco Flagg) Subject: Pt. Lobos Shark Attack Incident Report Message-ID: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] Date: Fri, 7 Jul 1995 16:33:35 GMT Lines: 198 Sender: marco@netcom16.netcom.com Incident Report A Report Of The Shark Attack On Marco Flagg Filed By Marco Flagg Date of Report: July 2, 1995. 13:20 PDT Abstract: The following report is an account of a shark attack on myself. This report details the sequence of events, as observed by myself, to the best of my knowledge and experience. I am attempting to keep this report as factual as possible. The times, measurements and other estimates are specified to the best of my recollection at this time, about 44 hours after the attack. As I attempt to not understate, overstate or otherwise misstate any such estimates, the reviewer should expect a roughly equal probability of error in either direction of the statement. Basic Facts Location of incident: Outside of Bluefish Cove, Pt. Lobos State Park, Monterey, California. The boat (12.5' Zodiac) was anchored in approx. 90 feet of water. The attack occurred approx. 200 feet from the boat in approx. 40 feet of water (in mid water). The underwater location is characterized by underwater rocky outcroppings, interspersed by sandy channels. Kelp is growing in the area, but there was no kelp at the site of the attack itself. Time of Incident: Approx. 17:30 PDT, June 30, 1995 Weather: Flat calm, no/minimal wind, no swell, reduced ambient surface light due to low clouds and relatively late time in the day. About myself: I am a 31 year old diver, certified in 1988. I hold both a PADI Advanced Open Water and a NOAA working diver certification. I have logged approximately 300 divers in a variety of locations throughout California as well as the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Arctic Ocean (Greenland) and the South Atlantic (Cape Horn). By profession I am an electronics engineer. I am self employed and am the proprietor of Desert Star Systems, a small company that produces oceanographic equipment for scientific, military and commercial users, as well as sport divers. I am a naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Germany. Chronological Incident Report I had been invited to some social/pleasure diving at Pt. Lobos by two friends, Steve and Marcie (last name withheld per request). We intended to make use of the good diving conditions that had lately been reported. After some engine trouble with the Zodiac inflatable early in the day, we finally started our first dive at approx. 14:55 PDT. The dive lasted about 40 minutes, my max. depth was 98 feet. The visibility was about 10 feet at the surface and improving to about 30 feet at the bottom. After the first dive, we left our dive site marker buoy in place and headed for shore for a late lunch and a surface interval. At approx. 17:20 PDT (I did not check the watch), we started the second dive of the day. I was trying out Steve's diver propulsion vehicle (scooter) and, propelled by the scooter, was proceeding through the water at an approx. 20 degree descent angle. After maybe two minutes and at a depth of about 50 feet (according to depth gauge on the scooter), I looked to my right and saw the massive pectoral fin attached to the end of a torpedo shaped body of a large fish. The fish was at a distance of maybe 20 feet, at the edge of the visibility. The sighting lasted for two to three seconds before the animal disappeared from view in the cloudy water. The approx. 5 foot section I saw did not include the dorsal fin or any part forward of the animal. Somewhat stunned, I quickly thought that the animal matched the shape and size of a white shark (I had never seen a white shark before myself, but had seen plenty of footage recorded by other divers). Also thinking that the animal was most likely just passing and would not attack me, I decided it to be prudent to return to the boat to warn Steve and Marcie. I turned the scooter around and proceeded in the direction of the boat. I used the scooter to propel myself at a slight upward angle, attempting to be careful to not surface too fast and provoke an air embolism. I also did not want to surface far from the boat, recalling that many attacks occur at the surface. I was in an alert, apprehensive state but still calm enough to think 'gee, and I got to see it without paying for a shark diving trip' (I naturally have a somewhat strange sense of humor and looking at things). Maybe 15 to 20 seconds after the first sighting (I had already turned the scooter around), I looked to my left and below and saw the massive, wide open, near circular, teeth lined mouth of an animal coming at me. The mouth appeared to have a diameter of certainly more than two feet but most likely not more than three feet. I thought 'Oh, Shit' and shortly (one second) there after felt a severe but dull pressure on my body. I do not recall being shaken by the animal nor taking any significant evasive or defensive action. Instead, I appeared to be free from its hold after maybe two seconds (hard to recall). As soon as I realized I was free I thought 'it did not bite very hard'. I tried to feel if my legs where still there, and they appeared to be. I decided to proceed along the set course at the maximum speed of the scooter, again attempting to surface close to the boat, to not surface too rapidly, and to not trash around thinking that that might cause the animal to bite again. Surfacing about 20 yards from the boat, I proceeded the rest of the way on the surface. I reached the boat and decided to drop the scooter rather than attempting to lug it into the boat. I attempted to climb into the Zodiac with full dive gear (which I can usually do) about two or three times, without succeeding. I then jettisoned the weight belt and removed my tank/BCD/regulator assembly. I climbed into the boat and, attempting to pull my gear in, I fell back into the water. As fast as I could, I climbed back in and started to 'rev' the engine in neutral in short bursts so as to warn Steve and Marcie. I had a dull pain in my gut, but thought that there was probably no big loss of blood as I was still conscious. Steve surfaced after 3-5 minutes about 20 to 30 feet from the boat, and I told him I had been attacked. He handed me his video camera (which later fell back into the water due to an attached weight belt) and climbed into the boat. We kept using the engine-rev technique to signal to Marcie, who surfaced several more minutes later. We left the marker buoy in place and proceeded to shore. I climbed out of the boat on my own, but then sat down because I felt weak. The ambulance arrived within a few minutes, the Paramedics removed my wet suit, placed me in the ambulance and transported me to the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for treatment by Dr. Blynn Shideler. I sustained a cut wound of about 1.75" diameter on my left forearm (six stitches), with another 1" scrape mark. Another eight stitches were required for a cut wound on my left, upper leg. The third cut wound is on my left lower abdomen (two stitches). A bruise is in the vicinity of that wound. The distance from the leg wound to the arm wound is 20 inch if my arm is down and 30 inch if my arm is extended at a 45 degree angle up (while standing). I do not specifically recall what position my arm was in when the animal bit. The fact that I was using the scooter at the time suggests that it should have been 'up'. I was treated with oxygen and intravenous fed antibiotics. I developed a slight fever (around 100F, I recall), which mostly had subsided by the next morning. Now, 44 hours after the attack, I am in good health, back at the office filing this report. There is a burning sensation still involved with the cut wound and a dull pressure in the abdomen area close to the cut wound and bruise. There appear to be no mental changes (no depression, fear, shaking, euphoria, etc.) At the time of the attack, I was wearing a 1/4" Fathom wet suit (black/blue) consisting of a 'farmer-john' part and a jacket. I was wearing 22 pounds of weight on a yellow/orange weight belt. A DiveTracker DTX (a product of our company) served as my instrumentation console. The DiveTracker is housed in an 8" x 3.5" x 2.5" aluminum box with 1/4" aluminum wall strength. There are clean cut wounds in both parts of the wet suit at the locations of the cut wounds to my body. Most of the cuts in the wet suit are triangular in shape, a few are straight cuts. The major cuts in the wet suit range from 0.75" to 1.1" in length. In the vicinity of the cut in the arm, there are three smaller triangular cuts which only partially penetrate the material. There are two gashes in the plastic label on the face of the DiveTracker instrument (which was attached to the high pressure hose) and there are what appear to be teeth marks on the back of the steel tank as well. The following personal statements are hypothesis and not facts and are not to be taken as such: My injuries in this incident are very light, considering the circumstances. One reason for this may be that the shark, for whatever reason, simply decided to not exert much force on my body. Another possibility is that I in fact got sandwiched between two layers of metal. The shark may have bit onto the tank on my back and the DiveTracker instrument on my front. The DiveTracker instrument may have well rested on my abdomen (its natural position). Thus, the pressure on the tank and on the DiveTracker spread the force of the bite over a large area and resulting in the bruise on my abdomen. In this case, the cut wounds to my body may have simply been points were my body was 'bulging out' from in between the instrument and the tank. In effect, I would have been protected by armor. >From a single incident it is impossible to tell what factors were involved in the shark choosing to attack me. My simple suspicion is that it was hungry and that I happened to run across its path. One might argue forever that it was this or that piece of gear or behavior on my part that provoked the attack. Again, a single incident of a shark attack cannot possibly be used to come to any valid conclusion as to the 'why' of the attack. This incident must be seen in the context of a large number of incidents. Unfortunately, attacks by sharks on humans along the California coast are so rare that a big database of incidents from which to draw conclusions does simply not exist. For my part, I will not be deterred from diving in these waters. Statistics show the probability of an attack on myself or anybody else to be extremely remote. -------- Reposted by SeaWitch Dolphins' PlayGround BBS 714-858-1979 --- GEcho 1.00 * Origin: Dolphins PlayGround, Where divers come to play! (1:103/980) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00016 Date: 07/12/95 From: SEAWITCH Time: 05:44pm \/To: ALL (Read 2 times) Subj: cleanups Are there any scuba clubs in the state of washington which do cleanups? --- GEcho 1.00 * Origin: Dolphins PlayGround, Where divers come to play! (1:103/980) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00017 Date: 07/12/95 From: JON SWENSON Time: 06:58am \/To: MICHAEL CHUA (Read 2 times) Subj: HI EVERYONE! > Well...only way is to work here as an instructor or > divemaster...what level > certification do u hold by the way? I wish I was a divemaster or instructor but I only have a class II PADI certification. I just really wish that I could dive somewhere besides California because the water is so cold and murky here. Mexico is close though and I've heard lots of good things about there so I think that will be my next destination. --- FLAME v1.1 * Origin: 24th Street Exchange * A BBS Since 1983 * 916.448.2483 (1:203/52) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00018 Date: 07/13/95 From: CHRIS CROCKER Time: 11:42pm \/To: ALL (Read 2 times) Subj: A NEW DANGER ! This is a copy of a letter Circulated at my Dive Club. I thought it a worthwhile notice for everyone. NEW JERSEY COUNCIL OF DIVING CLUBS P.O. Box 585 Manasquan, NJ 08736-0585 S P E C I A L A D V I S O R Y Dear Council Member: Information has been received from Herb Segars, New Jersey's own underwater photographer and Mr. Robert Schoelkopf, Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, Brigantine, NJ, that SPIDERWIRE has been found in New Jersey, Both on Dive Sites and stuck and/or wrapped around marine animals. SPIDERWIRE is nearly, if not invisible to divers and certainly to the marine animals. SPIDERWIRE, in information released by the manufacturer is that SPIDERWIRE is 10 to 15 times stronger than steel and CANNOT be cut with normal cutting tools. The Manufacturer states that SEVERE injury may result if you atempt to break or cut SPIDERWIRE with your teeth, fingers, hands, or feet. A Very sharp knife or pair of scissors must be used. Nail clippers or pinch style snips WILL NOT cut it. AS we all know, divers carry knives, which for the most part have dull blades and basically used to free use from entanglements from monofilament fishing line, etc. Two divers have already been entangled with SPIDERWIRE and had EXTREME difficulty freeing themselves. For those members clubs who dive wrecks off of New Jersey and New York, TAKE CAUTION. DIVE WITH AND STAY WITH YOUR DIVE BUDDY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FREE YOURSELF BY TUGGING ON THE LINE. The New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs in notifying all member clubs of this advisory and is requesting that each council delegate notify their members IMMEDIATELY of this new danger to our sport. The member vessels of the Eastern Dive Boat Association also have been advised to notify their divers of SPIDERWIRE. Efforts are being made to notify the dive industry of this situation and the manufacturers are being asked to remove this product from the marketplace. --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: (1:273/204.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00019 Date: 07/12/95 From: ADAM CAPLAN Time: 08:11pm \/To: CHRIS CROCKER (Read 2 times) Subj: Looking for Dive Buddy Yes, I mean Long Island, NY. I am from Bohemia, which is almost exactly in the center of the Island. I have only dove one location here, and there were several lobsters, crabs, and starfish. In order to take the lobsters, you need a permit. I am not sure how much a permit costs. If you want to dive on a weekend, leave me a note here, or on the internet at caplaa@rpi.edu . --Adam --- QScan/PCB v1.17b / 01-0404 * Origin: [\] Neptune's Realm [\] 516-724-0218 [\] (1:2619/221) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00020 Date: 07/13/95 From: KEVIN MORGAN Time: 12:50am \/To: ADAM CAPLAN (Read 2 times) Subj: Looking for Dive Buddy -> Yes, I mean Long Island, NY. I am from Bohemia, which is almost -> exactly in the center of the Island. I have only dove one location -> here, and there were several lobsters, crabs, and starfish. In order -> to take the lobsters, you need a permit. I am not sure how much a -> permit costs. If you want to dive on a weekend, leave me a note here, -> or on the Lobster permits are only $5 a year and you can get an application at the State Department of environmental conservation in Stony Brook. [\] Kevin Morgan -= SYSOP =- Neptune's Realm BBS [\] --- QScan/PCB v1.17b / 01-0404 * Origin: [\] Neptune's Realm [\] 516-724-0218 [\] (1:2619/221) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00021 Date: 07/13/95 From: G SCHUSTER Time: 01:12pm \/To: STEVE ELLIOT (Read 2 times) Subj: Re: Chilly diving On 28 Jun 95 17:11:10, Steve Elliot babbled on to G Schuster all about Chilly diving SE> Been there, done that, moved someplace warmer! :) Sure but by my standards (even though I do enjoy Warm water diveing) My experience of an ICE DIVE is not one I will ever forget, and I did it in my wet suit Gerry --- Blue Wave/TAG v2.12 [NR] * Origin: Beaver Keeper BBS Hamilton, Ont. Canada 28.8 (1:244/442) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 186 SCUBA Ref: CBL00022 Date: 07/14/95 From: ROBERT ST.CLAIR Time: 06:45pm \/To: SEAWITCH (Read 2 times) Subj: CLEANUPS Seawitch, S >Are there any scuba clubs in the state of washington which do cleanups? Most of the dive clubs in the Puget Sound area that I am aware of have done cleanups at one time or another. Are you looking for a club in a specific area ? The Washington Scuba Alliance is a state wide organization that is, among many other activities, involved in cleanups. Give me some more details and I should be able to get you in touch with the right people. SEA YA (:)-) BOB ___ * UniQWK #5011* Vegetarians eat vegetables. Beware of Humanitarians. --- FLAME v1.1 * Origin: Total Access News & Info Sys, Tacoma, WA 206-472-9884 (1:138/103)