We leave soon for three glorious weeks in our Mexican paradise, La Paz. We won’t be back till the end of October so we are combining the September and October issues. As always, I hope you find this newsletter interesting and informative.
But first I want to thank all the Friends of JoeLiburdi.com for the generous gifts they donated to our La Paz adventure. We have masks, snorkels, dive lights, backpacks, gear bags, magazine subscriptions and more from Atomic, Mares, Trident, Dive Training, PADI, Ikelite, Stahlsac, Pelican, and Liburdi’s Scuba Center. Every traveler wins a gift! And one wins a Sea & Sea 860G Digital Camera, this year’s sweepstakes prize. Thank you, Friends.
I also want to thank Jason Heller for featuring me in the Photo Gallery of his 100th Anniversary Issue of DivePhotoGuide. Visit the site. You will like it. www.divephotoguide.com
Next Stop: Palau February 10-20, 2008
Every year Scuba Diving magazine polls its readers to find the best dive destinations in the world. Palau came in first for 2006. Here is what the editors had to say:
“Judging by its perfect overall score, nobody but nobody comes home from diving in Palau unsatisfied. Comprising more than 340 islands and just as many spectacular diving options. Palau is ringed by a barrier reef that separates shallow lagoons from sheer walls, where some of the destination’s —and the world’s— best-known sites are located. Sites like Blue Corner and Big Drop-Off deliver consistently electrifying dives on plunging walls patrolled by big pelagics and sharks galore. It’s no surprise that our readers think the diving in Palau is not just thrilling—it’s perfect.”
If you want to go, there are still some spots open. Click here for package and price, and reservations.
Memory Card Headaches and Solutions
In our last newsletter we mentioned several bloopers that our group made during our trip to Lembeh, Indonesia. The disaster I didn’t mention was when Gary deleted all his images from his memory card. How this happened is a long story. The important thing is that he retrieved them. He went online and found LC Technologies and selected from their product line PHOTORECOVERY® for Digital Media, an application for recovering images, movies, and sound files from all types of digital media. “Simply insert your digital media into the reader, and run PHOTORECOVERY® on the media, and then save the pictures off to another location,” the website says. It will also allow you to create a backup image of your card, and also allow recovery from your backup image as well as other card image formats. Just $39.95 but actually priceless. www.lctech.com
What if your camera tells you “No images” or “Can’t read media file” when you attempt to download the day’s pictures? What happened? I’ve seen grown men cry.
- Images can be corrupted if the camera is left in the sun, from condensation in the camera, or from user rough handling.
- Images can be erased if you insert a memory card used by one camera into a different camera.
- Each camera handles data differently and switching cards can corrupt photos.
- Never remove the memory card while the camera is on.
- If your camera has an auto-off feature when the battery is low, don’t keep restarting it while the camera is writing data onto the memory card.
- Cold, dry air creates static electricity which can damage the card. Touch a metal appliance plugged into a wall socket before handling the memory card.
More recovery options:
ZAR (Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery, www.z-a-recovery.com
Media RECOVER at www.mediacover.com
Digital Photo Recovery at www.photorecovery.com
Don’t Panic at www.imagerecall.com
The Most Dangerous Sea Creature
When an interviewer asked about the dangers of diving with sharks, underwater filmmaker Howard Hall said, “During the filming of Island of the Sharks, our crew logged a combined 1,926 dives—including decompression dives—for a total of more than 1,765 hours underwater. But our most serious injury was a sea urchin puncture.”
Cara would concur. After 25 years of diving, the worst thing that ever happened to her was an urchin puncture.
Cara thought it a harmless injury that would heal and go away
It is a sharp and fleeting pain, like getting jabbed with a needle. Usually the punctured area gets red and swollen. Punctures to the joints of the hands and feet can cause tenosynovitis, an inflammation caused by the spine being implanted into the joint tissues. Permanent damage can result.
What to do:
- Check the puncture. The urchin spine may be visible. If so, use a tweezers to remove spines. Be gentle. The spines break easily.
- Bathe affected area in hot water for 30 to 90 minutes. This will alleviate some of the pain and deactivate the spine toxins
- Clean with soap and water.
- Do not cover the wound with a bandage. That can cause infection.
- For signs of infection, use a triple antibiotic ointment and see a doctor as soon as possible.
Note: This is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It’s simple a “heads up” based on personal experience.
The risk for some is an allergic reaction. If you feel feverish, dizzy, trouble breathing, seek immediate medical attention. If none is available, call DAN’s emergency hotline: 919-684-4DAN.
Click here to read the DAN report on other hazardous encounters, Prevention of Marine Animal Injuries.
New Product Review
Sea & Sea 10 megapixel DX1-G – HOT NEW COMPACT DIGITAL
I haven’t had the opportunity to use the camera underwater as yet, but I did have the opportunity to test it on land. The results were impressive. Here is a small, affordable digital system that delivers exceptional results. I ordered one as a back up to our SLR systems. In fact, Cara wishes we had it now; it would be a far easier system to handle when snorkeling with the whale sharks in La Paz.
FYI. The DX-1G is so hot that the first shipment from Japan is already
sold out. If you want one for yourself or for a Christmas gift, I suggest you
place your order now. MSRP: $1050. Call me for special price at 949-448-0499.
For features and specifications, go to www.seaandsea.jp/dx1g/index.html
Sneak Peek at the Maldives
October 4 – October 14,
2008
Aboard the Maldives Aggressor
$4598 pp
Includes 7 Nights on liveaboard, 6 days diving, airfare, stopover
in Singapore
The Maldives Islands are a string of islands located in the Indian Ocean southwest of Sri Lanka on the equator. The Maldives are made up of over 1200 tiny, low-lying coral islands surrounded by white sand in 26 atolls. The capital is Male (pronounced Mar-lay).
The Maldives are renowned for big animal action: hammerheads, grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, manta rays, napoleon wrasse, barracudas, an occasional whale shark, plus turtles, frogfish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, batfish, jacks, trevallies, snappers, yellowback Fusiliers and harlequin sweetlips. ...the list is almost endless!
We have chartered the brand-new Maldives Aggressor, a 115-foot luxury boat with 10 staterooms. We can accommodate only 18 guests. The response to last issue’s announcement of the trip has been phenomenal. We are already receiving reservations. If you are seriously interested, please go to Reservations fill out the form and mail with your deposit.
The Maldives site is in progress. We will have flight info, itinerary, dive sites, and so on. Please check back.
If you’re old enough for AARP,
you’re just the
right age for SCUBA
Recently read a very interesting article in the August issue of Dive Training magazine that I wanted to share with you. It is called “Midlife & Beyond…And Still Going Strong—Baby Boomer Divers” by Linda Lee Walden. You can read it in its entirety by clicking here
Defined as that segment of the population born between 1946 and 1964, there are 82,826,479 baby boomers, reported Advertising Age September 17th. They comprise more than 26% of the population and are represented in 48% of American households. Every 7 seconds a boomer turns 50. Every 11 seconds a boomer turns 60. AARP says they seek active vacations. They are responsible for 80% of luxury travel.
The bottom line is this: “Lest the reader conclude that simply because baby boomers are getting older…we should hang up our regulators and stick to golf, let me say that quitting scuba is not the answer.” That’s what I told my cardiologist when he suggested I take up golf after my heart attack and double bypass in 1999. “On the contrary, many baby boomers are just getting started as divers.” My buddy Carl got open water certified at 60 and became a PADI instructor at 65. Now 70 and retired, he dives Southern California waters every week. “And more and more of us now have the time and means to give when, where and how we prefer. There is no upper age limit to scuba diving: it can be enjoyed just as much at any stage of life. And it is one of the few physical pursuits that folks of all ages can enjoy together, which is why it makes such a perfect family activity. The message is that we need to stay in shape to be able to dive safely and should consider altering our diving style to accommodate physical changes associated with aging.”
Pass the message on. “We are the largest segment of active divers. If we take care of ourselves—monitor our diving fitness faithfully and make accommodations for physical changes—we’re likely to stay that way for years.”
Amen.
I’m planning an 80th Birthday Party in La Paz, October 2009. Mark your calendar!
Underwater Exposures
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phone 949.448.0499 • fax 949.448.0499
email: orca2@cox.net
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