Florida Sea Base News

Yesterday was the last day on the water for a while for Capt. Rich and me.  Today is an off day for the boats we were driving and Captains Carl and Tom should be back to work on Thursday and resume command of their vessels.  Today Capt. Rich and I will be in the office dealing with “management” chores.  We will get to drive an occasional trip now and then, but it was a real treat having a crew for a week; just like the good old days.

Yesterday I took the triple crew from Missouri out for their final dive (this week) at the Florida Sea Base.  We also had three special guests; Paul Beal, General Manager, Dana Beal, Mrs. General Manager, and Capt. Alex Bergstedt, Scuba Commissioner.  They were on a (successful) mission to catch fish for the saltwater aquarium.  We went to a very large patch reef named Labyrinth.  The visibility was outstanding again.  The water was about 30′ deep and the water temperature was 85-86 (as it has been all week). Capt. Rich took his crews to a nearby site named Boink.  (No, I don’t know how it got its name.  Let’s say two boats collided there and made a “boink” noise.)  We came back to the base for lunch and for the crews to begin their check-out process.  They had luau last night (dampened a little by a brief rain shower) and depart after breakfast today.

The America Camp Association (ACA) inspectors will be at the Florida Sea Base Thursday and at the Brinton Environmental Center Friday for our accreditation inspection.   Their inspection is only every second or third year (compared to the BSA’s annual inspection) but it involves a greater number of standards (many of which don’t apply – like wearing helmets while riding horses).  Director of Program Rob Kolb has been tasked with overseeing the inspection process and assuring that we are in compliance with over 200 camp standards (or at least the applicable ones).

There is nothing of a tropical nature expected to develop for the next week.  We are expecting rain locally for the next three days but it shouldn’t be enough to have much affect on our programs.  We are Scouts after all and it is high adventure.  We can handle a little rain.

It will be a little sad to see the Missouri crew depart.  It was a real treat to get to work and interact the participants for a week.  They were very kind.  Each crew completes critiques at the end of the week.  One of the questions asks them to rate the staff members.  The top score is a 10; they gave me a 20!  You just don’t receive that type of gratification doing budget.

It’s time to report to the salt mine.  Deep breaths.  Happy face on.  It’s “opening day” today for six Scuba Adventure crews, one Scuba Certification crew, one Sea Exploring crew, and four Coral Reef Sailing crews (108 new smiling faces with high expectations that we intend to exceed in every way possible).  Plus we will have 32 Coral Reef Sailing participants on the base for their mid-week fun day.  Then their is the luau line-up: four Coral Reef Sailing crews, one Eco Adventure crew, and one Sea Exploring crew (64 participants).

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Yesterday tried to be a typical Monday at the Florida Sea Base, but I was driving a boat all day so I missed much of the drama (yaaaaa!!!).  I started my morning on S/V Escape publishing yesterday’s post.  As I mentioned in that post, I had gotten up at 03:30.  I re-read the post last night and noticed some typos.  I think I corrected all of them and then I updated the post.  Sorry for the mistakes, but it was 03:30 and I was tired.  Anyway, from Escape I moved on to the office and worked on emails prior to and following the 07:30 staff meeting.  Breakfast was shortly after 08:00 and then I reported to the BSA Explorer.

BSA Explorer was loaded and we left the dock around 09:30 with the gung-ho Missouri crew aboard plus one Florida Sea Base staff member (Gwyenne) and two Brinton Center staff members (Byron and Tom) aboard to complete some of their Open Water certification dives.  Our first stop was a patch reef named Ham.  This is a 30′ dive and the divers were down for an hour, maybe a little longer.  Then we moved to Davis Reef, a ledge type reef and home to the Buddah statue that seems to intrigue people.  The water is about 25′ at Davis and the participants were down for another hour or more.  Shortly after we arrived, S/V Wandering Star under the command of Capt. Dennis Dugas arrived with a Coral Reef Sailing crew and they moored on the ball next to us.  We moved the boat one more time to an unnamed location near Cheeca Rocks where the water was 20′ deep so the staff members could complete another training dive while the participants enjoyed lunch.  We were going to move again, but everyone was having a good time where we were so we stayed.  We returned to Florida Sea Base at 16:15.  Did I mention that we missed the rain yesterday?

Today will be the last day I get to drive the dive boat for a while.  That’s kind of sad for me.  Wednesday I’ll be behind a desk all day.  Air conditioning is greatly appreciated, but overall it’s much nicer sweating on the dive boat than stressing in the office.

I know most of the people who read this little blog are Scouts, Scouters, or parents of Scouts or staff or a combination of these.  That being true, most of you still honor family and church values.  If you are looking for something “wholesome” and fun for all age groups, something that your family can enjoy together, take a few minutes to check out Tim Hawkin’s website.   Tim is a friend and a great, clean, family oriented comedian.  If at all possible, make it to a live show.  If not, CDs and DVDs are available through his website.  I have been to four shows and folks 8 – to 108 have a ball.  He plays mostly in churches, but there is no sermon; just clean, comfortable and affordable venues.  You can also see Tim on YouTube.  His videos have well over 50 million viewings.  I have never “endorsed” anyone in my blog before.  But Tim is truly Scout appropriate and LOTS of fun.  While the CDs and DVDs are great fun, the live performances are the best way to enjoy Tim’s humor.  (Plus they are very affordable.)

It’s about 04:50 and I’m going to try to lay back down for a while.  I’m really dreading returning to the office this afternoon; budget, scheduling, policy reviews, staff management, hiring, firing, troubled staff, uncooperative adult leaders, medical issues, management meetings, camp inspections, emails and telephone calls.  I love my job!  Fortunately I’ve been listening to “The Best of Bonnie Raitt” while working on this post.  My mood is easily effected by music.  Her music is uplifting and makes the whole day better.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Sunday was a great day for diving at the Florida Sea Base.  We had a serious rain at breakfast time, but once that broke it was sunny skies and calm winds.  There was tremendous visibility on the reefs for the scuba divers and the Coral Reef Sailing snorkelers.  I drove BSA Explorer again with the triple crew from Missouri.  Divemaster Dave Rumbaugh joined us today so Kodiak Hengstebeck could have a day off.

Our first stop was Long Key Ledge.  The divers reported seeing 4 sharks in the 6′ to 8′ range.  Our second stop was Pillars of Atlantis.  The current was ripping at this site.  Some of the divers reported the dive as “awesome”.  Most complained of the strong current.  Many said it was the best coral formations of the week.  After doing a one hour dive at each site, everyone was hungry.  We relocated the dive boat to a site named Lob 10.  We ate and played water games for an hour and a half or so.  Then we returned to the base.

In my spare time I decided to search “Florida Sea Base” to see where FloridaSeaBaseNews.com ranked.  On Google it was second.  On Bing it produced a sublist and was second on that list.  If you stuck with following “Florida Sea Base” it was 7th.  I couldn’t find it on Yahoo search.  Interesting to me.  I’m sure it doesn’t matter much to most of you.

All remains quiet regarding tropic storm development in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico for the next few days.  It’s almost TOO quiet if you know what I mean.  The “experts” still think we are going to have a very busy season.  They also suggested that it might be packed into the latter months of the season.  Not having storms in the early part of the season is good for our program and participants.  Getting hammered in September and October makes it tough on our permanent, year ’round staff.  But I guess it’s tough for us no matter when the storms come.  One thing that might help a lot would be if we could move at least two of the big boats to our hurricane canal, secure them and shrink wrap them.  Without the shrink wrap, the boats will collect leaves from the mangrove trees.  These leaves contain tannin which stains the deck and other surfaces of the boats brown.  It is VERY difficult to clean.  It has been more and more common to see boats (usually big yachts) shrink wrapped for the off season.  It think I saw an episode of “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel where Mike Rowe was shrink wrapping yachts.  I should follow-up on this idea.  Things like this are why I don’t sleep well some nights (I’ve been up since 04:30 this morning and was up at 02:00 yesterday morning).

The oil is still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico and it does creep at little further east on occasion.  I used the internet tools available to me this morning and the nearest beached oil is at Carrabelle, Florida, 663 miles (straight line) from the Florida Sea Base.  Capt. Harold Ochstein from our Eco Adventure offered this information.  2244_what_to_expect_in_southflorida There is no expectation of any of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon site reaching the Florida Sea Base any time soon – if ever.  Hopefully the flow will be stopped in the next month or two.  The impact from this disaster will last for years, many, many years.  Even after everything looks to be alright, there will be millions if not billions of gallons of oil lingering on the sea floor long after I’m dead and gone.  This catastrophe is so huge that I wonder if any of us can comprehend the true extent of what has happened.

Today’s weather at the Florida Sea Base is going to be great.  Maybe a little rain this morning (like yesterday) but most of the day will be sunny with very mild winds.  Diving and snorkeling will be superb.  There is nothing on the radar now, but after sunrise the heat will start to generate energy and we will like see some building of isolated but very tall cloud formations.  Some of these will result in rain and maybe a little lightening.  I haven’t chosen our dive sites for today.  I will wait as long as possible and see where (and if) storms are forming and then we will do our best to go where the weather’s best.

I need to make preparations so I’ll sign off for now.  I hope you had a good night’s sleep and enjoy whatever today has in store for you.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Good morning from the Florida Sea Base.  Yesterday got off to an okay but less than perfect start.  We had a lack of communication and scheduling when four boats needed to be on the fuel dock simultaneously – including BSA Explorer which I was driving.  (It will only accomodate one boat at a time.)  Then, as S/V Tradewind was pulling away from the dock something happened and the collapsable bladder (like a giant heavy duty balloon) that serves as the holding tank leaked and raw sewage drained into the bilge.  Capt. Martin got the mess cleaned up in surprising short order so I am assuming that it was a very small leak.

The triple scuba crew from Missouri was fired up again today and took our delayed departure in high spirits.  As we approached our first dive site there was rain and lightening so we decided to move a little further west.  This put us a little more behind schedule and the first dive was not concluded until noon.  While the divers were down we had another storm cell form and we got a good “fresh water rinse”.  We had better luck at the second dive  site and the weather broke.  Then we went to the wreck site of the San Pedro for lunch and snorkeling.  We returned to base a little after 15:00 so the crew could prepare for the night dive.

To assure that no diver is left behind, we call role by name before we leave the dock and before we leave each dive site.  There is no emergency that will cause us to skip calling role.  it is a must do.  Yesterday, Capt. Rich was driving BSA Adventure back from the last dive of the day.  About three quarters of the way back one of the adult leaders went to the bridge and told Capt. Rich that the adult leader’s son was not on the boat.  As you can imagine, Capt. Rich was seriously concerned.  He stopped the boat and had the divemasters repeat the roll call.  The one kid did not answer.  Capt. Rich was turning the boat around and about to notify the US Coast Guard of a lost diver when the youth was found on board, wedged under the seat with gear bags covering him up.  He was taking a nap.  Whew!!!  There was relief and thoughts of homicide simultaneously.  Roll call works.  Hiding in crawl spaces and taking a nap without telling anyone doesn’t work.

Please remember that Coral Reef Sailing, Scuba Adventure, Scuba Certification and Scuba Liveaboard crews do not go to Key West.  Yes, the packing guide says to bring walking shoes for Key West.  That was our mistake.  We failed to edit it of the Participant Guide prior to the last printing.  Regardless of what the packing list says, these adventures DO NOT include a day in Key West.

Speaking of the Participant Guide and packing lists, it also recommends boat shoes for sailing crews (Coral Reef Sailing and Sea Exploring).  Those are not necessary.  You will go barefoot on the boats.  Save your money to spend in the Ships Store.

Two days ago I had an adult leader threatening to cancel their adventure because she heard oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout was heading to the Keys.  There is no oil from the Deepwater Horizon site in the Florida Keys.  There is no such oil within several hundred miles of the Florida Keys.  We do not expect any of this oil to impact our area for the next several months – if ever.  I’m not sure what hype has resurfaced in the news, but we are okay and have NO expectation that oil from the Deepwater Horizon well will impact us this summer.

Thank you for making time to read today’s blog.  I do this as a service for the participants, staff and charter captains of the Florida Sea Base.  Please feel free to submit comments or information you would like posted.  I reserve the right to pick and choose and to edit or comment on your comments.  But I will still share accurate, Scout appropriate information even if I don’t totally agree with it.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Yesterday was a wonderful day to be on the water at the Florida Sea Base – for most of us.  I think I had 4 pukers on the boat today in very gentle conditions.  I recommended to the adult leadership that they try some Bonine® for today.  The Missouri crew was GREAT yesterday.  They were alive, awake and enthusiastic.  Even the barfers were having fun – most of the time.  Here’s a photo of the coral on the bottom in 30′ of water.

Coral at 30' taken from the bridge of BSA Explorer

As promised, I have included some short video clips of Fender Rodeo – Florida Sea Base style.  What is Fender Rodeo?  The dive boats are equipped with large fenders (land lubbers might call them bumpers).  They are cylindrical, filled with air and have a rope running through the center.  The objective of Fender Rodeo is to straddle the fender like a bull.  You hold a line from the front of the fender and another line from the rear of the fender very tightly.  Then you jump off the boat and try to ride the fender like a bucking bull at the rodeo.  As at the rodeo, you have to stay on for at least 8 seconds to score.  A picture is worth a thousand words so here are some short clips of successful and almost successful Fender Rodeo contestants.

P7090055

P7090054

P7090061

P7090063

The last video is of John Battles, Troop 409, Hillsboro, Missouri.  I saw John successfully ride the fender at least three times today.  Some of the other divers were successful as well.  It’s a fun activity and we will try again today.

Without going into details, here is a life lesson that you parents might consider passing on to your kids, especially if they are staff members at the Florida Sea Base.  Some of the staff members do not seem to comprehend that a trip to a doctor during normal office hours might cost in the neighborhood of $200.  Going to the Emergency Room costs $2,000 and UP.  These young adults need to understand that if they are sick or injured on Wednesday (for example), it’s better to go to the doctor on Thursday or Friday than to wait until Saturday and go to the ER.  It is amazing how many of our staff wait until after dinner or for the weekend to announce they have been injured or are sick and need to go to the ER when they could have taken care of the situation during normal office hours.  I understand that there are emergencies – I’ve been to the ER a few times myself.  But this seems to be frequent, almost routine with many of our staff.  It sure wastes a lot of money.

That’s enough griping for one day.  I’ve got to go.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Good morning from the Florida Sea Base.  As noted in today’s headline, Capt. Rich and Capt. Steve (that’s me!) are at large on the high seas in the vicinity of the Florida Sea Base.  While we are not relieved of our daily responsibilities, our command posts have been relocated from the Program Office to BSA Adventure and BSA Explorer respectively for the remainder of the week as we substitute for the usual captains, Tom and Carl.  This is indeed a dangerous situation for the upper management of the Florida Sea Base as Capt. Rich and I are both enjoying being out of the office in mid-summer WAY too much.  Anyone out there interested in a Program Directors job?  And if Capt. Tom and Capt. Carl are reading this, you MIGHT have jobs when you get back but Capt. Rich and I may just have to relieve you for the remainder of the summer.

The water was flat and swimming pool clear yesterday.  The triple crew on BSA Explorer this week is from Missouri.  While this was for many their first saltwater dive, on the most bio-diverse reef in the Florida Keys with absolutely perfect conditions (calm seas, no current, 80 feet of visibility and sunny skies) the divers were very calm – almost complacent – as they returned aboard the boat.  I heard one kid say “that was awesome”.  We had to prod comments from most of the rest.  The dive staff for this crew includes Christy Clemenson, Harrison Plunkett and Kodiak Hengstebeck.  They need to get this crew fired up or I may leave them all at the dock this morning and go by myself!!!

Tropical Depression 2 made landfall in south Texas yesterday afternoon.  Flooding is already monumental in south Texas and northeastern Mexico from Hurricane Alex.  ”Devastating” is not a big enough word to describe the plight of the residents of these areas.  Remeber that the American Red Cross can always use you financial support.  The remainder of the tropics remain quiet for now.  Here is the forecast for Islamorada from the National Weather Service in Key West:

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 90. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 81. South southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

If you go back to my post on 27 June 2010 you will see a photo of the S/V Calypso Poet with serious mast damage.  I am VERY happy to report that the Poet is repaired and scheduled to resume her Coral Reef Adventure duties on Saturday.  Capt. Joey has been working like a mad-man to get her back in service.  Many other members of our seasonal staff and captains in our fleet have assisted with manpower and/or donations.  I would list them all if I could.  The effort to restore the Calypso Poet to the fleet has been “a family affair”.  Welcome back Capt. Joey!!!

My morning started at 05:30.  Basically I was praying, asking God (if it was His will) to let me fall back asleep for an hour; it was NOT His will.  So I got up an found that the forward air conditioner was not performing as it should.  By 05:40 I was in the engine room cleaning (mostly) mud and a little grass from the sea strainer that serves the a/c.  It seems to be working better now.  I didn’t sleep well last night so usually I would be a little grumpy.  But everything will probably be okay since I will be on the water instead of in the office.

Speaking of being on the water, I’ve got to remember to take some sun protection for my lips with me.  I can tell they are a little burned after being out for just four hours yesterday.  I think it was to years ago when my lips and the tops of my ears developed a sensitivity to the sun.  It seems strange to me but I bet a dermatologist could explain they reasons.  So sunscreen and a hat for the ears and sun balm for the lips today.  I’ll be reminding the crews from Missouri to reapply sunscreen frequently this week.  Missouri; isn’t that the “show me” state?

That’s all for now.  I still have a lot to do before we cast off.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

I was “Captain for a Day” at Florida Sea Base driving the BSA Explorer for the scuba divers this morning.  Being in charge of the scuba programs ironically gives me limited opportunities to scuba dive or captain the dive boats.  So it was a treat to get to substitute for one of our regular captains on this morning’s dive trip.  We were headed to a site called Three Peaks.  This is a spur and groove type reef with good relief between the sand channels and the spurs of coral.  However, as we approached the site there was a fishing vessel parked there.  So I moved a little north and west and found what looked to be a decent spot from the surface.  We put the divers in and (fortunately) it turned out to be a very good dive.  There were two crews of participants on board accompanied by six Divemasters.  Several of the Divemasters saw a fish that we have not identified yet.  Capt. Gerald Dowling aboard S/V Miss Jerry told me yesterday that his Coral Reef Sailing crew had caught an eel-like fish about 15″ long.  His description was the same as what the Divemasters reported this morning.  The fish is described as eel-like with a dorsal fin running from the head to the tail and a ventral fin that does likewise.  The tail terminates is somewhat of a point like an eel versus a traditional fish tail.  It has large eyes and a mouth similar to a barracuda but with much bigger teeth.  Since there are more than 500 species of eel, it may take a while to identify this fish.

Here’s a photo of a spur and groove type reef.  This photo is of Looe Key which is not where we were today, but it looks very similar.

Example of a spur and groove type reef.

Speaking of Capt. Gerald, he submitted this comment:

Cpt. Steve, I just wrote you the most movable missel of what we did while you guys were out Yachting. However, I regret to say that in the last paragraph my little finger hit a wrong button and who knows where the missle went and where it will land.
Anyway, we had a great first week, even the hook in the eye came out good, and a good time was had by all. Back at Sea Base our crew won the volley ball and the rope tug and caught a prehistoric fish.
We are glad that you guys came back alive to fight another day, and the new big boat looks great.
Cpt. Gerald

The “Yachting” comment refers to our delivery of the BSA Centennial Eagle from Slidell, LA to the Florida Sea Base.  The “hook in the eye” was an incident aboard S/V Miss Jerry last week where a youth participant managed to get a fish hook through his eye lid.  Fortunately there was no serious injury to the eyeball.  There are always risks at sea.  That’s why each crew is required to bring a first aid kit and the adult leaders are required to have First Aid training.

Our “visitation team” arrives tomorrow for our annual camp inspection.  There are a few last minute things to do but basically we are ready.  In reality, we are ready every day.  We are fortunate to have staff members that run safe, challenging, high adventure programs and we use excellent equipment in so doing.

Let me know if you think you know what type of eel Capt. Gerald’s crew caught.  A photo reference would be greatly appreciated.

Capt, Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

I have addressed this topic before, but it is worth repeating.  Dale Davis wrote:

How about a positive question for a change? With the Centennial Eagle adding another day of diving to the Scuba Adventure, any chance to work on any PADI specialities like Peak Bouyancy or Boat Diver? Looking forward to being there in about two weeks!!

Best regards,

dale davis
crew 32

During the spring and winter seasons the Florida Sea Base usually offers the opportunity for Scuba Adventure crews to complete a PADI specialty certification or two.  However, we are not yet able to do so during the summer.  The primary issue is that it is very difficult to find PADI Instructors that are certified to teach specialties and willing to work just the summer months.  Let me explain a little more in detail for the benefit of the readers who aren’t familiar with the PADI instructor system.

Divemaster (DM) is PADI’s first professional level of certification.  That is followed by Assistant Instructor and then Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI).  As an OWSI you can teach what PADI considers “core” courses such as Open Water Diver, Adventure Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver and Divemaster plus a few non-diving specialties like AWARE Coral Reef Conservation and a VERY few diving specialties such as Peak Performance Buoyancy (mentioned in Dale’s comment).

However, to teach most diving specialties (such as Boat Diver) the OWSI must have an additional certification to teach each specialty.  I am certified to teach 20 specialties so I had to apply to PADI for each of those 20 topics.  Additionally, unless you attend a speciality instructor course taught by a PADI Course Director ($$$) you are required to have a minimum of 25 student certifications in core courses before you are allowed to teach specialties.  If you have certified 25 students AND are certified to teach at least five specialty courses, you move up the ranks from OWSI to Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT).  So, from a practical standpoint, most instructors who can teach specialty courses are MSTDs.  I hope this hasn’t been too confusing or boring so far.

During the summer, there are 12 Scuba Adventure crews on base at any one time.  The Florida Sea Base can’t offer specialty certifications to one crew unless we can offer it to all of the crews.  Fair is fair.  I am only budgeted for one scuba professional (usually a DM but sometimes an instructor) per crew.  For most diving specialties, PADI only allows 8 students (coincidentally our crew size) per instructor.  The bottom line is I would have to hire 12 MSDTs for the summer just for the Scuba Adventure crews.  It is a monumental task to hire 12 Scout appropriate (preferably Eagle Scouts) Divemasters for Scuba Adventure crews.  I wish I could find that many MSDTs.  Bear in mind that I also have to hire DMs and OWSIs or MSDTs for the Scuba Liveaboard program and the Scuba Certification program.

So as much as I wish we could offer specialty certifications during the summer, I simply cannot hire enough qualified staff to make that a reality during summer.  Sorry Dale; I sincerely wish we could.  So the good news is you will get two additional scuba dives (weather permitting) in lieu of going to Key West for a day but the bad news I can’t make specialty certifications available to the Scuba Adventure crews during the summer season.

Moving on, here is a photo of more than $1,000,000 worth of Newton 46′ Dive Specials that now reside at the Florida Sea Base dock.

FSB $1,000,000 Newton 46' Dive Special Fleet

We also have a 45′ Corinthian (power catamaran) dive boat and a few 26′ dive boats.  There is no oil in the water at the Florida Sea Base, Brinton Environmental Center or Abacos (Bahamas) bases and none expected in the near future.  The water temperature on the reef is 84 degrees; no wetsuits required.  The divers are diving and the sailors are sailing.  The fishing is good and the fish are still safe.  The staff members are enthusiastic and looking forward to serving you.  The UV index is maxed out so remember to buy some SPF 50 sunscreen in the Ships Store along with a long-sleeved t-shirt, a hat and polarized sunglasses.  COME ON DOWN!!!

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

There has always been a concern in the scuba industry with the effects of pressure on psychotropic drugs.  This family of medicines is used to treat conditions such as depression, OCD, ADD and ADHD.  NONE of these medications have been proven to be safe under the increased partial presures experienced while scuba diving.

This is not intended to be a scientific explanation but is my effort to explain the issue in lay terms.

All certified divers will recall from their Open Water Diver course that the body is affected by increased pressures associated with descending underwater.  Nitrogen and oxygen and great examples.  At the surface (1 Atmosphere of pressure) we breath about 79% nitrogen and life is good.  At 99 feet of sea water the water pressure is 4 times as great as the surface (4 Atmospheres of pressure).  Under this pressure, most divers are affected by the nitrogen in the compressed air they are breathing.  This condition is called nitrogen narcosis and can cause “foolish behavior”.  This foolish behavior can cause people to act goofy, to disregard their depth and go deeper, to run themselves out of air, or worse.  Oxygen is absolutely necessary for human life.  At the surface we are breathing about 21% oxygen and life is good.  But underwater, somewhere in the range of 7 Atmospheres, the oxygen becomes toxic and can kill the diver (oxygen toxicity).

All medications have side effects.  One of the common possible side effects of psychotropic drugs is seizures.  At the surface, at diver may not suffer from seizures.  At increased hyperbaric pressure, the same person may have a seizure.  A person who has a seizure at depth will die.  So a 14 year old boy taking medication for ADD may be totally safe at the surface.  An adult taking medication for depression may be totally safe at the surface.  But these drugs are not tested under increased hyperbaric pressures.  Either of these people could suffer serious, life threatening side effects at depth.  No doctor can tell you that one medicine or another is safe at depth because none of them are clinically studied under these conditions.

The use of psychotropic drugs should be considered very carefully by divers.  A doctor specializing in hyperbaric medicine should be consulted.  But the bottom line is these medications have not been proven safe under increased partial pressures encountered by scuba divers.  Be smart.  Be safe.  Be informed.

According to the Divers Alert Network, about 18 people die each year while making recreational scuba dives.  Eighteen?  That’s not very many.  But what if one of those 18 was YOUR child?  The other 17 probably wouldn’t matter much to you.  Participants and staff members will rack up over 26,000 dives at the Florida Sea Base this year.  Not having access to any records before the year 2000, my best, conservative estimate is divers have made approximately 500,000 dives in the 30 year history of the Florida Sea Base.  ONE HALF MILLION dives and ZERO scuba related fatalities. Sometimes we receive harsh criticism from parents of children who are denied participation in our scuba program.  We try very hard to include everyone we can.  But let me ask you to consider this.  WHEN a child dies while scuba diving at the Florida Sea Base, will it matter to the parents of that child that over 500,000 dives were completed without a major incident?

Let me be clear, we have had participants die enroute to and from the Florida Sea Base.  And I believe we have had five adults die while participating in High Adventure programs at the Florida Sea Base.  But no youth fatalities and no fatalities period while underwater scuba diving.  [So Capt. Steve, what were the deaths?  Well Buckaroos, 5 adults have died of heart attacks; two while snorkeling, one while resting on the dive boat between two scuba dives, one while riding in a van returning from Key West, and I don't recall the fifth (if there was one).]  Between 3 and 6 divers (not Florida Sea Base divers) will die while scuba diving in the Florida Keys this year; some on the same reefs we will be diving.

All personnel of the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base realize the awesome burden we have caring for other peoples’ children.  Not only do we care for them, but we care for them 60 feet under water, four miles off-shore, in three to five foot waves, with strong currents.  We take what we do very seriously.  Sometimes we hurt a child’s feelings (and adults too) because they are denied participation in our scuba programs.  This doesn’t happen often, but it happens.  I loose sleep because of this.  But I have no intent of lowering our standards.  There is no acceptable loss ratio.  EVERY child MUST return home safe.