Pink Floyd Tribute: Aussie Floyd

IMAGE_020
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

http://www.aussiefloyd.com/

My co-worker in Tampa turned me on to these guys and Andrea and I went to the Miami Show saturday night. It was awesome, just like real thing (videos, lights, inflatable pig, lasers), only smaller.

Pics from the phone: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiswango/sets/72157603363301280/

It was so cool to hear the entire "Dark Side of the moon" album in one set. "Great Gig in the Sky" gave me chills

Then they played:

Shine on your crazy dimond
Learning to Fly
Take it back
Set the controls for the heart of sun
Two songs I have to look up the name for
Wish you were here
Song from the Wall
2nd half of Shine on your crazy dimond
Comfortably Numb
Run Like Hell

My ears are still ringing and I love it! They plan on touring the US again next year.

Matthew and Nathan

20071130_nathan_everett_023 copy
Originally uploaded by jsuw.

Finally I got in a few photos! My friend Jan Sitchin came over with her camera and we shot up 150 or so photos. I finally get in a few! Now we just need to come up with a theme for the holiday photos!

Getting Organized!

I read a blog on digital vs. paper planning and felt the need to comment. Now that I've used my Franklin Planner for over a year, I feel like an expert ready to expand on its greatness. Must just be making up for my giving up on preaching DIR diving. Now I'll preach about Organization.

Here's my comment on Digital vs Paper Planning:

I’m a Hybrid. The key is notetaking. Nothing handheld and digital is capable of taking notes at a meeting, a phone call, or your boss popping in the office saying I need “XYZ”. I love my Franklin planner for notes, goals, and to-do list. I also end up booking appointments in it as well because it so fast to see the big picutre of my month, week, and day. Once a week I sync my written calander of appointments with my digital world of outlook and SalesLogix CRM. All my name address and phone is digital and I mix in my appointments. That then syncs to my HTM WM 6.0 phone. Now I can stay in contact and still take fast notes on paper.
Going one step further I decided to by a messanger bag for my gadets (Ipod, Garmin Nuvi, and camera. I just made sure it was just big in enough for a few files and my planner. Now all my toys play nice together.

EverNataCrawl.mpg - Google Video

EverNataCrawl.mpg - Google Video: " "

My first video of the boys is finally published. I have a bunch of old footage Andrea shot to go thru. But now that the boys are crawling, that seemed like a good first topic to post!

Stern Starboard Side of the Berry Patch

Stern Starboard Side of the Berry Patch
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

70 degree air temp, 80 degree water temp. 155ft for 30 minutes with Jody, David, and Matt. Ralph skippered the boat for us.

With this dive the Miami Project finished its Project 1.2 list. Last month we finished Project T1. Man, that is a lot of wrecks. And that is not including all the sites in less that 100ft of water.

Now I have to go thru and organzie all my wreck photos. Michael Barnett is working on a 2nd edition of his book and wants to add as many photos as possible. Yipes, that will be a lot of work! :)

Ron Scharf on the Clinton Dredge

PB045061
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

11/4/07 Henry, David, Ron and myself dove the Clinton Dredge off the Avid Diver with Captain Oliver. Seas were 1-2 with swell from Hurricane Noel. The ride out the inlet was perfectly timed between swells breaking. 20-30ft of visibility and the water was 80 degrees top to bottom. The air temp is finally chilly with a North breeze and 75 degrees.

Tire Reef | Sprol

Tire Reef Sprol

Check it out, my photos made a website dedicated to Environmental disasters! But a author in AU wants to purchase my photo for a childrens book. Spread the word and get paid for it. What a good deal!

N&E 6 Months

IMG_4815
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Wearing the surfer outfits given to them by my cousin, Aaron and Erin, the boys posed for another photo shoot. Ev was in a crappy mood and Nathan would not keep his hand out of his mouth. As always, I posted some of the "out-takes" as that is half the fun. This photo was pure majic. Ev was in a good mood and Nathan (by himself) moved his hand under his chin and smiled to Mom's clapping. I really happy with this photo, even with the drool and carrot stains on Ev's shirt!

I'm really looking forward to the next 6 months as I understand there will be lots of changes, talking, crawling, walking, and suprises in store!

6 Month Check up

DSCN4340
Originally uploaded by laugon14.

Ev 15' 15", 17.5 head, 25.5 lenght

Nat 19.2 lbs (then he pee'd all over himself and the scale losing 4 oz) Head 17.5, Lenght 27"

Now they get 1 container of solid food, twice a day, plus the normal bottle. Yeah, more feeding time!!!

Everyone is heathly, perfect, and doing just fine!!!

Sunday 7/29/07 Trip to Vizcaya

IMG_4555
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Built in 1916 for James Deering, Vice President of International Harvester. James died in 1925. His house is a museum of ancient European artifacts including a rug Spain dated to the time of Columbus (1400s). Due to rain, I had to make a quick tour of the Gardens. There is no photography inside the house.

Spadefish on the Bow of the Dantor

Spadefish on the Bow
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Click the photo to see the rest of the set on this wreck!

Miami Project Dives the Dantor

After mentioning this wreck to Jody a couple of times, his curiosity was peaked enough to make the journey. 4 weeks of calms seas has been a real treat this summer. We loaded up the boat and make the 1 hour trip up to Broward county. This wreck was 1.5 miles North of Tenneco Towers.

Blue Water, calm seas, and no current made for a hard time hooking the wreck. After the boat settled, the first team jumped in the water. They were diving 30% on a "recreational" profile for 20-25 minutes. Jody and I were diving 21/35 on a technical profile for 30 minutes. I had O2 for deco (under filled tank I wanted to use and refill) and Jody was using 50%.

The hook was 25 feet off the starboard side. There was a slight current making work of loading the Gavin worth it once again. We headed up to the bow and were greeted by 100 Atlantic Spade fish. They swam around us and posed for a picture at the bow.

The wreck itself was small with little structure. The traditional winch at the bow was missing, and so was the juvenile fish life that usually surrounds it. After a few photos I dropped to the sand at 130ft for up angle shot. While there I found three Jack Knife Drums in the sand.

We headed thru the barren cargo hold. A few butterfly fish along the sides and that was it. One bulkhead separates the cargo hold and I "keyed" myself in the passage way trying to get thru with large canister light and deco bottle. I Rolled on my left side so the bottle would hang down to get thru.

The stern had two entrances on either side to the engine room. I looked around with my dive light to check for Goliath Groupers and enter the large area with the scooters. There was no need to leave them outside. Lots of grunts swam around the pipping in the floor and sides. Some of the markings were still readable.

We ascended thru the large opening to the crew deck. It was open and barren. Nothing to look at except the growth around the portholes. We headed out and back to the cargo hold. A school of 2ft long African Pompano with their long trailing fins were off the Starboard side. The left as I tried for a photo. There was no use in pursuing them on the scooter.

We headed out over the top of the bow section. I looked as if the bridge had been removed from the wreck before it was sunk. Some juvenile fish life, but not much.

We scootered back to the Anchor and shot it to the surface on a lift bag for the other team to recover. At 70ft we shot a lift back and drifted off the wreck. The deco was meditative as there was nothing moving in the clear blue water. I left go of the spool and just watched it bob every so slightly in the calm see. Jody and I just hovered, motionless. We could tell just from the sound of out bubbles that everything was just fine between us.

For practice we did a "6 Up" meaning 6 minute ascent from 20 ft. Not a problems, as we got close to the bag 20 1 inch juvenile bar jacks swan between us. They were very cute! I love deco fish.

Overall the 4 year old wreck has nice growth and good fish life that have not seen too many divers. While the wreck itself if bland, the fish life more than makes up for it. Next time I'll take a boat from Port Everglades and save the 1 hour boat ride.

5 Month Stats:

Everett:
Weight 14'15" up 1.9" to the 25%
Head is 17.25" up .5"
Lenght is 25" up 1.5" to the 25%

Nathan
Weight 18' up 1' down to 80% from 95%
Head is 17" up .5"
Lenght is 26.75' up 1.75" at 75%

Right now they still just need the bottle for calcium, but the Doc said that we could give them half a container of veggies to practice eatings. She said to stick with the greens as the babies love the squash and carrots. Ev really likes eating, Nathan isn't too hot on it yet. Check flickr for lots of "eating" shots!

Tenneco Towers Deep Diver Report: 7/4/07






Plan:











S: Jody, Matt, David + Captain Ralph





A: 18/45 Matt, 21/35 for Jody and David with 50% deco gas





D: 160ft average, 195 max depth, 130ft at the top of the tower





D: 20 minutes





D: Around the wreck and drift off





D: Deep stops at 120ft, 70/3 60/2 50/2 40/2 30/3 20/8 10/5 =25 minutes











Conditions:











Seas: Calm





Visibility: 45ft





Current: 1 knot between 120ft to 150ft. Surface and bottom were calm





Temp: 75 on bottom, 81 above 110ft











Background:


Most divers hit the East or West tower. The two flat ones in the pic below. If you look closely, there is a small section on its side. That is also next to one of the 110ft deep sections. The Miami Project dove the section on the left side of the barge. I believe the tallest section in the middle of the barge is also out deep. We did not find this site and this must be the "missing 5th Section" we have read about, but did not find taking a quick look around with the depth finder.







The tower we dove was 195ft to the sand and the top of the tower is at 130ft. There is about 65ft of relief. There is quite a bit of surface area for growth all over the wreck. These sections were put down in October 1985, so there is over 21 years of growth.

I have been asking divers what they thought of the deep site since moving down in 1999. I've always gotten mixed, so so reviews. Generally divers were glad to see it once, but it really isn't Worth the time, effort, risk and expense to go see. Now that I have dove 4 out of the 5 sections, I believe these divers were referring to the "Deep Skinny" tower in the middle of the pic. Sorry, there isn't a conventional naming convention for the 5 sections which are all referred to a "Tenneco Towers".

Our dive was on the left most section, "Deep Wide" and it was outstanding!

The site is a 28 nautical mile run from dock of the Depreciation. This only the kind of site you do with calm seas and lots of time. It was officially the last site to complete the list of dives we wanted to do. It has taken a long time to develop the team, training, and tools to make this dive a great success.

We arrived at 7:30 AM to load the boat. Jody didn't load the scooters. I almost left mine at home, but threw it in the trunk at the last minute. Jody didn't think we needed them, the tower was a big target and easy to swim around. My counterpoint was that if there was any current, there was no where to hide in the lee side of a wreck or cargo hold. This site was completely exposed. So we loaded the gavins and headed off.

It was a quick easy run up to the site. Talking before and after the dives is almost as much if not more fun than the dives themselves. At the site, there were no fishing boats to argue with. It was all ours. We looked around and did not find the other tower. Jody didn't have any numbers on it so we set a 200ft lead for the tower we had numbers for. There was .5 knot current at the surface.

The drop was good and we started down. I got ahead of Jody, who was ahead of David. David had a slight issue clearing at 50ft and then his primary light died. He cleared, got down, and deployed his back up light with precision. Jody could see him, I could see Jody, and I landed right on on top of the tower. However, the tower was quickly moving away from me as I perceived it. TGFG (Thank God for Gavins)! I turned the pitch down and held position. David get in sync with his Gavin and caught up to us. I was watching Jody for the "thumb" to abort if David didn't get in gear soon. He did!

I ducted behind a column to get out of the flow, clear the wide angle lens of bubbles and fire a couple of shots off to make sure the exposure was right. There were schools of Juvenile Creole Fish (red fish with three white dots) and Creole Wrasses (purple fish) all over the top deck. We checked each other out and proceeded with the dive. Jody and David settled in and I gave the thumbs down to go over the side to the bottom. I was curious where the sand was as I've seen reports of 185 to 210. It was 195ft on the button. I took a few shots of the base of the tower.

There were metal circles all over the base in a 2x2 square pattern. I wondered what those were used for? The tower did not appear to sink into sand, it was planted, solid with no signs of weakening. The overall tower was in perfect condition structurally and well over grown with beautiful life. I few Gray Angelfish darted around the base and 5 amber jack greeted us. There was not nearly as much life at the base.

I was very nervous every time I hit the trigger as the tower had long strands of fishing live and tackle everywhere. We found a 3 pound orange weight that was lost by some angler recently. I was tempted to cut some of it in the Oculina, but I thought I could easily make things worse with "loose ends" dangling in the current. I'm glad there were two other people with me who could get this stuff off my manifold if I made a wrong turn.

On the scooter, we spiraled around the tower as we worked our way up to 150ft. This is where most of the growth was. Then over on one side I spotted an Oculina Coral cluster the size of a beach ball! Wow, it is perfectly intact. I had seen softball size clusters on the 100ft deep wrecks, but nothing like this. Its pure, bleach white appear was ghost like. What would be a sign of serious disease in a shallow coral is perfectly normal and healthy in this deep dweller as there is no zooanthelli living inside the coral to give it color. It is just the coral polyp itself. The Oculina was everywhere.

Back at the top of the tower there was a walkway at 140ft that was grown over with deep water sea fans. I was so in my own world of wonder trying to soak up as much as I can in the mere 20 minutes that I didn't see David posing for photos at different turns. We were completely out of sync.

The colors of the soft coral and sponges were amazing at the top section. The HID light made the colors jump out. The whole dive I had a deep feeling a scarcity that I would not be able to see and explore the whole tower on just one dive. I had not left yet and I was already thinking of how long it would be before I could come back again. I guess it is this anticipation that keeps me motivated as haul tanks around for fills and listen to wife as she reviews the Amex statement every month for line item charges that say "Fill Express".

The time flew by as an HID light gently waved against the back of my Ikelight camera housing. I put my thumb out without looking up as I new it was time to go. I packed the camera away to bring the images safely back. It is so tempting to take photos at deco, but the thought of dropping my camera with no recourse but to watch it sink into the abyss is too much to bear. I leave it clipped off.

Jody ran us through the deep stops and we all "ok'd" each other switching to 50% O2 for deco at 70ft. I handed Jody the spool as I prepared to shoot the bag. As I was about to hit the purge on my reg, I heard Jody "boom" and I paused to look at him. There was a knot in spool. He couldn't solve the problem and handed it to me. I felt my clarity of mind leave as the narcosis set it. I couldn't muster the brain power to solve the problem. I signaled "Line" to Jody and clipped off my spool. He got his out and we had a clean shoot. His quick attention saved us from sending Ralph up a "decoy bag" to follow.

The rest of the decompression was smooth as I replayed the dive in my head. On the surface, Ralph was right there waiting for us. He as able to follow out bubbles thru the entire dive. After getting all the gear on deck, Ralph asked, "Who got separated from the team on decent?" Man, that guy is good! We ran thru the whole dive with him.

15 minutes later, tossed the hook on the wreck of the Narwal.

Everett Learns to read

Everett Learns to read
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Ev Studies Fashion Design

Ev Studies Fashion Design
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Everett Makes a Hand Print

IMG_3175
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Update on Twins

IMG_3230
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Hi Everyone,
The boys had their three month check up on Friday, yesterday, and received a clean bill of health.

Everett, the oldest, (ok only three minutes and Nathan doesn't let him forget it!) weighs 11# 15 ozs. (We fed him just before going to the doctors so we wouldn't have the 15 ozs again, last month he was 9# 15 ozs. Didn't work!) He is 22.5 inches long, and his head is 15.75 inches in circumference. He is in the 10 percentile for size (definitely favors his Grandmother not his Grandfather, ha, ha).

Nathan, the baby of the family, weighed in at an even 16# (yes, I can still hold him but....) He is 23.75 inches long, and his head measures 16 inches. He is in the 90 - 95th percentile. So as Matt said, "Well, we have both ends of the spectrum covered." The doctor said not to worry as both boys are proportionally correct (length and weight within or close to the same percentile).

Both of the guys are doing really well. Nathan did put himself on a diet this past month eating more bottles of 4 ozs than the 6 he usually eats. But it didn't do him much good at the scales. Don't we all know that story? Everett holds even at 4 ozs per bottle sometimes moving to 6 if really hungry.

Monday, Andrea returns to work and Grandma will really have her hands full with both of the boys. Should be fun! We'll see how long I can last. I return to Montana on Monday, June 4th and to Polson on the 5th. (I get in on the 11:30 pm flight and will take the bus back the next morning.)

May 27th, Sunday, is baptism day for the guys. Thursday, Andrea, the boys and I went shopping and found their outfits. Andrea didn't want the typical white satin outfits so I suggested red for Pentecost. (Yes, the priest thought I was a little out there, but he's Latin, so what can I say!) We found cute little one piece short sleeved short sets in red with bigger white buttons for decoration at Gymboree. I think they are really cute.

We had to get 3 outfits as no one is taking bets on what Nathan will weigh at the end of the month!! Right now the 3 - 6 mo sizes just fit him and are a little big on Everett. So, yes, all of you who send two of the same outfit in the same size; well, they probably won't be worn at the same time by both boys. But the good news is that two of them can wear each thing so twice the wearing.

The Hoelscher B&MYOB (Bed & Make Your Own Breakfast) will be open for business by the second week of June. If you come sooner you risk being handed a dust cloth or the vacuum. Can you imagine 5.5 months of dust?! Oh well, at least I'll be able to see the improvement, but I better dust into a garbage can!

Matt's Flickr site always has new pictures, (I've never seen such shutter bugs as these two parents!). http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiswango/

Matt and his Camera UW

Matt and his Camera UW
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Finally, a picture of me taking a picture! I might make this an avatar. I have an Olympus C5050 in an Ikelite housing with a SB 125 Ikelite strobe.

On March 17, 2007 myself, ..., ..., ... and ... went off to ... to divethe wreck of ... which sunk in 185ft. of water. The dive, although deepand very technical (breathing trimix 18/25), was just wonderful.Everything went according to plan and there were no incidents. Later Iwould remember that during the surface interval I had been scratching myskin due to what I thought was a mild itch. This was a sign of DCS,which I didn*t comprehend at the time. Four hours later, with spiritsstill soaring, we went for a second dive in a different location called... in 124ft. of water for about 20min. bottom time followed by about25min. of decompression. Again, the dive went without a hitch andaccording to plan. However, at the last decompression stop (10ft.) Istarted to feel some aching in my left shoulder and at first I ignoredit as that shoulder had been injured in the past and it does hurt everynow and then. As I finished my stop and made my way to the surface theaching became more pronounced so as I broke the surface I told the guyson the boat I'm going back down for more decompression. After 7 moreminutes at 10ft and breathing 80% oxygen I boarded the boat, removed mygear and resumed breathing oxygen. In hindsight, I should have gonedown to 30ft. and use up all my remaining gas decompressing. After
involves climbing from 1000ft altitude to almost 6500ft within a few\u003cbr /\>hours. I kept breathing my 80% oxygen with air breaks throughout the\u003cbr /\>trip and later even took a couple of Advil pills, which helped with the\u003cbr /\>pain. By this time the aching in my shoulder had become pain and I had\u003cbr /\>a skin rash all over my shoulder and stomach (same spots that were itchy\u003cbr /\>earlier that day). We finally got home at about 2am and I went to\u003cbr /\>sleep.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Next day, the pain receded to just an ache again until later that night\u003cbr /\>when it came back so I decided it*s time to call Diver*s Alert\u003cbr /\>Network (DAN) and they recommended Dr. ... , a local hyperbaric medical\u003cbr /\>doctor at ... hospital. I called him and he told me to get my butt over\u003cbr /\>there really fast so he can treat me. I did as he said and although I\u003cbr /\>passed all of his neurological tests (for a potential type II DSC) he\u003cbr /\>shoved me in a recompression chamber for a Navy Table#6 which entails\u003cbr /\>breathing 100% oxygen at 3ATA (66feet) for 2 hours followed by 2.5 hours\u003cbr /\>at 2ATA (33feet) for a total of almost 5 hours). As I was inside that\u003cbr /\>tube my shoulder pain slowly disappeared. The skin was still tender\u003cbr /\>even though the rash was gone too. I couldn*t finish all 5 hours of\u003cbr /\>the treatment because I could not use that damn pee cup they gave me as\u003cbr /\>I was laying down being constrained by the single person, Plexiglas tube\u003cbr /\>chamber. Note to self: try to use a multi-person chamber next time.\u003cbr /\>The next day I had to go back in for another 2 hours in the chamber in\u003cbr /\>order to minimize a relapse. After that, no more pain!\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>While I was getting treated for DCS, Dr. ... asked me if I want to get\u003cbr /\>checked for a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale) and I agreed so he sent me down\u003cbr /\>one floor to cardiology to have an echocardiogram test. Needless to say\u003cbr /\>the test was positive.\u003cbr /\>",1]
);
//-->
this, we all made the bad decision to drive back home as this driveinvolves climbing from 1000ft altitude to almost 6500ft within a fewhours. I kept breathing my 80% oxygen with air breaks throughout thetrip and later even took a couple of Advil pills, which helped with thepain. By this time the aching in my shoulder had become pain and I hada skin rash all over my shoulder and stomach (same spots that were itchyearlier that day). We finally got home at about 2am and I went tosleep.Next day, the pain receded to just an ache again until later that nightwhen it came back so I decided it*s time to call Diver*s AlertNetwork (DAN) and they recommended Dr. ... , a local hyperbaric medicaldoctor at ... hospital. I called him and he told me to get my butt overthere really fast so he can treat me. I did as he said and although Ipassed all of his neurological tests (for a potential type II DSC) heshoved me in a recompression chamber for a Navy Table#6 which entailsbreathing 100% oxygen at 3ATA (66feet) for 2 hours followed by 2.5 hoursat 2ATA (33feet) for a total of almost 5 hours). As I was inside thattube my shoulder pain slowly disappeared. The skin was still tendereven though the rash was gone too. I couldn*t finish all 5 hours ofthe treatment because I could not use that damn pee cup they gave me asI was laying down being constrained by the single person, Plexiglas tubechamber. Note to self: try to use a multi-person chamber next time.The next day I had to go back in for another 2 hours in the chamber inorder to minimize a relapse. After that, no more pain!While I was getting treated for DCS, Dr. ... asked me if I want to getchecked for a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale) and I agreed so he sent me downone floor to cardiology to have an echocardiogram test. Needless to saythe test was positive.
A PFO is a bypass in the wall (septum) between the right atrium and the\u003cbr /\>left atrium in one*s heart. This bypass is needed while inside the\u003cbr /\>mother*s womb but it is supposed to close at birth and weld shut by\u003cbr /\>the time the child is two years old. It appears that in some 25% of the\u003cbr /\>population (due to genetic a anomaly) this PFO does not close and\u003cbr /\>depending on the size of the hole it can either be ignored (small hole)\u003cbr /\>or it can cause major problems (large). This hole allows blood flow\u003cbr /\>from right (used blood) to left (oxygenated, clean blood from lungs)\u003cbr /\>inside the heart thus bypassing the filtering action of the lungs. This\u003cbr /\>can allow blood clots (and nitrogen bubbles in a diver*s case) to flow\u003cbr /\>directly into the arteries and possibly lodge into a brain blood vessel\u003cbr /\>causing a stroke. In my case, the PFO allowed micro bubbles in my\u003cbr /\>arterial blood instead of sending them to the lungs so my decompression\u003cbr /\>was very inefficient but luckily it did not cause any major problems.\u003cbr /\>This luck is probably due to good planning and proper execution of our\u003cbr /\>decompression schedule, which proved itself in three other divers with\u003cbr /\>the same dive profile as mine and absolutely no symptoms pf DCS.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>About this time I was stressing out a lot having potential heart\u003cbr /\>defects looming over my head so when Dr. ... called me at work to tell\u003cbr /\>me I don*t just have a PFO but it could be an Atrial Septal Defect (a\u003cbr /\>hole that*s always open as opposed to the partially open PFO) I almost\u003cbr /\>freaked out. Later that day (about 3pm) I would encounter what the ER\u003cbr /\>doctor called a *vasovagal response*. That means I stressed out\u003cbr /\>over this whole thing so much that I pretty much fainted. I gotta*\u003cbr /\>tell you though, that was some violent *fainting*. It all went dark\u003cbr /\>for a moment and it seemed like my whole body was flushed with rushing\u003cbr /\>blood starting with my left arm while all my extremities went almost\u003cbr /\>",1]
);
//-->
A PFO is a bypass in the wall (septum) between the right atrium and theleft atrium in one*s heart. This bypass is needed while inside themother*s womb but it is supposed to close at birth and weld shut bythe time the child is two years old. It appears that in some 25% of thepopulation (due to genetic a anomaly) this PFO does not close anddepending on the size of the hole it can either be ignored (small hole)or it can cause major problems (large). This hole allows blood flowfrom right (used blood) to left (oxygenated, clean blood from lungs)inside the heart thus bypassing the filtering action of the lungs. Thiscan allow blood clots (and nitrogen bubbles in a diver*s case) to flowdirectly into the arteries and possibly lodge into a brain blood vesselcausing a stroke. In my case, the PFO allowed micro bubbles in myarterial blood instead of sending them to the lungs so my decompressionwas very inefficient but luckily it did not cause any major problems.This luck is probably due to good planning and proper execution of ourdecompression schedule, which proved itself in three other divers withthe same dive profile as mine and absolutely no symptoms pf DCS.About this time I was stressing out a lot having potential heartdefects looming over my head so when Dr. ... called me at work to tellme I don*t just have a PFO but it could be an Atrial Septal Defect (ahole that*s always open as opposed to the partially open PFO) I almostfreaked out. Later that day (about 3pm) I would encounter what the ERdoctor called a *vasovagal response*. That means I stressed outover this whole thing so much that I pretty much fainted. I gotta*tell you though, that was some violent *fainting*. It all went darkfor a moment and it seemed like my whole body was flushed with rushingblood starting with my left arm while all my extremities went almost
or I was having a stroke (due to my newly discovered PFO, or so I\u003cbr /\>thought). Since I*ve never experienced either one I didn*t know\u003cbr /\>better. In an hour I was in the hospital*s ER under close monitoring.\u003cbr /\> The ER doctor told me he had a long talk with Dr. ... and they both\u003cbr /\>concluded that this incident had nothing to do with my getting bent or\u003cbr /\>my PFO and that I was simply freaking out. Dr. ... dismissed me an\u003cbr /\>hour later and told me to go home, relax and have a beer. I didn*t\u003cbr /\>believe him but I did go home while my brain was still playing tricks on\u003cbr /\>me. I felt very sick and weak and no advice to the contrary would make\u003cbr /\>me feel better.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Once diagnosed with a PFO, Dr. ... referred me to Dr. ..., a\u003cbr /\>cardiologist with a private practice specializing in PFO closures. Four\u003cbr /\>days later I saw Dr. ... and had a TCD test (Trans Cranial Doppler),\u003cbr /\>which has the advantage over an echocardiogram of actually quantifying\u003cbr /\>the volume of blood (saline bubbles for contrast) that is shunted\u003cbr /\>through the PFO. The result was grim. I had a 20% shunt at rest and a\u003cbr /\>whopping 100% shunt when bearing down (such as a Valsava maneuver).\u003cbr /\>These meant that every time I coughed, sneezed, cleared my ears or blow\u003cbr /\>my nose; I was reusing 100% of my *dirty* blood for the duration of\u003cbr /\>the strain potentially having a stroke if large enough blood clots or\u003cbr /\>nitrogen bubbles would be present. This prompted Dr. ... to tell me I\u003cbr /\>have to get this hole plugged up.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>The way they plug up a PFO nowadays is very clever. The procedure\u003cbr /\>takes less than one hour and it is done on an outpatient basis. A\u003cbr /\>catheter is inserted through a groin vein (vena cava) and pushed through\u003cbr /\>the right atrium to the hole*s location. There, a device that had\u003cbr /\>been collapsed inside the catheter is deployed first on the left side of\u003cbr /\>",1]
);
//-->
numb. In my mind, I was having either a heart attack (no pain though)or I was having a stroke (due to my newly discovered PFO, or so Ithought). Since I*ve never experienced either one I didn*t knowbetter. In an hour I was in the hospital*s ER under close monitoring. The ER doctor told me he had a long talk with Dr. ... and they bothconcluded that this incident had nothing to do with my getting bent ormy PFO and that I was simply freaking out. Dr. ... dismissed me anhour later and told me to go home, relax and have a beer. I didn*tbelieve him but I did go home while my brain was still playing tricks onme. I felt very sick and weak and no advice to the contrary would makeme feel better.Once diagnosed with a PFO, Dr. ... referred me to Dr. ..., acardiologist with a private practice specializing in PFO closures. Fourdays later I saw Dr. ... and had a TCD test (Trans Cranial Doppler),which has the advantage over an echocardiogram of actually quantifyingthe volume of blood (saline bubbles for contrast) that is shuntedthrough the PFO. The result was grim. I had a 20% shunt at rest and awhopping 100% shunt when bearing down (such as a Valsava maneuver).These meant that every time I coughed, sneezed, cleared my ears or blowmy nose; I was reusing 100% of my *dirty* blood for the duration ofthe strain potentially having a stroke if large enough blood clots ornitrogen bubbles would be present. This prompted Dr. ... to tell me Ihave to get this hole plugged up.The way they plug up a PFO nowadays is very clever. The proceduretakes less than one hour and it is done on an outpatient basis. Acatheter is inserted through a groin vein (vena cava) and pushed throughthe right atrium to the hole*s location. There, a device that hadbeen collapsed inside the catheter is deployed first on the left side of
catheter is unscrewed and voila, the hole is plugged. Ten years ago\u003cbr /\>this used to be done as an open-heart surgery and they would actually\u003cbr /\>stitch the PFO closed. Isn*t technology amazing?\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>So, on Thursday, March 29, 2007 I had my PFO closed. According to Dr.\u003cbr /\>... , the procedure went very well although he had to use a slightly\u003cbr /\>different device than he planned due to the hole*s architecture. This\u003cbr /\>device looks pretty much like a two wire-mesh umbrella on the same pole\u003cbr /\>and it is 18mm in diameter. Since the device is made of wire mesh (some\u003cbr /\>titanium alloy) it is not designed to seal the hole by itself but rather\u003cbr /\>provide a substrate for heart tissue to form and seal the PFO shut.\u003cbr /\>This healing will take between 3 to 6 months. As I type this, three\u003cbr /\>days after my procedure, I feel great and optimistic. I am also looking\u003cbr /\>forward to put this behind me so I can dive again.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Lessons learned:\u003cbr /\>1. Do not ignore mild DCS symptoms such as a minor skin itch or ache.\u003cbr /\>I could have avoided the bends if I would have paid attention to this\u003cbr /\>after the first dive.\u003cbr /\>2. Call DAN and ask for at least medical opinion before you disregard\u003cbr /\>any DCS suspicion.\u003cbr /\>3. Do not drive to higher altitudes the same day after major dives\u003cbr /\>with or without suspicion of DCS. That was a dumb move.\u003cbr /\>4. On major dives (involving serious decompression) allow enough time\u003cbr /\>for yourself to rest before and after the dive.\u003cbr /\>5. If you suspect DCS and decide to decompress more in the water first\u003cbr /\>ask someone to go with you and go as deep as the deco gas allows you to\u003cbr /\>go. In my case my MOD for Nx80 was 30ft. Do not do this if you are in\u003cbr /\>any serious pain!\u003cbr /\>6. I am glad I found out about my PFO, even the way I did, and I would\u003cbr /\>encourage every technical diver to get tested for it. It is a painless\u003cbr /\>",1]
);
//-->
the hole and as the catheter retracts, to the right side. Then thecatheter is unscrewed and voila, the hole is plugged. Ten years agothis used to be done as an open-heart surgery and they would actuallystitch the PFO closed. Isn*t technology amazing?So, on Thursday, March 29, 2007 I had my PFO closed. According to Dr.... , the procedure went very well although he had to use a slightlydifferent device than he planned due to the hole*s architecture. Thisdevice looks pretty much like a two wire-mesh umbrella on the same poleand it is 18mm in diameter. Since the device is made of wire mesh (sometitanium alloy) it is not designed to seal the hole by itself but ratherprovide a substrate for heart tissue to form and seal the PFO shut.This healing will take between 3 to 6 months. As I type this, threedays after my procedure, I feel great and optimistic. I am also lookingforward to put this behind me so I can dive again.Lessons learned:1. Do not ignore mild DCS symptoms such as a minor skin itch or ache.I could have avoided the bends if I would have paid attention to thisafter the first dive.2. Call DAN and ask for at least medical opinion before you disregardany DCS suspicion.3. Do not drive to higher altitudes the same day after major diveswith or without suspicion of DCS. That was a dumb move.4. On major dives (involving serious decompression) allow enough timefor yourself to rest before and after the dive.5. If you suspect DCS and decide to decompress more in the water firstask someone to go with you and go as deep as the deco gas allows you togo. In my case my MOD for Nx80 was 30ft. Do not do this if you are inany serious pain!6. I am glad I found out about my PFO, even the way I did, and I wouldencourage every technical diver to get tested for it. It is a painless
called an echocardiogram and uses Doppler technology to render images of\u003cbr /\>the heart and whether the saline micro-bubbles introduced in your blood\u003cbr /\>(harmless) are able to pass from one atrium to another. I keep asking\u003cbr /\>myself, what if I was diving the Andrea Doria and had to miss some of\u003cbr /\>the decompression for any reason? I probably would have died of a\u003cbr /\>stroke before I could have been treated for DCS.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Dive profiles:\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Dive # 1\u003cbr /\>Depth: 185ft\u003cbr /\>Bottom time: 17min.\u003cbr /\>Total dive time: 54min\u003cbr /\>Bottom gas: Tx 18/25\u003cbr /\>Travel gas: Nx 50\u003cbr /\>Deco gas: Nx 80\u003cbr /\>Deep stops @ 120ft for 2min and 78ft for 2min.\u003cbr /\>Used VR3 (+10 conservatism) computer for deco and backup tables from\u003cbr /\>V-Planner software.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Dive # 2\u003cbr /\>Depth: 124ft\u003cbr /\>Bottom time: 20min.\u003cbr /\>Total dive time: 45min (+7min extra deco @ 10ft in my case)\u003cbr /\>Bottom gas: Tx 18/25\u003cbr /\>Travel gas: Nx 50\u003cbr /\>Deco gas: Nx 80\u003cbr /\>Deep stop @ ~70ft for 2min\u003cbr /\>Used VR3 (+10 conservatism) computer for deco and backup tables from\u003cbr /\>V-Planner software.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Messages contain accident notification and discussion around the accident.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>To receive accident notification only, set your email option on this group to "Special Notices Only."\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>For personal or anonymous accident related postings, send messages directly to the sysops.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Consider copying and discussing messages herein on other diving boards.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Moderator may delete messages or files on this board as necessary given space limitations.\u003cbr /\>Yahoo! Groups Links\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\><*> To visit your group on the web, go to:\u003cbr /\> \u003ca onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\" href\u003d\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/divingaccidents/\" target\u003d_blank\>http://groups.yahoo.com/group\u003cwbr /\>/divingaccidents/\u003c/a\>\u003cbr /\>",1]
);
//-->
test that takes 20 minutes and an IV saline solution. The test iscalled an echocardiogram and uses Doppler technology to render images ofthe heart and whether the saline micro-bubbles introduced in your blood(harmless) are able to pass from one atrium to another. I keep askingmyself, what if I was diving the Andrea Doria and had to miss some ofthe decompression for any reason? I probably would have died of astroke before I could have been treated for DCS.Dive profiles:Dive # 1Depth: 185ftBottom time: 17min.Total dive time: 54minBottom gas: Tx 18/25Travel gas: Nx 50Deco gas: Nx 80Deep stops @ 120ft for 2min and 78ft for 2min.Used VR3 (+10 conservatism) computer for deco and backup tables fromV-Planner software.Dive # 2Depth: 124ftBottom time: 20min.Total dive time: 45min (+7min extra deco @ 10ft in my case)Bottom gas: Tx 18/25Travel gas: Nx 50Deco gas: Nx 80Deep stop @ ~70ft for 2minUsed VR3 (+10 conservatism) computer for deco and backup tables fromV-Planner software.

Grunts by the Catwalk

Grunts by the Catwalk
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Suunto Vyper divelog data


General
Dive number 128
Log name 12.02.2007 12:08
Max depth 107 (ft)
Avg depth 71.23 (ft)
DC model Vyper
DC serial 351551
Date 12.02.2007
Surface time 01:06.00
Interval 30 s


Samples
Sample time Depth (ft) Temperature (°F) Cylinder pressure (psi) SAC rate (SCFM) Bookmark
00:00.30 26 32 0 0
00:01.00 57 32 0 0
00:01.30 80 32 0 0
00:02.00 87 32 0 0
00:02.30 86 32 0 0
00:03.00 87 32 0 0
00:03.30 98 32 0 0
00:04.00 101 32 0 0
00:04.30 102 32 0 0
00:05.00 102 32 0 0
00:05.30 104 32 0 0
00:06.00 107 32 0 0
00:06.30 104 32 0 0
00:07.00 104 32 0 0
00:07.00 104 32 0 0 Slow
00:07.30 97 32 0 0
00:08.00 100 32 0 0
00:08.30 104 32 0 0
00:09.00 104 32 0 0
00:09.30 104 32 0 0
00:10.00 104 32 0 0
00:10.30 99 32 0 0
00:11.00 101 32 0 0
00:11.30 101 32 0 0
00:12.00 101 32 0 0
00:12.30 100 32 0 0
00:13.00 99 32 0 0
00:13.30 97 32 0 0
00:14.00 98 32 0 0
00:14.30 99 32 0 0
00:15.00 99 32 0 0
00:15.30 94 32 0 0
00:16.00 88 32 0 0
00:16.30 87 32 0 0
00:17.00 85 32 0 0
00:17.30 85 32 0 0
00:18.00 91 32 0 0
00:18.30 93 32 0 0
00:19.00 87 32 0 0
00:19.30 83 32 0 0
00:20.00 76 32 0 0
00:20.30 64 32 0 0
00:21.00 55 32 0 0
00:21.30 51 32 0 0
00:22.00 48 32 0 0
00:22.30 41 32 0 0
00:23.00 40 32 0 0
00:23.30 29 32 0 0
00:24.00 29 32 0 0
00:24.30 20 32 0 0
00:25.00 22 32 0 0
00:25.30 22 32 0 0
00:26.00 19 32 0 0
00:26.30 21 32 0 0
00:27.00 22 32 0 0
00:27.30 11 32 0 0
00:28.00 11 32 0 0
00:28.30 11 32 0 0
00:29.00 12 32 0 0
00:29.30 13 32 0 0
00:30.00 3.94 32 0 0 Surface
00:30.00 12 32 0 0

Vase Sponge

Vase Sponge
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Profile from my Sunnto:

Suunto Vyper divelog data


General
Dive number
Log name 12.02.2007 10:24
Max depth 111 (ft)
Avg depth 71.23 (ft)
DC model Vyper
DC serial 351551
Date 12.02.2007
Surface time 00:00.00
Interval 30 s


Samples
Sample time Depth (ft) Temperature (°F) Cylinder pressure (psi) SAC rate (SCFM) Bookmark
00:00.30 17 32 0 0
00:01.00 38 32 0 0
00:01.30 62 32 0 0
00:02.00 78 32 0 0
00:02.30 82 32 0 0
00:03.00 86 32 0 0
00:03.30 87 32 0 0
00:04.00 90 32 0 0
00:04.30 103 32 0 0
00:05.00 107 32 0 0
00:05.30 108 32 0 0
00:06.00 111 32 0 0
00:06.30 108 32 0 0
00:07.00 109 32 0 0
00:07.30 110 32 0 0
00:08.00 110 32 0 0
00:08.30 109 32 0 0
00:09.00 105 32 0 0
00:09.30 104 32 0 0
00:10.00 104 32 0 0
00:10.30 102 32 0 0
00:11.00 98 32 0 0
00:11.30 100 32 0 0
00:12.00 100 32 0 0
00:12.30 98 32 0 0
00:13.00 96 32 0 0
00:13.30 97 32 0 0
00:14.00 98 32 0 0
00:14.30 99 32 0 0
00:15.00 99 32 0 0
00:15.30 97 32 0 0
00:16.00 93 32 0 0
00:16.30 91 32 0 0
00:17.00 88 32 0 0
00:17.30 89 32 0 0
00:18.00 93 32 0 0
00:18.30 97 32 0 0
00:19.00 100 32 0 0
00:19.30 100 32 0 0
00:20.00 95 32 0 0
00:20.30 89 32 0 0
00:21.00 81 32 0 0
00:21.30 77 32 0 0
00:22.00 75 32 0 0
00:22.30 74 32 0 0
00:23.00 75 32 0 0
00:23.30 76 32 0 0
00:24.00 75 32 0 0
00:24.30 70 32 0 0
00:25.00 70 32 0 0
00:25.30 72 32 0 0
00:26.00 70 32 0 0
00:26.30 58 32 0 0
00:27.00 54 32 0 0
00:27.30 52 32 0 0
00:28.00 50 32 0 0
00:28.30 44 32 0 0
00:29.00 43 32 0 0
00:29.30 42 32 0 0
00:30.00 41 32 0 0
00:30.30 32 32 0 0
00:31.00 32 32 0 0
00:31.30 27 32 0 0
00:32.00 20 32 0 0
00:32.30 22 32 0 0
00:33.00 22 32 0 0
00:33.30 22 32 0 0
00:34.00 22 32 0 0
00:34.30 22 32 0 0
00:35.00 15 32 0 0
00:35.30 11 32 0 0
00:36.00 12 32 0 0
00:36.30 13 32 0 0
00:37.00 12 32 0 0
00:37.30 3.94 32 0 0 Surface
00:37.30 12 32 0 0

Looking up thru 3 decks on Tenneco East

Looking up thru 3 decks on Tenneco East
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiswango/sets/72157594530618529/

Jody was in town Sunday so Ron, Skids, Ralph and I headed out for the Andro, just outside Haulover inlet. The ocean was less than a foot and 5 boats were anchored up to it or near so heck, whats another 5 miles?

We cruised up to Tenneco and dove the East tower first. 60-80ft of vis depending on the sunlight. Big Cobia, or (baby tiger shark if you ask Skids) on the tower along with a baby Goliath the size of a nice Black. Also found a Red grouper in the sand. I swam right over a nurse shark in the debris and he took off right as I noticed him.

Then we dove the West tower and it was not a good during the day. I spent most of the dive chasing grunts out of the center of it.

We did back to back 25 minute dives with 1 hour surface interval on 32%.

I was very happy on how the photos came out! I'm ready for some night dives this summer!

--Matt

Everett and Nathan

Everett and Nathan
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Everett loaded up in the car seat

Everett loaded up in the car seat
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Nice sun tan!

The Jackson Hospital Family

The Jackson Hospital Family
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Mom having a hard time leaving Everett at the hospital

Mom having a hard time leaving Everett at the hospital
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Matt and Nathan washing hair

Matt and Nathan washing hair
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

GUE Cave 1 Class Report from a Friend



$2,200 GUE Class

$1,100 Van Repairs

$600 Rental Car and Lodging Expenses

Goo Gone at Walgreen's
to get rid of a sticky dick
due to defective catheter....

PRICELESS!

The new Family

P2051403
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

All is going well at Jackson. We should be home shortly. Here's a pict of the new Family (including my mom, Cynthia.

Hospital Slang by Matthew

P2031294
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Bring in the NICU and Intermediate Care I've come up with a list of slang to make it more fun to talk about baby stuff.

Once they pull than babies out, the staff puts them in the "Broiler". The open table with heat lamps. From there the staff puts them in the "oven" as pictured here where the babies stay until they can maintain their own body heat. If the baby has Jaudice, they put a UV light over the oven, so I call it the "Microwave" even though with the little google over the eyes its more of a "fake and bake" tanning saloon.

The next step is to the clear plastic crib which I now call the "Cassrole Dish" as they look like they are ready to eat.

Holding and managing the IV tube and three senors with wires is pain when trying to cuddle with the baby. The IV I know call the "turkey baster" and monitor cable is the "Remote Control".

I've often referred to the boys not properly "storying their long hose and light cord".

As usaual I have all the nurses laughting when they are helping me "valet" the babies (change diapers).

While one nurse was helping the baby next to Everett, it busts out a big screaming cry, the nurse was great fun in her voice said, "If you don't like it, file a complaint with my supervisor!"

While things are not going perfectly, we are having great fun in this experience!

Nathan's First Bottle

P2031295
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

I gave Nathan his first bottle of 10 CC's of Enfamile. That's 1/3 of an once, lets just say Grandma had to be quick with the photo before he was done. Everett is still on Dextrose IV only. Hopefully tomorrow he'll get a bottle.

Everett Matthew Close Up

P2031293
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

We are planning to start the brest feeding tomorrow. Andrea has not seen the boys since delivery and it is killing her just slightly more than the pain from the C section.

Nathan Close Up

P2031287
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Mom was stuck in recovery until 2 PM today. I made over 6 trips over to see the babies in Intermediate care (one step up in monitoring from the nursery.

Everette Matthew

P2021262
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Everette Matthew was born 11 PM at 5 lbs 8 oz. Andrea is doing great!

Nathan Aldo

P2021264
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

Nathan Aldo was born 11:03 PM at 6 lbs 8 oz.

Whose belly is whose?

Whose belly is whose?
Originally uploaded by valerioti.

No I didn't use photoshop on either side! This was just a symphathy photo for my wife so she wouldn't feel so bad!

Shore Dive Lauderdale by the Sea

daturamonsterpano2
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

When ever I read someone had a bad dive at Lauderdale by the Sea it breaks my heart. This Star coral is over 500 years old and is absoultly gourgous. You just have to know where to find it!

DIR Haircuts

DIR Haircuts
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

You know you have a good team when all three of you have the same "DIR Haircut". Brian, I think you need a bit of a trim?

Sunday Rodeo 25 Dive

P1211097
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

1/21/07 Brian Patrick, Ritchard from CA, Vince, Matt, Ricky and I dove off Avid Diver on Rodeo 25 and Sunkist 3rd Reef.

1 knot current was not fun, but the clear blue water made it all worth while!

Today has been declared the most depressing day of the year.

By Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness

The superstitious have long worried about courting bad luck on Friday the 13th and stayed “beware the Ides of March.” But for the past couple of years there has been another day to mark in black on the calendar: The most depressing day of the year.
In 2005, a psychologist named Cliff Arnall (who was, at the time, a part-time lecturer at the University of Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning in Wales), declared that he had devised a formula to calculate the worst day. That year, it was Monday, Jan. 24; last year, Monday, Jan. 23. So watch out, because today may well be 2007’s most miserable day.
Or maybe not.
Arnall’s so-called formula looks like this: [W + (D-d)] x TQM x NA.

All of the letters and symbols apparently represent a sort of mathematical code to track the following:
W: How bad the weather is at this time of year.
D: Amount of debt accumulated over the holidays minus how much is paid off.
T: The time since the holidays.
Q: Amount of time passed since New Year’s resolutions have gone south.
M: Our general motivation levels.NA: The need to take action.

Click here for the rest of the artcle:

http://health.msn.com/centers/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100153568&GT1=8973

Begin with the end in mind...

This is phrase I attribute to Steven Covey. In his 7 Habits series he advocates writing what others would say about you at your funeral. Its a very interesting way to look at yourself thru the eyes of others.

Emails, notes, and cards are still pouring in from people who just found out about Wayne's Passing.

It is filled with Cargill jargon, but it is a full testement to leadership and building people up.

======= From John Hasenpflug ======================================

Cynthia,
You may not remember me, I am John Hasenpflug, I worked with Wayne as a Territory manager from 1987 to 2001 with lots of assignments as TM in Texas and Branch Manager in LA after Ray moved to MSP, then back to TX as a TM with ACCO until 2001. I left Cargill in 2001, but still kept in touch with Wayne through the years – I have always wanted to go back to Cargill – if something opens up back here in Texas but who knows, I am thinking a lot about what is important and what really matters in the past few days.

Cindy, I met you a couple of times at the old office center, when I was at GO for training or some other function I got involved in. I was one of Wayne’s farmstore’ite and show feed people with both Nutrena and ACCO – Wayne always managed to take time to have lunch, occasionally dinner and sometimes a drink with me when I was in MSP – and we were constantly on the phone through the years. I now work for a company based in WI but I get to live near home in Wharton, TX and travel the country calling on major accounts. My wife Debra and I have 3 boys, 7,5&4. I usually kept up to date with Wayne a couple of times a year, however I had not talked to Wayne since last spring and did not learn of his difficult journey to a better life until last Friday.

http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/waynehoelscher

This morning I spent 2 hours reading your entire journal and trying to come close to imagining how you managed. In truth, I cannot Imagine how… but I know God finds a way. In testament to Wayne, to try to say goodbye to Wayne and let you know what he meant to my personal growth through those years, I wrote the following.
===========================================================================================

“What finer tribute to a man, that could be said so well

Than the thoughts, prayers, remembrances spoken and written so fondly

Always with a bright smile, a twinkle in his eyes, a slap on the back and a big hello

Of not just the name -

but the man loved by all and so giving to others in return...

Wayne”.

==================================================================

The spoken name 'Wayne' immediately brings to mind only one person, Wayne Hoelscher himself. Sometimes larger than life, an enigma of sorts, seemingly destined to live and do what he loved forever, Constantly pitching ideas, optimism, support, reassurance. Confidence, talking football and golf. Getting knocked down and bouncing right back up again with another idea or spin. “Making It Happen”.

Tom Fritz always told me, “John - Only 3 things matter – Keep them in order and you won’t have any problems…God, Family, Company”… I believe Wayne lived that life.

He always managed to bring up his family in discussions. He lived a moral life filled with action and recreation. He worked hard - and he “made things happen”.

'Make It Happen' was the first Cargill Acronym I learned when I joined Cargill in August 1987, working in Texas with John Windwehen. That same month I attended my first Nutrena National Sales Meeting - and enjoyed one of Wayne's favorite spectacle's the event of the year! National Sales Meeting and Presidents Club. With fanfare, camaraderie, Skits, Speakers, awards and more awards. The first time, I reveled at those that earned the acclaimed Cargill Presidents Club, and I know Wayne was an integral part of “Making That Happen”. I too wanted to “Make Things Happen”, and Wayne showed me the way.

I was one of Wayne's original Farmstore People - having a territory in the highly populated Houston area, Farmstore was my mainstay. Wayne and I had many conversations about packaging, customer expectations, and the marketing we needed to be #1. I quickly became a champion of Wayne's efforts and ideas to move Nutrena to become the leader in the market. In return, Wayne was my mentor, and my friend. He helped me grow and understand how to “Make It Happen”, Never quit, fight the good battle, from your journal I can see he did that in death as well, with dignity, his own way, not concerned about the details.

Through the Nutrena World of the first zipper re-closable premium pet food, to the stripped pink Milk Plus bag, new Vitality and Triumph bags, Dealer Merchandising Training Videos, private label national accounts and on to ACCO and Showmaster. I still believe that Wayne was at least a part of the "Call Me I'm Dave Larson" campaign centered around our Decentralized Management theme in the late 80’s and early 90’s that led to Nutrena's success against the checkerboard square.

His leadership in "New Distribution" rewarded territory managers in the field with what we wanted most - recognition and money. Trips, trucks, cars, VW Bugs, Harley’s, TV's and cash awards, Wayne had the pulse of the salespeople in the field - and gave us what we needed to “Make It Happen”.

My last work directly with Wayne was working to Revamp the ACCO Showmaster program. We developed a website, coined the phrase “ask Dr. Huck” and put real winners on our bags and showed off those winners on our website. Wayne once again led the charge and ACCO, Sportsman's Choice and Showmaster reign nationwide as leaders in the industry – Once again Wayne “Made It Happen”.

I remember being nominated for Presidents Club several times, and not making it… Wayne was always there with “Make it Happen” next year. I finally reached Presidents Club - twice – and Wayne was there both times with heartfelt smile, tears and congratulations. I could not have earned this award if it had not been for Wayne “Making Things Happen”, lending his ear, advice and support. Something I am still just as proud of today, when I don’t even work for Cargill anymore.

With a swelling of pride in my eyes I read how Cargill honored Wayne with the Presidents Award, and I know just how deserving he was of this recognition. It was an acknowledgement that Wayne could “Make it Happen” and he did it for all of us. I know how Wayne felt that day – to be honored among his peers, to be recognized for years of work. For “Making It Happen” for all of us. It’s a feeling that chokes you up, swells you with pride and makes you humble at the same time.

I only learned of Wayne's sickness and journey to a better place this past week. Still I am in shock. It always seemed that Wayne would never quit - or retire, and with his passing, he showed us once again what is important in life… God, Family, Work….that we need take time, to look at the mountains, to play golf, to spend time with family, to do a good job.
To Make Things Happen…

I will miss you Wayne…. Keep an eye on all of us down here that are still trying to “Make It Happen”

To you Cynthia, my deepest sympathies to you, the, kids & grandkids. Enjoy the house that Wayne built and know he and God are always there with you.

John Hasenpflug

Wharton Texas

GUE, DIR and diving Safety

Written by Joel Svendson with a post copied from Jarod Jablonski

Part One

For what it’s worth, I look at it this way.Your average recreational scuba diver has a pretty good safety record, butdue to the large number of participants, there are quite a few accidents peryear. If you were thinking in terms of an accident _rate_, though, it wouldlook pretty good. The early years of technical diving had a terrible record….lots of accidentsdespite a small number of participants. In other words the accident _rate_was just horrendous. Electronic rebreathers remain in this category tothis day.I think that a properly trained, GUE certified diver who is making a sincereeffort to do things correctly can probably able to reduce the risk on a Tech1 level dive to something similar to that of an average recreational diveron an average recreational dive. I think that a Tech 2 level dive takes ona great deal of additional and unavoidable risk. That is not to say that itis “unsafe” but it moves you closer to the “motorcycle” level of risk thanthe “car” level of risk if that makes sense to you.You can’t help but notice that many important tenets of DIR, particularly interms of gas selection, have greatly infiltrated the technical diving world.In other words, even the hard core stroke is diving vastly more safely thanhe was in the past. Yes, his team skills might be poor, and his equipmentconfiguration might be messy, but odds his 200ft dive is made on a Heliummix rather than air, for example. As a result, the safety record of even non-DIR technical diving has improvedenormously so long as you exclude the rebreather divers. We should alwaysstrive for maximum safety, and I would encourage everyone to go the DIRroute, but I would not think someone had a death wish if they choose theTDI/IANTD route to a Tri-mix certification.

Part Two

I don't believe there has (so far) been a fatal accident involving a GUEcertified diver. The story below, however, is probably still worth a read.Like Jan says, the card alone will not protect you—you have to make a sincere effort to follow the rules laid out in your course. In this case,the prohibition on solo diving was violated by a highly skilled andexperienced diver on what should have been a routine dive:

From Jarrod Jablonski regarding the death of Steve Berman:

I have gotten a rather consistent string of mails soliciting my opinion andbeen forwarded several mails from those with odd motivations. I was in nohurry to debate this issue for two primary reasons. First, Steve was a friend and a great person and secondly his tragic death seemed all toofamiliar. I preferred working through the personal issue of his passing to asemantics debate that I knew would be beat upon by other agendas. I expect, understand and appreciate desires to discuss this fatality. That is howpeople learn. I just decided to let others discuss this particular issue.Simply put I felt that I had little to add to what seemed pretty obvious and I prefer to mourn in private. As tragic as Steve's death remains the cause is relatively obvious. Steveran out of gas as a result of any or several essentially irrelevant issues.He may have been distracted by the survey, by a new tunnel, by his focus to finish a map he had been working on for 15 years or any of several otherissues. Alternatively he may have been delayed by a silt out, temporarilygetting turned around, a line break . . . One may argue the details of such a delay ad infinitum but essentially the delay or error led to insufficientgas which led to his death. I am essentially certain that with a qualifieddive buddy none of these things would have mattered. Reaching within 100feet of one's stage bottle indicates that all but the worst of buddies could havemade the difference. My belief is that even without assistance the presenceof a second person to monitor time and gas would have prevented any air related issue in the first place. Solo diving adds another layer of risk that can be difficult to manage inmany situations. I am very familiar with managing risks and choosing whichrisks seem worth the reward. For me solo diving is not a risk worth the "reward". I think that Steve's extreme talent in the water and his manyyears of diving experience lend credence to thedifficulty in managing solo diving and point to the issue of untenable riskfor most individuals. The issues seem so clear as to make debate largelyrhetorical. I have no real interest in such a debate but am happy to letothers engage in what they find interesting or educational. Steve had nothing to do with the WKPP or with GUE. This is not spiteful, mean, or elusive. It is simply the case. I am lost as to why people findthis such an interesting point. He had a liberal interpretation thatseparated him from our efforts and convictions. I always disagreed with him on this point but recognized and respected his right to make these choicesas I do for all of you. To me this point and those that try to argue we aresomehow hypocritical is spiteful, meaningless and barely worth these few words.We all make mistakes. Unfortunately a very good person made a mistake thatwas monumental with respect to his life, his friends, and the family he leftbehind. I will never forget him for the person that he was and I will always regret this loss. If anything this shores up my beliefs and convictions.There is little I would not do to erase the loss of such a good soul. As for my personal feeling for Steve as a human being I have attached the piece that I read at his funeral.Feel free to forward this mail anywhere confusion about this issue exists.
Sincerely,

JJ

Remembrance of Steve

Steve Berman was one of the very first people that I met when coming to college here in 1987. Over the years our relationship varied fromcommiserating students and neighbors to dive buddies and friends. For fiveyears I lived only 50? from Steve and for many reasons this period will be remembered as one of the most enjoyable of my life. I owe Steve for some ofthe joy, perspective, passion, and fun that has forever become part of myperson. There were many aspects to Steve that were special but one of the most remarkable things was his ability to see what was important to people and toconnect with them on this level. Literally hundreds of people around theworld felt this powerful relation. This was just Steve?s nature and part of an innate kindness that was inseparable from him.Over the years both as neighbors and from a distance I watched Steve feeddozens of stray animals and repair hundreds of various items for anextremely diverse group of people. I watched him take hundreds of new divers on some of their first real cave dives, myself included. I watched himregularly and consistently sacrifice his personal time to help others and tobring a little more joy into their lives.And then there was the prankster in Steve, the joyful child hidden not so carefully beneath the surface. I have hundreds of funny stories that I havetold frequently over the years. It is amazing to me how many of theseinvolve Steve. From the shooting of pesky home appliances to the array of pranks and jokes that were so natural to him I have many remembrances of hisparticular wit.I had so many memorable times with Steve that trying to discuss one seemsalmost empty but I will leave you with one of the more memorable. One day a gentleman that had rented a canoe for a trip on the river was rather late inreturning. I remember him as a somewhat gruff military man with a quite wifeand family. Prior to their departure we mentioned that they should be sure to travel upstream against the current and then enjoy the easier trip backto the launching. Just as we were closing the store I noticed some commotion out front. Wewent to investigate. The man was out front with his family and the police. He came over to me and started yelling about how irresponsible it was not tohave informed him that THIS river did NOT travel in a circle. He was afterall, as he informed me, a navigator in Desert Storm. He could tell this river should travel in a circle. He was insistent that the police do something. After some discussion withthe police, a local officer came over and asked what we should do with thislunatic. Steve replied, "Lets give him an apology and a t-shirt." I have never seen such an unreasonable person be so easily pleased. That was one of the many things that Steve brought to this world. He wasintroverted and quite but playful and kind. He touched so many people around the world that I continue to get deeply saddened e-mails from peopleeverywhere trying to cope with his absence.After such a tragic loss it is common for people to gather together and lookfor meaning. Many people will take this time to reevaluate their lives and their diving and I hope this will be a positive experience. Some of you maystop diving, others will alter their diving, and many others will try toenjoy each moment of life with even greater attention to its small pleasures. On several occasions I have been forced to think very hard about theseissues due to the diving deaths of very good friends. However, I realizedone very obvious thing. I knew these people, as I did Steve, BECAUSE of diving. In fact, most of the really good friends in my life, the people Icare for the most, were made while diving. Despite the pain of these eventsI cannot separate these things. Were I not diving I would never have even known Steve or many of the other close friends I now have. In truth, nearly all of you knew Steve because of diving. If he were here hewould ask why you were wasting so much time when you could be out diving or having fun. He would make some gruff and witty remark and go about hisbusiness. Steve would be very uncomfortable here. In fact, he likely would not haveeven shown up for such an event and at the very least he would have brought a book to distract him from the emotional stuff. I would say to you that to properly honor the person that you knew as Steveyou should tip your head skyward and say Godspeed to you my friend. I willmiss you dearly and do well by your memory but right now I am going diving.

Jarrod JablonskiPresident- Global Underwater Explorers CEO Halcyon Manufacturing/Extreme Exposure

GUE (http://www.gue.com/) is a non-profit educational, research, and exploratoryorganization with hundreds of dedicated members around the world. Halcyon manufacturing (www.halcyon.net) and Extreme Exposure(www.extreme-exposure.com) produce some of the scuba industry's most noveland robust diving equipment designed by many of diving's most active explorers.

How to Make a Tank Valve Tool






I had a buddy who had a leaking tank valve. He send his doubles to my favorite (sarcasm) dive shop and received a $55 bill for the replacement o-ring and fill.

The first step in doing it right by yourself is to make a tank valve tool to easily pull the valve handles on and off the valve stem.

Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and purchase a "tack puller" in the tools department next to the screw drivers.

Internet/Catalog #100034526
Store In-Stock SKU # 693232

When you get home, you need a good hammer and a strong surface. I used the flat mental section on the back of my vice. Wait until the middle of the day when no one is sleeping and start hammering away at the curved tack pulling edge until it is flat. Near flat is good enough. I also put mine in the vice grip to flatten it out.

While making one as a going away present for Charlie Gamba, I broke one of the ends off. Don't worry, it has a life time warranty. Just go into the store with a look like you were wrestling the biggest tack of your life and they'll give you a replacement.

Cost $6

From the Home Depot Website:




Husky tack pullers are guaranteed forever. Used for the removal of tacks and small nails. Alloy steel blades are heat treated for superior strength and durability and plated for corrosive resistance. Handles are designed for strength and chemical resistance.
•
Guaranteed Forever
•
Tough Butyrate Handle for Strength, Durability, and Solvent and Chemical Resistance
•
Nickel-Plated Blade for Superior Protection Against Corrosion
•
For Pulling Tacks and Small Nails

Internet/Catalog #100034526 Store SKU # 693232

Yes, having a set of tanks per mix is very handy. I have three sets of double 80s with 32, 21/35, and 18/45. It makes it handy to always be ready for what the weekend brings. Eventually you'll get blown out of a tech dive and want to do rec instead or have 32% in your tanks have an open spot for a Hydro Atlantic dive.

If you want to be cheap and laden with gear. You can leave the 21/35 in your doubles all the time and keep an AL80 stage of 32% ready to go. For a rec dive, that means bringing 4 tanks on the boat which won't make you popular, but it gets the job done cost effectively. You could also dive the 1500 of 21/35 on a 100f wreck, leave the "rock bottom of 500-700 psi in there and dive a stage AL80 of 32% on the 2nd dive.

That being said, don't ever, ever, bleed or waste helium! Double 80's 1500 psi of 21/35 topped with 40% at Fill Express gives you "Matthew Mix" of 30/15 which is a great recreation mix. It makes a 100ft wreck seem like a 50ft reef dive. I often dive this for fish counting deeper than 80ft.

Just DON'T top 21/35 with 32% as you will get 27% which is just a mess. I have done that more times than I care to admit out of habit of always and only going for the 32% knob at Fill Express http://www.fillexpress.com. :)

Either way 27% - 32% I dive a Nitrox 32% profile without issue.

Philisophy of DIR

I use these three criteria when reading about DIR on the internet:

1. Follow the teaching, not the teacher
2. Seek an understanding of the meaning, not the words used to express it
3. Trust in the knowledge of deep experience over those who are knowledgeable

Why is there so much Debate in DIR?

In all the standard dive training, one message is very clear. Do not dive with a goal or mission orientation as it will cloud your judgement. This is a basic protection against photographers sucking their tanks try trying to get the last perfect shot, lobster hunts wrestling out the last bug or the spear fisherman getting in the last shot.
But what is you do want to accomplish a goal underwater and you are not a commercial or military diver?

An individual can only do so much with technology. Eventually they need to help of another individual. As people and equipment are added, so in the complexity. Therefore it becomes simpler, easier and more efficient to streamline training, equipment, and responses to accomplish the goal.
If you have no team and no goal, then you have no basis to be DIR. Individuals debating D ring placement outside of the context of a team with a mission, is time wasting folly.
GUE is simply the most consistent training organization. But even their instructors (I've had 4 so far and are Friends with others) have various in how and what they teach. Their background or team will set the context for the difference.
An diver or dive team has to decide which is more in context for him or her and the team they dive with.
GUE Tech 1 is taught with the small Halcyon Surface marker as an acceptable lift bag and surface marker. This is DIR.
I dive with a team off South Florida that bombs wrecks and shoots a lift bag upon drifting off. The small Halcyon marker is not big enough to been seen at distance in rough seas. Our team has decided that the Halcyon Semi-closed 60lb lift bag is the preferred choice for a surface marker. Every team needs one. The small Halcyon marker is not allowed on the boat.
This is DIR to us in the context of our team and our mission of exploring wrecks.
To another team (I'm making this up to prove a point) say, surveying fish off the shores of Bonair, the small surface marker may be just fine and there is not need for a larger lift bag to accomplish their missing. Hence it is DIR to their team and purpose.
The debate is always about the "small" details. The big picture is that a well trained DIR diver can take their equipment and go from South Florida to the Great Lakes or Truk Lagoon and dive with other DIR divers with very little time spent getting up to speed on those smaller differences. Team in those regions will have already figured out the best way to dive those areas.

1/7/07 Blue Fire Miami Project

P1070849
Originally uploaded by tiswango.

The 4-6 ft sloppy seas made a long wet, rough journey out to the Blue Fire. The 1 knot North current ment a fun fast hot drop. But the 100ft of Bahama Clear Blue water made it all worth while.

With a 200ft drop we were over the wreck by 50ft. The Gavins at half pitch kept us in place as we hovered down onto the wreck. My camera settings were a bit dark, but it makes the wreck look more mysterious, laying there in 115ft of water.