First Aid Management
Secrets to Staying Alive!
I never really got over the amazement of my first dive. Being able to breathe underwater and coming back alive afterwards, was for me, a miracle and this amazement have never ceased over 45 years and over 14,000 dives. To me, diving was a resurrection of the soul!
By facing my inherent fears of the ocean and all it contained I have been able to create a "Reason for Being"
If we think about it, life itself is a miracle. Each one of us has within us the essence of universal spirit, which is connected to all life force. We have the ability to do amazing things and the opportunity to do whatever it takes to become the subject of our dreams.
Humans are able to overcome unbelievable mental, physical and spiritual disabilities and rise above extraordinary hardships and bring hope and realisation to others just by doing our Best.
PERSONAL BEST
Scuba Diving provided the means by which I could realize my dreams of becoming an explorer and discovering new things and increasing knowledge. So much so that it took over my entire life and once I began to discover just how fantastic the World of Water really was the need to share its secrets and fascination with others became paramount.
The desire to become an underwater explorer eventually overcame my fears and I gambled my life on something nobody else could see was important at that time. I attempted what was unachievable in most people's minds. Three and a half years later I returned from a successful Australian Coastal Marine Expedition (1973) and the rest is history.
Of course this did not happen immediately. To begin with I was a very keen shell collector for museums and also collected specimens for some of the pioneering marine photographers such as Keith Gillett and Walt Deas. Later on, these photographers (for one reason or another) inspired my own interest into underwater photography.
Instead of waiting for the treasures of the sea to wash up dead on the beach, I could at last seek them out in their own world and see them alive. (photo: Bob Halstead)
When it became necessary for me to try my hand at underwater photography, the results of being able to create images became an obsession and increased the passion to share my discoveries with the world.
The deeper waters of the Nuyt's Archipelago, South Australia (1971)were very challenging and spooky (the visibility was only 3 metres) as our survey site (at 68 metres) was right at the place the biggest white pointer shark in the world had been caught. My old Rollei Marine was set up to take shots from a distance of 500mm. With bulb flash and a limit of only 12 shots it took a lot of dives to get any results.
Because I believe that Scuba Diving is the greatest adventure activity on the planet, I promote it where ever I go, and have been doing so most of my life.
However, like all activities which deal in people's lives and well - being, there are ways and means to participate which can make life much easier, and FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED.
Although I set out to learn the hard way, it doesn't mean everybody has to.
PREVENTION, IS BETTER THAN CURE
Due to the fact that I was so hung up on the dangers posed by underwater creatures many of my encounters with so-called DANGEROUS MARINE CREATURES were self-created. I believed that if I faced all of the things that could harm a diver, and tested myself on them and survived, there would no longer be any reason to be scared.
My inherited fears of the sea originated from memories of this monster shark caught by the Edward's family in 1927 from Woolwich beach just below where my parent's lived. The beach and foreshores I was raised on as a sustenance collector throughout my childhood. (photo: Courtesy of Grace Nichols, daughter of the Edward's family)
I thought that if I acted as a volunteer and kept scientific records of such encounters I would later on be able to write about them with some authority, and not just follow the ignorance of the times. Hence many years later these experiences, records and pictures formed the basis for my book DANGEROUS SEA CREATURES. Designed as a SURVIVAL GUIDE to recognising and dealing with potentially dangerous, venomous and poisonous sea creatures.
Dangerous Marine Life eBook
After years of research and recompilation it is not without a great sense of achievement that I can announce that my best selling book "DANGEROUS SEA CREATURES" has been redeveloped and is now available as a series of three separate eBooks on iPad.
The purpose of these eBooks is to promote the philosophy that in regard to accidental injuries from Dangerous, Venomous and Poisonous Marine Life:
"Prevention is Better than Cure!"
A three part series for persons engaged in swimming, surfing, paddling, beachcombing, reef walking, fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving and dive travel.
This series of eBooks has up to date detailed information on the distribution, habitats, behaviour, habits and preventative action required to take part in aquatic activities with minimum risk from the oceans inhabitants.
"Its an adventure waiting to be shared".
MEDIA HYPE
It really annoys me when I hear of divers being injured by marine creatures (accidents) and people dying, or getting hurt through ignorance when in many cases these things could perhaps have been avoided with a little knowledge, care and understanding.
The adverse publicity these unfortunate incidents attract paints a negative picture towards the adventure activity that I love so much and turns people off, when they could be participating in such fantastic experiences, opportunities in learning and leading such exciting lifestyles.
Learning about the creatures and realizing that their lives, habits and behaviours often paralleled our own, further inspired me to share my experiences.
DIVE TRAVEL SURVIVAL HINTS
Once I had dived around the coastline of Australia (1963 to 1973) overseas destinations invited exploration. (I had already been on dive safari to Fiji for several weeks in 1965 to face my fear of being close to sharks. Learning a great deal, this experience also whetted my appetite for dive travel)
Roger Steene, underwater photographer/explorer and Dr. Gerry Allen, fish taxonomist/photographer were already visiting Papua New Guinea and Indonesia in the 1970's .
By 1980 my opportunity came along in the form of an invitation by English ITV television as the subject of an underwater documentary series called "NATURE WATCH" which was to be shot in Papua New Guinea as one of a series based on some of the most prominent world naturalists of the times.
ITV Television and the sand spit at Loloata Island launched me into the most fantastic multitudes of marine creatures I had ever seen and I have been diving Papua New Guinea ever since. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Papua New Guinea was a whole new ball game to me as I had been born and bred with the knowledge of what our second world war service men and women faced up there and what terrible maladies they suffered and brought back, besides war wounds. Malaria, dengue fever, tropical ulcers, blood poisoning and dysentery were by no means my favourite things and I had no desire to try any of them. The very thought of having to face and deal with these things really encouraged my paranoia, but they did not stop me from going.
DEALING WITH MALARIA
I got a prescription for one of the preventative remedies for keeping malaria at bay. Being allergic to penicillin it appeared my best bet was a course of Doxycycline.
However it's important to take acidophilous tablets or capsules along with the Doxycycline tablets, as Doxycycline destroy all the anti fungal bacteria in one's system and the side affects result in "intestinal thrush" which also attacks all surrounding skin.
PREVENTION
The best prevention from Malaria and other mosquito borne diseases is!..not to get bitten!
At all times it must be remembered that the environment you are in is hostile, the enemy is ever vigilant and mostly unseen. Inside bungalows preventitive measures can be taken to check all the wire screens for breaks or tears ; these can be covered with tape.
A mosquito net over the bed and kept tucked in at all times ensures a safe haven for a lie down or a sleep, regardless of any stray mosquitoes which may have come through a door on your back, or entered through some unnoticed chink to high up near the ceiling to check.
Most resorts in Malaria prone areas supply spray cans of insect killing insecticide. It is always a good idea to spray around the rooms before leaving for dinner at night; under the beds, behind curtains, inside cone light shades, the bathroom and any open cupboards. In fact spray all dark places where mosquito might hide.
Before going out night or day always apply a liberal amount of DEET type insect repellent on any exposed areas. Regardless of how hot it might be, it is always better to cover up exposed skin as much as possible.
Avoid putting on insect - attracting perfumes or sprays. Cover up when out of doors; it not only protects from the sun but also avoids mosquito bites.
Mosquitoes are more active around dawn and dusk, but the emphasis should be on MORE for they can also be active anytime of the day or night.
On my first trip to Milne Bay with Bob and Dinah Halstead ( 1981) I spied these two kids playing reality hospital on a now derelict jetty at Samauri. It's all about survival! (photo: Neville Coleman)
MV CHERTAN has been working out of Milne Bay as a live aboard for over 25 years and with the advent of Tawali Dive Resort, Milne bay is now not only a magnificent dive area, but one with all the mod cons. However, always be vigilant, mosquitoes are neither sexist or racially prejudice, they don't care who they bite.( photo: Neville Coleman)
Always wind up any car windows, otherwise the inside may be full of mosquitoes next morning. Always take your repellent along wherever you go and don't trust anything to good luck. Be especially vigilant when travelling in buses , taxis or courtesy cars, as you don't know what's in them.
Many outside or open eating venues have tables with or without table cloths. Mosquitoes hide under the tables to find bare feet and legs for early morning breakfast.
Some insect repellents now have 30+ sunscreen and this is ideal to keep in the dive bag.
Remember! It only takes one bite from a mosquito after it has bitten somebody else with malaria (most residents of Malaria prone areas have transmittable Malaria )and the risk in not worth being slack, even once.
Never, allow any doctor or anybody else to advise you on a course of the alternative Malarial drug ' LARIAM' as this substance is alleged to cause serious side affects for some people. Besides nausea and vomiting there may be violent nightmares, destructive behaviour, severe depression, anti-social behaviour, suicidal tendencies and many of these side affects may last for years after. Some people's lives have been almost destroyed and nobody knows what damage has been has been done to other susceptible people as there are no tests available and few corresponding records.
THESE FACTS AND PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES ARE ONLY GIVEN AS " PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE" ADVICE.
I HAVE BEEN DIVING ACROSS THE ENTIRE INDO - PACIFIC FOR OVER 40 YEARS INCLUDING AROUND 40 EXPEDITIONS TO PNG AND TROPICAL EAR IS THE ONLY THING I HAVE EVER CONTRACTED.
TROPICAL EAR EXPERIENCE (External ear infection)
From 1963 till 1980 I was a diving and snorkelling fanatic. I would spend my surface intervals and post dive time, in the water snorkelling, up and down for up to 5 hours per day whenever I could get in the water.
Because most of the time we only had one tank we made the most of it and once it was gone (all too soon) it was back to snorkelling. Air was so precious I tended to skip breathe a little so that it might last longer. However, nothing of the time quite explained that the aftermath of skip breathing could result in blinding headaches where any sunshine on the skin was unbearable.
To deal with the headaches I counter measured with a hot bath, lying down in the soapy suds with my ears below the surface for an hour or so and then went to bed. When I woke up the headache was gone, but I never new the eventual cost.
Years of lying in hot soapy water had eventually dissolved the protective wax in my outer ears and they were left vulnerable to infection.
Unfortunately on my first venture to PNG (arranged by English Television's ITV where they shot a documentary on me as part of their NATURE WATCH series) In 1980 I learned the hard way about external ear infection.
My ears began to get itchy after 3 days diving and by the end of the first week they were unbearable. The pain and the itching was so bad ( Tropical ear) that I was not able to lay on the pillow without cupping my hand around my ear. Strangely enough when diving they did not itch or ache and if I took it easy I could still equalize ok. I just stayed in the water for as long as possible and dealt with the night of pain as it came.
I was not able to get a doctor's appointment in Port Moresby and nothing was available for treatment, so it had to be endured for another week or two until I could return to Sydney.
By the time I returned home it was out of control and it was another week until I could see a specialist.
The Navy diving doctor at HMAS PENGUIN, Sydney advised a treatment which kept me out of the water for 9 months.
Eventually my ears recovered without any permanent damage, but from then on snorkelling was ruled out due to the stress to the weakened ear drums of multiple equalizing for hours on end.
Twenty years later I still slept with my hand cupped over my ears when sleeping on my side, so great was the memory of the pain endured.
PREVENTION
From then on I always carried one or two bottles of AQUA EAR with me and used after every dive, a practice that has seen me free of ear troubles for the last 25 years. However, I have always wondered about the fungal causative agent . It is of course not confined to the tropics and can be caught from any public swimming pool ,or even when surfing.
It would appear that it can live in salt water or fresh water, but does it? If you can get tropical ear in the jungle without ever going swimming , then obviously it either (1) lives in your ears and only becomes active when conditions are right, or (2) it is air borne?
The strange thing is that over the last few years back-to-back expeditions to Papua New Guinea ( 100+ dives at one time) there have been no symptions. Yet after a shower at home (during non diving times) and after 3 months out of the salt water, the itch can return and needs a shot or two of AQUA EAR to stop the itching? Very strange!
If untreated this fungus can actually eat through the external ear drum and cause very serious infection. I was lucky, only 9 months out of the water.
HISTORY REPEATS/ NOV. 2008
Twenty eight years later there I was, back at Loloata Island on one of my many return trips. However, I had been 18 months out of the water with a frozen shoulder and other ( getting older problems) and after 2 to 3 dives a day I was really bushed and went straight to bed forgetting to 'Aqua Ear' my ears for 3 days.
Then without warning on the third night my ear swelled up, the canal closed and once again I was in trouble with external ear infection, even the wind blowing into it pained.
I went to one doctor in Port Moresby and he prescribed anti - biotics and eye ointment. Even though I stated I was allergic to penicilin the anti - biotics he gave me were penicillin based. I got a bit worried at the eye ointment cure and went to get asecond opinion at the Hyperbaric doctor clinic the next day.
Dr. Athithan Chelvanathan at the Port Moresby Medical Service prescribed a week of non penicilin based anti - biotics ( to get the swelling down) and ' Sofradex' sterile ear drops every 8 hours. Within 3 days the recovery was remarkable and 2 weeks later my ear is as good as it was. I am indebted to Dr. Chelvanathan and his staff and to Dik Knight for organizing my delivery and pickup.
In 28 years and lots of other things to endure I had ( just this once in 28 years ) forgotten my own advice and as such had to cut short my diving. However, I had 19 dives and tested out my self, my new dive computer, the cameras AND the good news is, we all worked!
I guess medical knowledge has progressed over 28 years. Today an external ear infection ( if treated properly) may only keep you out of the water for 2 weeks whereas my first one kept me out for 9 months.....
Always look after your ears, after all, they are your 'once in a lifetime ticket' into the World of Water and you don't want to blow the chance.
Despite my initial fears of everything, perseverance and a healthy respect for the World of Water and it's inhabitants have allowed me to live out my dreams physically unscathed . Mentally? Well, I guess that will always be in question. Who in their 'right' mind can make dreams come true?
It's just the Magic of MAKE-believe!