manatees like warm water.  that's why, in winter, they will leave the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and go into the balmy waters of spring-fed lakes and rivers in Florida, where water temperatures hover around 70 degrees all winter.

well... a manatee has been spotted swimming in the Hudson River (yes, that Hudson River, as in, off Manhattan).

said a long-time resident:  "I'm 70 years old, and I've been on the river my entire life.  I've seen dolphins and everything else, but never a manatee."

See Full Story.

 so what does this mean?  without a doubt, a manatee would not be that far north if the water wasn't hot enough to keep it comfortable.

 this is further proof, if any was needed, that ocean temperatures are much higher than usual.  recently, it was confirmed that the water temperatures in the Caribbean were reaching their normal highs two months ahead of schedule, meaning the temperature would continue to climb unabbated for weeks to come.

     a diver missing during Florida's "mini" lobster season has been found dead, bringing the total death toll for this year to five.  See Full Story.

   this year seems to have been particulalry deadly.  most people believe the fatalities are due to divers getting back in the water after a long time without diving and thus being unprepared.  "lobster fever" (the compulsion to squeeze into tight spaces and overstay bottom times in order to get a lobster) has also been blamed.

     after the two days of Florida's "mini" lobster season, four divers are dead and one is missing.   the two-day mini-season runs from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 26 to midnight Thursday, July 27. The regular season is Aug. 6 to March 31.

   on Wednesday, the following fatalities occurred:

 -- A 58-year-old man drowned while diving for lobster about five miles off the Fort Pierce Inlet on Wednesday. His name and hometown were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

 -- A 66-year-old woman from Coconut Grove had just entered the water at Big Pine Island when she reportedly began having some type of cardiac trouble. She was transported to Fishermen's Hospital in Marathon where she was pronounced dead.

 -- A  36 year-old man became separated from his buddy off of Plantation Key. He and his buddy were in about 15 feet of water scuba diving for lobster when they got separated. The friend surfaced and looked for the missing diver, but couldn't find him. He radioed for help and the diver was found on the bottom by rescue crews.  He had shed all of his equipment, except a weight belt. His tank was recovered empty

See Full Story

    Carl M. Brashear, the first black U.S. Navy diver who was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2000 film "Men of Honor," died Tuesday. He was 75.  Brashear died at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (Virginia) of respiratory and heart failure.

      (or Fear and Loathing at Peacock Springs)

    (or I couldn't make this stuff up if i tried)

    so... this weekend, Andy goes diving.  there were a few of us, including Mania (all the way from Poland to complete her cavern and intro to cave classes), Rick (her instructor), Linda (observing the class for her instructor training), and yours truly.

    so ... it's July in Florida, and rather humid.  it's hot (in the 90's).  per usual, i get into my drysuit next to the water, and take a dip after getting suited, to cool off.

   i then walk back to my gear (perhaps 70 yards away).  i take a few pictures of Mania, chat with Rick.  eventually we gear up, and i wait for Linda to finish gearing up (while wearing my full gear).  at this point, i am not feeling too well.  two nights before i had stayed up drinking vodka and beer, and i wasn't quite over that yet.  additionally, i hadn't had much water that morning, and was thirsty to begin with.

  so... i tell Linda that i am going to rest on the tank bench, walk over there, and put my tanks on the high bench (i'm still standing up, my back to the bench).  

   i am waiting to feel better, but instead of feeling better, i start to get weak and dizzy.  my head is woozy, and things are getting blurry.  i am getting no tunnel vision, just everything going blurry.

   so, i figured i was about to pass out.  there was a diver right there, moving gear into his truck, and i said to him, "i need help, i think i'm going to pass out."  at that point, apparently, i did pass out because i don't remember stuff that people told me happened.

  the guy (and i'm sorry i didn't catch his name, he was great) came over to me (i am told, i do not recall any of this) and held me up. Rick was there, and he came and used his knee to prop me up.  between the two of them, they now had me secured, but couldn't do much.  so the guy calls out to another group of divers that they needed help.  this other guy came by (i also didn't get his name, and he was also great) and using my own knife, he cut me out of the harness.

   for me, all of this was a blurr.  i could hear people talking, but i couldn't understand what they were saying.  it was at this point that i began to understand voices again, i heard the first guy say "let's take him over to the table," and i remember them moving me over and putting me on the table.  

   i tried to open my drysuit, because i was very hot.  however, i was pawing at the top of the zipper, towards my shoulder.   the zipper was actually closed, and it was down by my hip, so i didn't have much success trying to open the zipper.

    someone must have seen me, cause they said "let's get his drysuit open," and sure enough, they did ... then someone splashed cold water onto my face, and got his hand wet and rubbed my neck.  that realy helped.  i felt much more awake once they did that.  then they put a cold bottle inside my drysuit, and that helped a lot too. 

    someone then offered me water, and i raised up my head and drank some.  that helped as well.  they put that bottle inside my suit too, to help cool me off.  at this point, i was feeling much better and i started communicating with them as best i could (i'm ok, just got very hot, thanks for the help).  they were very helpful and told me more or less what had happened.

   after a while, i felt good enough to sit up and got myself out of the drysuit top as well as the undergarment down to my waist.  some more water and Gatorade and a little bit of rest made me feel much better in no time at all.

this is the harness ... cut up in four pieces ... well, three pieces

while getting me out of my harness, the guy also slashed my wing cover.  it did not harm the bladder at all (lucky!).  even if he had cut the bladder, i couldn't get mad at him. he was trying to help.

     so ... off to Dive Outpost for a new harness ($35.00), back to the divesite, put the harness on the backplate, and I got to go diving with the group twice  that day (missed the first dive).

    what happened?

      heat exhaustion: 

Although partly due to exhaustion -- and feeling like exhaustion, as the name implies -- heat exhaustion is also a result of excessive heat and dehydration.

The signs of heat exhaustion include paleness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fainting, and a moderately increased temperature (101-102 degrees F) which, in this case, is not truly a fever, but caused by the heat.

Rest and water may help in mild heat exhaustion, and ice packs and a cool environment (with a fan blowing at the patient) may also help. More severely exhausted patients may need IV fluids, especially if vomiting keeps them from drinking enough.   Source.

  why did it happen?

   My failure to "stay well-hydrated, to make sure that your body can get rid of extra heat, and to be sensible about exertion in hot, humid weather."   Source.

     lessons learned

    my incident was a classical example of what not to do.  i had been drinking alcohol two nights before (which dehydrates you), i hadn't quite recovered from that, i failed to drink enough water that morning, and during a hot, humid, July day, i had no fluids with me at the dive site to drink.

   second, i was ensconsed in a 200-gram undergarment and a dry suit.  i simply couldn't get rid of excess heat fast enough under the circumstances. clearly, the initial dip wasn't enough to keep me cool enough. i probably should have taken a second dip before putting on all my gear. 

    finally, i exerted myself under those circumstances.  after gearing up, instead of going directly to the water, i waited for another diver for a few minutes, standing up with doubles on.  by the time i started heading for the tank bench, i was probably  much too overheated for a quick rest to do any good.

   anyway, those were my lessons learned.  the day actually turned out to be wonderful (minus the $35.00 cost for the harness), and i had a great deal of fun, followed by two more dives the following day with great friends.

   for previous misadventures in diving, see Fear and Loathing at Blue Spring (or Andy Gets a Ticket) and Fear and Loathing in King's Spring (or Andy Gets Stuck in a Cave)

   as for the guys who helped me out, if for whatever reason you happen to read this, please send me an email or a private message to H2Andy at ScubaBoard.  I'd love to get your information and give you proper credit. You guys rocked.  Thank you very much.