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SPRING 2012
FROM THE SAFETY STOP
//
L E T T E R S F R O M M E M B E R S
UnjUstly AccUsed
As a wild-bird and wild-animal
rehabilitator licensed to rehab
rabies-vector species (as well as an
avid diver), I thought it imperative
to let you and your readers know
opossums are NOT a rabies-vector
species, as stated in the excellent
article, “Bites and Stings” (Field
Medicine, Winter 2012). The
National Opossum Society publishes
information stating it has been
shown experimentally that it takes
200 times the rabies dose that kills a
skunk to even infect an opossum.
The reason this is so important to
clarify is that the extremely gentle
mammal — North America’s only
native marsupial, which carries its
young in its pouch like a kangaroo — is
frequently despised as being a giant
rodent (it can’t help that it has an ugly
tail) and is run down deliberately on the
highway because of that. This mammal,
whose defense when frightened is to
lie down and “play ’possum,” scarcely
needs the uninformed having another
incorrect reason to harm it.
— Susan Morris, Portsmouth, Va.
WhAt’s Better thAn
diving cocos?
Thank you for the great piece “Cocos
Island: The Pelagic Crossroads.” It
accurately portrayed why diving
Cocos is a little like dying and going
to heaven for so many divers. For
me, seeing the great abundance of
sharks, dolphins, turtles and rays
there is like peering into the waters of
the past, when oceans were healthy
and supported a profusion of top
predators. What could possibly be
better than diving Cocos? Diving
Cocos as part of a conservation
research project and helping collect
vital information to protect these
species. Check out the nonprofit group
SeaTurtles.org and learn how you can
help unravel the migratory pathways of
sharks and turtles.
— Todd Steiner, Forest Knolls, Calif.
something for free … divers
As an avid spearfisherman and freediver,
I was encouraged by the freediving
community to join DAN
®
. While I’m
thankful that I haven’t had to use
the service (touch wood) as of yet, I
would like to see more freediving- or
spearfishing-related issues addressed in
your publication.
—Oliver Holiday, via email
Thanks for asking, Oliver. We hope
you enjoy this issue’s Advanced Diving
and Member to Member articles.
More to come!
scopolAmine UpdAte
Although commercial oral tablets of
scopolamine (Scopace
®
and Maldemar
®
)
are no longer available in the United
States, scopolamine oral dosage forms
may be available. Divers and others who
require oral scopolamine should contact
the PCCA (Professional Compounding
Centers of America) at www.pccarx.com
(www.pccarx.ca in Canada), +1-800-
331-2498 or +1-281-933-6948, to
locate a compounding pharmacist. A
compounding pharmacist should be able
to provide scopolamine oral capsules
or orally dissolving tablets, provided
the patient has a legitimate prescription
from his physician.
What’s the difference between
oral scopolamine and the skin patch,
Transderm Scōp
®
? Scopace tablets
contained 0.4 mg of scopolamine
hydrobromide and provided a peak
effect in approximately 20-60 minutes
and may have required repeat doses
every four to six hours. Transderm Scōp
requires application (behind the ear) at
least four hours before your scheduled
trip and provides a predetermined
quantity of scopolamine over 72 hours
(approximately 0.33 mg/24 hours).
Transderm Scōp may be left in place for
up to 72 hours, continuously providing
medication, which could be convenient
on a liveaboard trip; the dime-sized
patch is quite sticky and will not come
off in the water. Once scopolamine
hydrobromide use has stopped, either
orally or transdermally, it will take
approximately 48 hours for it to be
eliminated from your body.
—H. Resnick, PharmD, RPH, CPH,
Boca Raton, Fla.
Letters
The Magazine of Divers Alert Network
AlertDiver.com / WINTER 2012
Divers Not Welcome:
the startliNg state of chambers
briaN skerry
the art of coNservatioN
+
DiscoveriNg
PaPua
NeW guiNea
WilD cocos
Dive fatalities
uNDerstaNDiNg
the triggers
the Pharmacy
of the sea
Cover1_Winter2012.indd 1
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WINTER 2012
www.alertdiver.com
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71
The Pelagic Crossroads
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TEXT BY ANDY SALLMON AND ALLISON VITSKY
PHOTOS BY ANDY SALLMON
Schools of bigeye trevally, numbering into the thousands,
swirl over many of Cocos Island’s seamounts.
OUR TIMING WAS PERFECT.
We held tightly to the rocks, trying to keep
a low profile in the current washing over
the seamount. A large school of scalloped
hammerheads swam overhead, graceful against
a backdrop of misty blue water. As if confirming
the “religious experience” status of the dive,
dozens of individual sharks dropped down to
our level, giving us a close-up look at one of
the most alien-appearing animals in the ocean.
Glancing backward over my shoulder, I noticed
an unexpected visitor: an approaching whale
shark, only 15 feet away.
I released my grasp on the rocks and
drifted down current toward the newcomer,
anticipating his immediate departure. Instead,
he circled me curiously, playfully, almost
puppylike. I shouted toward the other divers,
who continued to stare obliviously at the
hammerheads. Minutes ticked by as I alternated
screaming to the unaware divers below and
giggling delightedly to myself as I acquired as
many whale shark photos as would fit on my
camera’s memory card. My solo interaction
with this young giant continued unnoticed until
the divemaster signaled the group to begin
their ascent. At this point, the whale shark was
promptly pursued by a horde of scary-looking
bubble-blowers, and he fled the scene.