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FALL 2013
FROM THE SAFETY STOP
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L E T T E R S F R O M M E M B E R S
Generous or Lax?
I was happy to read that DAN was
there for Krista Holbrook when she
needed you for medical assistance
with her spearfishing accident in
the Sea of Cortez (DAN Was There
for Me, Summer 2013).
I have no problem with
sustainable spearfishing for
food, but I was a bit taken
aback to read her opinion
of Mexico’s “reasonable and
generous fishing regulations”
compared to southeastern
U.S. regulations that require
“a degree in marine biology to
adhere to.”
Mexican fishing regulations
and their lax enforcement
have been responsible for
a catastrophic decline in
fisheries in the Sea of Cortez.
When my wife and I dive
there we see very few large
fish outside the tiny marine
reserve at Cabo Pulmo.
Perhaps a little more marine
biology is in order.
— Mike Boom,
Oakland, Calif.
A Fond Farewell
I wish Dan Orr well in his retirement.
I’ve met him on several occasions,
and he was certainly a wonderful
representative of DAN. His
contributions can never be measured.
— Pam Lyles, RN, via email
Notes on Porifera
This may be a little nit-picky, but the
answer to a question on irritation from
handling sponges by Drs. Nochetto
and Bird (From the Medical Line,
Summer 2013) gives the impression
that sponges are echinoderms. Not
so; sponges have their own phylum,
Porifera. The phylum Echinodermata
includes sea stars, brittle stars, sea
cucumbers, sea urchins and crinoids
(feather stars). Of these, the only ones
that commonly inhabit sponges are
brittle stars. As stated in the article,
sponges are often colonized by
cnidarians, mostly zooanthids.
— Jay Burreson, Corvallis, Ore.
A Brisk Paradise
I wanted to say how much I enjoyed
Brandon Cole’s article, “Nanaimo:
Shipwrecks and swift waters in an
emerald sea” (Local Diving, Summer
2013). Well done! It’s nice to see our
little slice of diving paradise in your
magazine.
— Don Ravensbergen, Nanaimo,
British Columbia
Dive Medical Research
I enthusiastically support DAN
and its mission, and I appreciate
the vitally important services DAN
provides. However, I would like
to express that I do not support
DAN-funded medical research
that involves animal subjects. I
understand the benefits animal-
subject research can provide and has
provided in the past. However, the
vast majority of diving done by DAN
members is recreational; to me, small
improvements in the margins
of safety for a fun activity don’t
support the suffering of animal
subjects. I’m sure my opinion is
the minority, but after reading
about DAN-sponsored animal
research in Alert Diver (“DAN
Research: Safer Diving through
Science,” Winter 2013), I felt
the need to express it.
— Michael Cole, via email
DAN’s response:
Dear Michael,
We appreciate your concerns.
To be clear, DAN does not
conduct any research studies
with animals. However,
a number of reputable
institutions with whom we
interact are, under strict ethical
supervision, involved in animal
studies. Some basic physiology
questions could not be
answered without this research.
In the case of the study of Sudafed and
oxygen toxicity, this was an established
line of research that is addressing
issues important for understanding
some basic biological processes
involved in many diseases. Because
this research contributes to knowledge
applicable to commercial divers,
tunnel diggers, astronauts, patients
treated in hyperbaric chambers and
firefighters as well as recreational
scuba divers, we thought it meaningful
and worthy of our support.
— Petar J. Denoble, M.D., D.Sc.,
Vice President, DAN Research
Letters
STEPHEN FRINK
