How to Control Seasickness
There are many ways to describe it: tossing your cookies, hugging the porcelain, calling for Ralph or letting out a technicolor yawn. but no…
Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke
I remember vividly a dive trip to the Philippines, where we often had to shuttle from our large transoceanic vessel in small outboard wave…
Protection from the Sun
It’s very tempting to lie out in the sun, to soak up the warmth, to work on a tan. I know my first instinct…
When a Diver Has a Fever
The last thing anyone wants to happen on a dive trip is that he or she becomes ill, but sooner or later it happens…
Waiting to Exhale: Diving’s Golden Rule Explained
As a child of the ’50s, I was a big fan of the hallmark TV series Sea Hunt and its indomitable hero, Mike Nelson,…
Smoking and Diving – A Bad Combination
When I was a medical student at Duke University, we all observed the wards full of heavy smokers with lung cancer, heart problems and…
Water World
Most of us take water for granted. We drink it, bathe in it, water the lawn with it, wash the dishes and car with…
The Amazing Ocean: The Facts of Life Under the Sea
A well-known Chinese proverb maintains that a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s especially true in a world where we’re bombarded with information,…
Weather at the Water’s Edge: Forecasting Coastal Weather
The coastal waters that attract divers are often the breeding grounds of storms and other weather surprises. Divers and boaters who venture onto bays,…
Of Glowing Interest: Bioluminescence in Marine Animals
The only glow-in-the-dark creature familiar to most of us is the lightning bug. A few other land creatures, such as glow worms and types…