FAIRFIELD COUNTY DIVING ASSOCIATION

May 2015 Volume 22 Issue 5

Inside this Issue

The Presidents’ Corner by Mike Cassetta page 1

FCDA Donor I page 2

April Meeting DAN Raffle Winners page 3

FCDA Member Ads page 3

First warm-blooded Fish Identified by Michael Winter

page 4

Lionfish Safety: What To Do If Stung by Divers Alert Network page 5

FCDA Donors II page 5

New FCDA Member page 6

Rare Spanish Shipwreck From 17th Century Uncov-ered Off Panama by Jane J. Lee pages 6, 7, 8

First “Thrill of the Grill Night” page 8

Next FCDA Meeting page 9

The Presidents’ Corner by Mike Cassetta

Greetings all…. Dive season is here… Yeah!!!!!!!

This past weekend Mel, Matt, Lisa & me travelled up to Fort Weatherill for a season opening dive & BBQ. Although the weather was ominous, the dive gods smiled upon us. As we arrived in Jamestown, RI the rains stopped and the parking lot was empty. We were greeted by excellent visi-bility and sunny skies. Lots of in-teresting cold water jellies. Though the water hovered near 50 degrees, we enjoyed a good 35+ mins dive, and an excellent meal afterward.

Our April meeting went well with a good turnout. Capt Noel shared recent footage of a recent trip to the Maldives. Our featured speaker for May is Lisa “Shark Girl” Jarosik, who will being shar-ing photos and video clips of a recent trip aboard the Carib Dancer to the Bahamas.

In lieu of annual clambake, on Sat June 6th, Mel Rich has helped organize “Thrill of The Grill” night. Festivities planned to start around 7 pm at the cottage. Please re-spond and bring some things for grilling or feasting. Rumor has it, there may be a Karaoke Machine.

If you have not yet returned your reasonable membership dues for 2015, they are needed. Addi-tionally, we are in serious need of a Club Secretary to help organize the newsletter. No experience necessary.

We are still looking for speak-ers for July & November. Addition-ally, Sept is Members Present and we are looking for 3 short presen-tations, so if you have a cool photo or video clip you would like to share please let Matt or myself know.Stay cool, get wet and have fun…..

Mike

Page 2

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courses. Our instruction provides certification through SSI, PDIC,

TDI and IANTD.

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Wallingford, CT 06492 203-284-1880

Fax 203-284-1355

Draeger Atlantis I Rebreather training, certification

and rental.

FCDA Donor

The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association.

Internet mail: fcda@aol.com

http://www.fcda.us

2015 Board

Presidents Matt Rownin &

Mike Cassetta

Vice-President Mark Shannon

Secretary Vacant

Treasurer Paul J. Gacek

P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT 06824

Page 3

April Meeting DAN Raffle Winners

FCDA Member Ads

Hey - have you got a non retail-diving business that you’d like to share with fellow members of FCDA? Get your business card size ad in the FCDA monthly newsletter “Surface Interval” for only $50.00 for one year. Give your business a boost and help support the production of our monthly newsletters. For more information, write to FCDA, P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT 06824 or email to fcda@aol.com.

Thanks to New England Dive Center, Orbit Marine Dive Center and Ski & Scuba Connec-tion for donating tonight’s raffle prizes for our DAN raffle.

Remember, you can't win if you don't buy tickets and you can't buy tickets if you don't get up and come out to FCDA events and meetings!

After a presentation on "Diving the Mal-dives", by our own Capt. Noel Voroba, the club held its regular raffle to support our DAN Platinum sponsorship. The winners were: Aquapac Video Housing donated by New England Dive Center — Amy Lapin, PADI Hat donated by Ski & Scuba Connec-tion - Doug Reitmeyer; OMS Regulator Bag donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center - Daniel Shannon; Frog Spit donated by New England Dive Center— Julie Cummings; PADI Dive Flag donated by Ski & Scuba Con-nection - Mark Dexter; PADI Dive Brochure donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center – Maureen Cassetta; Scuba Goop donated by New England Dive Center — Matt Miner; Water Bottle donated by Ski & Scuba Con-nection - Amy Lapin; Carry Bag donated by New England Dive Center – Sean Leslie; #20 Gist Certificate donated by New England Dive Center - Daniel Shannon and a Flash-ing Tank Light donated by New England Dive Center - Charlie Blanchette.

Page 4

Cold fins, warm heart? Strange but true, scientists say.

In a discovery that defies conventional biology, a big fish that lives deep in the Pacific Ocean has been found to be warm blooded, like humans, other mam-mals and birds.

Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmos-pheric Administration (NOAA) determined that unlike other fish, opah generate heat as they swim and dis-tribute the warmth throughout their entire disc-shaped bodies by special blood vessels. Special "counter-current heat exchangers" in their gills minimize heat loss, allowing the deepwater predators to keep their bodies several degrees above the water temperature 250 feet down.

"There has never been anything like this seen in a fish's gills before," said biologist Nick Wegner, the lead author of the report.

Though some species of fish can temporarily warm their swim muscles, including tuna and some sharks, "whole-body endothermy" has distinguished mammals and birds from fish and reptiles, which draw heat from their environments.

"The opah appears to produce the majority of its heat by constantly flapping its pectoral fins, which are used in continuous swimming," Wegner toldLive Sci-ence.

His colleague Heidi Dewar toldThe Washington Post, "I think that it's really exciting that we spend so much time studying especially these larger fish to find something that's completely unique and has never been seen before in any fish."

Their team's findings are published in the May 15 issue of Science.

Also known as the moonfish, the opah averages 100 pounds, has a diameter of 3 feet and can grow to up to 6 feet long. While deepwater fish are slow mov-ing because of the cold, the opah's warm-blooded uniqueness results in faster swimming, better vision and quicker responses, giving it an edge in the sur-vival sweepstakes.

"Before this discovery I was under the impression this was a slow-moving fish, like most other fish in cold environments," said Wegner, of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif. "But be-cause it can warm its body, it turns out to be a very active predator that chases down agile prey like squid

and can migrate long distances." Opahs, which don't swim in schools, are regularly

caught either by longline fishermen from California to Hawaii to New Zealand seeking tuna or uninten-tionally in commercial driftnets.

An old fish tale held that opah brought good luck, NOAA says, so fishermen would give the colorful catch away rather than sell it. But times and market-ing have changed, and food fetishists are increasing demanding it for its "rich, tasty meat."

Two years ago, recreational anglers in Southern California caught a 125-pound opah during a rock-fish outing. The "mystery fish" put up a 45-minute fight, leading the captain to think it was a shark, GrindTV reported.

Reprinted from USA Today May 15, 2015

First warm-blooded fish identified by Michael Winter

Marine biologist Nick Wegner with an opah, the first fish found to be warm blooded.

Page 5

FCDA Donor

The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association.

Lionfish Safety: What To Do If Stung by Divers

Alert Network

Lionfish are typically nocturnal and docile creatures. They allow curious divers to approach closely, enhancing their risk for injury from accidental contact or handling of marine life. These ornate, elite predators are an invasive species that have become a common sight for many divers as they spread down the North Atlantic, and into the Caribbean and northern part of South America’s Atlantic shore.

Lionfish use venom as a protec-tive mechanism. When divers come in direct contact with their spines or fins, venom is injected into the skin through needlelike bristles located along the dorsal, pelvic and anal fins. Envenoma-tions are rare and often not life-threatening, but benefit from rapid first aid response and professional medical evaluations.

These puncture wounds can cause pain which may last for sev-eral hours. They also may result in rapid edema (swelling caused by fluid retention) and subcutaneous bleeding. Swelling typically clears in two-to-three days, while the tis-sue discolorations can last up to five days. In some cases, swelling can become so severe that blood flow is compromised leading to ischemia (inadequate blood flow to a part or organ) and tissue necro-sis (tissue death). This is particu-larly true for fingertips, where swelling could significantly compro-mise the flow of blood. A secon-

dary complication may result in the wounds becoming infected.

First aid is essential in pre-venting infections; clean the wound, control the pain and ap-ply topical antibiotics using these easy-to-follow steps:

Wash the area thoroughly with soap and fresh water.

Remove any foreign material. Control bleeding, if necessary. Control the pain: Immerse the

affected area in the hottest water tolerable without causing injury (the upper limit is 113°F / 45°C) for 30 to 90 minutes. Repeat as needed. Test the water on the same area as the injury to ensure it is not too hot; intense pain may impair one’s ability to dis-criminate between hot and scald-ing.

Ice/cold packs can also be used to provide relief and reduce swell-ing

Apply topical antibiotic ointment or cream.

Apply bandaging as needed. If necessary, administer pain-

control medications. Seek a professional medical

evaluation as medical management may include sedatives, tetanus vaccination and antibiotics. Ad-vanced life support may be re-quired in rare instances.

In the event of an emergency, call 911 (or the local equivalent) and the DAN Emergency Hotline at +1-919-684-9111.

R e p r i n t e d f r o m S c u -

badiving.com.

Page 6

imperialism, rationalism, and the middle classes that are going to buy art and consume literature."

At the time, gold and silver mines in Mexico and Peru fed the ambitions and coffers of Spain's royal family. To transport the wealth of the New World to Europe, Spanish colonists built fleets of merchant vessels that were escorted by armed galleons and warships, explains Fritz Hanselmann, an underwater ar-chaeologist at Texas State Uni-versity.

After delivering their treasures to Spain, the fleets would turn around and, laden with European goods, hopscotch throughout the Spanish colonies selling their cargo.

Spain's two main fleets, the Tierra Firme and the New Spain, serviced Central and South Amer-ica and Mexico, respectively. "These ships were the backbone

of the Spanish colonies," says Hanselmann, who is part of the team studying the Encarnación.

Oceanic Lifeblood The Encarnación is one of about

16 Spanish shipwrecks discovered in the Americas, says Jennifer McKinnon, a maritime archaeolo-gist at East Carolina University who is not involved in the study. But nearly all the wrecks found to date have been heavily looted. Ocean bacteria and shipworms that feed on exposed wood usually consume what looters miss.

“Thus we know very, very little about 17th-century Spanish ship-wrecks," McKinnon says.

To find a wreck with much of its cargo still onboard, as well as part of its hull intact, can provide a wealth of new knowledge. "Ships that were built hundreds of years ago didn't come with blueprints," Hanselmann says. Studying the

(Continued on page 7)

Rare Spanish Shipwreck From 17th Century Uncovered Off Panama by Jane J. Lee

Archaeologists searching for real-life pirates of the Caribbean stumbled on a mysterious ship-wreck in 2011. Now after years of historical detective work, they know what they discovered.

In 1681, the Spanish merchant ship Encarnación sank during a storm near the mouth of the Cha-gres River on the Caribbean side of Panama. Built in Veracruz, Mexico, the cargo vessel was part of the Tierra Firme fleet, the economic lifeline of 17th-century Spain.

Though it sank in less than 40 feet of water, the Encarnación somehow escaped major looting and is surprisingly well-preserved, with the bottom half of its hull in-tact thanks to burial in the sea-floor. (Learn about a cursed war-ship that's also been stunningly well preserved.)

The Encarnación gives a rare glimpse of a major shift in world history during the colonial era, says Filipe Castro, a nautical ar-chaeologist at Texas A&M Univer-sity. "It is the rise of capitalism,

New FCDA Member

Welcome aboard to the following individual who has recently become a new member of the Fairfield County Diving Association:

Douglas Reirmeyer 11 Sarah Dr Oxford, CT 06478 H: (203) 881-3081 W: (203) 650-4067 douglaspr@comcast.net

A diver inspects wooden crates on a 17th-century Spanish shipwreck discovered off Panama.

Page 7

Rare Spanish Shipwreck From 17th Century Uncovered Off Panama by Jane J. Lee (continued)

Encarnación’s hull has already helped reveal how these vessels were constructed.

An initial examination revealed the use of a material called granel, a kind of permanent ballast, says Chris Horrell, a maritime archae-ologist working with Hanselmann. It's "basically a cement consisting of sand, lime, and pebbles," he explains, that shipbuilders used to coat a ship's hull with a thin ve-neer.

Researchers think granel stabi-lized ships and was also used as a construction material for buildings throughout the New World. Horrell is not yet sure whether granel was a New World invention or an Old World import, but finding out is part of his research agenda.

An Accidental Find Hanselmann and colleagues did-

n't set out to find the Encarnación. They were looking instead for ships belonging to the notorious English privateer and pirate Cap-tain Henry Morgan, a legendary figure who at the height of his power commanded a fleet of 36 ships and more than a thousand men.

In 1670, 11 years before the Encarnación went down, Morgan was on his way to sack Panama City when a storm sank five of his ships at the mouth of the Chagres River. Hanselmann and his team were searching for those ships when they found a surprise.

Sensors that detect magnetic anomalies alerted the researchers to the presence of metal objects about 0.6 miles (a kilometer) from the mouth of the river. Divers sent

(Continued from page 6)

(Continued on page 8)

A photo mosaic shows the hull of the Encarnación, lying in 32 feet of water off Panama's coast.

Page 8

Rare Spanish Shipwreck From 17th Century Uncovered Off Panama by Jane J. Lee (continued)

to investigate discovered a ship-wreck loaded with cargo—an indi-cation that it probably wasn't one of Morgan's ships. "If he's en route to sack a city, his holds aren't go-ing to be full," says Hanselmann.

Further investigation revealed a merchant ship instead. "These ships were the ones the privateers were always after," says Hansel-mann.

The Encarnación didn’t carry flashy cargo like gold coins or sil-ver cups, says Horrell. But its workaday materials were valu-able—both to pirates and now to archaeologists.

Reprinted from The National Geographic May 12, 2015

(Continued from page 7)

Lead seals recovered from the Encarnación. These seals were usually used to secure bolts of fabric for transport.

A departure from our annual FCDA Clambake - the lobsters will enjoy a temporary stay of execution! All things grilled by YOU! Put on your creative grill hat, don your apron and share your favorite grilled master-piece! What to grill, you ask? An ap-petizer, main course or dessert to which we can turn the heat on and sent to flavor town.

Mel Rich is going to make Pork and Hot Pepper Kabobs and a grilled fruit dessert (peaches likely) with a drizzle of a balsamic reduction.

For a coordinated effort please email what you would like to contrib-ute to out first Thrill of the Grill Night! Email: Mel Rich at nutech-pest@mac.com.

First “Thrill of the Grill Night” Saturday, June 6, 2015 - 7:00 PM

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Cottage - South Benson Marina, Fairfield, CT

Page 9

Next FCDA Meeting

Friday, May 29, 2015 - 8:00 PM Coast Guard Cottage, South Benson Marina, Fairfield, CT

Pre-Meeting Barbeque - 7:00 PM - BYOM* (* Bring your own Meat)

"Diving the Bahamas aboard the Carib Dancer

a presentation by

Lisa Jarosik

Our own Lisa Jarosik will

be sharing her experi-

ences from a recent div-

ing trip to the Bahamas

aboard the Carib Dancer.

“Thrill of the Grill Night” Saturday, June 6, 2015 - 7:00 PM

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Cottage - South Benson Marina, Fairfield, CT