Main reason I stopped diving or entering water is skin eating bacteria

[STB]

rongoodman I'm not that Guy anymore: that has a stringer of shark food attached to my belt .

I have a car inner tube w/ glued in floor used as catch holder/ dive flag holder.

hardly ever seen big sharks but have had resident barracudas steal right off the spear if catch wasn't secured quick enough.

 

[STB]

I grew up using the ocean as my healer. Not to a religious extreme, I'm on board with vaccines and taking meds as needed, but when it comes to muscles and cuts there's nothing better than going way offshore into deep blue water and swim, dive or just float.
I'm aware the ocean today is not what it was 50 years ago when I was a kid, but I'll take my chances.... whatever crap is there it came from the land so I'm at risk topside too.
And that's without counting the mental healing which many people should take advantage... would be less wakos outhere.

so reply is a quote here.whats a multiple quote?

yes from what I've been reading the farrer offshore the more dilution of bacteria. Just how far is far enough. I normally don't go farrer than 20 miles.

and yes you are correct the red tide isn't a natural phenomenon but was created by man when he attempted to inclose the everglades from draining naturally.

 

[The Chairman]

I grew up using the ocean as my healer.

Me too. Give me some vitamin Sea, stat! I'm sitting here at home with a broken leg. Two plates held onto my tibia and fibia with fourteen screws, and I'm letting it heal just a little longer before I go get wet. If these were surface cuts, I wouldn't care, but they literally go all the way down to the bone, so I'm being patient. Put some fins on and work those muscles without worrying about hurting (over-stressing) the underlying structure.

Phobias, by nature, are impossible to reason away. The afflicted person has to make up their mind to defeat them or let themselves be controlled by unreasonable fears. I have a natural fear of heights, so whenever I can do something like do one of the high rides at a waterpark, look over the edge of tall buildings, or the like, I force myself to do it. I had a phobia of spiders, so I grab every banana spider I see and crush it. I'll use a hammer on a black widow, so I don't go crazy with this, but I find the direct approach of forcing myself to overcome any fear or phobia the best way. Hell, I used to be petrified of sharks. I forced myself into engaging them and I am no longer held by that phobia.

 

[STB]

wow that's terrible leg breakage, been there done that it's a very long healing process to regain leg strength. you my friend are lucky it's just one leg. good luck w/ the therapy and do all the prescribed exercises, did the Dr. tell you you will have to learn to walk allover he's not joking..

I don't have any more phobia than the next Guy except for the sea snake which I have sean many times, basically I'm concerned about the unavoidable small fly bites morphing into a amputated limb or limbs.

 

[rongoodman]

what is PSD diver?

Public safety diver(redundant, I know). Fire and police teams usually, doing evidence and body recoveries in often nasty places. More akin to commercial than recreational diving.

 

[Storker]

Chlorine, a poisonous substance.

Except that elemental chlorine is gaseous and thus much harder on the lungs than iodine (when chlorine was used as a chemical weapon during WW1, it was a lung gas), it isn't so much more dangerous than iodine. Those elements are very closely related. Also, to pick nits Clorox doesn't really contain chlorine, it contains sodium hypochlorite. I'd worry more about the alkalinity.

is this the mouthwash?

No. Straight 3% peroxide from the pharmacy or, preferably, medical chlorhexidine wash for wound care and pre-op sterilization. The latter is pretty effective and doesn't sting at all.

But seriously, I think there's about two million things more worthy of concern than the risk of necrotising fasciitis. In everything in life you got to play the odds, and those odds are longer than most of the other.

 

[JohnnyC]

OP, Hibiclens is chlorhexidine. However, you can buy chlorhexidine concentrate for much cheaper than branded Hibiclens. You may also find it listed as udder wash as it is often used for pre-milking disinfecting of livestock udders.

 

[cerich]

what is PSD diver?
can't figure out how to multiply quote here.

PSD is Public Safety Diver who will stir up the bottom while looking for stuff, the bacteria tend to live there

 

[seeker242]

basically I'm concerned about the unavoidable small fly bites morphing into a amputated limb or limbs.

What are the chances of that happening? If I had to guess, they are way less than the chances of just drowning.

 

[cerich]

wow that's terrible leg breakage, been there done that it's a very long healing process to regain leg strength. you my friend are lucky it's just one leg. good luck w/ the therapy and do all the prescribed exercises, did the Dr. tell you you will have to learn to walk allover he's not joking..

I don't have any more phobia than the next Guy except for the sea snake which I have sean many times, basically I'm concerned about the unavoidable small fly bites morphing into a amputated limb or limbs.

sea snakes too? unless you catch and handle one, they ignore divers