Cow and Peacock

[Arctic Mike]

Dove Cow last Friday night with TB and KH. Fabulous dive to about 1700' with excellent vis all the way. There did seem to be quite a few small dead fish in the basin though, don't know what that is all about.

Saturday we started in P1 heading up the Peanut Line to Challenge Sink and then OG where we exited. Conditions are excellent right now and will hopefully stay that way. In the afternoon we ran P1 up the mainline through Olsen and around to the Peanut Restriction and out via Peanut.

In all we only passed one other dive team on any of the dives. So the crowds are small, the weather is not too hot, and the visibility is excellent. TB and KH are still diving today but I am back at work

[Squirrel Girl]

Yeah, but I didn't get to do any dives this weekend and I *still* have to be back at work today.

BTW, how do TB and KH do on their H drills?

[Arctic Mike]

They are both H card ready. Admittedly though, they could use a couple more dives with their Instructor just to be absolutely sure that they are comfortable. Maybe I need to go back!

[sandy]

Guessing the T-drills were OK too.

Sounds like some good dives - glad you had a good time.

[Arctic Mike]

Well Sandy, the T drills looked OK to me but I am not a certified Instructor for that specialty as you are. I think they're ready for your scrutiny so next time I'll send them your way for the final checkout

[sskasser]

Great seeing you guys on Saturday! And the hair was looking mah-va-lous!

[TommyB]

I lost my T-card and H-card. I think i have an YXZ card though.
Was great seeing you again Mike. Ended up with major ear infection.
Was to fly back to Switzerland on Sat the 23rd, but due to infection and that reverse block, Dr, said no flying for 5 days. So heading back home on Thursday now.
Kevin ended up with ear infection also, guess was the dead fish thing in Cow that did our ear in

[skip]

ear infections are not caused by external bacteria. they are caused by your normal bodily bacteria getting out of control due to a weakend immune system, trauma (even slight), with inflammation and congestion providing a nice growing environment. Ear Beer? kills the bacteria already in there, dries it out and alters pH thus creating an environment counter to growth. Anyway, it's not dead fish, their decaying bodies or whatever killed them.

However a fish kill-off may indicate a water-quality problem, most likely lack of dissolved oxygen. What uses up oxygen? algae. Notice an increase in algae? I suppose it could be poison from an upstream dump of toxic chemicals, but lack of oxygen in the water is the usual culprit. look at the minnows, are they hovering around the surface, gulping air? That's a sure sign of lack of oxygen in the water. I can also speculate that coming from upstream they may have lingered too long in the cave (where oxygen gets used up pretty quickly and not replaced), and died in there, then were flushed out to the basin. Perhaps higher than normal river water feeding upstream cow swept more than usual number of fish into the cave where they died before making it to the basin.

still, ear infection and dead fish are totally independent events.


skip

[Arctic Mike]

Sure, but painful none the less. When TB and I passed through Olsen on the last dive we both had trouble clearing, TB much more so than me. I had quite a headache later that night and was still not feeling 100% Sunday morning so I decided not to dive. I think it was the right decision. Thankfully, no ear infection here.

I'm sorry though TB. H and T cards are not lifetime certs. They must be earned on a regular basis. Because age (and heredity, ask HeloDriver) can have such an adverse affect on one's ability to perform the drills we have to mandate recertification. Next dive we'll try to get you through it again....jeesh!

Travel safe my friend!

[Major Restriction]

Thank you Skip, that was informative and clears up some of my own preconceptions of what caused my ear issue after my last dive at Cow.

ear infections are not caused by external bacteria. they are caused by your normal bodily bacteria getting out of control due to a weakend immune system, trauma (even slight), with inflammation and congestion providing a nice growing environment. Ear Beer? kills the bacteria already in there, dries it out and alters pH thus creating an environment counter to growth. Anyway, it's not dead fish, their decaying bodies or whatever killed them.

However a fish kill-off may indicate a water-quality problem, most likely lack of dissolved oxygen. What uses up oxygen? algae. Notice an increase in algae? I suppose it could be poison from an upstream dump of toxic chemicals, but lack of oxygen in the water is the usual culprit. look at the minnows, are they hovering around the surface, gulping air? That's a sure sign of lack of oxygen in the water. I can also speculate that coming from upstream they may have lingered too long in the cave (where oxygen gets used up pretty quickly and not replaced), and died in there, then were flushed out to the basin. Perhaps higher than normal river water feeding upstream cow swept more than usual number of fish into the cave where they died before making it to the basin.

still, ear infection and dead fish are totally independent events.


skip