Australian Olympic diver get cleared from swine flu
December 18th, 2009
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Olympic diving gold medalist Matthew Mitcham of Australia was finally cleared from the swine flu disease after visiting Mexico City for a major diving event.
Mitcham attended the World Series Diving event in the Mexican capital with his coach Chana Sobrino. They were supposed to stay in the city after the event to train for another diving event which will take place in Florida, United States.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist shared that the NSW Institute of Sport had them tested and pulled out of upcoming diving events since the World Health Organization (WHO) set the swine flu level to five. He added that the institute thought that it would be best for them since if the level is increase to six, the countries will have to start closing borders.
Mitcham said that he wore protective face mask throughout the return trip. He also said that he’s been cleared from having swine flu symptoms before he left Mexico.
The Olympic diving icon said that he’ll be spending some quiet time in isolation with his partner just to be sure. He added that he will also see a doctor and will take medications if necessary.
US Navy brings hi-tech diving gear, gadgets to Missouri
Officers of the United States Navy Community Outreach visited St. Louis, Missouri this week and conducted a demonstration as to how they protect the country’s high seas. They brought with them some of the world’s hi-tech diving gear and other equipment.
The demonstration started on Wednesday, April 22, where visitors get to see astounding demonstrations such as a free fall stunt from a height of six thousand feet.
Lieutenant Commander Garrett Kasper said that the men conducting the stunt are very experienced Navy Seals, dubbed as Leap Frogs.
According to him, their experiences were put to use during a rescue mission that took place in the Indian Ocean recently where their cargo ship was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates.
The Leap Frog members can achieve a speed of up to 180 miles per hour. Jumper Justin Guany said that the best part is to get out in air but the scariest part is the landing – where they have to be conscious or else they could hit a wall.
The Leap Frog Parachute Team is conducting a series of demonstrations in cities around the U.S., also include din their demonstrations are diving gears used for special operations.
Kasper said that these demonstrations are not about recruiting people to join the Navy but to make the public aware where their taxes are going – that is, in protecting the country.
Recently certified scuba diver drowns in South Florida sea
A 58-year old retired nurse reportedly drowned in South Florida seas last weekend in an accident.
According to Broward Sheriff’s Office, Mary Darnley – a recently certified scuba diver was with her husband and other divers at the Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. The couple and the group, after a fun day scuba diving, decided to swim ashore. Darnley’s husband went ahead and thought that his wife was following him. However, when he and the others turned around, they saw her body floating in the ocean.
The group immediately brought Darnley into shore and administered Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, their efforts were to no avail. They immediately rushed her to the Holy Cross Hospital. However, hospital officials declared her dead an hour later.
The couple, who lives in Pennsylvania and came in Florida for a vacation, stayed at the Yacht Haven Park and Marina in Fort Lauderdale. They usually go south each year whenever it is winter time in their state.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Darnley received her scuba certification two months ago. The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office officially ruled that Darnley’s death was accidental.
Californian wins prestigious Hawaiian surfing competition
A diver based in Orange County, California gained worldwide recognition after winning the world’s most prestigious and cash-rich surfing competition early in the week.
Twenty-six year old Greg Long, sponsored by Billabong swimwear, outlasted the other competitors from other countries to clinch $55,000 in cash prize money. This was based on his fantastic performance in “The Eddie,” a giant wave contest that was named in the honor of surfing legend Eddie Aikau.
This competition is usually staged whenever the height of waves reach a high of 40 feet at Waimea Bay. The condition of the waves this week was the first time in the past five years that made it possible to stage this event.
Long got a 100 percent score to seal the victory. He’s also the first surfer from California to win the title.
Navy commander orders diving exercises to commence following soldier’s death
Navy Commander Admiral Elizer Maromto reportedly ordered the implementation of diving exercises this week after such dives resulted to the death of a navy commando named Gal Azulai last week.
Azulai, a 19-year old soldier from the Flotilla 13 unit was reportedly training for diving maneuvers in enemy ports. He’s been under water for more than an hour and was diving at a depth of about three meters when his companion noticed that he was in distress. This development was shared by navy sources.
An investigation is currently underway on Azulai’s death. As of now, the swimwear and equipment used by the late soldier has been sent to experts to determine if there’s a technical failure involved in the accident. It is yet to be determined whether the death was caused by human error or equipment malfunction
Construction of Olympic Aquatics center in London ahead of schedule – report
The construction of the Olympic Aquatics center in London is said to be ahead of schedule and will finish a year before the 2012 staging of the Olympic Games in the said city. The roof has a wave-like shape that could rival the famous Bird’s Nest stadium that became of the venue of last year’s Beijing Olympics.
The roof, which weighs approximately 3,000 tons, is a 160 meter long structure that was lowered into place and can be considered one of the most complex engineering challenges in this project. The roof was designed by Zaha Hadid.
The complex will have two fifty-meter swimming pools, an Olympic diving pool and dry diving area that can be used for both elite and community use.
The establishment will form the gateway to the Olympic Park and is expected to be finished by the middle of 2011.
Sky diving enthusiast recalls damage parachute incident
A sky diving enthusiast saw his life flash before his eyes as he was plunging more than 13,000 feet in the air as his parachute failed to function.
Twenty-seven year old Rafael Sarria 
said that he was lucky to be alive after his parachute got caught on the rear flaps of the plane minutes after he jumped out. The damage on the parachute nearly cost him his life.
Sarria said that he thought his time was up as he fumbled with his parachute to open. During this time, he’s already thinking of his baby girl who he will leave behind in this world.
Luckily, his parachute partially deployed and lessened the speed of his fall. He managed to land in an avocado grove where he was immediately treated on site by the paramedics. After the basic treatment, he was immediately flown to Ryder Trauma Center in Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Doctors have said that Sarria only had a few cuts which will heal in the next few years. Maria Sarria, the sky diver’s wife, said that she found out about the accident while she was shopping for diapers for their daughter, Natalia.
Sarria is currently undergoing physical therapy and is scheduled to be released next week.
Seattle-based company repairs New York’s water supply tunnel
Seattle-based company Global Diving and Salvage has been contracted to 
repair the leaking water tunnel which transports half of the overall needed water supply to the residents of New York City. According to reports, about 20 million gallons of water coming from the Catskill Mountains leaks out of the tunnel per day and on several occasions, the leakage went as high as 36 million gallons.
New York’s Department of Environmental Protection reportedly entered in a 5-year project with Global Diving and Salvage to repair the tunnels. The contract costs $240 million.
About 6 deep-sea divers from the company are currently working on the repairs and has been living for a month in a sealed tank underwater. The said tank is equipped with additional diving equipment, oxygen, shower and television. They have been working on twelve-hour shifts everyday.
Part of the air sealed in the working tank is composed of helium. Therefore, these workers may need to stay in the tank for about seven days to remove the helium which is affecting their voice. The workers need to be conscious with their health because they’re burning more calories than usual. This was revealed by Global Diving Project Manager Robert Onesti.
Onesti assured everyone that these divers are fully qualified to do this risky job.
Paralyzed man swims with the sharks
A thirty-five year old paralyzed man could not believe that he went out swimming with the sharks on Monday, an experience that he could only consider surreal but nice.
Nick Chisholm is currently suffering from “locked-in syndrome,” 
a condition wherein his body does not respond to the commands sent by his brain. It means that his brain functions well but his body does not respond at all. This started nine years ago and doctors have told him that there’s little chance of recovery.
Despite this ordeal, Chisholm went on to fulfill one of his plans – to go scuba diving.
Chisholm was accompanied by his brother Aaron at the National Aquarium of New Zealand located in Napier and swam with the sharks. To make things more interesting, he took part in feeding these humongous creatures.
Chisholm managed to communicate with other people through a clear board adorned with letters and numbers. He only looks at the letters and other people will get to understand what he’s saying by spelling it out.
According to reports, the ecstatic diver wanted to stay longer but the water just got colder.
The event was made possible by the New Zealand Rugby Foundation and The Rotary Club of Dunedin.
What’s Dangerous about Diving Boards?
With summer fast approaching, many neighborhood and backyard pools are being prepared by their owners. One of the things prepared as early as possible is the diving board. Diving boards can be extremely fun but can also be exceptionally dangerous to the safety of the many pool patrons everywhere.
The first dangerous part in a diving board is its top. Although most diving boards are treated and finished with a gritty surface, it still doesn’t prevent falls. Especially when the diving boards become slick, there is a possibility that people will slip, fall off and hit their heads dramatically.
The second danger goes to the effect and impact it has on people after leaving the diving board. The gritty surface that is supposed to prevent falls can greatly scratch the people’s skin. The worst thing is that it can cause scar and infection. Make sure you were proper swimwear when diving to prevent this.
The third danger goes to the construction of the pools. Although people would try to dive safely using their diving boards, the construction of the pool can make any type of dive risky and dangerous. Some cases may include the hitting of the head first, hitting the bottom of the pool and others.
Diving is really fun especially when there’s that beautiful diving board inviting you to try a dive. However, do not forget that safety should come first before anything else.