CABO TODAY GONE TOMORROW

We are in Cabo San Lucas, Baja on the second leg of the BAJA INVASION TOUR.
After an amazing visit to Guadalupe Island last week, now I am off to the Revillagigedos Islands on board the Solmar V. 

Myself and a few very lucky shark fans will be enjoying 9 days of nonstop action, diving at Isla San Benedicto, Isla Socrro, and Roca Partida. Word has it that San Benedicto has a new resident, a 6.5 meter Tiger shark has been visiting the Solmar V crew lately. We will be looking forward to meeting this new "Amiga" on this trip.

Mean time we are enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the local "cultural" attractions here in Cabo.
We will be entertained this evening at The Cabo Wabo Cantina where the Waboritas shall flow endlessly and the rock music will be deafening. So don't be expecting any early morning posts from us manana! \m/


Yours in sharks,
Lorenzo :)~

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Isla Guadalupe Abulon Cooperativa Hyperbaric Chamber Project

This is such a huge story I will just try to sum it up briefly and post updates as they develop.  

Isla Guadalupe Mexico is now known as one of, if not the best place in the world to dive with white sharks.

What most people do not know is that Isla Guadalupe is also home to a small group of artisan fishermen and divers: The Isla Guadalupe Abulon Cooperativa.  The Cooperativa consists of several families of divers, their boat (panga) crews and many other support personnel that harvest and process abalone and lobster from the islands rich ocean waters. These families have been living and working on the island for generations.

Ever since my earliest trips to the island back in 2001-02 I have been developing a friendly working  relationship with these local fishermen and divers. As a commercial diver myself I had a sort of kinship with these local divers. I have become very good friends with quite a few of these characters over the years. I have spent many hours communicating with and supporting them in any way I could. 
From the very beginning they had told me of the harsh conditions that they were used to working in. 
These guys are hardcore divers.

                                    Luis Padrin, Diver and Secretary of the Abulon Cooprativa 




Even though they work in one of the sharkiest places on earth and they often observe white sharks during their daily dives, not one of them has ever been bitten or attacked by a white shark. However, all of them have a story about having a close encounter or two with white sharks. They have developed  a great respect for the white shark and they also are very aware of how important the white shark is to the ecosystem that they depend on for their livelihood.
More than fearing the sharks, they actually have greater concern about the physiological hazards of the frequent deep diving that they do to harvest abalone. 

There are approximately 8 panga crews that consist of a diver, panga operator and a tender that go out each day from mid-January until mid-June. Each panga has a sector or zone around the island that they are assigned to work. The panga crews go and dive to collect abalone from depths as deep as 90 feet.  The diver is supported by the topside crew. The tender minds the diver's hose and keeps the compressor running. The panga operator keeps the panga above the diver by following his bubbles. The diver stays down as long as an hour and sends baskets of abalone up to the panga crew. This method of harvesting has been practiced all over the world for many years.


The problem is that the divers are not using any type of dive computer and basically they "feel" their way through the decompression phase of the dive. They try to ascend slowly and they try not to stay down too long.  But sometimes they do, and then inevitably suffer from decompression sickness (DCS) or the "Bends". Some serious accidents have occurred leaving some of the divers permanently disabled and unable to provide for their families. When a diver is afflicted with DCS they must treat themselves in water which means the diver must return to the water and dive down to 160 feet and then ascend very slowly. Sometimes this works and sometimes it does not. In any event the in-water treatment scenario is very cold and very dangerous. These DCS events are infrequent, but when they do happen it is devastating to the victim and their families. 


I have been working on a solution to this problem for years. The Isla Guadalupe Abulon Cooperativa divers need a Hyperbaric Chamber. 


In fact, I did indeed deliver a hyperbaric chamber to the Cooperativa back in August 2006. 
I actually purchased a working chamber from Harbor Offshore Inc. in Ventura, CA. I had just completed a huge diving project for Harbor Offshore up in San Francisco Bay. I knew that Harbor Offshore had an old double lock chamber that would work perfectly for the Cooperativa. I had used this particular chamber on the Richmond San Rafael Bridge project and I knew the chamber was back in storage in Ventura. I called my friend John Ventress, the owner of Harbor Offshore, and asked him if I could purchase the chamber for the Cooperativa. He agreed and sold me the chamber for $8,000.00. 

That was the easy part. After delivering the chamber which weighs over 4000 lbs. to the Cooperativa in Ensenada the Cooperativa representatives took the chamber to the Mexican Navy base in Ensenada and asked them to transport the chamber to Guadalupe on one of the Navy boats that visits the island once a month. The Navy accepted the chamber and put it in storage awaiting a resupply mission to Guadalupe. Then the Navy claimed that the chamber was too heavy to be transported to the island.
They kept the chamber there in storage on the base for 4 years. WTF!


Last September a special ship was going to Guadalupe to remove some scrap metal from the island. 
The Cooperativa was able to recover the chamber from the Navy and put it on this scrap metal ship prior to its departure to the island. This scrap metal ship was actually a type of landing craft equipped with a ramp that could be lowered onto the beach at the shore to deploy a tractor. The ship transported the chamber to Guadalupe and delivered it onto the island.




I was recently granted a permit issued by CONAPP (the authority that governs and maintains the Isla Guadalupe Biosphere Reserve) to visit the island regularly to work with the Cooperativa on getting the chamber up and running and provide training for the divers in Hyperbaric chamber operations and diver training and safety.
This past Tuesday I flew out to Guadalupe to see the chamber and assess its condition. I was also invited  to meet with the Cooperativa divers about plans to construct a new Hyperbaric Medical facility to house the chamber and provide training for operating the chamber. 


                  The funny thing was that the flight I was on was actually a "MILK RUN" literally!

                                                                        Cessna 402

                               Forward cargo compartment filled with 12 gallons of Leche (milk)

                                                                   Fresh produce: 
25 kilos of Avocados, 25 kilos of tomatoes and another 100 kilos of various other fresh goodies.

                                 The flight was very exciting and the weather was PERFECT!

The trip from the airstrip on top of the island to the Fisherman's camp was grueling but the scenery was simply stunning. The island is absolutely beautiful this time of year and there is actually lots of green vegetation all over the island this time of year.

                              Offloading supplies at the company store at the Fisherman's Camp. 

Surprisingly Isla Guadalupe is home to approximately 150 inhabitants. 


The whole town turned up to welcome me and they were incredibly gracious and hospitable. I was given the total VIP treatment. They provided me and the pilot our own little beach house and it was really quite comfortable. Then came the fresh Abalone for lunch which was absolutely delicious! Then a guided tour of the whole town.

                                                                     Mi Casa

                                                            The view from mi casa

                              Powerhouse. (diesel generators provide electricity for the whole town).

                                                   Notice the little red satellite dishes on every house.

School grounds. (K through 8th grade)

                                                                         

                            After school most kids like to play soccer or go swimming in the ocean.

                                            The future Abalone divers of Isla Guadalupe.


I was very glad to find the chamber in reasonably good shape after languishing at the Naval base in Ensenada for 4 years and being hauled across 200 miles of ocean and then dragged up off of the beach it is actually and surprisingly in good working order. With a little cleaning and painting it will be in great shape.
The divers placed the chamber on a good sized concrete pad close to where the pangas are loaded and offloaded. The location and placement of the chamber is important so that it is easily accessible in emergencies. Where it is now is the perfect spot! 

Soon we will begin construction of a new structure to house the chamber protecting it from the harsh marine environment. We will also be installing a high pressure air compressor to charge large air cylinders to provide pressurized air for both the chamber and to fill "bailout" cylinders for the divers to wear in case they experience a loss of air supply of their surface supplied air. 


I am very glad to finally be making progress in this very important endeavor. I look forward to spending more time with my friends of the Abulon Cooperativa and spending more time on this beautiful island that I care so much about. 
Most importantly I am glad that I am able to finally provide the divers of the Cooperativa a measure of safety for there work so they can continue to provide for there families for generations to come.


STAY TUNED!


Yours in sharks,
Lawrence

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BEEN ON THE MOVE ALL WEEK

Sorry for being absent the last few days but I have been on the move constantly and it has been difficult to get online and post all the recent happenings.

3000 miles down and still on the road!

                                         Shark Conservation Banquet last Saturday in Long Beach, CA.




It was an awesome gathering of all the local shark conservation NGO's.
Special guests: Wyland, Stan Waterman, Senator Clayton Hee of Hawaii and Stefanie Brendal of Shark Allies.


Ill be posting updates on all these events and more very soon!


Yours in sharks,
Lawrence

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Long Beach Scuba/Shark Show 2010

 The official "Roll Out" of our Self Propelled Shark Cage (SPSC) at the Scuba Show in Long Beach, CA this past weekend proved to be a real SHOW STOPPER!
I want to say thank you to all who came by and visited us at our booth. It was great to see so many people that we have had on our trips over the last 10 years.

With over 10,000 attendees at the show this year it was a busy 2 days for sure.
And I would have to say that the show buzz was all about SHARKS and shark diving. With a huge turnout of shark conservation organizations, advocates, activists and of course 100's of shark fans. It was pretty much a complete SHARKFEST this year. The world renown marine artist Wyland, who was the shows special guest, even painted a huge White Shark on canvas, live during the show.

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ABC4 Arrives in South Africa for Film Project

I would like to share a note from the field from our "Man in Africa" ABC 4 (Andy Casagrande) :

Hey bro - I know you are already probably on the road - but wanted to wish you safe and crazy and fun travels man! It's great to be back in Africa and all is well with me - all the gear and crew made it and we should make a cool show that hopefully you won't call me a "douche" bag after! ;-) Keep in touch man and good luck! Let me know when I should try to plan to come out and visit you in Guadalupe ok bro! - Keep it real and keep up the blog! I love it! - ABC4

PS: If you see any of these BABY GWS - please give them a hug for me - ABC4



ABC4 just arrived in Capetown for a Discovery Channel shoot with white sharks there.
I will be posting more from ABC4 soon. Stay Tuned!

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The 2010 Migration Begins

Today May 9th 2010 (Mothers Day) is the beginning of my personal migration across the USA from Florida back to California.
Driving across the southern states I will be making this trip for the 5th time in 4 years. The trip is just about 3000 miles and takes about 70 hours total drive time.
I will be passing through 8 states.

My destination is Long Beach, Ca and I should be there by Thursday.
I will be exhibiting at the Long Beach Scuba Show on Saturday and Sunday.

We will have an exciting object in our booth this years. 
It promises to be a real show stopper!


I will be sending updates from the road along the way!
See you on the other side.
Yours in sharks,
Lawrence

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What Happened? The Deepwater Horizon Disaster Update

The drill ship Deepwater Horizon was finishing work on an exploration well named Macondo, in an area called Mississippi Canyon Block 252. After weeks of drilling, the rig had drilled down over 18,000 feet, into an oil-bearing zone. The Transocean and BP personnel were installing casing in the well. 

BP was going to cap the well, and then move the Deepwater Horizon to a different location and bring in another rig to produce the oil. Producing oil from the well is work done with entirely different equipment than the exploratory drilling ship is designed to do.

The Macondo Block 252 reservoir may hold as much as 100 million barrels. That’s not as large as other recent oil strikes in the Gulf, but BP management was still pleased. Success is success—certainly in the risky, deep-water oil environment. The front office of BP Exploration was preparing a press release to announce a “commercial” oil discovery.

This kind of exploration success was par for the course for Deepwater Horizon. A year ago, the vessel set a record at another site in the Gulf, drilling a well just over 35,000 feet and discovering the 3 billion barrel Tiber deposit for BP. So Deepwater Horizon was a great rig, with a great crew and a superb record.

Witnesses state that the lights flickered on the Deepwater Horizon. Then a massive thud shook the vessel, followed by another strong vibration. Within a moment, a gigantic blast of gas, oil and drilling mud roared up through three miles of down-hole pipe and subsea risers. The fluids burst through the rig floor and ripped up into the gigantic draw-works.

 The scene was terrifying! It is amazing that only 11 were lost.

Witness:

“Gas and oil rushed up the riser; there was little wind, and a gas cloud got all over the rig. When the main inductions of the engines got a whiff, they ran away and exploded. Blew them right off the rig. This set everything on fire. A similar explosion in the mud pit / mud pump room blew the mud pumps overboard. Another in the mud sack storage room, sited most unfortunately right next to the living quarters, took out all the interior walls where everyone was hanging out having - I am not making this up - a party to celebrate 7 years of accident free work on this rig.

7 BP bigwigs were there visiting from town.”

This is an excellent account of the disaster from a crewman on DWH:


Find more videos like this on Drilling Ahead

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