Anthony Farr wrote:
More big wave surfing in Sydney.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=3221818
I learned this morning that Tommy Carrol and Barton Lynch were also surfing at Deadmans with Kelly Slater yesterday, so I was most fortunate to witness such a rare demonstration of big wave riding outside of Hawaii by these 3 big names in the sport. One of them (either Lynch or Carrol, my wife relayed the story while I was still waking this morning)) got wiped out onto the rocks and spent the next few hours in the emergency room getting sea urchin spines removed from his legs. Ouch.
Ouch, indeed!
I was a medic in Guantanamo Bay, and treated a number of sea urchin piercings.
Know what? Their spines are so brittle, you cannot grasp them with a tweezers. They act like a sliver of sugar candy. They crush before you can generate enough force to grasp them and pull them out.
Oh, you can inject pain killers, surgically remove the worst of them, but that's quite literally a pain, and usually not necessary.
Remove what you can, disinfect the area, cover it with sterile bandages, put the patient on a course of anti-biotics, and let them work their way out!
Sure makes a believer for wearing scuba booties! <g>
keith whaley
regards,
Anthony Farr
