A radio lets you communicate with others and it provides a way to broadcast in an emergency. The most common type of radio is the VHF/FM, monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard and used to communicate with other boats, marinas and bridges. In addition, the VHF radio can be linked to land-based telephones for calling friends and businesses. Its range is limited to about 15 miles between boats. Read the rest of this entry »
In many cases, if a member of your crew falls overboard it is not a life-threatening situation since the boat is maneuverable and it is relatively easy to get the person back on board. But the energy-sapping effects of cold water, the difficulty of swimming with soggy clothing or the possibility of injury could turn the situation serious. The swimmer should be retrieved as quickly as possible. Read the rest of this entry »
These are considered the ultimate experience for the more adventurous and less fainthearted among us. If you’re to enjoy yourself in these harsh environments — for example in the remoter parts of the country or in the mountainous regions accessible only on foot — you need some knowledge of the bush and a good level of physical fitness. Venues such as these almost always require special vehicles — not to mention special people!
Conditions in these camps can be severe, especially if they’re situated in the desert or at high altitude, and in many cases there are no facilities at all. Visitors to the Richtersveld National Park in Southern Namibia, for instance, are expected to arrive in more than one 4×4 vehicle (you may need one to rescue the other) and be totally self-sufficient — you even have to supply your own water and firewood, and make sure you leave absolutely nothing behind. Read the rest of this entry »
Walking, scrambling on all fours, and crawling on your belly into the moist darkness of a cave is not everyone’s idea of a good time, but it is certainly extreme. The labyrinth-like tunnels that can lead to huge sheer drop offs or expansive chasms are not for the faint of heart. Those prone to nightmares from watching too many reruns of Dracula also may not appreciate the propensity of caves to attract legions of bats.
Appropriately, those who do cave (serious cavers do not refer to their sport as spelunking or potholing) always travel to the inner depths of the earth in groups of two or more. Not surprisingly, cavers are subject to many dangers that one would expect could occur in a cave, such as death by starvation, falling, asphyxiation, drowning, and hypothermia from exposure. Read the rest of this entry »
Swimming into the deepest reaches of the ocean is a feat that many divers have experienced to a degree. Some may go below 200 feet (60m), others deeper. All would be lost without the air they bring with them. There is a special breed of diver who can go deeper than most, without air tanks. These freedivers have pushed the limits of unassisted breathing dives to below 400 feet.
Tofreedive to depths of even 50 feet (15m) is an unsettling prospect for all but the strongest swimmers. To dive much deeper requires holding a breath for minutes. In fact, the world’s best freedivers hold their breath for periods that rival many marine mammals. Read the rest of this entry »
Swimming long distances for sport is a challenge that only the most fit and determined extreme athletes pursue. Its roots can be traced back to1875 when Captain Matthew Webb became the first swimmer to cross the English Channel. Since then, crossing the channel has been one of the more defining feats of long distance, or open water, swimming. Open water is the appropriate term, since races and crossings are never held in a pool that would be too easy and lacking danger.
Open Water Swimming races are held globally, and were included in many of the early Olympic Games. Course lengths are usually 5, 10, 15, or 25 kilometers (3-15.5 miles) and require several hours to complete. The courses are set between two points on any large body of water. Some races require athletes to do several laps to complete a given distance, while others may consist of one very long lap. Read the rest of this entry »
Motorcycles have always attracted people with a yearning for speed and an appetite for adrenaline. For years, the closest thing anyone could get to that sensation on the water was in a small boat with a big motor. These were fast, but could hardly be called maneuverable. Then in 1965 a Californian banker with a passion for motorcycles conceived of an aquatic version which would become known worldwide as the Jet Ski.
Clayton JACOBSON enjoyed building racing motorcycles in his spare time. He loved going fast on motorcycles— but crashing on hard pavement was not what he considered to be their appeal. The concept of the Jet Ski was born from Jacobson’s theory that a motorcycle for the water would be just as fun to ride as the ones he enjoyed building, but without the pain of a hard landing if you fell off. Mr. Jacobson would be correct. Read the rest of this entry »
Singlehanded racing is the aquatic version of marathon running, where the skipper has to draw from resources deep within himself for the endurance and stamina necessary to sail 30 days or more alone at sea. Unlike the marathon runner, whose most important equipment is his shoes, a singlehanded sailor’s equipment is a sailboat often as large as 60 feet (18m) and its accompanying systems—and it all has to be maintained continuously.
JOSHUA SLOCUM is considered the grandfather of singlehanded sailors. Between 1895 and 1898, Slocum singlehandedly circumnavigated the globe in a wooden boat, making several stops along the way. Another 69 years elapsed before Francis Chichester completed a one-stop, singlehanded circumnavigation. Then, in 1969, Robin Knox- Johnston completed the first non-stop, singlehanded circumnavigation to win the Golden Globe Challenge. Read the rest of this entry »
Offshore sailboat racing has two distinct disciplines. At one end of the spectrum is singlehanded sailing, where a solitary skipper puts his sailing knowledge, navigational expertise, will—even his life—on the line. At the other is crewed sailing, where crews between 12-20 sailors, specializing in particular tasks, rely upon one another as a team in the quest for victory.
Among the greatest races in the world in crewed racing is the Whitbread Round the World Race. Dubbed the “ultimate ocean race,” it was the first of its kind, with origins dating back to 1973. Read the rest of this entry »
A decompression chamber—a large tank that can compress the air inside to several atmospheres—is commonly found on vessels used as dive-support stations. Divers experiencing the bends are placed inside the decompression chamber and then quickly “returned” to the appropriate atmospheric pressure they were under in the water before the too-rapid ascent began. This allows the diver to complete the necessary decompression time and can halt the effects of the bends.
Diving using normal air mixtures— equivalent to the air we breathe every day— limits the depth and duration of dives. The deeper the dive, the less amount of time can be spent at the maximum depth. Knowing what the maximum lengths of time are for each depth is critical for diver safety. Read the rest of this entry »
The mysteries of the sea have driven many to brave the ocean depths to experience first-hand what it feels like to live beneath the water’s surface. Those who pioneered modern scuba did so at great risk—our bodies were not meant to breathe under water, nor were they meant to breathe under the pressure of millions of pounds of liquid. As you go deeper into the sea, your body is no longer able to use the air you breathe as effectively as above the surface. As a result, hundreds of diving fatalities occur each year.
MAN’S SEARCH for a means to breathe underwater can be traced back to the ancient Romans, when early divers used a floatation device to support airhoses attached to leather helmets to provide oxygen. It was not until 1819 that deep-sea diving became a practical reality, when German inventor Augustus Siebein developed the bulky brass dive helmet linked to an air compressor back on the ship. Read the rest of this entry »
