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PTSD, Exercise and Weed

Swamp Thang

Well-known member
Veteran
The only thing more alarming than a bull shark would be a SWARM of bulls. Holy mackerel that would be enough to make me a landlubber for life.
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Hawaii and Florida are both more Sharky than California, based on reading about shark attacks in the news media.

Once when I was visiting Florida I was wading in one of the trenches near shore and my shin struck what felt like a large heavy rotten log.

Took another step and it was gone ! It was really murky water. You couldn't see 3 feet down.

If I ever go to Hawaii, I will wear a wetsuit, because it improves your survival chances by a lot.
 

RobFromTX

Well-known member
Hawaii and Florida are both more Sharky than California, based on reading about shark attacks in the news media.

Once when I was visiting Florida I was wading in one of the trenches near shore and my shin struck what felt like a large heavy rotten log.

Took another step and it was gone ! It was really murky water. You couldn't see 3 feet down.

If I ever go to Hawaii, I will wear a wetsuit, because it improves your survival chances by a lot.
How does a wetsuit improve your chances? They rip right through that. Tigers are what you really have to watch for if youre diving. Great whites often think youre a seal when they attack. Tiger sharks kill anything they can get at. Theyre definitely responsible for most attacks in Hawaii
 

St. Phatty

Active member
How does a wetsuit improve your chances? They rip right through that. Tigers are what you really have to watch for if youre diving. Great whites often think youre a seal when they attack. Tiger sharks kill anything they can get at. Theyre definitely responsible for most attacks in Hawaii

It keeps things "together".

It was most obvious in one year's shark attack statistics.

4 Hawaii attacks by Great White, Bull shark, or Tiger Shark, vs. 4 California attacks by Great White.

4 deaths in Hawaii. All 4 California swimmer/surfers lived & were wearing wet suits.

If you're half conscious, bleeding profusely, 200 yards from shore, would you rather have flotation - or not ?
 

Chi13

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Sharks are a risk anytime you enter the sea. To put into perspective, my daughter does ocean swimming and snorkelling all year round in Sydney, Australia. She swims a couple of beaches away from where someone was taken by a huge great white last year. This was filmed and pretty shocking. However, it was the first fatality in that region for 60 years, despite beaches being a hugely popular pastime in a city of 5 million.

I go body surfing a fair bit, and also swim in a local bay that is supposedly full of bull sharks. I actually used to swim on hot nights at the mouth of a canal, drunk and high, but think better of that now. You can cut down your risk by not swimming at dawn or dusk, or near where people fish.
 

RobFromTX

Well-known member
Sharks are a risk anytime you enter the sea. To put into perspective, my daughter does ocean swimming and snorkelling all year round in Sydney, Australia. She swims a couple of beaches away from where someone was taken by a huge great white last year. This was filmed and pretty shocking. However, it was the first fatality in that region for 60 years, despite beaches being a hugely popular pastime in a city of 5 million.

I go body surfing a fair bit, and also swim in a local bay that is supposedly full of bull sharks. I actually used to swim on hot nights at the mouth of a canal, drunk and high, but think better of that now. You can cut down your risk by not swimming at dawn or dusk, or near where people fish.
Was it the great white killing that was filmed on someones phone? I watched that. really sad when that happens but thats nature for you. You hands down have the most beautiful beaches in Australia but I know id never be able to let my guard down. Those 25 ft. saltwater crocs would be more than enough to keep me out of water :oops:
 

Chi13

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Was it the great white killing that was filmed on someones phone? I watched that. really sad when that happens but thats nature for you. You hands down have the most beautiful beaches in Australia but I know id never be able to let my guard down. Those 25 ft. saltwater crocs would be more than enough to keep me out of water :oops:
Yes, that was the one. Really disturbing to watch. Honestly, though, everyone just surfs or swims regardless.

The saltwater crocs are restricted to the far North tropical areas, and no one with any sense swims where there are crocs. Even being near the water can be dangerous.
 

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
Thanks for posting while I was gone for a while. Caught me a case of bad Covid and when down the rabbit hole. Plus, I needed a break because I was getting so frustrated. It's hard being disabled and not able to see without magnifiers all the time. These days are getting much harder by the month and to be honest, I don't know how much longer I got before I have to quit everything. Sometimes I spin out with anger and get immobilized with frustration. When those mental spin-outs get too bad I need to lay it down for a while.

When you buy something off the internet you can use a magnifier to see details of the products by moving the magnifier over the object. That's what I have to use all the time to see. It can be so frustrating when I'm in a hurry and even sad at times. Sometimes I just want to quit and throw in the towel. Today I ain't quitting and I'm back for a while.
 

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
Even though I was down I still exercised just like before. When I have a hard time or bad day, if I can take the time to get on my bicycle and ride it I always am glad I did. If I keep moving when I am down, depression has a harder time sticking or lasting. I can be ready to kill someone and go on a bike ride and when I'm back the anger is gone. The best therapy for me is to get up and get moving. BTW, I've never killed anyone ever.
 

blondie

Well-known member
I used to exercise in the form of abalone diving. So many things to worry about though. “The men in the grey suites”, aka great whites, were a real concern. Tangling oneself in kelp was another very real danger. But it gave some type of mental “high” or adrenaline whatever you want to call it. Oddly it was good therapy. Never saw a shark while abalone diving luckily. Ida shit my wetsuit without a doubt.
 

St. Phatty

Active member
I used to exercise in the form of abalone diving. So many things to worry about though. “The men in the grey suites”, aka great whites, were a real concern. Tangling oneself in kelp was another very real danger. But it gave some type of mental “high” or adrenaline whatever you want to call it. Oddly it was good therapy. Never saw a shark while abalone diving luckily. Ida shit my wetsuit without a doubt.

Did you carry a knife on your ankle or somewhere ?

That's the one thing I learned about diving - you need to be able to cut yourself free from fishing line - which can be nearly invisible underwater.

If you get caught in fishing line, you only have about 15 seconds to deal with it.
 

blondie

Well-known member
Abalone diving is free diving without tanks in kelp. Two schools of thought. Don’t carry a knife as it can tangle you in the kelp forest. Carry in case you get tangled. I decided to carry strapped to my calf. Never needed luckily.
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Abalone diving is free diving without tanks in kelp. Two schools of thought. Don’t carry a knife as it can tangle you in the kelp forest.

If a diver hasn't figured out how to carry a knife properly, they shouldn't do serious diving.

It's just an useful tool, like an Allen wrench.

The guy who told me to carry a knife probably would not have been alive to tell me if he hadn't had a knife, because he got hung up in kelp beds in North County San Diego.
 
It keeps things "together".

It was most obvious in one year's shark attack statistics.

4 Hawaii attacks by Great White, Bull shark, or Tiger Shark, vs. 4 California attacks by Great White.

4 deaths in Hawaii. All 4 California swimmer/surfers lived & were wearing wet suits.

If you're half conscious, bleeding profusely, 200 yards from shore, would you rather have flotation - or not ?
Sorry to break it to you, but a wetsuit will do nothing to keep you alive after a shark bite.
Normal wetsuits don’t have built in flotation and they won’t stop any bleeding.
the attacks in California were white sharks and in Hawaii it is almost always a Tiger.
The species of shark is the difference , not the wetsuit
 

blondie

Well-known member
I actually was minority carrying my knife. Without tanks, not really the time to untangle yourself. Different kind of diving.

My 7mm wetsuit kept me afloat easily. I floated in that thing very often.
 

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
The main thing is you are doing something you like to do. Even if it kills you at least you did what you wanted to do. I love swimming, running, biking, and walking. I do something every single day and everyone else should too.

Where I live there are a couple of large feral dogs I feed. They live in an old barn that's abandoned. I put out food once a day and keep their water bowls full. They won't let me touch them and they run away from me. I've been doing this for a few years now not knowing they would live this long. I get on my bike and ride over there every single day to feed them.. The point is I have to exercise every day or those dogs will die.
 

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
The difference between dying on the battlefield and getting wounded is the ones that die are freed, but the wounded stay in battle for the rest of their life. Creeper
 

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
I went out yesterday on my bike for a 5K ride. It was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain. I wanted to put it off, but I went anyway and I am sure glad I did because I felt a lot better after the ride. I don't listen to that old voice saying I'm too tired or it may rain. I went anyway and had a super time.
 

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