Thousands of Nicaraguan Lobster Divers Paralyzed, Hundreds Die

[ricki]

This information comes through a movie still in preparation. The trailer indicates that divers sometimes work at 180 ft., do repetitive dives without benefit of deco computers or apparently even deco tables. There is no training to speak of, some shared myths, doubtful rules of thumb, just put on a tank and go.

"The "My Village, My Lobster" Story

Commercial lobster diving is the largest industry along Nicaragua’s Miskito Coast, accounting for over $20 million annually and employing more than 5,000 Nicaraguans, most of whom are indigenous Miskito Indians. It’s an industry that affects the livelihoods of over 50,000 men, women and children. Since the early 1990s, over 90% of the lobster caught in Nicaragua has been exported to the United States and sold at a premium to restaurant chains and supermarkets via international distributors.



Because of commercial lobster diving, thousands of Miskito divers have become paralyzed and hundreds more have died from decompression sickness, a diving-related condition commonly known as the bends, creating an epidemic of decompression disease that has remained ignored by the Nicaraguan government and international community. Decompression sickness results when a diver ascends too rapidly from the depths of the ocean or fails to make decompression stops during the ascent, causing a rapid decrease in pressure. In severe cases, divers can lose consciousness, experience immediate paralysis, fall into a coma or even die."



Video trailer, more information and a plea for donations to allow the film to be completed at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...y-film-project

still more videos and info on the Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/thelobsterfilm

IPS did an indepth article on the problem earlier this year at:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54026

[ricki]

This situation reminds me of a commercial spearfisherman I met in Nassau a couple of years ago. He would dive surface air supply for perhaps 8 or more hours a day in the Out Islands. He said he would start deep, around 120 ft. or less and work up into shallower water to try to avoid the bends. No computers of course, he barely affords a wetsuit. He went on at length about how he deals with DCS through Bayer aspirin. Apparently no other brand has the same "recompressive" quality. It is a sad, hard life these guys lead."