sewage keeps falling on my head

Can anyone point me to a several-year-old post about diving off a pier in Indonesia or PNG and looking up to see locals gleefully dumping wagons of raw sewage on divers' heads? I tried logical search parameters such as "pier", "sewage", "really nasty muck dive conditions", but nothing popped up so far. Thanks.

This one?

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24097

I searched on Google using "site:wetpixel.com wetpixel sewage dump"

This one?

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24097

 

I searched on Google using "site:wetpixel.com wetpixel sewage dump"

Nope, not that one Eric, but thanks for trying. The issue I'm trying to research is one of ultra-poor water quality that might ultimately impact health ... ears, sinuses, gastrointestinal, etc. Let me rephrase then. Has anyone had health issues that they might think are directly attributable to poor water quality in some of the remote regions of the world where we choose to dive?

Thanks for any personal stories anyone may wish to share.

How about 3 ear infections in 3 weeks diving under the pier at laha in ambon my ears have never been the same since. Keep getting infections after multiple dives over multiple days. cipro is my friend

luckily you never do multiple dives mike

How about 3 ear infections in 3 weeks diving under the pier at laha in ambon my ears have never been the same since. Keep getting infections after multiple dives over multiple days. cipro is my friend

Most ear infections do better with flucloxacillin: cipro. is better kept for when you really need it - ghastly gastrointestinal infections. Ears benefit from a drying agent and topical (ear-drop) medication before that get really gungy. I saw several nasty ears in Bikini in 2006, but that might have been linked to a massive plankton bloom: there weren't many people polluting the lagoon!

Tim

Most ear infections do better with flucloxacillin:

 

Tim

 

So do you carry flucloxacillin in your kit when going to remote dive locations? Recommending it to others? I carry cipro but perhaps I should add to the list.

dave

luckily you never do multiple dives mike

Aduh! Makan loogi jo! I have done like 80 dives in the last 25 days... And only had a camera on maybe 8... I feel like i am Serge..

Tim.. Will look for it but doubt i can find around here, can only seem to find cipro and amoxicillin. Amoxicillin better for ears?

After getting an ear infection within days of diving at KBR in Lembeh, I had a few dry days to google 'otitis externa'. I found a favourable US navy experimental report on the benefits of using a few drops of a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar after every dive. I did this every day for six months and never got another infection.

benefits of using a few drops of a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar

My Vet makes the same recommendation for my Golden Retreiver after a swim and my Dr for me when diving or lap swimming.

Woof Woof

Can anyone point me to a several-year-old post about diving off a pier in Indonesia or PNG and looking up to see locals gleefully dumping wagons of raw sewage on divers' heads? I tried logical search parameters such as "pier", "sewage", "really nasty muck dive conditions", but nothing popped up so far. Thanks.

The area around Laha (Twilight Zone for those who dived it in the 90s) not only has sewage from the village and nearby airport flowing in, it also gets the fishing boat garbage and sewage dumped right on site. The entire Ambon bay is polluted since a lot of the junk thrown into the water just stays there. Try taking a boat ride across the bay and you can smell the crap in the bay. When the fishing boats are around, you get "brown sinkers" and leftover food thrown overboard.

Another place where cases of infections have popped up after a few dives is the bay in BandaNeira. The same story of crap tossed in by the town, and quite a bit settling down to the bottom because it's a bay. Then the Pelni ferry comes in and churns it all.

I always warn people who dive with me in these 2 places to clean out their ears with glycerin, vinegar and alcohol mix, as well as their wetsuits with dettol after every dive.

Tim.. Will look for it but doubt i can find around here, can only seem to find cipro and amoxicillin. Amoxicillin better for ears?

Just clean out your ear after every dive Mike. Much easier on the body than taking antibiotics all the time, which may lose effectiveness. Hygiene over medicatin'

Well, i always rinse em with fresh water after every dive. I think alcohol and vinegar 3 or 4 times a day for months at a time cant be all that good either. Or maybe its that whole age thing catching up to me? But i bet its more likely the prevelance of more shit in the water in indo as opposed to the tuamotu

You need to know the water is fresh though - don't rely on the water from the taps/ showers to be clean enough - at one Sulawesi resort, a dive manager told me that the shower water had been tested and was extremely filthy! He even thought that it was that, and not the seawater that was giving his guests occasional infections.

As I wrote, the alcohol/vinegar thing works for me. One can always water that mix down. For infections, I found ofloxacin to be very effective.

The ear makes wax in the canal to protect it, the wax is acidic. When diving the wax is washed out thus altering the pH in the canal allowing bacteria and fungus to grow.

The alcohol/vinegar mix is acidic, it prevents bacteria and fungus growth.

Elmer

Well, i always rinse em with fresh water after every dive. I think alcohol and vinegar 3 or 4 times a day for months at a time cant be all that good either. Or maybe its that whole age thing catching up to me? But i bet its more likely the prevelance of more shit in the water in indo as opposed to the tuamotu

Vinegar makes the pH level more skin friendly. You can add 1 part of glycerin to prevent too much wax removal. And wear a hood that covers your ears. Helps with particulates.

Thanks all. Really good insights.

Anyone ever get a sinus issue from marine bacteria? I've had sinusitis for 5 months now that seems to be dive-related and can find no effective antibiotic.

Stephen, if you have sinusitis for more than 5 mths, have you done a nasal endoscopy? It could be allergies or irritation from environmental agents. If it's a viral or fungal infection, anti-biotics won't help. I'm no doctor though so best see an ENT to be sure.

Stephen, if you have sinusitis for more than 5 mths, have you done a nasal endoscopy? It could be allergies or irritation from environmental agents. If it's a viral or fungal infection, anti-biotics won't help. I'm no doctor though so best see an ENT to be sure.

Been to multiple doctors, had CT, and visited ENT. Next is surgery. We are collating all the details and will probably end up doing an article about it in a future Alert Diver. I mentioned that to one of my colleagues at DAN yesterday who had the observation that my sinuses can be like Katie Couric's colon. I'm not sure I appreciated the analogy.

Well, I'm not sure Katie would like that analogy either but if you do want to webcast for your nasal endoscopy, I'm sure WP will gladly spread the word!

Have you tried cleaning your mask?

Been to multiple doctors, had CT, and visited ENT. Next is surgery. We are collating all the details and will probably end up doing an article about it in a future Alert Diver. I mentioned that to one of my colleagues at DAN yesterday who had the observation that my sinuses can be like Katie Couric's colon. I'm not sure I appreciated the analogy.

Steve,

Has anything been cultured from your sinuses? That would dictate antibiotic choice if the routine ones don't work.

Have you spoken to Frans Cronje of DAN, South Africa? He really is the guy to talk to about diving related ear and sinus stuff in my opinion.

I'm also looking for a pic I have somewhere of Mauricio Handler swimming through caca just dumped off the rig at Mabul a few years ago.