The Saipan SCUBA Diving Blog

To Blog or Not To Blog

2009-04-24T09:09:00.001+10:00

That has been one of the many thoughts running through my head on a regular basis. It's been a long break for this blog writer (at least when it comes to writing this blog). That's not to say there's nothing to write about. Quite the contrary. In fact life has been so jammed packed with stuff since I returned to Saipan from LA and my open-heart surgery ordeal that something ultimately had to give. I decided it would to be the blog since time taken to write about everything was taking precious moments away from the most important things in my life – my kids!

I remember a few months ago, when asked by someone about not writing on my blog. I responded with “I’m too busy just living my life and don’t really have the time (or desire) to spend additional hours telling everyone else about it!” Each day there is a “Blog Moment”. “That’s a blog post, where’s my camera, my note pad, my computer” I think most bloggers go through this, especially those who take it seriously and know the importance of posting on a regular basis. It’s like an addiction. I decided I needed to go cold turkey and take a break.

I also know that writing in general can be quite therapeutic and that during my surgical recovery this blog proved to be a very effective way of communicating with friends and family as well as tell a pretty cool story. It’s cool now only because I lived through it and have been given a clean bill of health with a renewed perspective on life and the importance of living everyday knowing it could be your last.

I also have come to realize the power of this blog. To reach out, to educate, and to network with people looking for the things that I do. This blog, directly and indirectly, has lead to many opportunities, many that may not have come knocking if it were not for the time spent contributing to it.

As with everything else in life, I think it comes down to balance. Too much of a good thing is usually not so good in the long run. Then again not doing something at all seems not only a waste but also rarely does doing so lead to good things. So, with that said, I have decided this blog will be back. It is unlikely that I will post in depth thoughts and stories everyday but rather I will mix in some very short takes and photos / video from around the islands to keep people interested in coming back and reading more. There will be some changes to the layout in the coming weeks and I hope anyone who is still following will be patient. (If you’re still following then you’ve certainly demonstrated this or you’re related to me!)

As today is Earth day I thought I’d start with the “much awaited” short clip of a Humpback Whale as captured less than a mile off the reef in front of the Palms Resort, Saipan.

Hope to see you back again tomorrow, the official start of the 28th Annual Flame Tree Festival!

NBC Nightly News & The Marianas Trench Marine Monument

2009-04-22T06:40:00.005+10:00

Today is Earth Day and with any luck (no other major breaking news stories) NBC Nightly News will be airing their story on the Mariana Trench Marine Monument tonight. Check your local listings but, it should be in prime time. I'm not sure how much if any of the footage I shot for them will be used but regardless of my own personal hopes it's a pretty exciting thing for the CNMI.

Here's my letter to the editor which appeared in today's papers.

Promises Kept.

This week, most likely on Earth Day, barring any major breaking news stories taking over the air waves, NBC Nightly News will broadcast, in prime time, a national story about the Marianas Trench Marine Monument. Likely the story will be less rah-rah environment and more, how did we get here, what now and what are the challenges ahead? Regardless, the story illustrates an important promise kept.

While much work remains to be done to realize all the benefits touted and to effectively harness the full potential of the declaration, everyone who has had a hand in making the monument a reality should hold their heads high this coming Earth Day. Be proud; together we have taken a most difficult yet monumental first step on the way to preserving one of the most special and least understood places on our planet. To that end our children will thank us, for perhaps the most important of promises has been kept, the promise to do what we can now to save our oceans and the very existence of hundreds, if not thousands, of species, potentially even our own. By doing so we have also brought a tide of change to the shores of the CNMI.

In addition to this week’s NBC story, late last week Angelo Villagomez and Ike Cabrera traveled to San Francisco where, on behalf of the Friends of the Monument, they accepted the 2009 EPA award acknowledging commitment and significant contributions to the environment. Although getting a monument declared is not necessary to receive this award, as demonstrated by Beautify CNMI winning it in 2008, the fact remains, by receiving this honor twice in successive years we now have something very important in our corner - momentum. Even the critics must recognize that this round of press alone delivers not only on the promise to bring positive world-wide attention to the CNMI but it can also be the catalyst we need to re-brand the CNMI. That is, if we don’t screw it up.

During NBC’s visit a few weeks ago, I remember hearing someone saying this will be the first time since the 1990’s one of the big 3 networks has come to the CNMI to do a national TV news story. Back then ABC did their expose on our booming, less than glamorous garment industry and the accompanying issues with human trafficking and prolific prostitution. Of course, a story like that followed by years of corruption (aka Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff) can make for a difficult image to shake long after the factories are gone and the federal government assumes control of local immigration.

Now I know an image can’t be changed overnight nor will it be changed by one 3-minute spot on the national news. However, if we play our cards right, manage the monument with due diligence and ride this wave of media coverage over the coming weeks, months and years we can do it, one story at a time.

Case in point. Following the day of diving with NBC, including 4 very different dive sites in the Grotto, Naftan Point, Ice Cream and Ship Wreck, I asked reporter Ian Williams how his day had compared to other dive days he’d experienced around the world. He enthusiastically and whole-heartedly responded with “as good as or better than any I’ve ever had”. As our conversation continued we discovered his points of reference include some very high profile places in Asia including many in Indonesia, a country generally well known for some pretty decent diving. This without even setting foot anywhere near the actual area designated as a monument. Think of the possibilities for education and tourism when yet another of the promises is met. That of a world-class visitors center on Saipan complete with a walk through replica of the Trench and live video feeds from the many research expeditions and their crews of local students and scientists. The job has really just begun; let’s work together to keep the promises and reap the benefits for the sake of our children.

For a little more on NBC's visit to Saipan you can visit Angelo's blog here, as well as the Friends of the Monument (FOM) blog here. The Tribune also did a story. I will also be posting some photos and video once I see the story. Thanks to the internet we here in the CNMI should be able to watch it almost live. If we have to wait until next week to see it on the tape delay I'l be a pretty disapointed!

Diving With Saipan's Humpback Whales

2009-02-19T21:36:00.003+10:00

Obviously there is more to come. Be patient, I'll be back writing again soon. I know I've been off the blog for a while but that doesn't mean there hasn't been plenty to write about. My little friend here is just one of the many stories I'll tell soon enough.

I managed to get a short video clip of this Humpback Whale just outside the reef near the Palms Resort (Hotel Niko) on the northwest side of Saipan while enjoying a calm day on the Aqua Jet boat. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the mother and her calf!!!!!!!!!

Big Sale at Saipan's Holiday Bazaar 2008

2008-11-26T16:56:00.006+10:00

The 4th Annual Artists’ Holiday Sale will be held this weekend Nov. 29, from 10am to 7pm, and on Nov. 30, from 10am to 5pm, at the Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe, Saipan.

To kick off this holiday shopping season I'll be there with DVD's in hand, a TV and DVD player for anyone who wants to take a trial run before they purchase. And for this weekend only you will be able to purchase the Underwater World of Saipan DVD on sale for $20 each or 2 for $30.
I'll be at booth 22 just as you come in the door so you won't be able to miss me. Come on down and check out all the great gift options from the other artists and vendors as well. It's a good time and there are plenty of quality gifts you will not find anywhere else but on Saipan.

Saipanda or No Saipanda

2008-11-13T22:18:00.007+10:00

There’s a little discussion about Saipan’s unofficial mascot going on over at Lil Hammerhead’s blog. It stems from the latest Variety article in which Congressman Reyes is calling for MVA to release the royalty numbers from sales of Saipanda merchandise as well as the elimination of this mythical creature altogether. Saipanda is part panda, part rhinoceros and was introduced in 1999 as the brainchild of a Tokyo advertising company contracted by MVA. It is said to symbolize the male Japanese traveler who is a repeat visitor and is crazy about Saipan.

(Saipanda at DFS store)

As you might imagine many people take issue with this being the CNMI’s calling card. They point to the fact that tourists might mistakenly think they are going to see panda bears when they visit the islands and that the creature has no significance to the local culture, flora or fauna. The congressman’s latest attempt to nix the creature is not the first by concerned lawmakers. Senators Pangelinan and Crisostimo raised the same concerns last year in this article from the variety.

Over the past eight years Saipanda has appeared in all shapes and sizes including a larger than life mascot that shows up for photo ops and big events such as inaugural flights and international trade shows. It is featured during the “Happy Children in Paradise” program every summer where travelers are met at the airport by the large cuddly creature and children receive Saipanda merchandise including backpacks and water bottles. The large DFS store in Garapan has a huge, towering replica situated in the middle of the souvenir section of the mall and thousands if not millions of people have had their picture taken standing next to it. Not to mention the many purchases of everything from T-shirts to key chains and chocolates bearing its likeness.

MVA also receives revenue from the sale of these tourist items and presumably uses that money to better promote the islands travel industry. How effective has it been? That’s a tough question and probably one that has not been thoroughly answered. In 2007 the variety reported:

“Only 32.2 percent of 1000 Japanese travelers surveyed were aware of the existence of the Saipanda campaign promoting the CNMI in Japan”.

I’m not sure I would suggest that 1/3 of the population being aware of Saipanda should be considered as “only” since that seems to be a pretty good market share to me. Could there be a better mascot, perhaps or even likely yes but at the moment this is what we have.

Anyway, the real question becomes a matter of importance and priority. With all the things MVA does or does not do and their pretty hefty budget of taxpayers dollars is this really the most pressing of issues. I mean if Saipanda actually makes money for the local economy and increases awareness of our destination in our primary market shouldn’t we turn our efforts to areas that really need to be addressed?

The development of a new mascot and branding the destination will take a lot of money and it is a crapshoot at best. While not trivial, development of a recognizable brand should take a back seat to that of efforts focused on ensuring everyone who visits our islands leaves with a memorable, positive experience and images of warm, friendly hospitality. If, for the moment, a souvenir bearing our mythical creature can conjure up a desire in Japanese families to return to our island paradise than so be it.

So, the parting question for today is, if you could be the head of MVA for a day, a month, a year, what would your priority be to improve tourism for Saipan, Tinian and Rota?

Trivia Question: Did you know that in 2001 MVA paid 7,000 for a new costume for Saipanda!

Saipan Rotary’s District Governor's Charity Golf Tournament 2008

2008-11-11T13:58:00.011+10:00

I awoke on Sunday to dark skies and rain. By the time the sun rose the clouds were parting and members of the Saipan Rotary club were busy setting up for this years District Governor’s Golf Tourney. It was last year at about this time that I participated in my first Rotary event. How time flies. A year ago I played along side golfing phenom Harry Blalock at Coral Ocean Point and recall doing fairly well both on the course and at the awards banquet. This year with my recent surgery I decided it best to leave the clubs at home and become the official photographer! With the hot sun overhead this turned out to be a good call since many of us “officials” were able to seek shade while the golfers sweated it out under the hot tropical sun.
Once a year the Rotary District Governor makes his way from Japan to the islands of Micronesia stopping on Saipan for dedication ceremonies and of course the golf tournament. The charity event helps raise awareness and funds for the Rotary Club whose motto is Service above Self". This year the governor was on hand to officially open the Skateboard Park in Garapan giving youth a safe place to skate rather than see them utilizing busy roadways and sidewalks.
Twenty-nine golfers took part in the double Peoria style event on the West course of Lau Lau Bay. This format is really all about luck and is designed to give all participants a chance to win regardless of skill level. With the help of the District Governor, Saipan Rotary President Ben Babauta kicked off the event at precisely 7AM shot gun style. With this type of start each group begins play at different holes technically making it more likely they will all finish at about the same time – LUNCH TIME.
Hole # 7 was designated the closest to the pin and since there were many volunteers hard at work at this one that is where I ended up getting most of my shots of all the participants. It’s a pretty par 3 with water at the side of the tee box and an uphill climb to a green that is surrounded by bunkers. By the end of the morning only 4 or 5 of the 29 actually hit the green giving them a shot at one of the only prizes requiring any skill.

Lau Lau Bay Golf Resort has two full length courses. Our tournament was played on the West course which is the less spectacular of the two. The East course lines the cliffs of the Pacific and although it costs a little more to play it is definitely worth it. Our course for the day may not have had the views but with plenty of man made water hazards and bunkers it is no less challenging and always well maintained. On the West course the 18th hole tee box provides the most spectacular view of the bay.(The new club house being built)

Here's a few action shots including the Governor sort of doing a fist pump as he goes to pull his ball from the hole. A couple of good outs from the trap on 7 and even a few putts disappearing into the cup.When it was all said and done I’d say it’s safe to say a good time was had by all although some seemed to win an exceedingly high percentage of the raffle prizes! The overall winner on the course was Vince Attao who pocketed the $500 first place prize while Yasu Irinaka finished 2nd winning $400 and Ed Manibusan rounded out the top 3 poketing $300. Other big winners included Rotarian Angelo Villagomez who took home one of two $500 gift certificates good for any flight on NWA. Not so bad for a mornings work!
Thanks Governor and to all those who participated and volunteered, it was a fun day with proceeds going to good causes!

My First Somersault

2008-11-08T23:12:00.006+10:00

Seventy-four days after open heart surgery I did my first somersault. Almost without thinking. I was in the living room playing with my daughter, trying to help her straighten out her own sideways version when she said, “you show me daddy”. And I did. Nothing cracked, no shooting pain through my chest, just a dizzy feeling as I sat up and wondered if that was such a good idea. Morgan’s laughter and her eager attempt to do what daddy had just illustrated to perfection proved to be more welcome than any thoughts of my sternum splitting apart. The fact I was not rolling around in pain made it perfectly obvious that I should do another and with just the slightest bit of encouragement I did. “Again daddy”. A couple of times! Besides, I remember Anita, my cardiac surgery nurse practitioner at UCLA, telling me that if I did do something to my breastbone during recovery I would definitely know about it. Tonight I’m no worse for wear and I am thankful for being able to notch another first into the post surgery totem pole with the added bonus of doing so as my little one notched her own first.

The first time I slept on my side, rolled over or drove a car will forever be notches on the recovery calendar but these past few days with my kids have been pretty special. It is true, at least in the case of being away from them, that absence makes the heart grow fonder but it is also true that it amplifies the changes that are often missed from day to day making it easy to recognize them as milestones. It’s also true that they (kids) grow up really fast and the lost time makes the time with them that much more special.

The first time I watched Morgan get dressed by herself from start to finish was pretty cool. Now, for daddy, her going to the potty means nothing more than wiping her bum as she insists and is quite capable of doing everything else. If you’re a parent you know how cool that is in a weird sort of way (I mean it is still wiping a bum)! She’s now taken to her favorite game of asking what letter everything within sight starts with. “What letter does toilet paper start with daddy”? Wall, sink, towel?….. Now the most amazing thing is watching her “read” ABC books to her little brother. At 33 months she’s had these book as long as she’s been alive and to see the transformation from 4 months ago is mind blowing. When we left for LA we were amazed at how she could say all the words in each book, sometimes without seeing the individual picture. Now she spells the words out and exaggerates the pronunciation for her 10-month-old sibling as part of their bedtime routine. Again how cool is that!

He on the other hand is almost walking. I feel like I’ve missed a lot of the crawling stage and given how fast he motors around on all fours that might be considered a good thing. He’s going to be a handful as soon as he gets his balance. Yesterday I had the opportunity to hang out at home alone with him for the first time in a long time. Being his 10-month anniversary that meant photo time. He’s a happy kid; honestly never unhappy although starting to get a little assertive when he wants something. And if I do say so myself, pretty darn cute!

Over the past week I haven’t blogged. Bottom line is that upon returning to Saipan and hitting a brick wall so to speak I decided the best course of action was to slow down a little bit, take time to settle in and not beat myself up over not getting more done or worrying about much of anything other than the most pressing of issues and my kids.

It was a good call!
Now it’s time to go to bed because the 2008 Saipan Rotary Golf Tournament starts tomorrow at 6AM – Lau Lau Bay West Course.

I’m taking pictures although I feel like I could do some chipping, couldn’t be any harder on the sternum than a somersault!

Obama Pees Liquid Gold

2008-11-03T17:38:00.004+10:00

I had a good laugh today when I checked my blog stats By the way anyone that denies they do this either has hundreds of thousands of visitors or doesn't have a counter.

I found that someone reached my blog by doing a Google search for the key words -

OBAMA, PEES, LIQUID, GOLD

So of course I had to copy and paste into Google to see exactlty where the Saipan Scuba Diving Blog would come up in the results.
Number one! - Ya baby
Click to enlarge!
That comes from a post I did when watching his speech at the democratic convention. I was trying to pee for the first time following surgery, it really was liquid gold!

On a similar note it's always been quite entertaining to see the trend with search results from Europe. It seems thats where most of the people looking for SCUBA SEX or SEX UNDERWATER and NAKED DIVING come from!

The Darkness I Really Wasn’t Expecting

2008-11-02T21:18:00.006+10:00

Sunrise on Saipan

From my studio window I can see the thick clouds blocking the sun’s first rays as they appear to the East over top of the open Pacific. It’s 6:15 AM Saipan time and I’ve already been up for an hour or more.

Up until today I would have told anyone interested in listening just how happy I am to be alive. The feeling is indescribable really and quite often it comes over me after a momentary flash that all too quickly reminds me how my chest was just cracked open and my heart stopped in order to fix my tricuspid valve. The jubilation is heightened by the fact that this very recent event forced me into thinking about my own death as a real possibility for over 6 weeks before waking to good news and words of a life expectancy no different than any other relatively healthy 40 year old.

Today for the first time in a long time, almost as suddenly as the those images of myself retracted on the operating table appear in my mind, I’ve had thoughts that perhaps it would just be easier if I wasn’t here at all.

The reasons are multiple, the rational non-existent, yet the feelings very real.

I half joked with friends before leaving LA that it would take about 3 days upon returning before the feeling of missing everything so much would be replaced with the overwhelming realities of not only being a father of two less than three years of age but also those of an artist / environmentalist whose decisions of the past few years, including that of starting a new business, have put a strain on family and finances.

Touching down to overwhelming responsibility.
On Thursday morning at about 2AM I cleared CNMI customs after a long long day of travel including an 11-hour flight from LAX to Tokyo, a 4-hour layover and a 3-½ hour flight to Saipan that was extended by an hour as crew on the tarmac attempted, to no avail, to fix the entertainment system. Other than the wasted hour it didn’t matter to me much since I was out like a light for that one and just happy to be home when it landed safely.

My wife met me at the terminal and after a short 5 minute ride I walked in the door only to find my daughter up with her Nana waiting for Daddy to come home. Looking so much taller and with her hair now once again in her eyes she played just a little shy for a moment before picking up right where we left off and the long awaited hug for daddy became reality!

After a few hours sleep the first morning was spent watching her and her little brother, marveling in the changes drastic to me yet subtle to those around them. He’s almost walking, quick as can be on all fours and literally always happy and easily amused. She’s a well-spoken, strongly independent 2-½ half-year-old toddler who is nearly always well behaved but as with most her age, quite capable of having monumental meltdowns for no particular reason.

The first sign that perhaps expectations of a lingering joyous return were a little high was the fact that, less than 12 hours after touch down, my first dive almost seemed anti-climactic. The anticipation had been intense. Three months earlier I didn’t know if I would be able to dive again. Now just over two months from surgery I was back in the water doing what I love but it didn’t overwhelm me with joy like I thought it would. As I sit here a couple of days later, on a hot afternoon looking out towards the open ocean, I have little desire whatsoever to go diving or to do anything else for that mater.

I force myself to remember the jubilation of being alive. Why does it escape me now? I sit with a view of a tropical paradise yet I feel no joy. I am “home” yet I wish I were not here. I have been given a gift of life and while others struggle to hang on I am sad and overwhelmed. I think of little Rudy and know what I feel is just not right.

Rationally I also know there must be a period of transition and adjustment. I know it will take time to settle in and catch up. For over three months the focus has been on my health while my family’s world has been turned upside down. I’ve seen my kids all of 4 days in the past 2 months, the last of which they and their mom (and Nana) have been functioning perfectly well here at home without me. In the days prior to surgery it was a necessary to come to terms with the thought of what it would be like for my kids to grow up without their dad. I didn’t like the concept but ultimately I found peace of mind knowing they would be fine in the care of their wonderful mother and an extended family that would ensure they are loved. Now this thought that once brought solace brings feelings of uselessness. It’s exacerbated by the non-rational 2-year-old mind that has gotten used to mommy doing everything.

In retrospect being on my own in LA for the past 6 weeks has made for a relatively easy task when it comes to distracting oneself from thoughts of responsibility while concentrating on physical recovery. Now as I return to Saipan and turn the page on this journey feeling pretty well physically I realize that the mental ups and downs are probably here for a while. The awesome task of putting my life back on track and picking up where I left off seems overwhelming. I thought perhaps I had escaped the often talked about Cardiac Depression that catches up with patients having major cardiac surgery but perhaps not. Less than a week ago I marveled at how easy it was to feel alive and happy, now I wish I could have captured that feeling in a bottle or better yet a tank.

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

Heading Home - Traveling LAX to Saipan

2008-10-29T19:06:00.003+10:00

I wonder if the check-in agents got a raise when the airlines started charging for luggage and enforcing weight restrictions? On either side of me there’s been yelling and sarcastic answers from the other side of the counter with at least 3 groups. More than one person has been disgusted with having to repack a bag or pay extra for one that is over weight. I continue to stand and wait patiently as the agent process my paper work. My bags have all ready been weighed and they BOTH come in at 47.5 pounds – Ya baby!
Things have gone extremely well up to this point. There was an agent directing traffic in the first line and as soon as I asked where I had to go to check in with an agent I was politely directed to the SHORT line for once! The agent at the desk took his time making sure everything was done properly, even getting chastised by a supervisor who seemed like she really didn’t care what procedure he followed so why was he asking her! In the end he apologized many times over for the delay and even came out from behind the counter to shake my hand and try to help me with my bags. Following check in, as I pushed my cart of bags towards the baggage drop off line, another NWA agent quietly told me I could wheel them a bit farther down the hall to another entry point closer to my gate and with no line. Sweet! This is going well.

Arriving at security my documents were stamped and I passed through a pretty short line at lightning speed. Then, “This way sir” the dreaded words – To the pat down area I go! Oh well it really had been too good to be true to this point!
The first thing the man doing the patting said was I was selected for screening by the airline. I find that a little hard to believe unless they print out your boarding pass with some special code for “pick this guy”. As far as I can tell there is no communication between the airline and the person standing by the x-ray machine with the little baton directing you either to carry on or to move into the Plexiglas enclosure.

Whatever! I’m here in plenty of time and after all I am a single male traveler with a laptop and a hard drive in my carry on. I’m also Canadian and have been in the mainland US for over three months and am now returning to a US Commonwealth that few customs officials actually even know exists. Besides I probably look way too relaxed and happy since I arrived pretty early and have plenty of time for this. So being singled out probably makes sense in this case but it still sucks because a ½ hour later my chill’n time at the gate has been erased!

When I arrive the gate area is packed and they are making a last call for passengers requiring assistance to pre board. They’ve also made an announcement for general boarding and that line up is already very long. I think, what the hell, this surgery thing has to be good for something. I don’t really need much help but I do have 2 medical letters and getting on a little early would be much better than waiting in what was now a growing line.

I got a real look from the agent doing the boarding pass check at the gate as the last wheel chair went before me. She even said, as if I was an idiot, “we’re doing the pre-boarding sir”. I thought to myself “oh ya, was that the pre-board pat down your airline just selected me for back there?” This as I showed her my letter and then smiled as she said oh, ok sir and waived me through.

I’m even wearing my Torrance Memorial cardiac rehab shirt. I’m so tempted to go topless in Tokyo’s Norita airport and see what kind of service I get!

Preparing to Head Back to Saipan

2008-10-28T19:45:00.009+10:00

I’m packed. Probably the earliest I’ve ever completed that chore on the night before a flight. This gave me a chance to hang out with my friends Dave and Sandy. They’ve been my saviors here in LA. From numerous transportation efforts and family meals to a roof over my head and the company of friends from the good old Club Med days, the hospitality has been more than anyone could ever ask for.
On this last day in LA many things have come to mind that, in an odd sort of way, made me think how grateful I am this heart issue and resulting surgery happened. Of course I can only say that now because I’m doing really well. No real issues I can’t live with. Sure there’s a scar but who really cares about that. Besides don’t chicks dig scars? I also feel at ease because I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent the rapid heart beat that triggered the chain of events of the past three months. Once diagnosed I really had no other choice than to have open-heart surgery unless of course a quickly deteriorating level of health and probable premature death was what I had in mind. The cause and outcome also means no major life style changes are necessary although the events have been a much needed wake up call for the tweaks required to give myself the best chance of keep things going for a while longer!

So, I really am just happy to be alive and realize, among other things, that without the need to come to LA my daughter would never have played with Dave and Sandy’s boys at this age. All of us now have memories that will make seeing each other in the future that much more special and I’m sure by then Ryan will realize I’m not Morgan but rather Morgan’s dad!

I knew this time away from my family was going to be really hard and I know it doesn’t compare to many others who’s jobs or circumstances regularly take them away from home for great stretches but that doesn’t make it suck any less. I feel like I’ve missed the whole crawling phase of my little guy’s life and that doesn’t sit well. Today when walking around Target and noticing far to many babies and kids the same age as mine I couldn’t help but get excited knowing that I’d soon be back to being a dad and a husband. It’s the type of giddiness that coined the term “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, because it really has.

Three weeks ago if it were not for my decision to remain in LA and do a cardiac rehab program I’m not sure I’d feel the same level of excitement about going back to Saipan as I do now. Besides had I made the choice to return I wouldn’t have met these fine ladies from Torrance Memorial.
Nor would I have been able to say I’ve shared an apartment at Seal Beach in Southern California with Michael Jordan. I likely would not have gone to DEMA and perhaps most importantly I know I would never have met my little friend Rudy who’s family’s circumstances reminds all of us to stop and smell the roses and appreciate every moment we have even if it doesn’t always seem like much fun.
You go little guy, I'm thinking of you in more ways than one.

It seems much easier for me now just to be happy I’m alive. There is something extremely freeing to be able to do that easily. We often think it or say it but to really feel it and recognize it often every day is something I’m not sure was possible for me three months ago. Life really is short and what’s important is your family, your friends and the ability to recognizing the little things most people take for granted.
I’ll likely be off the air for a few days as I fly over the Pacific but one of my intentions upon returning home is to pick up where I left off with a racing heart beat. I also plan on going SCUBA diving within 24 hours of my plane touching down in the Marianas so stay tuned!

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

Obama Live on CNN

2008-10-28T03:41:00.004+10:00

I've got a very busy morning before heading back to Saipan tomorrow but I made the mistake (or perhaps not) of turning on CNN as I was finishing a list and preparing to leave the house. Obama had started his speech in Iowa. Part way through, even though I know time is tight, I started to listen. Primarily because I wasn't hearing all the pundits nor was I hearing the same stump speech headlines or all the same deliveries. I was drawn in, bottom line, he makes sense and clearly communicates his ideas and looks to be someone people could be proud of having as the leader of their government.

Do I believe everything he says? No. Will everything he says happen? No. But nor have I ever believed everything any politician looking to get elected has ever said. If I was an undecided American voter I don't think I would believe much of what either of them say!

He's still on and it's probably almost over now. All I can say as he finishes up is that if this man is not elected President of the United States there is something seriously wrong. Seriously!

Time is tight, excitement runs high, only one more sleep and a whole lot of napping (hopefully) on the plane - gotta go!

DEMA Las Vegas 2008 Comes to a Close

2008-10-26T16:39:00.003+10:00

Day four.

I awoke today feeling excited but oddly not at all for the last day of DEMA. I needed the “keep your eye on the ball” mentality today because I had a job to do. With only six hours left in the DEMA show I had to concentrate on what was at hand rather than the fact I’d soon be reunited with my family. During last nights 5-minute telephone conversation with my daughter she had told me “only five more sleeps daddy before you will open my door”. Her words were now playing in my head over and over again only the number was now four.

Time to concentrate. One day left. What’s the priority? What’s left to do? Agghhh! I could use another 4 days here. The first three have been fantastic for their own reasons and I knew today would be no different except of course it would be the last and I was feeling like a kid in a candy shop when Mom and Dad give the 2 minute warning. I had made my list and knew getting to the show floor would keep my head in the game and focused on things other than future giggles over pancakes in my own kitchen.

(DEMA Floor by Indonesia)

Zip…….. 7 hours later and DEMA is over! Just like that. The full tally of people I’ve met is not yet complete nor is my informal survey designed to find out just how many of these dive industry folks even know where Saipan is let alone how many have dove the waters surrounding it. All week I’ve talked about Saipan, Tinian and Rota to many of the leaders in dive travel, underwater imaging and marketing industries as well as training and conservation organizations. My goals were clear from the beginning.

(Annie Crawley and her very proud Mom!)

(Me and Bob Talbot - never been to Saipan)

Networking with the intention to promote the CNMI, The Underwater World of Saipan DVD and my skills as a videographer. I was also here to learn from the best in terms of both people and locations including how and why they have become or continue to be successful. Finally I was determined to enter the world of still underwater photography by purchasing a housing for my Nikon D200 or perhaps a smaller less expensive option. Either way I was in need of expert advice and this was the place to find it as well as invest in the future.

(Wyland and I, yes if he looks like he is in pain he is . He just had a turtle added to his arm)

(Friends of Jennifer McKinnon and our Underwater Historical Trail)

During every interaction the discussions included Saipan and the CNMI. Among the things that brought the most interest and further discussion were the potential marine monument in the northern islands and the development of a historical underwater trail including the many WWII relics scattered around the Saipan lagoon. It should be noted here that I have now experienced first hand the beginning of what would be a very real increase in worldwide exposure should these two endeavors become reality. This is especially true for the monument as more than a few prominent leaders in this industry raised eyebrows with interest and expressed support for the concept of large-scale conservation in the region. All agreed it would be good for tourism and the planet.

(Ikelite housing - possibly)

(Sea and Sea - mmmm possibly)

As you walk parts of the floor at DEMA it’s like walking the globe. The Micronesian section takes you to Yap, Chuck, Palau, Kosare, Pohnpei. The Bahamas and Cayman Islands occupy large areas of the floor while additional Caribbean destinations have smaller booths nestled together according to geographical location. The same is true for Asia including the large set-ups from the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. North and South America are well represented especially California and the Florida Keys. Within each section are individual operators and resorts looking to stand out from the rest by offer something no one else has or fulfilling a local need.

(Jeff, a good Canadian putting us on the world map with the Diving Almanac)

(Joey who knew where Saipan was!)

(Wendy and Jason Heller from ....... DivePhotoGuide.com)

At the end of the day my opinion that the diving in the Marianas deserves discussion among the most popular dive destinations around the world holds true. Ultimately Mother Nature has delivered the necessary features and diversity for us to become popular with divers around the globe but at the same time the level of success for our dive industry is dependent on effective marketing and delivery of a positive experience for all who visit.

(The Put Another Dollar In - PADI booth)

No doubt improvement in both these variables is needed especially outside the Japanese market but at the same time increasing international awareness while improvements to service and infrastructure are made is not only possible but also proactive and necessary based on the initial response to my most popular DEMA question “Do you know where Saipan or the Northern Marianas Islands are?”

(Bill Acker from Yap)(Sam of Sam's Tours Palau)

While I believe I have done a lot to spread the good word and promote the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota I came up a little short in deciding upon a housing option for my still camera. DEMA was the place to put my hands on the hardware but in the end it will be getting home to my family and resuming income generation that will allow the actual purchase!

(The Wetpixel Team including Adam, Alex, Eli and Eric Cheng)

Only 4 more sleeps! This next one will go by quickly. It’s been a long four days and even though I wish I could have accomplished more I am truly happy I was able to make it here at all. I am happier still that I’m now closer to getting back to warm weather and crystal clear water only minutes away from my home.

Saipan Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest 2008

2008-10-25T04:29:00.007+10:00

Today marks the 2nd annual Marianas Dive Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest. Obyan beach is once again this year's location and once again there will be delicious cupcakes! Check out pictures and stories from last years fun here. Everything gets underway around noon with a BBQ, free T-shirts to the first 20 entrants and yes Rose has promised her famous cup cakes. Last year coverage made the local news including judging controversies and a whole lot of fun.

Here's video from 2007, the first Marianas Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest. Unfortunately for me I can't be in two places at once so I'll be hitting the DEMA convention show floor while everyone else enjoys themselves in crystal clear warm waters making crazy pumpkin faces!

Have Fun! Share pictures!

UPDATE

Check out Kelli's blog for a great run down of this years event. Looks like fun was had by all.
Atsuko also has a whole bunch of great pictures on her Picasa Album here

Las Vegas DEMA 2008 - Day One

2008-10-23T18:20:00.008+10:00

A pretty good first day I’d say. I must admit it got underway a little later than planned but the bed just felt way too good this morning and the drapes don’t let in any light. So I didn’t actually get to the floor until noon. Here's me checking in and although I can’t remember this ladies name she had her picture taken because she didn’t know where Saipan is. Oh well I look like I'm still asleep!DEMA is a pretty big show. More than 11,000 dive and travel industry professionals from around the world including more than 700 exhibitors on a show floor that spans 185,000+ square feet. I walked and stood and talked and listened for six straight hours. As I sit on my comfy bed writing this I can feel my chest is sore but then again so are my feet!
It didn’t take long before I started meeting up with a few familiar faces. First was Annie Crawley. I completely forgot to get a picture with Annie but I’ll be back to talk to her a little more. She’s added a number of DVD’s to her collection of productions and I would like to take a closer look at them and get the scoop on how she’s managed to do so much in such a short period.
Just after entering the Micronesia section I ran into Navot Bornovski the owner of Fish N Fins in Palau. In the time I’ve known Navot he and his wife Tova have added two live aboard dive boats to their fleet making a total of three. In fact his newest vessel almost made a run up to our northern Islands this past summer! They have a great program at Fish N Fins so if you’re thinking about Palau you won’t go wrong there.
Of course the New World Publications booth is always a good place to find some pretty famous diving folks. I had the pleasure of meeting Ned and Anna DeLoach for the first time. Ned and I talked about the amazing number of new species being discovered in Indonesia and the coral triangle. I asked if it ever gets old stumping the scientists by taking pictures of creatures that until that moment were not known to exist. Judging by our discussion I’d say the answer is no!I also got to speak with the great Stan Waterman for about an hour. I’d met Stan a few years ago and he recognized me (and the DVD) right away. We again talked about the CNMI and how it’s not well known among the dive world. We talked about ways that could change. We talked about his book, open-heart surgery and how often life’s material collections are really only worth the relationships and circumstances from which they are acquired. I know, a little deep but you’ll just have to read his book Sea Salt.Next up, recent Women Divers Hall of Fame inductee Nancy McGee. Nancy has been a scuba diver and underwater photographer for thirty years and is an extremely active in promoting diving and new destinations at trade shows and to audiences around the world.
I think it was some time in March when Charles from Wreck Diver magazine was on Saipan. Eric at Speedy Tertle asked if I could help out and take him on a couple of dives and talk to him about Saipan Diving. It was shortly following the underwater survey of the lagoon and we discussed all the possibilities including development of an underwater historical trail and Wreck Diving doing some coverage in their magazine.
With an ever-growing list of locations I couldn’t help but think about how one of this guys creations could help the CNMI. When I stopped by his booth and discussed the potential Frank certainly didn’t rule it out and pointed to the success Guam and its Visitors Bureau has had with his unique work. In this case something Guam has might be worth making ours too.
Come to think of it I didn't see the Guam booth. They are usually here. I must have missed them but I didn't miss this Saipan Spotted Eagle Ray. This photo belongs to photographer Dough Perrine and it is on a wall of fame here. Doug was on Saipan a year and a half ago taking shots of the rays at Ice Cream and Eagle Ray City. He had two articles published from that trip including one in a National Geographic publication. And yes to anyone from MVA who recognizes the photo, it is the one I've used in my presentations. As you can see it's a impressive, eye catching shot and I'm thankful to Doug for allowing me to use it.
That's enough for today It's time to get ready for tomorrow!

Eight Weeks Later it’s Time for DEMA

2008-10-23T03:14:00.007+10:00

Eight weeks ago last night I had a long sleepless 8 hours at UCLA medical center in the cardiac ICU. It was impossible to sleep with chest tubes, central lines, IV’s, a catheter, beeping machines, compression stockings turning on and off and perhaps the most irritating thing, an little oxygen sensor attached to my finger like a leash. I couldn’t move much because of the pain and all the attachments. If I did dozed off for a few seconds, a machine would beep, a nurse would come in to change an IV or take my blood sugar or perhaps it was time for the 4AM x-ray!
It’s a far cry from my surroundings last night and the deep sleep I had at the Las Vegas Hilton in preparation for attending the first day of the largest Diving professional trade show of the year. The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) gets underway today with over 10,000 industry professionals hitting the large floor at the convention center.
Eight weeks has been the magic number for all the medical people. On Monday, just one day shy of 8 weeks, my cardiac rehab nurses finally allowed me to work out my chest on a rowing machine. Literally each day I have gotten stronger and after carting around my luggage yesterday I think I will even be able to pick up my little 20 lbs buddy when I return to Saipan next week.

It’s truly unbelievable to me that I'm preparing to network with everyone in the diving world today when only a few months ago I wasn't sure if I would ever be allowed to dive again. I’m a little torn about feeling so good however, because in the back of your mind you want people to know what you’ve just gone through yet on the other hand I’m extremely happy there are no outward effects of having open heart surgery only 2 months ago! I need one of those buttons again!

Here goes. Stay tuned for nearly live updates and looks at this convention.

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

My Monument Letter to President Bush

2008-10-21T13:53:00.005+10:00

The federal discussions are now underway on Saipan. This week is the week to make public comments regarding the proposed Marianas Marine Park. (No name has been officially adopted so I'll change it up now and again.)

Anyone with an opinion is being asked to write to the president, or call your local congressperson or senator the number is 664-8999. Your opinion matters. Here's my letter to W.

October 20th, 2008

George W. Bush
President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President George W. Bush,

My name is Mike Tripp. I am a SCUBA diving instructor, underwater filmmaker, pharmacist and father of two living in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on the island of Saipan. I write to you in support of the large marine protected area that will be created by proclaiming the waters surrounding the three northernmost islands of the archipelago a marine monument.

If my words, in any way, help sway your decision in favor of this designation then I ask that they also persuade you to do everything within your power to ensure the monument not only protects the marine habitat within its boundaries but that it also helps ensure the preservation and practice of local Carolinian and Chamorro culture throughout the CNMI.

As a Canadian living on Saipan and as someone who has traveled extensively, I am familiar with the concerns of those who feel their language, culture and traditional way of life is threatened by outside forces. In the CNMI this threat is not new nor is it unfounded; therefore, it is imperative that any governing body tasked with regulating the monument area have strong representation by local indigenous people whose ideals are in line with those of their ancestors and whose actions will uphold the high value of conservation passed down from generation to generation.

At the same time I ask for you to do everything within your power to ensure creation of the monument is followed by the resources necessary to achieve the many benefits touted for local residents and the world as a whole. Without proper funding for education, infrastructure and enforcement the federal designation of a monument will be nothing more than a line on a map and one that has the potential to divide our local population.

With funding and effective co-management comes the ability to protect this vast area far better than what can currently be achieved by good intentions alone, as these are no match for foreign fishing fleets illegally poaching such a vast area so far away from the populated islands of the south. With funding comes the ability to build a world-class visitors center that will not only stimulate the local economy by creating jobs and increasing revenues from tourists, but it will also provide a foundation for marine education and the preservation of indigenous culture. With funding and effective management will come international notoriety and a sense of pride for local residents when they are recognized by the world as long-time environmental stewards and role models for effective conservation. This pride will ultimately help fuel the creation of additional infrastructure and programs required to immediately stimulate economic growth while encouraging new generations of young indigenous people to embrace their own heritage and ensure traditional ways are passed on to their children.

As a father of two children who were born here on Saipan, I feel a sense of responsibility to do what is right for future generations of islanders as well as the planet as a whole. I believe creation of a marine monument along with appropriate funding and effective management by both federal agencies and the local people provides an opportunity that should not be missed especially as a result of the few who wish to see the status quo maintained.

In closing, as an active member of the community I believe, in context of the information above, the vast majority of CNMI residents support the designation of a marine monument surrounding the islands of Asuncion, Maug and Uracas and hope that you will decide in favor of its creation.

Sincerely

Mike Tripp
President
Mike Tripp Productions

cc: Benigno R. Fitial, CNMI Governor
Pete P. Reyes, CNMI Senate President
Arnold I. Palacios, CNMI House Speaker
Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior
James Connaughton, CEQ Chairman
Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., NOAA
Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce
Ignacio V. Cabrera, Chairman - Friends of the Monument

I encourage everyone to take the time to write your own letter or email. Send it to the paper, send it to any government office or take it down to American Memorial Park. It does not have to be long it could be written on a napkin although paper and a pen would be preferred.

A Most Interesting Day on Saipan - A Monument Hangs in the Balance

2008-10-20T13:43:00.014+10:00

It’s a beautiful, not too hot, not too cold kind of day here in Southern California. I have no idea what the weather is like on Saipan today but I do know it is going to be a very interesting one to say the least.

Yesterday, James Connaughton arrived on island to conduct official federal discussions with the people of the CNMI regarding the wishes, concerns and, ultimately, support for or against the creation of a large marine protected area surrounding the islands of Asuncion, Maug and Uracas.
These tiny, remote islands in the Western Pacific make up the northernmost tip of a rugged archipelago stretching over 400 miles to the south. Each of the 16 islands of the Mariana chain protrude like vertebrae on a human spine as they arch their way along the deepest part of the world, the Marianas Trench. Three of the islands are considered active volcanoes while 7 are inhabited. Less than fifty people live in the northern islands while the southern islands including Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Guam make up the population base. Politically the chain is divided but it is also united under the flag of the United States of America. The southern most island of Guam is considered a territory while the other islands, with Saipan as the capital, make up the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI).

Uracas

Today gets interesting because after 10 months of discussion the concept of the Marians Trench Marine Monument becomes an actual proposal and the dialogue between the federal government and the people of the CNMI including local government representatives officially begins. Open to the public on Capitol Hill at 11:30 AM there will be a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives where Mr. Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, will presumably be outlining the preliminary details of the proposal. A proposal that would see President Bush use the powers of the Antiquities Act to create the second largest marine sanctuary or protected area in the world. A proposal that has caused a lot of debate and, with significant advocacy campaigns for both sides, a certain amount of tension and distrust between those who favor and those who oppose.

Maug

Anyone who follows along with CNMI politics or who has had the opportunity to sit in on a session of the house or senate knows that this should make for a very interesting start to a long day indeed. Just to fill in anyone who’s jumping into this midstream, I’ll provide a quick run down of the highlights and how I perceive we’ve gotten to this point before jumping in with a few “fly on the wall” predictions as to how today might go down.

Asuncion

The Marianas Trench Marine Monument, as it has become known, was a concept first floated by Jay Nelson of the Pew Environmental Group in November 2007 during a public retreat designed to establish the goals of a local NGO, the Marianas Island Nature Alliance (MINA). It was stated that President Bush was looking to have large NGO’s from around the world assess potential areas for the possibility of protection through use of the Antiquities Act as was done in creation of the Papahanaumokuakea monument in Hawaii two years earlier. While MINA decided to concentrate efforts in other directions, their director at the time, Angelo Villagomez, would later become the local Pew representative in charge of coordinating community outreach and advocacy for the monument concept.
During the MINA retreat, John Gourley, a local resident, former biologist at the Division of Fish and Wildlife and advisor to the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Wespac), opposed the idea and would later become a leader of the movement to block the concept from being discussed. Shortly after Pew began conducting public information sessions, the CNMI legislature also acted quickly (within 24 hours of its introduction) on a resolution essentially stating they were not interested in any proposal that allowed unilateral action by the federal government. Around about the same time, Governor Fitial also wrote a letter against the idea despite never meeting with Pew representatives or hearing the concept.

From the beginning the lines were drawn. Fortunately the story does not end there. Those in favor of the concept did not give up and quickly pointed to the need for conservation as well as the potential benefits beyond resource preservation that would come with the designation including increased tourism, more jobs, positive international exposure and higher education for local residents. The opponents pointed to a “takeover” of the waters from the local people and a loss of commercial fishing and mineral extraction rights across 1/3 of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). They also set out to create an “Us vs. Them” mentality with the pushy outsider being the Pew Environmental group.

Early on, opponents also attempted to sound the alarm that native Hawaiians did not welcome the formation of Papahanaumokuakea and that President Bush had forced it upon them. Pew brought William Aila, a respected native Hawaiian, to Saipan where he spoke about the indigenous Hawaiians asking President Bush to declare the monument. In doing so he said Bush had ended the government infighting and pro-fishing lobbying that had prevented Hawaiians from achieving the additional protections they desired.

Next came the argument that the designation would prohibit indigenous people from ever visiting the islands and that restricting 1/3 of the EEZ from any potential extraction of minerals or fish in the future would spell disaster for the local economy. Pew commissioned an economic study and like every economic study it was based on assumptions that could be argued one way or the other, but in the end it showed the immediate and long-term positive economic boost that would come from increased federal funding and increased tourism. At the time Aila also assured local fisherman that in the case of Hawaii, it is local Hawaiians that decide who is issued permits for fishing. So, although there were restrictions, it is not entirely prohibited and he encouraged people of the Marianas to demand a seat at the table when negotiating any rules or regulations for their own monument.

Another point of contention is the debate over who owns the rights to the waters surrounding the three islands. While the courts have ruled in favor of federal jurisdiction from the high water point out to 200 miles, many in the CNMI believe the issue of submerged lands is ongoing and that agreeing to the monument will officially give up what is theirs. However, many recognize that creation of the monument along with a co-management agreement including participation by local government would give the people of the CNMI a stronger position in the regulatory process while providing much needed funding for properly managing such a vast area of water.

In June just before I had to leave the island for my heart condition, a small group of local residents was formed. The Friends of the Marianas Trench Marine Monument (FMTMM) believed in the concept Pew had brought forward but realized the organization had not necessarily handled the delivery appropriately under the circumstances. They also realized that the opposition was spreading misinformation while attempting to put a stop to any real discussions before they got started. The Friends set out on a campaign to educate and discuss the issues as well as the potential benefits with the people of the CNMI. Over 5000 signatures and numerous support letters later, the group has grown and by all reports I get from the ground it seems they have been successful in gaining considerable support for the Marine Monument. This, while what seems like a few with a vested interest in the status quo, continue to oppose the idea based on the loss of potential commercial mining and fishing rights as well as the change in administrative jurisdiction. They continue to push the idea that no help is needed to protect or study this vast area of water despite the current lack of funds and personnel to do so. They point to past “effective” fishery management by local agencies through Wespac and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act as reason enough not to consider any type of large marine protected or no-take zone in the area. It is interesting to note that should a monument be designated there will be a change at the Federal level with regards to who manages the proposed area. As it stands now jurisdiction falls under the NOAA fisheries division, of which Wespac is an advisory body. If the monument becomes reality governance will be co-managed with the lead federal agency shifting to the NOAA Sanctuaries program where Wespac has little influence. Local input and co-management responsibilities will likely mean changes at the local DFW offices as well and perhaps even the creation of a new local agency all together.

So, with much at stake and both sides firmly believing they are right, a whole bunch of people will show up this morning when discussions about the monument officially begin in the Senate chamber. No doubt on one side of the room will be Angelo Villagomez and Jay Nelson alongside the Friends in a sea of orange. On the other will be John Gourley, Sylvain Igisomar and other representatives of Wespac and DFW. I predict all or most of the government officials will be present and the room will be full. The press will be there. Jacqueline from the Saipan Tribune will get a great front-page cover shot for tomorrow’s paper. Chris Nelson or one of the KSPN reporters will be there with their video cameras trying to capture the scene including an interview with at least one of the Senators and Mr. Connaughton himself. Then later today there will be a press conference at the Friends of the Monument office in Garapan where support signatures will be officially turned over to the federal government. Finally at 5:30 tonight a public forum will be held at the Aquarius hotel. The room will again be packed with supporters in orange and those against (I’m not sure what color they will wear). There will be tension. There will be angry accusations. There will be many trying to sound intelligent but in the end many will likely ramble on. They will run out of time and then everyone will go home.

That’s as far as I wish to predict. I don’t believe Angelo and John will go for beers together afterward but I’m confident Angelo will have at least one among a group of dedicated people wearing orange.

Stay tuned for a full report!

UPDATE - The Day After.

An excellent story in the Tribune today. 'CNMI may regain control over its submerged lands'
Another Tribune story on the petition hand over. '5,502: A monumental number'
And Another Tribune article about Friends & Style 'Monument backers sport orange ahead of forum"
Jane Mack has written her take on the public forum.

Other articles and Links from the past 24 hours or so..
Amazed and Proud
Thanks for supporting the monument plan
The WOW of MMM
DFW arguments for marine monument
Angelo's Blog and Updates

The following are links to additional articles I've written about the Marianas Trench Monument in chronological order. Those with an * have been published in the Saipan Tribune and Marianas Variety.

April 25th 2008
Act Two - Northern Island Marine Monument

Friday, May 9, 2008
Marine Monument - Why Kill It Now?*

Monday, May 12, 2008
Marine Monument – Personalities & Politics*

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Marine Monument - Lets Talk eh!*

Friday, May 16, 2008
Marine Monument - The Benefits / It's Not All About the Fishing*

Thursday, May 22, 2008
Marine Monument - Get Informed

Friday, May 23, 2008
Marine Monument - Ruth's Round Up

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Bush Eyes Unprecedented Conservation Program - NPR Report

Monday, July 14, 2008
Coral Triangle Meet the Trench Monument

Friday, July 18, 2008
Pew's Role Defined

Sunset at Seal Beach

2008-10-16T13:41:00.004+10:00

Ok, being a little lazy on the writing tonight. I went for a walk to the beach yesterday. It was a clear night although there was definitely some effects in the sky from the fires burning around LA.
No Photoshop here, there really never is on this blog. Plenty of potential photo ops and mother nature seems to provide all that is needed.
I never get bored of trying to capture a sunset. It's gotten so much easier with digital! I remember one particular night siting on a beach in Moorea many years back discussing the crap shoot it was taking a whole roll of film not really knowing if you have the exposure right. One of the pictures I got on that night is now framed and hanging in my house. I got lucky - with the picture!I love watching the sun set and taking the time to reflect on the day. Sunrise is cool too but way too early. I like getting up in the morning about as much as I like wearing socks.

Santa Ana Winds Whip up Fires in LA

2008-10-14T03:36:00.011+10:00

I nearly froze my ass off in bed the night before last. Two blankets were not enough. Getting up in the morning was like getting out of a sleeping bag on a cold morning of camping. I laid in bed an extra hour knowing it was going to be cold but, in the end I also knew the front deck at the place I'm staying would be sunny. Finally, I jumped up, threw on pants, a fleece jacket AND socks as fast as I could. Yes socks! No time to have breakfast, straight to the sunshine.

On the deck it was windy, warmer in the sun but very windy. Later that day when I went for a walk to the pier you could see the dust and sand coming off the beach into downtown Seal Beach. Putting two and two together, this is why the warm deck I'd been sitting on was also covered in fine dirt.
Today I wake up, it's not as cold or as windy however, the news channels are reporting fires burning north of here and blaming the Santa Ana Winds. Traveling around the greater Los Angeles area for the past few months I can tell you everywhere you go it is very DRY. I had a Saipan weather report from Denise the other day telling me how humid and warm it was there. Not so here. It is very easy to see how a small fire in a trash can or from a cigarette butt, combined with these winds, could easily whip up large fires in highly dense residential areas almost instantly.

(Read the story here, picture AP)

I've learned from the news today that the Sana Ana winds actually come down from the mountains east of this vast human settlement between there and the coast. I guess this explains why it's not as cold or windy at the pier today. There were definitely more folks out enjoying the winds yesterday even though they came with a bone chilling, off shore, cold.
The seagulls were the ones who seemed to enjoy the wind the most. Lifting off, spreading wings and gliding above potential food sources with the greatest of ease. I don't know if they're cold but the people fishing were bundled up and feeling it like I was.
When it comes to having to add socks to my morning routine I draw the line. If I have to jump into a body of water to get out of a fire I'd prefer it to be warm! It's time to get back to Saipan. Only two more weeks to go!

Update October 14th.
Fires continue to burn with additional ones now south of LA near the area I took my road trip a few months ago. An updated BBC story on the fires can be found here.

Miura Found Dead in L.A.

2008-10-12T08:42:00.012+10:00

After reading about his extradition and his boarding a flight to LA a few days ago I was tempted to go to LAX and meet his arriving flight to see if it attracted as much media attention here in LA as it has on Saipan and in Japan.

Miura's arrest on Saipan attracts Japanese media

Given this turn of events I think Saipan will be getting plenty of international press over the next few days at least. Once again not the kind we really want but I guess it is press. How does one hang themselves in police custody? In their cell no less?

This entire case was a huge thing on Saipan over the past 6 or 7 months especially when he was first arrested coming to Saipan for vacation from Japan. The influx of Japanese news media resulted in a huge increase in business revenue from literally hundreds of reporters.

One of the nurses from my cardiac rehab came up to me yesterday while I was riding the stationary bike and said "Hey, I heard Saipan mentioned on the news today, and I knew where it was!" I wonder just how many mainland citizens will see this story here and scratch their heads wondering, where the heck is Saipan!

Now if I could just get the remote away from my roommate who's fallen asleep on the couch watching Saturday college football I could turn to see if this story has hit the major network and cable news channels yet.

You can read more about who Mr. Mirua was including, his profile as seen on his own Wikipedia page and his original arrest reported on Saipan here. The story of his death reported in the Saipan Tribune here and how the Japanese media are reporting it here.

Oh ya I forgot to mention who Mirua's LA based lawyer was. Ya, I think this is going to get some media play! How DOES someone kill themselves in Jail these days?

Lawyer Mark Geragos, representing Kazuyoshi Miura, speaks to reporters in LA

The CNN story has hit the ticker! The "fair and balanced" look over on Fox News here.

UPDATE October 13th.

I've caught the story being played on a couple of the networks local programing and something on one of the major cable news channels in passing. In all the cases I did hear Saipan mentioned and that Geragos has called for an inquiry. How often does someone hang themselves in jail. Are there not 24 hour cameras on each cell with someone watching a monitor or do they not do that. Anyone know?

Open Houses on Potential Marine Conservation Areas

2008-10-11T17:40:00.007+10:00

Washington, D.C. – The Federal government has organized a series of open houses to discuss the advisability of providing additional recognition or protection to the historic and scientific qualities of three specific marine areas in the Pacific. These public discussions were scheduled in response to President Bush's memo to members of his Cabinet asking them to assess and recommend the appropriate future course in these three marine areas. The open houses are open to the press.

Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Monday, October 20th 2008
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Fiesta Resort Saipan
One of these three areas includes the 3 northern most islands in the Marianas chain. The proposed Mariana Trench Marine Monument would become the 2nd largest marine protected area in the World. As Jean-Michel Cousteau discuses in his special to the Saipan Tribune these waters are special, with rare species, active volcanic seamounts, and two continental plates colliding at the deepest of depths in the Marianas Trench.

Federal officials have been discussing the concept on Saipan for about a month. The Pew environmental group has been on island for months engaging people in discussions and providing information about the concept. This open house will be an opportunity for public comment directly to the Federal officials. Below are links to blogs & websites that have additional information and commentary as well as a series of links to all the comments and articles I’ve written on the subject.

Friends of the Monument
Angelo’s Saipan Blog
Ocean Legacy Project
Lil Hammerhead
The Division of Fish & Wildlife
Jane Mack

Click this link for a whole bunch more articles and stories!

My Articles:
April 25th 2008
Act Two - Northern Island Marine Monument

Friday, May 9, 2008
Marine Monument - Why Kill It Now?*

Monday, May 12, 2008
Marine Monument – Personalities & Politics*

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Marine Monument - Lets Talk eh!*

Friday, May 16, 2008
Marine Monument - The Benefits / It's Not All About the Fishing*

Thursday, May 22, 2008
Marine Monument - Get Informed

Friday, May 23, 2008
Marine Monument - Ruth's Round Up

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Bush Eyes Unprecedented Conservation Program - NPR Report

Monday, July 14, 2008
Coral Triangle Meet the Trench Monument

Friday, July 18, 2008
Pew's Role Defined

Putting it Back Into Perspective

2008-10-10T05:41:00.012+10:00

I just had a comment left on my Two Week Follow Up post from a month ago. It seems Rolf found my blog while sitting in the ICU recovery room at UCLA with his son following surgery by Dr. Reemtsen. Rolf left a link to his blog Rudy's Beat, where the family is in the midst of some serious medical procedures for their infant son. As soon as I opened the link I was swept back into that place, reminded of the babies who looked so tiny on big adult beds as they rolled past me walking slowly around the unit. At that time we all talked about how hard it would be to be the parents of those kids.
Going through open heart surgery was hard, no doubt about it, but I can't imagine what it would be like to watch my kids go through it. I've only read a small part of Rudy's Beat so far but I'm going to get back to it because I think it might give a pretty good look at what parents must go through.

It seems from what I've read so far that things are going well and of course my thoughts go out to them and hope everything works out. Rolf made a comment about Dr. Reemtsen and I'm confident that he's had a very good surgeon. Of course, I only know of his capabilities from listening to his peers talk about him and knowing he deals with some of the hardest paediatric cases around but, what I do know for sure is that he has a great bedside manner. I remember Denise and I thinking that this would be that much more important when dealing with kids AND their parents. I don't think it should be underestimated. My confidence in him going into the big day was very important. Rudy's story is another reminder to me that Dr. Reemtsen and his staff change lives everyday and they should be commended. They certainly won't be forgotten!

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

UPDATE:
I've just gotten through most of Rudy's Beat blog. Well worth a long visit, a very good read and a very candid look into the lives and thoughts of parents with 3 kids and now, a brand spanking new baby boy who had to have complicated open heart surgery two days after being born. The family knew surgery was needed and in fact began writing a few months before delivery when the whole family found out during an ultrasound that something was wrong. If you are a parent you will cry as you follow along with this near real time journey. If you've faced a similar position you will empathise and be thankful someone wrote down many of your own thoughts. So much of the emotion they are going through is similar to what I felt yet much of it is still so different because, its just not the same when it happens to your kids, to your new born baby! I certainly plan to follow along and wish them all the best!

I’ve Been Better Thanks!

2008-10-07T04:36:00.004+10:00

I’ve been a little quite on the blog lately. Just haven’t felt like writing or more precisely finishing things I’ve started. It’s not that there’s been a shortage of things to do or write about. Each day typically provides at least one or two blog worthy events but I’m just not motivated enough to put them down on paper so to speak. Also, I hate to admit it but everything has been competing with mind numbing TV and far too much CNN, The Comedy Channel, ESPN, and NFL football to name a few.

It’s not like I’m doing nothing, although, at times it sure feels that way. I’ve started a cardiac rehab program three times a week and have been doing a lot of walking on my own as well. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of down time without the family around. In addition I've been told by the rehab folks to slow things down a bit and to not push things to fast.

Part of the problem is definitely body fatigue and pain which really only disappears after lying down. The pain is not excruciating by any means but there is almost always an uncomfortable feeling in my chest and back. It’s far more noticeable after walking or standing for long periods of time or after car rides. It’s difficult to describe but imagine a severe crick in your back, between and across the shoulder blades, that just won’t go away. I feel like if someone could lift up my shoulder blades and get in there like they were kneading a big pile of bread dough I would be in heaven. The word from past survivors and the rehab folks is that this could take as long as six months or more to go away. Ultimately, it’s caused by how your body is positioned on the operating table. For 3-4 hours every muscle and nerve in your chest and back are chilled and then pulled and held in positions they don’t like very much. This tends to leave a lasting impression! A little reminder of what you've just been through even though your mind is ready to move on.

So following a few emails over the past few days wondering exactly how things are going I figured I had better put something up to let everyone know that I’m doing OK. Not great by any standard of measurement primarily because I really miss my family on Saipan but, I'm hanging in there.

Then again I’m certainly not doing as well as I was when my new profile picture was taken.
But hey, that was taken at Club Med and that was life as it should be!

Now I know it’s not the first thing most of you will notice in the picture but check out those abs (on me). This is now my goal photo (with regards to my abs)! I need to loose a few pounds from where I’m at these days and realistically the only way anyone is going to look at this current gut and think "sexy" will be if I can add those six pack handles back to the canvas and distract ones eyes from the incision scar and what looks like two large bullet holes from where the chest tubes came out.

I’ve got a way to go but I don't mind looking at the picture and goals are a good thing to have when you’re trying to fight off the urge to waste the day with mindless TV.

Anyone care to guess which Club Med Village this was taken at!

The Underwater World of Saipan DVD Commercial

2008-10-03T16:18:00.002+10:00

I should have done this a long time ago. I've added the TV commercial that plays on local stations to the right side of the blog. It's right under the links to a few of the reviews that have come in. I may be slightly biased here but many others have backed up my thoughts so here goes.

The DVD delivers a realistic first person look at what the diving around Saipan is like. It takes you from the top of Mount Tapochau to 7 unique dive sites and makes you feel as if you’re actually here diving them. The fish ID feature allows you to follow along and discover over 130 species that live in these crystal clear waters. Unlike many underwater DVD's the soundtrack contains original music composed specifically to bring out the best of the creatures featured and the incredible images that capture them for you. The easy to navigate menu makes it easy to enjoy your favorite parts over and over again whenever you want. For anyone thinking about visiting and diving Saipan you will not find a product out there that better defines the experience. Take it from thousands of tourists who've taken one home, you will not be disappointed and it will remain a keepsake ready to instantly bring you back to paradise at anytime.

The DVD is available for purchase here at the right hand side of the blog or on the official Underwater World of Saipan website as well as at Amazon.

I need a button!

2008-10-01T07:53:00.009+10:00

One that says I’ve just had open-heart surgery. This first occurred to me a couple of weeks ago when we were at the timeshare in the desert. I stood in the parking lot and watched others watch me as I watched my sister in law lift large, heavy suitcases in and out of the car! I felt like a useless tit. I felt like I should lift up my shirt!

Caduceus gifts

As part of our trip back to LA we took a “short” excursion into Joshua Tree National Park. During a climb to the top of Keys View, a popular and accessible lookout, I was easily passed by, how shall I say, “elderly” folks. It would have been nice to whisper the details of my situation into their hearing aids as they passed me. Perhaps then I would have gotten a little sympathy instead of just looking like I’m really out of shape.

During the trip to my cardiologist last week I had to endure two, half hour bus rides on the airport shuttle to UCLA. With the trip to the Salton Sea a few days earlier I had learned starting and stopping while a passenger was quite painful to the chest area. Even as Sue adjusted her driving style to accommodate me the back of the car was not the most comfortable of spots. Unfortunately, those rides with her seemed like a walk in the park compared to being on the bus with a driver determined to weave in and out of freeway traffic in the hopes of cutting 5 minutes off our trip. The whole time I was bracing myself for the swerves, sudden braking and acceleration I couldn’t help but think what the other two people on the bus were thinking as I winced in pain many times over. I sure could have used a button on my shoulder to put their minds at ease and let them know I wasn’t loosing it. I don’t think it would have really made any difference to the driver, he seemed pretty intent on being aggressive, but, at the end of the trip, I came very close to approaching him with my shirt off and saying something like “Thanks, thanks a lot, that was really comfortable – NOT!”

Caduceus gifts

In all fairness without mentioning anything or wearing a sign no one would suspect there is an issue based on how I look. So no hard feelings! I’m actually still amazed I can withstand public transit in LA only 4 weeks after surgery! Life is good.
Then there’s the frig’n crossing signals. You know, the little white man and the red hand on the other side of the road. Unless you’re a jogger there’s never enough time for someone to cross the entire street under the watchful eye of the crossing guy. Now, the change from white to red seems especially quick and it becomes even that much more irritating when you get the type that actually counts down the seconds remaining. As if I’m not already aware of my slow pace. I don’t need a green poll to rub it in. I know I’m not going at lightning speeds here but hey, I’m doing pretty well.

See my button, I’ll get there, I have an excuse!

I really needed one the other day as I was returning from the grocery store. I had picked up a few things to cook dinner for my hosts Dave and Sandy. I’m not supposed to carry anything heavier than about 3 pounds in each hand. When I left the store I could feel I was pushing it so I tied the plastic bags to the belt loops on my shorts to take the weight off. I thought it was a pretty creative way of dealing with the situation but, I must admit, it did look pretty odd especially with them swinging from side to side.
No worries, it’s only a few blocks home, no one will see me and if they do I won’t care since I’d probably never see them again. Just then I turn the corner and watch as two very attractive ladies approach. Now I don’t care how old you are or whether you’re happily married or not when faced with this situation you really do want to do everything possible not to look like an idiot. With the bags tied to my waist I looked awkward trying to “carry” them. In general I just looked stupid. As I passed I could do nothing but offer a friendly hello and contemplate lifting my shirt to show the fresh battle scars and offer up my excuse. I’m sure in the end they probably didn’t notice or even care but that’s when I started to wonder what kind of reaction I would get if I just walked around topless. No question I think I would get a lot more attention and perhaps even some extra special treatment. Come to think of it I’m sure there are some women out there that have thought the same way.

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

For What it's Worth - Sink or Bail

2008-09-26T13:52:00.009+10:00

I've been falling a bit behind. I've got a few posts in various points of completion. I've had another follow up with my cardiologist that I need to report on and a few "meaning of life" type thoughts that are not quite ready for public viewing. I've been like many others over the past few days. I've been watching and have become intrigued by this whole frantic call for an economic bail out of the US economy. Yes I've watched way too much TV. I'd much rather be diving or doing any number of other things but this little Open-heart surgery thing is my excuse and I'm sticking to it for now.

Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to see what kind of response I get on this blog if I posted a short little email I wrote to both the Obama and McCain campaigns today. I don't know why I did. I just sat down to type some emails and this kind of spewed out so I sent it.

Dear Senators Obama & McCain (and President Bush)

CEO's that have left Wall Street in the last 5-8 years should be made to repay a portion of their windfalls if they were involved in the companies getting bailed out now.

The markets, including housing, should be left to adjust even if it's a big bad dark black diamond run. There are always two sides. Many people have held off buying a house while waiting for the markets to come down and saving up to do so. Now that the inflated market is on a down turn they're ready to do what investors say to do. Buy when the market is down. Many have done the responsible thing and not lived beyond their means thus leaving themselves in a position to diversify (ie own a home) when the time is right. The bail out penalizes many people twice. It does not let the market correct itself and our tax dollars are used to fix the mess created by the greedy and those who could not afford to over extend themselves but did anyway.

How long can America keep living on credit? How long can America live with a 10 trillion dollar debt? It's time to face reality. Why put it off for our kids and grandkids to deal with? What about the prudent financial institutions that did not over extend themselves? Should they not be able to benefit from the down turn and stupidity of their competitors. Many financial institutions are still running expensive advertising campaigns including national ads on CNN. If the entire financial system is hurting so bad how can this be?

I agree some sectors of the population may need extra help. There are plenty of people out there who have done the right thing and acted responsibly despite the ease of borrowing money. The elderly who have been getting ready to transfer mutual funds or 401K's over to liquid assets to be used in their remaining years should get some form of assistance so they don't loose everything they've saved for. People who loose their job should be given assistance to bridge the gap and buy some time as they find another job so they don't loose a house or business that they otherwise could afford. Or perhaps people affected should be given assistance while they gain training and education related to developing renewable energy sources or if they transfer into community service positions that benefit others hit by natural disaster for example. Seven hundred billion dollars could go a long way in this regard and help th people who are really in need.

This economic crisis and the urgent jump to "do something or else" are quite reminiscent of the days following 911. We must learn from 911. In this case we must ensure facts and opinions from many different economic experts all around the country are taken into account, not just the guys currently in charge. This is especially true when these same people are the ones who should've seen the whole thing coming in the first place.

It is also difficult to comprehend how taking the time to get any bail out package right the first time would do anything other than cause an initial slow down and adjustment in the economy to occur sooner rather than later. A slow down or resession is something that looks inevitable anyway and there is no guarantee that any amount of money thrown at the financial institutions will keep the economy from grinding to a halt now or in the months and years to come. Throwing more money at it does not deal with the core of the problem - DEBT. With a 20 trillion dollar deficit it will be harder and harder in the years ahead for my kids and yours to borrow money, buy a house, own a car or even eat.

Should America really be built on credit? Or should people, businesses and institutions that have risked a shaky foundation be asked to deal with the consequences as their bubble bursts?

Oh and by the way, for what it's worth canceling the debate on Friday would be a very bad mistake!

The Salton Sea and Conservation

2008-09-21T12:00:00.006+10:00

Last week Denise and the kids went back to Saipan so my Sister in Law and I headed for the desert. Final destination, Indio California, just south of Palm Springs where Nana had a week to give at the new Worldmark timeshare. The digs are certainly comfortable even if the surroundings are a bit frustrating to look at.
It’s a great pool complete with lazy river but I can’t swim yet as my incision and chest tube holes are still healing. We’re surrounded by golf courses but that’s not an activity I can participate in right now either. I like to golf and it would be good exercise but I’m not going there just yet especially after yesterday.
My exercise over the past days has consisted of a few twenty to thirty-minute walks when the temperature has allowed mixed in with a lot of recuperating on the couch; TV remote and laptop in hand. The time had come to check out the desert landscape beyond the crest of urban sprawl as seen from our fourth floor vantage point.
Destination, The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake. With an interesting past and unknown future, I came across this unique area of the planet during a fly by on Google Earth. A Google search for Salton Sea quickly brought me to the State Park website and a few interesting articles including this one from National Geographic. Not more than 30 miles south we could check out the shores and visitor’s center in less than a day. Off we went.
It’s a bit of a sight. I can’t drive for at least another 3 to 4 weeks. Nor can I sit in a seat with a deployable air bag. I can’t imagine how much that would hurt! Sneezes are hard enough right now. We can’t figure out how to turn off the one in the front passenger seat so I get the back. It may look like fun to have a chauffeur but I can’t say I’m crazy about the arrangement although it did allow me to snap a few shots along the way.
All around are signs of a human takeover of the desert. Water sprinklers and irrigation systems feed crop after crop including rows of towering date palms. The typical residential and commercial developments all too common in today’s urban planning projects protrude into the sand and farms like coral fingers on a submerged fringing reef. Except for the dropback of the arid Santa Rosa mountains these condos, grocery stores, Walmarts and Starbucks combine to look like any other community that’s gone up in the last 10 years.
The Salton Sea is unlike any other! Two hundred and fifty feet below sea level and covering 35 by 15 miles of real estate on top of the San Andreas fault line, this body of water has come and gone over the years at the will of the Colorado River and the effects of man. It now exists as a result of the last flood in 1905 and the irrigation run off from surrounding agricultural areas. However, with water deals for San Diego diverting liquid gold from its source and extreme desert temperatures, the water levels decrease while salinity increases.

(They could use some help from BCNMI)

Water levels have receded leaving a wasteland of rotting bones, barnacles and salt where tourists once flocked. Despite the harsh conditions millions of fish including the tasty tilapia thrive even with intermittent mass die offs. With 90% of California’s wetlands destroyed over the years, millions of migratory birds utilize this last remaining resting spot along the pacific flyway. If the lake dries up what will happen to over 400 species of birds, many endangered? If the lake dries up experts predict the sediments, which contain heavy metals and pesticides from the surrounding developments, will be whipped up by high winds turning the Imperial Valley into a toxic dust bowl much like what happened at Owens Lake in Nevada.

Our tour of this amazing and much debated place included two stops. One at a place called “A Beach Made of Fish Bones” where a short walk quickly revealed that you cannot wear zories and kick up sand here. That’s just not sand. It is in fact sharp remnants of fish bones and barnacles AND it hurts when it gets between your shoes and your feet.
We saw many, many dead rotting fish and plenty of pelicans swooping all around or keeping their distance while afloat on the dark surface. Everything is coated with thick layers of salt, a testament to the fact the lake is 25% more salty than the Pacific Ocean.
At the state park we read informative signs while watching fisherman line the banks with rods in hand. We also took in the very informative and air conditioned visitors center including a revealing documentary on the lakes history. I even spent 40 bucks on souvenirs. This information center educates residents and tourists as to the plight and importance of the lake. It should be a mandatory visit for everyone especially if you are in any way responsible for putting pressure on the lake’s very existence. If you live in Southern California you fall into this category!

(One more American educated as to where Saipan is - she favors the monument proposal!)

On the way back to the swimming pools and golf courses surrounding our accommodations it is hard not to be concerned about human consumption and its effect globally. The waste here is so obvious with excessive lighting and expansive landscaping. With so many places on earth under stress I can’t help but think about how happy I will be if the Mariana Trench Monument becomes a reality and I can one day walk through a visitor’s center that brings revenue to the local economy and perhaps more importantly educates millions of tourists as to the importance of our oceans and conservation in general.

Unfortunately, soon after returning to our pad the aches and pains in my chest from absorbing many starts and stops in the car far outweigh any worry I have about the environment or anything else for that matter. It was good to get out and about but I’m a ways off from strapping a tank on my back!

Where’s the Tylenol!

Friends of the Monument PSA

2008-09-19T13:32:00.003+10:00

Friends of the Marians Trench Monument began running a public service announcement yesterday following appearance by members of the group on the locally broadcast John Gonzales show.

It's now also been picked up by the Discovery Channel website here.

What would you want the monument and regulations to look like?

This is the question that the Friends of the Monument are being asked now that the feds are here to open up the dialogue.

For a long time the opposition has been suggesting that the people of the CNMI will have no say in the monument and that it will be a unilateral set of rules imposed by the feds. My understanding is that nothing could be farther from the truth. Representatives from the federal agencies involved with assessing the appropriateness and viability of the CNMI monument are now on Saipan in an attempt to ensure the best possible result and that local concerns / needs are addressed should the monument concept move forward.

Friends of the Monument are now being asked to draft a wish list of things that MUST occur in order for us to support the monument as well as a list of things YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE.

I’ll take a stab at a start here but would like to get your thoughts too so please leave a comment with any additions.

I would NEED:
*Federal funds
*A visitor’s center on Saipan
*A ban on commercial fishing and mineral extraction
*A Co-management regulatory body with representatives from the CNMI (including but not necessarily limited to DFW, CRM and DNLR) and the NOAA Sanctuaries program.
*A mechanism that would allow limited, regulated access including sustainable fishing for indigenous peoples and the opportunity for limited ecotourism including diving charters.
*A federal funded Mariana Trench marine science curriculum within the public school system (for grade 7 students as an example).
*The boundaries to be drawn based on the best available science that will ensure the greatest opportunity for success of ecosystem based management.

I would LIKE TO SEE:
*A visitor’s center or satellite center on every island
*A federally funded cultural summer camp.
*Creation of informative advertising and educational collaterals for use by the Marianas Visitors Authority and the public / private schools.

How about you?

Contributor Scubatripp - My Pledge

2008-09-17T08:52:00.003+10:00

I just finished writing a post over on the new Friends of the Monument blog. I talk about my background and why I support the monument concept as well as what I intend to do in order to try and help the people of the CNMI obtain something that will improve the economy while ensuring the protection of renewable resources for generations to come.

If you would like to read it please click on this link - Contributor Scubatripp - My Pledge.

A Couple of New Blogs

2008-09-16T15:57:00.009+10:00

A couple of new blogs recently hit the airways and this one is now easier to keep up with.

(Picture was taken without permission from his website! His eye sight is fine, he just likes to be a pirate on occasion!)

First, Harry Blalock has started a new one at Harryblalock.blogspot.com. Here he discusses his latest endeavor in becoming a Professional Dive Instructor. If you've followed Harry's Dive blog over the past year or so you know this is a major change for him. His journey and insight down the path of professionalism in the dive industry will undoubtedly be an intriguing and educational ride. I highly recommend you bookmark this one and check in often.
Next the Friends of the Marians Trench Monument now have a blog. This one is intended to help disseminate factual information about the possible marine protected area (MPA) surrounding the three northern most islands in the Marianas chain. It will also allow people to discuss their concerns and help everyone make an informed decision. It's only a few days old so help start the ball rolling by asking questions and voicing your own thoughts in the comment sections.

Also, this blog is now easier to follow along with thanks to a new gadget from blogspot. Over on the right hand side you can click on the "Follower" section located just under the really cool Feather Duster video or a little further down you can click on subscribe and have posts sent directly to you when they first come up!
Finally, I've got to let all of you parents in on this absolutely fantastic and often hilarious if not thought provoking blog from an ex-Saipan resident and mother of three. Is There Any Mommy Out There is an extremely well written, educational and entertaining read. Take the time to check it out; if you have kids you'll enjoy it for sure!

Difficult Times Ahead

2008-09-14T08:58:00.005+10:00

My world. Denise picked up the kids two days ago. We’ve only been away from them for about 3 weeks but it has seemed like an eternity. The changes in both of them are very noticeable. How is it possible for them to grow up so fast? While with them time flies, without them boredom sets in quickly.
The visit will be short. They’ll be heading off to Saipan tomorrow and I’ve got at least a month of recovery here before I can join them. Although definitely challenging at times, after all Morgan is 2 &1/2, these past 3 days have just reinforced what they mean to me. Prior to surgery they we’re definitely the source of the most worry. Thoughts of what would happen to them if I didn’t make it. Thoughts of what I would miss out on if I didn’t pull through or perhaps even worse thoughts of how hard it would be if I had a stroke and could not be the dad I wanted to be for them.

Kids change everything. Before they came along I’ve always been ok with the fact that my time would be my time. If it ended prematurely, well, it would suck and it would be hard on some but ultimately I’ve had a good life and everyone left behind would survive. The thought of leaving my kids without a father at such a young age was extremely difficult to deal with prior to the surgery. In turn, thoughts of them when I regained consciousness and realized that everything had turned out well provided the source of indescribable relief.

Now they are my motivation more than ever. The need to get back to a level of fitness necessary to take care of them is what drives me to get better each day. The past few days have brought new challenges. I can’t pick them up. I’m totally dependent on others taking care of them and for this “hands on” dad who really does not like to relinquish control it has been hard to watch at times. Knowing I will not be with them for at least the next month plays hard on my mind although not nearly as hard as those tragic thoughts before surgery. I remind myself this is only temporary and I’ve made it through the worst part.

My daughter has been amazing, helping me with my medications and reminding me that I can’t pick her up because it will hurt my boo boo. I thought she would be relentless with asking me to go swimming in the hotel pool but instead she reminds me that doing so will only make my boo boo worse. When I’m in pain and she notices she gives me a hug and says “it will be OK daddy”
My little buddy seems to understand too. He’s furniture surfing and as he pulls himself up towards me he gives me a big smile as if to say “no need to pick me up dad, I’ll come to you”.

This next month is going to be hard!

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

Two Week Follow Up

2008-09-12T03:48:00.006+10:00

On Tuesday Denise and I had my follow up visit with my surgeon. The only downer about the day was I didn’t actually get to see him. That was definitely a disappointment. However, I did have the opportunity to finally put a face to a voice when I got to meet Susan. She’s the one who runs the office taking care of all the scheduling and insurance matters. Every time I call she’s juggling this and that or on another call but she’s always given me her time and on this day was even able to make it over from her office to meet me in person.

Susan and I finally meet!

Dr. Reemtsen was in the OR working on another human who needed a life saving intervention so I’m not going to wallow in self pity but I was looking forward to seeing him. Of course it’s really no hardship being looked after by Anita and Vicki. They’re the pediatric cardiac surgery Nurse Practitioners who help take care of his cases. I‘ve had the utmost respect and confidence in these ladies from the beginning and have felt extremely comfortable in their care.

Anita was an ICU nurse for many years prior to becoming a NP and has now worked for over a year; most, if not all of it, under the guidance of Vicki and Dr. Reemtsen. The day before I was discharged Vicki told me how she and Dr. Reemtsen recently came over from Los Angeles Childrens Hospital in order to set up a successful pediatric cardiac surgery program at UCLA. A big factor in her decision to leave Children’s was the challenge of building a successful program as well as the opportunity to continue working with a top-notch surgeon in Dr. Reemtsen.

Anita and Vicki two weeks after surgery!

As far as my check up everything checked out A-OK. My heart sounds good, chest and lungs are clear, the incision is healing well and the holes from the chest tubes are now stitch-less and closing up. Two weeks after surgery the heart muscle has healed to the point where bleeding is highly unlikely, there’s no rub or murmur, swelling of the ankles or anything else I need to be concerned about.

So naturally the conversation turned to pain. What’s your pain like on a scale of 1-10? This one is a tough one to answer because there really is no horribly intolerable amount of pain in any one specific area. In comparison to my broken elbow a few years ago this is nothing. That said everything from the waist up is uncomfortable. This is especially true under the shoulder blades and in the sternum area. I was reminded how my body was spread out and opened up on the table for a long time. As if I really needed a reminder! I was also reminded that I’m going to be sore and uncomfortable for a good 6 to 8 weeks as this is how long it takes for the breastbone to fully heal. It will also likely take that long before all the aches and pains work themselves out and I’m feeling normal again. Along those lines it could take as long or longer for the numbness and tingling in my right hand to go away. I’ll write more about this soon but it’s not uncommon and is a result of irritation to the nerve caused by the position they put your body in on the table.

I mentioned in my last post that Adam Pick the author of “A Patients Guide to Heart Valve Surgery” suggests in his book that the single most important factor for people to consider prior to undergoing open-heart surgery is the confidence they have in their surgeon. The story of how I got Dr. Reemtsen is an interesting one and one I will detail when I get around to continuing the background as to how all this came about but for now suffice to say I’m extremely happy the stars aligned and our paths collided.

Unlike Adam who had to search through many surgeons before finding the one he wanted, I only had one visit with one surgeon before I felt like “If this has to be done, he might as well be the guy”. Thinking back to that day I remember leaving his office feeling like I had asked some good tough questions about the necessity of some aspects of the procedure and that I had really made him think in terms of whether he would do what was being asked if he was me. In addition, I had the feeling that he really understood what I was going through on a family level in terms of the risks and fears when it comes to having young children and a wife that depend on you being around. Dr. Reemtsen and I are about the same age and he has 3 kids. Specifically with regards to the Cox Maze procedure (which I’ll talk about more another time) I asked him to put himself in my shoes and tell me if he would do it if it were him. His answer was a thoughtful but confident yes and in fact he said he uses that analogy in every aspect of every procedure.

Dr. Reemtsen and I 3 days after surgery

Another big factor in feeling comfortable with him was that he was able to relay what needed to be done, the risks and what I could expect in a way that was immediately at my level. I’m a pharmacist with a pretty decent level of understanding for medical issues and his description and our discussion about what was going to happen took this into account. I did not feel like an idiot, nor did I feel like he was treating me like a less educated patient who could really only comprehend the basics.

Finally when it became obvious that he deals more with the pediatric patients I asked whether that would make any difference in the OR. Do you get used to working on the little ones so you get a little rusty on the bigger ones type of idea. His answer was no and in fact he then drew a line on the white board with one end representing the toughest of his tiny heart cases and the other end the easiest, least complicated cases. He then drew an X very close to the latter end and said this is you. He didn’t say it like, “yours will be a snap” but rather he made it clear he had the confidence in himself to know he could handle pretty much anything my heart was going to throw at him while recognizing that nothing in his business is routine.

I remember walking out of the visit feeling secure. Scared as hell since the ball was now rolling towards actually having this done but confident in knowing that he was the one who would have my life in his hands. It was not until after the surgery where nearly every discussion with every caregiver turned to a similar question in the form of “how did you get Dr. Reemtsen”. The question always phrased like or followed by “he’s one of the best and usually only deals with the difficult pediatric cases”. In fact one fella who worked in the ICU actually asked if I was a friend of Dr. Reemtsen and if this was how I got him as my surgeon.

How our paths crossed is a story of its own and I’ll save that for when I pick up where I left off in “A Racing Heart and a Realization” post. It was an interesting journey to say the least but ultimately I, unlike Adam, hit the bull’s eye with my first arrow when it came to finding my surgeon and I couldn’t be happier with the care I’ve received from start to finish.

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

Adam's Guide to Heart Valve Surgery

2008-09-09T11:17:00.006+10:00

Tomorrow, exactly two weeks after my surgery, I will head back to UCLA for a follow up visit with my surgeon Dr. Reemtsen. I’m hopeful that he’ll give me the green light for stepping up all aspects of my recovery and that I’ll get reassurance regarding the few concerns I have. It still boggles my mind that I’m doing as much as I am in such a short time after open-heart surgery. In fact today, as we prepare for Denise to head back to Saipan next week I walked around Toys-R-Us for nearly an hour. Yesterday was a full day too. We spent the morning packing up and moving to another temporary “home” here in LA and then the rest of the day visiting our good friends Dave and Sandy in Redondo Beach. Although there is really nothing very stressful about watching Dave BBQ up yet another delicious meal they do have two young tykes capable of tiring anyone out just watching them AND I did miss my afternoon nap!

(This was a pre-operation BBQ at Dave and Sandy's, no less delicious!)

Besides looking forward to the reassurance that everything is on the mend tomorrow I’m also looking forward to once again extending a great big thank you to the surgical team and expressing my gratitude for such good care. At this time I’d also like to extend a big public thank you to someone I’ve never met but who has already had a significant impact on the success of my surgery and speedy recovery.
About 2 weeks prior to surgery, I came across a web site selling a book related to heart valve surgery. I believe purchasing The Patients Guide to Heart Valve Surgery by Adam Pick was the single most important thing I did to prepare myself for this ordeal and I cannot recommend his book enough for anyone who will be going through open-heart surgery (or caring for someone that will). Adam is a double heart valve replacement recipient who is fairly young and, as I’ve recently found out, also a Scuba Diver! Adam also has a very informative blog that continues right where the book left off with real life success stories and answers to questions his readers have posed over the years. He also manages to help patients keep up with the advancements in care in a straightforward, no-nonsense sort of way.

According to Adam, the single most important thing one can do in preparing for open-heart surgery is to take the time necessary to find a surgeon with which you have the utmost confidence in. After tomorrow I hope to write a post that will express just how lucky I feel to have met Dr. Brian Reemtsen and his team.

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

Monday Night Football LIVE

2008-09-09T10:22:00.006+10:00

This one’s just a little dig for all those back on Saipan. I’m sitting here watching Monday Night Football live at 5PM. No poor reception or risk of a power outage as Green Bay battles a divisional rival in the Vikings. Approaching the end of the first half it’s still close which helps make the first Packer game without Brett Favre that much more interesting. I’ve never had a steadfast favorite NFL team over the years. Being from British Columbia just north of Seattle I’ve always cheered on the Seahawks. Back in the days of Dan Fouts I was a Charger fan and I must admit last year I was pulling for history and Mr. Brady’s Patriots.

I can safely say however I’ve never been a Green Bay Packer fan. Although there is no question that Favre is an extraordinary player his on again, off again retirements and general untouchable attitude has done nothing to attract me to his teams success. So with that said I’m wondering just how many other folks out there find themselves routing for the Packers and Aaron Rogers this year. I like an underdog and hope he can make all those cheese heads quickly forget about the other guy. It seems Rogers has handled himself with a lot of class despite all the media hoopla! Go Packers!

Can This Just Be Over

2008-09-07T05:16:00.006+10:00

Me: Can this just be over....
Wife: You're kind of an impatient sort!
Me: (sigh) really dejected look (acting)
Wife: You're really pathetic.

It's a week after discharge and other than Thursday night each day gets a little bit better. We're not sure if Thursday was the return of some swelling around my heart or John McCain's speech but I didn’t feel well at all. That night my personal pharmacist suggested some Ibuprofen since the anti-inflammatory medication they started me on in the hospital for the heart rub (caused by swelling around the heart) had finished its course about 24 hours earlier and I was having similar symptoms.

That turned out to be a brilliant call as my pain and general state of being improved 100% by the next day. I had a pretty decent sleep too even though that still meant getting up at least once for an hour or so stretch.

The daily routine:
I wake up first (for the second time) around 7AM, have my bowl of cereal, check email, the Saipan Tribune and a few other web sites / blogs. Yes I check my blog stats, it's addicting. I turn on the TV and half listen to the same crap as the night before on CNN or Fox - hurricane in the Atlantic or Gulf and the exact same sound bites from the candidates as the day before even though they are in different campaign spots. It seems they (especially the Republicans) really try to get the most out of those speechwriters. I mean, how many times can you use the same old line before it just gets irritating. (I digress).
Once Denise is up I get my first beating of the day followed by my medications. These back thumpers are intended to help keep the little alveoli sacks in my lungs open and decrease the pain in my chest. I usually let the pain meds kick in a little before this so I can give a stronger cough and she can hit me that much harder (that's a joke). I then use the incentive spirometer 5 or 6 times until I get a couple of 3000's in a row. After that we head out for our first walk of the day. Walks have been getting further and faster each day as well. We've now progressed to two full laps of the block and tonight I think we'll try for a third.

Once we get back it's not long before Nana is up and all three of us are on the computer sending email, playing suduko and surfing mindlessly. I'm not sure what we would do if it not for the laptops and internet! By mid morning I'm ready for a snooze. Today I was falling asleep while reading a diving study (I'm almost finished a post on it that will be up soon) so that was my clue it was time for a nap.
Once up it's time for another beating. They say you should wait two hours after eating before doing this exercise so I try and do it before I eat. Lunch, more pain meds, more TV and internet a shower, some conversation, some more internet............. Where did the afternoon go? I've been slacking a bit on the afternoon walks because there is really no shade where we are and it's been pretty damn hot but I do try to get in at least one walk before dinner.

Denise and Nana have been teaming up in the kitchen and dinner is served somewhere around 6PM. By 7 it's time to call Morgan at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The conversations are getting shorter and shorter each day as I think the novelty for her is wearing off. She's only 2 & 1/2 but her conversation skills are quite extraordinary for her age. We can usually determine what she's done during the day and with the right questions she gives pretty good responses. It's a hard part of the day because we really do miss them. Part of the boredom factor for us is that for the past 2 &1/2 years we've had more than our share of entertainment everyday just watching Morgan and Carson grow up. Yes at times you want (and need) a break but once you're forced into having one by being away from them it really sucks. I can't wait to give them both a great big huga wugga.
The evenings have been spent watching and bitching about American politics. Followed by more beatings, the spirometer and another walk. Last night we ventured a little farther off our normal track so I could get an ice cream bar much to the chagrin of the diet police. Then it's usually Larry King followed by some good laughs with the Daily show and Colbert. More Medications, more beatings another few blows on the spirometer and Sports Center then it’s off to bed for a few hours before it all begins again.

Sounds exciting eh! Despite getting better each day I really do hate being a patient and Denise is right I am an impatient sort when it comes to doing nothing. If I could just go diving for an hour all would be good again!

Election Politics

2008-09-06T04:41:00.006+10:00

I came across this BBC article last night while searching some headline stories. I'm very out of touch when it comes to Canadian news in general but especially the politics. That's both a function of being away from Canada for the last 6 years and also getting caught up in the long drawn out spectacle here in the US. It seems the president's first term ends up being only a tad bit longer than the time it takes to elect him / her.
Anyway, I found it quite funny to see that the entire election campaign in Canada will last exactly 37 days. The article says Steven Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, is expected to ask the Governor-General to dissolve parliament on Sunday while the general election will follow on October 14th!

Now that the Democratic and Republican conventions are over here in the USA there's only 2 more months to go before one of these guys get the nod. That assumes of course there are no legal attempts to change the results!

A Not So Good Day

2008-09-05T12:53:00.015+10:00

I haven't felt all that great today, especially this afternoon. I guess it's going to happen, some days better than others. It started off pretty well. I actually managed a 20 minute walk early in the morning and perhaps it's nothing more than being brought back down to reality since I've impressed even myself with how well I've been doing. Those that know me know that's no easy task for this perfectionist.

I even debated about not doing a blog post today. I've got a few in my head, some require a little research and I just couldn't muster up the effort to spend the time on the internet searching through the crap. However, I reminded myself that I started blogging about this life altering event partly to keep friends and family up to date and partly because I knew there would be some not so good days and doing the blog might be somewhat therapeutic.

With that said I started to look at my photos from the past few months while listening to John Mccain give his speech. It was a long one and so doing so gave me something to do. That's when I decided I'd just post some of my favorites from the past few months. It not only helped make a very long speech seem a little shorter but it also helped remind me just how far I've come.

Enjoy......

A day at the LA Zoo....

Hanging out in downtown LA......

Venice Beach..........Cabrillo National Monument........Torrey Pines Gliderport.........Southern California beaches...........
California sunsets.........Intense concentration.........

How many want to see a picture of the incision?

A Welcome Visitor

2008-09-04T10:58:00.005+10:00

Boredom is definitely setting in at times. It’s a combination of not being able to do anything and being too tired or sore to try. We’ve watched a lot of mindless TV with coverage of Gustav and the RNC heading the list including all of the ridiculous build up and dramatization on CNN.
That’s why it was such a pleasant surprise on Monday when my good friend Scott showed up at our temporary digs here in LA. It was a breath of fresh air for all of us with time passing quickly as a result of good laughs and stories from a time that seems so long ago. He brought gifts, flowers for Denise, wine for my mom (and Denise) and as a fellow diver he knew I would be missing the creatures of the deep so he even brought me my very own whale shark and red lobster! He also threw in an American Olympic baseball cap knowing how much it had bothered me to watch the Olympics on American TV.
Scott and I worked together at Club Med. First in St. Lucia during the spring of 1995 and then again in 96 at Turks and Caicos. St. Lucia was my very first real job as a scuba instructor and I can remember my first day on the boat with him like it was yesterday. We had just finished our dives where I tagged along with his group underwater. After the dive when the boat was heading back down south towards port, Scott waved me up to the bow and we settled in for the hour-long ride back along the coastline complete with the towering Pitons (a world heritage site) and the town of Soufriere off in the distance.
We sat with our backs against the wheelhouse window overlooking the deck, turquoise clear water on all sides and yes, even two topless French girls warming up in the sunshine on the deck in front of us. At that point Scott turned to me and asked – “So what are your buddies at home doing right about now”. I looked at my watch, computed the time difference and told him they would be heading to the hospital cafeteria for their 15 minute morning coffee break. We had a good hard laugh and repeated the Club Med slogan… “Life as it should be”. Things were really not so bad!

I had the opportunity to work with him again alongside another great team of instructors about 8 months later at the dedicated dive/singles club Turquoise. Living and working a month at Club Med is like living a year in the real world. There are so many stories to tell it’s crazy and the experience is one that you can never really explain to someone who’s never worked there. It’s one of those things where getting together with an ex-GO is like getting together with a fellow country man. There is just an understanding and no need to explain the things that are really unexplainable! Reminiscing with him was just plain fun!
While admitting it sounds a lot more exciting than it really is, Scott currently works on the Scripps Research Vessel, the New Horizon (see my new T-shirt), which ports in San Diego. He says they spend weeks out at sea transversing miles of open ocean in search of sardines and measuring things like water temperature and pH. He also says he much prefers spending port time in SD over LA so I really appreciate his effort to come up here especially since he had to return the same day and his 2-hour cab ride from the train station included fixing an oil leak for the cabbie just so they could get here!

Thanks again Scott and have a great holiday after this next voyage!

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

One Week After the Heart Lung Machine

2008-09-03T03:44:00.010+10:00

It’s Tuesday morning 9AM; Denise and I are wrapping up a ten-minute walk up and down the block outside our new, temporary LA digs. We both realized at about the same time that it was exactly 7 days ago today that Rene, my OR nurse, called her in the waiting room at UCLA to say I was now on the heart-lung bypass machine and the surgeon was going to try and repair the valve.
I don’t really remember that part (although I have had a dream about it that I’ll share at some point) however, I can only imagine how hard the next few hours were for her and Mom as they waited to hear if it was able to be fixed, if it had to be replaced or, more importantly, if in fact I made it through the most difficult part of the surgery alive. She has said it was a pretty trying time and I don’t doubt that one bit.

A few hours later, as she related in an earlier post, Dr. Reemtsen himself came down to inform them that all had gone well and that he had been able to repair my tricuspid. However, and I didn’t find this out for a couple of days, he also told her it didn’t look like he would be able to when he first got in there. He said the valve had looked a lot worse than it did on the transesophageal echo and in his words he had to “try some things” before he ultimately got a good seal and could confidently say it was repaired.

From the time we learned that I was going to have this surgery, I’ve tried to keep positive. For the most part I think I did a pretty good job but, as Denise will tell you, moments of doubt and doomsday despair did creep into my head alongside images of someone cutting into my chest. Every time that would happen I got into the habit of visualizing my coming out of anesthesia with the nurse, doctor and Denise by my side. I would make myself repeat the words “Mr. Tripp everything went well, we’ve been able to repair the valve, you’re as good as new”
Despite being in the ICU and knowing I was still not out of the woods completely, I can’t tell you how relieved I was when I first heard those same words. Apparently on that first afternoon Dr. Reemtsen also told me about what he had to do and that it did not look good at first but I didn’t remember much of that conversation. A couple of days later he related to me again that my right atrium was larger and slacker than originally thought. In fact he said he had to cut out a pretty good chunk just to tighten everything up so the valves would work properly. He said he was then able to use some Gortex material to replace the damaged valve "cords" and although there was still a very tiny leak it was looking as good as new.
So now I sit here with my computer and prune juice cocktail (it’s tolerable if you add some 7-Up) one week after open-heart surgery. I’m not comfortable by any means. When the pain meds start to wear off or I do my exercises I feel like a big Mac truck has hit me but I know that this too will pass eventually. For now my visualization has shifted to that first dive a few months from now when I’m submerged in the warm waters around Saipan listening to the cracking of the reef (as opposed to my chest) and the bubbles from my regulator. That thought even makes the prune juice taste more like a rum and coke or a cold Heineken!

For those of you coming into this little open heart surgery discussion a little late you can find all the posts easily by clicking on the Open Heart Surgery Labels at the bottom of this post or by clicking on the links under open heart surgery over on the right hand side of the blog. Those ones are listed in chronological order!

Southern Cal Road Trip and the Marianas Trench Monument

2008-09-02T00:28:00.006+10:00

It’s Carnival of the Blue time again. Angelo’s hosting it on his blog so I figured I’d try and help him out with some content. Besides, last time I submitted a post for it I happened to be awarded the editors choice for my piece about the big fish.

Today I’m going to take a few moments from my open-heart surgery theme and get back to the concept of conservation. There’ll be no discussion about bodily functions or painful incisions or even cute nurses in this one! In a way today’s post does relate to my recent ordeal as its something I’ve wanted to write about since experiencing the beauty of the southern California coast during my “alone” time just prior to going under the knife.

Soon after we got word that I needed my tricuspid valve repaired my wife and children all got sick while staying in the small downtown LA hospital guesthouse. It was imperative that I did not catch what they had and we also needed to get our kids to grandmas and grandpas since they would need to be in good hands while Denise and I dealt with what was to come.

So when they all flew to Canada the words ROAD TRIP echoed in my ears. I’ve always wanted to see San Diego and the coastline between there and LA so after picking up the car and a bunch of maps I was on my way. Just my camera and me. No set plans, no one to answer to, no chance of getting lost, as taking a wrong turn would only mean a different experience than the one originally planned. The freedom to do as I wished when I wanted to was exactly what the Dr. ordered and something I’ve not experienced in a long time.

I’ve done similar road trips in my life prior to getting married and having kids. Two similar ones come to mind and have bearing on what I plan to illustrate today. In 1997 I did a trip up the East coast of the USA from Philadelphia to Gloucester including stops in Boston and the Cape Cod. In 2002 I had the opportunity to travel the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne Australia, an amazing stretch of scenery famous for things like the Seven Apostles. Images of both trips are ingrained in my head not only because of the beauty encountered and the untouched picturesque scenes I was able to capture on film but also because they brought me to the edges of the earth where I was fortunate to experience nature as it has existed since, well, ever since.
In all three cases the ability to witness nature essentially untouched by human hands was only possible because someone, somewhere along the line, recognized that these areas needed protection from our own destructive forces. In all three cases local, state and national parks, refuges and protected areas allowed me access to places with untouched vistas and landscapes.
This is especially true for the American treks since large human populations often encroached these areas from all sides. Without some sort of protection they would have easily been swallowed up becoming, at the very least, inaccessible and at worst destroyed forever.
As I unfolded the California state map I quickly put an X on what is essentially the southwestern most point of the USA, Point Loma and Carbrillo National Monument.
Yes I know you could get further south by heading to the boarder of Mexico but not without going though the city of San Diego and with a limited amount of time I just didn’t want to spend it doing that. I also decided to skip the beach cities around LA on the way down and hit them on the way back. So I headed south on the I5 and along with thousands of other people hit speeds twice and three times that which is possible on Saipan. At San Onofre the freeway begins to hug the coast and it becomes easier to access beaches and view points overlooking the Pacific. I’m a water person and every trip such as this is spent making turns and taking exits that hopefully lead to the horizon with nothing but blue water underneath. At Oceanside I turned off the freeway and continued south along the Coast Highway, the closest major route running parallel to the ocean. This road passes through a number of different communities each it seemed with three common characteristics: a town center, a low-lying stretch of highway with easy beach access and an elevated stretch with only pockets of spots where the vista could be accessed due to the build up of housing etc.
With each, if it were not for parks preventing development, I’m sure that every square inch of real estate fringing the cliffs and beaches from San Diego to LA would have been swallowed up giving only the owners and their lucky friends the ability to access the water and experience the amazing views carved out over time.
Have you ever been on an adventure, not really knowing where you’re going or how to get there and realizing that “over there” behind all those homes there must be a really great view. It can be extremely frustrating at times especially when you think in context of how our grandparents (or perhaps their grandparents) probably never had such a problem.
Back in the old days access difficulties would have been more related to lack of infrastructure and the pioneering skills needed to make your way through virgin territory. I’ve always been grateful to the planners of communities who’ve had the forethought to set aside areas and parks where the common folk don’t need to worry about being wealthy or having connections with locals in order to take in the view.

Thankfully along this southern drive, intertwined with all the human developments, there are numerous places offering outsiders and locals alike amazing lookouts and access to sandy beaches where surfers and sunbathers dot the transition from land to sea. In some cases such as state run parks there is a daily or weekly fee. In others the real trick is in finding a parking spot for the seaside public park. In others the location is reserved for campers and RV’s but the bottom line, despite the frustration of often needing to fork out 5 or 10 bucks, access is possible to those who seek it.
Arriving at the entrance to Carbrillo National Monument I paid my $5 fee and was happy to learn that 80% of it stays right there to support park programs and should I have the time to do so I would be allowed access for the following six days.
Unfortunately I only had one afternoon but I can safely say if I ever find myself back in this area again I will plan on taking several days to take in everything this place has to offer. From hiking trails with interpretive signs to lighthouses, tide pools and a multifunctional interpretive center you would be hard pressed to see it all in less that a couple of days and that would only be possible if you did not take the time to stop and enjoy the amazing views over looking the pacific and San Diego.
Thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people take in this protected area every year generating not only millions of dollars in revenue but also leaving visitors educated and revitalized by the beauty of what nature has created.So how does this all fit in with the Carnival of the Blue. Well although many land based parks, refuge’s and monuments have been set up around the world to allow limited human access while protecting terrestrial based resources, endangered species and unique ecosystems the same can not be said for our worlds oceans especially on a relative scale when you consider they make up over 70% of the planet.

On a grand scale the proposed concept of the Marianas Trench Marine Monument provides a unique opportunity for us to protect a body of water large enough so as to have a real positive effect on preserving the worlds oceans as a whole. It also provides an opportunity through the development of infrastructure and educational resources to change the make up of the local economy and skill set of our local people.

With establishment of the monument will come a world-class interpretive center and other revenue generating opportunities desperately needed by the local community? With increased press and notoriety the tourism sector will prosper providing jobs and income for a wide range of local residents. Through national parks programs directly funded jobs will be created and educational opportunities including increased scientific voyages will follow. These scientific expeditions will include international and local scientists eager to study the pristine area over time. Also, in a similar way to the land based parks I experienced on my drive south, future generations of tourists and locals alike will be able to travel to these remote areas knowing they have access to waters that exist in the same state as they did when their ancestors were alive. The ability to witness Mother Nature as it was intended to be will live on for future generations.
On the flip side imagine the great loss if none of the coast line from LA to San Diego was open for public viewing in its natural state. How many tourists would come? How much revenue would be lost from non-existent visitors centers and souvenirs sales including T-shirts and key chains. Imagine if none of the state park fees went to educational programs or interpretive signs. My trip down south would never have been the same, in fact it likely would never have happened if it not for the fact that someone, somewhere along the line saw the value of setting aside vast areas for the enjoyment of future generations.

Imagine the loss if the people of the CNMI don’t do as so many have done before them the world over and embrace this opportunity.

The following are links to additional articles I've written about the Marianas Trench Monument in chronological order. Those with an * have been published in the Saipan Tribune and Marianas Variety.

April 25th 2008
Act Two - Northern Island Marine Monument

Friday, May 9, 2008
Marine Monument - Why Kill It Now?*

Monday, May 12, 2008
Marine Monument – Personalities & Politics*

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Marine Monument - Lets Talk eh!*

Friday, May 16, 2008
Marine Monument - The Benefits / It's Not All About the Fishing*

Thursday, May 22, 2008
Marine Monument - Get Informed

Friday, May 23, 2008
Marine Monument - Ruth's Round Up

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Bush Eyes Unprecedented Conservation Program - NPR Report

Monday, July 14, 2008
Coral Triangle Meet the Trench Monument

Friday, July 18, 2008
Pew's Role Defined

Discharge Time

2008-08-31T14:16:00.006+10:00

Ok, I'm going to keep this one really short with the plan to expand on things tomorrow as it will be my first full day out of the hospital and hopefully a little more restful.

It's been a big day and I'm exhausted BUT I'm out of the hospital!

Meet my new best friend!
Prune juice finally kicked in about 8AM which paved the way for the discharge procedure.
The night staff came by to wish me luck and get their picture taken!
Prescriptions were written, the IV came out, fruit baskets and flowers were packed up and real clothes were donned. Final instructions given and patient escort summoned.

Four days after open heart surgery I was heading out. No question there was some apprehension but all things considered I felt pretty good and given the risks and constant activity inside the hospital I'm ultimately happy to be sitting on my hotel bed making this post.
Hopefully a good night sleep is only a few hours away!

Come On Down - I know You're There

2008-08-30T20:52:00.005+10:00

It's 4 AM and I can't sleep!

The TV is off, my door is closed but it's still loud in here.
I'm not in pain at least there's no chest or wound pain. I'm taking drugs for that and have found the right balance between feeling groggy and feeling like I can't move or cough. I'm comfortable, sort of.

I look at the clock again. It's still 4 AM. Uggghhhhh, you're loud, why don't you just come on down and make everyone happy!

No bowel movement yet! Lots of action especially with 3 containers of prune juice joining the mix last night butt still no results. No pain, plenty of discomfort and gurgle noises loud enough to wake up the neighbor I'm sure but still no results!

All systems go?

Obviously there are certain parameters that must be passed (sorry for the pun) before one is discharged from the hospital. To be thinking that I may actually go home tomorrow (today) is still mind boggling to me but other than the lack of a poop there is really no reason why I couldn't cut and run from this Popsicle stand!

Breathing on my own, including being extubated shortly after surgery was a good sign and a major hurdle. Getting that catheter out and not having to put another one back in again means the kidneys and the water works are doing what they're supposed to do! My blood sugars are under control (more on that later), there's no fever and my WBC count returned to normal after only a short little stint on the other side.

For days (3 to be exact) bowel sounds have been present, a very good sign and one that currently is easily measured with or without a stethoscope. Besides listening to my lungs and heart every caregiver takes a moment to put that cold little device on my tummy to listen for some gurgles. When present they are a really good indicator that the intestines and stomach are coming back to life after being told by the body during surgery that they're really not needed right now. That stethoscope is REALLY not needed right now that's for sure.

So passing gas has been rather exciting for the past few days and the topic of many conversations. Now it's just not enough. We need some definitive action. Things are there and ready to go. In the absence of heart surgery the answer would be simple - PUSH.

However, in the setting of OHS the last thing we want to do now is to push. Pushing puts a lot of strain on the heart and that would not be good. Sooooooo we take stool softeners and we wait. With every passing fart things feel a little closer. With three containers of prune juice last night things feel so close that moving too far away from the bathroom is a little scary AND yes with each one I'm just not sure if I should risk not sitting on the toilet! Again more detail than anyone needs but it's 4 AM and I can't sleep because of this so you'll either have to just deal or not read the blog!

Joe (he's my nurse again tonight) just came back in to measure my blood pressure and to reiterate there will be no pushing. Just be patient he says but I couldn't actually hear him over the gurgles this time! Try to rest he says. Translation - put your computer away and try to sleep!

Be sure to stay tunned for the results!!)

Where Were You When Obama Spoke?

2008-08-30T08:20:00.006+10:00

Well, two full days into recovery and 103 photos later I was transferred from the ICU to the general ward last night. Quite incredible really! Not even three days after the whole procedure started!

(Mary from the UK & Marilyn the nurse in charge!)

There is so much to say and so many people to thank I won't be able to do it all in one post but as I said before all this started I should have quite a bit of time during recovery to share this experience and post on a regular basis. With over a hundred photos, mostly of the people who've cared for me in some way, there are many stories to tell and I can't possibly relate to you how happy I am to be alive to tell them!

Two nurses got away last night without their photo being taken. The order to transfer came at midnight and Denise had already left with the camera. That meant Alison (my ICU nurse) escaped after giving me the great news and escorting me to the ward. Then I was quite bummed when Joe's shift (nurse on the ward) ended before the camera was back for more action. Joe is from Kenya and we had a great time talking as he helped me get settled into my new room. He was so excited to hear about my life on Saipan, apparently word had spread of the crazy Canadians with the camera and it was also wonderful to hear his story. I thought it was quite fitting to end the night talking to him as we watched the end of the repeat of Senator Obama's speech. For those of you living under a rock this past 18 months Obama's father was also from Kenya.

Most of my night had been spent watching the Democrats and the endless build up but I only got to see half of Obama’s performance live. I know I'll never forget where I was for his speech both the live version and when it was repeated later in the night. What would cause me to interrupt his speech half way through after listening to over 5 hours of commentary and "expert" speculation you ask?

I had to PEE!

No easy task for me after the catheter was pulled out earlier in the day. You see I suffer from stage fright at the best of times. I've had surgeries before where post-op urination did not come easy and the only thing worse than having a catheter pulled out is having one inserted while you are awake! This concept played on my mind all day which does not make things any easier. Fortunately with some careful planning including warm water, properly timed pain medications and as much privacy as I could get in an intensive care unit everything worked. With Obama drowning out the noises from the busy nursing unit, 500ml of liquid gold finally appeared and the only one happier with the days’ events than Obama was probably me!

Perhaps a little more detail than anyone needs but I'll never forget where I was when he accepted the nomination and gave what you must admit was a pretty incredible speech regardless of whether you're Democrat or Republican.

(Anita & Vicky , nurse practitioners extraordinaire)(Anita & Erica getting ready to pull tubes)

I can now also answer the question as to which tube was the most uncomfortable to be pulled from my body. Just before Anita and Vicki (Top photo above) pulled out my chest tubes and heart wire the day before they had asked me to tell them which procedure was more uncomfortable. They deal mostly with kids so they wanted an adult opinion. The general thought was the chest tubes would hurt more but after it was all said and done having the thread with wires attached to my heart pulled through my skin was definitely more uncomfortable and just plain freaky. Everything was done quick and any discomfort from the pull was thankfully replaced with a more comfortable feeling of having them gone. Twenty-four hours later it was the catheter and well, I’ll take a chest tube or heart wire over that any day.

(Erica pulling the central line)

So now I’m tubeless, only one IV left in my right arm and on my way to being discharged. As Denise said, yesterday didn’t start off so well with some inflammation around my heart. I did not feel well in the morning. Every time I would lie down I felt a clicking sensation with every beat of my heart. My white blood cell count was also up. Both are not all that uncommon after surgery but they were an agonizing reminder that despite how well things were going there were (and are) real risks to making a full recovery.

What a difference 24 hours makes. A repeat echo late yesterday showed all is good in there and everyone who’s come by to see me today has said the rub is much less than it was and that I look much better. I feel much better and with things progressing the way they are the game plan as of now is to have me discharged sometime tomorrow.

Post-Op Day 2 - Tubeless in LA

2008-08-30T01:11:00.002+10:00

I'm a little bit behind but Day 2 was a big day. The morning started off well but by mid-morning Mike wasn't feeling all that well. Nothing major, just not as good as the previous couple of days. Of course, it was only 2 days after surgery so a not-so-great day is to be expected. It turns out he has what is called a rub. This is where the heart is rubbing against the pericardium (sac around the heart) as it beats. This rubbing can cause inflammation which is called pericarditis. Generally you treat this with anti-inflammatory medications and keep an eye on things. This is not necessarily an unusual occurrence given that Mike just had open heart surgery so we are not worried.

The big news of the day is Mike had his catheter removed which means all the tubes and lines are officially gone! All he has now is an IV access in one hand for blood draws and medications as needed. This certainly helps make mobility a whole lot easier and he was able to do laps around the ward four times. I continue to be amazed at how much he can do in such a short time and am thankful for all the care he is receiving.

Sorry no pics today but will try to post some tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in!

Post-Op Day 1

2008-08-28T15:19:00.006+10:00

I'm pinch blogging once again but this one will be brief as I am tired and it's late. Mike didn't really sleep at all last night but nurse Jane took good care of him and she knew where Saipan was so.....photo op! (Ok, really we're taking pictures of EVERYBODY but you're guaranteed a spot on the blog if you know where Saipan is so here's Jane!)
Mike graduated to Jell-O and broth at breakfast - sound bad?? Well, it's way better than ice chips, that's for sure! It was a busy morning - Mike discussing the merits of Macs with ICU staff (seriously, Apple should be paying this guy) and best of all, finding out two of the other RNs (Madolyn and Cheryl - sorry if the spelling is wrong) are Canadian! It's always nice to talk to a fellow Canuck or two.
The highlights of the day:
Eating solid food for the first time since Monday night - mmmmm, mashed potatoes!
Walking on the ward with nurse Erica
Getting the chest tubes, heart wire ("that was weird") and central line removed (you don't really want to see a pic of this but getting these things out is indeed freeing and just increases Mike's comfort level)

Having a good shave - 'cause boy did he need it!

That's it, that's all for today! Will try for more details tomorrow or perhaps the blogger himself will make an appearance!

The Big Day - Part Two

2008-08-27T12:58:00.005+10:00

Well, true to form, my husband the perfectionist has decided he's going to be the best open heart surgery patient ever and without waiting for nurse Jenny, just decided to wake up on his own around 245pm. Great news EXCEPT nurse Jenny had sent me back to the hotel to rest (well, I actually worked on the previous post but whatever) and I missed that moment when he opened his eyes for the first time. I was bummed but after sprinting to the hospital, I found he very quickly forgets things so probably wouldn't remember that I wasn't actually there when he woke up. Of course, now that I've posted it here, he'll know forever but I think he'll forgive me!
He was pretty groggy at first but shortly after I arrived they extubated him since he could breathe fine on his own and didn't need the big tube down his throat. That allowed him to talk and after a bit of a slow start, he's talking up a storm and giving all the nurses and other caregivers a hard time (all in fun of course). He still has a lot of tubes and lines coming out of him but those will gradually come out and he gets to wear these fancy compression stockings to prevent blood clots while he's not moving around much. For someone who HATES wearing socks, he doesn't seem to mind them so much!
Jenny says he's doing phenomenally well but tomorrow might be a tough day b/c there's usually more pain and the chest tubes will probably come out. She also says patients are more crabby on the second day but overachiever is already there! He hasn't lost one bit of his humor or his ability to boss people around. I'm not complaining - this means he's doing well and returning to his normal self. It's amazing there once was a time when you had open heart surgery and were laid up in bed for weeks. Not so anymore - he was sitting up, doing stretching exercises and they even had him stand up for a few minutes. Tonight they plan to get him into a chair and tomorrow they say he'll be doing laps around ICU! Unbelievable...
Mike's surgeon, Dr. Reemtsen, stopped by to see how he was doing and agreed he's doing really well. He had stood on his own only moments before so was feeling a bit dizzy but it's amazing he was able to do that at all only hours after the surgery. He is also using his incentive spirometer quite regularly which helps the recovery process even more. This device helps patients expand their lung volume and get rid of fluid in the lungs by encouraging them to take deep breaths. The spirometer measures the volume of air inhaled - typically patients immediately postop are lucky to get to 500ml but Mike is getting volumes of 2500ml and more. Looks like being a diver pays off in more ways than we thought!
All in all, a really great day for Mike and for all of us. We hope for continued good progress and a speedy recovery.

Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of Mike's open heart surgery journal. Maybe it will be in Mike's own words (at this rate anything is possible) or you might have to read me for one more day!

Sleepless in LA - The Big Day

2008-08-27T06:35:00.009+10:00

Most of the time I merely function as the editor of these posts but it falls on me to write today's entry as Mike is currently in a deep sleep from which he will be woken sometime late this afternoon.

Our morning began at 4am which isn't so bad if you actually go to bed at say, 8pm, but no, not us - we were snacking at Denny's at 10pm and finally off to sleep around 1am. We managed to hustle through the admissions process only to be slowed up on the Preop Treatment Unit. This is where they ask you to strip down, put on the fancy hospital gown and then wait, and wait, and wait.

A full hour passed before nurse Audrey was able to attend to us as she had so many other patients to check in. The usual drill - when did you last eat? do you have any allergies to medications? checking the wrist band with the chart so they don't mistake you for John Smith getting the appendectomy, that sort of stuff. Then it's Gina, the nurse practitioner going over the surgery and making sure there aren't any questions. Then we had Rene, the OR nurse, a nice young fellow who just happened to know where Saipan is - so you know what that means...photo op!!
Last, but certainly not least, the anesthesiologists, Drs. Brown and Walker, who weren't sure exactly where Saipan was BUT hey, they're giving you really good drugs so you don't feel any pain and better yet, remember absolutely nothing! For that alone, they deserve the photo op!

So at around 720am I kissed my husband goodbye and they wheeled him off to the OR.
Has anyone had to wait for hours while a loved one is in surgery? It's HARD, I mean really hard and BORING. If not for Starbucks in the cafeteria and WiFi in the waiting room, I would have gone insane. As it was, I managed to keep busy surfing and checking out funny blogs. At 9am, good old Rene called me from the OR to tell me Mike was on bypass (a machine pumps the blood to the rest of your body b/c it's kind of hard to cut into your heart and work on it when it's still pumping!) and the repair was about to start. At this point we did not know if repair would be possible or if the valve would have to be replaced but we were optimistic.

Just after 11am I got the call from OR to say they were closing him up and that the surgeon had been able to repair the valve. YAY - the best news ever! A few minutes later (the guy who holds your heart in his hands doesn't actually have to sew you back together too), the surgeon came down to give Mike's mom and I the full report. For a while he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to repair the valve but with a little bit of Gortex and some fancy sewing, he was successful and what Mike has now is his own fully-functioning tricuspid valve. Relief does not even come close to describing how I feel at this moment!

Now we try to get a little bit of rest and return to ICU later when nurse Jenny will try to wake Mike up and hopefully remove the intubation tube so he can breathe on his own.

The fun is only just beginning....stay tuned for more post-op tales from LA - hopefully in the words of Mike, not his ghost writer/wife.

Thanks to everyone for your good thoughts, prayers and positive vibes!

One More Sleep - Ok 1/2 of a Sleep

2008-08-26T11:27:00.004+10:00

Well I had great plans to write a little summary of how we got to this point. Given my last long post you can imagine there is a lot more to tell. Today I was planning to sit back and write a "Coles Notes version" type of post where I could expand on things later when I have plenty of time trying to ignore the pain etc.
Unfortunately, we don't have any internet access at the hotel we're staying at tonight. In fact the internet is down over a 2 or 3 block radius so I'm now frantically trying to reply to emails and write this post on my wifi access at Starbucks. Unfortunately you only get one, two hour continuous free bee and time is running out.

So here's what you've got to look forward to if you continue to tune into this blog over the next few weeks.
First, it won't necessarily be real time updates but Denise will make a post tomorrow letting everyone know how the surgery goes. The word today is that I have to be at the hospital at 4:45 AM - what the hell is up with that, can't a guy get to sleep in a bit on a day like this! Oh well that means everything should be done by noon although I just spoke with the anesthesiologist who said I'll be fully out for about 12 hours so it might not be till late tomorrow before I see my lovely wife tell me all is good!

Next I'll finish putting together the story about how we got to this point including being told by Dr. Ada that I could not dive! Those who know me know that was not a pretty day!

Then on to sorting out insurance and plane tickets for the whole family to head out on an all day marathon trip to CA through Tokyo (and Nagoya). Remember we had a 2 &1/2 year old and a 7 month old - and a guy with a bad heart wondering if he was having angina pain!

Once in LA there was a series of tests with the cardiologist, lots of waiting in a small hotel in downtown LA.
A full house with Nana added to the mix. No complaints, I'm not sure what we would have done without her!
Living in downtown LA and using public transit while trying to keep a 2 & 1/2 year old occupied provides for it's own book of interesting stories and I have a few.
Finally, after getting a diagnosis and a plan it was time to send Denise and the kids up to Kelowna for a week or so while I tried to fight off the cold they all got. Have you ever seen a 2 & 1/2 year old sneeze a string of snot so long it almost hit the floor! This at the airport as I saw them off, only one bunched up Kleenex ready to go - it wasn't enough.

Kudos to Denise for being able to make the trip up north, sick as a dog with two little ones just as sick as her so daddy could have a week on his own to get his thoughts together and avoid getting sick himself.

So what does a guy facing open heart surgery do for a week in Southern California without the wife and kids? Road Trip to San Diego of course.
More to come on that but it was exactly what the Dr. ordered. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and it didn't take long to be missing everyone including that 2 1/2 year old mucus machine!
A 4 day trip up to Canada, a golf game with the closest of friends and a couple of days with my sister and her kids while being on hand to watch Morgan settle in nicely with grandma, grandpa and Auntie (and the kitties too). Then of course getting to watch the Olympics on Canadian TV was just a bonus!
With only 4 or 5 days left it was time for Denise and I to get some very much deserved alone time. It's been tough without the kids but I'm thankful for getting the time we've just had together. She's the best! It was the first time in 2 & 1/2 years that we didn't need to worry about anyone except ourselves! Throw in a nice room (complete with upgrade) overlooking the Pacific on Redondo beach and I'm almost ready to get this over with and start the process of recovery!
So here we go.... Wake up call at 4:15, probably not much point in having a shower since they apparently shave you from head to toe for this type of surgery. You're welcome, I hope you enjoyed the visual as much as I'm going to enjoy the itching and scratching for months afterwards!
Cheers for now! Lots to come and thanks for all the wishes, prayers and good vibes!

Two More Sleeps

2008-08-25T15:58:00.005+10:00

The last post was a little long and relates what took place almost two months ago. This one gets us back to today and the reality of trying to avoid thinking about Tuesday morning!

Our last day on Redondo Beach was spent writing and reading emails followed by enjoying the late afternoon with a bike ride and a swim in the great Pacific Ocean.
Interestingly enough the water was much warmer than it was two weeks ago in San Diego during my get away trip. More to come on that little respite from the family in the days to come. It was an interesting trip, just me and my camera so I promise lots of photos!
And of course another great sunset is always worth a photo or two!

A Racing Heart and a Realization

2008-08-25T15:44:00.001+10:00

It is almost two months to the day that I woke up at 6:30 AM to my wife coming into the bedroom with our little man in her arms. It was a Friday, which meant an early start and no nanny; it was to be a daddy day. For months Denise had been sleeping in Carson’s room since she would be up at least once in the night to nurse him and we had decided early on that there was no point in both of us getting up. For the moms out there, I’ve always offered to take night duty but our little guy has been a good sleeper and Denise has always felt it just easier to sleep in his room and nurse him. Something about her boobs hurting if she went the whole night without his attention! I won’t argue with that and certainly don't mind getting a full nights sleep. But I digress.

As I awoke I could feel my heart was racing. At times just below my Adams apple it felt like something was going to jump out of my chest. I didn’t immediately freak out. I’ve had episodes of rapid heartbeats before. Many people do, it’s not that unusual for your heart to race for a second or two or to have one or two beats stronger than the rest. But this was not one or two beats or one or two seconds. This was not going away.

Now I’m a pharmacist and I’ve had a pretty extensive medical education. I knew immediately that I was in what is called Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). Besides the medical background I’ve also experienced this condition once before nearly 15 years ago while studying and completing my hospital residency training. At the time that episode was ultimately chalked up to a combination of being a young male, late nights with high caffeine intake and the stress involved with getting through the residency. Following a process of chemical cardioversion (they gave me drugs to put my heart back into normal sinus rhythm) I passed a stress tests and was given a clean bill of health.

So, as I say, I didn’t immediately freak out, instead I calmly got out of bed and told Denise what was happening. I then suggested that if my morning dump didn’t take care of it that we had a problem. For those that don’t know, the process of a bowel movement or bearing down has an effect on the hearts electrical conduction and can often stop some types of arrhythmias including Afib. In this case I had no such luck, with stopping the Afib that is!

What to do? I did not have any chest pain or any other symptoms of a heart attack and I was pretty sure this was a simple case of Afib similar to my previous experience. Afib on its own is rarely life threatening, scary yes, but in almost all cases your heart continues to pump sufficient amounts of blood. Thanks to the SA node (part of the electrical conduction pathway that passes electrical impulses from the atrium to the ventricles), only a fraction of the electrical signals from the atrium actually cause the ventricles to contract otherwise you would have one big twitching mess incapable of sustaining blood flow to vital organs.

A couple of other things came into play that morning. Denise was to open one of the PHI pharmacy stores at 7:30, she tried calling the manager but there was no answer on his cell phone. If she doesn’t go in, the store remains closed. Not something I was too worried about but she is a dedicated employee and this idea did not sit well with her. We also did not have anyone immediately available to take care of the kids and Morgan would be up very soon. In the end we somewhat calmly decided she would take them to work and I would drive myself to the emergency room. For those of you who live on Saipan you can relate to the fact that if I had called an ambulance it would have likely have taken 2 to 3 times as long for someone to get there than it would for me to drive myself. Again, I wasn’t feeling any symptoms other than a very rapid heart beat so off I went!

When I arrived it did not take long to be hooked up to an EKG. Despite not looking like I was in any real distress, the staff in the emergency room understood the potential seriousness of what was happening. I don’t think the familiarity with the triage nurse from 3 plus years of working across the hall hurt the situation either! It was comforting to know that things were moving along pretty quickly.

The EKG confirmed that I was in fact in Afib and that I had a heart rate of more than 130 beats per minute. As the Dr. reviewed the EKG and we waited for the blood work results my heart rate began to come down on its own. The plan to give me some intravenous medication was discussed; the PHI pharmacy manager came in from across the hall to see how I was doing. He told me someone was being sent to relieve Denise and that she would be down shortly. A quick text message from her told me our good friend Sheila had arranged to have her nanny take care of the kids. One less thing to worry about and by the time she arrived my pulse had come down to the point where IV drugs were no longer indicated. I was given some oral medication to further slow my heart rate. The blood work came back with everything in normal range and no indication of a current myocardial infarction (MI/heart attack). The ER doctor was satisfied with sending me home on the medication and an appointment was made for me to see my GP that afternoon.

It was beginning to look more and more like this was an anomaly similar to that of 1991. Then almost as an after thought the Dr. ordered a bedside thoracic (chest) ultra sound. I was taken into a very cold room where Dan, the head of the radiology department, told me to lay down on my side as he prepared to take a look at my heart. That’s where everything changed. After a few minutes of watching the screen with Dan pushing buttons and moving the handle of the ultrasound machine over my chest I asked him how it looked.

He first told me that the right side of my heart was larger than my left and before he could say so, I said, “that’s not good”. He then showed me how my left ventricle (the work horse of the heart and the chamber responsible for pushing blood out to the rest of the body) was not contracting properly. Rather than contracting concentrically like a fist one side was moving away from the other. More buttons and a few measurements later he told me that my ejection fraction was 35%. That’s well below normal especially for a 42-year old man in relatively good health.

In that short time on the table it became apparent that this was not a simple Afib event caused by stress or too much caffeine. Instead my own medical training told me there was something seriously wrong. The atrial fibrillation was a symptom of a much larger problem. The question was what? The right side of the heart does not get bigger than the left overnight. It takes time for that to happen. The clinical term for what I had was cardiomyopathy. The fact that it involved the right side of my heart immediately made me think of my lungs as a potential problem because the right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs. Did I have pulmonary hypertension? Was the enlargement due to the fact that there was increased resistance to blood flow to my lungs? What the hell was going on?

As I was taken back to the ER my heart rate was responding nicely to the medication. I was still in Afib but the rate was now down to a reasonable 90 beats per minute. As I mentioned Afib on its own is rarely life threatening and with the rate under control there was really no immediate risk to me being discharged from the ER and followed up by my GP later that day. We now knew why the atrium was misfiring; it was a symptom of the increased size of the heart since electrical disturbances are common in the setting of cardiac myopathies. The problem was we did not know why I had the enlarged heart and reduced ejection fraction both of which do not bode well for a long and healthy life span.

Denise took me home and I waited for my appointment that afternoon with Dr. Ada. My mind raced with the possibilities and the possible ramifications of what this meant. In the span of 4 hours I went from being calm to concerned to down right scared of what all this meant and what was to come.

The Most Frightening of Words

2008-08-23T16:59:00.003+10:00

When it comes to sitting in front of your doctor and hearing them directed at you, a family member or perhaps a close friend, what are the most feared word(s) and phrases you could hear? Words that when faced with personally not only strike fear into your mind and heart but also immediately turn your entire world upside down and all around.

“Cancer”

No doubt, a topper on most, if not everyone’s, list. It’s hard to find an individual out there not touched by some form or another, directly or indirectly. Those lucky enough to have avoided their own diagnosis usually know someone who’s not been so fortunate. From a young age and throughout my life, I have known first hand, many times over, the pain, suffering and loss this one word leaves in its path. It is no doubt a horrible combination of letters even to those who ultimately win their battle it remains a threat ready to strike seemingly at will and at any time.

“Open Heart Surgery”

Although significant improvements have been made over the years and countless procedures yearly now make this operation seem a little more “routine”, the bottom line is open-heart surgery (OHS) presents the most invasive form of surgery there is. After all it does entail stopping and cutting into your heart, the very organ responsible for keeping every other organ, including your noggin, working! With a mortality rate between 2 and 5%, the risk of death is relatively low especially considering what is being done but there are other risks such as stroke and kidney failure, which on their own are frightening combinations of letters.

For me OHS has just jumped over the big “C” into first place on the list, at least for the time being. In a few more days I will have open-heart surgery to repair (or replace) my tricuspid valve.

For the next few months it is my intention (and hope) for this blog to take a radically different turn. Rather than focus on diving and environmental issues it will now become more of a diary detailing my experiences through what I expect to be another life-altering journey. With just 4 more sleeps until the big day, the last two months have already provided a rollercoaster ride of thoughts and emotions capable of making for some interesting reading. Putting my thoughts and experiences to paper (or computer in this case) on a daily basis will not only give me a daily goal but it should also prove to be quite cathartic through the long recovery process. Hopefully for you it will also prove to be educational and even entertaining at times.

Fortunately for me, to this point at least, the words open-heart surgery have been followed by phrases such as, “you’re relatively young and healthy”, “it’s a good thing we caught this now” and most importantly “your prognosis is good”.

No doubt I would prefer not to go through this but as many who’ve won their own battle with cancer or fully recovered from OHS will suggest, the end result is a better state of being. For along with these scary words comes a paradigm shift that forces one to have a greater appreciation for what is important in life and to realize that living everyday is a privilege rather than a right.

For me the desire to continue life’s journey and perhaps even more importantly the desire to be a force in the life of my kids will no doubt be what gives me the strength to get through the next few days, weeks and months. So stay tuned, it should prove to be an interesting ride!

What a difference a few days makes - Go Canada

2008-08-21T17:20:00.004+10:00

On the very day I wrote the previous post about the Canadian athletes being shutout of any medals at the Beijing Olympics we broke through with 3, one of each color!
Since then we’ve been moving up the charts thanks to a number of different disciplines. As of today the Canadian medal count stands at 13 putting us in 13th place if you consider the overall medal count and 19th if you take the number of gold’s. That’s not a bad 4 days and the best part about it is I was able to watch it all on Canadian TV! There’s been some fun ones to watch, like Simon Whitfield’s silver in the triathlon. The men’s eight team taking gold in rowing once again shows we have a pretty good program in that discipline. And finally long time Olympian Ian Miller gets to stand on the podium with a silver medal in the equestrian events!
According to this article there looks to be a few more good opportunities for medals in the last 4 days of competition so the chances of surpassing previous years totals looks pretty good. Go Canada!

Canada Olympic Team Boycotts Beijing

2008-08-17T03:43:00.004+10:00

Is there a Canadian Boycott of the Beijing games? Please tell me yes, it would make me feel a lot better about the current medal standings. I thought I saw the team come out during the opening ceremonies but maybe they started the boycott after that?
From a Canadian perspective being in the states watching the games with US coverage is always a nightmare. You really can’t get anymore of a one sided perspective. In years past when this has happened to me there were at least a few bright spots I could point to among my American friends. Some highlights were rather short lived like Ben Johnson’s gold medal and declaring we had the fastest man in the world. We’ve had swimming success in the past with Alex Bauman coming to mind and of course our synchronized swim team has always done well. Hey don’t laugh my mom was a synchronized swimmer. Our rowers and shooters have always been in the top ranks; perhaps those events have not started yet.

During a recent conversation with a Canadian friend now living in the states we both had to admit how embarrassed we are with this years showing to this point by our home country heroes. As of today there are 55 countries with at least one medal and Canada is not one of them – what the *&%*@# is up with that?
So I took a quick look on the net today to see just how badly we are doing in comparison to years past and well, we’ve never really done very well except during the boycott of the LA games by the USSR and company.

Canada’s results in years past.
Athens (2004) 21st place with 12 medals
Sydney (2000) 24th place with 14 medals
Atlanta (1996) 21st place with 22 medals
Barcelona (1992) 11th place with 18 medals
Seoul (1998) 19th place with 10 medals
Los Angels (1984) 6th place with 42 medals
Moscow - boycott
Montreal (1976) 27th place with 11 medals

So I guess I should not be so disappointed at this halfway point. After all when we hosted the games in 76 we only had 11 medals. I guess it really comes down to watching extremely biased coverage on NBC and the US sports networks. This is difficult for Americans to understand, because as you know the world revolves around the United States.

I’ll be back in Canada for 4 days very soon and I look forward to some Canadian coverage of the games! For those Canadians feeling the same way I am I found this article in the NY Times today worth reading. Here's another page of Top 10 Canadian Olympic Moments.

Go Canada!

Large LA Earthquake From the Top Floor Downtown

2008-07-30T07:03:00.003+10:00

A 5.8 quake rocked my birthday world today. At precisely 11:42 LA time this day started with a bang!

Wholly shit! Guess I’ll remember this one!
I’ve felt my share on Saipan and in a few other places but not like this.

What made this especially scary was not only seeing how much the building moved but also the fact I’d just left the kids, Mom and Nana waiting for the elevator on the top floor of a building built in 1925. I’d barely taken two steps back into our 83-year-old room when I was forced to stumble and catch my footing. It nearly knocked me over!

Boom! It was quick! Time enough for a “wholly shit” realization and a real quick coyote breakfast (Coyote breakfast = A quick look around and a piss). No I’d didn’t loose control of my bodily functions but, man that was scary. The walls were moving and bending, no question about it. It felt and looked like feet but I doubt it was that much although it did knock things off the TV and cause drawers to open. With the streets of downtown LA far below our window it did briefly enter my mind to run and take a look at the action below.

Instead I turned and ran out the door to see (thankfully) the stroller coming towards me with adults looking a little uncomfortable to say the least while the kids where carrying on quite normally.

Twelve flights of stairs later my heart was still going and I can tell you it wasn’t from the physical exertion of caring a 2 &1/2 year old all the way down. It took a good 10 minutes in the lobby with everyone there talking about what had happened before the legs didn’t feel quite so shaky and the ticker had lost that flight or fight response!

Mom and Nana were happy not to have gotten in the elevator; a few seconds latter and they would have been on the ride of their lives. I’m not sure how keen the little one would have been from that point on for her much-anticipated Alligator rides (Alligator = Morgan for elevator)

I’m not sure how keen I am of staying here tonight but for now there’s a birthday to remember!

Here's the BBC story.

Saipan Tribune Favors Monument

2008-07-28T11:30:00.003+10:00

In case anyone missed it here's the link to the editorial published in the Saipan Tribune today.
Obvious support with some good points. Here it is......

Marine Monument: Good for the CNMI, good for the environment

Since the decline of the local garment manufacturing industry, the CNMI has struggled to revive its economy and reinvent its image in the eyes of the world. Now we have that chance with the White House considering the waters around our northern islands as the site of a future national marine monument-a golden opportunity to capitalize on one of our region’s greatest assets, the fragile and unique ecosystem of our oceans.

History is full of economic success stories born out of environmental preservation efforts. Take Kalispell, Montana. Founded in 1891, Kalispell began as a station stop on the Great Northwestern Railway. After the railway sought to promote Montana’s wilderness as a tourist attraction, it lobbied Congress for help and in 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation designating the nearby wilderness as Glacier National Park. Today, Kalispell is known as the "gateway" to Glacier with a thriving tourism economy-Need a hotel near Glacier? You’re going to Kalispell. Need gas to tour the park? Stop in Kalispell. You get the idea.-and has grown to become the largest city in its region of the state.

Countless places throughout the world share the same story. Look at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, near Grand Teton National Park, or Banff, in the Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Ecotourism has brought them significant economic growth, jobs and a promising future. With a national marine monument, the CNMI could have the same.

A more direct comparison to bear in mind is the Papahanaumoku National Marine Monument in Hawaii established by President Bush in 2006-a key step in fostering his so-called "blue legacy" of ocean conservation-which draws $10 million in annual funding alone, according to a recent study released by the Pew Charitable Trust, the organization that is spearheading the monument campaign here in the CNMI.

Economic statistics on the Hawaiian monument are scarce right now, the study notes, but just one 15-person trip by tourists into its waters results in $75,000 worth of spending. The same study found that a monument here in the CNMI could spur up to $10 million in tourism spending each year, and create hundreds of new and much needed local jobs.

Yet perhaps more important than the economic impact of a marine monument is the dire need to preserve our ocean waters for the future. The world’s oceans are now threatened with a slow death due to over-fishing and pollution. Ocean scientists have warned, for example, that if these problems continue at their current rate, 90 percent of the world’s seafood supply will be depleted by 2050. Already, a continent-sized swath of water in the Pacific is engulfed by a swirling mass of plastic garbage that threatens marine life and litters beaches, a problem with no foreseeable solution in sight.

Meanwhile, global warming is taking its toll on ocean life in the CNMI and worldwide. A recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report on the nation’s coral reefs revealed that researchers in the CNMI recently had to add ocean acidification-a process that occurs when ocean waters absorb carbon dioxide, prompting changes in pH levels that can harm a variety of aquatic species-to the list of threats facing local corals as atmospheric carbon levels continue to rise.

Pew is also poised to release a scientific report in the coming days composed of never before revealed data showing the proposed monument's waters are a hotbed of biodiversity and rare geological activity, placing greater urgency on the need to safeguard them for generations to come.

The Saipan Tribune is first and foremost a community newspaper. Our commitment is and always will be to do right by the people of the CNMI. And it is in that spirit that we are giving our endorsement to the proposed national marine monument. The proposal is the right plan at the right time, and was put forth for the right reasons. A national marine monument will benefit our local tourism economy and preserve a beautiful environmental gem. It is our hope that President Bush will establish the monument to give the CNMI the economic boost it needs and the environmental protections its waters deserve.

Coral Spawning on Saipan

2008-07-21T00:45:00.008+10:00

Four days after the July full moon! Get your cameras ready that's tomorrow!

It's that time of year again! Time for mother nature to take the spotlight, front and center but first a few local links you may wish to check out in preparation:

Peter Houk, DEQ marine biologist extraordinaire has written a great piece in Beach Road Magazine as well as in the Saipan Tribune this past week.
The Marianas Dive Forum has a thread going discussing the upcoming event and with any luck a few of our members will be posting pictures and video of the event as it happens or as quickly as they can get dried off and download some pictures and video!
There are also a couple of other links you many want to check out if interested in reading a little more about how corals regenerate themselves. This one from the University of Guam, and this one from our friends in Palau where the corals spawn following the April full moon. Here's a link from the BBC with its own video.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control I will not be in the water filming this years event. In fact I won't even be in the CNMI! Trust me I'm not happy about it. Last year shortly after the coral spawning Marianas Dive was born in part because many divers out here felt not enough information about Saipan's diving was made available for people to take advantage of. One of the things we pointed to was how the coral spawn could occur under our noses with very few divers knowing about it or knowing exactly when it would occur. Many people expressed frustration with our marine biologists from the government agencies for not giving this event the attention it deserves and a proper "heads up" to local and international dive communities.

Well not true this year! I'm happy to say, this year at least, it is unlikely many divers will miss this spectacle from a lack of being in the water. The information has gotten out there and I have no doubt, it is at least in part, due to the activities of this group - another feather in the cap for all of us at Marianas Dive. Now lets just hope mother nature does her thing as predictably as she's done year after year and the battery packs on all those cameras hold enough juice to capture the action in detail. Did I mention just how frustrated I am not being there to do my part in bringing this spectacle to your computer screen!

At the moment when you do a Google search for "coral spawn Saipan" the top hit is (sorry Greg) a very poor video from Greg Morretti. He'll be the first to admit he was just happy to be there last year and capture anything at all since right before the dive he lost what I recall to be his second camera in about as many months. He captured this on one he borrowed at the last minute from someone else on his dive boat.

Here's another link to a Youtube video that comes second on the list for that Google search. When I saw it the irony of where the feed comes from and what large marine park they discuss in the piece was not lost on me. Hmmmmmm what do you suppose next years news report on KSPN could look like given mother natures predictability and the possibility of us having our own internationally recognized marine monument. Please, for all of you against the proposed marine monument concept WATCH THIS VIDEO!

Pew's Role Defined

2008-07-18T04:53:00.005+10:00

I think one of the biggest issues in the area of the Marianas Marine Monument concept has been the role of the Pew environment group. It is true (at least in my opinion) that the organization has not done a great job of bringing this concept to the people in a manner that would be considered appropriate by most folks in this neck of the woods. In particular the underestimation of resources required on the ground and the need for "back room politics" comes to mind. Despite what most would consider a large financial capacity at their fingertips the job of coordinating and pursuing public education and support for the concept has fallen on the shoulders of a very small team, the local Pew coordinators Angelo Villagomez and Laurie Peterka. Over the past number of months many (including myself) have pointed to Angelo's approach as one of the factors behind some of the resistance encountered especially from that of local government officials and members of the indigenous populations. However, in all fairness to Angelo and Laurie the blame cannot be pinned entirely on them. Yes mistakes have been made but they have been up against a large, well-oiled machine in the form of WESPAC and pro-fishing forces. These lobbyist are well trenched in this region of the world and their capabilities are very real and very well designed to head off any attempt at reducing their own jurisdiction and control. Second, in some cases they (Angelo & Laurie) have been unable to react to issues in a constructive and timely manner partially because of what I can only characterize as corporate bureaucracy and misunderstanding from the top as to "how things work here in the CNMI".

At the heart of matter for many opposed to the monument concept is their opposition to Pew and the approach taken in bringing this idea forward. That is why I was pleased to read Jay Nelson's special to the Tribune in today's paper. I think it clearly shows that Pew's role revolves around bringing this concept to the people and that their motivation behind wanting to establish the monument comes down to a dedication for conservation of marine resources and ecosystems world wide.

Now, hopefully, people can look past the fact that an outsider has brought this opportunity to our door step and move forward in examining the benefits and pitfalls that may exist. In doing so it is my hope that our local government will ultimately do what is best for the people of the CNMI and ask for a seat at the table when developing the declaration and subsequent rules and regulations of the monument. If the Federal government does in fact pursue this designation Pew will essentially disappear and it will be up to the local population to develop a proposal that makes sense for the residents of the CNMI.

Here is Jay Nelson's article from the Tribune.

The Pew Charitable Trusts: Committed to ocean conservation

By JAY NELSON
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Editor's Note: Jay Nelson is director of the Pew Environment Group's Global Ocean Legacy, a project to protect some of the world's most spectacular marine environments.

Considerable recent press has been devoted to plans to establish a world-class marine park in the waters around the three northernmost Mariana Islands - Asuncion, Maug and Uracus. Letters, editorials and opinions have focused on both the benefits of the idea and on the non-profit organization, the Pew Charitable Trusts, which believes such a program would not only benefit the Mariana's marine environment and economy, but would also greatly enhance the reputation of the Mariana Islands as an environmentally friendly tourist destination.

The participation of people in CNMI in this very public discussion has been useful and healthy and will hopefully continue.

Worldwide, the oceans and their marvelous ecosystems are in trouble from global warming, pollution, overfishing and a host of other problems. But there are some places, like the Mariana Islands, where people still have a chance to preserve their cultural heritage and leave a wonderful environmental legacy for their children, while at the same time creating jobs and revenue that can improve the local standard of living.

Any new idea, however, is bound to stir interest and questions. So what of the Pew Charitable Trusts itself?

Pew, through its environmental arm, the Pew Environment Group, has launched a global effort to improve scientific understanding of the oceans, prevent the continued decline of fisheries to the benefit both fish and fishermen, and promote the preservation of particularly spectacular locations that have yet to suffer the devastating impacts of much of the world's marine environment.

Our efforts to encourage the establishment of a marine park in the Marianas are very much in keeping with our work around the world. Pew is an independent, non-profit organization governed by the same set of U.S. laws that apply to other charitable or non-profit groups, such as the Red Cross. We operate completely independent of government and business, although we try and work with both whenever possible. Moreover, as a non-profit, we make no money from our charitable work.

Pew has been a leader in advancing policies that improve lives, in Philadelphia where it is based, and throughout the world. Indeed, we are one of the most well-known, independent, non-profit organizations in the United States, running programs relating to education, culture, public health, the arts and the environment, among others. Our polling and information work is considered to be amongst the highest quality and most influential of its kind in the world.

For two decades the Pew Environment Group has been a major force in promoting sound conservation policies in the United States and, in recent years, internationally. The Environment Group is staffed by respected senior scientists, attorneys and policy specialists, all of whom have had significant prior experience in nonprofit advocacy, government and the private sector.

The Pew Environment Group focuses on reducing the scope and severity of three major global environmental problems: dramatic changes to the Earth's climate caused by the increasing concentration of global warming pollution in the atmosphere; erosion of large wilderness ecosystems that contain many of the world's rapidly vanishing plants and animals; and damage to the world's marine environment.

What led us to our work in the Mariana Islands was a number of factors. First, the environment in the waters around the northernmost islands has been little impacted by fishing or other extractive activities and is relatively healthy, containing some of the world's most unique geological features and ecology. Second, there is virtually no fishing in this area because it is so remote, and has never had the concentration of high-value fish that would make it a productive commercial fishing area. Third, it contains a portion of the world's deepest marine canyon and a host of native species, plants and other marine organisms that make it ecologically unique. And fourth, establishment of a marine park would actually benefit CNMI's economy through increased tourism and government support, in addition to generating jobs and revenue.

In the Mariana Islands, as in other areas of world where we are encouraging the establishment of marine reserves, we work with governments and the public to analyze the potential environmental and economic benefits of protecting these remarkable places.

The area being proposed for protection in CNMI is a spectacular complex of coral reefs, undersea volcanoes and deep ocean waters along a portion of the famed Mariana Trench. We believe this area will best serve CNMI both economically and culturally if it is conserved for education and research, for tourism and for future generations. We have sought to collect and disseminate information on the significance of this area and to bring this information to the attention of federal and local officials, as well as to better inform the people of the Mariana Islands about the area's natural values.

As part of our assessment of what a marine monument might mean to CNMI, three months ago we asked a respected economist at the University of Guam, Dr. Tom Iverson, to study the potential costs and benefits of such a designation. Dr. Iverson calculated that a marine monument would produce up to 400 new jobs and annually generate $10 million in new spending and $14 million in sales. He identified a number of potential benefits that would be created from a monument, many of which are related to the visitor industry and tourism marketing.

The establishment of parks or wildlife reserves, either on land or in the sea, is often a controversial process. There are always some individuals who do not believe that special natural areas should be protected from activities such as industrial fishing, mining, logging, and that these areas offer more value to people if their resources can be extracted for commercial gain. History, however, has generally proven this to not be true. The great parks of the world, places like Yellowstone or Yosemite in the western United States, or the spectacular game parks of Africa, provide far more benefit to people as parks than they ever would have if left unprotected. Protecting the waters around the three northernmost islands as a marine park will create much greater economic value for CMNI than commercial fishing or other extractive activities are every likely to produce. And at the same time, one of the world's most spectacular oceans areas will be protected for the culture and the people of the Marianas and their children and grandchildren as well as for the rest of the world.

Quite simply, we have approached the Mariana Islands as part of our overall mission to protect and conserve natural resources. In doing so, we seek to create a healthier and more sustainable environment for both people and nature. Our goal for the CNMI is to be a constructive advocate for an environmental opportunity that will not only benefit the local and global marine environment, but also the people who live here.

The decision on whether or not to designate a monument can only be made by government. If a marine monument is established, Pew will have no role in its management, and receive no compensation or benefit other than the satisfaction of knowing that a portion of the world's marine heritage is protected for future generations, while at the same time bringing certain economic benefits to local people.

Designation of an internationally recognized national-park-of-the-sea in the waters around the three northernmost islands of the Marianas will protect a portion of one of the world's premier marine ecosystems. It also will focus favorable global attention on the Mariana Islands, promote local tourism-including ecotourism-and establish CNMI's reputation as a global leader in marine conservation. As one of 15 protected areas within the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program, CNMI also would be able to take advantage of federal dollars devoted to public education and conservation. We believe this is one of those fortunate circumstances where conservation and economic development can work together for the benefit of both.

We encourage you to investigate this opportunity for yourself and look closely at its cultural and economic benefits. We look forward to continuing to work with the business community, your elected leaders and the public on this proposal.

Coral Triangle Meet the Trench Monument

2008-07-14T00:24:00.008+10:00

I wrote the following way back on October 14th 2007, long before I'd heard about the Mariana Trench Monument concept. There is a link to the original post here but, for those of you too lazy for an extra click I've cut and pasted it below. I thought it appropriate to look at this again given the Tribune article today anouncing the upcoming release of a Pew sponsored scientific study.

At the end of my original Coral Triangle Post I've taken a moment to address a few things that might relate to the marine monument currently being debated in the community.

Here's my original post on the Coral Triangle. By the way, "Coral Triangle" remains one of the biggest search engine key word searches people use to get to this site.

CORAL TRIANGLE

No, we're not trying to copy Bermuda and their famous triangle that seems to take planes, vessels and lives without warning.

No, in fact, we're talking about a region of the earths ocean described by the World Wild Life Fund (WWF) with this in mind...

"No other place on Earth is as rich and varied in marine life as the Coral Triangle. Spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Northern Australia, this extraordinary expanse of ocean covers some 5.7 million square kilometres. The Coral Triangle echoes the richness and diversity of the Amazon rain forest".

This map shows that most biodiversity occurs around Indoneisia and Papua New Guinea
However, the map below shows how the Northern Mariana Islands not only fall within the upper end of the triangle but they also establish a boundary line!
I realize the primary area of focus for the triangle is Indonesia and the surrounding countries but, it's important to note that we do sit within this important ecological zone.
We do in fact, contribute to the vast array of species this region accounts for. We have rare hard corals and other critters the scientific community recognizes as occurring here and perhaps no where else. In fact it was in my first year on Saipan that a group of researchers found 8 previously unnamed species of fish. See link here. Then on another survey this was a quote from the NOAA team after returning from the Northern Islands in 2003. See Tribune story here

“Many of these species are new records for these islands, as very few previous surveys have been conducted at most of these islands. Many species were also present in the size ranges at which they recruit from the plankton, or as very young juveniles,” the team said.

I think it's also important to note that in relative terms the scientific community has barely scratched the surface when it comes to surveying our vast waters especially up North. Who knows what else is out there just waiting to be discovered. We know there are plenty more dive sites around the Islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota that are worth discovering and going to on a regular basis. We also know that divers have witnessed the mating of two different species of nudibranchs a phenomenon that was previously just a theory but now thanks to Harry (The Nudibranch whisperer) it's been documented. Bottom line, when we say we are privileged to dive in some of the most diverse waters of the world it is true!

Now, isn't it just a little more appealing to live in the triangle that breeds diversity rather than swallow up ships and planes like a giant black hole. Perhaps just one more advantage we have over our Caribbean counterparts!

Coral Triangle & Marianas Trench = Synergistic Marketing!

Like I say, those were the original thoughts I had on the triangle when I first became aware there was such a theoretical boundary. Now, throw in the concept of having an internationally recognized "Monument of the Sea" including the deepest part of the world and it's easy to see how potentially powerful such a marketing combination could be. A monument designation with all the hoopla that would come form the Bush administration announcement would instantly and effectively focus positive attention on us from around the world. With ensuing federal funding from the NOAA sanctuary program this beacon of light in the pacific would likely shine for many many years if not forever and glow ever stronger with time. The spotlight and funding couldn't possibly do anything but benefit our tourism industry and the scientific community.

Take a close look at the map. Have you ever tried to go on a vacation, diving or otherwise, to one of the remote islands of Indonesia. With the exception of perhaps Bali, it's not usually to encounter flight delays or planes that just don't show up for days. If you go, prepare for an adventure and be very pleased if your travel time is any where close to what it says on your itinerary.
For our largest tourist markets Indonesia represents long, multiple flights while we offer single non-stop daily flights from both Seoul and Tokyo. With fuel surcharges going up for all flights but particularly noticeable for long haul trips we can also offer a more affordable and convenient excursions to the "Amazon of the Sea" than perhaps anyone else in the region. Now, build a world class visitors center with information on specie diversity within the coral triangle and the untouched wonders of the deep and yes, they will come AND yes, they will spend their money!

From a purely scientific point of view there has to be something said for lying on the edge of even an arbitrary boundary. I once had to do a paper for an economics class based on what happens in communities where artificial boundaries exist. Mine was pretty easy as I lived close to the US / Canada boarder where the "line" actually meant large beautiful homes on one side and fields of very little development on the other. My point is, if the boundaries of the Trench monument can be maintained so as to allow an entire ecosystem withing the Coral Triangle to go untouched by things other than mother nature it should provide a nice baseline for years of comparison to other less protected areas outside the triangle. A scientests dream come true I would imagine, especially in a world without many baselines!

The Pew sponsored economic study released a few months ago touched on how a stable, long term marine protected area would bring long term sustainable dollars from increased research and scientific voyages. With increased research (and research dollars) who knows what else they'll find, but one thing is true, they'll probably find more with more trips and more minds looking into it all! New species, cures for diseases........

Ultimately, if the local people demand a seat at the table, with any and all governing bodies deemed necessary to develop and maintain the park, than control of how it is used and how it will benefit the people of the CNMI will remain tied to local interests. Without the seat at the table and an open dialogue there is the potential to A) risk loosing a significant long term opportunity that would grow the islands economy and preserve a resource for years to come or B) have the monument designated without local input leaving everyone scrambling to get the needed balance and local control that can only come with meaningful participation from local representation.

The benefits are real and at hand NOW!

Emergency First Response at Dive Sites

2008-06-30T22:42:00.008+10:00

Ok, its been a while but, rest assured there are sound reasons why this blog has not been updated this month. First and foremost when your power goes out an average of 2 to 3 times a day for 2 to 4 hours each time something has to give. For me it has been this blog. Thanks CUC! Keep up the good work and everyone will leave island permanently!

Next I'd really like to suggest that Wespac has threatened my livelihood and thus stopped me from posting anything regarding the Marianas Marine Monument but, if I did it would have to be a well written joke. Fortunately they have not been able to change my opinion on the concept unlike many, many other people. Trust me there will be plenty more to come on this topic for sure!

So no, it's not Wespac's fault that posts have not been coming on a regular basis, it really just comes down to a lack of time since there is so much going on AND there has been a significant reduction in the ability to access a computer as a result of the power outages.

I intend to fill you in on some of the things that have happened over the past month in upcoming posts but right now I will start with a pretty exciting development that has taken months to put together.

State of the art First Aid Kits at Obyan, The Grotto and Lau Lau Bay.

A collaborative effort between The American Red Cross, G4S Security and Marianas Dive will soon see state of the art first aid kits available for use at 3 of our most popular Saipan shore dives. You may have read about this in last week’s tribune story here.
Self contained in one large pelican case, these units will include basic first aid materials, automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and oxygen (O2) delivery units. The cases will be brought to Lau Lau Bay, Obyan and the Grotto each morning by G4S security personnel and returned to headquarters at the end of each day. Already trained in first aid including CPR, the security guards will receive additional training on AED's and O2 delivery prior to implementation.
In addition the Red Cross will begin training divers interested in updating their CPR as well as getting hands on training with the AED and O2 delivery units. The first training session will get underway this Wednesday evening.

The idea of bringing this life saving equipment to these popular beach dives was first discussed between myself and John Hirsh from the Saipan chapter of the Red Cross following a death of a Korean tourist at Lau Lau Bay in November 2007. I wrote about that incident here. The bottom line is no one can say for sure that having this medical equipment nearby would have saved her life BUT it very well could have.

It is reported that anywhere from 200 to 300 thousand Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest every year. It is also estimated up to 50,000 (1/4) of these deaths could have been prevented if someone had initiated the Cardiac Chain of Survival, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) had been available for immediate use at the time of the emergency.

With regards to diving, delivery of 100% oxygen is the treatment of choice for all SCUBA injuries involving suspected decompression sickness (DCS) or air embolism. As divers we are taught to administer O2 immediately (if available) should a diver describe symptoms that could possibly be related to these types of injuries. The key here is "when it is available". As a first line treatment this program ensures that divers who require it will receive O2 in a timely manner and therefore give them the best opportunity to survive.

It is hoped that ultimately these kits will never be used. However, having them, not only for divers but also for non-diving tourists and residents alike, represents a proactive approach to establishing the safest possible experience for those who are lucky enough to enjoy our unique seaside attractions.

This also sends a positive message to the international diving community and in some cases may be a factor in influencing a decision to come and dive here. In effect we are saying "we have our shit together and value your life" more than the few thousand dollars its taken the Red Cross to deliver the units and begin the training. The bottom line, "in the unlikely event" that something should go wrong we are now prepared to deal with it in the best manner possible and that is priceless to many who might wish to dive our waters or even walk up the stairs of the Grotto.

Island Locator Article Now On Line

2008-05-26T16:35:00.004+10:00

I found out today that Alexie over at Island Locator makes available articles from her magazine on her blog. This months cover story is on NMC's President Carmen Fernandez. Here's a link to the September 2007 issue where you can read the full article on me and see the photographs of Eye Doctor extraordinaire Dr. Mark Robertson. I've also updated the Proud Parents post to include the article.