Better than the Easter Bunny... (Update)

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The Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team responded to a stranding on the Point Beach near the Mannasqaun Inlet on Easter Sunday...

Upon arrival they found a Gray Seal on the beach near the Mannasqaun Inlet...

The above Seal was found on the beach and the team responded to monitor the seal and assist the Marine Mammal Stranding Center personnel once they arrived.

http://www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org/main.htm

The seal was removed from the beach area and transported to the Stranding Center with the assistance of the Rescue Dive Team and First-Aid personnel...

Happy Easter to all...

Asbury Park Press coverage:

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/NEWS02/704110450/1070

Additional post over at RightsideVA

http://rightsideva.blogspot.com/

P.A.D.I. Diving

www.padi.com

Ice Dive Training 2007...

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February 2007...

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Cold water Rescue Dive Training...

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The Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team conducted cold water rescue training this weekend in the coastal waters of central New Jersey. The team takes this opportunity to train and certify the divers in this cold water environment to ensure well planned and efficient responses to cold water drowning\rescue incidents.

Extreme cold water and ice conditions demand specialized training in the search, rescue, and recovery tactics used in this environment and continuing training is a must to maintain a ready status team.

The Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team is made up of a strong team of dedicated Scuba divers who are all volunteers and spend a considerable amount of their free time training and increasing their skills. They also volunteer much of their time supporting the Point Pleasant First-Aid team which they are associated with.

I am fortunate to know many of these Rescue divers and have trained and certified with many of the team members. I am able to return to the Jersey Shore every month or so to dive and train with this team and I find their dedication to the team and the community refreshing and commendable. This team spends a considerable amount of time diving and are usually in the water 2 to 3 times a week as compared to many teams that only train once a month if that. Unfortunately many First-Aid\Rescue teams have a large percentage of members who are in it to “Wear the Jacket” and be seen as part of the unit. Both the Point Pleasant First-Aid and Rescue Dive Teams have very impressive staffs that are also very visible in the community.

Team Captain and PADI master Dive Instructor Chet Nesley has been instrumental in developing the team and has incorporated many of the Dive Masters that he has certified into the Rescue Dive Team. Following is a description of this weekends training session…

“Did ice diver training today. Did surface rescue and did ice dive training for the new members Dan sager, Eric Poplick, Mark Ostovish. We have a lot of pictures, I'm sending them to you as I get them!" Dive and weather information, air temp 30f, water temp 29f, Visibility under the ice 0-5 feet."

A newspaper reporter was there, If it makes the paper I'll let you know.
Chet

Cold water rescues are not common for the fact is many people do not go into the water during these frigid conditions except in the case of an accident. Yearly “Polar Bear Plunges” are an exception and this team covers that event also with equipped divers in the water to assist those who choose to run into a frigid ocean…

Most cold water rescue scenarios involve a motor vehicle accident that results in the vehicle entering the water and submerged, and boating incidents. A remarkable fact in cold water rescue scenarios is a condition where the body will shut down to protect the “Core” system for survival purposes. This will extend the “Survivability” of the person in the cold water a considerable amount. I dug out my old Dive Master training manual and found the following description in “The Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving” which has an incredible amount of information about diving Physics, Physiology, equipment, and training procedures. Something that Chief Diver Chet Nesley required me to learn, and maintain, to keep my certification current…

"The Bradycardia response to apnea has sometimes been called tha mammalian diving reflex because it is found in diving mammals such as whales, seals and porpoises. The diving reflex in man is believed to have helped prevent deaths in near drowning accidents in youths in water below 50 degrees. Un these incidents, the near drowning victims have recovered with resuscitation, even after periods of 20 minutes or more without breathing. There are no apparent aftereffects."

"Physiologists believe the diving reflex concentrates the blood in the brain and heart, distributing the limited oxygen supply only to critical areas. That cold water on the faces seems to trigger the response explains why the diving reflex has been noted less in warm-water near drowning accidents…"

Out or area training...

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The team went "Out of Area" training up at the Highlands bridge at the entrance to Sandy Hook park. This training is needed to enhance mutual support of neighboring communities when needed in Rescue\Search situations. Many members of the team have dived this area in the past and it is also a popular site for Scuba training. The area around the bridge is known for its quick currents during tidal change and is a perfect environment for swift-water rescue training.

The team also took the opportunity to transport the hard bottom inflatable boat to be used in search & recovery training and to retrieve selected search items located by the team members. Divers were assigned with the task to search designated areas and locate\retrieve lost anchors common to this area. After this was completed diver-tow tactics were practiced in the swift water conditions under the bridge during peak tidal change...

Marine Mammal Stranding Center

"The Marine Mammal Stranding Center would like to send a special thanks to Chet Nesley, Flo Melo, Tom Conroy, Susan Lewicki and the entire crew of the Point Pleasant First Aid and Under Water Search and Rescue Squad. Their generous donation of an emergency backup generator will help ensure that our rehabilitation efforts and care will go uninterrupted during power outages. We would also like to thank Bill Deerr III for installing an exhaust fan for ventilation around the seal pens in our intensive care unit (ICU)."

Link to Stranding Center:
http://www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org/main.htm

Alex-Mac revisited...

Alex-Mac


The Dive Team went back to the wrecksite of the Alex-Mac at the request of the inurance company to survey the site and wreckage. They found the site still intatct but had been visited and some items missing such as the Props...


The team also sealed up the engine area to contain oil and diesel fuel from leaking at this time....

Troop Support...

Shark River Inlet

Members of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team have their photo taken with a special American flag before conducting a training dive at Shark River Inlet. This flag recently did a short tour in Baghdad Iraq with Ssgt. Harman of the "Four-One Element" of the 654th MP company serving in the war on terrorism. It was sent to Herb to have photos taken with his squad and returned to the volunteers of the "From Our Hearts" program that send weekly packages to troops in Iraq & Afghanistan. At this time the volunteers are sending out 160+ packages a week to the troops... http://fromrhearts.blogspot.com/2006/07/valley-packages-are-there.html

Since the flag has returned it has been photographed with numerous people who wish to send their greetings and thoughts to the troops back in a photo with the same flag. At the Augusta County Fair in Virginia photos with this flag included the Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Delegate Steve Landes, and many people attending the fair...

I am fortunate to know both Ssgt. Herb Harman and the members of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team. Herb is doing an outstanding job with his squad in Iraq fighting the war on terrorism and working with the people of Iraq to rebuild their country. The Dive team is a very important part of the Point Pleasant community and their dedication is yet another form of dedication to what makes this country great...

80 Feet Down...

July 2006 (Click on photos to enlarge)

Members of the Point Pleasant Beach Rescue Dive team responded to a call from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding a commercial fishing boat that was struck Tug boat pulling a barge resulting in the fishing vessel sinking with four crewmembers on board... Below is a story that appeared in the Asbury Park Press...

80 FEET DOWN - Divers survey sunken boat for pollutants
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 07/2/06
BY MARGARET F. BONAFIDETOMS RIVER BUREAU

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — Divers visited the Alex Mac on the ocean floor a third time to survey damage and prevent the engine from leaking pollutants.
A 16-year-old boy and his 39-year-old uncle died Thursday after the vessel sank about 8 p.m. following an incident involving a tugboat towing a barge with a cable.

Members of the Point Pleasant Beach Dive Team, under the direction of chief diver Chet Nesley, 53, of Dover Township, on Saturday visited the wreckage, which was 80-feet down. Nesley and Brandon Cadalzo, 26, of Point Pleasant, dove to the wreckage of the Alex Mac at the request from the Coast Guard and the insurance company that was insuring the boat and "to do a hull survey and plug the vents on the fuel tanks so there would be no pollution," Nesley said. "There was quite a bit of damage below the water line of the boat."

A tugboat called authorities to report a problem at sea Thursday and Tom Hurst, owner of Tow Boat US, which regularly donates its services in rescue operations, called Nesley and his crew at first word of the incident, Nesley said.

The party boat, the Gambler, rescued two crew members who were on a piece of wreckage from the boat. Nesley said they had hoped Thursday night when they first got to the wreckage that the two fishermen inside could be alive in an air pocket. Once he saw the severe damage to the hull, he knew there was no chance, he said.

Nesley located Mike Lantman, 16, in the engine room near the door Thursday night, he said. The team returned Friday morning to take him off the boat.

The State Police deep-water dive team went down Friday morning but could not locate the uncle. But when Nesley's team returned with Sue Lewicki, a dive team member from Old Bridge, she was able to find Tommy Lantman, 39, because she is small-framed and able to fit through a small hole in the boat.

"Sue is a good diver," Nesley said. "She thinks smart, is strong, and has tremendous courage."

"Everybody said a prayer over the bodies when we brought them on board," he said. "We feel the family can have some closure."

"This is a pretty tight community, the fishing community. We went out and wanted to recover these bodies for these people," Nesley said...

Public Education & Service

Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team

The members of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team serve their community in more ways then just providing water safety and rescue assistance. They are involved in the community in many aspects including conducting Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Safety courses as well as public education events.

The team has become a familiar and popular addition to the Aquarium at Jenkinson's Boardwalk in Point Pleasant New Jersey. They have provided many demonstrations and exhibits of the scuba diving in the area including underwater videos and artifacts found at local shipwreck sites.

Member Sue Lewicki of the Dive Team has conducted numerous exhibits showing the local marine creatures and the "Touch Tank" has become very popular with many visitors to the Jersey Shore...

The Dive team has also demonstrated the mechanics and effects of Scuba diving from inside the aquarium tanks for the public to view and learn. The public is able to view the divers in the water enviroment and watch demonstrations of underwater "Physics" such as this one showing the use of a lift bag to assist in the movement of heavy objects...

Memorial Day Weekend 2006...

Memorial Day Weekend 2006...

Memorial Day Weekend found it busy as always down at the New Jersey shore with the start of the Summer season. The Point Pleasant Dive Team responded to a call of a person trapped in the rocks of the Jetty at the Manasquan Inlet.

Upon arrival the team found a female who had been walking on the "Jacks" of the inlet and slipped on a wet area and pinning her ankle in one of the large concrete "Jacks". First priority was to ensure that th victim was protected from the surf hitting the jetty as well as working on safely extracting the female from her predicament.

The victim was removed from the situation with the use of about a gallon of liquid soap and a bit of effort by the team and other supporting members of the Fire department, Police department, and members from Jenkinson's Boardwalk... Fortunately the female was not injured seriously and was transported to the local hospital...

Members of the Dive Team pause for a photo on the beach. Dave Margentino, Sue Lewicki, Chief Diver Chet Nesley, Eric Popleik, and Jay Bayliss...

Then there is the "Paperwork" to be completed...

Click on photos to enlarge

"True Alarm"...

Mannasquan Inlet

Chet Nesley, Chief Diver of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team (Center in Photo) was involved in a water rescue last week when a fisherman on the Mannasquan Inlet "Jacks" discovered a woman in the water. The fisherman had seen Nesley with his truck performing Water Rescue training before he started fishing the area and advised Nesley of the situation.

The local Asbury Park Press reported: "The truck belonged to Chet Nesley, chief diver with the Point Pleasant First Aid Dive Team, who was practicing dives. Nesley was wearing a wet suit and rushed to help with the rescue while Samaritano held the victim's head above water. "I didn't want to move her" because he was afraid she had injured her spine, he said."

The full story can be viewed with the following link:
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605170366

These photos are not from the actual rescue but were taken during a Rescue Training exercise that the team practiced awhile back. Constant and consistent training results in the team and it's members being prepared for any situation that they are called to.

False Alarm...

Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team


Members of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team responded to a report of a man drowning off of Point Pleasant Beach at around 9:30 p.m.

Search was called off after about an hour after searching area beaches and interviewing people in the area... New Jersey State Police and the Coast Guard also responded to the call...

http://www.ocobserver.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/NEWS01/605020316&SearchID=73243532240316

Maintaining Safe Waterways...

Pt. Pleasant Rescue Dive Team

A local Jersey Shore Marina in Bricktown N.J. called the Dive Team after several boats had reported hitting something submerged in the waterways. The team located and removed a water-logged piece of pylon that was submerged and became a hazard to the navigational waterway. The Dive Team has also been used in the past to perform visual inspections of the submerged supports of bridges in the area. These inspections identified severe decay to the supports of the Mantaloking / Bayhead bridge which has since been replaced by a new bridge keeping this important access to the area open...

Training Continues...

Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

The training continues for the members of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team here at the Mannasquan Inlet. This is one of the busiest inlets for boat traffic in the area as well as a prime and favorite fishing spot for many locals. This is the perfect spot for the Dive Team to practice and improve their rescue skills. During daily tide changes a incredible amount of water flows thru this inlet and the current can be very treacherous to swimmers, fishermen, and boats not under power. In the background of this photo are the huge concrete "Jacks" that have been placed to protect the entrance of the inlet from coastal erosion. These jacks inter-link amongst themselves to provide two long jetties that fishermen use to get to the prime fishing spots. Underwater these jacks provide numerous "caves" and spaces that vary in different sizes. The Dive Team practices in this environment to ensure that they will be ready in the event of any type of emergency...

To dive in the waters of New Jersey during this time of year involves many equipment modifications and special items. The suits worn are "Dry Suits" for they do not allow water to penetrate to the skin or the diver. The diver is able to wear warm clothing while in the suit and water only comes into contact with the diver around the mouth area where the regulator is placed. The Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team is equipped with numerous forms of dive vehicles including the truck shown here. The team is able to respond to any assistance call in the area with the divers "suiting" up and preparing while enroute to the location. The Dive Teams also has and operates a Hard Bottom Inflatiable Zodiac boat to provide access to the beach and inlets from the open water...

Point Pleasant Polar Bear Plunge 2006...

The dive team members train all year round so to be ready to assist anybody in need in any conditions. These members know that they must be ready and prepared to respond to numerous types of emergencies...

The Polar Bear Plunge has become a yearly favorite of locals and the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team is always ready to assist...

Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team...

Members of the Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team train every weekend and numerous times during the week when not assisting the First Aid Squad. These members created this Dive Team under the direction of PADI Scuba Instructor Chet Nesley.

Training involves all weather conditions and special training continues into adverse weather and water conditions. The Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team constantly trains in adverse conditions where most rescues are required. The team believes that it is very important to train often in these conditions to ensure they are ready at all times...

The team also raised enough money to purchase a hardbottom inflatiable Zodiac to be used offshore and along the beaches to ensure total coverage...