A scuba diver has died from a shark attack off the coast of Mexico. 35-year-old Nahum Verdugo Aguilera was visiting the resort city of Puerto Penasco in the North Western state of Sonora, on the Gulf of California, when the incident occurred. He was originally from the state of Baja, and was said to be a good scuba diver. Police reported that the shark encounter happened around 11am when the victim went out spearfishing with his friends. His friends said the incident happened almost immediately when he entered the water. The shark which the type and size has yet to be determined completely ripped off his left leg at the hip, and caused other trauma to his torso. Other Spearfishermen fishing with him found him floating on the surface, and quickly pulled him into the boat to render first aid, and get him to medical attention. However, the divers were not carrying any first aid equipment like marine tourniquets, surf first aid kits, or other marine grade life saving medical devices so they were unable to render first aid to save his life.
Shark attacks, while rare, seem to have an increasing probability due to a variety of factors, such as, but not limited to the following:
More people in the water
Larger shark populations
Global Warming
Ocean Pollution
Migratory and hunting territory changes
Over fishing
Entering the ocean or any environment for that matter demands preparation and respect for the environment and its locals. For example, as a surfer paddling into the lineup at the Banzai Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, with preparation and respect for the locals will get you hurt in a number of ways. The same holds true for any of the following:
Boating
Fishing
Spearfishing
Freediving
Scuba-diving
Wake surfing
Kite surfing
Wind surfing
Surf Life Saving
Etc…
Water safety and other medical professionals such as lifeguards, and emergency medical providers recommend carrying tourniquets, and other first aid equipment that are 100% marine-grade, and or surf / water specific. Having the right tool for the job, means having the right tool designed for the environment you may have to use said tool. Not all tourniquets are created and or function the same. The water is and always will be a mitigating factor that inherently complicates relatively simple procedures and protocols immensely. A tourniquet that may be successfully used on land, may not work well in water. For example, the United States Marines have found that windlass bar style tourniquets are impossible to apply to a swimmer in distress in the water, and that’s just one of the disadvantages for that style of tourniquet. To date the most effective tourniquets for the water and marine environment are made by OMNA. OMNA Tourniquets water effectiveness is due to their design being 100% marine-grade, with every detail and component being engineered for, and optimized for water use, exposure, and tourniquet application. To read more about the OMNA Advantage visit their website by clicking the hyper linked text.
