{"id":27138,"date":"2024-06-04T10:45:06","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T14:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/?post_type=dan_alert_diver&p=27138"},"modified":"2024-06-04T10:45:14","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T14:45:14","slug":"for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost","status":"publish","type":"dan_alert_diver","link":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s odd to be thinking of Benjamin Franklin while in an ambulance driving from the border between Myanmar and Thailand to a recompression chamber in Phuket, but his quote rang in my head that day: <\/strong>\u201cFor want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.\u201d My nail, metaphorically speaking, was a cap for a synch plug on my housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes. My solution was to rig both housings with wet connectors called EO pigtails, which went into the regular sync socket, allowing me to connect and disconnect my strobes underwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took off one of the pigtails but accidentally left open the synch port while at Richelieu Rock, one of Thailand\u2019s most iconic dives. My housing wouldn\u2019t flood because of that, but it wouldn\u2019t fire the strobe due to the electrical short circuit from exposure to salt water. That\u2019s the backstory of what went wrong. The real story is how it went wrong and how I could have avoided it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

The dive was outstanding, with lots of fish, soft corals, and remarkable visibility. I shot the film camera first. It took me 15 minutes at 80 feet (24 meters) to run through my 36 frames. When I switched to my digital housing, it wouldn\u2019t fire the strobe because of the flooded synch port. What I should have done, and what would have saved the whole situation, was to be happy with what I had, do my safety stop, and shoot digital on the next dive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, in my photography-induced addiction I raced to the surface so I could dry out the port, add a new strobe cord, and return to the dive. I thought I could do it quickly before the bubbles in my body figured out the reduced pressure from being back on the surface. That was stupid in retrospect, and I didn\u2019t fool my physiology. I had omitted my decompression obligation and got decompression sickness (DCS) \u2014 the bends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Schooling
Schooling redtail butterflyfish and bluelined snappers congregate at the Richelieu Rock dive site. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Once it happens, there\u2019s no taking it back. I felt the bubbles lodge in my neck and knew what would happen next. The crew would give me oxygen at the surface and call Divers Alert Network, who would arrange to facilitate my treatment. I\u2019d be evacuated to a recompression chamber and be done diving for the week. This trip was long before I had any affiliation with DAN \u2014 I was just another underwater photographer who was too greedy with photo ops. The DAN medic on our satellite phone call had heard it all before and knew exactly what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was complicated because Richelieu Rock was the last dive before we were scheduled to cross to Myanmar from Thailand. The ambulance crew couldn\u2019t accommodate immigration procedures, so I had to stay on the Thailand side of the border for evacuation to Phuket for treatment while my buddies sailed off for their night dive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I remember it as a two-hour drive on rough and winding roads, but when I arrived in Phuket I was admitted to a beautifully modern hospital with an acrylic-tube recompression chamber. I had received treatment for DCS before, but it was in a large multiplace chamber in Oahu after a DCS event in Vanuatu. This chamber was far less intimidating. I could lie on my back and watch movies through the chamber\u2019s transparent walls while breathing oxygen at the depth my treatment tables proscribed. I even took pictures of the chamber and my doctor before I climbed in, not knowing I would need the photos 20 years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The treatment went well, and many symptoms resolved with a single treatment. They treated me again the next morning for the lingering symptoms. After the treatments I still felt rough, with a compromised gait and tingling in my fingers. Some symptoms will only be cured in time, which is what my doctor advised. I had to take it easy for a while, drink plenty of fluids, and let my body heal from the trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"The
The recompression chamber at Vachira Phuket Hospital is among several now available in Phuket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Stephen
When Frink was temporarily restricted from diving after the accident, he enjoyed some snorkeling opportunities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Confident in my recovery, I had to figure out a way to rejoin the boat. I had chartered the liveaboard for a photo tour and wanted to be back on board with my friends, even if I was restricted to snorkeling for a while. They were just crossing back into Thailand after their scheduled three days of diving in Myanmar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timing was lucky for me as I was able to hitch a ride in an ambulance returning to the border, but unfortunately it was to evacuate my friend Dennis Liberson, who had been run over by the dive dinghy. The propeller had cut off his fin and badly lacerated his foot, and the hull gave him a massive contusion on his shin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the causation \u2014 my stupidity and his misfortune \u2014 DAN was there for us in both of our accidents. They arranged and paid for our evacuations and treatments. Liberson spent five days in the hospital and missed his normal flight home, but DAN assisted with his return travel arrangements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve made scores of trips together since then, and the common thread of our trip preparation has always been to not leave without our cameras and our DAN member cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: You can read about Liberson\u2019s accident at https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/prop-accident<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 Alert Diver<\/em> \u2014 Q2 2024<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes. My solution was to rig both housings with wet connectors called EO pigtails, which went into the regular sync socket, allowing me to connect and disconnect my strobes underwater.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":27134,"template":"","dan_alert_diver_categories":[76],"dan_alert_diver_issues":[491],"class_list":["post-27138","dan_alert_diver","type-dan_alert_diver","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","dan_alert_diver_categories-dan-was-there-for-me","dan_alert_diver_issues-q2-2024"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFor Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost - DAN World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"id_ID\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DAN World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-04T14:45:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/\",\"name\":\"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost - DAN World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-04T14:45:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-04T14:45:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"id-ID\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"id-ID\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Frink checks out the camera table on a liveaboard\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/alert-diver\\\/article\\\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/\",\"name\":\"DAN World\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"id-ID\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"DAN World\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"id-ID\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/DAN-World-logo-sm-52px.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/DAN-World-logo-sm-52px.svg\",\"width\":175,\"height\":52,\"caption\":\"DAN World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/world.dan.org\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost - DAN World","description":"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/","og_locale":"id_ID","og_type":"article","og_title":"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost","og_description":"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes.","og_url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/","og_site_name":"DAN World","article_modified_time":"2024-06-04T14:45:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital.","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/","url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/","name":"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost - DAN World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-04T14:45:06+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-04T14:45:14+00:00","description":"It was 2004, the dawn of digital photography, and I was conflicted about whether to shoot film or digital. I had brought housings for both cameras with me to Thailand. Carrying two housings on a dive was ponderous, but I could manage it if I didn\u2019t take two sets of strobes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"id-ID","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"id-ID","@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Q2_110_DAN_WasThere-1200x600-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":600,"caption":"Frink checks out the camera table on a liveaboard"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/alert-diver\/article\/for-want-of-a-nail-the-battle-was-lost\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"For Want of a Nail, the Battle Was Lost"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/#website","url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/","name":"DAN World","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"id-ID"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/#organization","name":"DAN World","url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"id-ID","@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DAN-World-logo-sm-52px.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DAN-World-logo-sm-52px.svg","width":175,"height":52,"caption":"DAN World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dan_alert_diver\/27138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dan_alert_diver"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/dan_alert_diver"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"dan_alert_diver_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dan_alert_diver_categories?post=27138"},{"taxonomy":"dan_alert_diver_issues","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dan_alert_diver_issues?post=27138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}