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Cayman 2004 - Freediving World Record Event

Day 24 - The seas, they are angry

Waking up at 7am this morning wouldn't have made for such a nice 'good morning' if today was a record day. It's grey, raining and windy. This is the forecast till the weekend and it'll get worse. The estimate for tomorrow is winds gusting at 25-30 with a wave height 6-8' offshore. Diving's closed down at spots like Sting Ray City and some shore diving locations.

Today should be a day off, but not only are we going to see Dr. Glatz, now Mandy seems to have thrown her neck out. Right away we're calling in Tony who was a massage therapist in a previous life, and I try to remember which chiropractor I saw when I threw out my hip running in '98. After a quick breakfast, Mandy and I head off for George Town and to Cayman Chiropractic for an impromptu visit. Once there the lady working the front says they're full for the day, but after explaining what we're doing and what we need she tells us to have a seat and she'll see if she can fit us in.

Several National Geographics and a Home and Garden later Dr. Jamal Khan is taking us into the bone crushing room for an examination. "Stand and look forward" ... "Hand on head", and many questions and quizzes as he starts to work on Mandy's neck. First it's the odd assortment of Twister-like game maneuvers. Fifteen minutes later Mandy is looking like a pin cushion: acupuncture. This neck problem is REALLY going to get in the way, especially if it is as uncomfortable to breathe in as she says. We make morning appointments up until the last attempt day so she'll get to play even more Twister and Pin Cushion. Hopefully it won't affect her diving ... that much.

After the chiropractor we head off to Dr. Glatz's office. We're going to see him about the sharp, shooting pains in Mandy's neck around the Eustachian tube area to make sure there isn't a developing ear problem. First the good doctor places what looks like a bent fork in her nose and exclaims that everything she needs to equalize is there. Next it's the ears, and we look at them on the monitor. There's a little red in some areas, a little bit of a squeeze, but nothing more than the average 'hard' equalization that we all go through. Next is the throat. He plays a game with Mandy where he inserts two 2 X 4s into her mouth until she gags ;->. There's the riddle, swollen tonsils, she's probably fighting a cold. We're relieved that the pain isn't caused by the ears and that this problem won't effect her dive as long as she can equalize.

Now we're back at the Hyatt pool side to round up the troops. Martin, Tony, Nico and Bill have spent their morning by the pool while Mandy and I have been running around getting her fixed up. Tonight we'll catch the ferry to Rum Point for dinner and then back to get some rest. Tomorrow is another attempt at 81m for Mandy and Martin will go for the 100m mark in constant. Doc will exorcise his 34m demon, with me staying just slightly shallower so he isn't tempted to look 'down' at me.

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