Extreme Crisis in Nicaragua

[URRACA]

Jorge Giraldez-Benard
Director de SOS


“ With the impending opening of the lobster diving season in Nicaragua, a tidal wave of paralysis is about to crash onto on the Atlantic Coast. “ There are no working decompression chambers on the Atlantic Coast. We kept our chamber running in Puerto Cabezas for 5 years, keeping the streets from being filled with wheelchairs, but we recently moved the chamber to Corn Island to offer wider availability to injured divers.” states Jorge Giraldez-Benard, Director of SOS International. The SOS chamber was also found to have deteriorated in the hands of the Regional Hospital Nuevo Amanerer and is in need of extensive repairs. In spite of fees charged by the hospital for hundreds of chamber operations, nothing was ever maintained.
SOS left a second decompression chamber behind at the Regional Hospital in Puerto Cabezas, but it, too, is inoperative. While under lock and key at the Puerto Cabezas Hospital, $6,000 US worth of oxygen masks were borrowed and not yet returned.
SOS is ready to help make both chambers operational, but that is an expensive proposition at an estimated $90,000 for the Corn Island chamber and $25,000 for the one in Puerto Cabezas. Until the compressors are opened and mechanically inspected, the exact costs are unknown.
It is the philosophy of SOS that each chamber must be operated and maintained by locals. Our Organization provide the hyperbaric training and the equipment.
SOS has never received one cordoba from the operation of its chambers. We felt that the host country and the fishing industry need to responsibly maintain and operate the chambers. Since that was not possible, SOS will manage the operation now. However, SOS has no funds available to make these chambers work and must rely on other interested parties for donations.
SOS would like to thank Sr. George Morgan for his recent assistance in moving the SOS chamber to Corn Island and for its storage in his fishing company warehouse.
We still need to buy land, build a clinic and repair the chamber…anyone that can gives us a hand with any of this can write to any of the directors below in your local areas.

e-mail Contacts:
SubOcean Safety Organization New Orleans, LA.
Bob Izdepski New Orleans LA.
Jorge Giraldez-Benard Miami, FL.
Juan Samuel Managua, Nicaragua
WEB SITE: http://www.suboceansafety.org