Category: Uncategorized

Scuba Physiology: Equalization

I’m sick! I think it’s a head cold that could turn into a sinus infection if I’m not careful. Unfortunately, this means I can’t dive while I’m ill.

I’ve met plenty of divers who still go out when they’re feeling under the weather– and they’ve been fine– but the potential for complications and injury are high when you’re sick in certain ways. Anything involving your sinuses or inner ear could more easily lead to an injury that ends your diving career.

A traumatized sinus will eventually heal, but it will take a long time and it might be too sensitive in the future to handle the kind of pressure changes that happen during scuba. A blown-out eardrum on the other hand doesn’t heal or repair itself, so a diver will need surgery. Even then they probably won’t be able to dive in the future.

Don’t dive sick! It sucks to lose your deposit, and its a pain to change your plans, but in the end it’s worth it not to suffer through a major injury that could stop you from diving forever.

Zine Submission: Polar Lights (Spot Pieces)

I joined a charity zine in December ’25 called Polar Lights. It’s focused on Arctic and Antarctic life, and participants can submit written and visual works based on an appropriate animal.

Someone wrote a very cool piece about Spotted Seals, and last minute asked if anyone in the group would be able to create some spot pieces for their story.

Spot pieces are small works of art that accompany text. They’re placed on the pages with the text, rather than being a separate illustration on a separate page.

I whipped these up and submitted them for consideration. I adore seals and sea lions so this was very fun for me!

Polar Lights was published on April 6th, 2026 and you’ll be able to see my full art piece I made for it, plus my spot pieces accompanying a wonderful written work! You can:

Find the publication [here] for a cool $2 USD

Find past issues [here]

That $2 goes to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition , so in addition to viewing some amazing art you’ll be donating to a good cause. Neat!