Fishing guides protect themselves from deadly rays
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:36 AM by Victor Limjoco
By Mark Potter, NBC News correspondent
Tonight's report on Nightly News about skin cancer prevention is the result of personal observations in the off-hours.
Whenever I have free time from work or home, I try to get out on the water to sneak across ocean shallows in a flats boat with a fly rod in hand. After years of doing this in the searing heat, I have noticed an important trend.
I see that more and more professional fishing guides and serious amateur anglers are paying very close attention to the sun and its harmful rays. Instead of wearing shorts and T-shirts, which used to be what everyone wore, they now opt for lightweight long pants, long sleeve shirts, sun gloves, broad-brimmed hats, even scarves and face masks, and lots of sunscreen.
One day, having lunch at a waterfront restaurant in Islamorada, I saw a guide coming in from a day on the water looking very much like a ghost, or The Mummy.
It was startling. He had on white pants, a white shirt, a white head mask covering everything but his eyes and a white hat. The only color came from his amber sunglasses, which really made him look eerie.
What he was doing was protecting himself from a very serious occupational hazard in the fishing industry and, actually, for anyone else who spends a lot of time outdoors--skin cancer, especially melanoma, the most dangerous form.
Bob LeMay is a veteran guide who spends most of his days on the water, primarily in the Everglades National Park. He told me recently he knows at least a half-dozen people who have died from melanoma and that he takes great care to protecthimself now. (Decades ago, when he was a young mate on a charter boat, he wasn't so concerned. Now he's quite serious about it.)
I often see Bob with his clients at the dock at Flamingo, Florida, and every time he goes out he's got on long pants, a long-sleeve shirt and sun gloves--even on the hottest days. Especially on the hottest days. And he says he sees a dermatologist every six months.
Veteran angler Sandy Moret and Florida Keys guide Dave Denkert tell us the same thing. They, too, are very careful with the sun, bundle up against it, and get regular check-ups.
Dr. Robert Kirsner, a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center applauds the fishing guides for serving as role models for other anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.
He's particularly concerned that too few Americans are getting screened regularly for skin cancer, especially since it can usually be treated successfully if caught early.
I'm often asked by friends if the long sleeve shirts, pants and scarves are too hot. My answer is that once you get used to them, you'll find they actually have a cooling effect by keeping the sun off your skin. It's something the nomads discovered a long time ago in the desert.
Sporting good stores are filled now with sun-protective clothing which is flying off the racks. Some of it's a little too colorful and bright for old-salt fishing guides. But it still works and could save your life. Not a bad trend to spot while drifting along on days off.
