Blog Profile / Mario Vittone

Call for Videos from Tough Mudder Mid-Atlantic 2013

Since writing about the tragic death of Avishek Sengupta at a Tough Mudder event in West Virginia, I have received dozens of emails and comments regarding the event. Some have agreed with my opinions, and some have not. But there is a way that we can all be more sure of what happened that day. [...]

Dogs and Boating – The USCG Has Some Tips

My personal favorite life vest for pups is the MTI Adventure Wear – Underdog!    

Dangerous Distance

Boating is about getting away from it all, but if you don’t consider all of the things you are getting away from – like hospitals – you can wish you were back in civilization pretty quick.  In a post at Yachting, I wrote that “a safe boater fully understands and considers the hazards, and makes decisions about [...]

Drukning ser ikke alltid ut som drukning

Translations: - English  ?? - ti?ng Vi?t - Español - Italiano -  Français - Magyar - Português - român? - Deutsch - Suomi - Svenska -  ?eština - ?????? -Íslenska - Nederlands - Audio Version Den nye kapteinen hoppet fra dekk, fullt påkledd og spurtet gjennom vannet. Show More Summary

Cape Disappointment – Training Ground for Really Bad Days

The crew at USCG Station Cape Disappoint work in a place where heavy seas and surf aren’t just possible, they are damned likely. The station’s back yard is the Columbia Bar – one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world with the most consistent rough water in the U.S. What does the station like [...]

Update: Tough Mudder – Witnesses Say Rescue Was Slow

A recent article by Andrew Metcalf at Patch includes witnesses describing the rescue efforts (or lack of rescue efforts) after Sengupta’s friends reported that he did not surface from the jump.  Nicholas Sayers was at the Walk The Plank obstacle watching his sister participate in the Tough Mudder: …it seemed like almost five minutes passed before a [...]

The Unaccounted for Variables – Where Tough Mudder Failed

I was saddened to hear of the death this past Sunday of twenty-eight year-old Avishek Sengupta, who drowned at a Tough Mudder event in West Virginia. Saddened, but not at all surprised. Tough Mudder is one of those pay-to-play obstacle challenges that allow anyone with an entry fee and the willingness to sign a waiver [...]

CG Remember: Remembering our Fallen Coast Guard Shipmates and their Families

I still remember the first time ME1 (formerly MK1) Sean Lawler called me up to tell me about this guy who decided he was going to run the Keys 100 (in Key West, FL) in remembrance of Coast Guard members who’d fallen in the line of duty. To put it bluntly I thought it was [...]

Images from Bounty – 2008 – Slideshow

This may take a while to load – but it’s worth it. For print copies of any image, contact the photographer at http://www.robertdemar.com/

Protected: Why?

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

A vízbefúlás nem látszik vízbefúlásnak

Translations: – English –  ?? - ti?ng Vi?t – Español – Italiano -  Français – Português – român? – Deutsch– Suomi – Svenska -  ?eština – ?????? -Íslenska – Nederlands – Audio Version Az új kapitány ruhástul a vízbe vetette magát a fedélzetr?l és teljes sebességgel úszni kezdett. Show More Summary

Diminishing Returns – Why Smaller Isn’t Always Better

Ocean Signal and Datrex recently introduced the world’s smallest Personal Locator Beacon, the rescueME PLB1.  Almost immediately, reviews of the product have been positive.  How could smaller not be better? The miniaturization of electronics has made lots of safety equipment easier to carry and use.  However, this particular product is maker me think about the [...]

Redefining Limits: The Hidden Value of Hard

Deadliest Catch?

This is a post where I feel compelled to put the disclaimer right up front:  The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the United States Coast Guard. (There – now that we’ve got that out of the way….) Alright gang, I’ve officially had [...]

Swim at Your Own Risk

My good friend Vincent Daniello was spending the day with his family at the beach in Ogunquit, Maine.  It should have been a fun time in the sun and surf, but Vince was finding it very hard to cool off.  Being a conscientious dad, he doesn’t swim at unguarded beaches – especially with his kids [...]

A Letter on Their Hearts

It's time to start writing my own letters to my children and to my friends. It is time for all of us to start writing. We shouldn't wait. As I've always looked to my parents I know now that our children always look to us with the same unanswered question just behind their hearts. Show More Summary

Is Parasailing Safe?

I’ve never done it, but it was on my list.  Parasailing; it just looks like fun, doesn’t it?  After spending most of my life evaluating what is safe or going after people who weren’t, hanging from a parachute high above the water seemed like a great way to have fun. The view has to be [...]

Boy Nearly Drowns at Phoenix Hotel

Hotel employees trained in CPR helped a father revive his drowned son. Keeping a constant watch and staying in arms reach of his small child would have been a better plan, though I think he just learned that the hard way. Stay within arms reach of your small children whenever they play in the water.

The 2012 GAP Attention Survey

I have a confession; I’m not a very big fan of data.  It leaves too much information out and allows too many assumptions in and it seems to always provide more questions than answers.  But if there is one thing about data I have come to love, it’s that it is an awesome tool in [...]

Friends from the NDPA: The Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation

For more information of the amazing work being done by Blake and Kathy Collingsworth in drowning prevention: http://www.joshuamemorial.org/ http://www.joshtheotter.org/