On Wednesday, October 04, 2000 10:09 AM, Chuck Hopf wrote:

(snip)
> Up to now, the most exciting diving I have done has been to a depth of
5FFW
> in the pool retrieving lawn furniture.  I did have to fight off a few
> hummingbirds so it was a death defying free dive.

I'm almost certain that I remember reading somewhere that - following
stories about the US Navy training dolphins to aid in submarine detection -
one of the Pacific nation's Navies have invested inconsiderable sums in
developing specially trained teams of hummingbirds as anti-personnel
weapons.

Fitted with tiny satchels of explosive charges they detect underwater
saboteurs by sensing minute pressure changes on the water's surface - caused
by a body simply moving through the water.  Detonated at pre-determined
depths by hydrostatic fuses the charges - while not large or powerful enough
to cause harm to the diver - are sufficient in number to sound to the
diver's ear as though gas is escaping from their breathing system. Pop -pop-
pop - pop .... :-)

On surfacing, a second team of hummingbirds - with steel tips fitted to
their beaks - attack and rupture the diver's breathing hoses.

It's an inexpensive but effective weapon.  Sounds to me as though at least
one of those humminbird teams is on a training exercise in Cozumel!  :-)

Strike