Hi all,
Yesterday was cold and wet in Melbourne so I spent the afternoon in an email conversation about birding with Kay Parkin from South Australia. She is another pelagic tragic like myself. The following is put together from the content of that string of emails.
We have realised that we are both afflicted with a previously un-described condition suffered by some birders. It is called Pelagidipphobia (pronounced pelagi dip phobia). By definition it is the fear of dipping by missing a pelagic boat trip. It also covers the associated fears of being in the toilet or on the wrong side of the boat when the mega rarity flies past. It is a serious condition and I have actually seen a grown man nearly cry when he was in the toilet as a Cooks Petrel flew past the boat. Pelagidipphobia is often referred to simply as Dipitus.
Dipitus symptoms increase with long periods on dry land and include heart palpitations, increased sweating, nervousness, obsessive studying of the BOM Marine and Ocean website and, in extreme cases, a craving for the taste of salt water.
Some sufferers develop avoidance behaviors. These avoidance behaviors, like moving inland away from the ocean to Axedale in central Victoria, as Marlene did, can often have serious consequences, especially financial ones as the sufferer is forced to drive long distance to attend support meetings, and are not recommended.
The only true hope is to receive help and temporary relief at these support meetings. They are held around the country at places such as Port Fairy, Eden, Eaglehawk, Southport etc. These support groups are known to work and Kay says “Yes, I used to hide in dark corners wearing wet weather gear and dark glasses. Now that I actively attend my support meetings I stand proudly in the open [deck] wearing wet weather gear and binoculars”.
Some people also feel that they can get some temporary relief by reading a paragraph or two of Onley or Harrison before bed. This is a contentious theory and there are others who claim that this only inflames the condition.
If you do not know the works of Onley and or Harrison you are lucky and will be unlikely to suffer from full-blown Pelagidipphobia.
Oh, and in case you are wondering therapists say there is no known cure. All that will help is extended periods of time at the edge of the shelf or beyond with like-minded people and, of course, the care and understanding of friends.
I hope that Kay, Marlene and my coming out like this will give some help to others.
Cheers
Jenny
A PS for non-sufferers:
Derek Onley and Paul Scofield; Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World. Peter Harrison; A field Guide to Seabirds of the World. ===============================
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Comments
3 responses to “Pelagidipphobia”
“By definition it is the fear of dipping by missing a pelagic boat trip.”
Would it be cruel of me to point out the similarities between this and some gambling behaviours I’ve heard of? Eg Making sure the weekly tatts ticket is bought in case the numbers finally come up, or not changing poker machines in case it’s about to pay out.
I think there’s quite a bit of gambling involved with birding. We bet our time and petrol money, etc, on every birding outing, sometimes quite a lot of it. Perhaps it’s the occasional win that’s part of the attraction.
There was a recent discussion here about techniques for finding grasswrens – do you walk or do you sit and wait? I’ve no idea which is really more successful, but I do wonder if part of the attraction of the walking technique is that you at least end up certain of feeling like you tried hard.
If the motives behind birding and gambling are in fact the same, I know which I’d rather do.
Peter Shute
Jen,
After ‘dipping’ on 4-‘lifers’ on the recent Southport Pelagic, I know where you are coming from….
(Salvins, Antarctic and Slender-billed Prion and Buller’s Albatross!)
Tom
******************************** Tom Tarrant Kobble Creek, Qld
http://kobble.aviceda.org
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/aviceda/ ******************************** ===============================
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Jenny,
Have you tried aversion therapy? Perhaps 3 months on one of the Bass Strait islands, in a small tent, on a diet of only pickled Mutton-bird might help 🙂
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
Hi all,
Yesterday was cold and wet in Melbourne so I spent the afternoon in an email conversation about birding with Kay Parkin from South Australia. She is another pelagic tragic like myself. The following is put together from the content of that string of emails.
We have realised that we are both afflicted with a previously un- described condition suffered by some birders. It is called Pelagidipphobia (pronounced pelagi dip phobia). By definition it is the fear of dipping by missing a pelagic boat trip. It also covers the associated fears of being in the toilet or on the wrong side of the boat when the mega rarity flies past. It is a serious condition and I have actually seen a grown man nearly cry when he was in the toilet as a Cooks Petrel flew past the boat. Pelagidipphobia is often referred to simply as Dipitus.
Dipitus symptoms increase with long periods on dry land and include heart palpitations, increased sweating, nervousness, obsessive studying of the BOM Marine and Ocean website and, in extreme cases, a craving for the taste of salt water.
Some sufferers develop avoidance behaviors. These avoidance behaviors, like moving inland away from the ocean to Axedale in central Victoria, as Marlene did, can often have serious consequences, especially financial ones as the sufferer is forced to drive long distance to attend support meetings, and are not recommended.
The only true hope is to receive help and temporary relief at these support meetings. They are held around the country at places such as Port Fairy, Eden, Eaglehawk, Southport etc. These support groups are known to work and Kay says “Yes, I used to hide in dark corners wearing wet weather gear and dark glasses. Now that I actively attend my support meetings I stand proudly in the open [deck] wearing wet weather gear and binoculars”.
Some people also feel that they can get some temporary relief by reading a paragraph or two of Onley or Harrison before bed. This is a contentious theory and there are others who claim that this only inflames the condition.
If you do not know the works of Onley and or Harrison you are lucky and will be unlikely to suffer from full-blown Pelagidipphobia.
Oh, and in case you are wondering therapists say there is no known cure. All that will help is extended periods of time at the edge of the shelf or beyond with like-minded people and, of course, the care and understanding of friends.
I hope that Kay, Marlene and my coming out like this will give some help to others.
Cheers
Jenny
A PS for non-sufferers:
Derek Onley and Paul Scofield; Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World. Peter Harrison; A field Guide to Seabirds of the World. ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================