Florida Waterways:

“Wearing Protective Gear While Fishing”

CAPTIONS: 
Two well-protected fishermen 
The author with a mask 
Young fisherman with a big hat 
The place to begin with sunblock 
Stop Melanoma sign 
A good hat for hunting and fishing 

I spent a recent weekend in the Bradenton area of Florida, fishing with my younger son and his wife on the Gulf of Mexico. Having lived in Florida much of our adult lives, we know now to wear protective headgear and even face-gear while on the water. Notice the face mask my daughter-in-law and I are wearing, masks that might not be good when entering a bank, but really effective on the water.

Combined with a large floppy hat that covers the ears, a thin protective face mask that can also cover the ears and mouth and nose is smart. I’m also wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, which may be a little hot on a sunny day, but it’s worth it. I’m always surprised to see totally bald fishermen on the water without any protective head gear.

I once had a Maine sea captain tell me how to apply sunblock: begin by dabbing it on the BACK of the hands, a place that people often forget to put sunblock on. Putting the lotion there first is a good way not to forget that sensitive skin area.

Having spent my teenage years at the beach baking in the sun, and reasoning (incorrectly) that a sunburn at the beginning of the summer would make me more immune to the sun in July and August, and also being Irish-American, I know that I am more susceptible to skin cancer in the Sunshine State, so I take precautions in my old age, and now see a dermatologist twice a year. He usually tells me that I’m paying the price for my fair Irish-American skin and my crazy, sun-burned teenage years.

I’ve read that over nine thousand people every day are diagnosed with skin cancer in this country and that every year over 161,000 people are told they have melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. When I give lectures on cruise ships before we dock in a sun-drenched place like the Caribbean or the Aegean, I include an image of a hat, sunblock, sunglasses, and long-sleeved shirt as a warning how tough the sun can be on fair-skinned people, but relatively few people seem to heed my words.

Those of us living in the Sunshine State know how treacherous the sun can be, but – with a little bit of foresight and care – we can live a long life and catch lots of fish.

By Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy, the author of St. Jerome: An Illustrated Biography (2019, available at amazon.com), can be reached at ceyhankevin@gmail.com.