Recent article about Captain Diana in Delaware Valley Nursing magazine

2006-05-01




From Florence Nightingale to Izaak Walton: One Nurse's Fish Tale Nursing and fishing seem like an odd combination, but a former army captain has found a way to link her two passions into an exciting second career. On Monday through Friday, Diana Stover, MSN, RN, is vice-president of patient services at Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital, Middle Township, NJ. But when the week- end rolls around, Stover transforms from Florence Nightingale to a female Izaak Walton. Along with her husband, Stover guides fishermen to the 'big catch' by chartering her boat off the coast of Cape May County, NJ. "It's great to meet people who love to fish and it's exciting to take people out who've never caught a fish," said Stover. "I like to see people have a good time and enjoy a memorable experience." GETTING SEA LEGS Stover has impressive credentials as a fisherman in her own right. Four years ago she battled a 100-pound blue fin tuna for an hour-and-a-half before she finally hauled it aboard the boat. Not bad for a former Iowa farm girl who hooked sunfish when she was a child. "We have a lot of corn there, but not much fish," she recalled with a smile. Long before she had thoughts of the sea, Stover became an Army nurse for six years through the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing Scholarship program, working first at Drake University in Des Moines and then at the University of Maryland. Discharged from service in Philadelphia as a captain in 1971, Stover nursed at several Philadelphia area hospitals including Thomas Jefferson University and Methodist Hospital, where she was vice president of patient services. Seven years ago, Stover and her husband, John Sowerby, got sand in their shoes and moved to the Jersey shore. She joined the staff of Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital, Cape May County, and he worked for a chemical distributing company. It wasn't long before the couple decided to start their sport fishing charter business called Cave- man Sportfishing. "I named it after my husband," the ebullient nurse said with a smile. "He is an avid fisherman. It's his business and I help him." The couple's latest venture has been quite an adventure for Stover, who was the only female student when she took a Coast Guard course for a captain's license during the early years of the business. She was also the only pupil to pass the course. Stover thoroughly enjoys each trip out into the ocean even when the fish aren't biting. "The other day I saw a whale six miles off the beach of Cape May," she recounted. "The whale surfaced and I could see its big tail. It came up three times. That was exciting."





NURSE SKIPPER Even when she's on the high seas, Stover never leaves her nursing skills behind. She often helps seasick-prone fishermen who board Hooked Up-the couple's SO-foot Carolina Classic boat-by offering nausea prevention tips to keep them from becoming green around the gills. Stover often advises the anglers to avoid alcohol before and during the excursion and obtain a prescription of scopolamine---a medical patch placed behind the ear to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting. If a passenger becomes ill during the trip, she instructs them to lie down and take it easy. "The (fishermen) like the idea of having someone medical aboard," she said. "But I've f9und the greatest cure for sea- sickness is to catch a big fish." HOME BY THE SEA Stover is no casual observer aboard the fishing boat. She helps her customers bait lines, chuck bait and reel in the fish and sometimes even sharks, after they've been hooked and shot in the water. "I enjoy the physical work on the boat," she said. "It's much different than what I do day-to-day in the hospital." And the rewards that Stover and Sowerby reap from Caveman Sportfishing go beyond a successful business. "It's a way for my husband and I to spend time together," said the nurse, " and for a few hours each weekend I get away from the telephones and the day-to-day demands. It's a different kind of challenge in my life."





Jake Schaad is a free-lance writer from Lower Township, NJ.