Scuba Diving Equipment » Dives

Passions of Scuba Diving – Free Diving

admin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 06:46:05 +0000

The Passion Of Diving

For many people that have been diving for a number of years I feel have lost touch with the peace and incredible beauty that is held within the holds of our magnificent oceans. Due to the nature of my business I speak with many divers, Scuba Divers, Free Divers along with hunters and spear fishermen. Generally hunters and gatherers look upon our oceans as being a means of providing food or the enjoyment of catching Crayfish along with the sport of hunting. But for the videographer, photographers, conversational divers as well as new divers I feel they see the ocean in a whole different light.

I have only been diving a few years now clocking up over 800 dives yet I still marvel at the glorious creations that are held within this watery world that I feel so at peace in. Even the sharks that cruise the depths all have a unique role to play in the everlasting life cycle as long as man does not break and kill this life source of our planet. I am a hunter and gatherer only taking what I need for any one day ignoring what I am allowed to take as taking that much in my eyes would be plundering an already endangered eco-system.

Some divers have expressed a feeling of sadness when departing from the ocean for surface intervals or time back in the routine of life and this is another aspect that I relate to overwhelmingly so. As being in the sea exploring the creatures that gaze upon us as if we are the ones on display gives me great satisfaction and inner peace. Others have described deeper emotional feelings of being more loving and willing of expressing their feelings after diving towards a partner or companion. Is this because of other desires, pressures or are these people just more in tune with our nature and our planet. I like to think that it is because we are passionate and caring for the life force of our oceans and land.

Free divers seem more in tune with our aquatic realm than scuba divers as they are at one with the oceans free of any instrumental devices to keep them there. They are and seem to be more accepted by all aquatic life in this capacity.

Ask yourself, what do I really feel when I go diving, what do I take from the sea and then think about the ways and things you do to look after her and protect her. I think many people will discover that we take our oceans for granted and we give back very little, so I ask you all to take more care, support groups that clean her look after her and bring you knowledge of the importance of all creatures within her bounds.

By: Paul Harold Morris

Seniors Learning to Scuba Dive–Why Not?

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:54:51 +0000

When I was a child in the early sixties, the age of sixty was old, not because I was six and anyone older than 21 was decrepit, but because seniors in their sixties were seen as waiting by their firesides to die.

Five decades later, the conceptual view of seniors is more likely to be them bathing on the beaches of Borneo or other exotic places instead of sitting by their firesides. Greater advances in health care mean that people are not only living longer but are fitter and healthier, in control of their health and lives.

Seniors over fifty are thankfully no longer prepared to accept their life is over. There are many things that they are attempting both by traveling and being more adventurous on their own doorstep.

I have been a passionate scuba diver for over thirty years and I have learned a thing or to about it and the first is that scuba diving is not one of those hobbies that age is a barrier to; age is of a positive benefit to the scuba diver.

Is scuba diving dangerous? Yes, it can be–but so is driving, and for that matter, living. And I am not sure that it is not one of those things that everyone insists is more dangerous than it is!

Is it such things as shark attacks that make scuba diving dangerous? Statistically the majority of people bitten by sharks are bitten while standing on a beach not far from the shoreline. I have been on hundreds of dives in the Pacific, the Red Sea, and the Indian oceans. Have I ever seen sharks or whales? Yes many times. Do I consider them dangerous? Yes, I do. Has it ever stopped me from diving among them? No, it hasn’t. However, neither fact is highly relevant: it is a fact that in the vast majority of dives, you will not see either.

What has accounted for the greatest number of diving incidents I have personally witnessed? That one is easy: the vast majority of incidents have been caused by sinus and breathing difficulties, nothing to do with equipment error, but just the simple human error of not knowing how to equalize pressure properly. I was very fortunate when I learned to dive–I listened to my dive instructor. Sounds stupid but it is true.

I was terrified of water, and that is why initially I wanted to learn to dive to face my demons. I was very heavy at the time and frightened witless, so much so that I threw a wobbly and refused to even walk in the water. It was under a pier in Savu Savu, Fiji. My diving instructor hauled me in the water and apparently took me around the pier while holding my hand. Apparently I missed seeing a whale. I was so frightened that I had my eyes tightly shut. However, I learned a very valuable lesson despite being hysterical before getting in the water: once in, there is little choice; you have to breathe! Trust me, it is either that or drown. That was the lesson I learned: all you have to do to make a good diver is breathe, nothing more and nothing less. Once you have mastered the fact that you can breathe under water quite normally, nothing else matters.

Once you breath deeply and naturally underwater, you are in a different environment: it is your own personal underwater Jacques Cousteau television show. It is too exciting to worry about anything. No one anywhere in the world is allowed in the water without a diving certificate. Earning that diving certificate teaches you everything you need to know, including how to cope with most minor incidents.

Have I ever personally felt threatened while diving? Yes, I have; but not in the last twelve years. I vowed on my fortieth-birthday dive that I was not going to dive with anyone under thirty ever again, whatever the circumstances, and since I have adhered to that rule, I have encountered no problems. The eldest person I have ever personally been diving with was 76, but I know for a fact that Jacques Cousteau died at the age of 87 and he was still diving. I have also been diving with someone who was seventy-three and a learner.

When I learned to dive, there was none of the gadgetry that is available today. You had to work out how long, how far, and how deep you could dive. These days, a computer does it all. If you are older than sixty, you will remember double de-clutch while driving and how easy it is now. If you don’t know what I am talking about, well, you are too young to be reading this article anyway!

We are being told at every juncture that exercise is good for us. Well, there is nothing like diving because once under water, you have the buoyancy of the water and all the aches and pains disappear. There is nothing like swimming with fifty or more species of fish within a few feet of your head. It is something that you never ever tire of; and night diving is different again and offers a completely new world.

Age is no barrier to diving:age bestows common sense and a healthy respect for the deep. If it is something that you have always wanted to do, go ahead and try it. Have one test dive and see how you feel. Once you have done it, there is no going back–you will have opened your horizons forever.

All the rules you need to know about scuba diving are below.

1) Gently equalize your ears and mask as you descend. That means nothing more that holding your nose and exerting a gentle blow-out pressure.

2) Never hold your breath while ascending. Always breath normally and come up slowly and steadily.

3) Always dive with a buddy.

4) Never drink and dive.

5) Don’t fly for 12 hours after a no-decompression dive, 24 hours if your dive required decompression stops. It won’t kill you but it is something you will not want to repeat after you feel the effects.

6) If you have friends and family that have concerns about your diving, don’t tell them until after you get your diving certificate.

7) You do not even have to be a strong swimmer to dive; I have often been diving with people who can not swim at all. However, I would personally recommend that you can swim thirty yards because you have to get to the boat!

Scuba diving is a lot harder than snorkeling. That is a myth that snorkeler will tell you but no diver ever will.

In conclusion, scuba diving is a relaxing hobby and most if it is done less than thirty feet from the surface. Most of the world’s coral reefs are not deep; we are not taking about forty thousand fathoms under the sea. A few people say they can’t bear the idea of all the weight of the sea above them: while diving, you can feel neither the weight above or below, and in fact, it is the nearest thing to weightless that I can imagine. A common misconception about diving is “I would be too frightened!” The chances are that you will be so enthralled that you will forget to be frightened, and you will surely not forget to breathe! Then the excitement of your own private aquarium will never leave you, even if you dive only once in an open water dive and stay a landlubber ever after.

By: Walter Fitzpatrick

Discover Scuba Diving; Some Advice to Get a Good First Dive Experience!

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:38:17 +0000

Millions of people have become certified divers, but for many there is some fear that keeps them from becoming scuba divers. We all tend to take imagined fears to new things with us, and until we actually experience it we will be afraid, this is why scuba diving certifying agencies provide the “Discover Scuba Diving” or “Try dive” sometimes it is called a “Resort dive” programs, so that you can experience scuba diving in a very controlled atmosphere, and if it is something that you enjoy, most dive certification agencies will count the first experience towards their open water certifications. Some people like to do just the try dives and never get a certification, and fair enough, for a few people it was fun, but they are content with just the one experience.

The most important thing for most people is that they feel safe and confident with their scuba diving instructor. As in any endeavor, with a good teacher the subject will seem very simple. For the basic try dive, or resort dive “DSD” there are a few basic skills combined with an underwater tour that you will accomplish during your Discover Scuba Diving Experience, at all times, the instructor will be with you, often times they or their assistant will be holding on to you for added control.

The next most important thing for beginners is good equipment. For an experience scuba diver they have heard and know from experience that little bubbles is no troubles, for a someone doing their first Discover Scuba Diving experience these bubble sound like Darth Vader coming for them on a bad hair day, especially if it is from the tank valve or the over relieve valve on the scuba jacket, called a “BCD”, both of these are located right behind your ear, so the sound seems very loud. Even well maintained equipment will develop little air leaks from time to time, and for the over pressure relieve valve, nothing is wrong, the valve is doing what it is suppose to do, which is to vent off excessive air from the “BCD” to prevent damage to the dive equipment when it has been overfilled.

Most shops will repair the leaks as soon as they are aware of it. Most dive operations will carry spare gear just in case they have a problem and with “DSD’s” or any diver they will quickly replace the gear that needs servicing, in order to keep the new diver calm and receptive to the life changing experience that they are soon to partake in.

The size of the group, or more importantly the number of divers to an instructor-assistant will also make a huge impact. When you have smaller groups the instructor can spend extra time with the students, this is very important if you have a someone who is having difficulty with a particular skill, sometimes dive schools and individual instructors will have a dive master work with them with bigger groups, and they will have the dive master take the diver that is having problems with a particular skill to the side, and work with them until they are proficient with the skill, and then join back in with the rest of the class. I would strongly suggest that you ask what the student to instructor/dive master ratio is, and seek a group of no more than a 4 to 1 ratio. Hope to see you underwater soon!

Look for the next article what to expect during your Discover Scuba Diving Experience.

By: Fred Tittle

Scuba Diving – Choosing a Wetsuit for Scuba Diving

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:49:53 +0000

When you are scuba diving, there is no such thing as a perfect wetsuit, but modern manufacturers have come close to perfection. The area you will dive in will determine whether you need a dry suit, a wetsuit, or a semi-dry suit. While dry suits are meant for cold dives, wetsuits keep your body warm in waters of moderate temperatures.

If you are going to scuba dive in a warmer area, you have the option of buying either a full wetsuit or a spring suit. A full wetsuit has full arms and legs while a spring suit has shortened arms and/or legs. Spring suits come in many combinations – a torso-only design, bicep length arm sleeves, or full length arms, but mid-thigh length pants.

A wetsuit called steamer cover your entire body except the head, hands and feet. Some steamers have removable arms or legs and are called convertibles. A shorty covers the torso but has short legs and arms.

Regardless of design, there is a standard way to measure a wetsuit – using the thickness of the neoprene material. A suit that has a thickness of 3mm (1/10th inch) thick in the torso, and a thickness of 2mm in the arms and legs is designated 3/2. Use a 3/2 one for dives in water that is 60F (15.5C) or above. If you need more warmth, you will need a 4/3 which is thicker. Some suits have separate numbers for the torso, arms and legs.

Like any other sports clothing, your wetsuit must fit well. Flexibility is important to allow easy movement underwater. The suit should not chafe or bind. Since you will be using your arms to navigate underwater, it is important that your suit allows for a free range of shoulder movements. It should be snug but not squeeze. Restricted blood flow near the skin surface will cause soreness and fatigue and shorten your dive time.

Secure suits will have fewer number of sturdy seams – wither glued, welded or uni-body. The material is most likely to split at the seams. Bad seams can also cause sore spots and adversely affect flexibility. While suits which are seamless or have fewer seams are best, some suit designs have to have seams because of their extra features like hydro-lock collars, integrated knife holders, removable headgear, and fire-skin linings for wicking.

If you have to dive in colder temperatures, you must have a good dry suit to keep you warm. An adult can die in a matter of minutes if exposed to waters of 50F (10C) or less. Dry suits come with attached booties that seal off your feet. They also have watertight seals around the neck and wrists. You must wear thermal underwear with your dry suit. The dry suit has sealing that keeps it dry, while the underwear has wicking that keeps moisture off the skin. In case of wetsuits, the design allows a layer of moisture which is warmed by skin.

Try on lots of models before you buy so that you find a suit that fits snug and yet allows maximum flexibility. You will be using your wetsuit for years, so invest the time in finding the right one.

By: Layla Tusko

A Guide to Night Diving

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:35:39 +0000

Scuba diving is currently one of the most popular aquatic activities. It is a great activity for anyone who wants to be united with nature. It also opens a totally new perspective on how we view ourselves in relation to our surroundings.

The opportunity to dive under water is also a very invigorating activity. Since it is a different world, it seems like all of your problems are solved once you get to see the teeming life under the blue façade of the seas.

The nature below the surface of the water changes as the sun says its goodbye and as the moon starts to glow. Actually, most advanced divers would prefer to go on a night dive rather than a day dive. Why? Because at night, the sea is totally transformed and there are things underwater that you can only see at night. It’s like seeing all the high-rise buildings illuminate the happy streets of a city.

The beautiful scenery at night is something to look forward to. It is when all the nocturnal creatures become alive, giving the seas a different glow and color. Groups of minute organisms also reflect the light from the moon and create an effect that can’t be recreated by any natural or artificial means. The seas really come alive at night.

However, you should remember that night diving is only for experienced divers. It is most definitely not a walk in the park. The normal risks that a diver exposes himself to during day dives are enhanced at night. The darkness of the night also poses additional risks that aren’t present during the day.

We shall try to discuss some of the things that a diver must remember before night diving. If you are a beginner, you will want to read on so as to give youself some basic ideas on how to properly prepare and execute a night dive.

1. Rest well and eat well

Diving at night is physically more imposing than day dives. The coldness of the water will give a diver more stress plus the fact that the natural body clock is signaling the body to settle down and rest. Make sure that you have enough carbohydrates in your body to keep your body temperature stable under water. Carbo-loading can be done 2 days before you enter the water.

2. Orient yourself with the diving area

Aside from visiting the diving area beforehand, you can also opt to do a day dive on the same spot where you will be diving at night. This move lowers the risk of being lost at night and will give you more mobility because you are comfortable with the area.

3. Always have a night dive buddy

Perhaps the most important tip that you should remember is that you should never ever dive at night without a companion. Even if it’s not night time, you should also have someone to dive with you. Your diving buddy is your only hope against the wrath of the seas if something goes wrong. And, having a buddy will also make the experience more meaningful.

4. Get the right dive light

Essential equipment for night diving is a dive light. When choosing a dive light, you should consider the burn time, the beam width and the depth rating of the dive light. In terms of burn time, you should make sure that you fully recharge your battery if you are using a rechargeable one or bring extra disposable ones if you are using those.

Your maximum depth should also be lower than the rating of your light.

5. Get some glow sticks

Glow sticks are very useful underwater. You should attach some glow sticks to your air tank, or perhaps wrap them around your legs and arms so that you and your buddy can clearly see each other.

6. Know the rules

You can’t go around diving at night anywhere you want. Make sure that you inquire about the local regulations about diving at night.

Nothing beats diving at night. With the proper preparation and precautions, you should have nothing to fear and will look forward to seeing the majestic night seas.

By: Ollie Donovan