Drift Scuba Diving

Drift diving is a thrilling activity because with it, one simply drifts with the current and keeps on floating.

If you are not already aware of it, drift diving endows you with a lot of fun. The boat is no securing factor here. Rather, the divers here dive into the water to move with the current. The boat-captain just watches the bubbles of the divers or a dive float that a diver (the divemaster) hauls behind him.

Don’t forget to inform the divemaster if it’s your first drift diving because normally people get unnerved without experience. Chat with other experienced divers on the boat , if the divemaster is indifferent. Usually, seasoned divers would enthusiastically support you.

Facts like your getting down from the boat immediately and then close together rest on the aspect of current. It is better to start your preparation quickly in order to have time to put everything jointly for avoiding the aspect of forgetting something ,for example, turning on your air.

Pre-dive speech of the divemaster is immensely important as it suggests the probable things to meet and also the ways of boarding the boat or getting off from it. Running out of air quickly compared to others might compel you to stop it, while the others carry on their dive.

In case of surfacing early, there are some other measures. Instead of being upset, put up your queries and strive to know the answers to your questions.

It is important that the boat can track the divers and so they need to be a bit close together.

Underwater Drifting

The underwater experience is really superb. You need to hurry in a powerful current and it is exciting, whereas, otherwise you confront a calm dive amongst all the sights. This is often difficult to say unless you are physically there. Look for the divemaster’s opinion about the usual conditions of a particular site, although, currents often change.

You just remain calm and enjoy the experience as the current does everything and lets you float. It’s natural to float with the flow because doing the opposite often forces you to be out of air. Always be conscious about your depth and air.

If you are in front of other divers and want to let them catch you, just stoop behind the reef or in a channel and avoid the current. But, it is better to follow the divemasters as they say so.

In case of dive being finished and divemaster not dragging a float, he would place a surface buoy to let the diveboat know your position. The surface marker lets the boat detect your position. It is of paramount significance in chaotic boat traffic area like in drift diving Cozumel.

The boat then picks the divers up. You can retain the dragline they usually have while waiting to board the boat. Then, get rid of the stuff and your first drift dive is successful, an experience to cherish throughout your lifetime.

History Of Scuba Diving

Scuba diving has caught the attention of many in our times. Starting as an one off water sport it has generated cumulated interest all over the world. Suddenly you have new groups of divers, trainers, a whole lot of equipment ranges and things connected with scuba diving garnering consumer faith. Given the fact that the popularity of scuba diving as a sport in itself has generated such a lot of enthusiasm all over the world, there is an escalating demand for the gear that has also evolved over the years. Old school scuba diving gear is suddenly in vogue and online bidding sites often advertise the sale of such gear. Steady price hikes thus accompany the increasing demands for this kind of gear.

What we now know to be scuba diving goes back a long way. It has been found out that the Greeks of antiquity engaged in a kind of breath-hold diving as part of their military operations and to hunt sponges. Also the practice of this kind of free diving as it may be called is found on ancient artwork. Finding sea items could be one of the major motives of this sport or activity. Deep water fishing by divers could be another origin to which this modern day sport can be traced back to.

There were other ways in which diving was imagined. Snorkelling with hollow reeds remained limited in its scope as it did not allow drivers a great deal of depth in their ventures underwater. A second form of diving practice would be diving with diving bells which would be air filled sacs lined up on cables. These too had their own short comings as soon the bags of air would be exhaled and would end up retaining a residue of carbon monoxide only. Also the underwater movement of divers was restricted by a need to stay close to the air bags.

Scuba divers had leather for their costumes initially with air pumped into the leather jackets with the help of manual pumps. Then there were metal costumes which could withstand a great amount of pressure and thus the divers could travel further deep into the water. The English and the French were the first ones to think of diving suits.

Paul Bert from France and John Scott Haldane from Scotland in the 19th century proposed the first advances in the technology of scuba diving by devising limits for compressed air diving with water pressure. Around the same time and later, scuba diving apparatus came to include things like scuba regulators, air pumps and other stuff.

In the 20th century we have seen great public awareness in the sport or activity we know as scuba diving. Propelled by new inventions, scuba diving captured popular imagination as a water sport. Swim masks, fins, and similar scuba gear took were made available through the market and beaches all over the world hosted scuba diving facilities for tourists. 1950s would see the emergence of the first rush in scuba diving. With the subsequent design of the wet suit, scuba gear faced a rise in demand and shops started selling them. This would then be a short history of scuba diving which we have chalked for you here.

Diving With Sharks

The following are some tips on the best ways to behave when one is diving in the company of sharks, obviously, You have to be prepared and learn about the kinds of sharks you are likely to come across in the area where you are planning to dive and know something of what you should expect from the behaviour of these species. Keep in mind that maintaining diver safety become a lot more difficult with the decrease in visibility (such as in turbid water or at night) and with the increase in depth, current, task loading ( such as carrying a spear gun, an underwater camera, or other gear) and the number of sharks. Do not forget that the ocean is far more dangerous than any one shark. You have to set yourself some limitations and stay within those.

You have to discuss dive logistics and emergency plans (hand signals, entry and exit considerations, separation procedures, site analysis, etc.) before you go into the water.

* You have to behave like a good mannered ‘guest’ when you are diving. Keep in mind that you are a visitor to the shark’s abode. If you encounter any shark, let it approach and investigate you the way it wants to. Do not chase, grab, corner, spear, knife or even touch the shark in any way. You have to remember that it is a wild animal and it will defend itself if it perceives you to be threat. (it is most likely that the shark will just swim away rather than bite or snap at you if it thinks you are threatening it. However, it might not turn out that way and it is best that you do not force that issue.)

* Attempt to avoid staring right at the shark. You should watch it from the corner of your eyes instead. You should not lose sight of the shark when it is in your immediate vicinity for your own safety. You have to remain vigilant for a few minutes after you think the shark has left to make sure that it has gone.

* You have to remain motionless when you encounter a shark – preferably very near or at the bottom (so that you can try to be a part of the unthreatening bottom topography). Rapid movement of the diver often scares the shark into fleeing and might also cause it launch a defensive attack.

* You should avoid clustering with other divers – this is because sharks often see groups of divers as a single, huge and very frightening super-organism. Remain close to your diving buddy to maintain safety, but comparatively far away from other buddy pairs. Solo diving with sharks should be left to the professionals.

* Don’t, use bait or try to feed the shark when underwater. This might lure in other sharks and add a competitive factor to the situation.

* If you have to surface when a shark is near you, do so slowly and deliberately keeping the shark in sight at all times, and swim efficiently to your pre-planned exit point.

 

Sea Scooter

The sea scooter, to most people, will no doubt remind them of scuba scenes with James Bond or the all in black world of the technical diver. These DPVs or diver propulsion vehicles are a rarity. This may be because they’re extremely expensive. If you are a water enthusiast who would love to fly around effortlessly underwater without extra propulsion of a drift dive current, this is the toy for you. These are now widely available at many high street stores.

This Sea scooter could be treated as your own personal water propeller, similar to water sports like scuba diving and snorkelling. The scooter is a luminous yellow colour with a black trim and weighs approximately 6kg and stands just over half a meter tall. If you are a gadget fanatic, you will have great fun using your own personal water propeller but a bit of fiddling will be needed first.

At first, you will have to do a little bit of messing and fiddling around with the sea scooter before taking it beneath the waves. It may take a while to figure out how to remove the nose cone but with a little patience and time this is actually quite simple to do. Once the cone has been removed, there is a hollow seal-tight vessel; this is the buoyancy control chamber and assorted weights can be put in here to make the unit neutrally buoyant. Don’t worry, this is a bit of hit and miss as buoyancy changes during descent.

The next step is the inner nose cone. To get at this, you will need a foot pump; this is supplied with the scooter. Once you start pumping, air into the inner chamber, the lid will pop up, giving you access to the battery compartment. It is the next stage of preparation which may be a bit scary for the novice. Charging the battery can take between four and six hours and this is the scary bit, it comes with a warning of possible explosive gas release.

Once the scooter has been charged and reassembled, you are ready to dive. The sea scooter can dive to a respectable 20m, ideally suited to explore a shallow tropical reef, for example. When you have flicked the master switch on, you have to hold down the trigger to help fire the scooter up. The sea scooter has a maximum speed of 2mph. This may seem quite slow but when considering you may want to admire all the marine life the speed is sufficient.

The advantage of owning powered underwater propulsion means not having to use lots of energy kicking your legs around. By using less physical effort, air consumption is greatly reduced. The sea scooters standard battery life is only 40 minutes. If your battery does run out then the scooter can become a cumbersome dead weight, so always check on your battery allowance.

The Sea scooter has really impressed a lot of people with its manoeuvrability with the aqua-dynamic design and handles acting as an effective aqua-plane. It has easy steering and ascent or descent runs very smooth, with doing all the manoeuvres you would wish it to do and can even tow you around a tight turning curve with ease.

 

 

Cave diving

Cave diving is a well-kept secret among an elite group of individuals. We only disclose the details to a select few. Let all the others be bothered by the noise and fight traffic on their vacation. For a more rewarding journey, explore the hidden wonders underground. Everyone thinks the beauties are on the beach when the true beauty is down deep! If you feel compelled to make the jump, you will join an honoured family of chosen divers.

One of the most important requirements of a safe cave diver is awareness. During cave diving classes and in the water- you will face challenges of multi-tasking called task loading. In cave dives, you are responsible to track gas pressure, run reels, carry a light, stay afloat, swim, and watch out for your dive buddies. Sometimes all at once!

Cave divers must always know the location of the line, the exit, their buddy, and scuba gear. You will learn to develop muscle memory through repetition and practice. Tasks such as running a reel will be practiced throughout your dive training. The point is to make the task become second nature. The majority of the techniques once mastered, will free flow without your total concentration.

These abilities must be under control before cave diving - buoyancy, body positioning, breathing patterns, and your emotions.

The gravest danger to a cave diver is becoming complacent. Never take for granted that you are a visitor to this wonderland. The law of nature plays by its own set of rules. It will grant you an awesome view but do not let your guard down. Be prepared, stay alert, and watch out for your fellow divers.

Dive planning is an essential part prior to cave exploration. Detailed plans insure every diver knows what is expected of them. You can experience many transitions during the course of cave diving. Teamwork is necessary to keep up the pace, and deal with any changes. Team members need to be synchronized in important safety measures.

Florida-

Florida is a visual cave diver’s paradise. The Leon Sinks cave system is the longest underwater explored cave in the United States and fourth longest in the world. It is part of a huge maze, and a critical groundwater source for much of northern Florida.

Cave divers on an incredible twenty-hour expedition proved that underwater systems in Florida are linked. Two cave divers dropped into the cave entrance and dove to a depth of some three hundred feet. They swam through seven miles of underground freshwater cave before resurfacing in Wakulla Springs State Park near Tallahassee, Florida. It took six hours to complete the dive, and fourteen for decompression.

Mexico-

A pair of cave divers found passages in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula that make up the world’s longest underwater cave system. This discovery shows how interconnected the Yucatan’s underground water system is. In their adventure, the divers cruised through soaring caverns large enough to land a jumbo jet. They squeezed through narrow passes by removing their tanks.

Off the sweltering busy highways, you will find a vast number of cool calm springs. The sights underwater are breathtaking. Lucky for you, you will have extra oxygen supplied in your scuba gear! Visibility in many freshwater caves measures hundreds of feet, clearer than any ocean water. Cave diving permits you to witness geological formations that are 350 million years old! Let us see Disney compete with that!

 

Freediving No Need to Buy Scuba Gear

Free diving is the art of diving under the water without any breathing equipment. For example, underwater diving, freedive photography, freedive spear fishing, and, snorkelling. When you go swimming on the beach and you dive down to pick up an unusual looking rock or a pretty shell, is a form of free diving.

Free diving and under water walking is part of the training for the space program, as it is the next thing to show how movement and pressure affects the body during space flight.

Free diving has been adapted to the competitive arena, which competitors compete in depth, distance and time, on one single breath. It has become so popular that sports events have been established and we can attend events in underwater rugby, underwater hockey, and go to Florida to watch the Mermaids swim for long periods of time without breathing.

The history of free diving goes back some 2000 years as free diving Japanese would dive for pearls. These divers had learned the art of holding their breath for very long periods of time, some even holding their breath for over five minutes. This is a major accomplishment since the average person can only hold their breath for an average of 3 minutes.

The training for free diving starts with breathing exercises out of water. These exercises start by holding your breath for one minute, two minutes, and continuing until you can hold your breath and walk as far as you can before you take a breath of air. This type of training is very good in conditioning your body, especially your ear drums to become accustomed to the pressure that deep free diving will put you through. The ear drums are the first part of the body that will experience the first signs of any body problems. The deeper a person goes, the more pressure is pushed against the ear drums and causing this pressure to go toward the inner ear and bursting it.

One of the exercises to prevent this from happening is for a person to hold their nose while blowing air through it. This causes an artificial type of air pressure to go to the middle ear and helps prevent the ear drum from bursting while you are free diving, however this does not always work, there are several reasons for this one being illness, which is why consulting a doctor before beginning diving is so important, and why if you experience any pain at all when diving, you should discontinue and seek advice.

The other body functions that are affected are the lungs, which contract the deeper you dive causing a sense of being squeezed together. In the past, doctors believed that if a person went too deep, the pressure would cause the lungs to implode and that would cause death. However, with proper training, this is not the case. Doctors have also observed that the blood moves away from other parts of the body in order to send more blood to the brain. The heart rate is also slowed down and the blood pressure is increased. The exercises that one learns in free diving class helps people to learn how to cope with such issues as these.

With all the difficulties that can occur while free diving that make it a dangerous activity, it is always a good idea to take classes to learn the techniques of breathing and controlling your body functions as well. Never free dive without a partner just in case something were to happen.

Scuba Diving Photography It Pays To Buy Quality Equipment

As any experienced scuba diver would know, the number one rule of scuba is “don’t hold your breath!”…unless you are trying to take a photograph under the water! As you breathe, you naturally move up and down in the water. When scuba diving, bubbles naturally come out in the water as you exhale, so you must make sure you aren’t exhaling at the moment you’re snapping the picture. Otherwise, you’ll have a very nice photograph of air bubbles instead of that magnificent shark you hoped to capture on film.

So, how do scuba divers effectively capture those elusive fish and underwater sea creatures on film? First and foremost, if you are new to underwater photography as a scuba diver, don’t expect to take great photographs right away. It definitely takes practice. Your first developed roll of film may look like a bunch of dark blobs in a sea of water. With perseverance and practice, you will eventually master underwater photography.

Here are a few guidelines to underwater photography.

1) You must be an experienced diver before you can take on the art of underwater photography. There is so much to remember when you are a new scuba diver and your very life depends on making sure you clear your mask when needed, check your gauges, and maintain your buoyancy so you aren’t going up and down by several feet under the water. A camera in hand before you master these skills will only complicate things and possibly get you into real trouble.

2) Purchase good camera equipment. The first time you try scuba photography, you may want to simply rent your equipment from your local dive shop. Once you’re hooked on taking photographs under the water, it’s wise to invest in your own camera and housing. Make sure you check the housing description to see if it can go under the water to the depth you’ll be going. For example, if it is only rated for a depth of 12 feet, it will probably leak at a depth of 50 or 90 feet under the water. If you want to take photographs just for fun, an inexpensive camera will do the trick. However, if you’re interested in selling your photos, you’ll need to invest in a camera that will accommodate strobes, a wide-angle lens, a close-up lens, a sync box and housing.

3) Learn the science behind taking underwater photographs. Take a basic instructional course or get a book on underwater photography. You’ll be glad you did.

4) Practice, practice, practice. Practice on land first. Then, use your camera under the water in a swimming pool. Practice setting the correct aperture, shutter speed and focus by taking pictures of an object of your choice under the water. Ideally, begin with a stationary object on the bottom of the pool. Get a good feel for how your camera is performing under the water and you’ll be more ready for your first dive trip with camera in hand.

5) Composition is key when taking photographs on land. It’s no different under the water, except you have to account for visibility and moving objects. Practice getting your composition right on land and you’ll have an easier time in the water.

6) Don’t hold back! Once you’re under the water, take a lot of photographs! You’re bound to get a few good ones and perhaps even a few great ones to boot.

Be sure to display your best underwater photographs where you’ll be sure to enjoy them. Keep a photo album for the rest of the photos. Most of all have fun and enjoy the art of underwater photography.

Night Scuba Diving Is A Brand New World

The time spent scuba diving at night isn’t like any other time that you will spend. There is much more activity on the reefs after dark and the abundance of different sea life that can be seen is phenomenal compared to diving during the day. However, anytime you dive you need to make sure that you properly equipped and night diving is no different. Here are some things to remember to keep yourself safe when scuba diving at night.

The dives done during the night should be kept fairly shallow. As a general rule no more than sixty feet with the majority being thirty to forty feet deep to ensure the safety of the dive better. When first going night scuba diving and with all following dives the more familiar you are with the area the better. The location of the dive should be chosen before hand. It is possible to either go to a location you are already familiar with or if you want to you can chose a new location and set up an appointment to take a dive there in the daytime before your first night dive. It is important to dive under the best possible conditions when diving at night.

All equipment on a night dive should be some that you have previously used and are sure that it is in proper working order. You do not want any surprises once you are underwater. All equipment should be set up in a well-lit area so that it can be inspected one last time before beginning the dive.

When going scuba diving at night you need to be able to see. You will need at least two lights; one main light and another in case the first light stops working for whatever reason. You will use the lights until you get comfortable at which point you may find yourself turning them off and letting your eyes adjust to the darkness.

When night scuba diving some people will use glow sticks on their tanks to be able to find others underwater. There are some places that do not allow these due to the containment of chemicals within them.

Hand signals should be learned before attempting a night dive. There will be an inability to see the hands underwater at night. The dive master will tell you what the signals are before you go on the time more than likely. A light should be directed at the hands so that others can see them. Moving the dive light works for some signals as well and moving it in various directions will indicate different things.

You need to take care when using your underwater lights at night, be careful that you are not shining into the face of others and blind them, as this can put them in extreme danger even if it is only a temporary blindness.

Night scuba diving is fun and different, just remember to be careful and take your time to ensure your and your buddy’s safety and to allow you to fully appreciate the beauty under the water.

Wreck Diving Adventure Explained

Wreck diving is a form of recreation diving. While the majority of the wrecks are ships that have actually wrecked, now there are retired ships that have been intentionally sunken in order to create artificial reef sites that are used by scuba divers and sea life alike.

Every dive is considered to be a history lesson. There is the possibility of discovering artefacts during a wreck dive. One such staged wreck is the C/S Charlie Brown on the island of St Eustatius. This three hundred and twenty seven foot long boat was built in 1950 and unlike other staged wrecks it was not completely gutted before it was sunk.

This particular wreck is under ninety-eight feet of water and on its sides. This wreck gives a gorgeous look at the sea life under the water. Those that have more experience in wreck diving, will take a look down the one hallway that is over a hundred feet long while touring the wreck of the Charlie Brown. They also explore and get look at more of the wreck by allowing them to go in the cable tanks and galley. There are numerous places in the wreck to explore if you go far enough into it. Of course you must first be wreck certified to do so.

There are a number of reasons that wreck diving is popular among divers. It creates a place for several types of sea creatures to live as it is an artificial reef. Working ships do not allow a close up look of the way they work and the machinery that makes them up as the wrecked ships do.

There is a history lesson available with wreck diving as well as the learning of new skills for a scuba diver. These wrecks can give first hand insight into the tragedy of the ship, the patterns of trade in areas of the world and various other benefits.

Wreck diving does however present some hazards to divers that are as unique as the experience itself. There may be fishing lines or nets caught on the wreck. The wreck itself could be dangerous as the structure could be weak and break at any time with no warning to the divers. There are some special equipment and skills needed in order to enter into a wreck when diving. There are deep diving precautions needed for those wrecks that are deeper as is the case with some of the better preserved wreck diving sites.

When performing a wreck dive it is important to take something with you to cut any lines that could be tangled up in. When going into a wreck you should tie off a guideline to make it easier to find their way in the case of it being hard to see while going into the wreck. This ensures they can get back out into the open water and resurface. You must ensure that you can breathe the entire time you are wreck diving or on any dive for that matter.

Before you attempt to go wreck diving it is important to fully educate yourself on the safety, techniques and equipments, using fully trained instructors.

A Guide To Buying Scuba Diving Equipment

By now you have probably had a course in beginning scuba diving and you are wondering what equipment you need to enjoy your new hobby. When you first go to purchase scuba equipment you may feel a bit overwhelmed, so this article will provide some help with the process by offering some tips as to what to purchase.

First you need to remember that there is really no right or wrong choices when it comes to brands as each diver much choose what they are comfortable with. For example I only use ScubaPro equipment and my buddy prefers Oceanic. It really matters not as long as the equipment is in working order and comfortable for you.

*Regulator

The regulator is the breathing apparatus and should have its performance and reliability checked before each and every dive. This means that it should work while you are on your dive no matter how deep you go. It should also be maintenanced on an annual basis. The budget comes into play as well here so be sure and compare the prices of what is available to you.

*Bouyancy Control Device (BCD)

The BCD must not only be comfortable but it must allow for your face to clear the surface of the water. The system should be checked before it is weighted with lead weight. It is important to remember not to use recreational BCD’s for technical diving as it is not designed for it.

*Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG) and Compass.

A dive computer may be less expensive purchasing a depth gauge, a timer and an underwater watch. Not only do dive computers show the intervals of dive and surface times, they guide you through your ascent to the surface as well. There is also information about the consumption of gas and absorption of nitrogen in your blood and lungs.

*Wetsuit

The type of wetsuit will depend on the type and climate of the weather where you are diving. You will want to remain warm during the dive. You can find them from .5mil to 7mil and then there are dry suits as well if you will be doing coldwater dives.

*Dive Mask

When deciding upon one you will want to test every one of them individually to be sure there are no leaks in the mask that might allow water into it. If you require a prescription some of the lenses can be exchanged for your prescription, a scuba dealer will be able to assist you in this.

*Fins

Fins allow you to move through the water more easily. A pair that fits correctly will not put any pressure on the foot. To ensure a proper fit you should were your dive booties to try them on. Split fin technology is now available and preferred by some. Choose a fin that is soft or medium texture. Firmer split fins are for technical dives and you should have a set of spring straps.

*Weight

This is required. Weight can be carried on the waist or in BCD weight pockets. Slab weights, contoured weights and weight bags can be used.

When buying the needed equipment for scuba diving it is important to carefully test each piece to be sure it is in the proper working order. The only equipment that you need to actually purchase before your first dive is snorkel, fins and mask as these are all very personal. The remainder of the equipment can be rented from most scuba shops for a nominal fee.

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