Snorkeling can be a great addition to scuba diving. Or, it can be a fun sport all by itself. You can see an enormous variety of colorful fish and plant species just a few feet under the water’s surface. But when you go, you’ll want to be sure to have good equipment. You’ll want fins [...]
There are several essential factors in a successful dive. Breathing, of course, is paramount. Keeping warm is another but, depending on where you dive, that may often take care of itself. But no matter where you dive, visual acuity is important. Seeing well means keeping you safe and allowing you to enjoy all that diving [...]
Contemporary buoyancy compensator designs have an array of special features that can turn an ordinary buoyancy compensator into an extremely helpful adjunct to the diver’s gear. Many designs today will provide straps and padding for integrating the tank with the buoyancy compensator. Some will even have integrated regulators and hose assemblies. The specific size and [...]
Buoyancy compensator devices are used to aid the scuba diver to maintain neutral buoyancy. ‘Positive buoyancy’ causes the diver to rise, ‘negative buoyancy’ results in sinking. Thanks to modern materials science and great product design, buoyancy compensators are better than ever. They come in a variety of styles, sizes and materials – not to mention [...]
Sometimes a diver will be in such trouble that he or she can’t signal. It’s for that reason that all participants should keep one eye on a partner at all times. That’s difficult to do when you’re enjoying a dive. There are many interesting distractions. But it’s the best way to stay safe. You and [...]
How to keep your scuba diving experience safe and comfortable is among the first lessons taught in any good dive school. Early in those lessons is one which covers how to handle the effects of pressure. Water pressure compresses gas much more readily than liquid. As a result, your torso and arms and legs may [...]
Early in your exploration of scuba diving you’ll run across the term ‘certification’. What is that, and do you need it? Certification is the process of obtaining a certificate from a recognized diving school with authorized instructors. It’s the result of taking courses that teach scuba diving. Simple. Deciding whether you will want to invest [...]
One the earliest and most well-reported cases of DCS, or Decompression Sickness, was encountered during the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Workers spent long hours in caissons, compressed-air filled chambers underwater near the supports of the bridge. When they surfaced, they experienced joint pain, abdominal cramps and sometimes death. The condition came to be known [...]
Thanks to advances in electronics and military applications there are now several devices available for divers to communicate under the surface. These can range from very modest to enormously expensive, but every diver can judge for him or herself whether the cost is worth it. Before buying any equipment, every diver should memorize and practice [...]
A buoyancy compensator (BC) or buoyancy compensating device (BCD) is a jacket that helps divers maintain neutral buoyancy during a dive. When an object underwater rises, it’s positively buoyant. If it sinks, it’s negatively buoyant. When it remains stationary, divers say it has achieved ‘neutral buoyancy’ – the goal for all divers. The purpose of [...]
