Descending into Greatness

One of the most memorable dives so far for me was yesterday. The dive started at around 30 feet or so and within 5 minutes we were at edge of a wall. I was following directly behind the dive master and like two fighter jets we sailed effortlessly over the edge of the wall and descended head first for another 20 or 30 feet just drinking in the beauty and serene surroundings. I was positively awestruck with the beauty and magnificence of the reef and the wall, as we descended into the great beauty of the reef. I do not think I can adequately describe in words how spectacular the dive was. It was just one of those moments where you feel like time stands still and the moment is just too marvelous for words to describe. Oh, how I love to be in the water!    

The sound of music

Some people like SCUBA diving because they can escape to a world where there are no phones, emails, televisions and countless interruptions. I have heard people say that when they are diving they feel so free from the world and all of its craziness. One diver I know says that SCUBA diving is her “zen”.

On the other hand, there are people, like my daughter who cannot stand a single second of silence. Every second of the day is filled with some kind of sound. There is a certain comfort in listening to music when working out, running or doing some kind of physical work. The music tends to elevate your mood and help you “forget” about the “pain” of the workout.

Recently, I noticed that a H2O Audio from San Diego has brought out a MP3 player housing that has a depth rating of 200 feet. I guess it was only a matter of time until a waterproof MP3 player housing became available for SCUBA divers. I do not know what the sound quality will be like, but I am guessing it will be fairly good.

There are some interesting possibilities that could come as offshoots having a waterproof MP3 player available on dives. For example one could design a guided tour of an interesting dive site with all kinds of information on the MP3 player.

There are the cynical amongst us who will treat the new device with scorn. Then there are the technophiles among us who will love the new device just because it is cool and new. To each his own I guess. If the MP3 player will help you have a more enjoyable, relaxing dive then I say party on.

Back in the classroom again

A while ago I wrote about continuing education and how important it is to keep learning, especially when it comes to SCUBA diving. Last weekend, I found myself in class again, this time learning to be an instructor to student instructors. As I wrote previously, I like learning new things and part of the reason why I signed up for the staff instructor course was to learn more and to refine my skills. It has often been said that to really learn something you need to teach it.

There is a great deal of material that is covered in the instructor development course and we are expected to have mastered the material way beyond what is necessary for the student instructors. This of course is obvious since we will have to teach the material sometime in the future. The last time I studied the material it was all new and exciting, yet overwhelming. This time the material is not quite so overwhelming, yet there is a great deal to cover. Believe it or not, we actually enjoy the physics, physiology and theory parts. The part that is least fun is doing presentations to a group of your peers who find great joy and pleasure in pulling apart your presentations. It is all in good fun though. The pressure makes us work harder and makes us better instructors.

An observation that one of my fellow students made was how different it is "to be on the other side of the table". By this he meant how different it felt to sit in on presentations and skill demonstrations and do the evaluating. On the one hand one tends to be very lenient because you know how stressful it is to do the skill demonstrations to a group of evaluators, but on the other hand I remember how tough my instructors were on me when I was doing the same thing (at least that is how it felt). The term "splitting hair" comes to mind when thinking back on some of the comments I heard about my presentations. However, the tough learning environment more than prepared me for the actual classroom environment where I had to deliver the material to a group of eager student divers.

Diver Comfort

Being comfortable while diving is a relative term. For some, being comfortable means diving in warm water with great visibility and no current. For others it might mean having equipment that functions well and that fits well. Sometimes it is hard to control the environmental factors. However you can do a lot to make your dive more comfortable by making your equipment as comfortable as possible.

One of my students had all kinds of problems with the mouthpiece of the regulator she was using during the certification dives. The equipment problem almost prevented her from completing the certification. Eventually we were able to get a better fitting mouthpiece and she had no further equipment problems.

Recently I got an email from her letting me know that she is going to purchase a mouthpiece that she knows is comfortable and will be taking the mouthpiece on her upcoming dive vacation. She will use her own mouthpiece on the rental gear at the resort. I like the idea of being proactive in dealing with gear issues.

There are many things that one can do to make your gear more comfortable. For example, making sure that you have adequate exposure protection (to prevent sunburn, abrasions and stings). Another example is making sure that you can operate all the various releases, inflators etc. on your BCD. This is especially important when you are using a rental BCD. On your checkout dive at the resort, it is good idea to practice inflating, deflating, etc. without looking. You should be able to locate the low pressure hose, find the correct button and inflate/deflate without looking. You should be able to find and use any air releases on the lower back of the BCD (if so equipped).

Being familiar with your gear, and making sure that everything fits and feels good on you will go a long way to making you more comfortable in the water.

Equalize early and often

As most divers know, equalizing early and often will prevent problems and "squeezes". If you wait to equalize until you experience discomfort, then you have waited too long. You should be equalizing - gently - as often as possible on your descent. Some agencies teach that one should equalize every meter / 3 feet or so. Personally I think that one should equalize a lot more often than that.

The key issue is that the pressure change is huge in the first 10 meters / 33 feet of the dive (I will not delve into the theory now, but will do so in a later post). Therefore the pressure difference in the inner and outer can be substantial, even at relatively shallow depths. It is critical that you equalize the pressures before injury occurs to the delicate structures in your ear.

Please see this excellent tutorial by Edmond Kay, M.D. for more indepth information on equalization techniques and theory.

Keep sharpening the saw

A few years ago I read a great book by author Stephen Covey called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Many people are probably familiar with Covey and this book. The habit of “Sharpening the Saw” is particularly applicable to SCUBA diving. In terms of sharpening the Saw the author makes the case that to be effective in your field you should keep your skills current and keep developing your knowledge base and abilities. In other words, never rest on your laurels.

Unlike many other hobbies and pastime activities, SCUBA diving requires one to keep up with new developments and equipment. As an instructor, you might have guessed that I would be beating the drum of continuing education. At the end of every open water class that we teach we always mention continuing education and encourage the students to sign up for more classes. We do this for a number of reasons (no, it is not just a money making ploy). The reason I do it is because I want people to become passionate about diving and derive as much pleasure from diving as I do.

There is research that indicates that people who complete continuing education classes and own their own equipment keep diving longer and are safer divers - a very obvious but important conclusion.

In my case, I continued to take classes after my open water class because that kept me diving and because I actually enjoy learning new things. Sometimes, taking a class was the only way I was able to dive in winter (ok, so it was only in a pool, but I still got wet).

From my observation, it would seem to me that less than twenty percent of the divers that I encounter end up taking the advanced open water classes. Even a smaller percentage goes on to take the rescue class. From my personal experience, I would say that every diver should complete at least the advanced and rescue classes. The rescue class was one of those classes that proved pivotal in my dive training. Once I completed the rescue class I felt much more comfortable in the water and knew that I could help myself and others if I got into trouble. The great thing about the rescue class is that you practice various scenarios for rescuing others.

In some of my previous posts I wrote about safety stops and that I like to practice various skills on the safety stop, like mask clears, hovering, regulator recovery etc. A responsible diver will always keep sharpening the saw of their skills and knowledge.

Is that a shark in the water?

One of the blogs that I like to read on a regular basis is DiveSouthAfrica. For the last few days there have been many posts in the Dive South Africa blog that mentioned shark attacks of various types. It might just be co-incidence, but it seems that there is an up tick in the number of attacks. As many might know, South Africa has a long coastline with a very rich diversity of marine life.

A while ago I wrote about how I dislike the practice of chumming to lure sharks to dive cages for the purposes of photography. Cage diving is very popular in South Africa and generates a good income for the various operators who gear their dives to tourists and thrill seekers. These operators cater to divers and non-divers alike since many of them will not require SCUBA certification for the cage dives. One of the shark attacks mentioned in the Dive South Africa blog happened close to where cage diving and chumming occur.

As I wrote previously, I do not think that chumming can have a good outcome. Personally, I believe that if we are to enjoy marine life we should interfere as little as possible with the way the animals behave naturally. If that means that we have to wait a little longer for a shark to appear then so be it.

Recently, there was an interesting documentary on television about Shark Mountain in the Cocos Islands. This particular site has rich diversity of marine life with an abundance of various shark species. It was fascinating to see the documentary makers prepare for their dives, and how they dove amongst literally hundreds of hammerheads.

One very interesting scene in the documentary showed the mating behavior of white tipped sharks. According to the narrator, it was the first time in twenty years of diving that he was able to see the mating ritual from start to finish. It was very violent and the female was left bleeding and exhausted. For a while, I was concerned that the males would kill the female in the mating ritual. Apparently, these sharks have the most violent mating behavior of the shark family. It is surprising that the species manages to survive such violent social behavior. Most interesting though was the documentary maker was not in a cage and was probably within 20 yards/meters or so from the sharks.

I guess the point of this post is to contrast various ways in which we can interact with the top predator in the sea. It might mean that we have to travel further, spend more time researching and waiting, but in my opinion it is safer to observe the sharks in their natural environment without introducing any external influences like chumming. However, having said all that, I would not like to encounter a great white face to face without the security of a cage. I guess most other species I would not have too much trouble with, but the great whites still get my adrenaline pumping!

PS: 10/26/05 noticed an interesting link on Divester about a shark video in South Africa. Worth watching. Thanks Bill.

There must be a better way

It is hard to understand why it is still necessary and permissible to pump vast quantities of sewage (raw and treated) into the world's oceans. Yes, I know that the amount of sewage pumped into the sea is very small compared to the total volume of sea water, that there have been studies that claim that it is a safe practice, that it is economically necessary, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I know and understand the arguments in favor of dumping sewage into our oceans.

However, I must say I find the thought of diving in sewage (no matter how diluted or treated) to be repulsive. Yes, I know that the fish do their thing in the sea. I am ok with that. I am not ok, however, with introducing our waste into the oceans, when there are better ways of treating and processing sewage.

The following appeared in an article on CDNN (http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e051017.html) - originally from the Bradenton Herald.

BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (17 Oct 2005) -- State environmental regulators are investigating a pump that's dumping treated sewage into the Atlantic Ocean after recreational scuba divers said it was killing a coral reef.
The group, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, says a pipe from the South Central Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant is spewing nitrogen-rich sewage that's fueling algae blooms. The algae are fouling the Gulf Stream Reef, a popular diving spot off Boynton Beach a mile and a half away from the pipe, the divers say.

"It's clear-cut," said Reef Rescue Director Ed Tichenor, a former New Jersey environmental consultant for private industry. "There are areas of (the reef) that look like a parking lot now."

I am not a scientist, marine biologist or an activist. I am just an average guy who loves to dive and help other people dive. It bothers me that we still need to dump sewage into the oceans when there are so many other options available. Why must we harm the oceans just because it is cheaper to do it that way?

As a society, we should display the moral integrity and courage to make the difficult decisions necessary to be good stewards of the natural resources that have been entrusted to us.

Equipment - lights, camera, action

A while ago I wrote about my friend the Navigating Phenom (NP) who is an avid underwater videographer. NP has gathered quite the impressive collection of video equipment. Not only has he become a good photographer, he has also learned a great deal about marine life. What NP does is produce very nice looking short movies of the various dives that he does. When he is editing the footage he will make annotations about what the various species of marine animals are that he happens to be filming.

NP says that the key to capturing great footage and pictures is to be very patient and to know and understand the species that you are filming. If you know their behavior you will know where to look and what to expect. Many divers invest in fish identification books/slates that will help identify the various species you might encounter.

To get started in underwater photography, it might be a good idea to take an underwater photography class. You will learn many skills that will be useful in capturing excellent shots. The other class that might be useful is to take a buoyancy control class. This will help you develop pinpoint buoyancy control.

A good camera, housing, good lights and patience will make a huge difference to your enjoyment of the marine world.

After reading Willy's post in Divester.com I was reminded that a good site that you might find interesting for indepth camera information and reviews is Wetpixel.

Equipment - Fins

There are many different types of fins on the market. The choice that you make will be influenced by a number of factors including, the type of diving that you will be doing, how much you want to spend and whether you have any physical limitations.

Type of diving: if you will be diving in warm tropical waters then you would probably want to select a full foot fin. Cold water divers prefer to wear booties to keep their feet warm and generally use open heeled fins with the booties. If you are going to be doing both cold and warm water diving, then a good compromise would be to select an open heeled pair of fins since you use can them in both cold and warm water.

Cost: generally there is a relationship between the cost of the fins and how well they perform. The newer technology fins have undergone some very interesting changes. For example Scubapro markets split fins that look like they should not work, but work very well. Most manufacturers have a line of fins that include some kind of split fin/channel technology. The idea is that the split in the fins (or channels) help reduce the water pressure and resistance, yet allow you to kick efficiently. I do not want to delve too much into the theory of how they work, suffice to say that split fins have my hearty recommendation.

Physical limitations: If your knees have been injured due to a sports injury or some kind of accident etc. you certainly want to be careful in selecting the type of fins that you dive with. Fins make a huge difference to your comfort in the water. The newer, more efficient fins put less stress on your knees and allow you to kick more efficiently.

Consult your local dive store (LDS) about your specific fin choice, especially if you have some kind of physical limitation. Finding a good fit is important so that you can prevent or reduce cramping and excessive fatigue. Your LDS will be able to help you find a well fitting pair of fins.

Willy Volk from http://www.divester.com/ wrote an interesting post on open heeled fins versus full foot fins that include many links to excellent articles for more indepth research. See Willie's article here. Thanks Willie.

Equipment - Regulators

This is not going to be an exhaustive discussion of regulators. Suffice to say that there are many excellent models on the market from great manufacturers that work really well. However for the beginning diver there are important questions to answer before you decide on a specific make and model.

The first criterion that I would look at is the type of diving you will be doing. If you will be diving in warm tropical water, then you would most likely be selecting a different regulator from the person who will be diving in mostly cold water. In regard to cold water, one should select a regulator that is environmentally sealed. What this means is that very cold water will not (should not) cause a free flow.

The second criterion that I would evaluate is the mass (weight) of the actual second stage. If you are prone to jaw fatigue you would want to select a second stage that is as light as possible. Many of the newer second stages are made from a durable lightweight plastic material that performs very well.

Another factor to consider is whether there are additional ports available on the first stage. Additional ports will allow you add more hoses later on if you need. For example you might want to dive with a drysuit etc.

Alternate air sources (octopus) have to be clearly visible and are normally yellow. Most divers usually select an octopus that is compact and can be used in the up or down position. This will become clear to you when you start practicing donating an air source to your buddy. When you hand the octopus to your buddy, you don't want to waste time making sure that it is in the upright position. It should work in any position. If you will be diving with an integrated air source on your BCD, please see my previous post about BCD’s.

If you are a large framed person or tend to breathe very hard, you might want to determine if the regulator will be able to supply you the amount of air that you need. The higher performing regulators are very hard to "over breathe". This means that even if you do a strenuous and/or deep dive, the regulator will still be able to supply you all air that you need.

With regulators, you typically get what you pay for. The higher priced regulators generally perform to higher standards and allow one to do more advanced types of diving. However, most current regulators from reputable manufacturers perform very well for the recreational diver.

I am not going to make a specific recommendation about a manufacturer or model. I think it is best that you determine what works best for you with the help of your local dive store (LDS). In fact I think it is important that you have some kind of relationship with the store, since you need to have your regulator serviced every year. Additionally, most good stores will allow you to try out various models in the pool if you are not sure of what works best for you. Don't feel you need to make a decision and there is no going back. Make sure that the regulator you select is comfortable, performs beyond the level of diving that you will be doing and that you have it serviced regularly (I know I have said that twice now - but you know how it is with instructors...)

Equipment - useful items to carry

This post is a continuation of the previous discussions on BCD's in the sense that I will be discussing items that you could carry in the BCD pockets.

Signaling devices: It is a good idea for every diver to carry at least one signaling device. Some signaling devices that divers carry are whistles, mirrors, "safety sausage", lights, air horns, tank bangers and so on. Signaling devices can used to alert a boat at the surface to pick you up if you happen to drift away from the boat or surface a distance away from where the boat is. A safety sausage is an inflatable device that you can inflate using a regulator. They are typically around 4 to 6 feet tall and are either bright yellow, red or a marmalade color. At night you use your dive light and illuminate the inside of the safety sausage.

Knives, EMT shears: There are many different kinds of dive knives available. The type that I would recommend are made from titanium and do not corrode due to salt water immersion. Knives come in various styles. Some have rounded blade tips and some have sharp blade tips. It is a personal choice, but most people recommend a rounded tip on the blade to prevent accidental punctures of your gear etc. Some people have the mistaken idea that a knife can be used to fend off an attack by a marine animal and therefore choose a sharp tipped blade. The primary purpose of a dive knife is to be able to free yourself from underwater entanglements like fishing line, rope, etc. An alternative style of knife is a small knife that is sold with the BCD. The knife fits into a sheath in the shoulder harness. The advantage of these BCD included knives is that they are small, easy to carry and out of the way.

Some divers (myself included) like to carry a knife and a pair of EMT shears. The shears work differently to a knife in that you can easily cut through something using only one hand. Personally I like to carry my knife in my BCD pocket and my shears on the front of my BCD close to my left shoulder. The advantage of carrying two cutting devices in different places is that you can always reach one of them if you become stuck somewhere.

Some divers like to carry their knives on their left or right calves. I don't have a problem with this except that dive knives are the one article that is most often lost by divers, because if you are not careful, the blade can easily detach itself from the sheath and you will have to stop in at the local dive store to purchase a brand new shiny knife.

Equipment - BCD part III

This will probably be the final segment on the continuing discussion on selecting of BCD's for the beginning diver.

Cummberbund / Cumberbund: Most current BCD's on the market have a sash like waistband that generally goes around the stomach of the diver and has velcro fasteners to secure it in place. The purpose of the cummerbund/cumberund is to keep the BCD in place and to prevent lateral movement.

It is important to remember that as you descent in the water, the water pressure will cause your wetsuit material to compress and you might find that the cumberbund might be not as tight at depth as at the surface. Do not overtighten the cumberbund fit when donning your gear. The cumberbund should fit snug around your stomach, but should not be so tight that you have trouble breathing or moving.

There are some designs that rely on buckles instead of velcro fasteners. I have both system on various BCD's that I own. I don't have a strong preference for either system, but if I had to make a choice, then I guess the buckle system feels a little more secure to me. However for the beginning diver, a velcro system works very well and it easy to use.

Releases: There are various styles of releases on BCD's. The primary purpose of the releases is to enable the diver to doff (take off) the equipment quickly and safely. Releases will be found on stomach belt, sternum belts and on the shoulder harnesses. The purpose of the various belts is to keep the BCD securely fitted to the diver. When choosing a BCD, try to select one that has a sternum belt as well (some don't).

There are differences in the way the releases operate (between the different manufacturers). Select a style that you find easy to operate. If you will be using gloves with the type of diving that you do, use the gloves in the store to see if you can operate the releases with gloves on.

Safety tip: always make sure you know where the releases are on your buddy's gear and that you know how they operate. You might have to assist your buddy in the case of an emergency and it is vital to know how to quickly locate and use the releases on his/her gear.

Equipment - BCD part II

This is a continuation of the previous post on some pointers to selecting a BCD for the beginning diver.

Integrated Air: Some of the newer BCD's have an innovative feature that incorporates the alternate air source into the low pressure inflator hose system. The major advantage of this system is that you have one less hose in your regulator setup and don't need a separate alternate air source (also called an octopus). The one thing to remember about the integrated air systems is that if you have to donate an air source to a buddy, you would donate your primary regulator to the buddy and you would then breathe from the integrated air regulator. This is different from the traditional systems where you would keep the primary regulator and donate the alternate regulator (octopus) to the buddy needing air. For a beginning diver, either system has both pros and cons, but if you can afford the additional expense of an integrated system, it probably is beneficial since you have one less hose to worry about.

Pockets: Personally I like to have adequate pockets on BCD's. Sometimes I feel that I don't have enough pocket space for all the things that I like to carry (instructors are required to carry additional equipment when working with students). When selecting a BCD's look for one that has adequate pocket space and that the pockets are easy to get to and to open. Some pockets have velcro strips, others have clips or even zips. The actual choice depends on what your preference is. Personally I like the velcro systems because I find it easier to open when wearing thick gloves. However, I would recommend trying various pocket systems with gloves on (wear the gloves that you might typically wear with the diving that you do).

D-Rings: Most current BCD's come with clips and D-rings. There are various types of D-rings, but typically they are either made from a tough plastic or metal. The metal ones are preferable since they are more durable. Initially you might not need to use the D-rings, but as you accumulate more gear, you might wish you had just one more D-ring. If your BCD did not come with D-rings or you want to add some, you could always buy additional d-rings from your local dive store (LDS). Select a BCD that has at least two or three d-rings attached in easy to access locations.

Clips: If you will be using an alternate air source system (octopus) you would want to have a method to attach the alternate regulator to your BCD. The system that you choose must allow you to be able to detach and donate the alternate air source quickly, yet be secure enough so that the alternate regulator will not come loose on its own. Some other types of clips allow you to attach miscellaneous items such as your console to. If your BCD does not come with enough clips (most don't) you can always buy them from the LDS. I would recommend at least two clips. One for the alternate air source and one for the console. Buy an additional two or three as spares for your dive kit.

Tomorrow I will write more about the various releases and cumberbunds found on BCD's.

Equipment - BCD part I

I am assuming that most divers who will be buying their first BCD want to get something that they can use for a number years, that they will not outgrow in terms of functionality and use, and of course reasonably priced.

We are not going to discuss the history and use of BCD's in SCUBA diving. There are many very good articles published that can be used as a good reference. However, what I would like to do is try to give the first time buyer some considerations that might be useful when you make that all important selection.

Type: BCD's come in various styles and suit various functions. For the beginning SCUBA divers a stablizer jacket is probably the best way to go. A backplate system is an alternative for the serious technical or wreck diver.

Integrated weights: Some BCD's come with integrated weight pockets that allow weight to be carried in the BCD as opposed to a weight belt. I do not have a strong feeling about either option and arguments can be made for each type of weight system. Some divers like the concept of an integrated system for convenience and simplicty. The integrated systems have the benefit that dumping weights in an emergency is very easy since the weight pockets are easy to get to. On the other hand, weight belts are sometimes covered by a cumberband or other pieces of equipment and dumping the weight belt might take a little longer than the integrated weight pockets. I am sure there are those who might disagree on this point, but that has been my observation. The downside to having the integrated weight pockets on the BCD is that sometimes the weights can move around on you causing unwanted movement in the water.

Personally, I have a slight preference for a weight belt, especially when I am wearing a lot of weight. Bottom line: try both systems and see which works better for you. With an integrated system you have more flexibility since you have the benefit of still being able to wear a weight belt if you want to in the future.

Tomorrow I will write more about integrated air systems, dump valves, pockets and a few other essential things to look for in BCD's.

Buy or Rent

The age old question "should I buy equipment or rent?" comes up from time to time in classes. For the person who will be diving once a year, then I suppose renting could be a way to go. For the person who will be diving more than once a year, then without doubt, owning your own equipment is a much better way to go.

The advantages of owning your own equipment include the following:

• Safety: Becoming familiar with the operation of varous pieces of equipment
• Convenience: Able to dive at a moment's notice and don't have to be concerned with making a trip to the Local Diving Store (LDS) to pick rental gear
• Cost effective: Owners of equipment tend dive more regularly (thus making the initial investment in training more cost effective)

So the next question that often comes up is "What should I buy first?" The new SCUBA divers are often faced with making the difficult choice of whether to buy a BCD or regulator first. Both pieces of equipment are relatively expensive and range from gear aimed at casual recreational divers to specialized gear aimed at technical divers.

There is not really a good answer to which piece of gear to buy first. One could argue in favor of either a BCD or regulator. It really is a personal choice. The key thing to bear in mind when buying gear is buying something that will enable you to dive safely and that you will not outgrow within the next 3 to 5 years.

A work colleague is a brand junkie. He ONLY uses Scubapro equipment. Fins, wetsuit, BCD, regulator etc. Not only does he insist on using only Scubapro he also insists that everything has to be color matched as well. Although I appreciate his brand loyality, I think one should be selective about the gear you buy based on the kind of diving that you will be doing.

I know of an instructor who shall remain nameless who went online and bought the cheapest possible BCD that he could find. His reasoning was that it would get ruined in the pool anyway so why use a decent BCD in the pool? He has used the cheap BCD on all kinds of training, wreck diving and so on. I noticed that he in fact does own a very nice OMS setup, but he never uses it. I guess he is keeping the OMS BCD for a "special dive". As far as I know, his OMS BCD has never been in the pool. Now that I think about it, it is probably huge overkill using an OMS BCD in the pool.

This is a topic that I will be writing about for the next few days since there is much to talk about.

Just a thought

Getting to teach beginning SCUBA classes is something that I look forward to. The Local Dive Store (LDS) that I work for is fairly large and we have many part-timers like me who teach on a fairly consistent basis.

However, I do have one pet peeve. The senior instructor (full-timer) who schedules the instructors for the classes seems to have scheduling and time management issues. The problem apparently is that his “system” of scheduling is (to put it kindly) by the seat of the pants.

More often than not, it takes at least three phone calls and a few personal reminders to get the schedule for the next three to six months. Sometimes I feel guilty about asking so many times, but it seems to be the only way to get the senior instructor (SI) going on setting up the schedule.

Perhaps it is that SI is getting along in years and forgets that he needs to get the schedule done. Alternatively, it could be that he is genuinely disorganized and has a difficult time on getting administrative tasks done (judging from his desk, I think that this might be true). I don’t really know, but I sure wish we had a better system.

Having a person that has time management issues set up a schedule seems to be a contradiction. In the case of SI, I think the old saying “a stitch in time saves nine” could be more accurately stated as “a schedule in time saves many phone calls!”

Ascent Rates

Recently I wrote about a fellow instructor who is considering becoming a commercial diver. He mentioned that the ascent rate that they had to keep to during commercial diver training was 30 feet per minute or less. Some training agencies teach recreational divers to ascend at a rate no faster than 60 feet a minute.

With commercial diving, making a slow ascent after every dive is critical, since diving is one'’s source of income and you would not want to run the risk of decompression illness. The advantage that commercial divers have over recreational divers is that they are usually supplied with air from the surface. Slow ascents and elongated safety stop are therefore not influenced by remaining air supply as with recreational divers.

All this talk of various ascent rates might seem a little esoteric and theoretical. However, I would contend that safety should always be in the mind of the recreational diver. Even though we are not required to do safety stops for certain dives, a responsible diver will make a safety stop as a matter of habit. The same could be said for a slower ascent rate.

The real issue with ascent rates is the amount of nitrogen dissolved in the diver'’s blood. A slow ascent rate will give the diver'’s body the time necessary to "off gas"”. As the ambient water pressure decreases, so the excess dissolved nitrogen will be breathed out by the diver. The advantage of a slow ascent rate (and a safety stop) is that you are giving your body enough time to get rid of the excess nitrogen safely.

Divers have come up with all kinds of techniques to ensure a proper ascent rate. For example one technique that I read about is breaking the dive up into 10 foot segments. If your ascent rate is 30 feet per minute, then you should take at least 20 seconds to ascend 10 feet. If you exceed your set rate, stop at the 10 foot mark and wait until the time "catches up" to you. Another technique is obvious - counting slowly in your mind as you watch the depth gauge. Each foot increment should take 2 seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two). With practice one should be able to keep to a fairly consistent and safe ascent rate.

However, most divers, myself included, use their dive computers as a rate guide. My dive computer starts beeping loudly if I ascend too fast and I find this a useful feature when working with students, since I cannot watch the student and my computer at the same time. Additionally most computers will also give you a visual warning if the ascent rate is fast.

Ascents do not have to be boring. Since I am one of those people who really enjoy being in the water, I love every part of the dive. The ascents give me the time to practice buoyancy skills by releasing just the right amount of air from the BCD to slow down the ascent rate. The ascent also gives me time to do a little more sightseeing and take stock of what I saw on the dive.

A slow ascent is vital to safe diving and should not be rushed (unless you are running out of air or have some kind of medical emergency). Learn to enjoy every part of the dive and you will never find slow ascents and safety stops boring.

Thanks to those who led the way

One of the instructors that I regularly work with, has decided to add new skills to his resume’ and recently completed a commercial diving course. It was interesting to listen his perspectives on the training and different insights that he gleaned from his course.

The course that he took was very demanding with long days of classroom, pool and open water training. The equipment that commercial divers use is quite a bit different to what we use in recreational diving.

Some of the greatest differences were that they were supplied with air from the surface and used helmets as opposed to masks. He explained the various techniques that they learned to clear the fogging on the inside the helmet and what they did to equalize their ears.  

It was fascinating to listen to his tales of how they learned how to weld underwater, how to recover cars etc. with lift bags and how to survey underwater structures. As one would imagine, commercial divers perform their work under exacting rules and procedures. The team concept is vital to safety for commercial divers.

Recreational diving is a very different animal to commercial diving. However, both recreational and commercial diving share a common ancestry.  We owe a huge amount of gratitude to the great inventors, scientists and explorers who blazed the way – Haldane, Cousteau, Buhlman and others.  These pioneers paved the way for us to be able to conduct safe recreational and commercial dives. The decompression theories formulated by Haldane and the decompression algorithm devised by Buhlman et al, have enabled generations of divers to dive safely. The equipment originally invented and refined by Cousteau and others have enable millions of recreational divers to explore the vast and wonderful marine world all around us.

    

Soap Box

Sadly a student on a night diving course disappeared in Hout Bay South Africa (see report on CDNN). It would seem that diver and buddy felt that the seas were too choppy and aborted the dive and made their way back to the boat. The one buddy made it back onto the boat, but the other buddy apparently drifted away from the boat. An intensive search was launched, but as of the time of writing, the diver has not been found.

Please read the rest of my comments in the light of the fact that I do not know exactly what happened on the dive, do not know the instructor or anyone related to the incident etc.

One aspect of the report on CDNN that bothered me was that there was a indication that the diver was lost in "another" PADI course. I know that there is friendly rivalry amongst instructors from the various training agencies and we like to gently rib each other about each other's agencies.

However, there is also a group of people who are malicious and do not like to see anyone or anything be successful. I call this the crab effect. The crab effect is explained by this story. There was an old man catching crabs and he put them in an open basket. A kid walked by and asked the old man if he was not afraid that the crabs might climb out of the basket and escape. The old man replied that as long as there was more than one crab in the basket, the other crabs would drag down any crab that tried to escape. I think that as humans we sometimes try to drag down anything that is more successful than we are.

It is well known that PADI trains more divers than the other agencies combined (in the USA). It is also well known that PADI does a lot of marketing and has changed the diving training to make diving more accessible to the general public. However, it would not be correct in my view to say that PADI had dumbed down diving to the point of saying that PADI divers are "unsafe at any depth".

The key difference to any course is how the instructor conducts the class. Think of how teachers are trained. School teachers receive generally the same training to be licensed yet there is a vast difference of the teachers who you remember and who made an impact to your life and the teachers who were just going through the paces. I think it is fair to say that SCUBA instructors could be seen in the same category. Some instructors are passionate, caring and very competent, and some are just going through the paces.

At the same time one could argue that it is up to every instructor to ensure that he or she conducts safe diving courses. I cannot believe that the average instructor trained by PADI would be less concerned about student safety than the average instructor trained by agency X. The training agencies can only do so much to prepare and train instructors.

Sometimes I have conducted courses and felt that I was herding cats. Even in highly structured military environments, you cannot completely control how people react. In recreational diving, we do not treat people like military recruits. We cannot completely control how people think, react and respond to conditions. You can brief people till you are blue in the face and you will find that some will do whatever they want no matter what you say. Under stress, people forget what you say, or remember only a part. Some people treat dive briefings like airline passengers listening to the preflight safety briefing.

I am aware of a volunteer firefighter who unfortunately died during a night diving class this year. It so happened that the course was a PADI course, but the person had a medical condition and his death had nothing to do with PADI. I cannot believe that PADI should be responsible for sudden unexpected health emergencies.

Before every course, students have to complete a medical questionnaire. However, I know that there are people who are macho enough to answer the questions with ignorant bravado just to get the "paper work out of the way". I am not saying that this was the case with the unfortunate firefighter at all. I am just relating my observations of students that I have worked with.

Saying that someone died or was injured on another PADI course (as opposed to another agency) is like saying that traveling by bus is safer than driving a motor car since MORE people are injured in car accidents than in bus accidents. Obviously this statement is not valid since many more people drive in motor cars. In the same way, since more people are trained by PADI than the other agencies combined, it is inevitable that on average PADI will be mentioned more than the other agencies when there is an incident.

What I am aiming for with this post is a call for objectivity. If there are concrete things PADI and the other training organizations can do to improve safety we should and must talk about those things and incorporate them into our training courses. Lets drop the rhetoric and pointless blame game and work together to make diving safer for the divers we train.

The new mask

Recently I changed masks. The mask that I had was getting really old and the silicon had started to discolor from being in pool chlorine too long. Buying a new mask is one of the parts of buying new equipment I do not enjoy. Normally, I get excited about a new piece of equipment and usually cannot wait to try it out.

Masks and buying masks have been challenging. It would seem that I have a face that is not a standard shape. As many people know who have purchased masks at their local diving store (LDS), there is a fairly standard way of fitting masks for seal and comfort. I will not go into the various methods here, except to say that the stores do as much as possible under the circumstances to find well fitting masks for divers.

Fundamentally, I think that there must be better way to find well fitting masks. Perhaps the manufactures can try wider skirts around the outside of the mask. Perhaps the answer lays in the design of the masks. Perhaps manufacturers should rethink how masks are designed and sold.

For example, some clothing manufacturers have started experimenting with taking full body scans of people and then custom manufacturing garments based on the specific body of the client. Would it be complete over-kill if we could come up with something similar for making masks?

Alternatively, how about if the manufacturers came up with standard sizing templates that could be fitted to one’s face that will indicate which mask would be a better fit?

Having a comfortable, well fitting mask makes a huge difference to one’s dive. There are few things that annoy me as much as a leaking mask.

Twenty Questions

While this blog is meant to be a forum where I ramble on about whatever happens to pop into my mind concerning my SCUBA obsession, I thought it would be interesting to find out if there are regular readers who would like me to cover any specific subjects.

To that end I created a special email account where you could send in your suggestions for topics or general questions about SCUBA diving. I will do my best to answer any SCUBA related questions.

So send in your questions and suggestions to bwraf.comment at gmail.com

The adventure continues

Occasionally I run into students who were in one of my classroom and pool sessions. This weekend, two students who were in the first class that I taught were diving in the same area that I was. It was fun to catch up on their various diving adventures.

In the classes that I teach, I try to convey my passion for diving to the students. When we teach students we never really know how much diving the future divers will be doing. People get into SCUBA diving for various reasons. Adventure, travel, making new friends and so on are just a few of the reasons that people start SCUBA diving.

A fair number of my students are middle-aged people who are trying new adventures. Some of these folks have a list of things to accomplish – for example, sky diving, bungee jumping, SCUBA etc. I guess of these, SCUBA has the most rigorous training before one can participate. SCUBA is also the one sport that you can do in many exotic locations around the world.

Some divers become very passionate about diving and they arrange their vacation times around diving. The couple I mentioned earlier have spent every vacation diving all over the Caribbean. Sometimes I speak to divers who have been on three or four diving trips on one year!

Although this post might sound a little like an advertisement for diving, it really is not. Personally, it is wonderful to see how my students have progressed. I felt like a proud father watching my ex-students conduct their dives safely and skillfully. At least I had a small effect on their lives and hope that they will have many, many safe and adventurous dives ahead of them.    

Reality check

My dives today did not turn out be so much fun after all. The problem was that I was using all kinds of new equipment and it took the entire first dive to get the problems taken care of. In a way I am glad that I had a difficult time. It made me realize how the new students must feel on their first dive. It is not that I forgot how my first dive went. For me, my very first open water dive went well with no real problems. However, today I experienced a number of problems that I have noticed that some of my students have.

This situation had me thinking of a documentary program that I saw about how some new doctors are trained. Somewhere in their process of becoming doctors, the students were "admitted" as patients and had all kinds of procedures performed on them. Not only that, they were subjected to many of the mundane hospital routine type things, like being waken at 4 am for a sponge bath and to have the sheets changed. The purpose of this immersion into the world of patients was to help the fledgling doctors understand what it feels like to be a patient - and obviously to try to get them to treat their patients with respect and understanding. I do not know how widespread this type of immersive training is in medical school, but it seems like a novel idea that might have a good effect.

New divers, have a lot of task loading going on. New equipment, unfamiliar surroundings and trying to remember everything that was learned in class and pool. Sometimes it is good for an instructor to have a bit of reality check to be able to better identify the stresses that new students experience.

My turn to have fun

For a change I will be diving just for my own pleasure this weekend. On a whim, I decided to take a SCUBA class that I have been meaning to take for a while and we will be diving this weekend as part of the class requirements. It might seem strange to some that taking a class could be fun diving.

When I am teaching a class I can never really relax and enjoy the dive. Like many of my friends, I really enjoy being in the water. However in a class situation where I am responsible for students, my focus is on the students and their safety.

J. one of my first instructors is teaching the class. He is an awesome instructor and I am still learning from him. For example, I was very impressed with the way he conducts the class and even how he handles the mundane stuff like doing the paper work (liability releases, medical statements etc.). In future classes that I teach, I am going to copy his method of handling the paper work.

Carrying on the theme that I recently wrote about that an instructor should always strive to be a good role model; it is good to sit in on a class once in a while to keep your skills current and to learn from other instructors. Every time I work with another instructor or sit in on a class, I try to learn at least one or two things from him or her.

For example last year, I worked with an instructor who gave an awesome briefing on how to use a compass for navigation. With his permission, I shamelessly copied his method of teaching the compass to rave reviews. Thanks J.

Being a role model

In my view, it is important to cultivate good habits in divers early on. Instructors use various techniques such as multiple repetitions of key concepts so that we cement certain behaviors and concepts in the students’ minds.

Part of being a good instructor is being a good role model. Often more is caught than taught in instructing students. Students carefully observe the instructor and will subconsciously adopt certain behaviors and habits from their entry level instructors. I remember thinking about how gracefully my entry level instructor moved through the water and it was my goal early on in my SCUBA diving to move as gracefully as he did. I can clearly remember how he instructed my class on how to set up the SCUBA gear. I still use the same method and teach it to my students.

Even though the most important rule in SCUBA is never hold your breath, for instructors, the most important rules could be to always be a good role model and help instill good habits in your students.

Most important rule - part II

The most important rule in SCUBA is never hold your breath.

In the classroom and pool sessions that I teach, I always tell the students that by the end of time we have together they will have heard me talk about the most important rule in SCUBA more than twenty times. I do this so that they will focus on what the words mean. By the end of the second pool session they recite the answer to the question loud and proud.

During the past weekend, I had to work with students who were trained by other instructors. When I asked what the most important rule in SCUBA is, some answered that "you should always breathe".

The problem was that at the time we were talking about regulator recoveries. Of course I made light of that answer since it is very inadvisable to breathe underwater while the regulator is out of your mouth (just so you know, I meant this as humor).

Some people might feel that there is a distinction without a difference between “never hold your breath” and “always breathe”. In other words, some people think that the two terms mean the same thing. I do not agree.

Always breathe implies that you will always have a source of air available. However never hold your breath indicates to the students that they should always keep their airway open. The concern is that a diver could suffer lung overexpansion injuries when holding their breath upon ascent.

Can you see me?

An article on CDNN sadly reported that a diver was accidentally killed in Hollywood Florida by a hit and run boat accident. Police thought that it was possible that the people in the boat did not realize that they had hit a diver. The divers did have a dive flag (diver down flag) with them.

This past weekend, Navigating Phenom, I and another instructor were doing open water certifications in a local body of water that allows all manner of small boat traffic.

We witnessed a Jet Ski pass right over a group of recreational divers (we knew this from watching where the air bubbles were coming up). Fortunately nobody was injured in this incident. However, the divers did NOT have a dive flag with them as required by local regulations. Clearly the divers were not taking their own safety seriously.

These two events had me thinking about boat traffic and diver safety.

My initial reaction is that divers must be proactive about their safety. I do not know what happened in the tragic event with the diver in Florida and do not even want to start to speculate about the cause. However, in the case of the divers that I witnessed, it was clear that the divers did not take boat traffic into account when they started their dive (not to mention local regulations).

My second reaction is a question as to whether boaters are sufficiently made aware of what dive flags mean. Locally boat traffic is required to stay at least 150 feet (50 m) from dive flags. I am not familiar with what licensing is required to be able to operate a boat or a Jet Ski. From what I have heard it would seem that just about anyone can hop onto a Jet Ski and tear up the water.

Jet Skis are fun and I have absolutely no issue with people enjoying their boats and Jet Skis. My concern is that boaters and Jet Ski operators are not aware of what our dive flags mean, or give sufficient clearance to the area where a dive flag is.

Locally we are required to have a dive flag for every four divers. The dive flags that we use here in the USA are red with a diagonal white stripe (some other countries the dive flags are a different color and design).

Perhaps it is time for a dive flag education campaign by dive training organizations, SCUBA equipment manufacturers and other interested parties aimed at small recreational craft operators.

Please follow your local regulations concerning dive flag usage. Even if you do not have local regulations that require dive flag usage, take a proactive approach and use a dive flag or other signaling device that will make boat traffic aware of your position. For example if you will be surfacing or diving shallower than say 15 feet (5 m) in an area that is prone to boat traffic, take extra precautions.

Do not take any unnecessary risks or assume that boaters will see your dive flag and avoid the area that you are in. The question is not whether you can see the boat traffic, but whether the boat traffic can see you and know that you are in the water. Take your own safety very seriously.

An example of local dive flag regulations:

• Scuba divers must display a warning flag when
  diving.
• The diver’s flag must measure at least 15 inches horizontally and 12 inches vertically. Both sides must have a red-colored background bisected diagonally by a three-inch wide white
  stripe. There is also a blue and white diver’s flag authorized under the federal rules of the
  road.
• No more than four divers shall dive under one flag.
• Divers must remain within 50 feet (measured horizontally) of the warning flag.
• If a group of divers is using a contained area, the perimeter of the area must be marked. The area must be outside the normal area of navigation. These markings must consist of the official diver’s flag and must be placed around the perimeter of the diving area at intervals of not more than 150 feet.
• Do not place a diver’s flag where it will obstruct navigation.
• The diver’s flag may be displayed on a watercraft or float or be anchored to the bottom. The top of the flag must be at least 30 inches above the surface, however.
• Boats not involved with the diving operation must remain 150 feet away from a flag. Persons who dive at any time from sunset to sunrise must carry a diver’s light visible when above the water for a distance of 150 feet.

Heavy breather?

Most dive training organizations have some kind of swimming and water treading requirement for certification. Often students will ask why it is that they need to be able to swim 200 meters to be certified to do SCUBA diving. The reasoning goes that since we will be submerged while SCUBA diving what is the point of doing a 200 meter surface swim?

As some of the veteran divers will remember, the entry requirements and training for SCUBA were much more stringent in the “early days”. Recreational SCUBA diving training was largely based on Navy training methods. Navy diver candidates should be able to swim, tread water and do many other very challenging things to be Diver qualified.

Anyone who has seen TV programs on how Navy Divers are selected and trained will probably remember seeing student divers doing many physically demanding and challenging drills and exercises that might not seem to be directly related to SCUBA diving. The physical training is partly due to the candidates are being physically conditioned and partly due a weeding out process.

Recreational diving has changed substantially since the “early days”. Diving is becoming more and more popular as people are spending more on leisure and adventure travel. The training regime and entry requirement for CERTIFICATION has changed with the times. The certification requirements now more closely mirror what a recreational diver needs as opposed to what a combat or salvage diver needs.

Often students will think that the swimming requirement and water treading is a hold-over from the military heritage of SCUBA diving. Personally I do not think that this is an accurate view.

Most divers will compare air consumption after a dive and sometimes students will ask why their air consumption is so high compared to their buddy’s. The answer is of course that there are many factors that affect air consumption, but one of that factors that is easy to change is the diver’s fitness level. The fitter divers tend to use less air than those who are not. Think about a fit and a non fit person walking up a set of stairs. The out of shape person will be most likely breathing heavier than the fit person. The website divefitness contains many great articles and tips on how to improve your air usage and fitness for diving.

SCUBA diving is inherently a physically challenging activity. The tanks, weight belts and other equipment are heavy and just getting to the water and setting up your gear can be a mini workout all by itself.

The swimming requirement is not a weeding out process, but is a measure to determine whether the student is up to the physical challenges of recreational diving. Some people are better swimmers than other, but generally there is a good correlation between the people who are comfortable in the water (swimming, snorkeling, water treading etc.) and being comfortable underwater.

Your fitness level directly impacts your potential enjoyment of SCUBA diving. The fitter you are the easier and more enjoyable the dive.

By their signs shall you know them

I have been noticing a trend on some of the vehicles of divers and instructors. A number of divers have a dive flag sticker somewhere on the rear of the vehicle. A few have a license back plate that has some kind of dive flag design. A few probably have personalized license plates that advertise their love for SCUBA. I don’t remember seeing any creative and fun personalized license plates recently that refer to SCUBA but I am sure there must be a few around. For example SCUBA1, SCUBADVR etc.

Then there are some folks who tend to be over-achievers in life. These folks have just about every SCUBA sticker known to man on their vehicles. Not only do they advertise their love for SCUBA, but will tell of their preference of equipment manufacturer, and for good measure the fact that they are an instructor.

As I derive a modest source of revenue from my SCUBA obsession, I am all for making diving as popular as possible. So I say, advertise away, just remember not to drive as if you were suffering from nitrogen narcosis!

How deep is deep enough?

“What is the deepest that you have dived to?” This question comes up from time to time in my classes. Of course, I give a carefully qualified and truthful answer. The point really is, how deep is deep enough.

Open water divers should not be diving to deeper than 60 feet (20 meters) unless they are diving with a professional. With additional training (for example advanced open water) the diver could venture to 100 feet (30 meters). The absolute depth limit for recreational diving specified by most training organizations is 130 feet (40 meters).

Someone once said that there is nothing in the water that is worth to die for. His point is very well taken. So many times, we hear of divers who are injured or worse, due to deep dives that lead to complications. Often there is an equipment malfunction or a diver error that leads to tragedy.

On the other hand, there are divers who are very experienced, trained and equipped who venture to depths well below the recreational limit of 130 feet (40 meters). These divers are in a very different category than the divers that I train and the type of diving that I do. For the purposes of this post, let’s exclude these divers from my comments below.

The depth of a specific dive should be carefully considered based on the individual’s health, experience, training and of course the prevailing conditions. Some of the factors that should be taken into account are:

• How well can you see at depth? (colors appear different at depth)


• What will your bottom time be to explore? (the deeper you are the shorter the bottom time)


• What are the conditions like? (current, marine animals, possible entanglements)

An article on DAN’s website cautions related to deciding on how deep to dive, “As with many things in life, one must balance the risks against the benefits and make a decision. However, it is essential to have a real understanding and appreciation of the risks.”

The DAN article goes on to caution:

It becomes obvious that there is no safe depth limit that applies to all divers all of the time. A diver’s ability to cope with depth depends on a number of highly variable factors. The depth of the onset of the effects of the exotic cocktail of elevated pressures of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen, coupled with the sensory deprivation and stress associated with diving, are not always predictable. A dive to 80 feet in cold, dirty water can be far more hazardous than a dive to twice the depth in warm, clear waters. Factors such as visibility, water temperature and diver experience and preparedness greatly affect a diver’s comfort and safety, rather than depth alone.

There is no single answer to the question of how deep is deep enough. However, in recreational diving, one should always dive to well within your training and ability while taking the prevailing conditions into account.

A great gift idea

In every open water class that I teach there will be at least one couple who are about to get married and are planning to go diving on their honeymoon. The idea of Scuba diving on your honeymoon is wonderful.

Sometimes we get students who received the training as a gift from their parents or other loved ones. Once we even had students who received the training as part of their company’s program on promoting fitness and education.

If you are hard pressed for a gift to give to someone special in your life, perhaps giving him or her a gift that will lead to a lifetime enjoyment from the wonders of Scuba diving will be best thing you can do. This is truly one of those gifts that keep on giving.

Did you just spit into your mask?

Anyone familiar with masks will know that the first thing you do after buying a mask is to rub non-gel toothpaste on the inside and outside of the lenses. The reason is that the manufacturers apply a coating to the lenses to protect them and make them look clean and bright. Somehow, the toothpaste treatment does not always do a good job of getting the protective coatings off.

Before every dive, one should treat your mask in some way to prevent fogging. Commercial defog products like 500 PSI are probably the most popular with divers. The defog products work well and are easy to use and apply. Some divers use baby shampoo as a defog agent. The baby shampoo seems to work just as well. Yet another group of divers use plain old saliva. Some of the veteran divers say that nothing works as well as saliva.

Recently I read an interesting article about a nanotech coating that will permanently prevent fogging on glass surfaces. A scientist at M.I.T. who helped develop the coating, said in the article that the coating will be inexpensive and will never have to be reapplied.

If this technology ever becomes commercially available, you might never see people spitting into their masks again.

Do we really need fin pivots?

The open water adventure went fairly well this weekend. Navigating Phenom (NP) and I had two groups of divers to take through their certification dives. The weather was great, but the visibility was poor. The two groups of divers performed their skills and most did quite fine.

There were the inevitable equipment challenges to deal with. Wetsuits that did not fit, lost masks, underweighted, overweight, regulator free flows and so on. NP and I managed to work through the problems and get everyone squared away. We had to make many trips back to the van to get larger BCD’s, smaller weight belt, more weights and all kinds of odds and ends. Some of the students would wait until just before we were about to enter the water before telling us of some equipment issue. Of course we had to then take off the BCD, weight belt etc, make our way back to the van, retrieve the equipment and help the student.

The worst of the equipment issues were related to adequate weighting. When we give out the weight belts initially, we make an educated guess as to how much weight each person would need. The weighting depends on the build of the person, the thickness of the wetsuit and whether they are wearing hood and gloves. Mostly, we were fairly close with the weight guesses. The problem turned out to be that some students did not know or understand how to do a good buoyancy check. For example, some people told us that they sank too fast, so we removed a little weight. However once we started the first dive, they could not descend and we had to add more weight. I think that some instructors rush through the buoyancy check in the pool and it shows when we get to work with the students in the open water environment.

When it came time to perform the fin pivots, this instructor was not a happy man. Somehow a few of the students thought that a good way to start the fin pivot was to do a good push up off the bottom. The reason was that they forgot to become neutrally buoyant by adding air to their BCD’s. One student refused to lay face down on the platform to start the pivot. The student wanted to do the pivot in mid water. I had a difficult time getting him to start the pivot from the platform floor.

When we had our post-dive briefing, I told the students that the pivots were terrible and we would have to do them correctly the next day or else. Before the next set of dives, I explained in detail what my expectation was of what a correct fin pivot should look like. Fortunately, there was a dramatic improvement in the quality of the fin pivots and everyone did a much better job on the second day.

From my perspective, I do not fully understand why fin pivots are part of the certification process. I think that we can teach and test buoyancy control in many different ways. The teaching process should represent what an open water diver might encounter. That is why we teach mask flood and clears, regulator recovery and so on.

I have never, or seen anyone use a fin pivot in recreational diving. For example, NP is a good videographer and has awesome buoyancy control due to his long periods of pointing his camera at small marine animals. He might come close to doing a fin pivot while photographing, but mostly he keeps off the bottom. In fact, we stress to student divers that they should always keep off the bottom so as not to damage aquatic life. So again, I do not see the place for a fin pivot.

To teach buoyancy control we could concentrate more on hovering skills and some other exercises that more closely mimic what a diver could encounter in the open water environment.

Navigating Phenom's adventure

My diving buddy who I wrote about a few days ago will be referred to as the Navigating Phenom (NP) just to make things easier. A while ago NP and I were talking about his first open water experience. He had the great fortune to be able to do his certification dives on a very scenic island that has abundant marine life. On the first dive, which is really just a tour, he and the instructor were swimming along admiring the bountiful life around them. Suddenly, the instructor became very excited, pointed very excitedly, and started swimming away from NP. At this point NP was very confused, but followed along and suddenly right there in front of them appeared a huge humpback whale.

NP said he was impressed but did not understand at the time why the instructor was so excited. He told me later that he thought that he would be seeing whales on most dives. Of course, he later realized that he was very fortunate to see a whale at all, not to mention that it was his first open water dive! Talk about beginners luck.

Tomorrow, NP and I will be taking two groups of students through their certification dives for open water certification. The weather should be great and perhaps the visibility too. Unfortunately, we are doing our certification dives in a fresh water environment, so the chances of seeing a humpback whale or any significant marine life are out of the question. Perhaps I should take a toy whale along and produce it when NP least expects it!

Taking the first breath

Recently I was thinking of the very first time I was able to experience the joy and thrills of SCUBA. In a way, being able to breathe underwater was almost anti-climactic. I am not sure what I expected, but breathing turned out to be natural and normal, yet very memorable.

One thing I remember from my first pool session was having a dry mouth at the end. Recently a student asked me about why her mouth was so dry after the pool session. The reason I gave was that the air is filtered and moisture reduced before being added to the tanks. So the next question was “what can we do to prevent this?” Unfortunately, I did not have a good answer. I know there are products available on the market to alleviate the dry mouth sensation, but I personally do not know anyone who uses any of these products.

In my case, I do not even notice the dry mouth sensation anymore. I am not sure why that is. Before I dive, I make sure that I am adequately hydrated. By that, I mean I do not drink a huge amount of water, but make sure that have at least the equivalent of two or so glasses of water before the dive. I am sure this is different for everybody, but that seems to work for me. Another personal rule that I have is that I will not have any coffee or carbonated soft drink before a dive. The reason is that I find that coffee, Coke or Pepsi act as a diuretic to me.

One of the instructors that I sometimes teach with has a phrase that he likes to use. He says that there are only two kinds of divers - those who pee in their wetsuits and those who lie about it. However, I do not subscribe that school of thought. I think that if you manage your fluid intake you should be able to manage the bladder situation. I know that everyone is different, so I guess if you have to go, then you have to go. Personally, I find the thought of diving in a “suit of pee” not attractive at all.

Experienced divers probably do not think too much about the act of breathing from the regulator. However, the memory of my first nervous and excited breaths from the regulator will always be with me.


Update: 09/07/05: Article by a doc on the effects of pressure on bloodflow and the bladder.

Technology and diving

Getting lost underwater can be a very scary experience. Some people, like my diving buddy is just a natural at navigation. I always tease him about his heritage because I tell him that being able to navigate is just in his blood. He has an uncanny ability to find his way back to the dive boat every time.

On the other hand, I do not have the navigation gene. For me, it takes a lot of effort and concentration to find my way around. Fortunately, I am quite observant so I often dive using natural navigation (for example, by following natural markers, or using the sun when possible). In lakes, sometimes I would follow a weed line or a contour.

Using a compass did not come easily for me. I had to really work on my compass navigation skill. As the old say goes – practice makes perfect. The more you use the compass, the better you get at it. On dives I sometimes force myself to follow a compass heading, even if I know the area perfectly well and don’t need the compass. It is important to keep compass skills fresh.

Recently, I was talking to fellow instructor about using GPS to mark some of our regular diving spots. As most people know, GPS does not currently have a strong enough signal to penetrate into water (beyond say a few inches). So what my fellow instructor was going to do was attach a GPS unit to the dive flag and circle around the spots of interest. Later the instructor would be able to get a fairly good GPS location by using the circles on the GPS screen.

There is no doubt that technology is making diving safer and more enjoyable. I guess the day will come when divers will have some kind of unit that will work like GPS systems in cars. However as in most things, it pays to be able to navigate using the compass and natural navigation. The same can be said for tables and dive computers. A good diver will always be able to plan a dive without a computer. The computer should be used as an extra safety factor, but a responsible diver, should be able to plan the dive by using tables. It is vital to understand the relationship between depth, time and nitrogen loading.

By far, the best piece of technology that a diver has is his or her brain.

Night Dive - fear or fascination

Diving at night seems to be one of those things that people either love or hate. I know of divers who absolutely love diving at night and I know of other divers who would have a serious panic attack if they had to go into the water after dark.

A good way to get students accustomed to being in the water at night is to schedule the night dive for when there is a full moon and to start the dive at dusk. The students enter the water and can see fairly well with the available light. Once submerged, the divers become comfortable with the familiar feelings of being underwater. Eventually it becomes dark and most students do not even realize the gradual change from dusk to darkness. Often students are surprised by how well they can see underwater after dark.

A comprehensive dive briefing and orientation helps to calm the more nervous students. Post dive debriefs also helps students process the night dive and enables you to clear up any uncertainties.      

Cold water

I heard an interesting interview on a local radio station. The host of the radio show interviewed one of the survivors of a plane crash in the Bering Sea in 1993. The story has many interesting facets to it. Below is a direct quote from the website http://www.therescuestory.com/ Additionally this newspaper article gives a very good account of the rescue.

"In August 1993 on an ordinary day, a small plane ran out of fuel 45 minutes into a 75 minute flight and had to make a crash landing. The fact that everyone on board survived may seem like a small miracle or maybe no miracle at all, just pilot skill. But consider this: the plane ditched in the Bering Sea, off of Alaska, 2 1/2 miles from the nearest land and 22 miles from their destination. The plane did not carry a life raft or life vests; the water temperature was in the 30's."

The survivors managed to survive in near arctic waters for almost 70 minutes. Typically the expected survival time in such frigid water (-1 degree Celsius) is probably around 10 to 15 minutes

Having experienced very cold water myself, I can only imagine the agony these people must have endured. At least I had thermal underwear, full drysuit, hood and gloves on when I did my cold water diving. The water, in my case was bracing, yet bearable (except for the brief "ice cream headache"). However, without exposure protection, enduring ice cold water can be very painful and possibly fatal. As many people know, water conducts heat away from the body four times faster than air does, since water is a much better conductor than air is.

Hypothermia is an insidious enemy. Hypothermia occurs when the core body temperature is less than 35 degrees Celsius. Loss of consciousness or decreased consciousness occurs when the core body temperature drops to 30 to 32 degrees Celsius. Heart failure is the usual cause of death when the core body temperature drops below 30 degrees Celsius. The key to survival is therefore to try to preserve body heat. See this webpage for more information on how to improve your chances of surviving hypothermia in water.        

What a freeloader.

The last few posts have been a little on the serious and technical side, so I thought a change a pace might be a good idea.

Last year I met a very friendly and happy fellow diver who has one of the keenest senses of humor that I have encountered. However, he is a confirmed bachelor and is perhaps on the side of the fence that feels that marriage and relationships are much better left well alone (something about a messy divorce and being taken for a ride etc).

One day there were three of us diving together in a group and toward the end of the dive, our friend decided that he needed to get back to the boat. So we directed toward where the boat was and continued on with dive. In case you were wondering, the boat was close and our friend is a very experienced diver.

After the dive we changed out of gear and proceeded up to the deck to see why our friend had to abort the dive so early. It turned out that he needed to get back to the boat because of some biological issue (don't ask).

But this was not the real cause for great laughter and much teasing that day. It turned out that as soon as our friend left us, a Remora (slender sucker fish), wanted to attach itself to our friend's leg. The problem was that nothing he did, could persuade the troublesome freeloader from leaving our friend alone. He tried to frighten it away with a blast of air from his regulator, tried to swat at it and even tried to stab it with his diving knife. According to our friend, the fish was entirely convinced that its life depended on attaching itself to his leg. Apparently the Remora followed him all the way up to the boat and I am sure if it could it would have followed him onto the boat too.

Of course this juicy piece of information became widely known on the boat and thereafter the Remoras were known as his girlfriends. So it seems that even the female fish of this world wanted to take our friend for a ride!

For more information on the Remora see http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/enaucrates.htm

http://www.gma.org/fogm/Remora_remora.htm

Deep safety stops

Last year while diving with some divers from all over the country, we discussed various safety stop strategies. Of course we were very strict in keeping to our three minute safety stops at 15 feet.

Personally, I do not view the safety stop as a waste of time. It is a time of reflection on the dive, and also a time when I can practice buoyancy control and various other skills. I need to keep sharp on my skills and use this time as extra practice time (for example mask clears etc).

One technique we discussed and which I have became very interested in, is making additional deep safety stops. There are a number of ways to do the deep safety stops. One method is to make one minute safety stops at 50% of the depth, then 25% and finally three minutes at 15 feet. For example if your dive to 100 feet, then you will do a safety stop at 50 feet, 25 feet, and the usual 15 feet. Some people even will do a further short safety stop at 7.5 feet.

Another method would be to make a deep safety stop at 50% depth for 1 minute and then a 2 minute stop at 15 feet. However, I think that a 2 minute safety stop at 15 feet is too short, but there is a research project underway to test this theory (see website mentioned below).

There is an interesting article about deep safety stops at the DAN website The authors delve into a fair amount of history and theory but it is worth reading.

Interestingly, the 60 feet per minute ascent rate seems to be on the high side. It would seem that the more prudent ascent rate would be less than 30 feet a minute. From the DAN article, it seems that 60 feet a minute was decided without too much scientific evidence and research.

In case anyone might misunderstand - please ascend NO FASTER than 60 feet per minute (the slower the better) and ALWAYS make a 3 minute safety stop at 15 feet (air supply permitted of course).

What is the most important rule in SCUBA?

What is the most important rule in SCUBA? The answer to this question is drilled into our students, "Never hold your breath". However, I would like to add a second and third rule. The second rule is dive within your limits and the third rule (perhaps a little facetiously) is always read the fine print.

Recently an article appeared on Divernet.com that a British diver is faced with a huge bill of £40,000 for medical treatment due to decompression illness (see http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/130805bill.shtml). It appears that he violated the conditions of the insurance by diving deeper than the30m (90feet) limit of the policy. According to the article, his maximum depth was 49.5m (approximately 150feet).

Please don't misunderstand my comments below as directed toward the unfortunate gentleman mentioned in the article. I merely want to draw some general conclusions from the article and in no way am I saying anything about the diver, his skill or the treatment he received.

There are two immediate conclusions to draw from the article. The first is that one should know what the conditions of the insurance policy are before diving. Some insurance policies are very strict about depth limits etc. When it comes to diver insurance, cheaper is not the way to go.

The second is a general observation about safe diving practices. Recreational divers are certified to dive to a depth of 40m (130 feet). However, most training organizations recommend that dives are limited to 100 feet or shallower. The problem with deep diving and physiology is that each person is affected differently. Two divers of similar age and experience can do exactly identical dives and one could be affected by decompression illness and the other one not.

There are many factors that affect and influence one's risk factors. In this specific case dehydration could have played a major role. The key point though is that one should dive well within one's training and ability. Discretion is always the better part of valor when it comes to recreational diving. The dive insurance that most divers use that I am familiar with is Divers Alert Network.

The insurance that DAN offers is sold in three tiers. At the most basic level the insurance covers dives up to 130 feet.(http://www.diversalertnetwork.com/insurance/plans.asp)  The more expensive options cover dives to any depth. From anecdotal evidence it is clear that DAN is very supportive of divers. Sarah M let me know via a comment that DAN insurance is available in Europe – the head office is in Italy.

One can never be totally sure that you will not be "hit" by decompression illness. Therefore one should always dive to safe and established guidelines and remember rule number 3: always read the fine print of the insurance policies!        

But aren't there sharks in the sea?

One of the most frequent questions I get while teaching the entry level classes is about sharks. We do spend a little time talking about what to do if you encounter a marine animal that could pose a danger to you. The thing to remember of course is not to provoke the animal or corner it. Mostly, the larger marine animals are curious about divers and do not view divers as a source of food.

However, sharks evoke a great deal of emotion from divers. Even experienced divers become very nervous at the sight of a great white. These majestic animals can grow to huge lengths and have jaws and teeth to match their awesome reputation. Recently I read a very interesting post about three divers who encountered a huge great white off the coast of South Africa. The story is written from the perspective of the dive master. The divers survived, but I am sure they had an experience that they will never forget.

From my perspective, I have grown fairly interested in sharks in the past year or so. At first I would have nothing to do with sharks and would go to great lengths to avoid them. I guess the problem was that I was influenced (like just about everyone else) by movies like Jaws and other misinformation in the popular media.

Sharks are not the mindless killers that they are sometimes portrayed to be. Sharks like every other animal have instincts that guide them and conform to behavior that is common to their specific species. For example there are really only approximately 39 out of 368 recognized species that are known to have attacked humans, but most attacks are thought to be accidents (probably cases of mistaken identity). There are many factors that contribute to shark attacks, but if you are faced with fending off an overly curious or aggressive shark, you could take a look at the information at this site (link included for information purposes only).

The great white (carcharodon carcharias), bull shark (carcharhinus leucas) and tiger shark (galeocerdo cuvier) are thought to be the most dangerous of the shark family. Each of these sharks is called by different names in different parts of the world. Of these, the great white sharks are the most fearsome and predatory of the group.

From my personal experience, I can honestly say that my irrational fear for sharks has changed to respect and admiration for these perfect "hunting machines". Having been in the water with nurse and many reef sharks, my conclusion is that these animals are graceful, beautiful and nimble. They are something to behold in their natural environment.

I would not like to encounter a huge great white without the security of a cage, and will not participate in chumming. Chumming to my mind sets a dangerous stage where the sharks are artificially lured to where the humans are with fish blood, fish parts and so on. The problem is that eventually, the sharks are conditioned to associate humans with the regular feeding activities. This is not a natural part of the shark's life and the concern is that eventually sharks might associate humans with food. I am not a shark expert by any means, and defer to my friends who are marine biology experts, but the constant feeding and chumming cannot have a good outcome.