How to Get Certified In Scuba Diving

How to Get Certified In Scuba Diving

The first two steps in getting certified in scuba diving is to make sure that you are a reasonably proficient swimmer and you get medical clearance from your doctor to take up the sport. As for the swimming, you don’t have to master every type of stroke. Scuba certification only requires that you are able to swim about 200 yards using any stroke you want and to be able to float or tread on water for about 10 minutes. If you are in good general health and are comfortable in the water, then you should be able to scuba dive without any problems.
There are about 1,900 professional scuba dive centers in North America alone and your local ones should definitely be checked out. Most will run basic certification programs on a regular basis. These centers or shops should be listed in the yellow pages and you can also check with websites of some of the major scuba diving certification agencies such as PADI or NAUI as they will also have listings. Sometimes scuba diving courses are offered at universities too.
Make sure that the course you are interested in taking as well as its instructor are certified with one of the major scuba diving training agencies. This will ensure that you get proper, safe training for both the technical background knowledge and practical skills required for certification as a scuba diver. You also want to end up with an internationally recognized certification card if you want to go scuba diving at various locations around the world.
Some vacation resorts offer ‘resort’ courses lasting a day or two which offer beginners some very basic training in order to try out scuba diving. These are not certification programs. Full certification programs involve classroom work, exams, practical skills sessions at a pool and usually about four open water dives in the sea (lake or ocean). The duration of the classroom work and pool sessions vary from a very intensive weekend (with advance reading) to once a week over several weeks. The open water dives will usually take two more days. Dive centers located in the tropics also offer basic certification programs that last several days to a week. Although the intensive weekend programs are quite feasible, many feel that basic scuba diving courses spread out over a few weeks will help beginners learn the skills better. Scuba diving does involve new skills and to learn them all during one full weekend may be too much for some people.
As for which scuba diving certification training agency is the best, there isn’t any one recognized organization that is better than another. PADI is the most popular in the world but not necessarily better than NAUI or SSI. NAUI course are often more technical in the classroom than those offered by PADI but both will adequately train you to be a scuba diver. The more important factor would be the individual instructor and your own effort during training/studying. In fact, many scuba diving instructors have certifications from several training agencies.
For people living in the more northern regions, there are a few possible routes to take in order to obtain certification. One can travel down south to the tropics and do the entire basic certification course down there in warm weather. However, this will take up a good portion of a vacation since reading, classroom, pool sessions and open water dives all must be done during that time period. A second option is to take the entire course including the open water dives back in home territory. This usually offers beginners the most time since courses can be spread out over a few weeks. However, the water up north is not as warm as in the tropics and the scuba diving could be seasonal. A third option is to take all the classroom and pool sessions back home and then go down south to do the open water dives in warm waters. Many people have taken this route. Your instructor back home will give you a referral letter to bring down to an instructor located down south who will oversee your open water dives. This is a good combination of taking ample time back home to practice the skills in the pool plus getting the classroom work out of the way followed by having nice warm water to dive in for the open water dives. One thing to be aware of if considering this option is to make sure that your travel to the tropics for your open water dives is not too delayed after finishing up with your pool sessions at home. If too much time has elapsed, one could easily forget the skills learned in the pool by the time a vacation comes along.
The underwater world has so much to offer and only a small percentage of the world’s population will ever have the privilege to see it in person rather than on television. Become one of these individuals who will have the honor of exploring the oceans by getting certified in scuba diving.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear (http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com), an online retailer and designer specializing in premium quality activewear with specialty sports themes including scuba diving, skiing, snowboarding and martial arts. Free Spirit Activewear has information resource articles on selected specialty sports as well as free eCards.

Snorkel and mask tips

Snorkel and mask tips

Before you start your diving activities and using a snorkel for the first time, there are some important tips and notions which you must learn and take into account. When done properly and following some main guidelines, diving and wearing a snorkel can be a great and very enjoyable activity, but if it is done without following the basics problems might arouse and it might end up being a headache rather than gratifying.

Your snorkel and the rest of your diving equipment might be the most important factor which you must pay attention to when you wish to dive. First of all, you should choose a good diving mask, which adapts to your face and fits it properly. With your diving mask, you should also buy a defogging solution which will allow you to avoid having fogging problems while you dive.

The most important aspect to which you must pay attention to when you buy a new diving mask and snorkel is the way it fits your face. The mask you buy must fit you perfectly or otherwise water might enter into it and become a big problem. You should also make sure that your snorkel can be attached to the mask without any problems. If your mask’s strap is too wide or too narrow for your snorkel to be properly attached to it, you might have to look for another mask.

Besides your mask, the fins you choose are a very important part of your snorkel complementary equipment as well. The fins you choose should fit you and allow you to feel comfortable while wearing them as well as they should adapt to the specific kind of diving activities you will practice. You should make sure that they fit you and adjust to your fit size but without making you loose mobility.

Another very important factor which might have a great impact on the way you practice and enjoy diving is the way you feel while being into the water. In order to be able to enjoy your diving practice you must be able to relax and feel comfortable while using your snorkel as well as while being in the water. This is a must if you wish to start practicing this sport and acquiring new skills and techniques, you can not practice this activity if you feel scared of the water or of using a snorkel.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.divepilot.com. Please visit his website to discover the world of diving!

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.divepilot.com. Please visit his website to discover the world of diving!

e-wetsuits.com Provides an Overview of Scuba Wet Suits

e-wetsuits.com Provides an Overview of Scuba Wet Suits

(PRWEB) September 22, 2005 — According to e-wetsuits.com, scuba wet suits were not taken seriously until World War II and the advent of Navy Frogmen (SEALs) who became one of America’s most effective weapons of the war. On any kind of measurable basis, costs of operations versus costs of effectiveness, man-to-man, or overall kill ratios, the SEALs exceeded expectations on any level. Once recognized, the military put a much time and money into improving the effectiveness of its frogmen. That meant improving the design, effectiveness and durability of wet suits. According to e-wetsuits.com, there is a controversy that developed at the time over whether or not wet suits had to remain dry. All underwater, rubberized protective outfits are called wetsuits. The controversy was over whether heat loss from the diver’s body could be controlled better if the wetsuit kept his skin dry or not. It was Hugh Bradner who is credited with the first wet suit in 1952. Mr. Bradner was actually working as a physicist at UC Berkeley’s radiation laboratory where he was testing the reflections of shock waves on unicellular material and was invited to attend a Swimmer’s Symposium. His concept was that the diver’s skin does not have to stay dry to prevent heat loss if the thermal insulation used in the wet suit was obtained by air entrapped in the material of the suit. About e-wetsuits.com Wet Suits provides detailed information about triathlon, scuba, and surfing wet suits, as well as wet suits for kids and infants. For more information go to http://www.e-wetsuits.com and/or visit our affiliate site at http://www.growthink.com.

Reef Scuba Diving In Florida

Reef Scuba Diving In Florida

Some of the most magnificent sights underwater can be seen by reef scuba diving. There are reefs along every continent of the world, so the choices of destinations for your dive are truly limitless.

In Florida’s Key Largo, you can visit the Turtle Rocks reef which is a good sized patch of reef for reef scuba diving. It is also part of the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. You’ll see star coral and other corals in about 25 feet of water. The tops of some reefs are only 10 under the surface. Rays, nurse sharks and some grey sharks can be found on this reef.

Also in the Key Largo area is the reef known as the Fish Farm. It is located on the upper end of the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary and is marked by two mooring balls. The dive is shallow because the reef is in only about 20 feet of water and is low lying. You’ll see an abundance of fish in the Fish Farm, which is very aptly named. Brightly colored reef fish love the area and you’ll probably see a few stingrays and some nurse sharks and eels.

Another spot for reef scuba diving in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary is Carysfort Reef. Named for the nearby Carysfort Lighthouse, the oldest known light house on the reef line, you’ll find eight mooring balls parking the line on the outside and four more on the inside line of the reef. This is an absolutely awesome spot for diving and some of the reef spots actually extend above water during low time. The dive ends in about 70 feet of water. It is interesting to note that both the lighthouse and reef took their names from a wreck that sand on the reef long ago.

These are only a few of the many reefs in Florida that you can visit. The Keys have an abundance of spots you’ll not want to miss like the Islamorado Coral Gardens, another shallow dive, as well as great beginner diving. You’ll have a great deal of fun in the sun when you choose Florida for reef scuba diving. You’ll also find many things to do in the area when you aren’t in the water!

The Dolphin Dive for Certified Scuba Divers

The Dolphin Dive for Certified Scuba Divers

One of the all time favorite marine animals for many is the dolphin. Previously, the closest one can ever get to a dolphin is at the various marine theme parks like Sea World. Then a few dolphin research centers started petting dolphins and swim with dolphins programs which allowed more direct interactions with these wonderful creatures. For certified scuba divers, direct interaction with dolphins under the water is possible. This is an even better experience than the swim with dolphins programs which keep guests only on the surface of the water. This unique under the water opportunity is available through UNEXSO’s dolphin dive at Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.
The UNEXSO dolphin dive is a single tank trip only available on certain days and fills up quickly so it is highly recommended to make reservations well in advance. The divemasters suggest that all divers add on an additional two pounds to what they normally use on their weight belt. This is because the majority of time spent during the dolphin dive will be kneeling on an open sandy surface at the bottom of a chosen dive site. After all divers are onboard, the dive boat goes to the dolphin facility minutes away where the dolphins stay. Once there, a dolphin trainer at the facility gives a briefing about the specifics of the dolphin dive as well as dolphins in general. Two dolphins are pre-selected for each dolphin dive. After the briefing, both the dive boat and a second boat carrying two dolphin trainers head out to the dive site with two dolphins following. During the trip out to the dive site, the two dolphins ride the wakes of the boats and make numerous leaps out of the water along the way giving lots of photo opportunities.
Once at the dive site, the divers are instructed to get in the water quickly and head to the bottom which is about 50 feet. The request for the rush is to get the interactions going before the dolphins lose interest. It is emphasized that the dolphins are never forced to interact with the divers and are free to swim off anytime they want. Therefore, interactions with the dolphins are never guaranteed by UNEXSO. Luckily for the divers, the dolphins seem to enjoy interactions with humans as well as the free food. Once at the bottom, the dolphin trainers now in scuba diving gear, direct the divers to space out in a wide circle. The trainers, equipped with a bucket full of food, are in the center of this circle. This is where they direct the various types of interactions that the divers will get to experience with the dolphins.
The first interaction is usually having a dolphin rest in front of each diver. This is when the divers are allowed to touch and stroke the dolphins while avoiding their fins, eyes and blow hole. The second interaction involves a dolphin kiss. Divers are instructed to take their regulators out of their mouths upon a signal given by the trainers. The trainers then point towards each diver. The dolphins would approach each diver and ‘kiss’ each one in the mouth with their snout. A third type of interaction is like a human spinning top. One at a time, the divers are asked to adjust their buoyancy and stay up about five feet off the bottom with arms fully outstretched. The dolphins then push each diver by the hand with their snouts spinning them around in circles. All of these interactions are captured on camera by a UNEXSO staff divemaster. Of course, the photos are available for sale back at the UNEXSO dive shop. At the end of the final interaction, both dolphins make one more pass while waving one of their fins to bid each diver goodbye. Of course, the divers wave back with smiles through their regulators.
What is really unique with the dolphin dive is that scuba divers get to see the dolphins at depth rather than just at the surface of the water. This is in the natural environment of the dolphins. It is really magical to watch from the bottom as the dolphins swim up to the surface for air sometimes leaping right out of the water followed by a dramatic diving re-entry. They move like torpedoes with grace, agility and speed. The divers can’t help but marvel at the abilities of the dolphins. Dolphins do not require gradual ascents and safety stops like us scuba divers do. For any scuba diver who loves dolphins, the UNEXSO dolphin dive is a wonderful diving experience and well recommended.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear (http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) , an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Free Spirit Activewear has numerous information resource articles on scuba diving as well as free eCards.

A Look at Scuba Wet Suits

A Look at Scuba Wet Suits

Scuba wet suits were not taken seriously until World War II and the advent of Navy Frogmen (SEALs) who became one of America’s most effective weapons of the war. On any kind of measurable basis, costs of operations versus costs of effectiveness, man-to-man, or overall kill ratios, the SEALs exceeded expectations on any level. Once recognized, the military put a much time and money into improving the effectiveness of its frogmen. That meant improving the design, effectiveness and durability of wet suits.
There is a controversy that developed at the time over whether or not wet suits had to remain dry. Sounds like a set up for a joke but it’s not. All underwater, rubberized protective outfits are called wetsuits. The controversy was over whether heat loss from the diver’s body could be controlled better if the wetsuit kept his skin dry or not. It was Hugh Bradner who is credited with the first wet suit in 1952. Mr. Bradner was actually working as a physicist at UC Berkeley’s radiation laboratory where he was testing the reflections of shock waves on unicellular material and was invited to attend a Swimmer’s Symposium. His concept was that the diver’s skin does not have to stay dry to prevent heat loss if the thermal insulation used in the wet suit was obtained by air entrapped in the material of the suit.
With the French invention of the Aqua-Lung, Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) was used in the war and afterwards spawned investigative teams exploring the ocean’s many mysteries. As soon as this began, the pressing need for wetsuits was made painfully obvious by the divers suffering from hypothermia after only a few dives. The divers tried everything from greased long johns to leftover Air Force survival suits, and the Bradner wet suit. Bradner was the first to use a unicellular material similar to the type he was working with in the radiation laboratory in his wet suit. The material came from a company called Rubatex and was called Neoprene and the original model for today’s high-tech, three-level wet suit was born.

Wet Suits Info provides detailed information about triathlon, scuba, and surfing wet suits, as well as wet suits for kids and infants. Wet Suits Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

Scuba Diving Certification

Scuba Diving Certification

With the increase in the popularity of the sport, numerous centers and programs for scuba diving certification has come up in recent years. In the United States alone, there are nearly 2000 professional scuba dive centers. The first thing you’d need to do before joining a program is to check out the various centers and find out which one of them should be most suitable for you.
Open Water Diver Certification:
You have to be at least 15 years old to get the open water diver certification. Most open water certifications let you dive by yourself without an instructor present (if the charter does not make it compulsory). There is also Junior Open Water Diver Certification for people between ages 10 to 15. Before getting your certification, it is recommended by almost every center that you are in good physical health. Some centers may even require you to obtain a medical certificate before enrolling in a certification program. You also need to know how to swim though you don’t necessarily have to be good at it. However, you should be able to swim 200 yards using any stroke, and be able to float or tread on water for about 10 minutes.
Scuba Dive Centers for Certification:
There are numerous scuba dive centers around that can teach you the technical background knowledge and practical skills of scuba diving, but not all of them are completely reliable. Try to do a little research before registering yourself for a program. Also consider an agency that offers an internationally recognized certification card if you travel a lot.
Some of the most popular and biggest scuba diving certification agencies include PADI, NAUI, YMCA, Scuba Schools International, and PDIC. These organizations offer some of the best scuba courses and training instructors available. However, the training method, duration, lessons etc may not be the same with all of them. For example, NAUI courses are often more technical in the classroom than other programs but can’t be said better or worse than the rest. So, the outcome of the training and course will ultimately depend on your own effort and individual instructor.
Bubblemakers, Scuba rangers, and SASY are some of the popular agencies specializing in providing Junior Open Water Diver Certification for people between ages 10 to 15.
Course:
The duration of a scuba diving certification course usually depends on you and your schedule. Basically, it takes about two to three months to get a full certification which would cost between $175.00 and $250.00 and may include accessories such as books, tables, and rental equipment etc (you’ll have to buy or rent your own scuba diving equipment). A certification course normally includes classroom work, examinations, practical skills sessions, and four to five open water dives. Classroom work may be held once a week with more intensive weekends which include advanced reading, while open water dives typically take two more days.
The basic scuba diver certification permits you to dive from 60 to 100 feet below the surface, while an advanced scuba diving certification allows you to take deep dives of about 130 feet. The advanced scuba diving certification concentrates more on safety, physics, navigation, night diving, physiology diving and the dive tables.

Scuba Diving HQ. Articles, tips and information about scuba diving.

Nitrogen Narcosis and Scuba diving

Nitrogen Narcosis and Scuba diving

Nitrogen narcosis is a dangerous condition that can affect scuba divers, especially when diving deeper than 30 meters. The exact mechanisms behind nitrogen narcosis are still to be explored, but it has to do with nitrogen gas affecting the nerve transmissions in the body during high pressure. Nitrogen is not the only gas capable of affecting the nerve transmissions when the body experience high pressure; the same state of intoxication can for instance be caused by hydrogen and argon. Since the air inhaled by scuba divers contains a large amount of nitrogen (just like the air that we breathe above the surface every day), nitrogen narcosis was the first type of gas narcosis experienced by scuba divers, hence the name. Today, the condition is also referred to as Inert Gas Narcosis.
The effects of nitrogen narcosis are similar to the effects of anesthetic gas or alcohol. The well known diver Jacques Cousteau expressed it as the “rapture of the deep”. Since a diver needs to be focused and act responsible – and even more so at great depths – nitrogen narcosis can have disastrous effect. A diver can for instance forget to check how much air he or she has left, stay down to long or forget to do safety stops when ascending to the surface. Some divers have even begun to take off their equipment or tried to share their mouth piece with a fish. Nitrogen narcosis can also be lethal due to nitrogen poisoning.
It can be hard for the effected diver to realize that he or she is developing nitrogen narcosis, since the level of intoxication will increase gradually. It is therefore always important to keep an eye on your partner during the dive and try to detect illogical behaviors. Many divers regularly check the mental state of their buddy by showing the buddy a number of fingers. Before the dive, the divers have agreed that when 3 fingers are displayed, the buddy must respond by showing 2 fingers, when 8 fingers are displayed the buddy should hold up 7 fingers and so on. A diver suffering from nitrogen narcosis might calculate the wrong number, or display a number of fingers that is not coherent with the number that he or she calculated. The diver can also loose interest in carrying out these safety checks and ignore the buddy.
If you suspect that you or your buddy is suffering from nitrogen narcosis, you should immediately begin your ascent to shallower depts. Never panic and head for the surface as quickly as possible, safety stops are imperative. The effects of nitrogen narcosis will usually wear of as soon as you reach shallower depths, even if they are far from the surface. Sometimes an affect buddy can be very reluctant to ascend, since he or she is not aware of the problem. Before embarking on a deep dive, it can be a good idea to agree on a sign that means “Nitrogen narcosis, we must ascend”.
Never dive below 20 meters unless you have completed your deep-dive training. During the training, you will learn more about how to avoid nitrogen narcosis. A rapid descent should be avoided since it will make the pressure increase very quickly and nitrogen gas dissolves more slowly in the blood than many other gases. Nitrogen narcosis seems to be more common during dives where the diver has made a rapid descent, but it can occur even after a very slow descent. Many experienced divers recommend a descent at a very steady pace when deep-diving, since this will prevent any sudden changes and unbalanced solution of gas in the blood. This method has however not been scientifically proven.
Never use sedating drugs, including alcohol and marijuana, before you go scuba diving. Any sedating drugs will increase the risk of nitrogen narcosis. Keep in mind that THC is stored in your body for long periods of time. Sedating medications should also be avoided prior to dives, even when prescribed by a physician.

find more information about scuba diving and if you are a nudist about nude scuba diving

Diving with Asthma

Diving with Asthma

Many asthmatics want to dive, but unfortunately, there are a number of concerns about the effect of asthma on dive safety. Dive physicians have traditionally taken a very conservative approach to asthma in dive fitness assessments. Mention of the word “Asthma” and potential divers were ejected from the surgery faster than you could say, “but it wasn’t serious and it’s gone away now”

More recently, some dive physicians have begun to take a more liberal, informed consent approach in assessing previous or mild asthmatics for diving. Some ex-sufferers previously prevented from diving can now dive, after making an informed choice about the possible risks. To understand this, it is first necessary to understand what asthma actually is. Asthma is a condition affecting medium to small airways in the lungs. In asthmatics, these airways are prone to narrowing, which impedes the flow of air into and, in particular, out of the small air sacs (alveoli) where gas exchange occurs. The trigger for these events is often an allergic response to a specific stimulus.

Some asthmatics also respond to physical stimuli such as exercise or a change from breathing warm air to cold air. The result is that the patient feels short of breath and there may be an audible wheeze due to airway narrowing which can cause severe breathing difficulty, which in severe cases, can certainly be fatal. One of the biggest problems in discussing asthma, and this is particularly true when discussing asthma in the context of diving, is that the spectrum of severity is extraordinarily wide.

There are three main concerns about asthma and diving. First, asthma may make divers more likely to suffer a dive-related illness. We are all taught that the most important rule in diving is to breathe normally and to never hold your breath. If a diver ascends while holding his breath, the expanding air can damage delicate lung tissue, and air may be introduced directly into the blood, travel to the brain and cause an arterial gas embolism (AGE).

There is concern that an asthmatic may suffer narrowing or blocking of small airways during a dive, and that expansion of any trapped air during ascent may lead to the same problem. There is also concern that use of reliever medication, such as Ventolin, prior to diving may cause the lungs to be less efficient at filtering out the venous nitrogen bubbles we all have after dives. These bubbles may then circulate through the lungs and reach arteries where they might, in theory, be more likely to contribute to the development of decompression illness.

Second, it is recognised that an asthma attack in the water may severely compromise the diver’s safety by incapacitating him and causing an inability to function effectively. Indeed, it is hard to argue that difficulty breathing would not be a decided disadvantage if you were caught in a current that was sweeping you away from your boat.

Third, it is a plausible concern that diving itself could precipitate asthma. Asthma can be precipitated by the exercise associated with diving, or by the irritant effect of breathing a cold, dry gas. It is also recognised that regulators frequently leak a little salt water, and that some of this may be nebulised into a mist during breathing. This mist can irritate the airways and precipitate narrowing in vulnerable individuals.

The problem with all these very plausible concerns is that we have no idea how truly significant they are as there has been very little historic research. There is some data from retrospective surveys and these reveal many asthmatics (including active asthmatics) do dive, and that while their relative risk in diving may be more, their absolute risk remains reasonably low. e.g. one survey indicated that asthmatic is twice as likely to suffer an AGE as a non-asthmatic. Sound bad? Maybe. But if the risk of AGE for a non-asthmatic is one in every 50,000 dives, then the risk for an asthmatic is one in 25,000; a clear illustration of the fact that not very much multiplied by two is still not very much.

In this day and age where people do not want to take responsibility for their own actions, the most prudent thing for a dive physician to do when an asthmatic walks into his surgery is to say “Bog off, you’re unfit”. This happens frequently, and who can blame the doctors? However, while it might be defensive medicine, it is not necessarily good medicine. Indeed, such subjective pronouncements often motivate the candidate to go to another doctor and lie about having asthma.

There is now an alternative informed consent basis of assessment. Fundamentally, this means clearly and comprehensively explaining the risks of diving to the candidate, and letting him make an informed choice about whether to proceed. However, there are some important provisos. In the context of asthma, most dive physicians would agree that the more active the asthma, the greater the risk in diving. Those candidates who suffer serious attacks, wheeze relatively often or who use reliever medications regularly, cannot be considered for diving, even on an informed consent basis, because rightly or wrongly, the risks are perceived to be too high.

On the other hand, previous asthmatics and milder cases may be subject to little extra risk, and it is reasonable to let them, as intelligent adults, make up their own minds on the matter. Every day of our lives we make decisions that inherently involve weighing risk against benefit. We choose to get on planes, we choose to play rugby, we choose to ride bicycles on busy roads, all because we decide the benefit outweighs the risk. There is no reason diving should be any different in this regard, although dive candidates are much less well-informed about its inherent risks than they are about these other intuitively obvious risk situations. It is the dive physician’s role in this setting to sufficiently educate candidates so they can make an informed choice.

A sensible approach to the asthmatic dive candidate is to first take a detailed history of his problem. The obvious active asthmatics are told they cannot dive, and the reasons are clearly explained. Asthmatics who have not experienced symptoms of asthma or have not used medication for years are usually able to dive without any special investigations.

The most problematic are mild asthmatics i.e. those candidates who wheeze once or twice a year when they have colds; or who wheeze a little in the spring when certain pollens are around, etc. With these candidates, a long discussion about the potential risks in diving implied by their asthmatic history, is usually followed with tests to check that neither exercise nor the breathing of nebulised salt water (at the same concentration as sea water) provoke airway narrowing. If these tests are negative and patients exhibit a clear understanding of the issues and wish to proceed, then we should be happy for them to dive. Unfortunately, to conduct and document this process properly is a time consuming and expensive exercise, but at least it’s better than being told to “clear off” without so much as an explanation.

Sheldon Hey is the founder of Dive The World (http://www.DiveTheWorldThailand.com)and has been an passionate scuba diving professional for many years. Sheldon and the Dive The World Team would love to share their experience with you to ensure your next diving trip meets all your expectations. Follow this link if you would like to read more about Sheldon’s scuba diving experiences.

Brief Overview of Dive Flags

Brief Overview of Dive Flags

The Dive Flag has become the symbol for the exciting sport of scuba diving in recent history. This unique flag is recognized by many but is more then just a symbol for scuba diving. In most areas, local laws and policies require one most use a dive flag while diving. Here in the United States, the dive flag is a red flag with a white diagonal stripe running usually running from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.
Dive flags which are usually vinyl, are mounted in a variety of ways, whether it be on the boat your diving from or the standard fiberglass staff where the flag is stiffened with a wire so that it stands out from the staff at all times. When diving without a boat the flag is usually held afloat by securely attached float. There are a variety of other attachments that secure a dive flag to an inner tube and other buoyant items.
Whatever way you choose to mount your dive flag, you must be sure it clearly visible to other boaters. Laws requiring how far boats must keep from dive flags vary from state to state and internationally but distances usually range from 50 to 150 feet. Divers are often required to surface within 25 feet of the flag, and not doing so could be fatal to the diver. If your diving area is larger then the distance allowed by law, multiple dive flags should be used that are separated then no more then 100 feet apart to ensure boaters can see and obey the laws. Internationally, the alpha flag, a swallow-tailed blue and white flag, is used when diving from a vessel. The dive flag is not only one of your cheapest purchases in scuba diving but also one of your most important.
To learn more about Dive Flags visit The Dive Scuba Diving Shop

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