Scuba Gear Reviews

There are a few key pieces of equipment that required for any dive, and some other equipment that is used for more challenging diving conditions.  Beginners and novice divers, however, will definitely need the following:

Mask
The human eye cannot see clearly through water so a pocket of air is    required to maintain vision when diving.  A diving mask is like a large pair of swimming goggles with a silicone seal all the way round.  It also includes a silicone pocket/seal for the nose, to prevent the wearer inadvertently trying to breathe through their nose and sucking in water instead.  Diving masks are built to withstand the greater pressures found underwater, so a snorkelling mask is not suitable for diving.

Fins

Divers get quite shirty if you refer to fins as “flippers”, so be sure to get your terminology right!  Physical effort, such as swimming, uses energy and to fuel that energy oxygen is required, which is why people breathe more heavily when doing exercise.  Underwater, the diver wishes to conserve energy to make the air in his cylinder last longer.  Fins, therefore, are used to make swimming underwater as effortless as possible.  Fins are large, flexible blades attached to the feet, which provide maximum propulsion through the water for minimum physical effort.  There are two basic types of fins: shoe fins fit onto the bare foot like a slipper, strap fins have a foot pocket with a strap that fits around the heel and are worn with boots.

Protective Clothing
Even in warm water, some form of protective clothing is required.  There are four main types:-
•    A skin suit is a thin layer that just protects the body from abrasion, either from the equipment worn or from brushing against rocks, corals etc.  A skin suit is only worn in the warmest water.
•    A wet suit provides some thermal protection as well as protecting against abrasion.  Wet suits are available with long or short arms and legs and in a range of thicknesses.  Made of neoprene, a wet suit allows water to flush through it, holding a thin layer next to the skin, which the body warms, providing some defence against slightly cooler water temperatures.
•    A semi-dry suit is rather like a wet suit but has seals around the neck, wrists and ankles.  Water ingresses into the suit and is then trapped there to be warmed by the body.  A semi dry suit offers greater thermal protection than a wet suit.
•    A dry suit is used for cold water diving and allows no water to ingress at all.  A dry suit has built in boots and seals around the wrists and neck; inside the suit the body stays dry.  Additional thermal protection is worn underneath a dry suit, in the form of warm under layers.  Dry suits are made either from neoprene or a trilaminate membrane; neoprene suits tend to be slightly warmer than membrane, although membrane suits allow greater freedom of movement.  When diving in cold water, neoprene hoods and gloves are usually also worn for warmth.  Special training is required before diving in a dry suit.

Buoyancy Compensation Device
There are several types of buoyancy compensation device (BCD), variously known as BCDs, BCs (buoyancy compensators), stab (stabilizer) jackets and wings.  All work in the same way.  The BCD is worn like a jacket and consists of internal air bladders, a hose for adding or extracting air from the bladders, a loop system for holding an air cylinder and usually some pockets and D-rings for holding other pieces of equipment.  The air that is added to or taken out of the internal bladders controls buoyancy underwater and the rate of descent and ascent to and from the surface.

Weights
A human being is naturally buoyant, and even when carrying a heavy dive cylinder will not automatically sink under the water.  To counteract this natural buoyancy, therefore, divers wear lead weights, either on a belt, in a harness or in the pockets of their BCD.  Whilst underwater a small amount of air is added to the BCD to keep the diver off the bottom, or at the depth they have chosen, and whilst on the surface the BCD is filled with air to counteract the negative effect of the weights.

Cylinders
Contrary to popular belief, diving cylinders to do NOT contain oxygen, they contain air.  The air is compressed and held in the cylinder under pressure (measured in either pounds per square inch (psi) or bar) by a valve on the top.  Cylinders are usually made of steel or aluminium and come in a range of sizes, measured in cubic feet or litres.  The advantage of a larger cylinder is that it contains more air, and therefore the diver can stay underwater longer; the disadvantage is the heavier weight.  All diving cylinders must be periodically inspected and tested by independently accredited testing facilities to ensure they are safe.

Regulators
Regulators, often referred to simply as “regs”, are more properly called “a set of regulators”, since there are several component parts.  The air in the cylinder is held at very high pressure, which a human being cannot breathe, so the “first stage”, which includes a clamp that attaches to the cylinder, reduces the pressure of the air to around 140psi/10 bar above ambient pressure (ambient pressure increases with depth).  Attached to the first stage are a series of high pressure hoses.  In a typical set up for a novice diver, one of the hoses will be the “feed” for the BCD, one will accommodate the mouthpiece (or “demand valve”), one an alternative air source (also known as an “octopus”) and one a contents gauge.
•    The Demand Valve (DV) delivers breathable air to the diver via a mouthpiece.  The DV reduces the air pressure further to match the ambient pressure. The diver breaths in and out through the DV, the exhaled air being expelled through an exhaust on the DV, producing the characteristic bubbles associated with breathing underwater.
•    The octopus is a second DV to be used by a diving buddy in the case of emergency.  It is usually bright yellow in colour for easy identification underwater.
•    The contents gauge shows the diver how much air is left in the cylinder and is usually a round dial with a needle to point to the appropriate level.  Sometimes content gauges can be combined with other instruments in a console, which might include a depth gauge and/or a compass.

Computer
Nearly all modern divers use a computer.  The computer is worn on the wrist like an oversized watch and has many functions.  The computer will tell the diver his depth, how long he has been diving and how long he can remain underwater without the need for decompression stops on ascent.  It also measures the rate of ascent back to the surface (it is very important to control this as ascending too quickly can cause decompression sickness, also known as “the bends”).  The computer has other functions such as calculating decompression stops and some can also be used for accelerated decompression using a mixture of breathing gases, but these are advanced techniques and therefore need not concern the beginner.

IMPORTANT NOTE
It is IMPERRATIVE that anyone considering scuba diving undertakes proper training with a recognised training body.  None of the equipment mentioned in this article should be used without instruction.  With proper training, scuba diving is a fun, exciting, pleasurable hobby; without, it can be very dangerous indeed.

Travel insurance: To buy or not to buy - Ocala
Travel insurance: To buy or not to buyOcalaAnd medical-evacuation insurance may not cover participation in activities considered dangerous (parasailing, scuba diving, bungee jumping, zip lining and ...and more »

Honolulu man dies after diving off Kauai - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Honolulu Star-AdvertiserHonolulu man dies after diving off KauaiHonolulu Star-AdvertiserBy Star-Advertiser staff A 29-year-old man who died after apparently suffering from the bends while scuba diving on Kauai was identified today by the ...

Santa Cruz medical marijuana collective stays true to its roots - Sacramento Bee
Santa Cruz medical marijuana collective stays true to its rootsSacramento BeeThe artisan and former competitive in-line skater survived both a stabbing and a scuba diving accident as a young man. Fifteen years ago, he was diagnosed ...and more »

If scuba from boats, take a sea sickness tablet prior to your trip. Even if you don' t usually suffer sea-sickness, performing semi-complex tasks such When combining SCUBA diving and flying, it is important to be aware of the guidelines and risks. If one ignores the no flying after rule for some Jun 11, 2008 Scuba emergencies: pulmonary overpressure accidents and decompression sickness. Annals Emerg Med 1983 12:563-567. There are a variety of injuries associated with diving. Decompression sickness can occur hours after a dive and range in severity from discomfort Jul 30, 2010 that one time scuba diving in Belize (after I had made it to the . In my cushy tiger-free life, motion sickness has provided the Aug 30, 2010 Cheap travel insurance from InsureandGo includes free cover for over 50 sports and activities, including diving. Dec 14, 2009 One of the foremost - and least understood - risks in scuba diving comes from a condition known as decompression sickness. Aug 22, 2007 Labels: decompression sickness, medical. Subscribe to SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) for more news, articles, diving reports, reviews and Open source travel guide to Scuba diving, featuring up-to-date While at high altitude lakes, the risk for decompression sickness increases. by DCS Cerebral - Related articles Decompression sickness can happen in any of the following situations: .. After SCUBA diving, if not enough time is allowed to eliminate the excess Scuba diving safety. Making your ascent, overexpansion injuries, Decompression sickness is most likely to occur when a diver does at least one of the by G Sparacia - 1997 - Cited by 7 - Related articles Apr 10, 2009 Decompression Sickness (DCS) (also known as: The Bends, Diver' s Disease, Caisson Disease) are the symptoms which occur after a rapid by M Yoshiyama - 2007 - Cited by 5 - Related articles Mar 27, 2010 Am I bent, isn' t questioning male machismo sexuality and no, we' re not discussing fantasies about drunken man on man hot cock love action, Jan 24, 2007 Fitness The waves were high as we swan out the channel toward the drop-off where our dive on the coral reef began. We enjoyed our dive, How to avoid the bends / decompression illness /decompression sickness. Exercise and scuba diving, alcohol and scuba diving, cold and scuba diving, Both surface supplied and scuba diving allow divers to stay underwater . gas or pure oxygen to a decompression sickness stricken diver on the surface is There are a few sicknesses and problems that can result of scuba diving. These don' t always happen, but you must take care making sure you advoid any chance by P Wilmshurst - 1994 - Cited by 7 - Related articles Nothing can ruin a scuba diving trip faster than seasickness. Getting dehydrated following vomiting increases your risk of decompression sickness. by D Sickness Nov 22, 2008 Knowing the facts about decompression sickness (dcs) and the proper treatment given quickly can help prevent this diving condition from Jun 18, 2009 We are not all at the same risk, even if we dive to the same depth and for the same diving conditions as every diver will have their own Oct 19, 2007 More stops of longer duration will of course be required in case of deeper dives. The factors that will influence the number of stops and Motion sickness, mal-de-mer, or seasickness will at one time or another affect nine out of ten people who venture onto the water. Mermaid Scuba is about scuba certification in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, Life isn' t fair when it comes to motion sickness. I have been diving since Scuba Diving Course Hawaii, PADI instructors in Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu. An overview of Decompression Sickness, including causes, types, symptoms, Scuba Diving Health & Fitness · Current Flying After Guidelines Feb 18, 2008 Scuba Diving Magazine is the source for information about dive travel, " Some people have a higher susceptibility to motion sickness, Diver death: decompression sickness kills 31-year-old scuba diver in Finland. The 31-year-old scuba accident victim died from decompression Sep 21, 2010 While more scuba diving instructors will attempt to teach you how to avoid decompression sickness, the fact remains that many people fall by JB Harris - 1995 - Cited by 3 - Related articles Jul 15, 2006 BSAC Diving Forums > Public Forums - New threads are moderated > Medical Discussions · Reload this Page Sea-sickness. (again ) Sep 17, 2009 Spinal cord decompression sickness associated with scuba diving: correlation of immediate and delayed magnetic resonance imaging findings Learn about barotrauma and other diving injuries like decompression sickness (the bends), ear squeeze, sinus squeeze, air embolism, This entertaining video is a perfect display of scuba madness. The guys from Awe Mpty demonstrate in their own, humourous way, the dangers of scuba Information about scuba diving safety from the American Academy of Family The most common signs of severe decompression sickness are dysfunction of the A very real - and very misunderstood - risk in diving comes from a condition known as decompression sickness. This condition is commonly referred to Most commonly experienced by stubborn scuba divers trying to dive with the common cold. altitude sickness. Headache caused by a quick ascent, File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View Nitrogen plays another important role in limiting conventional scuba diving: it' s involvement with decompression sickness. This will be discussed in greater Scuba Diving Medicine is usually considered complicated not only to learners . The only remedy to do away with decompression sickness is the chamber for Scuba Diving, I: Decompression Sickness. In Decompression Sickness, one of the more serious illnesses associated with pressure reduction during diving, Aug 21, 2004 Decompression Sickness. Cartoon diver with the bends. The " bends" is today readily associated with SCUBA diving. It is, in fact, Jun 11, 2010 DCS is unpredictable. In general, anything that increases blood flow to an organ will increase the rate of N2 loading. Information on Scuba diving: Health: Pressure related illnesses from iGuide, the Interactive Travel Guide.

Your Name


Your Message


Security Code