The importance of Continuing Education in scuba diving

When we book onto our very first Scuba Diving Course, we realise that there will be a lot to learn.  Although, there is a lot of information passed over on that first diving course, it is extremely difficult to absorb everything over the 3-5 days that you get for most introductory diving courses.

Much of the information that you really need comes after the course when you start actually diving.
When you begin to put all that initial training in to practice, things begin to make more sense and you gradually begin to see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

What happens next can take a number of different avenues. There are some that will not dive again after gaining the initial certification and there are those that will go out and dive for a while but then stop citing reasons like "it just didn't interest me anymore!"

This is where Continuing education for Scuba Divers comes in.

Scuba Diving is such a diverse sport that there is literally a side of it that appeals to everyone. You can learn Underwater Photography or Video, which is becoming more popular these days with the advent of the affordable GoPro cameras. Night Diving and now, flouro night diving offers a new perspective on regular diving with lots of different creatures and critters that you just do not see during day dives. Open up cooler climes by learning to dive in a dry suit and the cold will not be a limiting factor for your Scuba.

The beauty of these branches of Scuba Diving (and many others) is that you do not need to take a formal course to learn how to use them. However, use common sense. Practice good buoyancy skills before you start to play with cameras underwater and, if you have never been night diving before, dive with somebody who has experience that can help you, make sure you know the dive site well and keep your routes simple for easy navigation.

Other areas of scuba do require formal training and these can include Technical Diving or Cave Diving and even reaching a professional rating so you can guide and teach others.

Every diver I take in the water teaches me something new. Whether it is an Open Water Course or a guided dive with Tech Divers, if you listen and watch, you can learn every day. There are multiple diving agencies out there and they all have their own twists and tweaks to make the courses, skills and diving slightly different and if you keep an open mind, it is possible to cherry pick those things that will work for you in your diving.

As an instructor, I think continuing to learn and grow your diving and knowledge base is even more important. The world of Scuba is continually evolving. New techniques and equipment are released all the time and it is imperative that you stay up to date and maintain the flexibility to adapt to better diving systems and ways of diving.

PADI Advanced Open Water- The what, why and how?

As a follow on from our PADI Open Water blog earlier this month, I thought it would be appropriate PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.
to continue with the Advanced Open Water training, particularly since September sees the launch of the new, revised



What is the PADI Advanced Open Water Course?

Essentially, the Advanced course is a continuation of a diver's entry level training. While you have learned the basics in the Open Water Course, the Advanced is designed to build on your experience and increase your confidence and competence in the water.

This course works by building on core issues such as buoyancy and navigation and allowing you to increase your diving certification depth to 30m under a supervised, controlled setting.

You have the opportunity to try different areas of Scuba Diving to see what aspects interest you and if you would like to advance in those areas by making 5 Adventure Dives, which correlate with the 1st dive of the associated Specialty training course.

The core, mandatory dives are the Deep Dive (taking you to a maximum of 30m) and the Underwater Navigation dive. The other 3 you can choose for yourself and there are now, lots more available to choose from.

What's New then?


Although the structure of the course is still the same, everything has finally come into the modern age with new manuals, online theory available and updated content.

As an example, where divers who wanted to make the Underwater Photography dive had to read all
about F-stops and shutter speeds, much of that information is just not relevant to the modern digital point and shoot cameras because the camera itself takes care of that.

The new Photography Adventure dive is called Digital Underwater Imaging and is, not only based on photography but underwater video, since most modern cameras offer both.

Other Adventure dives may also be available depending on the qualifications of your instructor including; Enriched Air Diver, Self Reliant Diver and Sidemount to name just a few.

I think the biggest difference with the revised course though is the focus on training divers to become thinking divers. We have already seen this improvement in the Open Water Training and there should now be a focus on expanding and improving this through the Advanced Open Water Course too.

Divers will be responsible for pre-dive planning including assessing dive site conditions, buddy and own abilities, turn times and/or pressures and gas management.

Conclusion

As with all diver training, a big part of the standard of training comes with your instructor and the dive centre that you choose to train with but having these standards in place from the agency means more divers will learn to dive rather that just follow and I for one, would always prefer to dive with thinking divers!!!

Dive Professionals Zero to Hero- Not for me!!!

This is my first season working as a Divemaster and I absolutely love my job. 

My role involves assisting on courses, which vary between recreational and technical diving. 

I can lead Discover scuba dives and love to see the amazement on people’s faces after they have breathed underwater for the first time. 

I guide certified divers around our local dive sites and handle the logistics, for example filling tanks, washing and sorting kit as well as the general tidying up of the dive centre.

My next step professionally would be to become an instructor, and many people have asked me if I plan to take the course this year. However, this is an area I feel particularly strongly about not rushing into.  

Many candidates go straight into their instructor training after completing their Divemaster certification with not many dives under their belt. Having completed my 300^th dive a few weeks ago, I have more than surpassed the required number of dives to become an open water Scuba Instructor, which demands 60 logged dives. However, I still feel I lack the experience to move up the rankings just yet. I have always told myself I would wait until I had logged at least 500 dives before I even contemplated becoming an instructor.

The reasoning behind this, is that by working as a divemaster for a few seasons, it will allow me to build up my dives, level of experience, confidence and competence in the water. This is vital when the lives of students/customers are in my hands. Just because you carry professional status as a divemaster or an instructor, it does not carry any prestige into the level of diver that you are and your ability in the water. 

Furthermore, I believe that not rushing into anything too quickly will give me a wider knowledge base to begin teaching with in the future,  as I can reflect on my experiences, which will hopefully come to my advantage when sitting my instructor exams.

By working alongside two fantastic instructors, I’m constantly learning new things every day,  It isn’t always dive related, but valuable life skills as well, such as finding out who you are as a person and how to interact with different groups of people. 

It’s also things you can’t necessarily be taught by passing an exam, such as how to read and react to a particular situation as every customer is different. Situations such as a diver panicking underwater or if a student is struggling with a certain skill. 

You can do course after course, but I feel this cannot be substituted for experience. Every dive you do, whether for pleasure or training, you will learn from,

I am in this for the long run as diving is now my career.  The sea will always be there, so why rush into it when I can take my time, enjoy it and grow as a professional along the way.

World Environment Day

The UN has declared that every year on the 5th June, we will celebrate World Environment Day.

Created in 1972, World Environment Day is a means to highlight the issues facing our environment and raise awareness amongst the general population. Like the Olympics, it is hosted by a different City in a different country and this year, it is Italy's turn to host the events.

Each year has a theme and this year that is Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care!

With our Mediterranean neighbours hosting along with this year's theme, it brings forward thoughts of the plights of our oceans. There is so much reliance on the Oceans, to both make money and for survival, that it is really unsustainable to keep so much pressure on its resources from so many different places.

Besides sustaining life and supporting a whole underwater ecosystem, our oceans provide food (around 90 billion kgs of fish and shellfish are caught every year) and a means of transport for goods and people travelling. We mine our oceans for minerals such as; salt, copper, iron and nickel and, of course, we drill them for oil.

So, it is important that we look after them!

We need to manage our fishing and make it sustainable. Know which fish species are at risk and don't eat them because a lack of demand means the supply is no longer viable. Trawling and Dredging, gill nets and drift nets not only damage and destroy underwater habitats, they are responsible for over 27 billion tonnes of wasted fish and by-catch a year.

Don't Litter!

Sounds easy enough but when you are out on your relaxing cruise boat or even lying on the beach, be sure to put your empty cans, food wrappers and cigarette ends in the bin or in a bag to be taken away and disposed of later. Many a time, we finish a dive with 4 or 5 beer cans in our pockets that have been blown off the day boats as they cruise by, so a little care can go a long way.


This one goes out in particular to the Scuba Divers out there. Get your buoyancy right and watch where you put your hands and your fins in the water. Although here in Cyprus, it is mostly rock and sand, you don't know what little creatures and critters are hiding nearby and you can do untold damage to the life underwater just by being careless.


In the last 50 years, the world population has more than doubled from 3.3 billion to over 7 billion in 2015 so the impact made per person adds up to devastating proportions. It isn't just the Oceans but our forests, woodlands and animal life too. We need to be a bit more discerning with our actions to try to limit the damage and make a conscious effort to give back where we can.


As Mahatma Gandhi said...

"The Earth Provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed."

HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY EVERYBODY!

Lion Fish in Cyprus? What's the harm?

It isn't something we expected to see but we have heard stories about their presence in Cyprus for a few years now. With striking colours and impressive fans of projecting spines, why shouldn't we be excited about the Lionfish in Cyprus.

What are they and Where did they come from?

Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region, which is actually quite a vast area.

They are instantly recognisable with their brown or maroon and white stripes, which cover the head and body while their long pectoral fins and dorsal spines fan out. Do not be fooled though because those spines can pack a  punch with a very potent venom

Thought to be nocturnal hunters, a lionfish will move slowly but steadily through the water and preys on small fish, invertebrates and mollusks in large amounts. They can be very territorial and cantankerous, as any underwater photographer trying to photograph a Lionfish face will tell you!

So, what is the problem with them in Cyprus?

Since Lionfish are not native to Cyprus waters, they are an invasive species. They are known to be aggressively invasive and can decimate fish stocks of an area very quickly.

Introduce them to an area like the Mediterranean and the already dwindling fish life is at grave risk.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope. There is a belief that groupers are a natural predator of the Lionfish and we do have plenty of those here in Cyprus. So maybe, if we allowed the groupers to thrive, there would be less concern over the Lionfish invasion, since it has a predator in the area.

Alternatively, there was a scheme introduced in the Atlantic when it was deemed Lionfish had invaded around the coast of the USA by NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

"Lionfish for Food" was set up in 2010 to encourage consumption of Lionfish. Fishermen and Divers are encouraged to actively hunt Lionfish and then consume them in the hope that it would control the invasive population while helping to reduce the strain on overfished species like Grouper.

However, before you pull out your filleting knife, be aware that the Lionfish has to be prepared in the proper way to make it safe to eat. So, do your research before you try something new!

Scuba Diving: A Burning Passion or Burned Out?

It is a brand new season here in Cyprus and before the mayhem begins in earnest, we decided to have a little holiday and refresh in preparation for what is to come.

Since we are also celebrating our 5 year anniversary of being Scuba Tech, it seemed like a great time to get together with some good friends and get away... and what better way for Dive Centre owners in Cyprus and Cyprus Diving Instructors to relax but... Scuba Diving in Egypt!

How can you call it a holiday when you are still doing your jobs you may ask?

Ever heard the old adage, a change is as good as a break.? Well, it is true. We love Scuba Diving and although it is work, it is also a hobby for us and to remain this way over the 25 years I have been a Diver has taken some effort on my part.

Whatever you do, wherever you are, once you get complacent with something, you can easily get bored. This is particularly true if whatever you are doing is repetitive.

For example, I used to work at a diving centre where the bulk of business came from PADI Discover Scuba Diving. When I first started to work there I quite enjoyed the feeling of taking someone in the water for the first time. Seeing the smiles as they came out of the water and the achievement each new diver reached, especially those who initially struggled was a highlight. However, after 3 years of doing these experiences 2-3 times a day, every day, the sheen soon wore off.


We call it burn out!

So, how do we stop this from happening or re-find our enthusiasm if it already has?

For me, I wasn't sure where to go. Initially, I considered underwater videos and photography and did a few bits with that such as; underwater adverts and even some footage for the tv series "My Greek Kitchen". However, we soon realised that was more Shelley's forte!

Eventually, I found Technical Diving and, although I had always said I would never do it, it rekindled a spark for diving that hasn't left me since.

I attribute this to every day being different. Some days I guide qualified divers, some days I teach Technical Diving, sometimes I dive or teach the Rebreather and sometimes I am servicing Dive kit in the workshop. There are even times when I take beginners for Discover Scuba Diving Experiences and the satisfaction of taking a brand new diver in the water has returned.

To ensure the variety, it is definitely worth investing in your diving so you don't get burn out. If you find you are getting bored of the same old routine, it is time to shake it up a little bit.

There are many different aspects of diving you can look into. Try wreck diving or take an underwater camera with you and develop your photography skills. You could consider Technical Diving or a Rebreather Try Dive or, like us, just take a holiday and scuba dive in a different place, see different things and meet new people.


Variety is the Spice of Life!

Dive Presents for Scuba Divers

When it comes to Christmas presents, we aren't hard to buy for, we the Scuba Divers of this world.

Anything that helps us get wet, stay warm and dry whilst getting wet, lights up dark murky holes, is shiny or can be classified under the terms gadgets and toys will surely be a winner wherever a Diver is concerned.

So, here is a Christmas offer from Halcyon Dive Systems to make you feel Festive this winter. This is the Double Down Christmas 2014 Bonanza.

The offer looks something like this...

Buy a Halcyon Infinity Single Tank Wing System for €895 (£715) and get an Evolve Twinset Wing for just €100 (£80).

The Halcyon Infinity System is the ultimate in luxury for the special diver in your life (or even if you want to treat yourself!). It has all the durability and reliability that divers worldwide have come to expect from Halcyon products and incorporates the opulence of the Deluxe Comfort pads for back and shoulders all combined with the Halcyon Cinch system for easy fit adjustments.

Of course, the system has the basics; wing, aluminium or steel backplate, harness and Single tank adaptor.

Use the Backplate with the Single tank wing or the Twinset wing and you are all set up for any kind of diving you want to do... all for less than €1,000.

For more information, just get in touch with us at Scuba Tech Diving Centre

Don't Drink and Dive

With the festive season fast approaching, we all find ourselves with lots of nights out and parties to attend to celebrate. Be it with friends, family or work, it is easy to find yourself over doing it with the alcoholic beverages but if we are diving during this season, how can this impact our health?

Obviously, we all know the risks of drinking too much and most of us wouldn't even consider having an alcoholic drink before we go Scuba Diving but just like driving the morning after a big night out, can alcohol still affect us while we dive?

The answer is a big resounding YES!!

It takes time for our bodies to metabolise alcohol in our systems and there are no hard and fast rules. Like diving and Nitrogen off-gasing, everyone is different and everybody's metabolic rate can vary. 

Narcosis and Alcohol

Tests have shown that a diver's ability to complete skills on Scuba is dramatically compromised with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of just 0.04% which is less than the legal limit for driving a car and, after a late night drinking, can easily be the level left in your body the next morning.

Add this impairment to that which we already feel as divers through Nitrogen Narcosis and you are asking for trouble, especially if old Murphy pops his head up....

Energy Zapping

Which leads us quite nicely onto our next problem with drinking the night before diving. Alcohol Drains Energy by impeding the liver from producing the body's primary energy source, Glucose. This can leave you feeling tired and lethargic.

If Murphy does show up on your dive, you want to have a bit of Energy in the bank to be able to deal with the unexpected. A lack of Energy can leave you incapable of dealing with it safely and expediently. 

Chilling

Feeling chilly? Have a wee dram of brandy to warm your cockles, right?

Wrong!

Alcohol actually works to dilate the blood vessels close to the skin, allowing blood to flow closer to the surface, which makes you feel warmer but with blood flowing away from the core and so close to the surface, you lose heat and chill faster.

Add this to the fact that we lose heat 25 times faster in the water anyway and those drinks are putting you at increased risk of Hypothermia

Dehydration

We have touched on Dehydration and Diving in previous articles and discussed all the risks that entails. In brief alcohol affects the kidneys, which is going to lead to a loss of body fluids and when you combine this with the dehydrating effect scuba diving inherently causes, we greatly increase the risk of DCI.

So, the take-away from this blog is not kebab and cheesy chips or to put a damper on your Christmas festivities. This is just a reminder that if you are scuba diving, take it easy the night before and after your dives.

You don't have to abstain completely but moderate your alcohol consumption and maybe switch to soft drinks after 11pm to give your body a good 8 hours, at least, to metabolise the alcohol to an acceptable level.

Above all else...Dive Safe!

Long Hose Diving from the beginning.

Currently teaching a TDI Advanced Nitrox Course to one of our Divemasters here at Scuba Tech Diving Centre and we found ourselves having lunch in the sunshine discussing the merits of using the long hose configuration.

Now, the long hose Hogarthian configuration is used in all technical Diving and Sidemount diving standard equipment set up and yet, for recreational scuba divers and beginners, we still start off using the standard 75cm regulator hose/ 90cm alternate configuration.

                     

What is the Hogarthian Long Hose set-up all about?

The Hogarthian is actually named after its creator, William (Bob) Hogarth Maine.

Bob was a cave diver that developed the Hogarthian Set up as a means to more efficient dive practices, keeping things simple and ultimately... safer!

The Hogarthian regulator set-up comprises a second stage on a short hose (60-75cm usually depending on the size of the diver using it) which is hung from a bungee around the neck.

The long hose is usually 1.5 to 2.1 metres in length and comes under the right arm, up over the left shoulder and around the back of the head to the mouth in a big circle. This is your primary regulator but also, the one you would donate in an Out of Air emergency.

Why is Hogarthian Long Hose configuration better?

You always have an alternate air source around your neck, so if you were to lose your primary regulator for any reason, you have something easily accessible to breathe while you relocate it. This offers you the life saving gift of time to sort the problem.

In Out of Air situations, you donate your primary regulator and switch to your back up around your neck, which has the advantage of giving the out of air diver, what they can see is a working regulator. In a  panic situation, it is not unheard of for divers to grab the regulator out of your mouth. With this system, all you need to do is dip your head forward to free the long hose and switch to the secondary regulator around your neck.

An added advantage is the long hose offers a bit of room for manoeuvre and it is workable even if you have your emergency inside a wreck or other overhead environment.

You also avoid that pesky dangling alternate air source that gets loose regardless of how well you clip it up to get a cleaner, tidier, more streamlined set-up.

Why don't we teach this from the start?

This brings us back to the question of why we wait for technical diver training before most agencies implement this system of diving?

On the very first training dive we ask our trainees to "lose" their regulators behind their backs and control their breathing while they relocate them. Why not KISS? 

Keep It Simple, Stupid!

If they lose the reg, swap onto another working regulator so they have time to solve the problem. In a hostile environment, we need all the help and simplicity we can get, so it makes sense... doesn't it?

Rebreather Try Dives in Cyprus

Christian came to Cyprus with the sole intention on trying a rebreather. Of course, where else would he go than Scuba Tech Diving Centre in Protaras to try under the careful tuition of Megalodon Rebreather instructor, Peter Crane.

Peter has been teaching divers on the Megalodon Rebreather since 2009 and loves introducing divers to the wonder of Stealth and Bubble free.

In his words... it is Marvellous!!!

Best Dive Kit? Has to be the Dive Instructor's!

I am sure this will be a post that most dive guides and instructors from around the world can easily relate to.

You have students starting a new course or taking part in a try dive at your local dive site and you do your very best to fit them out with the best fitting equipment possible. To get the students comfortable is worth the extra effort at the Dive centre because a comfortable diver will have a better time in the water and be more at ease, making it much easier for the dive guide/ instructor.

So, you get the boots and fins...they are easy to sort out and pretty generic.

Breathing apparatus is fine. So long as the BCD has a good fit, they are, again pretty standard, as are the regulators.

Wetsuits are a little more tricky and we like to tell everyone that getting into a properly fitting wetsuit is the hardest part of Scuba Diving. It should be relatively tight and fitted so there are no gaping areas that will allow water to swill and cool you but it shouldn't be so tight that you cannot breathe or it is restricting blood flow!

The final piece of the puzzle is the Dive Mask!

Now, as we have mentioned before, the Diving Mask is a very personal piece of equipment. Since everybody has a slightly different shape to their faces, the way the skirts mould to the individual will be slightly different from one diver to the other.

The best way to test whether a mask fits your face is to place it against your face, with the strap and all hair out of the hair. Next, inhale through your nose and the mask should stick to your face without having to push or twist it on... until, of course, you exhale through your nose.

Then put the strap behind your head and tighten as needed. You should not feel any pressure on any part of your face from the frame (particular hot spot is the bridge of the nose).

As hard as we try to make sure the mask you will use with us has a god fit for your face, even taking a couple different spare masks along (just in case), there will always be at least one diver in the pack that will not get on with any of them and the only one left to try is the one on your face.

Surprise, Surprise... it's a perfect fit and the rest of the dive goes really well.

Do you want to try my Mask?

So, Why is the Instructor's mask always the best fitting one?

I am not sure really but it is a strange phenomenon. I know it isn't just because we all have amazing multi-face moulding masks and can only assume that it is something to do with confidence. If that Dive professional uses it, it must be good, so it will be ok for me!

I use a Poseidon 3dee mask and it is now at a point where I have 3 others in the shop for students.

However, on a recent Open Water Course I taught, I had to give the student my mask for the first dive and proceeded to give them the identical school one on the second dive.

Did it fit? Not a chance! Well, it wasn't the Instructor's.

Cyprus Dive Sites- The Chapel

Continuing on with our theme of local Dive Sites here in Protaras, we move a little further around Cape Greko, past Konnos Beach to a tiny white chapel on a cliff top. This Chapel is the marker for 2 potential dive Sites depending on how deep you wish to venture and how exciting you want our entry to be.

We will look at Dive one, which sees you walk down a windy path to a handful of steps at the waters edge, where you can slowly lower yourself into the water and put fins on.

As you drop below the surface, there is a slowly descending route marked out between the boulders that guide you to the masses of Amphora resting between 6 and 9 metres deep. Some say it is from ancient moored ships that would anchor in the small bay while others say there was a potters at the top of the cliff that came down with a landslide to deposit its wares into the water. Either way, you can still make out the handles and mouths of the old pieces of pot quite clearly.

Continuing around the headland, you will find the bottom gently slopes away, allowing you to go slightly deeper to around 24m or stay shallower at 18m or even 12metres, depending on your comfort and desires.

There are lots of little spaces for Octopus to hide and you will often find Starfish, nudibranchs and moray eels lurking in the dark recesses of the plentiful nooks and crannies. I have even seen a couple firework anenomes and Umbraculum Umbraculum at this dive site, which are pretty rare in Cyprus.

You can go treasure hunting at the furthest point of the dive, as this is where the locals and tourists like to come and do the cliff jump. On every dive, we will find flip flops and shorts, room keys and hairbands but if you are very lucky, sometimes you can find something of value like a nice pair of sunglasses. We were speaking to a diver here not so long ago that found a gold sovereign ring!!!

Follow your path back at a shallower depth to make your ascent and be aware of any boats that may be overhead and you will find that this is one of the most diverse dive sites we have for variety of fish.

Even on land, around the chapel, you will see tourists, divers and even brides, so there is definitely something for everyone. Will you enjoy it?

Well....eerrrrmmm!!!... I DO!!!

Scuba Addicted Divers? That is SAD!

Sunday is the day that many Dive Centres close their doors and give their Scuba Instructors a well deserved day to off-gas a little.


This week, we had some technical divers in with us at Scuba Tech and decided to organise an exploration dive somewhere new with depths suitable for both Technical and Recreational Diving.  Since it was on a Sunday, we invited some of the local Diving Instructors along with us.

Everyone jumped at the chance and it suddenly occurred to me that the willingness of these instructors to scuba dive on their days off could only be a sign of one thing.

We are all SAD (Scuba Addicted Divers)! Are you?

Your Garage could be a Scuba Shop

You have so much Diving Equipment that your inside cupboards and storage will no longer hold it all and your vehicle that meant so much to you when you first bought it has been relegated to the curb. In the meantime your wetsuits, drysuits, cylinders, BCDs, regulators and other diving paraphernalia are slowly building and taking over.

Your partner will no longer enter the garage because of that unique diving smell but you could spend hours checking out all the bits of kit you have accumulated over the years. Much of it, you don't even use any more but daren't throw it away just in case, one day, it comes in useful.

That Diving computer might need a new battery and depth sensor but one day, you might need it!

Are you out this Weekend? Of Course!

Except your friend is talking about the local pub while you mean the local Quarry.

Weekends are no longer about family time or going out on the lash. Weekends are for getting wet; wherever, whenever and if the club are going for a post dive beer, well that is ok, so long as it doesn't interfere with your diving!

Where is your Tan?

You have just been on a lovely beach holiday, so everyone is expecting to see a bronzed body return.

Unfortunately, if you have any colour at all it is usually on your lower arms and legs (up to the point the boots begin at your ankles) and maybe a bit of burnt skin around where the mask sits on your face.

It is hard to get tanned when you are 30m under the sea!

Your Mastermind Speciality Topic is Kit Configuration

What more needs to be said. It is important!

Baked Bean Diet

You live off a diet of baked beans to enable you to save up for that latest piece of diving equipment that you want... no need to own!

Be it a new wetsuit/drysuit, the latest GoPro camera or a brand new rebreather, Scuba Equipment is never cheap and when you are a real scuba addict, you will give up a lot of luxuries in life to get it.

Now, where's that tin opener?

4 ways to combat pre-dive stress

It doesn't matter whether you have been Scuba Diving for fifty years or only started last week, at some point in your life as a Diver you will or will have felt some nerves and stress before making a dive.  Maybe you are diving with new people, at a new dive site or different conditions that are a bit more difficult than you are used to.

Stress on a dive in small amounts is not always a bad thing but excessively, it can cause many problems and dangers, so here are 4 tips to combat that stress before you even get in the water.

Equipment

The best way to avoid stress over using new Dive Equipment is to have your own and to have dived with it many times.

However, there will always be times when you need to rent equipment or have upgraded your own and your kit is new. How can we manage nerves at these times.

There are many resorts around the world where the staff insist on setting up all your equipment for you and you simply get to the dive site or on the dive boat, put the equipment on and get in the water. I would recommend against this and set up the kit yourself. If you are diving it, this gives you the opportunity to check all the components prior to getting to the dive site. 

As you were taught from your first scuba lessons, put everything together, open the scuba cylinder and check  for any leaks and hissing.  The regulators should breathe easy with no fluctuations on the gauges and no funky smells or tastes to the air.

Check the inflator too. Inflate your BCD fully until the Over pressure release valve blows off, then check the deflator and any emergency pull dumps too.

This should help assuage any nerves regarding the diving equipment functionality

Dive Brief

Participate in the dive brief.

Your guide or instructor will go over the dive profile, what you are likely to see, points of interest and hazards, turn pressures and signals but if there is something you are unsure of, ask questions.

If you are diving with a buddy, discuss the dive plan together until you both are 100% sure of all aspects including separation and out of air scenarios. Divers that understand fully what to expect on a scuba dive tend to be more relaxed about it.

Communicate

Be ready to communicate with your buddy or guide. As professionals, we have certain signs that will indicate to us if you are nervous or stressed before a dive and while we try our best to detect such signs, the best way to let us know is to tell us.

A discussion can often reassure divers when they are nervous, reminding them of information they have forgotten but sometimes, when the stress cannot be reduced, it may be better for everyone to alter the dive plan and negate the nerves before they can cause a problem but communication is key to this.

Remember your pre-dive safety checks too. We recommend that you talk through your equipment with your buddy, so you know that they know how your equipment works in the event they need to help you underwater or at the surface.

Any Diver can Cancel Any Dive at Any Time

This is a firm rule that is applied ANY time, ANY where.

If for any reason you are not comfortable making a dive, ABORT it. Although there might be some disappointment, any diver worthy of being a buddy will be happier to cancel than have problems underwater. It isn't worth the risk to dive when you are not 100% sure you are ready and nobody will think any less of you for it.

Sometimes, just knowing you can abort at any time is enough to put a diver's mind at rest and ease those pre-dive nerves.

5 quick tips for Scuba Diving anywhere

As Scuba Divers, we do tend to get around a bit and there are always new places we want to add to the "bucket list". So, I thought I would share five quick tips that will help you dive anywhere in the world.

There are many other things to add to the list, so please feel free to add your contribution to the diving community in the comments below...

1. GET AN ORIENTATION



We do believe that when you are diving somewhere new, it is best to get an orientation from a diver that knows the site well.


Most commonly, this comes in the guise of a guided dive. The dive resort/dive centre hires you a guide to take you around the local dive sites and they can point out the things of interest and any potential hazards.


It is also nice because the guide will help remind you about decompression limits and air supply, reminding you to check them frequently while you are diving.


If it is not possible to get a guided dive, at least ask someone who has been diving there before. You will enjoy the dive more if you have prior knowledge of what to expect, what you are looking for and how to stay safe.


2. DRESS FOR THE OCCASION


Different places require different equipment depending upon the conditions and once you have had an orientation about the conditions, you should know what to expect.


There is no point turning up in Cyprus in August with a drysuit and thick thermals, as you will end up overheating. Equally, where sea diving in the UK may require reels, DSMBs, torches, compasses, pony bottles and all the other life saving pieces of equipment that leave you looking like a tree at Christmas, here in Cyprus, the bulk of the diving does not require this kind of kit.


So, do yourself (and your wallet if you are trying to fly) a favour and find out what trimmings are needed before you pack them all up.





HAVE A BASIC TOOL KIT




Every diver that does not want to be caught short on a dive should carry a small, basic tool box.





Many has been the time, we have been out and about to be asked if we happen to have an Allen Key, spanner, screwdriver or some simple tool that doesn't take up much room but can mean the difference between making the dive and having to cancel.


Even something as simple as; Schraeder Valve Removal Tool, Allen Keys (Imperial and Metric because you never know), a couple adjustable spanners, O-Rings in various sizes and a pick to remove them safely, spare hoses and good old faithful Tie Wraps should see you through most situations in a pinch.


3. DSMB


DSMBS are an extremely useful tool to have at your disposal. They can mark you out for boat traffic and allow you to make an ascent from practically anywhere by providing a reference line to the surface.Some areas for diving, it is mandatory that you carry them but I have seen many divers with them attached with no clue how they work!


Setting off a DSMB is now taught in a PADI Open Water course as a compulsory skill and those of you who have been diving for years without ever using a DSMB should get caught up by asking an instructor or buddy to show you how it is done. You do not need a course, just a demonstration and a bit of practice but this is definitely a skill every diver should have.


4. KNOW THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES


God forbid something goes wrong on a dive but unfortunately, it does happen sometimes. Even if you have been diving safely for years with no incidents at all, there is always a first time.

If something happens on your dives, would you know how to handle it?

Get the number of the Emergency Medical Services for the area you are diving in and, of course, the local hyperbaric chamber. In this day and age of mobile phones, you don't usually need to locate a nearby pay phone but it is always useful to know in case you find yourself without signal.

How far away is the nearest chamber and do you have your own Oxygen Kit in case of emergencies?

In water, make sure to practice your emergency procedures because, although these are skills we all hope we will never need, in the unlikely event of an emergency, you want to make sure you and your buddy are up to the task.

As I mentioned at the start, these are just 5 little tips to help make your diving anywhere in the world a little easier, a little safer and I hope you find them useful. Please add your own contributions in the comments below and whatever else, DIVE SAFE!

Halcyon Contour Sidemount System- A review

I was recently sent a Halcyon Contour Sidemount System to trial here in Cyprus and although I didn't really know what to expect from it (there is a lot of info on the Internet but all seems to be the PR pitch from Halcyon themselves), knowing the quality and expertise that goes into the development of other Halcyon Products, I was very excited.

The box arrived and, like a child at Christmas, I delved in to find my new toy!

50lbs of buoyancy

At first glance it looked very big and bulky. With 50lbs of buoyancy, it might be a bit big for warm water diving with aluminium cylinders but with drysuits, steel cylinders and stages, 50lbs might be needed...

As a shorter guy, the size did concern me somewhat but, once in the water the whole system seemed to mould to my body and I have to say, was one of the most comfortable sidemount system I have had the pleasure of diving with.

Easy to set up

The system is pretty much usable straight out of the box. We currently use the Razor System here at Scuba Tech Diving Centre and I have taught students that have brought their own systems including the X-Deep and the one thing that drives me crazy with them is the time it takes to adjust the system for the student. An extra half day is required just for the initial set up.

Halcyon's Contour System is different. Aside from the usual harness and crotch straps that need adjustment, the system is pretty much ready to go and you can be in the water in about 40 minutes. This is a real bonus for teaching and if you change regularly from wetsuits to drysuits etc.

Equally, as opposed to the complex weight distribution systems of other sidemount systems, the Contour has simple weight pockets that can be mounted to the top or bottom of the contour depending on your preference. Not sure what weight you will need? No problem, do a weight check at the site and have a buddy pop the correct weights into the pockets for you!!!

Comfort and Stability

This was the most comfortable Sidemount System I have used. The padded backplate and straps sit well  and the wing design lowers your centre of gravity to counteract the lower Sidemount Cylinders, which makes the whole thing very stable and trims you out remarkably well.

I particularly like the OPV on the shoulder. I know many avid Sidemounters may be shocked at this but I like to be able to quick release gas from top or bottom of the system depending on my orientation. Inside a wreck or other confined space, I might not be able to get my bum up high enough to release the air from the bladder, so an extra option is a bonus.

Extras

I have been diving with the contour for about a week now and so far, there is nothing I haven't been able to do with it. 

There are D-Rings on the waist for diving aluminium cylinders, extra D-Rings on the back for mounting light canisters etc and I think the rails will definitely come into their own when I move back to cold water Sidemount Diving and using steel cylinders.

Conclusion

So, and this is just my opinion, I think this Sidemount System is definitely one to watch out for. I like my diving to be easy and comfortable and this certainly fits the bill while being fully functional too.

What more can a diver ask.... except, CAN I KEEP IT?

Heroes in a Half Shell: Turtle Dive!!

We had heard rumours of his existence and apparently he always appeared at the same time every day.

This was it! My afternoon was free and I had no divers to guide and no students to teach so I attached myself to Pete's training session down at Green Bay, camera in hand and heart in throat.

Would he still be there waiting for me?

Yes, he was!

There is nothing so peaceful as watching a turtle graze at a dive site. Settling down as he moves gracefully across the seabed it didn't take long until he seemed quite comfortable with my presence. Almost a "don't disturb me and I won't run away" pact was silently agreed between us.

As I pulled out the camera, he gave me a quick second glance before returning to his dinner of Poseidonia sea grass, unperturbed by this monstrous black housing I was pointing in his direction.


I was certainly rewarded as he posed away for the camera, quite often looking directly into the lens for me. This was one very accommodating turtle.

When he had had enough of me, he simply turned his back and this, I took as my cue to leave him be to finish his feast in style.

Although it can be fairly common to spot turtles here in Cyprus, one which allows you to sit with it and watch is quite rare and a great privilege also. These are majestic creatures that are desperately in need of our protection.

Some cultures see turtles as a resource to be exploited for medicines and cosmetics or as a delicacy for the table. Some just want to have a turtle shell for decoration, which has led to between 48% and 54% of the 328 species of turtle being threatened.

The Green Sea turtle is considered a success story after having been declared a threatened species, steps were taken to protect it and numbers have been recovering. However, there is plenty more to do.

As a scuba diver I try to look out for the local wildlife by removing any rubbish and debris from the water to prevent them injuring themselves on it. For turtles in particular, removing plastic bags from the water is important, as they can mistake these for jellyfish and suffocate.

Only one thing left to day and that is to implore you to look after our wildlife and protect our turtles:

Heroes in a Half-shell.... Turtle Power!!!

5 best questions a non diver has asked

I have been scuba diving now for more than 20 years and the past 10 of those has been in holiday resorts.

For several years I worked in a dive centre that took 2 days out of the working week to head around the pools of the local hotels, trying to tempt divers into trying scuba diving for the first time. First try it in the pool and if you think you will like it, we head out to the local shallow dive site to have a proper dive and see the fish.

This isn't something we do anymore. We still take beginners for the first dive, but it is generally via word of mouth now rather than trawling the hotels.

When I look back, I do remember with fondness some of the random questions I have been asked over those years and I would like to share some of them with you all.

Do you Live on the Island?

Well, this is Cyprus and if I didn't, it would be a really long daily commute!

Do you see Fish when you scuba dive in the sea?

www.englishexercises.org

Unless its the Jeep Safari day out up to the Troodos for fish.

This was possibly the most common question I was asked by non-divers.

Its a loaded question because half the people wanted to see fish and the other half were scared of fish. Even the little tiddlers but you can rest assured that even in a place as over fished as the Mediterranean, you will see fish if you go scuba diving in the sea.

What happens if it is wet?

It is always wet when you go scuba diving! The point is to submerge yourself in the water and so you will get wet anyway.

Rain? Oh!

We dive anyway. If you are going to get wet, it may as well be under the water.

I really want to try Scuba Diving but do I have to wear all that equipment on my back?

Do you want to be able to breathe?

Unfortunately, the equipment is a vital part of the scuba diving experience. We have to take our own air underwater because we cannot breathe without it and we need a means of breathing from the tank of air and connecting it to our bodies.

Without the equipment, its just free diving and/or snorkelling.

When you Scuba Dive, How does the Snorkel change the Water into Oxygen?

This was my personal favourite. the best question I have ever heard from a non diver! If I knew the answer to this, I think I would be a very rich diving instructor and they don't come along often.

In a change from the norm, this blog was just a bit of fun, sharing some of the questions I have had over the years that have made me laugh.

Hopefully, some or all have put a smile on your face. Let us know what questions or statements you have heard over the years that cause a giggle and let's send the laughter round the Internet and spread the fun!