Where to Log Dives

A dive log is useful for "proving" your diving skill and experience.  It might be the difference between going to a stellar dive site a mediocre dive site.  Logging dives is also important if you are pursuing advanced certification or professional ratings. 

I was shocked when nobody looked at my logbook, when I became a scuba instructor. Probably a 

standards violation, but it got me wondering how often anybody ever really looked at my logbook?  The answer- almost never.  Usually people just go on your word.

I remember being a new diver and writing page after page in my logbook, I would connect my Citizen Aqualand dive watch to my computer, download my dive profile, print it out, and add it to my paper logbook. I bought special "adventure log" pages, which gave me more room to write stuff. I wrote every fish, coral and invertebrate I saw. When I started doing scientific dives, I wrote extensively in a separate Wetnotes journal.  Often my logs said "see pics." Over time I slowly began to write less and then most often I skipped logging dives at all.

Nowadays logging dives is a complicated problem. There are so many different choices for logging dives.  There are websites, digital logs, apps, apps that connect to your dive computer, apps the connect to your phone, old fashioned paper logs of all kinds, and free log pages you print out online.  Trouble is none of these integrate and none has emerged as a leader, which means I have dives logged on my computer, on paper, on ScubaEarth and the back of napkins.  While I expect the need to prove one's dive experience will not go away, I am not so sure what will happen to the dive log. As an instructor I can't ask a student diver to pay an extra $20 for a paper dive log that required the killing of trees to produce, was trucked across country, and can be ruined as soon as water, the stuff we dive in, touches it, but I sure wish there was another universal viable solution.

How will this play out?

Which Scuba Weights Are Best?

Not all scuba weights are created equally.

Scuba weights have evolved over the years, but like all scuba equipment, there are gimmicks to avoid.

There are soft bean bag weights which constantly form lead dust which then leaches toxic lead all over your boat and equipment.  These can never be threaded onto a standard weight belt.  Lead shot weights are difficult to get in and out when used with most weight integrated BCD pouches or cartridges because they bunch up.  Some pools will not allow lead shot weights at all because of the potential for lead contamination and lead shot ending up in the pool drains. For these reasons I avoid soft bean bag weights of any kind. Sell them on eBay right away in a well taped USPS flat rate box. 

Uncoated block weights are the way to go in my opinion, because they take up less space than rubber coated weights, work well in weight integrated BCDs, but also can be threaded onto a weight belt or harness whenever needed. If you need to do a quick free dive to clear a boat prop or swim with a whale shark, you don't want to waste time finding the right weights or belt. You may have noticed these are what you find in professional dive operations the world over.

Not all block weights are created equally, however. None of the weights on the bottom row (above) can be threaded onto a weight belt.  They have been dropped so the slot is too narrow, or were molded poorly to begin with.  You don't have to spend a lot, but do yourself a favor and buy the nicely molded weights in the middle, they have nice big wide slots to accomodate even an old frayed weight belt, are nicely moulded on both sides, have comfortable rounded edges, are well marked on both sides, and are usually made from sturdy modern alloys.  

I do not recommend molding your own weights even if you get the lead for free. You will work hard, sweat a lot, expose yourself to toxic lead solid and fumes, and after your hard work, the product will be inferior.  It is tough to remove all the slag that forms even with the proper flux, and getting the weight correct can be difficult.

What's your opinion on weights? 

Sanitizing Regulators

Having two degrees in biology, I am perhaps too aware of microbes that can be passed from diver to diver via alternate air source regulators.  This is one reason I advocate alternate air source drills that do not require "trading spit" to perform them.  I advocate, in most training situations, especially recreational diving, using a separate alternate air source regulator with recreational length hose and utilizing your buddy to test the alternate air source to avoid spreading germs from one diver to another via saliva and mucous.  Of course, in a true out of air emergency safely securing air to breath is of primary concern and worrying about germs is far down the list.  Technical diving has different procedures, for different reasons, but even in this realm, I have to wonder whether sharing germs during training is wise.

I am not a fan of the alternate air source regulator such as Air 2 and I am amazed these are so wide spread in use.  These not only require you to trade microbes while practicing out of air scenarios, but complicate them by requiring both donor and receiver to change regulators. The donor must breath and dump air from the same device which is in his/her mouth not overhead for dumping air. I used the Air 2 for a few decades but always switched to a standard octo when doing training.  Now I just see them as an unnecessary gimmick. While some would argue it streamlines the scuba kit, this isn't true because the device is bulky and the hoses longer and thicker. Often these cost extra to service so it costs you over time. 

But how can you be sure the regulators you are putting in your mouth during training or when renting are reasonably germ and virus free to begin with?  

Ask!

Ask the provider how the regulators are sanitized.  Your instructor or resort operator should be able to explain the sanitizing procedure which usually consists of soaking regulators in a commercial sanitizing solution and drying them thoroughly between uses.  The truth is that more often than not, this is not done at all.  Owning your own regulator is one solution to this problem, but even then it is a good idea to clean and sanitize your gear. Community rinse tanks are notoriously nasty, so use caution with these as well.

My Introduction to Scuba Diving

Over twenty years ago I decided to become a scuba instructor.  Like everything I end up loving, I was terrible at scuba diving at first.  I was so clueless.  There I was sitting at the bottom of a murky lake shivering and freezing my buns off in a 3mm wetsuit in April waiting for a herd of other students to complete the required  underwater skills.  The water was in the 50s and the dive shop owner was wearing a dry suit.  He was toasty warm and dry, while we open water diver candidates and his instructor pawns shivered in the frigid water.  The instructors wore special dive parkas and heated water on a propane stove to pour it into their wetsuits while we students just looked on.  We had no clue just how fast that water was going to strip us of our warmth because we were new to diving.  It was a miserable ordeal, but I still loved it.  It is a wonder that I still love diving so much after such a poor introduction to the sport.  Perhaps that is why I decided to finally fulfill my dream and become and independent instructor many years later.  I know that learning to scuba dive can and should be much better than that.  Now that I am teaching scuba and learning the secrets of the scuba business, I understand why the experience was so bad.  It came down to self-centered greed on the part of the dive shop owner (now long gone).  He knew the lake was too cold and that we would be down there a long time waiting for the herd of people to do their required skills.  Of course he knew, he brought a $2000 drysuit along!  What a jerk!  He made a business decision to take us to that miserably cold lake anyway, and laughed to himself that we were too "cheap" to fly to the Caribbean to do our open water dives. I have even heard of dive chop owners letting students choose inadequate exposure protection so they can later sell a wetsuit or dry suit to those customers.  Sadly, this is still happening and I hear about bad experiences all the time. Choose a real professional dive instructor that has a reputation to uphold, not a random person assigned to you by a dive store.  Ask the instructor directly, what the course will be like. Do consider paying extra to complete your dives in warm tropical waters, and be sure to ask how many students will be in the course, the conditions for the open water dives and much more.  Speak directly to your instructor, not a dive shop salesperson.

Don't Get Ripped Off On Scuba Equipment

Scuba equipment is shiny, cool looking, and alluring.  It is fun to buy, own and use, but remember to save some of your diving dollars for improving your skills, traveling to incredible dive destinations and of course your children's college, and your retirement!

Never pay full retail price for scuba stuff and use extreme caution when buying gear or you will pay too much. Don't be fooled into thinking your buddy at the dive shop or instructor in the pool knows nothing about slick marketing techniques. They are dive equipment marketing experts. Learning how to sell dive equipment is required training for dive professionals. Most likely the person behind the counter has been to dozens of Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) trade shows and has been lobbied by every manufacturer of scuba gear and services on the planet to sell their stuff. Often these are held in Las Vegas, Orlando or other great destinations and are for the insiders only, not the general public. Equipment manufacturers hold after hour socials, raffle products, and find other ways to push their wares on equipment dealers at these trade shows. Your instructor/ salesperson has attended dozens or perhaps hundreds of sales seminars, meetings, webinars, both required and voluntary. Diving, like all business, is sophisticated and like a slot machine at a Las Vegas casino during a DEMA show, the odds are stacked against you.  Adding to complexity of the business are retail marketing associations, which basically exist to set standards to keep prices and profits high. Manufacturers themselves also keep prices and profits high "protecting the brand" by setting rules, requirements, and penalties for their dealers. Luckily for the consumer the internet has weakened the grip of retail marketing associations and the playing field is somewhat more level. 

The equipment dealer knows far more than you do- trust me. Diving can often feel like buying a new car from a veteran salesman or a multi-level marketing scam. There are gimmicks, packages, warnings, half truths, stories, kickbacks, incentives, middlemen, peer pressure, and “club meetings” specifically designed to sell products.

Examples to be aware of:

• “Do you want to skimp on life support equipment?”
• You must own your own equipment because…
• You can't buy used because...
• You can't buy online because...
• You won't be able to get service...
• You must train with the same training agency/shop.
• The other guy's brand is bad because...
• Buy this gear and training is “free” or reduced.
• “Free” parts for life if you buy this $2000 scuba system and pay $120 for annual service for the rest of your life.
• Diving as as multi-level marketing scheme- you unwittingly become the salesperson to your friends...
• “Club meetings” about fancy equipment, training and travel, held in a retail space surrounded by fancy equipment, dive trainers, and travel specialists!  

This last one really cracks me up.  If your "dive club" meets in a retail dive store, it is probably not yours nor is it a club.  It is a dive equipment, training, and dive travel marketing gimmick not a dive club!  Amazingly, some of these even require dues to be a member!  There will be shills in the audience ready to sell whatever the presenter is selling. Soon you may find out you become one of the shills.

Scuba diving is amazing and fun. Smart providers that are honest, work hard, and have a reasonable business plan should be able to earn a living, but please keep scuba instructors, shops, manufacturers, travel providers and resorts honest and reasonable.  Expect honesty, good products and services at fair prices.

The Right Fin Straps

One of these things is not like the others.  One of these things doesn't belong!

The best fin strap is a bungee or spring heel strap.  These go on and off with one quick and easy motion.   When you are hanging on a boat ladder bucking up and down in current and swells you do not want to be messing around with complicated buckles like the one on the right.  When you are getting pounded by surf during a beach exit you want to get your fins off ASAP.   Scuba diving is about streamlining and making your kit as simple and uncomplicated as possible with the fewest failure points.  I struggled with the ones on the right for 20 years before the company got smart and improved the design (at extra cost).  Do yourself a favor and don't wait 20 years to get fins with rubber bungee or spring heel straps!   Bungees are lightweight and great for travel. If you can tolerate the extra weight of a spring heel fin, they are incredibly rugged and a popular choice among technical divers, but the weight may upset your trim.  As always, carry spare parts in your save a dive kit.   I often have students struggling with equipment that may seem great in the store or online, but isn't really the best in the water and slows them down during training.  Some dive shops will sell you the buckles, knowing you will come back to buy bungees or spring heel straps later when you are more educated, this way they make extra money when you realize there are better straps out there.  Don't shop at these stores.  

Expensive Electronics in Underwater Housings- What you should know!

There is this strong desire to take our phones, tablets, and GoPros underwater, so underwater housings have been developed for these devices.  What most people new to diving do not realize is it takes just one sand grain, hair, or piece of heavy lint to compromise an o-ring housing seal. Salt water seeping into the housing will quickly destroy it permanently.  Salt water water is good conductor of electricity and highly corrosive to sensitive electronics.

So if you chose to house something in an underwater housing, understand that it may be destroyed and plan accordingly.

If you do choose to take your device underwater, make sure the housing is specifically designed for scuba diving, not just "waterproof" like a LifeProof phone case for example.  Cases designed to protect your device from water in an accident are not the same as one designed for continuous underwater use at 2-5 atmospheres of pressure.  Also understand that the deeper the depth rating the sturdier the device.  If it is rated to only 60 feet then it really isn't suitable for scuba diving, but perhaps will work for surface snorkeling just fine.  If you use a GoPro, purchase the "Dive Housing" not just the one that comes standard with the camera, and replace it regularly with a new one. The GoPro brand dive housing is rated to 60 meters/200feet for example, whereas the standard housing is only rated to 40 meters/130 feet.

Whatever you decide, carefully check the o-ring or other sealing surface for debris in bright light and with a pair of reading glasses or magnifier if needed.  Wipe the seal and mating surface every time with a clean lint free cloth, designed for camera lens cleaning. Use silicone lubricant on o-rings if recommended by the housing manufacturer, but also understand this can cause hair or sand to stick to the o-rings!  Read and follow all instructions given by the manufacturer. Check the seal again after clamping the housing if it is clear plastic.  Use desiccants inside the housing to avoid fogging and keep the device dry, but be sure you do not accidentally pinch the desiccant in the o-ring seal which is a common cause of housing failures.

Make sure you soak your housing thoroughly in fresh water after every use to prevent corrosion to the buttons and eventual leakage.  

Underwater photography/videography is easier than ever before, but take a speciality class, read books, and blogs, and consult a professional for best results. Use quality equipment and good lighting of 2000 lumens minimum even in daylight. Underwater photography is a dangerous distraction for new divers.  Be sure you have perfect buoyancy control, situational awareness, and trim before adding the additional task load of photography to your diving, or it could harm you and marine life!

GoPro Video Underwater- Are you ready?

Green Moray Eel, Cozumel, Mexico (Click to image enlarge)

The GoPro is an excellent underwater camera.  It is inexpensive and easy to use, takes high resolution video and has a wide angle lens to minimize the amount of water between you and the subject.  But are you ready for underwater videography?

Before attempting underwater videography, make sure you have excellent buoyancy control and situational awareness of what is around you.  Make sure you are not missing safety stops, crashing into coral, unable to maintain good horizontal trim, or making other common but potentially hazardous mistakes.  Taking video is a huge distraction to new divers and can be very dangerous.  Trying to take video underwater before you are ready is not only dangerous, but your videos will not be good if you cannot hold the camera very still and swim smoothly as if your camera is on a rails.  You must be able to approach your subjects slowly and stop very close to them to take advantage of the GoPro's wide angle lens.

Many new divers make the mistake of trying to mount the GoPro on their head.  Never ever do this if you want good video.  This is the sure mark of a newbie diver and a dishonest or clueless salesperson that sold them a GoPro mask.  Reasons why GoPros should not be worn on your head include: Shaky nauseating videos, exhalation bubbles in the video, cannot get close enough to your subject due to extreme wide angle GoPro lens, can not easily start and stop video to get efficient short clips rather than long slow to upload computer crashing memory hogging 30 minute videos, cannot see the screen to frame your shot properly for good composition, no way to attach video lights, looking like a clueless dweeb and more.  I could go on all day, but for 99% of divers, just don't wear a GoPro on your head!  Only in rare instances are they a good idea.

For quality video you need to mount the GoPro in a underwater camera tray and use high quality wide angle video lights of at least 2000 lumens with a light angle of 90-120 degrees. Also be sure to get a camera with a video screen so you can frame your shots. The more light the better to bring out colors as in the photo above, shot with a GoPro Hero 4 Silver and a Bigblue VL3500P, 3500 Lumen, 120 degree wide angle video light.

Shooting GoPro video is not hard, but does require you to first be an excellent diver, second have the correct equipment and third consult a dive professional you trust to help you get started with the proper equipment and techniques.

Visit with me for more information.

Recreational Scuba Training Agency? Does it really matter?

PADI, SSI, SDI...  Does the acronym on your certification card matter? No, it doesn't.

If anybody tells you it does- run!

All the major recreational scuba training agencies have the same minimum standards as agreed upon by the World Recreational Scuba Training Counsel.  They all have strengths and weaknesses and there are good divers and good instructors in all of them.  There are also poor divers and poor instructors in all of them.

Can you go from one training agency to another?  You bet!  The only loyalty is to the dollar!

What is most important is not the training agency or dive business, but the instructor that will be teaching you.  Contact this person directly and ask questions, get to know her/his philosophy, experience, qualifications, degrees, certifications, and skills.  Find out if you are a good fit and if the instructor is qualified to teach. Scuba diving isn't hard, but breathing underwater is a serious business.  Choose someone you can trust to help you become a safe, comfortable confident diver that respects the underwater environment.  Above all, don't choose a cheap or fast course.  You will get what you paid for.

Throwing Up Underwater

It came to my attention recently that scuba course materials don't always mention throwing up underwater, coughing, or "hocking a loogie."  At some point it inevitably comes up during the course, but it is not usually "in the brochure" and you don't often see demonstrations in the videos.

Maybe it just isn't glamorous- who knows?

Anyway,  as a diver since 1993, I can honestly say, I have never vomited underwater, but I have seen a few folks offshore that "fed the fish" while diving. I believe knowing what to do if you are sick underwater is essential, because you can't swim to the surface every time you need to cough, clear your throat, or vomit.  Remember you must slowly ascend from every dive!

By the way, it is considered bad form to take video of your vomiting dive buddy and the resulting swarm of fish that it attracts, but I digress....

There are many ways to avoid seasickness in the first place like using motion sickness medication before you leave the dock whether you think you will need it or not. The last guy I saw blowing chunks above and below the water was a merchant marine, so just because you sail or work on boats does not mean you will never be seasick.  Avoid large, heavy, greasy, or spicy meals.  Staring at the horizon, staying in the center of the boat, avoiding exhaust fumes or other odors, and not going below deck are other good ways to avoid being seasick.  Being well rested and having a positive mental attitude can also help.  My favorite  method is to visualize the motion of the boat in my mind, so my brain can make sense of it.  I swear this is helpful.  My other favorite is eating ginger snap cookies, which was my mother's remedy.

The good news is that most people who feel sick on the boat will feel just fine in the water when the rocking of the boat stops. So one way to deal with seasickness is to get into the water quickly after the boat anchors.

If you do not take proper precautions and do need to vomit underwater, then what do you do?

Simply hold the regulator and mask in place and throw up through the regulator.  Just remember, when we cough or throw up we breathe in sharply afterward as a reflex, so it is vital to keep the regulator in to avoid inhaling water as best you can.

Material will flow out of the regulator exhaust valve and hopefully the valve will then close normally to keep water from entering during the inhalation reflex.  It is possible for debris to lodge in the exhaust valve and keep it open, so as with any first breath underwater, make it a tentative cautious breath.  If the exhaust valve is stuck open and the regulator breathes wet (allows some water in), you can always switch to your alternate regulator to end the dive.

Use the regulator purge valve if needed to clear the regulator of debris, just remember to seal the opening with your tongue.  You do not want to inhale vomit or water.

Though it isn't ideal; coughing, sneezing,  hiccuping, or clearing your throat,  and vomiting can all be accomplished underwater if done cautiously.

Sorry for the yucky topic, but it is essential information.  I hope this was helpful.

Clearing Ears When Diving

A new diver once told me she was amazed to find out she could clear her ears.  Prior to learning to scuba dive she just endured the pain and discomfort of pressure changes while flying or driving to and from altitude!

As divers we become deeply aware of the air spaces in our heads; our sinuses, middle ear space, eustachian tubes, mucous production and so much more we probably never wanted to know about.  An instructor once told me "diving is all about mucous control." Sounds yucky, but there has never been a more true statement about diving.

Why must we clear our ears?

As we descend pressure pushes inward on the ear drum.  If we continue to descend this pressure will injure or even rupture the ear drum.  The simple solution to this is to, equalize the pressure, aka clear your ears, by allowing air from your throat to flow into the middle ear space via your eustachian tubes.

In your scuba class you are taught to relax your neck muscles and gently blow against pinched nostrils while wiggling the jaw (Valsalva Maneuver); close your mouth and swallow with the tongue against the roof of the mouth (Frenzel Maneuver); the Yawn and Swallow or other method that works best for you.  If this does not work, you must ascend a few feet to lower the pressure and try again.  It is important to clear your ears before you feel discomfort and never do anything forcefully.  It is also important never to dive if you cannot clear your ears or have a cold.

This is more difficult than it sounds, because what is meant by discomfort?  What is meant by forcefully?

Most divers learn how to clear safely without injury through practice with an instructor.

Sadly, some people will never dive because the anatomy of their ears, sinuses or eustachian tubes will not allow them to clear their ears and their diving days are quickly over.  Others may have surgery to correct any anatomical problems.  Some find working with an allergy specialist will help them avoid excess mucous that may make clearing difficult.  

Learning to dive means learning to clear your ears, learning to avoid things that will cause excessive mucous production, knowing when not to dive and much more. 

Your instructor does not know what is going on in your head, so be sure to communicate with your instructor about your ears by using the hand signals your are taught.

Above all don't dive if you are not able to clear your ears.


Visit Divers Alert Network FMI:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/Guide_to_Avoiding_Ear_Sinus_Injuries_in_Scuba_Diving

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/download/DiversGuidetoEars.pdf

Why Learn Scuba with the Aluminum 80 Scuba Cylinder?

The aluminum 80 scuba tank (S80) has the worst buoyancy characteristics of any scuba cylinder.  It is five pounds lighter at the end of the dive when you have used up your air, which means you must have an extra five pounds of lead on your weight belt.

So why is it best to learn scuba diving using these tanks if they have the worst buoyancy characteristics?

Because they have the worst buoyancy characteristics!

If you can control your buoyancy with these tanks then you can easily switch to a steel tank with better buoyancy characteristics.

The fact is the standard aluminum 80 scuba tank is the most inexpensive to buy and maintain so it is favored by the vast majority of dive resorts all over the globe.

As a new diver be sure to learn how to deal with the standard aluminum 80 scuba tank and you will be prepared to dive anywhere in the world and be able to maintain your buoyancy even during a 15 foot safety stop with 500 PSI.  Once you have mastered the ubiquitous aluminum 80 consider a steel tank.

Why turning your scuba tank valve back 1/4 turn is unsafe

When I learned to dive I was told to always turn my tank valve back 1/4 turn.  This is no longer considered safe practice, but why?

The reason: A valve opened all the way and closed 1/4 turn is not usually dangerous, but a valve only open 1/4 turn could be a disaster.

How would you end up with a valve only open 1/4 of the way?

The scenario goes like this:

You open your tank valve all the way in preparation to dive.  A new diver you are working with, not realizing it is open, and who never learned "righty tighty, left loosey", closes your tank valve all the way and opens it 1/4 turn thinking he has opened it.  Clearly he had too much tequila or rum the night before.  On the surface during your predive safety check, you get plenty of air, your gauge reads full pressure and you go diving.  At depth you no longer can get adequate air causing a potential panic situation.

The simple solution to this problem is always open and close scuba tank valves all the way and so it is best to train all divers this way.

If the tank is all the way closed it will be caught while breathing on the surface.

Why did turning valves back 1/4 turn get so engrained in diving culture to begin with?

The answer is that early scuba valves and many industrial valves often jam so it was wise to turn them back 1/4 turn. Modern scuba valves do not require this precaution.  It is wise however never to forcefully open the valve all the way against the stop just in case.

Going Down

Entering the underwater world is nothing compared to entering the world of the recreational scuba industry.  This is where the real predators are lurking.  Join me on my adventure into the abyss.