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!