Archives for July, 2009
Posted on Jul 30, 2009 under Scuba Dive equipment |
im starting the first class tomorrow and when my aunt got certified 20 years ago they would make her swim tons of laps and dive down to the bottom of the pool to put the equipment on and like rip it off her and i’m wondering if they still do that stuff
It’s not nearly as harsh as it used to be. I recall watching my Dad get certified _many_years_ ago (like mid 1970’s), and they pulled the same stunts .. pulling off gear from behind the diver, swimming laps with full Scuba Gear but not allowed to breath on the tank, etc. That was when SCUBA diving was considered a more dangerous undertaking, an extreme sport.
These days, it’s considered a recreational sport and open to everyone from early teens to elder grandparents. The training necessary to be comfortable with the gear and some safety situatinos is not nearly as strenuous as it used to be.
Typically you’ll work on basic knowledge of the gear and various procedures and skills. You’ll get comfortable with the gear and these skills in a number of "confined water" dives (like pools or quarries) and then do some open water work.
I’ve personally taught people ranging from 12 to 70+. The best thing to do is relax and have fun. Pay particular attention to learning how to use the gear and what to do in difficult situations. You’ll enjoy the sport for a long time.
Here’s a link to a description of an Open Water course,
http://www.padi.com/padi/en/kd/openwater.aspx
Posted on Jul 30, 2009 under Scuba Fins |
Depends on the type of diving you are going to pursue, and how much time you are going to spend diving. Your dive center should be able to recommend the proper set of fins. If you are going to be a resort diver – you will be going on a dive vacation maybe once a year – then don’t spend $200 on a pair of fins. If diving is quickly becoming your passion, and you dread those extended surface intervals that we call "life", then you will want to focus on a higher quality, specific set of fins. For pure efficiency, less effort, I would recommend a manufacturer dealing in split fins – they really DO work, adding about 25% greater speed/efficiency to your propulsion – resulting in reduced air consumption. The price ranges from $150-$300, depending on manufacturer and where you purchase the fins. If you are going to get involved in overhead environments (caves, wrecks) you may consider a traditional-style fin with less crevices and protrusions to get hung up on. If un-decided, then you’ll want to aim for a pair in the $75-$100 range, cause this won’t be the last pair that you’ll be buying. Don’t buy Scuba Gear from any of the box stores, since that’s not scuba gear they are sellin’. Hope this helps out.
Posted on Jul 30, 2009 under Scuba Regulator |
What is the difference of HP LP ports in terms of use on a scuba regulator? And why would you need 2 HP Ports on a scuba regulator?
Also is this a good regulator to get for the Southern California http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/SCPM2R1.html I ask because I don’t know what I should be looking for in a regulator\1st stage.
A Scuba Regulator is designed to regulate air flow to a diver. Scuba cylinders are rated for different pressures that can range from 1800 pounds per square inch of pressure (p.s.i.) to 3500 PSI. These pressures would not be a good thing to have going into your body so the regulator breaks down this higher pressure to a more tolerable level. The pressure that is sent into the Low Pressure (LP) ports on the first stage of the regulator can be anywhere from 120 psi to 150 psi depending of the manufacturer specs. The LP ports which are smaller in diameter than the high pressure ports (HP) would be for your personal second stage (the part that goes into the mouth), the extra second stage commonly called an octopus or occy (one that you would give to a dive buddy if they needed it) and one or two low pressure hoses which are used to fill your Bouyancy Compensator Device and to add air to a drysuit (if you were wearing one).The High Pressure ports (HP) do not break down the pressure and are used for submersible pressure gauges that show you in real time how much pressure you have in the cylinder. Having two HP ports on a regulator used to be to allow for a right handed or left handed hose configurations but it is more often used for air integrated diving computers as a sort of back up.
As far as purchasing a regulator, realize that no company can afford to make a bad egulator as this is considered life support equipment. You do need to take the following points into consideration though:
Manufacturers do not offer warranties on equipment that is purchased second hand or from non authorized dealers. Check the manufacturer’s websites to see if the company you are looking to purchase from is authorized to sell their products.
Also check their websites to see if the product is listed or has it been discontinued. Non authorized dealers may offer their own warranties but you would have to send the equipment back to them for any claims or repair. Authorized dealers are not obligated to service equipment that is purchased from non authorized dealers.
Make sure the regulator that you are looking at will meet your needs both present and future. If you want a air integrated computer with a submersible pressure gauge as back up (now or in the future) does it have 2 HP ports. Look at the features of the regulator and compare them to the features of other regulators. Compare them to regulators from other manufacturers so you won’t end up saying the dreaded "I shoulda got" Hope this helps out
Posted on Jul 30, 2009 under Scuba Wetsuits |
I have been looking into taking SCUBA lessions at my local dive shop. I am currently around 210 pds at 5′11 (female). I have been looking at different wet suits but the size that i wear in street clothing (12-14) says it will not fit me. Most of the wetsuits that i find will only fit 180-190pds. Is there a wetsuit out there that will fit me or do I need to loose weight??
Try a man’s extra large.
Posted on Jul 30, 2009 under Scuba Gear |
I was watching Sharkweek and they mentioned that people who go spear fishing by law are not allowed to wear Scuba Gear. I was wondering if someone could elaborate more on that law. Thank you!
"Spearfishing may be done using free-diving, snorkeling, or scuba diving techniques. However, spearfishing while using SCUBA or other artificial breathing apparatus is frowned upon in some locations and is illegal in many others. Because of the belief of lack of sport in some modern spearfishing techniques, the use of mechanically-powered spearguns is outlawed in some jurisdictions."
Posted on Jul 29, 2009 under Scuba Regulator |
This is some home-made scuba gear me and my friend put together summer of ‘06.
The main air tank is actually a garden sprayer, and holds about 8 liters (2 gallons) of air compressed at 40psi. The tank is encased in concrete to make it neutrally boyant. The tubes across my chest are filled with rocks, and help neutralize our bouyancy. This design allows us to dive for 2 minutes straight, 10 or 11 feet underwater. This whole setup cost us about $55.
We now have much better Scuba Gear, with a 10 gallon tank that can hold 80psi. It allows us to dive for 15 minutes straight at a depth of 10 or 11 feet. The new setup cost about $60.
Keep in mind that this is very dangerous, and should not be attempted by anyone without proper scuba training (like us). I am not responsible in any way for any injuries you may sustain emulating something in this video. To put it simply, do not try this at home. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Duration : 0:2:37
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Technorati Tags: breath, diving, Gear, home, homemade, made, scuba, swim, swimming, underwater
Posted on Jul 29, 2009 under Scuba Wetsuits |
This instructional video by Scuba.com will show you how to properly wash and keep your wetsuit nice and clean. You will always want to hose it down with fresh water inside and out. Make sure when you dry your suit you keep it out of the sun too.
Duration : 0:1:3
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Technorati Tags: cleaning, diving, instructional, maintenance, scuba, scuba.com, Wetsuit
Posted on Jul 29, 2009 under Scuba Gear |
Marsa Alam Deep South Scuba Diving, Oct 2005. Liveaboard was Spirit of Folk run by Emperor Divers. Booked through Blue Ocean Diving.
www.sheerman-chase.org.uk
www.emperordivers.com
www.blueoceandiving.co.uk
Duration : 0:5:42
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Technorati Tags: alam, coral, diving, liveaboard, marsa, Red, scuba, sea, shark
Posted on Jul 29, 2009 under Scuba Gear |
You have to increase website traffic once you have set up your online presence for your business. Even if you’ve had your website professionally designed and you are selling a great product or service, you can’t succeed without high traffic and unique visitors. Sitting back and waiting for it to happen won’t work.
To increase website traffic you’ll have to achieve a few key goals. Getting ranked fairly high in the major search engines, develop links to a number of relevant sites that can lead to your site, and develop recognition of your company’s expertise. These three goals sound fairly straightforward, but can become complex when you consider how many other Internet sites are started every day that are attempting to achieve the same results.
Search Engines Are A Great Way to Increase Website Traffic
Ranking well in the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc., is a fiercely competitive undertaking. Simply submitting your site will achieve next to nothing. Your website should have keyword rich Meta tags, page titles and information that will be recognized by the search engines when people are looking for information on your types of products and services.
For the best results, each page of your website should focus on a particular topic of interest to potential customers. Spreading yourself too thin (using many keywords just one or two times each rather than focusing on good content about one keyword or phrase on each page) will drop you in the search engine rankings.
Linking the Right Way
Links to other sites with links back to your own site is a good way to increase website traffic. The key to success with this is selective linking. If your website is for surfing gear, linking to a toy store will do very little for either of you. Linking to boat rentals, restaurants and coastal vacation providers, however, can get you great click-through results.
Your links don’t have to be huge banner ads, either. Relevance is more important than size and flash, especially since the words will again impact your search engine rankings. Don’t forget about clubs and blogs about surfing and online stores that carry scuba and even fishing gear. Think about peripheral links and be creative.
Toot Your Own Horn
If you have your own business it means you’re an expert in something. Let’s go back to the surfing example. Write a few articles about surfing; these can be informational (Top Ten West Coast Spots for Early Morning Waves) or narrative (My Latest Tahiti Adventure). Submitting these articles to surfing webs, forums and online clubs will get your name, and your company’s name out there. In the author’s profile you can include a link to your website.
Your articles should also include linking text that will take readers to different pages on your website. These can generate traffic to very specific products or services if placed correctly.
Search Engine Optimization
Everyone has heard the term SEO at some point, but search engine optimization is a difficult and refined style of writing that requires a lot of up-front research. Each article you write, whether included on your own website to provide customers with added value or posted on other sites for linking purposes, should be optimized with certain keywords designed to increase website traffic.
To determine which keywords will work best for you, take the time to research which words and phrases are most often searched for in relation to your products and services. If you can, choose a few and write different articles for each phrase, with each article focusing on a different aspect.
Calling in the Pros
Of course, developing your own Internet-based business can be very time consuming. If this is the case for you, it may be time to call in the professionals. There are excellent companies that focus specifically on how to help you get the most from all of the techniques outlined here. They can do the research, set up links and even provide professional writers to submit articles for you. They will help you increase website traffic for your site while you stick to what you know best, which is running your company.
Andy West
http://www.articlesbase.com/sem-articles/increase-website-traffic-a-variety-of-ways-98335.html
Posted on Jul 29, 2009 under Scuba Dive equipment |
When planning your next vacation you may want to consider a fun-filled getaway to the second largest island in Hawaii, Maui. There are so many adventurous, as well as, relaxing things to experience on a Maui vacation that you may never want to go home.
One of the most common things to do on your adventure to Maui is to take a scuba diving trip. Scuba diving will give you the opportunity to experience an underwater paradise that is unparalleled by any other. So get out your underwater camera, because this is one trip you’ll never want to forget.
On your scuba diving excursion you are bound to see an abundance of sea life, as well as some things you wouldn’t expect to find on any other scuba trip. Maui waters offer some of the most colorful and breath-taking types of fish and coral. You’ll probably also be able to catch a glimpse of eels or eagle rays as well. While you’re enjoying your underwater view look for the unique lava formations that are home to a wide array of fish. The Turtle Caves are a spectacular place to see these formations including some pinnacles that rise above the water’s surface.
Another unique experience you might have will scuba diving in Maui is the opportunity to dive among an underwater wreck. Armored vehicles, a Navy bomber plane, and an upside-down Hellcat are just a few of the incredible pieces of wreckage left over from World War II. Maui is the only place in the world where you can swim among such extraordinary sights.
Along with a great opportunity to dive off the island’s beautiful coast, Maui also offers the opportunity to participate in diving lessons as well. If you are not an experienced diver you may want to consider visiting one of Maui’s many dive shops for a lesson in scuba diving and how to stay safe while under the water. Scuba lessons are reasonably priced and usually start out for as little as $75. If you need to rent equipment or wish to become certified your lesson can become a little more costly.
Once you have learned some tricks of the trade you may also get the chance to take part in a dive tour. There are numerous diving tours to choose from including those for beginners and those for the more experienced diver. Experienced divers can take advantage of a chance to swim among caves and caverns and experience things you would not see anywhere but Maui.
So get going on those vacation plans. And when you’re planning your days in Maui don’t forget to scuba diving to your itinerary. It’s an opportunity you will not want to pass up!
Jeremy Thompson
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/maui-underwater-scuba-getaway-55466.html