Open Water Scuba Diver

Up to this point, the discussion of buoyancy and comfort has been in relation to being vertical in the water. But we generally do not, and should not, swim like that. If we do, it is just plain hard work pushing the body through the water compared to being trim and able to slip through […]

If you do not own your own gear and count on renting for those special vacation times, there are some unique challenges you may have to deal with. Some divers only rent equipment and plan dive vacations one or two times each year. Airline restrictions have also made it less desirable to carry your own

There is often a difference between men and women in the use of weight systems. the photos on this page illustrate different kinds of weight systems that are commonly used by divers. Weight belts are very common, but large (perhaps over-weight) men do not have as much difference between waist and hips to keep the

Your instructor will have you test the amount of weight you need for the circumstances in which you are diving. This might be seawater or fresh water, warm or cool water. The procedure is always the same. While wearing a wetsuit at the surface, floating with some air in your BC, think about where the

Working divers, including public safety dive teams, use full-face masks that can add electronic communications as an option. These masks can also be used to protect the diver in contaminated water when wearing a dry suit system. If you dive several times a year and become an active diver, you will become committed to the

Once back home at the end of that dive vacation, further cleaning is necessary to maintain your equipment. We often have divers who own a regulator and BC bring that gear in to the service center for a checkup before the next trip. The gear had often been stored at home after the brief dunk

Seawater is corrosive to the metal parts of all scuba equipment. Washing off the residual seawater after a dive is very necessary to ensure proper function on the next dive. Simply washing your gear in freshwater after each seawater dive is your first defense. This is important at the end of each day during a