Scuba Diving – Are those “special” Scuba Diving masks a waste of money?

I was doing some research to find out what is new on the market of scuba diving masks and I found some interesting offerings:

HydroOptix LLC a company based in Culver City, California developed an innovative product line, the HydroOptix Diving Masks. According to their web site their masks offer panoramic views allowing the scuba diver 350% more “visual space” than using conventional flat scuba diving masks. Their lenses technology provides true distance, size and shape under the water. As you may be aware when using traditional flat scuba diving masks underwater you will see things closer and larger.

Ocean Reef Masks manufactured by Ocean Reef Inc., headquartered in Genova, Italy. These masks, in my opinion, are the best products for serious scuba divers right now. The best example that shows all the technology developed by Ocean Reef in one single product is the Neptune Space Raptor. This is a nitrox compatible scuba diving mask that can also be used with conventional air. This model comes with an integrated regulator and offers an excellent visual field. According to the manufacturer web site this product is made of premium grade silicone rubber and a durable scratch resistant visor. In a past post I mentioned their underwater communication system; I am sure these gadgets will take your diving experience to the next level.

For me, the perfect product will be a combination of these two technologies the “true vision” lenses offered by HydroOptix used in the Neptune Space Raptor scuba diving mask!

To answer my own question (Are those “special” Scuba Diving masks a waste of money?): I don’t think so. I think that as scuba divers, we should take advantage of the developments in products and technologies to improve and enhance our underwater experience.

All the brands, names and images used for this article are the property of their respective owners.

LED lights are cool for scuba diving

I was doing some research about this new technology and I found a wide range of products. I remember long time ago when I bought my first scuba lights…night diving was not the best experience since the lights were not the best products at that time.

The LED lights, as most of the best technologies, were originally designed for military personal. But now, after some years the cost of producing the LEDs is going down as the demand for this type of product is growing.

LED lights allow scuba divers maximum visibility and truer colors, since this type of light travels farther underwater. Another cool feature is that these lights last more than 20,000 hours.

Some of the best models are:

• Underwater Kinetics Mini Q40 e LED Plus. Depth rating: 500 feet.
• TREK 400 EX40, featuring 40 LEDs and 4-5 hours at full power. Depth rating: 300 feet.
• OMS 3 Watt LED Ultra Bright Headlamp, hands free light.

With this technology available, my recommendation is don’t buy halogen, buy LED and enjoy the experience of deep or night diving.

Extreme Scuba Diving – NASA’s Undersea Missions

I have never traveled to the space and chances are that neither do you. But we, scuba divers, have the opportunity to experience a similar environment in every immersion.

The NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) uses the Aquarius facilities. The Aquarius is the only undersea laboratory dedicated to marine science operating in the world. This underwater structure is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and managed by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW); Aquarius operates 4.5 kilometers offshore of Key Largo, Florida. The underwater laboratory is deployed next to deep coral reefs, 20 meters beneath the ocean surface. Aquarius provides life support systems that allow scientists to live and work underwater, in reasonably comfortable living quarters, with sophisticated research capabilities.

In this underwater laboratory the NASA employees and contractors have tested and practice lunar exploration concepts and also a complete range of long-duration spaceflight medical research projects. During the NASA NEEMO Missions, the crew conducted a variety of undersea "moon walks" to test concepts for future lunar exploration using advanced navigation and communication equipment.

I always thought that scuba divers are explorers of the oceans and underwater world; and it is good that the NASA is using an underwater facility to train future Space Station habitants, but I think that if we still do not have a complete understanding of the earth’s oceanic system, (my question always has been) would it make more sense explore and understand the oceans first?

What you should know about Scuba Diving and Flying

A simple rule that is sometimes overlooked even by experienced scuba divers. It is mentioned in almost all the scuba diving courses that it is not a good idea to scuba dive after flying or the opposite, fly right after scuba dive.

It does not matter if you took a two hour flight to a Caribbean island or a 20-hour flight to Phuket, Thailand; during flights your body suffers dehydration and it is affected by changes in pressure. To get a sense on how pressure works on your body, next time you are in an airplane try this: before the airplane takes off remove your shoes, then after a while (typically when the seatbelt sign goes off), try to wear your shoes again…sometimes you can’t.

NOAA’s Scuba Diving Manual has tables showing a ‘rough’ recommendation in terms of length of time that you will have to wait to dive or fly. As a general rule, most of the instructors and scuba related institutions recommend a 24-hour waiting period after flying. There are more accurate calculations based on some key elements of scuba diving (mix, time and depth), but I have never tried to do an accurate calculation.

The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) has very interesting books and publications related to this topic, I think anyone interested in become a scuba diver should read the book titled “Diving Physiology in Plain English” by Dr. Jolie Bookspan. I am sure this book will help you to answer any simple or complex question related to diving physiology (The study of how the body works underwater).

Some divers and instructors say that if you do not wait for certain period before diving you increase your risk for decompression sickness. I think that statement makes sense, I am not a doctor but I try to be informed, according to Divers Alert Network most of the accidents occur in the first day of a multi day dive trip, is that a coincidence? Of course not!

Sometimes we (me included) are so obsessed and tempted to jump into the water on the very first day of our dive trip that we try to convince ourselves that there is no risk involved by doing that. The bad thing is that in case of emergency we do not have many choices underwater.

Remember, as soon as you arrive to your destination: rehydrate, get some rest and wait 24 hours prior to enjoy your scuba diving time!

Scuba Diving and Fitness

Frequently, some of my friends and people interested in scuba diving asked me if it is ok to scuba dive if you are overweight or not the best fan of moving a single muscle. I am not a doctor or sports trainer to make an assessment if they are in good shape or not, so I always avoid saying yes or no. I am convinced that scuba diving, as any other sport, requires that you have at least some degree of physical preparation.

I have found that there is the erroneous idea that it doesn’t matter your physical condition to practice scuba diving or snorkeling. We, novice and experienced scuba divers, spend a lot of time researching scuba diving equipment, until we find the best design, technology and security features. And all this is ok, if we think that these are accessories that will support the scuba diving engine, our body.

In general terms, my recommendation is to establish a simple but effective workout routine, something achievable. For a beginner scuba diver, I will say start at the treadmill, after some weeks switch to running and then swimming. For somebody who is used to do some kind of exercise, maybe a combination of running, swimming and light weightlifting. For veteran divers who do some kind of exercise on a regular basis, on top of all these suggested training options, I will suggest some days only for abs and legs combined with stretching. After some weeks, you will notice that you feel great and your scuba diving experience is better now, the reason: your body is in better shape. You can dive more time; consume less oxygen and move faster than ever in the water, and…you will have less calf cramps for sure!

Be aware that these are only general ideas; always consult a professional prior to start any training program.

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Scuba Diving Exotic Place – The Amalfi Coast – Naples, Italy

In the bay of Conca dei Marini, part of the Amalfi Coast, you will find one of the best scuba diving spots in the area: Capo di Conca. This is the ‘gate’ to a spectacular cliff for scuba diving or underwater photography; you can dive into a cave located at 35 meters deep where you will find thousands of red shrimps and sponges. Also, it is very common to see octopuses, moray eels and seahorses during the scuba immersion.

Another recommended scuba diving spot in the Amalfi Coast is the “Li Galli” Island (Isola Galli), here you will find an incredible underwater scenario for scuba diving. There are boats from Praiano and Positano, but your scuba diving experience for sure will better if you pre-arrange a tour with any of the local scuba dive shops. The island is for rental also, but unless you are millionaire…don’t even ask the price!

And if you are around the area, don’t miss the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) located in Capri, the only think I am not sure if it is allowed to dive in the grotto (I didn’t see anyone diving while I was there), I don’t think you want to fight with the boat rowers!! As far as I know, the only allowed access to the grotto is by boat…and by permit (?) Tip: Keep your head down! Ischia, Capri and Procida are located in the Gulf of Naples, Italy.

In all the Amalfi Coast there are very good (and reliable) scuba diving equipment rental companies.

As a personal note, if you are traveling to Europe one of the best web sites to get some accurate Hotel reviews is Venere (http://www.venere.com). I did all my reservations using their system and works fine, but you have to consider that some of the hotels or bed and breakfast don’t have online reservation, so you will have to wait a couple of days to get a confirmation of the reservation.

Scuba Diving Equipment – Are you ready in case you RUN OUT of AIR?

While recreational scuba diving has a significant lower rate of accidents than other sports, emergencies happen and you should be prepared. But maybe you think that you will never run out of air because you have a gauge and you check it frequently...well, that is not completely true, because in the underwater world you have an infinite number of factors that can affect your diving experience.

Even the most experienced diver has faced in his life some kind of emergency or air related incident. In case you are wondering, how somebody can reach the point where he or she doesn’t have air?, some of the main reasons why people run out of air while scuba diving are generally due to failure in equipment (o-ring, gauge, tank, regulator, octopus, etc.) or external factors like diving in cold water, against or in a current, being trapped in a fishing net or under a rock.

In any case, you will need an additional or alternate source of air, or that could become your last diving experience. There are many options and techniques (like buddy breathing, octopus, pony bottles, etc) to overcome the problem of air shortage, but I will highly recommend you to consider buying a Spare Air system. I am not affiliated with any manufacturer, but it simply makes sense!

When you are shopping around for these kinds of scuba diving systems the key question is: What is your life worth?

Air is precious, especially when you are at 70 or 80 ft.

Scuba Diving – Five Places where you can find a Dive Buddy

Here are some ideas on where to look when searching for a Dive Buddy:

Scuba Diving Stores, usually you will find a message board, some of this ads are from new divers or divers looking for a dive buddy. If you are new to the area or city, ask the salespeople if they can recommend you to get in touch with somebody in particular.

“Find a Dive Buddy” specialized web sites: Divebuddy (http://www.divebuddy.com/) is a good place to start; this neat web site will let you search scuba divers by country, city, skills, dive experience, certification, etc. If you are based in the UK, try UK Divers (http://www.ukdivers.com) they have a forum for scuba divers looking for a dive buddy.

Scuba Diving Excursion Day, in most countries or cities you will find that there are travel agencies specialized in Diving Excursions and charters. Your best option is to book a day trip, but remember to tell them that you will need a dive buddy. If you think that the person you just met will be a good dive buddy, ask if it is possible to go to scuba dive some other day and exchange contact information.

Yellow Pages, yes! Yellow pages…old resource but still effective. Go to http://www.yellowpages.com or the local equivalent abroad and search for “scuba” in a particular city or browse the index if you are using the paper-based version. This is a real international resource; all the countries in the world have a Yellow Page book. Don’t forget to call the local scuba association.

Certification web sites usually have a section where scuba divers can publish their profile and location.

In my opinion the scuba diving certification web sites are the best place to find dive buddies.
But always remember, as in anything, nobody can guarantee that your new buddy is the best diver in the world. On a security note, be careful and ask for references if you are going to dive with somebody for the first time. The best dive buddy is always somebody who is trusted by somebody you know. So, ask your friends first.

And, your last option…google this “dive buddy finder” or “dive buddy” + location, for example “dive buddy California” (do not search with quotes).

Good Luck!

Do you know any other way to find a dive buddy?

What type of FINS should you buy?

Well it depends, first you will need to understand that fins are key components of you scuba gear. You can think of fins in this way: your body is the engine, fins are the propellers. As a general rule fins should fit your foot as if you were wearing shoes. We can divide the fins based on design:

Strap heel fins: This type of fins offer the diver now a variety of options, you will find adjustable straps, non-adjustable (elastic) straps, and even spring (yes, spring! fin straps), metal buckles, plastic buckles, single or multiple water displacement channels or vents, and some other features or modifications of the basic design like the new Split Fins that are supposed to increase your speed and reduce your air consumption underwater. I will write a review on the best Split Fins on the market soon.

Usually, most of the divers use neoprene booties with strap heel fins…and I can tell you from my own experience that it is a great idea!!…blisters are a real pain in the foot!! You will find two presentations of neoprene booties in the market: full neoprene and neoprene with hard sole, personally I prefer the full neoprene version….well unless you plan to walk on rocks, only in that case a wiser selection will be a hard sole bootie.

It is very advisable to buy your booties at the same time that you are buying your fins.

Full foot fins: Compared to the strap heel fins these are less expensive and very popular. If you are going to snorkeling, I will definitely recommend you to use this kind of fins. The full foot fin could be one single piece or a combination of two different materials. I will be posting more details on full foot fins soon.

Some popular brands of fins you can search (and research!) on the Internet are: Aeris, Apollo, APS, Aquatec, Cressi-Sub, Deep Sea, Dive Rite, Genesis, H2O, Mares, Ocean Reef, Oceanic, OMS, Sherwood, TUSA, XS Scuba, Zeagle and….you can also try a search for Bob Evan’s Force Fin, this guy is very creative, I like his products.