A dive student's first dive will be at a controlled dive site such as a pool or shallow bay. At least one area of the dive site will be shallow enough to stand up in.
When you first start your scuba-diving course, you might not have any idea what to expect, but your instructors will paint a very clear picture of what safety steps you must master before you'll be allowed to venture into the depths of whatever sea or lake or river sits nearby.
At first, a new diver may feel that he needs to move to stay in position — he doesn't. Try to be as still as possible and enjoy the freedom from gravity. It's like being an astronaut! Water is, of course, denser than air. A diver who tries to move quickly will feel resistance to his movements from the water and may quickly exhaust himself.
Scuba divers can fly up, down, left and right. Divers can move easily in three dimensions. The trick is to relax into the weightless feeling of the water and let the water and your buoyancy compensator support you. Don't fight the water. At first, a new diver may feel that he needs to move to stay in position — he doesn't.
The depth of your first dive will be shallow for safety reasons (10 to 12 Meters/33 to 39 feet maximum depth). You should expect the very first time you go underwater in the ocean to be around 30-50 minute dive.
130 feetThe industry standard depth limit for recreational divers is 130 feet (39 m) at sea level. During the basic scuba certification, students experience depths of 30-60 feet (9-18 m), and a “deep” dive is considered more than 60 feet (18 m).
How deep can you dive without decompression? Practically speaking, you can make no stop dives to 130 feet. While you can, in theory, go deeper than that and stay within no stop limits, the no stop times are so short that "well within" limits is essentially impossible.
Sometimes the capt/crew is a bit fresher in the morning, by afternoon they are tired and wanted the day over. Some ops prefer the closer sites in the afternoon so they can get back quicker. You may have a better choice of dive sites in the morning.
Farting is possible while scuba diving but not advisable because: Diving wetsuits are very expensive and the explosive force of an underwater fart will rip a hole in your wetsuit. An underwater fart will shoot you up to the surface like a missile which can cause decompression sickness.
This highly sought after and quality diving course is designed to train you, with no diving experience, in the safe use of SCUBA (air only) diving with no decompression, to a maximum depth of 20 meters/66 feet.
While a safety stop is always carried out at 15-20 feet for 3 to 5 minutes a decompression stop varies based on the depth and time the diver spent at a particular depth, and that diver would perform a Deco Stop and a Safety Stop at 5m (15ft).
24 hoursIt can take up to 24 hours for the body to return to its normal atmospheric levels of inert gas saturation after a dive. When time is spent on the surface between dives this is known as the "surface interval" and is considered when calculating decompression requirements for the subsequent dive.
I asked the instructor and he said at 20 feet no one gets DCS/DCI/Bends, and not to worry. They do certification at max 30 feet so they don't have to worry about Bends.
The higher the angle, the more light can penetrate. Taking this to a practical level, the highest light penetration, and the best visibility, normally occurs when the sun is at an optimal angle — between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Diving Season: October to May is the best diving season, with lower rainfall, calmer seas, and better visibility. Skill Level: Some experience in stronger currents is recommended.
Snorkeling can be very good in the afternoons but it will depend on the wind conditions. The trade winds pick up in the late morning and generally don't subside until late afternoon. This makes for choppy seas and low visibility. Personally I wouldn't go on an afternoon snorkel trip.
Do you have problems staying at one level while you are diving? Try these buoyancy control scuba diving tips to help improve this skill...
Diving is a great and fun sport but it is not without its' risks. Follow these scuba diving safety rules to make sure your next dive is a safe one.....
Your first boat dives can be nerve wracking. You want to follow any boat diving rules and don't want to embarrass yourself. Here are some tips to help you...
Looking to buy a scuba bcd or just want more information about them? Our buyers guide to buoyancy compensators explains what to look for in a bc.
Defogging tips for your scuba dive mask to make sure you have a clear dive. You'll also find care and maintenance tips to keep that mask in good shape.
One of the best parts of scuba diving is the feeling of weightlessness. Scuba divers can fly up, down, left and right. Divers can move easily in three dimensions. The trick is to relax into the weightless feeling of the water and let the water and your buoyancy compensator support you. Don't fight the water.
On your first dive, your brain is working hard to adjust to the feeling of weightlessness, the magnification of the water, underwater breathing and similar stimuli. This experience presents a huge amount of information to process, and sometimes instructions that seemed clear on the surface such as the use of hand signals and the steps of underwater skills get pushed to the back of a new diver's mind.
Underwater movements, including swimming and arm motions, should be slow and controlled. After a diver accustoms himself to the resistance of the water, underwater movements become an exercise in forced relaxation, almost like Tai Chi.
The most important thing is to exhale fully after each breath. This practice prevents divers from hyperventilating and feeling starved for air. Some students adjust to regulator breathing after just a few breaths, while others take longer to gain confidence in their scuba equipment.
Most experienced divers do not even notice the magnification because a diver's brain quickly learns to adjust to the difference. A good way to speed the learning process is to touch objects such as the pool floor, pool wall, or your dive buddy. This technique will teach you how distant these objects really are.
After a diver becomes accustomed to breathing underwater, he starts to tune out the bubbling sound of exhalation and the comforting whoosh of air as he inhales, but at the beginning, the sounds are surprisingly loud! Water conducts sounds much more efficiently than air does because of its density.
Breathing through a scuba regulator for the first time feels strange — you're drawing breaths while your face is beneath the water. This is not a typical human behavior, so it's normal to be a little hesitant at first. One trick is for students to put on their dive masks and practice breathing through the regulator above ...
Naturally, the faster you breathe, the quicker you’re going to get to the agreed safety limit (usually 500 psi or 50 bar) and have to end your dive before you run out of air.
For most people, the maximum of one hour is a pretty practical and realistic time limit.
The longer you’re underwater, the more chance you have of seeing something exciting.
If you need to take a bigger tank to make a longer dive, it will be more expensive.
To work out your no decompression limit for your dive, you’ll need to use a dive table or dive computer.
Long dives underwater can be rewarding and fun, but they can also be cold and potentially dangerous.
There are limited areas for you to put your belongings. There is a dry area (typically under the front of the boat on a ledge) where you can keep a small bag. Anything wet, that can get wet should be tucked under the assigned spot where your tanks are.
Make sure to keep your stuff neat and tidy. While there are different ways for everyone to organize, just make sure you are conscious of the common space on the boat. There are limited areas for you to put your belongings. There is a dry area (typically under the front of the boat on a ledge) where you can keep a small bag. Anything wet, that can get wet should be tucked under the assigned spot where your tanks are.
Bring Cash. There are a lot of things I remembered to bring on my first dive trip, and a few I didn't. No matter where you are in the world, a boat does not have an ATM card to give tips, nor do they have a cash register. So if you plan on giving a tip then be sure to bring that with you.
Going to the bathroom beforehand is the most important part of this entire tip. Do NOT get creative in your eating right before your first scuba trip . Yes some of the boats have the confined toilets, but if your bowels decide to become water instead....well, the whole boat will get to smell your innards the whole trip.
When you have Asthma, or COPD you can still go Scuba diving, but have to be aware of a few things. You have a form of air obstruction, which means air gets trapped in your lungs more easily than the average joe (or jane). This can significantly affect your bouyancy when you get fatigued.