Ten Ways To Care For Your Gear

Scuba diving is very equipment intensive which has become a reason to dive in its own right; people like to buy, use and talk about gear. It makes diving fun and fashionable. It provides divers with a means to customize their dive experience. It provides people like me with a job! However, dive gear is sensitive and delicate equipment (despite the efforts of the manufacturers to make it tough) that is prone to damage from wear, poor maintenance and the environment. If a diver does not pay diligent attention to his gear he will surely run into costly and potentially dangerous situations later on.

Arguably The Force That Drove Tec Diving Into Its Current Popular State Was The Equipment Possibilities!

Most divers do look after their gear to the best of their knowledge, and a good proportion of divers are well versed in the tricks and tips necessary to keep your gear fresh, but not every diver is an engineer. That’s why I’ve compiled this article with ten of the best tips and tricks I’ve learn along the way, most of which were created purely to make your life easier or make your gear last longer. So sit back and enjoy the collected wisdom of the entire dive community condensed into one easy-to-read guide!

Packing and Preparing

1) Mark Your Stuff – Your gear is valuable to you, it was probably expensive and, more importantly, it’s yours. Once you’ve cut yourself free from a fishing line with a knife it becomes “my trusty knife”, not just some tool. Likewise, once you’ve done twenty hard dives in a pair of fins they will become your favorite fins. You’ll want to keep these items, so make sure everyone else knows that they are yours! Most other divers have no intention of stealing your stuff, but on a busy boat where lots of gear looks the same then its easy to get confused. Avoid embarrassing yourself by accusing a fellow diver of theft by marking your gear with a very obvious and unique marking, especially on small goods that can “walk” easily. Bear in mind that even permanent pen can rub off so freshen your markings as they fade or consider engraving your name on cheaper items.

There Are Many Products On The Market The Allow You To Mark Your Gear Clearly

2) Bring O-rings and Tie Wraps – This is probably one of my most important rules; carry o-rings and tie-wraps of different sizes with you on every dive expedition. Just as WD-40 and duck tape will fix anything on land, o-rings and tie wraps will fix anything in the sea. It is guaranteed that someone on the boat (maybe you) will require either a new ring, or something will burst open, and you can be their hero by giving them an instant fix. You can tie wrap almost any broken dive gear back to functioning, and often you wont need to fix it any further – tie wraps are that strong!

Get An O-ring Tank Keychain And Never Worry About Forgetting O-rings Again!

3) Wrap Your Reg In Your Suit – This is a really simple tip that I rarely see done, yet it saves a lot of expensive damage. When you’re packing your dive gear (especially if you are using an equipment box) it is important that you look after your reg, especially if you want to keep it looking smart, so all I do is use my wetsuit as a packing material and wrap my regulator set inside it for cushioning. It also protects it from sun damage and dust as well as heavy knocks.

On The Boat

4) Review the Boat’s Safety Gear, and Know Your Own – Once you’ve arrived at the boat and are getting ready to set off, please pay attention to the boat briefing! I’ve given many briefings and watched as a couple or family have giggled their way through it, only to come up to me during the day asking stupid questions that I’d already answered. Also, during the briefing, ask questions about other safety precautions in place on the boat, such as where the emergency oxygen is kept and where the first air box is. Ensure you fully review your own safety equipment too, check the condition of your SMB and your alternate air source. Ensure your knife is sharp. Do all this at the beginning of the day and you can relax for the rest of the trip.

A Good SMB Is Vital Safety Gear, Buy One, Learn How To Use It And Take It With You!

5) Silica Gel - For the avid photographers among you this will seem like an obvious tip, yet I see many divers setting up their underwater cameras without putting a desiccant in the case with the camera. Silica gel packets (the little paper pockets you get inside electronics packaging that tell you not to eat them) are designed to reduce the humidity of a confined space by drawing the moisture from the air. The inside of an underwater camera housing can get moist from condensation (especially if you packed the camera in a humid environment), pop in a silica gel packet to alleviate worries. Also, try to put the camera into the housing in an air conditioned room because the air will be drier.

You Can Buy Silica Gel Specially For Cameras, Though The Packs You Get In Packaging Are Just As Good... And Free!

6) Check For Bugs - This one applies to every country, but is particularly important for divers in warm climates. Whether its a spider that climbed into your regulator when it was stored in the shed, a scorpion in your booties or a wasp in your gloves – check for bugs before you gamely start sucking on your regulator or squeezing your toes into your boots. You’d be amazed at how many people watch as ants get blasted from their regulator during gear setup!

7) Wet Your Tank Band – This is a golden oldie that get ignored by almost every novice I’ve every dived with. When you dive with a BCD every day then you have little to worry about, when you strap your tank in it will stay strapped in. However, if you are an infrequent diver (i.e. You don’t dive for work) then you will likely allow your BCD to dry out. When you go to strap your tank in, no matter how tight your pull the tank band, when the band gets wet it will swell a little which will loosen your tank. Usually this is very little and is no problem, but for real peace of mind all you have to do is wet the band prior to strapping in your tank and you’ll have no worries!

8 ) Spit In Your Mask – Another tip straight from your grandfather’s mouth. Yes, spitting in your mask keeps it from fogging up, there is no doubt about it – it is not an old wife’s tale. It doesn’t have to be disgusting, and if you can’t face spitting in public then just lick your thumb and rub the saliva on the glass. You can use de-fogging sprays but I’m still a fan of the human product because it means there is less for me to carry and it’s one less thing for me to forget!

After The Dive

9) Dry Your Dust Cap – Here comes the pet peeve of every Divemaster, everywhere – once you have finished your days diving you will likely strip down your gear. As you do so you will take your first stage off the the tank valve, at this point you’d be inclined to replace the dust cap over the delicate regulator filter, but first make sure that the cap is completely dry by quickly blasting it with air from the tank. DO NOT blast the first stage filter! You’ll drive dirt and water deeper into the regulator, only dry the dust cap!

10) Rinse your gear – Coming in last but absolutely not least is the top tip for gear longevity: once you’ve disassembled your gear ensure you fully rinse everything of salt water (or pool water). Use a disinfectant but dilute it so it’s not too harsh. When you’re rinsing your regulator ensure you don’t get water into the first stage, either avoid dunking it altogether or make damn sure that dust cap is in place. Every couple of months (depending on usage) you should fully flush the inside of your BCD with baby shampoo and warm water – pour it in through the top dump valve (which will unscrew) and let it soak, then after a few hours you should agitate it and flush out the soapy water. Rinse it clean. On top of this, ensure you service your gear at least yearly to ensure the rings and gaskets are in good condition.

Final Thoughts

Diving is an odd hobby because we are all trained how to use the equipment properly but very few divers are taught how to fully care for their expensive pieces of dive paraphernalia. It is simply tricks and tips like those above that keep your gear in good condition, looking slick and working at optimum levels for years to come. In addition I want to share with you Sport Chalet a really good online store there you can find needed equipment.

Do you have a special maintenance routine? Do you have a particular trick that you are very proud of and stick to rigidly? What is the most blatant violation of dive gear maintenance that you’ve ever seen? We’d love to hear your stories and comments, please share them using the section bellow.

Happy (well maintained) Bubbles!

By Jamie Campbell.

Join our facebook fan page and be part of our scuba community if you like our articles. Our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DailyScubaDiving

From the Sinai Peninsular down to its southern reaches, the Egyptian Red Sea offers some of the world’s best diving opportunities, due to its clear conditions and rich biodiversity, with some 20% of species endemic to Red Sea waters. Away from the city breaks of Cairo and Alexandria Egypt holidays are often centered about diving excursions. Here are five of the best dives that Egypt has to offer.

 1. The Brothers is the name given to two islands, little more than rocks, in the South Red Sea, made conspicuous by the presence of a Victorian lighthouse from Imperial British times. Because of the Brothers’ isolation, this is a live aboard trip.

Seen from above, Little Brother Island would seem to taper away on one side, where there is a gentle slope down to the lower plateau at around 40m depth. This plateau is good for seeing resident grey and silver tip sharks, along with visitors of other shark species.

Little Brother drops away steeply on all other sides, where it is covered by fans and black coral. Copious amounts of fish school here too.

Big brother Island is a steep sided reef with healthy populations of tiny fish, such as anthias and sweepers. It is also home to two Twentieth Century wrecks: the Numidia and the Aida.

2. HMS Thistlegorm is a British World War Two cargo vessel of over a hundred meters, which was sunk whilst carrying a heavy compliment of war machinery, including motorbikes, tanks, planes, guns and trucks. Much of this remains in remarkable condition, both in the wreck and scattered around on the surrounding sea bed.

The main hull sits upright at just over 30 meters and the holds are fully accessible. There is so much to see that most people take two days diving this wreck. This abundance of features, in addition to the high level of preservation, makes Thistlegorm one of the most dived on wrecks in the world.

3. The strong currents produced in the Straights of Tiran draw large numbers of pelagic fish, including tuna, barracuda and shark. There are four reefs to dive in this area, named after the British men who first mapped them: Jackson Reef, Thomas Reef, Woodhouse Reef and Gordon Reef.

In contrast to the pelagic wildlife, these coral reefs attract multitudes of brightly coloured fish, eels and turtles, in addition to marauding predators, including hammerhead and white tip shark.

There are also several wrecks, including the Luilla, which struck Gordon Reef in 1981.

Be advised that there can be strong currents in some areas of the reefs and so full exploration requires some background experience.

4. Zabargad Island is the largest of Egypt’s national marine parks. From Turtle Bay you descend to 30 metres, where you are met by a maze of coral pinnacles, sporting multi coloured sponges, fans, nudibranchs and urchins, along with the usual reef species of fish, octopus, cuttlefish and ray.

North of the island is the wreck of the 70 metre Khanka, a Russian cargo vessel that sank in 24 metres of water and has stayed almost fully intact, so that the interior can be fully explored.

5. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef lie in the Ras Mohammed National Park; two conically shaped reefs in close proximity. These, most famous of Red Sea dives, play host to the vast majority of species to be found in this part of the world.

The East side of the reefs has a sheer wall and attracts hoards of large pelagic species. It has its own resident shoal of Barracuda and snappers, along with plenty of sharks. To the West, there is a shallower coral plateau, with multi-coloured anthias, rays, scorpion fish and jacks, to name a few.

The Yolanda Reef receives its name from the wreck of the Yolanda cargo vessel, with its load of toilet basins and other bathroom accoutrements. Most surreal!

image credit to divers adventure

Join our facebook fan page and be part of our scuba community if you like our articles. Our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DailyScubaDiving

Exploring the great wonders of the ocean is really fun and adventurous. And it’s not a surprise why scuba diving is considered one of the most popular water sports all over the globe.

When it comes to diving in Sydney, the Harbor City offers amazing opportunities, as it’s blessed with a large number of dive operators and dive sites that range from great shore dives to deep offshore reef and wreck dives, promising to make your trip a truly memorable experience. Home to bountiful hotels with luxury amenities and facilities, like magnificent bars and hotel club Sydney will make all your dreams come true.

Whether you are a novice or advanced diver, take advantage of Dive Center Manly, which will make your dive diverse, fascinating and most importantly time effective.  Being a multi-award winning PADI 5 Star Instructor training facility, Dive Center Manly will help you to overcome all the difficulties that can happen while diving.

Dive Centre Manly is situated closest to Sydney’s best dives sites and offers a total range of dive courses starting from Discover Scuba to Instructor level. The training programs are very funny and originally structured to attract more people and make the course not only useful but also pleasant.

The prices for shore dive start from $95 and include two dives, transport to and from the dive site, and an informative course on how to dive.  What concerns to beginners, the price is a little bit more and starts from $155 per person.

The Centre works every day from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00am.

Wish you rocking and crazy diving in Sydney!

Photos credits to 1,2,3

The popularity of Vietnam as a diving destination is growing rapidly in recent years. When picturing the world’s most idyllic scuba diving destinations, Vietnam may not be the first to spring to mind. But one visit is enough to agree that Vietnam is blessed with diverse fish and corals, fantastic underwater scenery and great visibility, plus diving is very affordable here.

From Danang on the central Vietnamese coast down to Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam’s dive sites are really some of the most unexploited in South East Asia. The main scuba diving areas offering unmatched dive experience include Nha Trang, Whale Island and Phu Quoc.

Nha Trang

Known for its legendary pristine beauty, Nha Trang is a coastal town in Vietnam, which is a prime location for scuba diving with over 350 different species of coral, an abundance of sea life, including a large diversity of nudibranches, numerous types of shrimps, crabs, cowries and antis shrimps. Nha Trang is the biggest area for diving. It is available all year round; however, the best months are between April and October. Most diving takes place around Hon Mun Island, which is a local Marine Park area.

Whale Island

Two hours North of Nha Trang is the Whale Island, a fine getaway with much to offer the dive enthusiasts. One of the high points at Whale Island is the underwater landscape.  The island offers a wild and natural environment, where the flora and fauna are a nature lover’s heaven, both above and below water. The water is transparent and diving here is safe and simple from the beach to a maximum depth of 15 meters. Moreover, here visitors can completely relax and get away from hustle and bustle of the city life.

Phu Quoc

Sunshine, paradise beaches, magic diving… Phu Quoc is more than an island. Found some 100 kilometers off the Southwest coastline of Vietnam, it offers a truly relaxing adventure for the experienced or first time divers and even people wishing to take advantage of the perfect snorkeling conditions. All the dive sites here offer dives not deeper than 10 meters depth. The majority of Phu Quoc is dedicated to National Park and protected marine environment, providing with plenty of exciting activities and places to keep you entertained during your stay.

Photo credits to 1,2,3,4,5

Scuba diving is known to be a safe water sport but sometimes various accidents can happen that may even bring to fatalities. Sometimes divers are attacked by sharks, sometimes they are not so professional and don’t have enough knowledge to know how to behave during the diving.

The accident that happened on January 24 in the Boracay Island, Philippines doesn’t have any connection to the above mentioned things but the fact is that the 28-year old Swiss national Martia Josefina Elsehner is no longer alive.

According to the local police officials report, the victim was diving with her fiancé and three friends at a fine dive site in Manoc Manoc Village. Oliver Keller, her fiancé was with her when Elsehner complained of stomachache. The group immediately suspended the activities and took her to the nearest Boracay District Hospital, where, after some time, the doctors pronounced Elsehner dead.

Nobody knows the true reason why the girl died, but to avoid being suspected of foul play, Keller requested for an autopsy. Elsehner’s body is laid in a nearby funeral home.

Photo credits to 1,2

Down in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, 12 miles off the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula and about 45 miles south of Cancun, lies the oh-so-beautiful Cozumel – the largest Island in the Mexican Caribbean and the most populated island of Mexico, edged with pristine white sandy beaches and craggy black castles of limestone and coral.

Famed for its numerous Maya ruins, duty-free shopping, deep sea fishing and windsurfing, add to this perfect year-round warm temperatures, Cozumel is also a scuba divers’ paradise, offering some of the BEST diving in the world with fantastic visibility, impressive wall dives and abundant marine life.

A sleepy little fishing community until 1961, when Jacques Cousteau – a famous underwater explorer declared it one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas on Earth, Cozumel is now a mecca for divers of all levels as it houses the largest reef system in the Americas, which has been declared an underwater National Marine Park to protect the balance of its amazing coral reefs and abundant variety of colorful tropical fish and sea life.

To enjoy all inclusive luxury and make your dive vacation a fun, safe and truly irresistible experience, the island offers a range of spectacular dive resorts, including Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort, Allegro Resort Cozumel, Cozumel Palace, and Occidental Grand Cozumel that organize dive tours you do not want to miss out.

Most diving in Cozumel is drift diving, where divers are dropped off by the boat up the current at the start of the dive and are carried along the reed by the current accompanied by their dive guides. Naturally, some dives are more advanced than others and your guide will help you to evaluate your diving comfort level so that you can choose the dive sites best suited to your skill level. At a few sites, there are opportunities to spot sharks and schools of barracuda.

The newest site in Cozumel is the wreck of Felipe Xicotencatl, found very close to the resort on nearby Tormentos Reef, which is an adventure you won’t soon forget.

No matter you are a novice or an experienced diver, the clarity of the Caribbean always opens up a world of beauty unlike any other, so let the drift just take you…

Photo credits to 1,2,3,4

On January 13 a tragedy made all the people of the world concentrate on the Italian Costa Concordia ship. The ship, which had 4,200 passengers, including the staff, went down near the island of Giglio in the Tyrrhenian Sea late at night, taking many people’s lives.

Just after the disaster, many Italian scuba divers began the underwater search and rescue work. They evacuated over four thousand passengers and crew aboard, but still there are many missing. On Tuesday, Cristiano Pellegrini announced that 5 more corpses were found in the stern of the wreck, but the divers could not say if they were passengers or members of the crew.

In order to take these bodies, scuba divers used explosives to blow holes in the ship to enter and look for possible survivors or bodies.

The continuing day and night quests give us a hope that the divers’ work will not be in vain and the missing people will be found.

The divers do their best in exploring the territory and finding useful information that will help experts learn exactly what exactly happened.

Photo credits to 1,2,3

Talented Hungarian-born Hollywood actress Nina Dobrev is ‘beyond excited’ and she has reasons for that. A few days ago she took home the award for Favorite TV Drama Actress at the 2012 People’s Choice Awards and now she has got an official Open Water scuba diving certification.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world’s most popular scuba course, and has introduced millions of enthusiasts to the amazing diving lifestyle.

The actress took a Professional Association of Diving instructors (PADI) course during her break spent on a sporting holiday. She shared this news on her Twitter page, providing as a proof a picture of her certification card.

According to Ian Somerhalder’s Twitter page, he also spent some time swimming in the ocean, which makes us think that the two were together during their vacation. Ian and Nina currently star ‘Vampire Diaries’ and are real-life couple.

Some of the well-known movies starred by Dobrev include ‘The Vampire Diaries’ (2009-), ‘Degrassi Goes Hollywood’ (2009), ‘You Got That Light’ (2009), ‘The Border’ (2 episodes, 2008), ‘Chloe’ (2009) and ‘Mookie’s Law’ (2008).

Today Nina turns 23, so let’s congratulate her and wish the best of the best in her personal life and diving experiences, which will definitely open up the doors to a whole new world of fun and adventure!

Photo credits to 1,2,3,4

Diving in Sharm El Sheikh The Egyptian resort area of Sharm el Sheikh is blessed with intense natural beauty. Here, the picturesque sandy beaches are lapped by cool, clear water. This area started life as a traditional fishing village and has developed into one of the most popular and enchanting diving destinations in the world.

The water here is particularly transparent and is home to a whole host of colorful coral reefs and marine life. Both novice scuba divers and those who are experienced are sure to be in their element here, as the waters are mild. Boat trips to the numerous daytrips are available all year round from Sharm el Sheik, and trips can be arranged from most of the major resorts and hotels. Visitors who choose to explore the eatery underworld of the Red Sea will have the chance to admire over 1,000 different species of fish.

There are more than 2,000 kilometers of reef to enjoy, and this is one of the world’s most bio-diverse seas. The Red Sea is also one of the saltiest bodies of water, which is due to the rapid evaporation rate of the water here. People who enjoy wreck diving will be in for a real treat. There are a lot of companies that you can go wreck diving with and some of them take you to the SS Thistlegorm. This once lifeless wreck has become a playground for marine animals such as sharks and barracudas, which can be seen in abundance. The Ras Mohammed Natural Park is another great place to explore and can be found at the Sinai Peninsula’s southern tip.

This watery wonderland was established back in 1983 in order to protect the fragile environment and coral reefs of the area. The vibrant colours of the reefs here are matched only by the fish that swim in amongst them. Bright orange and white striped clown fish love to make their homes here, while fish of just about every other colour and shade imaginable can also be found here. People who enjoy messing about in the water will also be able to take part in a wide range of other types of water sports as well. Most companies that offer scuba diving trips also cater for snorkelers, and snorkelling is a great way to catch a quick glimpse of this endlessly enchanting world. Water sports such as kayaking, windsurfing and wakeboarding are also popular here. Visitors that can bear to tear themselves away from the beach and cool waters for a while will soon discover that Sharm el Sheik also offers plenty of other exciting attractions.

People who have a strong sense of adventure are sure to enjoy riding quad bikes through the Sinai desert. This is also a great place to go camel trekking or horse riding. People who want to let off a little steam can head on over to the Fun Town amusement park. This establishment is packed full of entertainment options, including an ice rink and vibrant casino. However, visitors will want to make sure that they return to the coast in the early evening to watch the sun slowly sink behind the horizon.

Join our facebook fan page and be part of our scuba community if you like our articles. Our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DailyScubaDiving

Have you ever imagined having a scuba diving lesson at school, which will give you the unique chance to get pleasure and learn to dive at the same time? Some 100 creative 7th grade students in the College Station Middle School took a scuba diving lesson at the school’s natatorium on Wednesday.

This was part of their class project and the students not only had a hands-on exercise, but also learned many secrets about diving, taught by Leslie Kurtz, their science teacher and some local diving experts. Particularly, the students learned how to breathe underwater and the main important things beginners should know by all means.

Leslie Kurtz mentions that the local Scuba diving company talked with the students about diving; the students got a chance to watch a video and learned a lot about what can happen when underwater. After making notes and asking a lot of questions, they were given the chance to practice the knowledge they got and see how it feels underwater.

From now on, the remaining seventh grade students will take Scuba diving lessons on Thursday and Friday.

Photo credits to 1,2