Beginner Scuba Diving Tips and Tricks
Scuba Diving is My Favorite Thing to Do
We love Scuba Diving and try to do it as many times during a week as possible. We think it is a tranquil and peaceful, yet exhilarating, experience. We encourage everyone to try it. Many people out there are scared or concerned about scuba diving. While I'm not saying that reading this blog will clear up all your concerns
about scuba, it will help introduce you to the fundamentals that you will experience in a diving class.
Some of the points have been combined with others because I think it best to talk about the two in tandem, but here are my five fundamentals of scuba diving.
The Rules of Scuba Diving
Don't hold Your Breath.
This applies in the metaphorical and literal sense. First, be patient. You'll get your time to dive, so when you're in class to putz around getting excited to dive, pay vital attention.
Holding your breath results in roughly 25% of the deaths that happen from scuba diving.
The fact is that as you dive below the surface of the water, the pressure of being submerged changes how air and space acts in these circumstances.
So if you hold your breath at sea level, and then you dive 25-35 feet. Your lungs are at risk of collapse or explosion based on how quickly they fill up.
Leveled Ascension and Buoyancy
The next important parts are about having leveled (otherwise known as tiered or staircase) ascensions and also positive buoyancy.
You don't want to make a sharp angular descent or ascension because of the breath-holding step we just mentioned (seriously, if it's not clicking read it again.)
So you want to go up about every 10-15 feet and level out for a minute or so with your breath and buoyancy before ascending or descending again.
This better establishes your air and makes it easier for you to transition.
Additionally, there is a note of positive buoyancy.
You might not realize it because it feels weightless, but you are kicking around a lot of weight and getting in an actual workout underwater. Because of this, when you finally reach the surface, you need to take a moment and establish your buoyancy to ensure you don't get worn out and have an accident at the surface level.
Know Your Limits
This one will only be learned with time, but I think it's important for the hotshots thinking they can check the blog for the refresher.
Know your limits. Please don't overdo it and think you're going to be fine, make a practical dive, and know what you feel comfortable doing. It's okay to take a little 25-foot deep skimmer dive instead of a deep dive, and there's nothing to prove.
Plan Your Dive and Gear Check (Rule of Thirds)
On the note of deep dives, it's important to plan your dive thoroughly and also prepare the rule of thirds.
So, you want to have a detailed map, usually with some landmarks, to determine the map of your dive. Plan out the route and explore it thoroughly and clearly.
Then before the dive, you want to do an in-depth gear check; we're not going to go into the specifics because you should have a more experienced buddy and a guide if you're new.
Finally, you want to remember the rule of thirds. If you are planning a journey, you need to have 1/3rd of the tank to get there, 1/3rd of the tank to get back and 1/3rd as a reserve in case things get hairy.
Bring a Buddy and Learn from your Teacher!
The final steps have already been mentioned a few times in this. Bring a buddy and learn/practice from your teacher.
Every time you take a dive, it should be with someone else unless you are very experienced in which case thank you for reading the blog now stop sandbagging and get out of here.
A buddy can help keep you calm, can second check gear issues, and also, with expertise, can spot you air in a truly dire situation.
Next, it's crucial that you too might be someone's buddy one day, and thus you should take copious notes and always try and learn as much as you can from your teacher.
Take the notes, do your studies, check out blogs like these for nuggets you might have missed, and don't be afraid to ask or postpone if you're not sure.
Happy Adventures
Thanks for taking the time to read the blog. At Belize Happy Adventures we love scuba diving, and we love inviting people over to try it out with us. If you are looking for the first time to do scuba diving and want to throw in a vacation with it, give us a call, and we'd love to set you up with one of our vacation packages!