As the summer rolls to an end around the country, the Phoenix area is still scoring 100 degree days. Unlike most cities around the United States, summer doesn’t come to an end on Labor Day weekend. In fact, it is common to have 100 degree days well into the month of October. And, when those cool days come, it is a welcome relief to most residents in the valley of the sun.
However, for us Scuba divers, Labor Day is a signal to start thinking about the cooler water that will soon follow. Diving in the Phoenix area is a year round activity. In fact, most divers prefer the winter months as the water is clearer, more dive sites are available (due to lake conditions) and there are less boaters on the water. The trade-off: water temperatures get significantly cooler in the winter months.
While the west coast water temperatures may be pushing low 50s and even high 40s in the winter time, the lakes around Phoenix Arizona range in the mid 50s to low 60s. This leaves a lot of Phoenix divers shivering for warmer waters. However, for many hearty divers, they are suiting up in a heavy 7mm wet suit with hood and gloves or, some divers, desiring to stay longer and head to deeper colder realms of the local lakes may be in a dry suit.
Jeff Varner, owner of AZ Divers on 40th Street and Bell, says “many of his divers have switched over to diving dry, because it’s simply more comfortable in cold water“. Varner continued to say, “that this is the time of year, before the water gets cold, when divers come in and start asking about dry suit classes and purchases“.
Dry suits work on the premise of sealing off your body from the cold water, using an air tight suit. Neoprene or latex seals on a diver’s neck and wrist, keep water out of the suit. Underneath the suit, a diver wears thermal protection to keep him or her warm. Of course, this air space must be managed. When a diver gets in the water, pressure is applied to the outside of the suit and starts to collapse on the diver. At some depth, this can be a crippling squeeze. Divers have a valve on their suit, usually mounted on the chest, which has a low pressure inflator hose attached to it from his or her Scuba tank. To keep the squeeze to a minimum, a diver can add air to (1) reduce the suit’s squeeze, and (2) the air acts as an insulating source.
Air is a much better insulator than water. A body in a wetsuit conducts heat 20 times faster that a body in a dry suit. This type of heat loss can cause diver discomfort causing a premature end to a dive or, worse, can be a cause of hypothermia. Of course, like your lungs, mask, ears and BCD, a dry suit becomes an additional air space to manage.
As a diver, managing air spaces is vitally important. Managing your ear and mask air space is as easy as blowing into your mask or equalizing your ears. Managing the air space in your lungs is done by following the number one rule of scuba diving -- never hold your breath. Managing your BCD and a dry suit is key to proper buoyancy. Proper buoyancy means that you are in complete control of yourself underwater. You, generally, remain neutrally buoyant preventing uncontrolled ascents and bouncing off the bottom which can cause impaired visibility or damage aquatic life.
“Simply put, the biggest benefit for dry suit divers is staying warmer longer underwater“, says Tim Moore, a local Phoenix instructor. “While the benefits are significant and obvious, you have to weigh those advantages with the cost and training issues“, Moore continued.
There are two types of dry suits. The most common dry suit is a tri-laminate shell with latex seals. Known as “tri lam”, this type of dry suit has incredible flexibility and uses ranging from tropical caves to ice diving. The tri laminate shell has little insulation to it. However, it comfortably allows you to put an insulating barrier underneath it. The thicknesses vary depending on water temperature. The other dry suit type is neoprene dry suits. The sizes range from 1mm to 7mm. These tend to be less flexible. However, neoprene acts as the insulator. Thus, multiple barriers are not necessary. In some cases, such as with a 7mm dry suit, a bathing suit and tee-shirt is all that is needed underneath. Costs can vary wildly on a dry suit. A low end neoprene dry suit can cost as little as a high end wet suit. However, a high end tri laminate dry suit can run a couple of thousand of dollars.
While materials are the predominant factor in determining price, dry suit options can certainly spike the cost of new suit. Options for dry suits include a variety of accessories include zip seals, zipper location, valve location, thigh pockets, built in shoes, suspenders, and of course, the suit’s colors. Options, at the time of ordering, seem expensive. However, dry suits tend to last a lot longer than wet suits. So, you options aren’t the place to skimp. Buy what you want, as you should only have to buy a dry suit once.
Off the Rack or Custom Fit?
While many shops around town have “off the rack” dry suits available for sale. Fit is the absolutely most important factor to buying a dry suit. A poorly fitting dry suit can cause a loss of flexibility, air management issues, and discomfort. Not many of us are a perfect off the rack fit. A little to tight in one area and a little too loose in another is very significant while diving.
I strongly advise to choose a custom fit option for your dry suit. Your local dive shop can measure you and determine exactly what you need to order your dry suit.
Training Considerations
Unlike a wet suit, you can’t just jump in the lake and dive a dry suit. Even a seasoned diver will find his or her first several dives clumsy and uncomfortable. It is imperative at this early stage that new dry suit divers get properly trained. Most dive shops, in Phoenix, offer dry suit classes. Prices range from $100 to $150 including a certification card upon successful completion. A dry suit class usually has a little self study and classroom work. This is where you will learn the characteristics of a dry suit. Classroom lecture is followed by a 1 to 2 hour pool session or shallow water session so you can ‘dial in’ in the mechanics and special skills necessary to dive a dry suit. After a pool session, dry suit divers are taken out into the open water and complete two training dives with an a qualified specialty instructor.
Once you are certified as a dry suit specialty diver, practice is essential. It is generally recommended that new dry suit divers spend a significant time, with a qualified buddy, practicing the skills learned in their dry suit course. Special attention should be placed on slow ascents and safety stops. After a couple of dozen dives, it is common for to hear divers say they prefer diving dry. It’s also common to hear new dry suit divers question why they did this in the first place. When you find yourself in that position, keep practicing.
Diving dry is a financial, time consuming, and educational commitment. This commitment offer numerous rewards and allows divers to maximize their dive season. No longer is a diver restricted to warm waters or being cold and uncomfortable in cold water. Whether it’s a deep wreck, a long cave penetration or that mid winter need for blowing bubbles, dry suit diving is a safe way to keep warm.
Visit the author at http:///www.academyofscuba.com
(ArticlesBase ID #1207770)
John C. Flanders, Jr., a seasoned and well traveled diver for over 20 years, is a recognized leader in both the dive and business communities.
Mr. Flanders is an SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer, NAUI Instructor Trainer and a PADI Master Instructor. Mr. Flanders is a SeaSigns Instructor Examiner and the Director of International Training. Mr. Flanders is also trains divers in over 50 different specialties, technical diving and public safety diving. As an Instructor Trainer for both Emergency First Response and Divers Alert Network Courses, he assists in training instructors to teach these valuable safety courses.
John has published numerous articles and manuals for the dive industry and is a frequent contributor to Diverwire, an industry leading portal for Scuba Divers.
In over 20 years of diving John has explored almost every ocean and/or sea in the world off the coasts of 6 continents. He is an avid cave and wreck diver. He also enjoys hiking, kayaking, rock climbing,camping, golfing, sky diving, reading and writing.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/scuba-diving-dry-in-arizona-its-a-dry-heat-1207770.html
There are 2 primary items to think of when going for certification. Number one is to pass a health exam by your doctor. You may wish to make sure that you are in good condition before taking up this demanding sport. You don't need to discover while you're hundreds of feet below the surface that there is a difficulty with your heart, lungs or consciousness. The next thing to understand is that you've got to be able to swim. It is not a priority to grasp a bunch of swimming strokes, however, be ready to swim about two hundred meters and tread water or float for approximately ten mins. There are around two thousand scuba diver training centers in North America, so you might find one fairly close to your home. Make sure that the diver center has a good reputation, you may find inventories of this scuba equipment on the web. 2 of the certification agencies, PADI and NAUI have lists on their Internet sites which will assist you.
When you've selected a dive training center, ensure that their instructors are allowed with one of the major scuba diver training agencies.
You will be receiving a large quantity of tech as well as functional information from them, be sure they're allowed to instruct it! When you've located your instructor, there are 2 items that you must be prepared for in the authentication process. There will be a massive period of time spent in the class room, mastering technical capabilities and being tested to be sure that you've got the mandatory information. You may then move on to a pool where they may teach you functional abilities for scuba certification.
Eventually, you can go on approximately 4 open water dives, this is often in a lake or ocean depending upon your area of study. This could all usually be completed in a weekend (though you will have to do some bookwork ahead of this) or over 2 weeks, depending upon your schedule. The open water dives can be another a couple of days. Lots of work goes into earning your scuba diving certificate. Nonetheless, it will be one of the best adventures of your life.
Most people who walk into a Scuba shop for the first time are thrown into sensory overload as to the mountain of equipment in front of them is so daunting and foreign to them. With a glazed look in their eyes, they approach the dive professional behind the counter and tell them they are interested in getting certified. At that point, the glazed look becomes permanently fixed as the dive professional starts discussing schedule, equipment needs, risk and liability, costs and more. All the while, visions of the underwater world become closer to the soon-to-be-diver as he hurriedly hands over his credit card and schedule his or her class for the upcoming weekend. This is the point to slow down, start asking some questions and do a little due diligence. Following is a list of tips and questions to use while conducting your research to choosing a Scuba instructor:
Don’t just interview the closest shop to your home or work. Spend a Saturday and drive around to several shops in the area. Phoenix has over 20 different dive shops that can certify divers. Get to know the shop culture, how they approach training, and what differentiates them from everyone else.
Get to know the agencies that are available in your area. Each dive shop and/or instructor has an affiliation to a Dive Agency. PADI, NAUI, SSI, and SDI are among the largest and oldest. However, there are dozens of agencies that offer extensive programs and extremely professional curriculums. Many of them have become members of the RSTC which is an industry based umbrella that allows the different agencies to network among themselves and effect industry standards. Understand, from the candidate instructors and dive shops, what is different about their agency and why they chose them to be affiliated. Being the biggest or the “best” is not always the right match for your needs.
Take your time to research and find the best instructor in your area. Ask around to different friends who are certified. Ask them about instructors they like and don’t like. Ask what qualities make up a good instructor. Do a lot of research on the Internet within the different online Scuba communities. Also, consider alternatives to dive shops. Some of the best instructors are independent or affiliated with colleges, universities or the YMCA. Most importantly, don’t just jump into a class with any old instructor because that is the next one on the schedule and he or she is the one teaching it.
Interview potential instructors before you take a class. Most beginner divers never ask any questions beyond price. As the old say goes, “you get what you pay for.” Find a professional instructor that will provide direct answers to your questions and not just give you rhetoric. When they tell you something, ask them why? It’s during this interview that you will learn if this instructor has the mastery necessary to give you the knowledge and skills to meet your needs.
Following is a list of questions to ask your instructor:
How long have you been teaching? Experience is a great educator. Find someone who has been teach a while and is passionate about their profession.
How many students have you certified? Just because they have been an instructor for ten years doesn’t mean they have been active. The Scuba industry breeds a lot of part time instructors.
How many students have you certified at this level? If the instructor has certified very few people at this level, he or she may not be familiar with the curriculum and material being presented. You want someone who knows the material.
Do you certify all of your students? How many have you not certified? Not every student is ready to be certified. An instructor who (overly) confident states every student has passed his course, may not be doing a thorough job or may have very low standards for mastering skills.
Do you teach skin diving skills? What skin diving skills will I learn? Skin diving is a great way to get familiar with equipment, build up confidence in the water and have a lot of fun during surface intervals. If your instructor is not teaching you some valuable skin diving skills, you may want to look elsewhere.
What is the maximum ratio (dive professional to students) in the pool and open water?
The lower the ratio the more 1 on 1 time you have to develop skills with an instructor. If a class is overloaded with students, the instructor may not be able to spend the personal time you need to master the key Scuba diving skills.
What certifications you earned and what classes have you taken in the last year? Any instructor who is not actively taking classes is destined to become a stale instructor. Further, by taking classes, an instructor can learn different styles and techniques from a student perspective.
Typically, how many hours does it take you to teach a student at this level? This is a difficult question, as it has to make economical sense. A beginner Scuba class does not need to take 100 hours. However, the more hours of training, theoretically, the more information being conveyed and learned. The real thing to look out for is the minimum number of hours. Some instructors breeze through class without any regard that you are there to immerse yourself in Scuba. One thing to consider is the smaller the class, the fewer hours needed and vice versa.
How many people will be in my class? Generally, any more than 8 people in a pool session is probably overcrowding a class. Lower numbers are better for you.
How many certified assistants will you be using in my class? Most instructors don’t have eyes in the back of their heads. It is a good idea to always have a second set of eyes in the water.
Where did you last go diving for fun? If an instructor isn’t diving for fun, then he will not be fun from which to learn. A Scuba instructor must have passion. The best way to do that is get on a plane and go some place fun and exciting. I want to learn from instructor that is still having a lot of fun with what they do.
Now that you have asked the instructor a lot of questions, you need to ask yourself a few questions:
Was the instructor patient? If the instructor wasn’t patient, or talked down to you, while answering these questions, he will probably have the same character trait during class. You want a patient instructor that will allow you to learn at your speed.
Would I be happier learning from a man or woman? Only you can answer that question. Good and bad instructors come in all sexes. However, this is a physical sport and someone with the same physical concerns may be a better teacher.
Would I let this instructor take my loved ones underwater? If the answer is no, run fast.
Scuba diving offers a lifetime of adventure. Finding the right mentor and role model is essential in developing your dive path. Do your due diligence, take your time and have fun.
For more information about the author and where he teaches, please go to the Academy of Scuba.
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(ArticlesBase ID #1156643)
John C. Flanders, Jr., a seasoned and well traveled diver for over 20 years having explored almost every ocean and/or sea in the world off
the coasts of 6 continents.
Mr. Flanders is an SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer, NAUI Instructor Trainer and a PADI Master Instructor. Mr. Flanders is a SeaSigns Instructor Examiner and the Director of International Training. Mr. Flanders is also trains divers in over 50 different specialties, technical diving and public safety diving. As an Instructor Trainer for both Emergency First Response and Divers Alert Network Courses, he assists in training instructors to teach these valuable safety courses.
Mr Flanders has published numerous articles and manuals for the dive industry and is a frequent contributor to Diverwire, an industry leading portal for Scuba Divers and the Phoenix Examiner at Examiner.com.
John is an avid cave and wreck diver. He also enjoys hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, camping, golfing, sky diving, reading and writing.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/tips-and-advice-for-choosing-a-scuba-instructor-1156643.html
