There are a few key pieces of equipment that required for any dive, and some other equipment that is used for more challenging diving conditions. Beginners and novice divers, however, will definitely need the following:
Mask
The human eye cannot see clearly through water so a pocket of air is required to maintain vision when diving. A diving mask is like a large pair of swimming goggles with a silicone seal all the way round. It also includes a silicone pocket/seal for the nose, to prevent the wearer inadvertently trying to breathe through their nose and sucking in water instead. Diving masks are built to withstand the greater pressures found underwater, so a snorkelling mask is not suitable for diving.
Fins
Divers get quite shirty if you refer to fins as “flippers”, so be sure to get your terminology right! Physical effort, such as swimming, uses energy and to fuel that energy oxygen is required, which is why people breathe more heavily when doing exercise. Underwater, the diver wishes to conserve energy to make the air in his cylinder last longer. Fins, therefore, are used to make swimming underwater as effortless as possible. Fins are large, flexible blades attached to the feet, which provide maximum propulsion through the water for minimum physical effort. There are two basic types of fins: shoe fins fit onto the bare foot like a slipper, strap fins have a foot pocket with a strap that fits around the heel and are worn with boots.
Protective Clothing
Even in warm water, some form of protective clothing is required. There are four main types:-
• A skin suit is a thin layer that just protects the body from abrasion, either from the equipment worn or from brushing against rocks, corals etc. A skin suit is only worn in the warmest water.
• A wet suit provides some thermal protection as well as protecting against abrasion. Wet suits are available with long or short arms and legs and in a range of thicknesses. Made of neoprene, a wet suit allows water to flush through it, holding a thin layer next to the skin, which the body warms, providing some defence against slightly cooler water temperatures.
• A semi-dry suit is rather like a wet suit but has seals around the neck, wrists and ankles. Water ingresses into the suit and is then trapped there to be warmed by the body. A semi dry suit offers greater thermal protection than a wet suit.
• A dry suit is used for cold water diving and allows no water to ingress at all. A dry suit has built in boots and seals around the wrists and neck; inside the suit the body stays dry. Additional thermal protection is worn underneath a dry suit, in the form of warm under layers. Dry suits are made either from neoprene or a trilaminate membrane; neoprene suits tend to be slightly warmer than membrane, although membrane suits allow greater freedom of movement. When diving in cold water, neoprene hoods and gloves are usually also worn for warmth. Special training is required before diving in a dry suit.
Buoyancy Compensation Device
There are several types of buoyancy compensation device (BCD), variously known as BCDs, BCs (buoyancy compensators), stab (stabilizer) jackets and wings. All work in the same way. The BCD is worn like a jacket and consists of internal air bladders, a hose for adding or extracting air from the bladders, a loop system for holding an air cylinder and usually some pockets and D-rings for holding other pieces of equipment. The air that is added to or taken out of the internal bladders controls buoyancy underwater and the rate of descent and ascent to and from the surface.
Weights
A human being is naturally buoyant, and even when carrying a heavy dive cylinder will not automatically sink under the water. To counteract this natural buoyancy, therefore, divers wear lead weights, either on a belt, in a harness or in the pockets of their BCD. Whilst underwater a small amount of air is added to the BCD to keep the diver off the bottom, or at the depth they have chosen, and whilst on the surface the BCD is filled with air to counteract the negative effect of the weights.
Cylinders
Contrary to popular belief, diving cylinders to do NOT contain oxygen, they contain air. The air is compressed and held in the cylinder under pressure (measured in either pounds per square inch (psi) or bar) by a valve on the top. Cylinders are usually made of steel or aluminium and come in a range of sizes, measured in cubic feet or litres. The advantage of a larger cylinder is that it contains more air, and therefore the diver can stay underwater longer; the disadvantage is the heavier weight. All diving cylinders must be periodically inspected and tested by independently accredited testing facilities to ensure they are safe.
Regulators
Regulators, often referred to simply as “regs”, are more properly called “a set of regulators”, since there are several component parts. The air in the cylinder is held at very high pressure, which a human being cannot breathe, so the “first stage”, which includes a clamp that attaches to the cylinder, reduces the pressure of the air to around 140psi/10 bar above ambient pressure (ambient pressure increases with depth). Attached to the first stage are a series of high pressure hoses. In a typical set up for a novice diver, one of the hoses will be the “feed” for the BCD, one will accommodate the mouthpiece (or “demand valve”), one an alternative air source (also known as an “octopus”) and one a contents gauge.
• The Demand Valve (DV) delivers breathable air to the diver via a mouthpiece. The DV reduces the air pressure further to match the ambient pressure. The diver breaths in and out through the DV, the exhaled air being expelled through an exhaust on the DV, producing the characteristic bubbles associated with breathing underwater.
• The octopus is a second DV to be used by a diving buddy in the case of emergency. It is usually bright yellow in colour for easy identification underwater.
• The contents gauge shows the diver how much air is left in the cylinder and is usually a round dial with a needle to point to the appropriate level. Sometimes content gauges can be combined with other instruments in a console, which might include a depth gauge and/or a compass.
Computer
Nearly all modern divers use a computer. The computer is worn on the wrist like an oversized watch and has many functions. The computer will tell the diver his depth, how long he has been diving and how long he can remain underwater without the need for decompression stops on ascent. It also measures the rate of ascent back to the surface (it is very important to control this as ascending too quickly can cause decompression sickness, also known as “the bends”). The computer has other functions such as calculating decompression stops and some can also be used for accelerated decompression using a mixture of breathing gases, but these are advanced techniques and therefore need not concern the beginner.
IMPORTANT NOTE
It is IMPERRATIVE that anyone considering scuba diving undertakes proper training with a recognised training body. None of the equipment mentioned in this article should be used without instruction. With proper training, scuba diving is a fun, exciting, pleasurable hobby; without, it can be very dangerous indeed.
Scuba diving equipment has evolved to become sophisticated, incredibly safe, reliable and high performance. There’s a massive range of options and features available, to allow scuba diving in any environment.
To familiarize you with how a set of scuba diving gear works, we’ll run you through a basic set, and discuss what options and features would be suitable for warm water Koh Tao diving.
How Does Scuba Gear Work: A Typical Koh Tao Diving Setup
Scuba Cylinder
Firstly we need somewhere to store the air which we’ll be breathing whilst underwater. Scuba cylinders or tanks) come in a range of sizes and materials. Scuba diving Koh Tao we opt for aluminum cylinders, which are resistant to the corrosive salty ocean conditions, compressing air into 12 litre cylinders at two hundred time normal atmospheric pressure (200 bar). That volume of air allows an average diver to dive for about 45 minutes at normal recreational depths, (factoring in a safety margin).
Regulator – First Stage
This is the bit which attaches to the valve of the scuba cylinder. Since the air inside the cylinder is at two hundred times normal pressure, we need to reduce that pressure down to make it breathable. This is the job of the regulator first stage. Most first stages reduce down the pressure to about ten bar above ambient water pressure (called the intermediate pressure), which is then fed down to the ….
Regulator - Second Stage
This is the bit that you put in your mouth and breathe from. The second stage contains a large diaphragm which the surrounding water pressure pushes on. What that does is adjust the intermediate pressure (delivered from the first stage) to exactly the same pressure as the surrounding water. The result is that when you breathe in, a valve opens and allows air to flow freely. When you stop breathing in or exhale, the valve remains closed allowing you to conserve your air supply.
Regulator - Alternate Air Source
In case your buddy has an equipment problem, you also have a alternate second stage attached to your first stage, which means in the event of an emergency your buddy can also breathe from your cylinder. This is one of the reasons why it’s always a good idea to stick with a buddy when scuba diving.
Buoyancy Control Device - BCD
Obviously we need a way of keeping the cumbersome cylinder attached to us, so the BCD is a robust jacket which allows you to strap the cylinder to your back. The BCD also has a second important function. You can adjust the amount of air inside the jacket so that you hover motionlessly in mid water and control your position underwater. Whilst at the surface you can inflate the BCD to avoid swimming to stay afloat, and save energy.
Wetsuit
Your body looses heat about twenty times faster in water than air, so you’ll need to wear some kind of exposure protection to keep warm. The good news is, Koh Tao diving has very warm water – usually about 30C. That means during the Padi open water course we usually wear a 2.5mm neoprene ‘shorty’ wetsuit , which keeps us comfortable during the dives.
Weights
The bad news is that neoprene is buoyant (as is body fat), so to be able to descend underwater we have to carry some lead weights. The easiest way to do this (adopted by most Koh Tao dive schools) is to attach the lead to a weight belt which you secure around your waist prior to each dive.
Scuba Diving Mask
Your eyes can’t focus in water, so you need to wear a mask to be able to see when diving. If you have a little spare cash and plan to invest in piece of scuba diving gear of your own, make sure you buy a mask. A good diving mask makes all the difference to your Koh Tao diving experience – if you can see properly you’ll have a much better time!
Diving Fins
With all this gear, it becomes a bit tricky getting around underwater. To make life easier we wear large, rigid diving fins which take all the effort out of swimming, allowing us to maintain our air supply and explore the Koh Tao dive sites with ease.
For more info, visit the Simple Life website [http://www.simplelifedivers.com], and don’t miss part two of our series of lessons from the Koh Tao Padi open water course, where we examine some realities and myths of dangerous aquatic life!
For more info visit the Simple Life Diving Koh Tao website at:
http://www.simplelifedivers.com
Or tel/fax +66 77 456 329
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/lessons-from-the-koh-tao-open-water-diving-course-part-1-equipment-1098793.html
Koh Tao is a small tropical island, located in the Gulf of Thailand. It's sheltered position means Koh Tao offers great year round diving, with many deep pinnacles and coral reefs close to the island.
The vast array of marine life is staggering. Within a short twenty minute boat ride you can reach more than 25 dive sites, serving as a home to thousands of tropical marine species. On almost every dive you can see wrasses, butterfly and angel-fish, squid and cuttle fish, hawksbill turtles, sea snakes, sting-rays and more. If you're lucky you can even see the biggest fish in the sea - the whale shark.
Learn to Dive with the PADI Open Water Course
Over the duration of the four day diving course Koh Tao's Simple Life divers can show you all the best scuba diving sites - you'll be sure to have an awesome time.
The Koh Tao Padi open water course begins with an orientation and some scuba diving theory, then we get our dive gear on and head into shallow water. You'll practice more than 20 scuba skills in a controlled environment, getting you relaxed and comfortable in the underwater environment.
Then the best bit. Four open water dives on the coral reefs around Koh Tao. Expect to see moray eels, sting-rays, blue ringed angel-fish, turtles, puffer-fish and more. Experience the amazing weightless underwater world of scuba diving.
Also importantly, Koh Tao is a great destination for the apres-dive. Evening time, there's nothing better than to enjoy a cold beer in one of the laid back beach bars, and chat about the days diving stories!
Our PADI Open Water Koh Tao package puts together absolutely everything you need - the four day Koh Tao diving course, use of all scuba diving equipment, your own PADI manual and dive certification and four nights accommodation.
For more information on diving Koh Tao, visit our website at http://www.simplelifedivers.com
Posted by Simple Life Divers
Sairee Beach, Koh Tao, Thailand, 84360
Tel/Fax +66 77 456 329
web: http://www.simplelifedivers.com
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/open-water-koh-tao-padi-diving-course-1064835.html
When you have a good amount of money invested in scuba diving equipment, it’s only logical to maintain it properly to last you many years. Not to mention your safety and well being are dependent on the same scuba gear used in every dive you make.
Are You Neglecting Your Scuba Diving Gear
Nothing shortens the life of your scuba equipment more than salt water, where the majority of scuba diving is done. If not properly rinsed off after a dive salt crystals (that are extremely abrasive) will be left on your gear, and will begin to destroy it.
After a dive, be sure to rinse (with fresh water) all your basic equipment like your mask, fins, boots and snorkel.
The buoyancy compensator (BC) must be rinsed inside and out. After completely rinsing off the outside of BC the bladder must washed out. This is very important and probably the most overlooked step in the preventive maintenance of your scuba gear. First drain out any salt water trapped in bladder. Then put some fresh water in bladder and shake vigorously letting water run out of mouthpiece. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times. Be sure all water is out of bladder.
If you use a wetsuit it’s very important to rinse this in side and out. Turn the suit inside out to insure getting all salt off. The regulator must be rinsed and purge air thru to get any water out.
Make sure your scuba diving gear is completely dry before storing in a cool dry place. Don’t dry your scuba equipment in direct sunlight; the rays also shorten the life of scuba gear. Keep your mask in a protective plastic box so the lens doesn’t get scratched. Store your buoyancy compensator on a sturdy hanger and fins in flattened state.
Make It a Habit
Once you have made this routine a habit, you will see how quickly and easy preventive maintenance on scuba gear really is. Save yourself money and aggravation when on vacation trying to relax and enjoy.
Tom Gardner is an expert in Scuba Diving, and has been a certified scuba diver for many years. He currently runs a website where he sells Scuba Diving Gear. Browse all varieties of Scuba Diving Gear here!
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/take-care-of-your-scuba-gear-and-it-will-take-care-of-you-851713.html
Don’t let sight restrictions prevent you from enjoying the wonderful sea life on your next scuba dive or snorkeling experience. Make sure you take advantage of every way possible to increase your field of vision.
Many of us suffer from nearsightedness (trouble seeing things at a distance) or farsightedness (trouble seeing things up close). In everyday life people deal with these problems by wearing some kind of corrective lenses like glasses or contacts. Another way that is becoming increasingly popular is laser surgery on the eye that restores good vision without any future dependency on corrective lenses. This procedure can cost many thousands of dollars and most insurance companies don’t cover this type of surgery.
Seeing underwater is a different story. Contact lenses can be worn when scuba diving because the mask provides an air pocket between your eyes and the water. The most common and economical contacts are disposable soft lenses. These are the best to use when scuba diving or snorkeling because if your mask gets knocked off or floods for any reason it’s not costly to replace any lost lenses. Some contact wearers keep a spare set with their scuba gear in the scuba mask case.
A very important part of your scuba diving equipment is the mask. It helps provide a clear range of vision for the diver. Many scuba diving masks can be purchased with corrective lenses prescribed for that persons needs. Check with your optometrist once a year to get the prescription you require. Generally the optical lenses are available in a wide range from -1.0 to -8.5 (for nearsighted) and +1.0 to +4.0 (for farsighted). The lenses can be made of either plastic or glass. Keep this in mind when you look for a suitable scuba diving mask.
You Should See What You’re Missing
One of the most satisfying feelings of scuba diving is observing marine life in its natural surroundings. Don’t cut corners when it comes to your scuba gear; get what is most conforming to your needs.
Tom Gardner is an expert in Scuba Diving, and has been a certified scuba diver for many years. He currently runs a website where he sells Scuba Diving Gear. Browse all varieties of Scuba Diving Gear here!
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/are-sight-limitations-causing-you-to-miss-out-on-underwater-beauty-851716.html
Scuba Diving Equipment
Any one know a good place to do scuba diving?
I don't have equipment, and I don't have experince, but I really want to do it I live in Ca, so I would like a place on Ca
Get the training, rent the equipment if you cannot afford it then hit the water. The place you get your training from will know of many great places to dive.
Follow dive rules, they are there for your safety.
For More Scuba Diving Equipment Info Click On The Blue Links Below
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