Any SCUBA divers here?

[Armueller2001]

Well I just got back from our cruise to Grand Cayman and Jamaica and did the SNUBA dive... basically like SCUBA except the tank isn't on your back, its on a raft floating above and you have 20 ft of air line to descend with. Anyway, I had a blast exploring the undersea world and am planning on getting my SCUBA certification as soon as possible... any divers here, and any advice to offer?

I'm a bit nervous about the bends and the effects of pressure when you get deeper... at 20 ft. my ears were already starting to feel pressure quite a bit and I had to equalize the pressure pretty frequently.

[oldrookie]

Not too surprising that you'd have to clear your ears, but frequently? Shouldn't have to clear once you've established yourself at a level underwater.

You'll train to maintain a level trim underwater and once you get that figured out you won't have to clear much.

This sport has some danger with it...but good training and attention to detail can reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

Have fun.

[FL Knifemaker]

I've had various certs, etc. since I was about 15. My exciting scuba adventures mainly consisted of wiping the bottom of race sailboats down and doing the underwater pre race prep. I freed and retrieved a stuck anchor once too There's nothing quite like scuba diving at the South Street Seaport or in Graves End Bay in Brooklyn

[Spector_Ray]

I haven't been certified in over 15 years and my last couple of dives were off the coasts of Panama and Honduras. Very nice!

[bluestarbass]

advice? A good mask is worth its weight in gold. Ive been certified for about 5 years now. I kinda decided that all my vacations were going to be to places I could dive. Ive hit the 2 biggest reefs in the world, done some cave diving and just some really cool deep water diving. Next trip is to this island off the coast of japan thats supposed to be really neat. Diving is the kinda thing that isnt hard, but if you screw up bad things can happen. Common sense is paramount.

[5andFretless]

Originally Posted by Armueller2001

Well I just got back from our cruise to Grand Cayman and Jamaica and did the SNUBA dive... [snip]
... any divers here, and any advice to offer?

I'm a bit nervous about the bends and the effects of pressure when you get deeper... at 20 ft. my ears were already starting to feel pressure quite a bit and I had to equalize the pressure pretty frequently.

First off - Carbondale, IL? - I graduated from SIU Carbondale many years ago

You have the problem that I had growing up - you live in the midwest. That sucks when it comes to diving. There are lakes to learn in, and you can go diving in stone quaries and things, but it is not like open water diving, especially off of dive boats. The closest you can get is Lake Michigan, and even that is a different challenge. It is tough moving form the lakes to the ocean, especially if you only see the ocean on annual vacations.

I solved the problem in a round about way - I joined the Navy. My job did not offer me the opportunity to dive for them, but I did get to dive recreationally in some very neat places all over the world.

As for the bends, equalization, etc. The class you took did not address this because 25 ft was the deepest you could get with the equipment. Take a PADI class and they will teach you all about that ad nausium. It has been 25 years since I certified, but they used to offer several courses. I would not go for anything less than Basic Open Water and then I would get in Advanced Open Water as soon as I was eligible.

I would also pony up for a dive computer if I could afford it. Unless you are pushing 50 (like me) then you are going to get strange looks if you are on a dive boat using a plastic card to plan your dive. I own the computer and still use the card just to piss the kids off. I also don't like how conservative the computers are, I like to run a little closer to the edge.

Oh yea, one more thing - Chances are the equipment you buy for the class will not be what you end up liking. You won't know that until you have some experience. I always tell people to buy some used gear for the class and buy the new stuff when you are close to certifying, or just after, when you at least know what you like and don't like.

Good luck

[MonetBass]

I am a PADI certified diver (shallow), but I haven't gone diving in a while. A buddy of mine just got his master diver cert, so when I'm ready to go again he'll give me a refresher.

Definitely take a full PADI course and get certified. This will minimize your risks and teach you how to handle unusual situations. Regarding having to clear your ears frequently, that's nothing out of the ordinary. I have to equalize every 10 to 15 feet or so, but after a while it will become second nature.

+1 on getting some good equipment like a mask, regulator, and BCD. Borrowing that stuff never thrilled me, but I've done it. Like bluestarbass said, you can't put a price on equipment you can rely on, especially when you're 60-100 feet down!

[BigDaddyRob]

What do you mean when you say you had to equalize frequently? Once your ears are equalized at a given pressure, they stay equalized until you change the pressure. Frequent equalization from 0 to 33 feet is understandable, since the ambient pressure doubles (from 1 to 2 atmospheres). You have to go to 99 feet to incur another doubling of ambient pressure. One trick I use is to pop my ears immediately before the descent. This enables me to go to above 15 feet before I have to equalize again.

Also, how were you clearing your ears? Were you using a Frenzel or Valsalva maneuver? Forcing a Valsalva can cause damage to the inner ear, so it's generally recommended that you equalize early and often before you feel discomfort. If you incur difficulty clearing, ascend a few feet until the discomfort abates and attempt to equalize again. If you still are having difficulty, look up towards the surface and attempt another equalization. This stretches the eustachian tubes and may help open them up allowing the passage of air into them.

If you're interested in learning to dive, the PADI open water diver course is excellent. I'm a PADI Master Instructor. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about learning to dive.

[Pilgrim]

Part of your experience is the fact that you were diving at the depth where you experience the MOST change in pressure. Between the surface and @15 feet, pressure on your body (and ears) doubles from 1 ATM to 2 ATM. (Roughly 15 feet of water = 1 ATM in pressure.) That's the largest change in pressure of anyplace underwater. From 15 to 30 feet, you go from 2 to 3 ATM, but that's only a 50% change. 30 to 45 feet is 3 to 4 ATM, but that's only a 25% change...etc.

But this also means that between 15 feet and the surface is where you are MOST likely to injure your ears or lungs. This is CRITICALLY important for a diver to understand. Bends aren't an issue at 20 feet, but pressure change definitely is!

Take a class, you need to learn the math and get the right reflexes when diving. I was first certified by PADI in 1977, then got an NASDS open water cert in the early 80's. I haven't been diving in 20 years, but the physics haven't changed.

[BigDaddyRob]

1 atmosphere = 33 feet (salt water). On the surface we are under 1 ata (atmosphere absolute) pressure. At 33 feet (salt water), 2 ata. At 66 feet, 3 ata; at 99 feet, 4 ata. Not 15 feet. To convert a depth to ata (assuming we're working in feet), divide the depth by 33 and add one to the quotient. Plain gauge pressure is derived by dividing the depth by 33. That's why your depth gauge reads 0 at the surface, but we're not really in a vacuum, right?). You have to add one to account for one atmosphere pressure at the surface, hence, absolute pressure.

Your line of reasoning is correct, in that shallower depths have a greater relative pressure change than deeper ones. Those conversion factors can be easy to forget over time. Perhaps what you were thinking is that 1 atm = 15 psi (approximately), typically 14.7 should be used for conversions.

[oldrookie]

Throwing him in the deep end, aren't we?

Take the course...everything will become clear!

[MakiSupaStar]

Yep. Invest in a mask and a comfortable pair of fins. It's a fun thing. My wife just got certed too. Would recommend boat trips. If you have any say in how you get your cert.

[sobie18]

1. Good mask & snorkel; I have a mask with a purge valve and I NEVER have any problems whatsoever (no leaks, fogging, etc.).

2. Top of the line fins can mean a BIG difference. Spend the extra dollar for some quality fins (Twin Jet Max, Volo Power, etc.).

3. Gloves & above-ankle felt-bottomed boots. Just do it, please (you'll thank me later).

4. Dive computer; takes the guesswork out of everything. ScubaPro Extender only $350. Best $350 you'll spend for your gear.

5. If you plan to pursue diving,I recommend buying your own BCD & Reg. Rental gear is like hit or miss with quality and problems. Once you dial in your OWN gear, you just need air and then you're diving. Plus, those nasty nylon weight belts suck.

Take the PADI Open Water course, get some dives under your belt, and then go for the Advanced Open Water.

Yes, you'll feel the squeeze between 10-15' and then again @ 30, 60, 90, 120, etc. Make sure you can equalize comfortably and equalize often during your descent. Once you go through the class, you'll learn all this stuff.

I have logged 53 dives since this October. I go every weekend and it's just a BLAST! Going to Palau next year for some fun in the sun...

[oldrookie]

Originally Posted by sobie18

I have logged 53 dives since this October. I go every weekend and it's just a BLAST! Going to Palau next year for some fun in the sun...

And after you take his excellent advice...come back here...post something like this and make all of us stuck in great American midwest really, really jealous.

Every weekend...sheesh.

[ZonPlyr]

I got certified open water last year when working on the cruise ship. Started with an intro dive and then went to the same place in Bora Bora every time the ship hit port there. Took me a little longer since I could only do 2 dives every 10 days or so but I have no regrets at all. I'm hooked. After I got certified I was able to dive in every port we stopped at, so that meant i got to dive some pretty great places in the south Pacific. The unfortunate thing is that after I got back to LA i've been so busy I haven't been able to dive. Looking forward to spring when I can start some work on my advanced cert.

The info/advice given above is right on and i'm not going to add to it, just suffice to say diving changes your life.

[BigDaddyRob]

sobie18 gave some good advice. I also recommend owning your own wetsuit, for a couple of reasons: 1. It should fit properly, and 2. You know who's peed in it.

[MonetBass]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyRob

You know who's peed in it.

Ah, the beauty of diving. If ya gotta go, just swim out a ways and let 'er rip.

[Pilgrim]

Dang, how did I forget that it takes 33 ft. of water to equal 1 ATM??

You're absolutely right, Bigdaddyrob, I got the 15 PSI in 1 ATM confused with the depth of dive needed to add 1 ATM of pressure.

That's one reason they have refresher courses for divers who haven't been in the water for years!!! So we don't kill our old fuzzy butts due to forgetting this stuff!!!

Thanks for the correction - as noted above, point is that the last few feet before the surface are where the relative pressure change is greatest - and it's easy to hurt yourself.

[jazzbo]

Just got certified and I'm addicted like crack. The wife and I are going to Viet Nam and Laos in 5 weeks and we'll dive in Hoi An. Then, we planned a trip to Mexico later this year and we'll definitely have to check out Monterey in the spring.

My biggest challenge was getting neutral buoyancy easy. For whatever reason, it proved tricky for me. I just worked on it patiently and now I'm very comfortable. I'm very happy with my Volo Power fins, I think they're great. They really have some kick and I'm amazed at how fast I could go if I wanted to. Of course, then I'd miss all the cool fishies!

[TOOL460002]

i got the padi advanced thing because i wanted to be able to dive deeper, but ive done the majority of my diving in south east asia (saw my first blue ring octopus in the philippines last august!) and they could care less about depth or even if you are certified at all, so it depends where youre going, but its still a good idea to get certified for the knowledge and experience.

as for injuries due to pressure, i have never had any issues, and i pretty much always go deeper than is advised, and i normally cut it close with getting on a plane afterward (that definitely can injure you). i wouldnt worry about that. it happens, but myself and my family have always been fine. i wouldnt stress on it too much.

as stated above, you will start planning all of your vacations around diving, and will eagerly await your next trip. if you get a chance, go to the maldives. the diving there is ridiculous, though its a tad expensive (fortunately i wasnt responsible for the bill). you can also do live-aboard trips, where you can get in three dives a day. those are pretty cool, too. also, pay attention to what time of year it is. certain spots are not good to dive all year.

i would highly advise getting your own mask and flippers. you will get tired of beat up rental gear. rental wetsuits have always been fine for me, but my dad is a pretty big dude, and often cant find a great fit. a dive computer is also a great investment, as it makes things easier (and safer, for that matter), and not all places have them.

other than that, have fun! scuba is awesome.