Scuba Diving - Who's into it?

[Nude_not_rude]

Just wondering how many of us are scuba divers? What certifications do you have? How many dives? Any funny or interesting stories?

I'll go first I guess....

I'm certified active PADI Divemaster with over 250 dives. Plenty of stories...just gotta think of one.....



oh yeah also check out http://www.scubatube.net/ It's kinda Youtube for the Scuba community. Some brilliant videos in there.

[Karla]

PADI rescue diver with 40 dives or something. I did my rescue diver course in Febuary during a snow blizzard. It was less painful underwater. It almost made me give up diving after that. I haven't done it for several years though since I took up paragliding. And I haven't been able to do that for three years either. I need to get back into both activities although I don't think Stuart's ears could cope with scuba diving.

I dived primarily around Britain in murky waters.

My last dive was a bit of a nightmare. When I went back to university I joined the local scuba diving society. But because I had already learned, had my own equipment and I was a different age to everyone else, I didn't fit in and was excluded to all intents and purposes. It was the start of a new dive season and the air hose from my BCD had eroded away and so everyone just went off and I was left stranded on the shoreline. So I went diving with a random bunch of middle aged friendly Glaswegians. Unfortunately being so focused on trying to get the hose fixed, I didn't realise that I hadn't attached the weights properly to my belt and it slipped off from about 7 metres down at the start of the dive. The belt was an unusual design and I found it far more reliable than the cheap club variety* that rely on a single pin to stay around your waist and a strap that softens with age. I didn't dive again.




*I remember going on a scuba dive in Malta. I was using the club's own belt, stepped off the boat into the water and the belt slipped off my waist and dropped 40 metres. I had to pay to replace their substandard equipment.

[Nude_not_rude]

Hey don't apologise Richy, your English is far, far better than my German! Wow that does look like a cold lake. Malta sounds far more interesting and warm to dive.

Karla. Diving in a snow blizzard! Wow, you guys are keen.
It is unfortunate that you've had bad experiences with your diving equipment. I'd recommend going to a local dive shop and getting the gear serviced annually, then go for a dive with their dive club. The dive leaders  should take care of you. Just interested to know, when you lost your weight belts, why didn't any of the other divers go down and get it? As a Divemaster, whenever anyone loses anything during a dive, I go looking and retrieve what ever they lost, and yes it's usually weights. I usually also take spare regs, BCD's, masks, mask straps, fin straps etc incase someone has a problem. We do what ever we can to avoid leaving divers on the shore or boat. It's called good customer service :)

I have integrated weights in my BCD, so no need for the hassles involved with a weight belt, and it makes it far easier to walk also. Perhaps look into that as well.

[Danee]

My girlfriend and http://dict.leo.org/ help me here.

As little Boy I am snorkeling in the balticsee so long that my parents become scared of my. My skin was blue from cold water. gg


Richy

Was that you? We have been wondering who this little babe was for a long time!  I love this photo as it shows EXACTLY what we, or at least those of us who are real naturists and into naturism, are about!

[joeyn]

I've snorkeled many times, but never dove. I'm really wanting to, however.

Joey

[Nude_not_rude]

Diving is a dream... flying under warter. I like water.
With 5 years I join in a swimmingclub and 1989 I was the best swimmer in my district. J have some medals...

I mine, a BCd is better as an weight belt. In croatia i diving with an belt and at the diving school in germany I use a BCD. The tare with BCD is more easy than a belt.

Richy

Yes diving is a lot like flying. I think it has helped me overcome my fear of heights too which is great! I love it down there, it really is a completely other world.

Yes I agree a weight integrated BCD is better than using a weight belt.

Hey that's a cool photo too! Thanks for posting it.


Herman, yes I highly recommend it. It depends if you buy your own gear or not. You can hire gear for dives, but if you do more than 10 dives a year, then it's better to buy. I have all my own gear, so it only costs me $10 for air, but if I work and lead a dive of course they pay me and the air is free.  :)

[Stuart]

I'd love to give it a go, but I have some problems with my ears so I'm a bit nervous about what the pressure would do to them.

[Nude_not_rude]

I'd love to give it a go, but I have some problems with my ears so I'm a bit nervous about what the pressure would do to them.

Yeah the ability to clear your ears is pretty important. It usually happens if you try to descend too quickly or have a cold (not recommended to dive in this case, but some do), or aren't used to doing it. I do know of a couple of people who couldn't and ended up bursting the ear drum. It does heal, but you become more likely to do it again in the future. Best thing to do, if you can't clear you ears, is to stop the descent, and ascend slowly until you can clear them, then resume the descent.

[Stuart]

I'd love to give it a go, but I have some problems with my ears so I'm a bit nervous about what the pressure would do to them.

Yeah the ability to clear your ears is pretty important. It usually happens if you try to descend too quickly or have a cold (not recommended to dive in this case, but some do), or aren't used to doing it. I do know of a couple of people who couldn't and ended up bursting the ear drum. It does heal, but you become more likely to do it again in the future. Best thing to do, if you can't clear you ears, is to stop the descent, and ascend slowly until you can clear them, then resume the descent.

That doesn't sound good for me. I have the kind of ears that let me know if its about to rain because I get a dull throbbing in them when the pressure changes. I dread to think what a few metres of water pressure might do!

[Nude_not_rude]

Hmmm might be worth checking if you have a sinus problem. because when the sinus is blocked, that's when those troubles arise. My mum had a operation to open hers as she had a a similar thing and she's never had a problem since. I'm not a doctor though, so it's up to you. :)

[Stuart]

Hmmm might be worth checking if you have a sinus problem. because when the sinus is blocked, that's when those troubles arise. My mum had a operation to open hers as she had a a similar thing and she's never had a problem since. I'm not a doctor though, so it's up to you. :)

I have a long and eventful history of damaging my hears, from being stationed for two nights beside the speakers while doing the first aid at a rock concert to a dose of flu (the real flu, not man-flu!) that left a horrible infection in my ears for about a month afterwards.

Maybe its just best that I avoid scuba diving, I oculd be tempting fate

[Nude_not_rude]

Toddo, I need help.

What is a good regulator? I need them. But I dont have a idea, which is a good model.
I need a regulator for warm and cold water and maybe a nitrox model?
And not to exclusive. ;-)

What for a model can you me advise?


Richy

Hey Richy, how cold does it get where you are diving? It would be terrible for it to freeze-up mid dive. From what I know off hand, the regs are the same for regular oxygen as for Nitrox, it's just the air mix in the tank which is different.

I've had my Sherwood Maximus regs for about 10 years now and with the annual servicing, never had a problem with them. I'll get back to you about it. Also depends on what is available in your area. But check out Sherwood, TUSA, Aqualung for a start.

[Nude_not_rude]

Hmmm might be worth checking if you have a sinus problem. because when the sinus is blocked, that's when those troubles arise. My mum had a operation to open hers as she had a a similar thing and she's never had a problem since. I'm not a doctor though, so it's up to you. :)

I have a long and eventful history of damaging my hears, from being stationed for two nights beside the speakers while doing the first aid at a rock concert to a dose of flu (the real flu, not man-flu!) that left a horrible infection in my ears for about a month afterwards.

Maybe its just best that I avoid scuba diving, I oculd be tempting fate

Well the Rock concert won't be the cause, worse case would cause tinnitus and that doesn't effect diving. I'm a sound engineer and I've heard a lot of loud music. The ear infection would definitely be the cause as they can damage the sinus and ear canals and can also cause tinnitus. Go see a doctor about it perhaps? Or not....your call.

[Stuart]

Go see a doctor about it perhaps? Or not....your call.

They keep telling me to take decongestants and see if that helps. It never does 

[Nude_not_rude]

Go see a doctor about it perhaps? Or not....your call.

They keep telling me to take decongestants and see if that helps. It never does  

Perhaps try an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Local doctors really don't help, but you may need them to give you a referral to the specialist. Worth a try? Do you not get problems at altitude when climbing the mountains?