Scuba Basics and Knowledge for Non-Divers

Since I recently received a comment from a non-diver, I'd like to answer her questions, and provide other non-divers with some information about diving in general. Thanks for your interest, and I hope if you're interested in diving, this post can help you learn more and get started on training to dive!

Basics of Scuba
Scuba diving is all about swimming underwater for long periods of time to enjoy the underwater world. You can dive for an hour or more, depending on how deep you dive. The deeper you dive, the faster the oxygen in your tank gets used, because of the higher water pressure.

Scuba Certification
There are multiple organizations that provide scuba courses and certifications. For your first course, you will have to read all about scuba diving, safety regulations, rules, and the technical aspects of diving. You want to be sure and understand how your body changes as you dive! Here are agencies that you can take courses through:

• Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)
• National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI)
• Professional Diving Instructors Corporation (PDIC)

To find a scuba shop to get PADI, NAUI, or PDIC scuba certified, search "PADI scuba in city, state" using Google or another search engine (change "PADI" to your preferred agency). There are more agencies than listed above, but these three are the most known. I trained using PADI, and it has been a great experience.

Scuba Equipment
To dive, you need items to help you navigate, breathe, and keep track of time and direction. The gear you will need includes personal gear and more expensive gear to rent at first.

Personal equipment you should purchase when you first start to dive:

• Mask - basically goggles to cover your eyes and your nose
• Snorkel - used for when you surface swim, to preserve your oxygen in your tank
• Fins - the flippers for your feet to help you propel through water
• Booties - the cloth-type shoes for your feet so the plastic fins don't give you blisters, and for use when exiting your dive. It is not easy to walk in fins, so the booties serve as walking shoes.

Personal Scuba Gear (Source: Snorkeling Packages Blog¹)

Gear you can rent at first, and once you become a regular diver and can afford it, can purchase:

• Oxygen Tank - the cylinder filled with compressed oxygen and some other gases, which is your source of breathing while diving.
• BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) - a "vest" that you wear that allows you to carry your oxygen tank and other devises; you can inflate it with air to help you float, and then deflate it when you dive.
• Regulator - this is what attaches to the oxygen tank, and allows you to inhale its oxygen and exhale bubbles into the water through the mouthpiece. It also connects to the BCD to help the BCD inflate.
• Gauges - the compass, dive computer, clock, and air gauge can all be considered your gauges. These devises monitor your direction, depth, time spent underwater, amount of oxygen left in your tank, and more.

Scuba Gear (Collage made by Amanda J., with photos from DSE²)

Visit Dive Shops
Scuba diving all begins with the basics, from the gear and their functions to the options for certifications. The best way to learn about scuba is to start by visiting your local dive shop. Divers (including myself!) love to explain scuba equipment, how training courses work, and their diving experiences.

Footnotes

[1] Promate Scuba Dive Fins Mask Snorkel Boots Gear Set. (2011, February 27). Snorkeling Packages. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from http://allplayoutedit.blogspot.com/2011/02/promate-scuba-dive-fins-mask-snorkel.html

[2] Feature Scuba Equipment. (n.d.). Divers Scuba Equipment. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from http://diversscubaequipment.com/index.asp

Cloudy Lake? No Problem

Visibility at a Dive Site
Suppose you are expecting to have good visibility at a Texas lake, but when you arrive the visibility has decreased. Maybe it rained, or a lot of swimmers stirred up the lake's bottom. You still want to dive, so what do you do? 

I recommend that you practice your underwater navigation skills. A cloudy lake should not stop you from diving, as long as you still feel safe. Don't dive if there is no visibility or the water is very dark.

Lake Navigation with a Compass
To navigate underwater, you need to have a compass and a final destination. Here are the steps to take to reach your destination, even with low water visibility.

1. Before you descend, locate the direction of your final destination. Most man-made items put underwater as an attraction have a buoy to indicate their location, so you can use the buoy as your destination. Also note the distance to your destination.
    
   
2. Facing the final destination, align your compass to that direction. (See Figure 1 below.) Note and remember the degree that the compass needle points to. If your compass can rotate (called the Turntable Housing in Figure 2 below) then use the turntable to mark the degree of the needle.
    
   
3. Now descend using proper scuba rules. It is okay to rotate your body during descent.
    
   
4. Once at a comfortable depth, look at your compass while the compass is aligned with your body, the same way as in step #2.
    
   
5. Align the compass needle to the degree found in step #2, by rotating your body with your compass, not just by rotating your compass alone.
    
   
6. Swim in the direction that keeps the needle steady on the degrees needed. Swim in a straight line, and check that the compass is still on track every minute or so. If you see that you are no longer swimming in the correct direction, change your course.
    
   
7. Pay attention to the distance you have swam. If you had gotten off course at all in step #6, be careful to not swim too far and pass your target. If you think you've gone to far, return to the surface of the lake and make a new heading (start over at step #1).
    
   
8. You will eventually reach your destination, such as a sunken airplane or whatever you chose to dive to.

Figure 1: Align Compass with your Sight (Source: IDC¹)

Figure 2: Compass (Source: ABC of Hiking²)

Clear Lake for Practice
Remember too that navigating using a compass takes practice! Use the steps above to practice in a clear lake, so you can use your long-distance sight as a backup during your dive. A very clear lake to practice navigation in is at Athens Scuba Park, as shown below.

Source: Athens³

So remember, wherever you dive in Texas, don't get disappointed if low visibility sneaks up on you! Your dive will turn into a great opportunity to practice your navigation, and you can still make your dive fun once you reach your destination.

Footnotes

[1] PADI Specialties. (2010). IDC Thailand. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://www.idcthailand.net/nl/specialty-cursussen

[2] Compass Navigation & Using a Compass. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://www.abc-of-hiking.com/navigation-skills/compass-navigation.asp

[3] Athens Scuba Park. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://www.athensscubapark.com/default.asp