Questions tagged [scuba-diving]
Questions relating to any thing related to scuba diving. Examples include, but are not limited to; diving gear, diving physics, diving injuries, dive sites, diver training, recreational diving, technical diving, etc.
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How to handle a dropped DSMB spool at depth
When technical diving, you usually will deploy your Delayed Surface Marker Buoy prior to your first decompression stop (eg 70ft). If you drop while attempting to deploy and it unravels at depth, ...
lobi
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How much UV radiation does one receive under water?
More precisely: assume one measures X mW/cm² for wavelength Y nm at the water level 0 (sea level). What's the mW/cm² for the same wavelength Y nm at water level Z? I'm most interested in UV-A and UV-B ...
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Heliox saturation diving excursions nitrogen levels in Breathing gas medium
The main question is on of effect of changing the composition of breathing gas mixture.
When breathing a mixture 10% Oxygen 8% nitrogen and 82% Helium at saturated levels, will there be an effect if ...
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Minimum operating depth for lean SCUBA gas
when doing deep decompression SCUBA diving where a travel gas is used I am curious how to calculate the minimum operating gas for a lean O2 mixture (like 10%). Obviously the maximum is calculated by ...
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Using mini scuba sets: 1L-3L tanks
Are the mini scuba sets (e.g like the ones by Smaco, with tanks of a few liters that are filled using a hand pump) safe for open water diving up to a depth of around 10m?
I have no experience in ...
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How can divers be sure that there are no sharks or other lethal water animals where they dive?
I've always been scared of sharks. It seems like the most natural thing in the world to be afraid of. I instinctively haven't forgotten what it was like for my ancestors to swim around in that big, ...
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Can you see further when diving with a flashlight in cloudy water?
Yesterday I've lost my diving mask when I jumped into a gravel pond. The diving mask is yellow and easy to see, but I immediately lost sight of it because the water is / was very cloudy and it sunk ...
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How to get out of thicker wetsuits efficiently and quickly?
I've always had a problem getting out of thicker wetsuits (4/3 mm and above, chestzip with/without hoodies). I would like advice from anyone who has tips getting out of these types of thick wetsuits (...
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How can I tell if there's a camouflaged octopus in a coral reef, so I can keep from disturbing it?
This question is based on my desire to avoid disturbing, injuring, or scaring away an octopus which is camouflaged to look like a coral reef. Since it's so difficult to see, I'd like to know how to ...
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Where in the world do you need a cave diving certification to dive?
Firstly a preface: all training's good and especially overhead training where the environment's so unforgiving. Plus lots of practice.
Where around the world are dive locations where you must have ...
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Is there anywhere to dive in the Mediterranean that's like the Red Sea?
Have heard great things about diving in the Red Sea. However, Egypt's not the most stable and safe place to visit.
What are the alternative locations for diving in the European side of the ...
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Why didn’t diver Yuri Lipski inflate his buoyancy control device?
I saw the footage of the fatal diving accident of Yuri Lipski. One thing I wonder is what really happened. He doesn’t seem to try to inflate his Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) to get back up.
Did he ...
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No Stop Limit for Recreational Scuba Diving
No decompression diving (No stop diving) refers to "diving that you can always ascend directly to the surface without stopping, yet without significant risk of decompression sickness" (according to ...
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Can I reuse the PADI Scuba Diving e-training for another person?
My brother and I are planning to get PADI, (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), certified. The e-learning course in July, 2018 is $180, which isn't super cheap. Can I buy one and re-use ...
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What are possible ways to drink on a long scuba dive?
On longer dives, let's say over an hour long, the air from the cylinder becomes rather dry and can cause a dry throat - what are possible ways to have a drink when scuba diving? Are there alternatives ...
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Where are good dive sites to scuba dive with seahorses?
In a couple of weeks my buddy (husband) and I will be doing a few dives on the UK's Jurassic coastline, in Swanage.
It's said if the vis (visibility) is good here you can often see seahorses, as they ...
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What are good dive sites to scuba dive with cuttlefish?
My husband and I scuba dive together often, and he really wants to get the chance to scuba dive with cuttlefish (and why not they are super cute!).
This can involve night diving. What dive sites are ...
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Scuba diving right after passing certification
I'm looking to go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef next year. I've not yet been certified, but I plan to do it soon.
If my only scuba experience is the certification course, do I need to worry ...
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How to avoid getting cold when diving?
I've done a few scuba dives and really enjoy it, except (diving or not) I get cold quickly when submerged. I have very low body fat and relatively low blood pressure (though I am healthy overall) so ...
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Lead shot vs Lead block weights
When scuba diving I use a weight belt for my weight system - my BCD does have an integrated weight system, but I am still working on my weight distribution for trim, and total amount for buoyancy.
My ...
- 15.4k
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What part of the world has the largest variety of corals?
I'm fascinated by corals. I've been told there are more than a thousand varieties spread out in bodies of water throughout the world.
What part of the world has the most varieties of corals in a ...
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What are the pros and cons of both a DIN and a yoke valve for a scuba-diving regulator?
I'm looking at buying regulators for scuba-diving this weekend and we came across the options to have a DIN or a yoke valve for our first stage. What are the pros and cons of both a DIN and a yoke ...
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Is it worth getting a divemaster certification if I don't plan to work as a professional dive master?
I have been an avid diver for over a decade. Once upon a time, I wanted to get my divemaster certification in order to work (for a short time) as a divemaster. However, that ship has since sailed, but ...
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What should I look for in a used wet suit?
I am considering getting a used wet suit for sailing and canoeing in the early spring and next fall. What should I look for? Based on the related Q&A below, it looks like I will want 6-7mm (1/4 ...
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Special equipment for Nitrox Dive?
Is there any special equipment needed for diving with Nitrox(more than 21% O2)? In Germany there are regulations and laws that say that you can only dive using Nitrox if you have this special ...
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Does a diver's breath rate become slower when going deeper?
When a diver goes deeper, the air goes into the lung is compressed, compared to the state of air at sea-level ground. Accordingly, the oxygen partial pressure is higher than the ground. If a diver ...
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How to dry a BCD (Buoyancy Control Device)
Out of all my dive gear, the item that is the hardest to dry is the BCD. If the weather is nice then it is not an issue, just put it outside. The issue is drying my BCD when the weather is rather ...
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How should latex socks be fitted to a drysuit?
I've picked up a surplus used aircrew Beaufort Mk 10 Immersion Suit (for aviation use, but I think there's more likely knowledge among watersports enthusiasts). It needs latex socks adding to the ...
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Cold water regulators and warm waters
For diving in the UK in colder weather the water temperature can easily be below 10C. Warm water regulators seem to be 10C +, and then cold water regulators for below that as they need to be able to ...
- 15.4k
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How to scuba dive safely in waters that have Great White Sharks?
This is something I have been thinking about since answering this question about guessing the size of a shark. What precautions would a scuba diver take or is this something that is simply avoided?
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Can I guess the size of a shark by the size of its dorsal fin?
Is there a relative scale to which one can estimate the size of a shark by looking at its dorsal fin?
I know it will differ from species to species, but is there a general guideline maybe for each?
...
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When taking a Go Pro scuba diving, how would you mount it?
I'm taking a Go Pro to shoot some diving video, and I've never done this before. Assuming a mask mount is not an option, would you strap it to your wrist, attach it to your BC, or take it loose / on a ...
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How can I stop my scuba mask from pulling away from my face after equalizing?
I'm having what seems to be an unusual problem. After equalizing, it seems like my mask is filling with air and starts to pull away from my face and fill with water. I can press it back on my face and ...
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Will a compass work underground or underwater?
Because they rely on radio signals, GPS units generally do not work underground or underwater, but what about a plain ol' magnetic compass? Are the magnetic fields of earth present at all depths? ...
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How to transport diving knives / shears?
If I am required to transport my diving equipment (in the UK and Abroad) what are the best practices of transporting my diving knife / shears?
If on a plane this can just go in the hold luggage same ...
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What wetsuit thickness is recommended in which temperatures for diving?
I'm soon to embark on a chilly scuba dive around 5-7C at 18m, of which we'll be wearing 7mm semi-drys with shorties. The next thickest I think is actually a drysuit for really cold waters, but not ...
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How do PADI and SSI qualifications match up?
In a similar manner to this question: When describing my PADI qualifications with a CMAS diver, is there a well know equivalence table? How do the PADI qualifications match up to the SSI ones? Is ...
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Diving mask colouring
I'm learning to dive and the first purchase is a mask and snorkel. The issue I have is discerning what mask to get colour-wise. There seem to be two main types for the silicon, clear and black. The ...
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What locations to scuba dive inland in the UK?
My husband and I are learning to Scuba dive this year with a friend. We're doing the SSI courses, which require a large number of dives to progress through each qualification. Open Water through to ...
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I've been out of the water for a little over a year; what should I focus on refreshing before I dive again?
I've been scuba diving for several years, but it's been a little while now since the last time. I last dove in the summer of 2014, and I'm traveling to Chile next month and am hoping to go diving ...
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How many lumens for a diving torch?
Title says it all really. I am looking to buy a diving torch as I am taking up diving next year.
What am I looking for? They seem to range from 100lm to 2500lm. Realistically how many lumens are ...
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What will the water temperature be at Sharm el-Sheikh at a depth of 30m in October?
You can easily find the temperatures at the surface of the sea.
However, to choose the correct diving suit, I would like to know the temperatures that can be expected at a depth of about 30 meters (...
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Where to get the DOS version of "DataTalk" (for Aladin diving computers)?
In order to configure my Aladin diving computer, I built the interface as described here.
The software "DataTalk" can be used to configure the diving computer. However, the Windows version (which can ...
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If my depth varies +- 2m when breathing in and out, what's going wrong?
This week, when diving mostly with people more experienced than myself, I noticed something about my buoyancy compared to theirs. I'm wondering how to fix it.
Before setting off, we all selected what ...
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Does "dive your deepest dive first" still apply when using a computer?
When doing my PADI open water course, including all the stuff around pressure groups and calculating maximum depth times by hand, I was told that I should always do my deepest dive first, and go ...
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Is this "dry suit cutting wrists" story realistic?
I'm reading a very good novel, called "Smilla's sense of snow". A minor figure tells this story from the time he was a frogman with the marines:
Going down, I glide through a cold belt [...] I ...
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What to look for in a snorkel?
I recently read over this post: What to consider when buying fins for recreational snorkeling and found some great advice in what to look for when purchasing fins for snorkelling.
However I was ...
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Surfacing rapidly after a Scuba Dive
I recently had my first scuba dive. And the other instructor here was referring to something that is related to air Embolism as I overheard, that one should not surface too rapidly after a deep dive.
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When describing my PADI qualifications with a CMAS diver, is there a well know equivalence table?
I'm currently in a French overseas territory, and almost all of the dive centres and clubs here use the CMAS system. Whenever I've booked in for a dive, the dive centre has looked at my PADI ...
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During a safety stop, how do I avoid my feet floating up?
On my last couple of dives, I've noticed that my feet tend to float up during the 5m / 3 minute safety stop. It seems to be more of an issue when doing a safety stop using a line to ascend, but I've ...
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