37
votes
Will a compass work underground or underwater?
Compasses are good equipment both spelunking and diving. Even the deepest cave you could go to is still near the earth's surface, geologically speaking. The earth's magnetic field is also essentially ...
- 4,219
19
votes
Accepted
Diving mask colouring
In my experience fitting people with Dive masks frame colours almost entirely come down to personal preference. As others have noted the actual silicone skirt of the masks, as well as the shape of the ...
- 468
13
votes
Diving mask colouring
In general, a black silicon mask will block out a little more light from close to your face. But for me, the effect is unnoticed unless I specifically look for it.
Frame colors have never made any ...
- 276
12
votes
Accepted
Cold water regulators and warm waters
It is likely your cold water reg has diaphragam-like first stage which makes it particularly suited for cold water as well as contaminated water (which is not necessary the case for piston first stage)...
- 186
12
votes
Does a diver's breath rate become slower when going deeper?
Your breathing rate is not affected, although experienced divers always try and breath slow, deep and continuous, to conserve air and keep airways open.
The higher partial pressure of gasses does ...
- 1,620
12
votes
Accepted
Special equipment for Nitrox Dive?
Yes, and no, it kind of depends on the local laws.
So long as your equipment is covered by your manufacturer guarantee, and you will have to bear in mind as will all diving the local laws and ...
- 15.4k
12
votes
Accepted
How to avoid getting cold when diving?
It sounds like you need your very own wetsuit, preferably one that is made for cold waters. Not sure if you can be too warm in a wetsuit, honestly, I am not an expert in this, but you definitely need ...
- 3,474
10
votes
Diving mask colouring
I have found the differences are mostly subconscious, and a matter of personal preference. Black blocks your widest of peripheral visions. You almost never look out that far, but your brain does ...
- 295
10
votes
Accepted
Using mini scuba sets: 1L-3L tanks
TL;DR, short answer: NO, THEY ARE TOTALLY NOT SAFE TO DIVE WITH! YOU WILL DIE.
Longer answer
If you check out the description of such gimmicky gadgets, you will notice that they're billed as "...
- 1,748
9
votes
Accepted
What wetsuit thickness is recommended in which temperatures for diving?
Wet suit thickness is a very personal thing. I for instance dive in a 3mm shorty in 15C and higher and 3mm one piece for temperatures under 15C and above 6C
Remember that you can also layer. So I ...
- 1,620
9
votes
When taking a Go Pro scuba diving, how would you mount it?
Personally while scuba diving I have it on a monopod with a strap around my wrist. Not only does this prevent bubbles clouding your shot, it allows you to extend it beyond your normal reach.
Ever ...
- 3,175
9
votes
Is it worth getting a divemaster certification if I don't plan to work as a professional dive master?
How about leaving the PADI fold and moving on to other styles of diving, for example technical diving: where you can learn to do much longer dives with decompression (an hour at 30 metres?); where ...
- 1,086
8
votes
Accepted
How to transport diving knives / shears?
It really depends on locations so if you are traveling make a point to check. Your local club should be able to give you all the info for your area and abroad if they organize group dives in other ...
- 3,280
8
votes
Accepted
What should I look for in a used wet suit?
You do not want a 6-7mm wetsuit for spring canoeing, you'd have trouble moving freely in it, and you would overheat very easily. They use 7mm wetsuits for arctic diving. I surf and swim in glacier ...
- 53.5k
8
votes
Accepted
What are the pros and cons of both a DIN and a yoke valve for a scuba-diving regulator?
DIN is always a better connector than the older and inferior yoke format which for some reason is far more prevalent in the US and surrounding countries.
There are several drawbacks to the yoke:
the ...
- 1,086
8
votes
Accepted
What are possible ways to drink on a long scuba dive?
I have no experience in this but It seems logical that you can drink while underwater.
This thread seems to confirm that.
Most importantly you should use a soft pouch as a container with a straw.
...
- 1,970
8
votes
No Stop Limit for Recreational Scuba Diving
The amount of nitrogen in your body is only part of it. Nitrogen is absorbed quicker by your lipid, or fat, tissues at greater depths. The cut off point for a non-deep PADI qualified diver is 30m. ...
- 3,175
8
votes
How can divers be sure that there are no sharks or other lethal water animals where they dive?
People have varying levels of shark awareness, anxiety and tolerance. To start with, you're really quite unlikely to get eaten by a shark. Much more likely to drown for some reason.
A big part of ...
7
votes
How to transport diving knives / shears?
very simple answer:
On a plane, always check them into the hold;
Everywhere else, keep
them in your dive bag until you need to strap it on before diving,
after the dive take it off and place back ...
- 1,620
7
votes
What locations to scuba dive inland in the UK?
In the south of England, the main three centres are
Vobster Quay in Summerset: lots of attractions to play on and a tunnel to swim though (at an angle, so a good buoyancy test). Max depth circa ...
- 1,086
7
votes
Accepted
How do PADI and SSI qualifications match up?
So researching on the net a little bit shows some slightly different certifications than I had thought, however the specialist diver is something you get every 2 specialisations with SSI and the ...
- 15.4k
7
votes
Diving mask colouring
I'm only a beginner, but...
I found in my very first pool dive that losing my peripheral vision with a black silicone skirt on the mask gave me immediate and profound claustrophobia. I spent the ...
- 2,219
7
votes
Accepted
I've been out of the water for a little over a year; what should I focus on refreshing before I dive again?
Diving is first and foremost a PRACTICAL skill so the best way to practise is to do it. Yes you can read through the books to refresh your theory, but this will not refresh your ability to dive. But ...
- 1,620
7
votes
What will the water temperature be at Sharm el-Sheikh at a depth of 30m in October?
A good estimation is to deduct 5 degrees Celsius from surface temperature to get temperature at 20m - 30m depth. (This is based on my experience over thousands of dives, but most of the diving is in ...
- 1,620
7
votes
How to avoid getting cold when diving?
As an answer that will be of immediate use without investing a lot of money:
You can wear two wetsuits, one over the other. I have done this in the past when the rental place couldn't provide a warm ...
- 12.7k
7
votes
What are possible ways to drink on a long scuba dive?
Dehydration is a very bad thing when diving and can lead to DCS (Decompression Sickness) as the blood thickens.
One of the most important scuba devices is a Pee Valve which allows you to urinate ...
- 1,086
7
votes
No Stop Limit for Recreational Scuba Diving
Answering the specific question: why does a shorter but deeper dive leave a lower residual nitrogen limit than a longer shallower dive.
Common gas absorption decompression models such as Buhlmann ...
- 1,086
7
votes
Accepted
Why didn’t diver Yuri Lipski inflate his buoyancy control device?
It is always difficult commenting on what exactly happened and what was going through someone's mind. And in the end it is speculation.
There is a good chance that he was overloaded and as he ...
- 1,620
6
votes
If my depth varies +- 2m when breathing in and out, what's going wrong?
Moving vertically +-2m is a lot. An awful lot. It shouldn't be more than a few cms. This sounds like there's something else going on.
Good buoyancy requires lots of practice to master. The best ...
- 1,086
6
votes
Accepted
How many lumens for a diving torch?
This is not an easy question to answer. More lumens means better light, normally also further range. But if you dive in areas with lots of suspended particles in the water you will get a lot of back ...
- 1,620
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