Basic Scuba Diving Skills to Master
Basic Scuba Diving Skills to Master • • • • • •
Buoyancy Controlled Descents Clearing Your Mask Emergency Ascents Scuba Hand Signals Personal Awareness
Buoyancy Perhaps the number one scuba skill for every diver to master is controlling buoyancy. While mastering buoyancy is not necessarily a difficult task, it requires a calm, focused mind and steady actions. Divers do this with the help of a buoyancy control device (BCD). Buoyancy control is determined by multiple factors, namely BC inflation, ballast weight, trim, exposure suit buoyancy, depth, and breath control. You will consume less air when your buoyancy is on point. By managing your buoyancy, you’ll avoid damaging corals, artifacts, and marine habitats by dragging your instruments or limbs near the seafloor.
Controlled Descents Descending for a dive, doesn’t sound particularly complicated. After all it’s just going underwater, however situations can arise that make you descent a little less simple. After making sure your gear is set and the current is safe for diving, you will need to constantly equalize the pressure in your ears as you descend; for some divers, that could mean every 12-18 inches. Descending too quickly can cause your eardrums to rupture, which could lead to more serious complications.
Clearing Your Mask It’s inevitable that water will get into your mask since no mask seal is impenetrable underwater. You may smile and cause your skin to buckle (which breaks the seal) or your mask may get bumped out of position. To do proper scuba mask clearing, inhale deeply through your mouth then press the top ridge of your mask to your forehead while opening the bottom seal and blowing hard through your nose. Tilt your head back to help the air blow out easier. If you need to stop momentarily to do so, alert your scuba buddy so you do not get separated. You should be able to master this basic scuba technique without having to stop in a short amount of time if you keep practicing.
Emergency Ascents
When ascending from a dive it is very important we keep a slow pace. If we exceed our safe ascent limit there is an increased possibility of DCS. If you maintain an ascent rate of 18 meters per minute, or slower you won’t have any problems. Dive computer ascent rate are even more conservative than this, so follow your computer if you have one. This will ensure a super slow and safe ascent rate.
Scuba Hand Signals Underwater communication equipment is expensive and not always reliable sometimes it can be fail, so don’t spend your time daydreaming about talking to your dive buddy underwater learn appropriate hand signals instead. Some hand signals will vary depending on your location and the person giving the briefing, but the major signals, like “out of air” and “okay,” are universal. Pay careful attention to the hand signals discussed at the dive briefing so you know how to signal to your buddy your tank pressure, if your ears are not equalizing, or if there are certain marine animals in the vicinity.
Personal Awareness
Personal awareness is about having an understanding yourself throughout the entirety of the dive. Throughout the dive, you should have an understanding of where your body is relative to the reef and relative to the other divers. You should also know your normal rate of air consumption – at depths less than 60 feet (I normally go through 1000psi per 20 minutes). Think about your idiosphere when you go diving. Try to visualize your idiosphere as you think about your buoyancy skills, and your personal awareness will improve immediately.
A Skilled Diver is a Safe Diver Exploring the depths of the ocean can be an eye-opening and fun experience. By mastering the basic diving skills, risks can be minimized. With enough practice, you too can become a diver who is ready and capable of handling all kinds of diving situations.
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