Of all the Frequently Asked Questions in Scuba Diving, queries regarding the proper time to fly after diving is one of the most common asked. The dilemma usually crops up, cos as divers we are always keen to squeeze in those few extra dives just before we have to make the most of our diving trips, after-all you just heard the other divers spot a manta ray at a particular dive site, what if it’s still around this afternoon? or you really wanted to have one last look at the amazing Electric Flame Scallop you’ve never even heard of before…whatever the reasons you’re wondering whether it’s reasonable to dive on the day of departure or the evening/night before an early flight.

The U.S. Navy tables recommend that you wait at least two hours before you board a plane after scuba diving; the U.S. Air Force says you should wait 24 hours; DAN recommends a 12-hour minimum surface interval before flying; PADI Flying After Diving guidelines say that you should not go to an altitude (fly) within 12 hours of completing a single dive or 18 hours when doing multiple dives (where possible wait 24 hours)….So which guideline should you follow?

Truth of the matter is that ascending to an altitude immediately after diving causes a significant risk for decompression sickness. Flying after diving, increases this risk because of the decreasing atmospheric pressure as we ascend. You might have only a few tiny bubbles, causing no problems at all, in your body when you reach the surface after a dive. If, however, you go flying, the small bubbles can expand (due to the reduction in pressure with altitude) and could cause the onset of DCS symptoms.

So what’s the minimum time you should give before flying after diving?
Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward correct answer to the question. It all boils down to the risk you are willing to take.

The current winner of the debate is a DAN guideline which states:
a. A minimum surface interval of 12 hours is required before ascent in a commercial aircraft (8000 foot (2438 m.) cabin).
b. Wait an extended surface interval beyond twelve hours (18 hours or more is suggested) after daily, multiple dives for several days or dives that required decompression stops.
c. The greater the diving the longer the duration (some sources say 24-48 hrs) recommended before flying.

The above is for sports diving and should not apply to commercial diving or nitrox diving. Because of the complex nature of DCS and because decompression schedules are based on unverifiable assumptions, there can never be a fixed flying after diving rule that can guarantee prevention of bends completely.

Whether you wait 12 hours or 24 hrs there are no guarantees that you won’t get decompression sickness when you fly. However, the longer your pre-flight surface interval time, the more nitrogen you expel from your system which minimizes the risk of decompression sickness. We recommend you use your judgment and consider some factors before making your decision like- The number of previous dives you’ve made on this dive trip, type of dives (decompression, non-decompression, altitude dives, nitrox etc), your general health and your age. The estimated DCS probability for the 12-hour flying-after-diving surface interval is about 1 percent. Of the 300,000 to 400,000 people who fly home 12 to 24 hours after their last dive, the estimated incidence of decompression sickness among these divers is about 0.004 percent, making the 12-24 hour rule the most followed among divers across the world.

*Photo Credits: photos by caribb, ianmyles, rsgranne on flickr

References:
Divers Alert Network

Divers Insurance is something that is important to have for any recreational Scuba Diver, however there simply isn’t enough awareness as to its benefits which is why so many people fail to opt for it. A diving related accident is a very serious matter and can involve major medical expenses and related expenses that most ordinary medical and travel policies simply do not cover. Diver’s insurance gives you specialized coverage designed specifically for divers including a wide range of diving related accidents, injuries, and even extended coverage such as dive equipment and dive trip cancellation coverage.

Companies or Organization specializing in Diver’s Insurance are not very common and the six biggest providers are: DAN, PADI, NAUI, DiveSafe, DiveAssure and Diver’s Security Insurance (DSI).  It is important to find out whether the insurance provider is a primary insurer (provides coverage itself) or is a secondary insurer (engages another company to cover) as rates and policy flexibility depends on this.

What does Divers Insurance cover?
Divers Insurance policies cover everything from Dive Accident Insurance, Trip Insurance, Dive Equipment & Camera Insurance to Group Life Insurance.

Dive Accident Insurance
Dive Accident injuries and related costs can run into staggering numbers, as it may include the cost of airlifting the insured to seek medical attention at the nearest hypobaric treatment facility, which may involve Helicopter or private jet fees, as well as the treatment itself which is highly expensive and may require a series of re-compression treatments.  Dive Accident Insurance usually covers dive related hyperbaric chamber treatment and emergency evacuation, both at home and abroad and includes other injuries that may occur while scuba diving.

Some policies have depth restrictions, commonly 130 feet. Which may seem like a lot, but accidents being unintentional could involve unexpectedly dropping below 130 feet being dragged by sudden currents or equipment failure, where a policy without a specified depth limit is better to have. Also ensure while selecting your policy that the plan covers dive injuries other than DCI and also snorkeling and skin diving, otherwise it isn’t suitable.

Dive Accident insurance is no substitute for a primary medical insurance plan, as certain treatment of Dive related injuries such as rehabilitation, associated injuries etc, are usually not covered.

Trip Insurance
More comprehensive scuba accident policies provide trip cancellation and interruption benefits as well, often providing a broader coverage against airline cancellation and natural disasters. Diver’s insurance policies usually have several different categories of coverage (eg: Gold, Silver, Platinum plans etc) which describe the degree of comprehensive cover specified the above including the standard Diving Accident insurance.

Dive Equipment & Camera Insurance
Dive Equipment & Camera Insurance, covers loss of scuba gear and equipment due to water damage and also loss of equipment due to theft or lost baggage. Dive Equipment includes, Underwater Cameras, Housings, Lenses, Strobes, Regulators, BCD’s, Dive Computers, Tanks, Masks, Fins, Sync Cords, Watches and Miscellaneous Equipment (such as gloves, booties, dive knives, dive bags, camera filters, etc).  If you haul around a lot of expensive scuba diving gear then additional dive equipment & camera coverage is recommended.

*Photo Credits: photos by Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten on flickr

For those recreational Scuba Divers who are getting bored of ordinary dives, and are looking for a new underwater thrill or adventure, how about something that incorporates scuba diving and the thrill of treasure hunting? We are talking about the newest rage known as Scuba Geocaching that is rapidly becoming more and more popular each day.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term Geocaching (pronounced Geo-Cashing), it is a game played worldwide that was born with the advent of the handheld personal GPS device becoming increasingly cheaper and popular; it involves hiding of a ‘geocache’ or a container with a logbook and some kind of ‘treasure’ usually a trinket, and then the GPS co-ordinates of the location of the cache is uploaded to a website along with some clues. Anyone with a GPS device can attempt to locate this ‘geocache’ and if found, can sign their name in the log-book, take a picture of the trinket, or take the trinket itself replacing it with one of their own for the next Geocacher to find and post their find on the website. Geocachers follow strict rules to always replace the cache and leave behind an object for the next person to find, and also try and ensure that the Geocache itself isn’t stored in plain sight where a ‘non-player’ might chance across the cache which is usually a Tupperware box, or plastic tube and remove it from it’s location.

What started out as a terrestrial based game, has recently turned into Geocachers coming up with increasingly difficult locations to hide their treasure, and it was only a matter of time before a Geocacher combined his/her love for Scuba Diving with the game and started  underwater Geocaching.

Scuba/Underwater Geocaching follows the same rules as regular terrestrial Geocaching, with the exception of several challenges. Underwater Geocaches can be placed anywhere from lakes, to reefs or deep ocean drop-off but within recreational diving limits. Firstly the Cache itself needs to be waterproof, able to withstand water pressure, corrosion, and should be negatively buoyant so that it stays underwater. The most popular Geocaching portal geocaching.com stipulates that any underwater cache that needs special equipment  (such as Scuba Gear) to find, must be classified as a category/Type 5 (T5), and increases the difficulty of the hunt.   Additionally for underwater caches, GPS co-ordinates will be taken from where the boat anchors, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact underwater location without providing visual reference clues of its whereabouts underwater.

Mostly underwater geocaches contain a waterproof dive slate, or waterproof log-book so that the diver can open the cache and fill out the find details underwater itself. In this case often a net mesh bag is used as the cache. You can also create a ‘multi-cache’ where one stage is submerged and you have to dive for it with a clue to an on-shore cache containing the logbook.

As with anything that is submerged, owners of the cache will need to check on it regularly, or design it in a way that it doesn’t affect the stage if it gets wet. Fine silt on the bottom of sea or lake beds disturb easily, often covering the cache making the search almost impossible sometimes.

Nevertheless the challenges involved in locating an underwater geocache is what makes the activity even more fun and exciting. So look up your local Geocache listings and see if you can uncover one of these underwater treasure troves. Happy Hunting!

Photos from flickr by: topherous, Scouse_and_Jules, Bill.Roehl, brianellin, Nemo’s great uncle

Here’s a look at 10 qualities to look for in a good dive buddy, to make your dives stress free and more than just pleasant-

1. Communication
One of the most important qualities of a good buddy is being able to communicate clearly and instantly underwater. This is not just hand signs but the whole process i.e. message passed, received, returned and understood, without so much as a signal. If you find yourself having to break the flow of your dive just to get your message across to your buddy then communication between the two of you isn’t great.  Good communication encompasses everything from understanding each other’s hand signals, to facial expressions, gestures, and feelings through eye contact. Just imagine in an emergency situation trying to signal to your buddy to share air, while he/she is busy wondering what type of fish you are trying to signal. A good buddy will probably by just looking at you, signal to you his gas consumption without even you having to make the signal for “how much air do you have left?”

2. Trust
Trusting your Dive Buddy is paramount in scuba diving especially when you are essentially entrusting your life and safety to him/her underwater. Knowing your dive buddy beforehand is important to building up this trust. If your dive buddy is a close friend, acquaintance, relative or your spouse, often trust comes easily and automatically making them 50% there to becoming a good dive buddy. Often when your Dive Master or Dive Instructor assigns you somebody you don’t know as your buddy, the issue of trust creeps in, and getting to know your dive buddy before the dive will go a long way into you being comfortable diving with him/her underwater rather than stressed.

3. Matching Skills
Always dive with a buddy that closely matches your diving skills underwater and shares your depth limits. This way you won’t be forced out of your comfort zone, or force your buddy out of his/hers. Skills don’t just relate to certification level, i.e Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Dive Master etc.  Also ensure your buddy has similar or comparable experience to yours, so that if a situation arises, either of you could assist one another, rather than one being dependent on the other.

4. Complementary Interests
Having the same dive goals and sharing similar interests goes a long way towards a good buddy. Just imagine the times your buddy has been busy skimming the sea bed examining macro creatures, while you’ve been disinterested hovering above looking for sharks and other pelagic fish. Similar case when your buddy is an underwater photographer casing you to frequently having to stop and wait breaking the flow of your dive. At the end of the dive when you both excitedly chatter away about the things you saw underwater, you know you share the same interests.

5. Pace
We’ve all faced this at some point or the other where your dive buddy swims much faster than you  resulting in you having to stare at his 6 O’clock the entire dive, or vice versa where your quicker pace makes you have to constantly hold back and wait for your buddy to catch up. This causes unnecessary stress and or resentment, taking away from the fun of the dive and so it is essential that you have a buddy that has a similar pace to yours underwater.

6. Positioning
Though connected to pace but not necessarily, the formation or positioning of your buddy through the dive dictates qualities of a good dive buddy. A good buddy will stick to you like glue without getting in your way or constantly bumping into each other. You know you have a good buddy when you do not have to use more than a 1/4 turn your head to either side to know where your buddy is at anytime during the dive. Having to look up, or down or even stop to turn around constantly means you have your positioning all wrong.

7. Good Judgment
Having similar skills does not necessarily mean that your buddy will have the good judgment to act on those skills when required. A good buddy knows when it’s time to call it a day, and make good decisions based on the situation, knows limits and depths, and avoids unnecessary decompression dives. Good judgment includes the ability to call you out on your mistakes underwater and keep you in check and within the boundaries of safe diving.

8. Good Situational Awareness
A good buddy should have constant situational awareness paying attention to gas consumption, depth, navigation, pace, currents, your gas consumption, your position, your signals, your discomfort with equalization etc. We’ve all dived with the buddy that stares straight down or ahead like a donkey with blinders on. You have to wave about to get his/her attention, and more often than not they haven’t a clue where they are.

9. Similar Air Consumption
Pairing up with a dive buddy that runs out of air while you still have half your tank left is rather annoying and most of us have experienced this at some point of time. A good buddy should  have similar gas consumption rates as yourself allowing you both to have similar dive times and enjoy the dive without worrying about when your buddy is going to run out of air. Similar air consumption gives you the peace of mind and ability to ascertain from your depth gauge, what your buddy’s air would be like through the dive and plan navigation accordingly.

10. Will not push you out of your diving comfort zone and skill level
A dive buddy that will dive to depths beyond your prescribed comfort zone and skill levels, or attempt maneuvers, dive in strong currents, unsafe conditions, poor visibility conditions, push decompression limit times or descend and ascend at speeds you are not comfortable with, is not a good buddy.  Even if your buddy is more than capable of it, just putting you in a situation that is outside your comfort zone is inconsiderate and possibly risky.

* Photo Credits: photos by Scuba_thib, Saspotato, Daniel, Daniel Kwok, leafbug on flickr

One of the most frequently asked question by divers starting out in underwater photography is what causes distorted and blurry pictures underwater? Most divers will end up taking hundreds of photographs on a dive trip only to find a handful of usable, clear, sharp photographs,  with the rest being  inexplicably fuzzy and blurry. Here are some useful tips on the causes of out-of-focus pictures underwater which may help point & shoot camera users to get their photographs in sharper focus.

Not enough light
One of the primary reasons for blurry pictures underwater is insufficient light. Poor light makes it difficult for your camera to focus on the subject; it additionally sets your camera to take photos at a slower shutter speed to allow more light to reach the sensor. The slower shutter speed plays havoc underwater when all of your subjects including yourself are moving, and you need to remain stiller than normal. This is the reason why most UW Photographers invest in a good external strobe, or a pair of external strobes to compensate for the loss of light. The inbuilt flashes on most point & shoot cameras are not powerful enough to illuminate subjects at a distance underwater properly, however if you don’t have external strobes, make sure your built in flash is set to forced fire or shoot in shallower waters.

Featured above the Sealife SL109 DC1000 Digital MAXX Camera, with the SL961 Digital Pro Flash available at Leisurepro.com

Suspended Water Particles
Often your camera’s autofocus is programmed to lock on to the closest subject it ‘sees’, and will lock on to floating particles or water debris, causing your camera to ‘hunt’ continuously for your subject.  Upon inspection of these photographs, if you see the white particles known as backscatter in focus but your intended subject blurry, you are facing a problem with backscatter. Using manual focus to correct this is not possible using a point and shoot, so one has to attempt to shoot subjects on contrasting backgrounds, get up close to your subject, or use an external strobe mounted on the side to illuminate your subject and not the particles.

Shutter Lag
Although most modern point and shoot cameras, have decent shutter lag times, often you’ll get a camera that has a significant delay from the time you depress the shutter till the time the picture is actually taken; this is known a shutter lag. Cameras with shutter lag require the diver to stay still for a moment longer after depressing the shutter release button. This is often hard to do when you are taking a picture of a moving fish, where you need to anticipate the position the fish will be in and press the button; additionally you will need to remain incredibly still otherwise you’ll end up ruining all your photographs.  Cameras with long shutter lags are no good for underwater photography, especially since everything is moving.

Camera Preset Mode
Several photographers don’t even realize that their camera’s have separate modes for Macro and Landscape photography. The Macro mode, which usually is indicated by a flower icon on most cameras, adjusts the cameras lens to take pictures with very little distance between the lens and the subject (refer to your camera manual to find out how much distance). If this mode is turned on, the camera may not take good landscapes, or distant pictures, as it is constantly hunting for a Macro subject that is nearest the lens.  The same applies for the landscape mode (indicated by a picture of a hill) which if turned on, attempts to focus at infinity or distant objects and not objects nearby. If the landscape mode of your camera is turned on and you are inches away from say a shrimp, you will probably get a blurry picture as your camera which should’ve been in Macro mode is busy trying to focus from infinity.

photos from flickr by Star5112, mrjorgen

One of the most frequently asked question by divers starting out in underwater photography is what causes distorted and blurry pictures underwater? Most divers will end up taking hundreds of photographs on a dive trip only to find a handful of usable, clear, sharp photographs,  with the rest being  inexplicably fuzzy and blurry. Here are some useful tips on the causes of out-of-focus pictures underwater PART 2 which may help point & shoot camera users to get their photographs in sharper focus.

Camera Zoom
When taking pictures underwater with a point and shoot, avoid using your cameras zoom as much as possible, and try getting closer to your subject instead at a wide angle (zoom fully retracted). The more you zoom, the more sensitive your camera is to movement, causing even the minutest of motions to result in blurry images. Imagine your zoom lens as looking through a telescope at a star, even a slight movement translates into a large shift, or shake.

Shutter speed is too slow
To get a correct exposure your camera could be selecting a shutter speed that is too slow to freeze the action or allow for a little camera movement resulting in blurry pictures. If you cannot manually select shutter speed, try shooting in shallower water where there is more light, or use a strobe to allow your camera to capture motion at a higher shutter speed. Bump up your ISO settings to compensate for the loss of light allowing you to take higher shutter speed snaps.

Lens fogged up.
Sometimes the reason you get blurry pictures is simply due to the lens getting fogged by the condensation inside the camera housing. If moisture is trapped inside the housing and you leave your camera in the hot sun on the dive boat, you are likely to have condensation build-up inside your housing. A silica desiccant packet should help to keep the moisture at bay. Also closing the camera in a dry, low humidity environment and keeping your camera out of direct sunlight may help prevent this. Often while underwater the heat from your flash, or strobes, causes some build-up of condensation; a silica gel packet may help reduce this effect.

Your Buoyancy
Often the simplest cause for blurry photographs is the diver not being able to remain still enough to take the shot. As funny as this may seem, so many divers take up underwater photography with lousy buoyancy control and complain that their camera equipment is no good. Good buoyancy control is key to underwater photography, and anyone taking pictures should have done enough dives to be very comfortable with controlling his/her buoyancy underwater.

Brace the camera correctly
To get steady shots underwater try holding the camera with your elbows pressed up against your chest and not at arm’s length. This gives the camera greater stability, as your body absorbs the shock and vibrations.

Gently depress the shutter release button
While pressing the shutter release button, do so smoothly in one swift motion so as to not cause the shifting of the camera. This takes practice. We suggest plenty of surface photography first to get familiar with the camera and depressing the shutter smoothly in a fluid motion without jarring the housing before taking it underwater.

Motion Blur
Sometime you get blurry shots simply because your subjects, namely fish, and yourself, the photographer, are constantly in motion causing motion blur. If you get your photographs with the subject blur but the background clear, then it’s usually caused by the movement of your subject , or a shutter speed not fast enough to freeze the action of the movement.  Shoot with high shutter speeds and practice on stationery subjects like coral first, then slow moving fish, or turtles, until you get the hang of it. A technique used to capture moving subjects known as ‘panning’ involves moving the camera with the movement of your subject as you depress the shutter and follow through once you are done. This technique is supposed to get you a clear subject but motion blur on the background.

* photos from flickr by: Quinn.anya , jurvetson , PhotopediaPhotos

As a part of our on-going look at various jobs available to scuba divers, today we look at the highly competitive and difficult job of Hull Cleaning.

The Hull of a boat refers to its main body, and hull cleaning involves cleaning from waterline of the vessel to the bottom of the keel, all running gear, trims, shaft, transducers, knot meters, rudders and intakes. When we discuss hull cleaning as a job for scuba divers we are referring to smaller craft (up to 30—40 feet) in private marinas for both salt and fresh water.

The hull of a boat left in water over time accumulates all kinds of algae, marine life, and barnacles that attach to the bottom of the boat. This growth increases the fuel consumption of the vessel, by causing frictional resistance and increasing the weight of the vessel significantly which causes strain on the engines. Fuel economy is undoubtedly one of the major reasons for hull upkeep; a lightly coated hull of a boat could increase its fuel costs by up to 15-20%.  A smooth clean hull is essential to assuring optimal performance of the boat and maximum fuel economy, no wonder the demand for hull cleaning is high among boat owners.

The job of cleaning a boats submerged exterior is no easy feat. Hull cleaning requires divers to clean the bottom of a boat without damaging the coating or scraping off the paint which is a difficult task to accomplish and requires technique and knowledge of different boat paint coatings. Cleaners often have to contact the manufacturer’s rep to get information about paint coatings used for certain boats before cleaning them. Making the cleaners job harder  is the fact that most marinas freshwater or salt water, are often fouled by murky waters, boat oil, chemicals, sea weed or pond weed making it a difficult and often dangerous job. Fouled hulls can be sharp with barnacles growing on them, and hull cleaners require thick workman’s gloves to avoid getting cut on these sharp surfaces. Another hazard of the job is swimmers ear which is an infection of the ear canal caused by many types of bacteria or fungi.

Scuba diving equipment for this job varies from diver to diver. Apart the usual equipment comprising of a suction cup device to hold onto the boat an assortment of brushes and scrapping tools, breathing apparatus varies from diver to diver based on personal preference and regulations in place at the marina. While some use the regular back mounted scuba tank to do the job, others find this clumsy and inefficient, opting for the more complex hookah systems where a compressor on the surface feeds air down a long tube to the diver, substituting the need for a tank and allowing the diver to stay dong for much longer periods of time. Some marinas don’t allow these noisy hookah systems resulting in several hull cleaning divers to opt for a hybrid system where the scuba tank is left on the dock, and a long hookah pipe is used allowing the diver greater flexibility protecting the boat from tank dings and dents.

Entry into the job of hull cleaning is also no easy task, and almost impossible for the casual part-timer, as apart from being fiercely competitive, almost all marinas require a general Liability policy as well as a Workman’s Compensation policy even if you work alone. The price of the insurance makes it almost impossible to do it part-time.  Also most boat owners rarely change their known hull cleaners in several years, often making it difficult to get new customers.

As for pricing, the job attracts different rates in different marinas and cleaning is charged on a price per foot basis, ranging from a dollar per foot to as much as $6/ft. The number of customers you have determines your income, which isn’t too much after you factor in liability insurance, and overheads. The rate for cleaning hulls is usually based on a percentage of the cost the marina charges for hauling out a boat from the water. If the haul-out charges are high, owners opt for underwater hull cleaning more often driving up the demand.  Hull Cleaners often gain additional income by replacing propeller shafts, propellers and other maintenance activities, including above water exterior cleaning of boats etc.

*photos from flickr by: nz_willowherb , bettyx1138, keempoo, Hamed Saber

A few questions that get asked a lot by divers are, what constitutes a good pre-dive breakfast? Is it okay to eat before you dive? Is having breakfast before a dive necessary? What kinds of surface interval snacks are beneficial? Today we attempt to answer some of these Scuba Diver Diet questions below.

Breakfast and Scuba Diving
Contrary to what many divers think, for a normal morning 2 tank dive, one should always have proper breakfast before their dives. Your body usually burns calories to stay warm underwater, and the exercise of swimming and diving require a large amount of energy In the form of calories. A good breakfast provides your body with the necessary source of fuel to expend while diving while preventing you from spending your dive shivering constantly.

What kind of breakfast should a scuba diver have before a day’s diving?
Try to eat something that will give you a long lasting energy supply. It is recommended that a light breakfast free from heavy fats, sugars and oils is best. A breakfast of cereal, fruit, yogurt, toast, muffins, bagels and even egg , will give you sufficient slow burning energy, your body needs to keep you warm during your dive. Try to restrict yourself to eat bland, non-greasy and non-acidic foods, trust me you don’t want heart burn underwater. Also be sure not to overeat, eat just enough to last until lunch.

A key recommendation for divers is to drink plenty of fluids in the morning. Tea, juices, and water are key to preventing dehydration on the boat or while diving. Avoid excessive orange Juice consumption as its acidic nature may make you sea sick. Consumption of too much coffee before a dive is also not recommended as caffeine acts as a diuretic which brings on dehydration. Dehydration can play a significant role in DCS so consume plenty of water before your dive or restrict yourself to decaf, or tea instead.

The saying about eating before you swim, giving you cramps is a myth. However try not to eat anything within 45 mins – 2 hrs before your dive, mainly to allow your system to digest before you set out on a boat to prevent yourself from being queasy and sea sick while on the rocking boat.   For those that get seasick easily, stay away from a heavy breakfast and try foods like ginger snaps, dry toast, cheese and crackers which usually help absorb the stomach acids, making you feel better.

Are Surface Interval Snacks Ok?
During your surface intervals, between dives, we recommend you snack on some high-carbohydrate foods, such as bananas, fruit, granola bars, energy bars, cereal bars, yogurt, cookies and biscuits to give you instant energy for your next dive. Ensure you also re-hydrate yourself between dives by drinking plenty of water or a sports drink.  Bananas are perhaps the most popular surface interval snack, although some boat captains don’t allow bananas onboard their boats, citing an old superstition that bananas bring bad luck to sailors. Try to avoid heavy starchy foods during your surface interval; your aim is to replenish your energy and fluids for your next dive after which you can eat whatever you like.

* Photo credits: photos by lepiaf.geo, sifu.Renka, happysnapper, Spanner Dan on flickr

The red flag with the white diagonal stripe running across it also known as the ‘Diver Down’ flag  or the Scuba Flag is perhaps instantly recognizable by all scuba divers. The intent of the flag is to convey to other boats in the vicinity that there is a diver submerged below this vessel or buoy/flag and that they should keep their distance to avoid hitting a diver that could surface nearby. The flag may be used on the dive boat itself or independently on a surface buoy, and often on a buoy towed by a diver below. Divers are required to restrict their dive to the vicinity of the flag, and often state/country regulations prescribe the acceptable distance.

Featured above: Aqua Nylon Dive Flag 36″ X 45″ (DF08) available at Leisurepro.com

dive-flag.com provides the interesting story of how the Diver down flag came into existence. In short, the flag was originally invented in the 1950’s by a Denzel James Dockery from Michigan, who wanted a flag to keep boats at a safe distance from dive boats. He used a combination of the Navy’s red ‘Bravo flag’ that was used to connote danger, and sewed a horizontal white stripe across it. Later when he realized that this was the national flag of Austria, he needed to change its design, and since a vertical stripe was being used as a signal flag by the navy, he used a diagonal white stripe that extended from the top left to the bottom right corner. Slowly this flag began to gain popularity, after Michigan became the first state to pass a law making it mandatory to fly the ‘Dockery’ flag on dive boats. Soon most US states followed suit and today the red and white dive flag is recognized not only as a diver down flag, but also the international symbol for scuba diving, used by scuba stores, selling or renting dive equipment, or anything associated with scuba diving all over the world.

Featured above: 20″X 24″ Nylon Alpha Flag with Grommets (DF70) available at Leisurepro.com

Interestingly though, the red and white ‘Diver Down’ flag isn’t the only internationally recognized diver flag in existence; In some countries, the practice is to use the blue-and-white A-flag known as the Alpha/Alfa flag instead. While the intent of the A-Flag is also to indicate the presence of a diver in the water, its usage is more commonly employed in Europe and the British Commonwealth.

Flying the Dive flag is mandatory in several countries and in almost all states in the US whenever conducting diving operations; however there is much debate about how truly recognizable this symbol is to non-divers and casual boaters that often do not comprehend its meaning. Several divers have reported that despite flying the Diver Down flag, other boats fail to steer clear of the dive boat or buoy and come dangerously close often putting the divers’ life at risk.  There have been several accidents across the globe involving boat collisions with surfacing divers despite flying the dive flag.  This makes the dive flag only offer some amount of protection to divers, and that the awareness of the meaning of the flag is still not widespread outside the diving and boating community.  Stricter boat licensing tests and greater public awareness seem to be the answer to this problem.

Featured above (right) Innovative Inflatable Flag-N-Float available at Leisurepro.com

In cold water diving, the use of a good pair of thick diving gloves is almost a requirement, however when discussing the necessity of gloves for warm water diving, there almost seems to be a large divide in opinions with many divers opposing the need for scuba gloves. In fact there are certain areas or dive sites where the use of scuba gloves is actually prohibited. Cozumel and Bonaire prohibit the wearing of gloves while diving to prevent divers from touching coral and creatures on the reef. Certain dive operators and boat captains also prohibit their divers wearing gloves for the same reasons.

Featured above the Bare Velocity 2mm Tropic Five Finger Glove available at Leisurepro.com

Some divers also argue that not wearing gloves makes for better motivation to perfect your buoyancy, as divers refrain from reaching out and taking the support of rocks, or ledges, and that improves their buoyancy techniques.

While it is true that you are more likely to touch, and pick things up while wearing gloves, there are several compelling reasons to wear gloves even in warm waters. Even in tropical waters, a diver loses heat through his/her extremities, and can get cold hands if underwater for extended periods of time. However the argument in favor of gloves in warm water lies more towards protection rather than warmth. Even though one shouldn’t touch anything while diving, we all know it is inevitable that you may brush against some coral or grab onto a rocky outcrop in current. And with so many razor sharp and poisonous coral and creatures on the reef, like fire coral, sea urchins, and stone fish, it could mean the difference between not getting cut or stung by wearing a pair of protective gloves.

Featured above Blue Reef 5mm kevlar Glove available at Leisurepro.com

Other situations where gloves could be useful are for Wreck diving, where a pair of protective gloves could prevent a diver from getting cut by rusty wreckage. Divers that are prone to allergic reactions to contact with certain kinds of coral and other nasties should also always gloves. Holding onto a descent line in strong current that may have sharp barnacles and other things growing on it, even boat ladders and the sides of boats are often covered in sharp rough barnacles.

While choosing a pair of gloves for warm water diving, you need a pair that will keep your hands warm but more importantly protect your hands while offering sufficient dexterity to perform simple tasks like push the tiny buttons on your underwater camera. Gloves with rubberized palm and finger coatings give a good grip, and protective materials ranging from Kevlar to steel and titanium mesh are available, so make sure you select one that meets your requirements.

Featured above the Camaro Seamless 3mm Glove available at Leisurepro.com

Wearing scuba gloves in warm water conditions is not a ‘newbie’ thing to do, as long as you don’t go around deliberately touching coral and picking up marine creatures, or flailing your arms around, which are. A good pair can offer your hands decent protection while diving and form an essential part of your scuba diving equipment.