10 Tips for Great Underwater Photos

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1. As with anything in the water it is best to best to be calm and relaxed and move slowly. Taking photos while in the water either diving or snorkeling takes a little practice and is better if you work with the elements rather then against them.

2. Try to time the taking of the photos with the movement of the water, wind and other environmental variables. Again do not fight them but relax move in harmony with the elements.

3.Whether snorkeling or diving work on your stability in the water that means your buoyancy and how you are able to balance and relax in the water. It will take some practice to be able to become stationary, but well worth the effort.

4. Start taking pictures of fixed objects first such as reefs, underwater structures, corals, etc first. This will help your stability above and give you confidence to be able to frame your picture later. Keep your distance steady, slowly adjust the camera. Making adjustments quickly and constantly will make for erractive and out of focus pictures.

5. Hire a digital camera, this way you can take as many pictures as you want without running out of film. It is best to hire a small compact digital camera without strobes until you get your buoyancy correct. Heavier cameras make it difficult to hold a steady shot for the beginner.

6. Let your dive instructor or guide know that you want to practice taking photos; this will allow them to pick something that will photograph well and also plan the dive appropriately so you have all the time you need to get confident.

7. Ask questions of your tour staff, they will be more then happy to show pointers and evaluate how to improve your photos if you ask.

8. Avoid crowds, dodging other divers and snorkelers will frustrate you as well as take away your focus from your job at hand. Stay with a friend and pay attention to each other to make sure you are in contact, it is very easy to get separated while taking photos.

9. Have fun and try to photograph subject matter you are interested in, this will make the process a lot more enjoyable and you’ll be surprised how quickly you improve if there is a little passion behind your photos.

10. Once you are confident and taking some good photos of corals have a go at the fish or turtles. If the fish or moving animals move away from you do not chase them. No matter how good a swimmer you think you are they are better. Relax and move on to the next object, if you are calm and relaxed they may even circle back giving you another opportunity for that perfect photo.

As you can see to start taking good photos you have to be relaxed and most of all enjoy the experience. After a short time you’ll be taking some great photos that you’ll be proud to show your friends, colleagues and relatives for years to come.

Thanks to New Horizon


Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Throwing cold water on winter dive doesn’t cool enthusiasm for scuba

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While Boxing Day shoppers were chasing hot bargains, Fraser Debney and three of his scuba diving friends were into something much colder – the frigid waters of the St. Lawrence River.

For Fraser, who is beginning his third year in the sport, the dive at Cardinal in Eastern Ontario was primarily to test his ability to withstand cold water without the gear normally used in such water temperatures.

“It gave me an opportunity to push the limits of my wetsuit,” said Fraser, who lives in Montreal. “The other three more experienced people had dry suits (preferred for cold-water dives because of their warmth).”

Fraser improvised by wearing a fine thermal type of underwear under his wetsuit. “I found that it works well. It gets wet but still stays warm in that layer (between the wetsuit/underwear and his body).”

He had no problem staying in the water for 25 minutes or more. Unfortunately, almost all that time was spent standing near shore helping the others with their gear because his alternate air source froze open as soon as he entered the water. “The air runs continually and there’s no way to shut it off.”

Fraser aborted his dive but the other three divers went down to the wreck of the Conestoga, a freighter carrying a cargo of wheat that burned and sank in the 1920s. Two of the divers experienced similar problems as Fraser did and had to surface. The fourth was fine.

The dive site was chosen for its “large safety factor.” The Conestoga wreck is the location of many training dives. It’s shallow (the ship is within 20 feet of the surface) and the current is not strong. A bonus in winter is that there are fewer particles in the cold water so visibility is better. This helps underwater photographers capture good wreck pictures.

On Boxing Day the river was especially cold (one degree Celsius), which contributed to the freezing problem. Fraser said a lot of dive gear is designed for southern climates, adding that some will say it is cold-water ready, “but cold to California is different than cold water in Canada.”

There is cold-water gear designed to withstand the conditions but it is more expensive. While Fraser found he could get by in cold water without a dry suit, he also learned the temperature limitations of his regulator. “My local dive shop is going to run an ice diving course and I was thinking of participating. Now I know my equipment would not sustain doing that course.”

Kathy Dowsett


www.kirkscubagear.com

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Scuba Diving Travel - What You Should Pack

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Coming up with your packing list for your next big dive trip (or maybe even not so big) can be a big challenge. Whenever pulling together scuba diving travel plans, this is far and away the biggest question I get. What should you pack? Do you rent or bring your own gear? The answers to these questions are largely dependent on a few factors not the least of which is your own personal preference. Here's some overall suggestions.

Definitely bring:

* Certification card
* Dive log
* mask
* snorkel
* sunscreen
* swimsuit
* DAN card (this diver's insurance is an absolute MUST...don't leave home without it)
* safety equipment (ie. float, safety sausage, whistle, etc)
* basic mesh bag
* water shoes/flip flops
* seasickness medicine
* Possibly bring (in priority order):
* fins
* wetsuit or dive skin
* dive computer/watch
* regulator
* BC
* weight belts
* dive knife
* gear bag

Don't even think about bring your own tank that is much too much weight and hassle. Besides in this day and age of charging for every bag that is just a waste of a checked bag.

I strongly recommend if you are planning on bringing more of your gear besides the skin diving basics that you invest wisely in a good gear bag or suitcase. Personally, when my husband and I go on our scuba vacations we put all our gear, BCs, wetsuits, fins, etc in one Samsonite suitcase. This is the hard cover suitcase that the old commercial had the huge gorilla jumping on. Yep, that's our dive suitcase. Then we take our regulators, masks, and computers in our carry on bags. Finally, we throw two matching mesh gear back packs on top of all our gear before closing the suitcase. That way when we arrive we not only have our gear safe and sound but we also have the ability to break it up in two smaller bags so we can haul our own stuff. Now we don't always take all our own stuff but we do go through the hassle if we are traveling somewhere close or we know we can store our gear at the shop throughout our vacation, or we are not certain that the rental gear will be plentiful (ie. it's a really remote place where electricity is sketchy let alone reliable dive gear).

Waterproof all your gear---you have invested a lot in your gear---protect it!!!

Wherever you go, just take the extra time up front to make sure you have what you need for a great and fun scuba diving travel adventure. Have fun!

Thanks to Patti Gomes and Enzine Articles

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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What happens in a shark attack?

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We've all seen Jaws, but believe it or not most shark attacks don't end up with swimmers being dragged around in circles so that they look like they're being sucked down a plughole.

In fact there are three main types of unprovoked shark attack, and the experience and chances of survival vary dramatically depending on the behavior and intentions of the shark.

Here is a breakdown of what each one consists of.

Hit-and-run attacks

More often than not sharks will "attack" humans out of curiosity having mistaken them for a seal or other more common form of prey.

These attacks occur in shallow waters and surfing spots. The shark will usually give the swimmer or surfer a single bite before retreating and will often not return, having realized the human is bigger than, or different to, its normal prey.

Sneak attacks

As the name indicates, this attack happens without warning. Unlike hit-and-run attacks, sneak attacks are thought to be the result of feeding or aggression rather than mistaken identity.

The attacks usually happen in deeper waters and will usually involve a number of bites or injuries, often proving fatal.

Bump-and-bite attacks

Similar to sneak attacks, these usually take place in open sea and will tend to involve multiple bites because the shark's intention is to attack the victim, rather than simply investigate.

The difference is in the shark's behavior. Rather than pouncing unexpectedly, the shark will repeatedly circle the victim and bump into them in a sign of aggression before actually attacking them.

Thanks to ::: Florida Museum of Natural History and Nick Collins of the Telegraph

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Why scuba diving is necessary

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Scuba diving is a form of diving both for personal reasons and professionals. This reckless diving has risk and every year there are a number of news of injuries and fatalities. But to do certain tasks underwater Scuba diving is necessary and is a inseparable part in underwater world. From the very ancient time, Scuba diving was performed for very different reasons. But today there are a lot of variations in tasks performed underwater and so Scuba diving is proving its necessity in various regard.

Source of recreation:

Scuba diving is sometime taken as a recreational diving for many tourist and vacationists. Cave diving, ice diving , wreck diving are very popular sort of fun. The personal interest and curiosity are the two important things for this kind of Scuba diving. Some sort of short term training is must be taken before performing Scuba diving for a beginner .

Professionals diving :

This form of Scuba diving involves business purpose under water. Various types of tasks are done by these professional divers. Though the divers must take some prerequisite courses from a well-known diving shop which offers Scuba certification courses. The professional divers are performing so many tasks like:

Natural forces exploration:

The seas are vast source of natural forces like gas, oil, petroleum and others types of mines. Scuba divers are employed to find the existence of such things and if it is found more advanced technology is used here to explore and extract the mines and gases. So under water welding and running such a project involves Scuba diving.

Ship maintenance and in naval engineering:

All the boats and ships need to be maintained very carefully. Scuba diving has great importance in naval activities. Cleaning and repairmen of ships and boats are done by these Scuba divers.

Military activities:

Scuba divers are inseparable part in military activities. All the marine navy organization has Scuba divers of their own. In war they perform a great job like mine finding under sea. They also participate in direct combat and placing mines for the enemy or in bomb disposal.


Rescuing Scuba divers:

Some divers are always ready to save life. They work in a team to rescue others.Some police agencies and fire department have this kind of lifeguard unit.

In movies and cinemas:

Underwater photography and underwater shots of cinemas require professional divers. They make sets underwater very effectively.

There are so many other necessity of Scuba diving and it is very hard to present all of this in one page. So Scuba diving is making its importance all the way in our day to day life.

Thanks to Dive Site Network

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Common scuba diving blunders

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Way back in 892 A.D. before the wonders of electricity and the wretchedness of Rob Schneider films, was a man named Sigurd. I left out his last name, because Expedition Fleet does not promote tongue twisters. Anyway, Sigurd was a leader in a Viking conquest.

He was a very successful leader as he dominated foreign lands. He knew all that is to know in what he does.

In a typical day of land-domination, he beheaded a native ruler and strapped his head to his saddle as he rode home in victory. It was a bumpy ride, and the head, with its mouth open, kept bouncing off of Sigurd’s leg. One of the exposed teeth caused a small cut, which later caused an infection, which later caused a very sad thing called death. It is carelessness (and a little bit of tooth decay) that killed the confident and intelligent leader.

Scuba divers may not be prone to death by dead heads, but they are prone to carelessness, which may cause self-irritation, unwanted regrets, mild injuries, major injuries, or, if you’re unlucky enough, all of the above. Scuba divers need not suffer from carelessness. Below is a short list of mistakes- mistakes that are a product of willful ignorance or ignorant ignorance. Either way, they are mistakes that should not be.

Putting on too much weight- We love them weight belts. We put ‘em on correctly and with the right amount, and we sink to the ocean fast enough without any internal injuries. Put too much though, and we sink to the bottom faster than Chris Brown’s descent to infamy.

Forgetting to put on any weight- Unless you’re Justin Bieber who has an ego heavy enough to pull him down to the deepest corners of the Mariana Trench, you’re gonna need weight belts. You’ll need this if you want to explore the ocean depths. You ain’t no diver if you ain’t physically capable of diving.

Uncontrolled buoyancy- Buoyancy should be mastered by the scuba diver during his lessons beforehand. A diver who fails at this and dives anyway will, once in the ocean, become an assault on the corals, the fellow scuba divers, the marine life, and the common sense.

Straying away from the group or dive buddy- In a herd of sheep, when one separates itself from its fellow sheep due to bountiful distractions that are found at every turn, it becomes lost and terrified. Eventually, that sheep takes anxious breaths, and if it breathes from a scuba tank, things will get really bad. And if that sheep strays even farther, it may become prey to vicious animals. In this metaphor, the sheep is the diver, and the rest is handed to your imagination.

Aside from the possible pain and regrets that all these mistakes can cause, there is also a great chance of embarrassment.

Thanks to Sean Si, Editor-in-chief of Expeditionfleet Blog

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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Virginia Hatter, not your ordinary dive instructor

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If PADI dive instructor “Virginia from Virginia” Hatter’s experience is any indication, there has been a “surge,” no pun intended, in SCUBA diving interest on the part of women.
When she started instructing in San Diego, her male students outnumbered their female counterparts by a ratio as high as 80:20. Now, it has become equal, if not more women, maybe as high as 60 to 70 per cent female, she says.
“I do not advertise. Almost 100 per cent of my students are referrals,” says Virginia, who only learned to dive herself in 2004 and quickly progressed from PADI Open Water Diver certification to several specialized disciplines, PADI Master SCUBA Diver, PADI Assistant Instructor, PADI Open Water Instructor and PADI Master SCUBA Diver Trainer.
In her case, female students recommending her course to their friends is a factor in changing the male-female ratio so dramatically. But it’s also a sport that is as suited to one sex as the other.
“Everyone loves the ocean, exploring wrecks, canyons, reefs and all different types of diving.”
Growing up in Virginia (hence the nickname “Virginia from VA”), she had learned to love a variety of water sports, from small time sailing to waterskiing, jet skiing, surfing and swimming.
“I’m a water person anyway,” Virginia says, so she welcomed the challenge and opportunity when her staff at a sports retail store she managed urged her to sign up for PADI Open Water Diver lessons the store was offering. “I loved it from the first breath I took underwater in the pool. Little did I know it would change my entire life.”
Being a stressed out HR manager in Virginia wearing dress suits and paying to park, turned into her passion for “changing the lives of others for the better through SCUBA diving instruction.” She adds that “the only difference is my panty hose are now seven-mm thick.”
Virginia had moved to San Diego by the time she took up SCUBA diving and instructing has become a full-time job for her. She has a waiting list of students.
She prefers to work as an independent so she can control the number of students in her classes and does not press her students to finish in a prescribed time. “There are no make-up fees for classes missed, nor will I promise a certification date.”
“I do not believe in large classes,” says Virginia, who never teaches more than four students in the water at once, and usually instructs private or semi-private classes. “I don’t want to be the biggest. I strive to be the safest.”
It has been a little slow this year due to problems that affected all dive operations in the San Diego area. They include high surf, red tide, strong currents and low visibility.
“I do not take students in unfavourable conditions. Instructing students to dive in these circumstances and conditions is simply not safe. Diving is already a little intimidating as it is. Safety must come first, then education, followed by fun.”
Virginia also suffered two sting ray hits that kept her out of the water for awhile. The second one was more painful. A large number of small, aggressive sting rays had congregated close to shore off San Diego for four or five days and there were more than 100 hits, including hers.
Virginia says she doesn’t know if her female students are more comfortable with a woman instructor than a man, but that wasn’t the case for her. Her instructors were all men and she called them “the best of the best.” She never experienced any male chauvinist attitude among instructors who taught her or among those who are now her competition. “Most are men for whom I have the highest regard.”
In fact, she adds, when she couldn’t instruct while her foot recovered from the sting ray hit, a male instructor who was her competitor helped her out by finishing the course for one of her students whose completion was time sensitive. Another female instructor helped with the same student, only proving what a bond SCUBA instructors develop, no matter who they instruct for. This student is now becoming a commercial diver in hopes to aid with repair efforts in the Gulf of Mexico on other oil rigs. “We’re all on the same team.”
Virginia credits SCUBA Diver Girls for playing an “awesome role” role in attracting women to the sport. She once got eight women together to dive in hopes it would lead to something better “but it just fizzled out. So when Scuba Diver Girls started, I said ‘way to go, girls.’ SCUBA Diver Girls are in a class of their own, they rock.”
The next step is to involve the entire family in the sport more often. Virginia has certified children as young as 10 as PADI JR Open Water Divers. One of them who took her certification class went on to dive on just about every continent. The child’s parents took her course, too, because the whole family was going on a world tour “home schooling” their daughter.
Another young diver of hers is currently working on her JR Advanced Open Water Diver with her father in tow and plans to complete PADI JR RESCUE Diver, as well.
Could family diving become the next trend?

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

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