4 Beginner Tips for Good Scuba Diving Etiquette

No matter what type of hobby you may have and what extracurricular activities you participate in on your free time, every activity has a certain set of rules that must be followed in order to maintain good relations with those you are participating with during the activity. In that regard, scuba diving is no different. There are certain rules for practicing good etiquette as a scuba diver that you need to know before you get into the boat and strap on your oxygen tank.

These unspoken rules of behavior are followed not only to help you get along with your fellow divers, but to also make it easier on your instructors and guides as well. So if you are planning on taking a trip into tropical territory to try out scuba diving, here are four rules to follow when it comes to scuba diving etiquette.

Avoid complaining

The number one rule of scuba diving etiquette for first timers is to try and avoid complaining. Complaining not only bothers other divers, it also makes it seem like you are giving the instructors a hard time as well. If you are going to try scuba diving, you should know that it's a pretty difficult activity to master and that it's not a walk in the park. If you want to simply look at fish swimming in comfort, then you can always go to an aquarium. There is a chance that the water might be cold, your wetsuit will probably be damp and cold, the weather might not be ideal, you might not have enough room on the boat. However, these are all things that you need to overcome. Most scuba divers will tell you the rewards of diving are so plentiful that they easily outweigh all of the discomforts and potential things that one could complain about.

Keep your wetsuit clean

There really is no nicer way to say it, so it's best to get right to the point. Please, do not urinate in your wetsuit if you want to respect your diving instructors and diving colleagues. The wetsuits are thick and they are meant to preserve warmth. That means that they will also preserve the smell of your urine. Even if you are not going to the bathroom in your suit, it will get smelly in a couple of days. If you want to be courteous to everyone, yourself included, clean your wetsuit every two or three days. You can simply put it into your shower or bath and give it a quick once-over with some soap and warm water.

Be courteous under water

It's easy to get overly excited when you are under water, because it can be a very exhilarating experience. However, remember to be courteous to the people who are diving with you and respect their space. You should know where you are at all times and try to avoid bumping into others who are trying to enjoy the sights just as much as you are enjoying them. Also, don't go too fast. Moving quickly under water scares away fish and it can lead to accidents. Go slow, and be aware of your surroundings to avoid injury and disrupting others. If you are diving with people who like to take pictures underwater, respect their passion and try not to scare away fish while they are trying to get a nice shot.

Respect your instructors

These people who are teaching you to dive are not your servants. Just because you are paying them does not mean that they are obligated to bend over backwards in order to please you. Even if the instructor is younger than you are, they have probably had hundreds of more dives than you have and are very qualified. Respect them and remember that they are there to keep you safe and teach you how to have the best diving experience possible, not to grant your every wish.


Thanks to Joshua Teh @ Ezine Articles

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

Giant Strides in Underwater Photography

Written by Katy Danca Galli for Scuba Diving

Well, I’m back from the Digital Shootout and am ready and patiently waiting for next year’s event to hurry up and get here. I learned a TON during my week at the Little Cayman Beach Resort with the Backscatter Underwater Video and Photography crew. Here is a list of the most important things I remembered:

Strobe placement should not require a protractor, compass or other mathematical device to figure out. According to Berkley White, position your strobes above and behind the dome port for best results. If you are shooting with a super wide angle lens (like I was) and want to achieve that close focus, wide angle look, keep your strobes the same distance away from your camera as your subject object is from the dome port.

Try losing weight. No, I don’t mean you should run to the nearest Jenny Craig or buy a StairMaster. I mean loose lead weight. I have ALWAYS dived with ten pounds in salt water, and I was down to six by the second day of the Shootout. Try loosing three pounds to start and then go from there.

As I’ve said in my day four blog — FIRE CORAL IS BAD. I went the entire week without a wetsuit, and boy did I live to regret it. If you think the water is too warm for neoprene (like it was for me in Little Cayman), at least wear a skin. It’ll keep down the ouchie factor 100 percent.

Marine creatures are a lot like cats — they are finicky and never do what you want them to do, ever. After spending multiple days trying to chase down all the sea life on Bloody Bay Wall and only managing to chase them away, I learned that the best method is to simply let them come to you. The squid I shot loved my camera strobes and approached to me to investigate. All I did was click the shutter to achieve success.
Lastly, use your shutter speed to control the exposure instead of your aperture. It completely un-complicates things and works like a charm the majority of the time. I realize this is not how many underwater photographers work, but almost every image I shot was exposed properly (so there).

Next year the Backscatter team is heading to Bonaire and sign-up has already begun. Check out thedigitalshootout.com for more information and coverage of past events. THANK YOU twenty times over to everyone from the Little Cayman Beach Resort for their amazing accommodations and food, Reef Divers and their awesome dive staff, everyone from Backscatter who helped me immensely and allowed me to join this awesome event, and all of the zany, wonderful people who participated and gave me advice. May the force be with you all and hope to see you next year.

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

Responsible Reef Practices While Snorkelling

Practices that you can do to help sustain the Great Barrier Reef for generations to come



• Practice at first over sand patches and away from the coral:
• Get comfortable with buoyancy control and finning techniques.
• Be mindful of where your fins are to avoid accidentally hitting the reef or stirring up sand.
• Snorkel carefully near the Reef:
• Move slowly and deliberately in the water, relax and take your time – to remain horizontal in the water, and refrain from standing up.
• Do not snorkel into areas where the water is less than one metre deep.
• Do not touch the walls of semi-confined areas (for example, small swim throughs and overhangs), never squeeze through a small area.
• Use rest stations or other flotation aids (for example, float lines, swimming noodles, and flotation vests) if you need to rest while snorkelling.
• Do not lean on, hold onto, or touch any part of the reef or moving animals when taking underwater photographs.
• Be mindful of all marine life:
• Avoid making sudden or loud noises underwater.
• Avoid chasing or attempting to ride or grab free-swimming animals (such as turtles, whales, and sea snakes). Avoid blocking their path or making them change direction.
• Do not touching or relocating any animals or plants.
• Stay more than one metre away from giant clams.
• Do not feed the fish.
• Do not collect any shells or ‘souvenirs’.

Thanks to New Horizon

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com

Scuba Diver Jobs: Commercial and Recreational Scuba Diving

Are you one of those people who look forward to get away from it all and just dive? For the weekend scuba diver who can't get enough of the thrill of floating weightless underwater may want to do this every single day. If you are thinking about leaving your desk job to become a full-time professional diver, here are some things that you need to know.

First of all, if you plan on making your time underwater as your permanent job, you need to understand that being a professional diver is just like knowing how to drive a car. Scuba diver jobs are divided into two categories: commercial and recreational. Unless you want to just be a "driver," you have to combine scuba diving with another skill to rake in the big bucks.

Commercial Scuba Diver Jobs

If you plan on making it as a commercial scuba diver, consider combining scuba diving with underwater engineering, photography, and research. A full-time diver who knows how to work machinery or tell one kind of marine mammal from the other can really make it commercial scuba diving.

If something more dangerous calls out to you, you can join the military. The military constantly needs and trains divers for their underwater infiltration operations. Another dangerous but equally well-paying job is being a Hazardous Materials scuba diver, which means you clean up oil spills, recover bodies, and repair underwater machinery.

Recreational Scuba Diver Jobs

Succeeding as a recreational scuba diver is hinged on becoming a dive master as well as being a great people person. While the hourly rate will probably never be as high as an executive, you often make up for it in tips. Scuba diving jobs can be found in resorts and cruise ships. This is a great way to break into diving when you need the experience.

Another perk of being a recreational diver is the fact that you can practice your trade in exotic locations like Thailand, Hawaii, the Philippines, and many more. If you are business-minded and are willing to take on extra work, you can set up your own dive shop, too.

Whether you decide to become a recreational diver or a commercial one, one thing is for sure. This job is great for those who are young, restless, and want to spend as much time underwater as they can. If this sounds like you, take a chance and be part of the exciting and potentially lucrative scuba diver industry.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7021983 and Matthew Nathan

Kathy Dowsett

www.kirkscubagear.com