Night Dive

Today's Post is another specialty course "Night Dive"

if you think you have seen everything in your diving spot... i think you are mistaken  go and check it at night...while everything is sleeping on land the ocean is several times more active at night than it is normally during the day.

The first time you descend into the darkness you will realize that it is a complete different experience , even though it sounds a little scary you will find that their is nothing to worry about and you will notice how much night dive is relaxing.

What do you see down there at night?
The sea comes alive with a whole different cast of characters at night, almost all sea creatures that you cannot sea during the day you will find them active and looking into their own business during a night dive, from crabs, lobster, shrimps to octopus , barracuda and sharks ...one of the most spectacular parts of night diving is watching the coral feeding....coral blooms after dark absorbing nutrients from the water and looks truly beautiful, of course an incredible occurrence that can only be seen at night with all lights turned off is bio-luminescence , amazing organisms that glow in the dark!

As a common sence it is preferable to dive in a spot that you already know, and make sure you take reference that can be seen at night before you dive.

Communication during night dive will be with your light.. the second most crucial item in your dive after the air ... without light you will have no dive....





What are the prerequisite of a night dive and what does the course contain?
To be able to take the night dive course you should:

1. be minimum an OW certificate
2. have minimum 12 Y.O 

The course will be split into:

1. Theory class where you will learn night dive planning, organization , procedures techniques and light failure techniques. You will also learn how to control your buoyancy, navigate and communicate at night; in addition to that you will get an introduction to nocturnal aquatic life. 
2. Practical class where you will have 2 night dives under a supervision of a dive instructor or dive master.

Night dive is a unique diving experience , wether you take as part of your advanced certification or as a separate dive specialty you should live it at least once in your life as a Diver ....

Deep Diver

Another Specialty Dive, the Deep dive certification is one of the widely spread certification.

This certification will take you to the ultimate experience where you will be able to visit diving spots where few others have visited before...and almost all intact wrecks lies under 30 meters so you will also have the ability to check these artificial reef, this means that have the Wreck diving certification together with Deep dive is the perfect combination ... 

To be entitled to take the Deep Dive certification you should have:

1. Open Water Certfication
2. Advanced Open Water Certification
3. Logged Dives (the number differ from one certification agency to another but in average it should be higher than 15)
4. Older than 18 Y.O

What will you learn in this program?

1. The effects of increasing pressure so you can enjoy the dive safely
2. Effective deep diving plan
3. Proper Surface support 
4. Using redundant Systems

needless to mention it , you will have your scuba skills enhanced....


The Certification is composed of a small presentation (theoretical course) and 4 deep dives (between 30 and 40 meters "100 and 132 feet") under the supervision of your instructor.

Fact: The majority of our oceans are deeper than 30 meters... so lets go and explore the biggest part !!!!

Wreck Diving

"Diving on wrecks means diving in the past - and it is always related with a certain thrill..."

Today we are gonna talk about the Wreck Diving Specialty course.It is an unbelievable experience to see a big ship from a bird's perspective and to glide towards the captain's bridge. But there are also tragedies related to wrecks.Diving on wrecks is exciting and there are some potential risks too, but with the right training WRECK DIVING will become a great adventure.

Why Wreck Diving?


A shipwreck is attractive to divers for several reasons:

1. it is an artificial reef, which creates a habitat for many type of marine life
2. it often is a large structure with many interesting pars and machinery, which is not normally closely observable on working, floating vessels.
3. it often has an exciting or tragic history
4. it present a new thrill for scuba diver.

Type of Wreck Diving:

1. Non-Penetration Diving (swimming over the wreck) which is the less hazardous form of wreck diving but divers should remain alerted from fishing line, fishing net and any sharp edge they may encounter.
2. Limited Penetration diving (within the "Light Zone"): it does present greater hazards due to overhead and greater proximity of the wreck's structure. But because of the proximity of a visible exit point and some amount of external light those hazards are managable.
3. Full Penetration Diving (Beyond the "light Zone:): this type of wreck diving involves the greatest risk including the rist of getting lost inside the wreck , complete darkness in case of light failure... this kind of wreck diving should be done by experienced divers and preferable technical divers.

Wreck diving is a funny, yet thrilling dive , where you can watch a wreck and remember the tragedy it went through.Make sure you are taking all precausions and safety measures tought during the course in order tnot to face another tragedy during your dive...
Dive Safe...

Altitude Diver

Today's post is our first post regarding Speciality courses. We will go through this week and maybe next week on some of the speciality courses offered by some or all Diving institution.

we will start today with the Altitude Diver Specialty course stating the prerequisite , pro's con's and our comment on it.

Altitude Diver
The Altitude Diver Specialty course will present you with the opportunity to truly learn how to use and practice using the recreational dive planner at altitude. The course will cover in greater detail the theory and application of the theoretical depth charts as they relate to the Recreational Pive Planner.

The minimum requirement for this course is to have at least 12 Y.O and have minimum an Open Water certification.
The course contains 1 Knowledge Development Seminar or theory class for approximately 4 hrs and 2 Altitude Dives.
Although it's a complete different concept of diving... i think it is a must for every scuba enthusiastic....can you imaging diving in the mountains :) 

Cool Scuba Facts

In this post we will state some facts on Scuba diving...

Who can scuba Dive??
Almost anyone can learn to scuba... There is a basic level of health and fitness that you need to have in order to be safe and to enjoy your time underwater.

What Does the Word S.C.U.B.A stand for?
The word S.C.U.B.A is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
The term scuba origicnated during WWII, it was used to describe navy divers who used oxygen rebreathers to attack enemy ships from underwater. Today you can use the word scuba to refer to sport of scuba diving or to the equipment used by those who participate in the sport.

Who invented Scuba Gear?
 The invention of the modern scuba gear system is credited to Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan. Their invention allows divers to breather from a tank of air on their back and exhale it into the water.

Sound Propagation..
Scuba  divers can't determine the direction of sound, as beneath the surface of water sound travels five times faster than it does in air. On land we just have a split second to determine the direction of a sound, but under water even a split second is not enough.

Last but not Least....
One of the most amazing facts about scuba diving is it is a drug. Once you have experienced this beautifully exhilarating sport, you cannot help but become addicted. You may become a scuba Junkie, craving your next underwater fix...
What a great way to enjoy life, LIVE TO DIVE

Dive Instructor

Dive instructor is on of the highest level  you can reach as a certification...
This certification is indeed taking Scuba as a career for you....
As a dive instructor your responsibility will be high... as you will be responsible and always diving with student (first timers) therefore your skills should be at their ultimatum and you should have good leadership skills.

i made it brief about the Scuba instructor because it is a very wide subject and i only wanted to give a small idea of this certification.
in our next posts we will talk about Speciality dive and tackle the technical diving experience.

Dive Master

A Dive-Master is a diving qualification used throughout most of the world in scuba diving for a diver who has overall responsibility for a group of divers. it also refers to the lowest level of professional Rating.

This is a prerequisite for the Dive Instructor Certification;
and the prerequisite for a Dive Master (Although they may differ from 1 organization to another) are:

• Open Water Diver Certification
• Advanced Open Water Diver Certification
• Rescue Diver Certification
• First Aid & CPR Training (preferably with [Automated External Defibrillator] training)
• 40 Logged dives

and the role of a Dive-Master  can be varied but it mainly consist of :

• Organizing, conducting and supervising recreational diving activities, both land and boat based.
• Assisting instructors in conducting diver programs.
• Acting as certified instructional assistants to instructors.
• Supervising participants in experience programs for uncertified divers.
• Generally supervising both training and non-training related diving activities by planning, organizing and directing dives.
• Teaching and certifying skin divers and snorkellers.
• Conducting scuba review programs for certified divers.  

                                                    

This Certification may be lot of work for some.. but for scuba diving enthusiastic... it is the first step into building your Scuba Career.

Rescue Diver

The Rescue Diver Course develops your knowledge and skills so that you will become someone who can look after themselves as well as others in the water by effectively performing diver assists and rescues, managing diving accident situations and giving first aid.This Course is an important step in expanding your knowledge and experience as a diver and it is your first step in becoming a professional diver.

Prerequisite of this Course:
To be entitled to take the Rescue Diver Course you should be an advanced open water certified personnel and has at least 30 hours of bottom time and has completed a first Aid Course.
Topic:
The Topics covered by this course are the following:

• Self-rescue and diver stress
• Emergency management and equipment
• Panicked diver response
• In-water rescue breathing protocols
• Egress (exits)
• Dive accident scenarios

These topics are covered by a combination of theory courses, and practical tasks that should be done by the student.
some of the exercises performed by a rescue diver student are:

• Entries and exits (giant stride, roll)
• Proper BCD control
• Swim 800 yards on the surface in full scuba gear withing 25 minutes.
• No mask underwater swim and buddy breathing.
• Make an emergency swimming ascent from 25 feet of water as a bailout and in gear.
• Show proficiency in putting on gear in water and removing gear in water.
• Skin Diving Ditch and Recovery: To be preformed wearing a weight belt, mask, fins, snorkel and an inflatable vest or BCD. Dive to the bottom of 8 - 12 feet of water remove and place all equipment on bottom, surface and dive and recover all gear in one breath. All gear in place on surfacing with mask and snorkel clear. Additionally upon surfacing swim using snorkel 50 yards.
• Practical Demonstration of Use of Compass

 

 

 

Advanced Open Water

Same as the Open Water Certification the Advanced Open Water is provided by several Agencies. It is the second certification in the American Certification System and it requires the person to be a qualified open water diver and that it has 20 logged dives* (not mandatory for all Agencies) and a minimum age of 15 Years old.

It Consist of 5 Dives 1 of which should be a deep dive between 25 and 30 meters (80 and 100 feet).
During  your certification track you will get training in : Search and recovery , underwater navigation , and buoyancy control, in addition to that you will have the ability to choose from the specialty dives :

• Night Dive
• Cave Dive
• Drift Dive
• Wreck Dive
• Deep Dive
• Underwater Photography
• ...

              Cave Dive                                                                           Night Dive                                                                             Wreck Dive


Advanced open water is a must for every certified open water diver that really likes this hobby! although it is mandatory if you want to advance in your Diving career, it can also be taken for a recreational diver... it allows him to explore more and more of the underwater wonders...

OPEN WATER CERTIFICATION

OPEN WATER CERTIFICATION

We are going to start with the most common scuba certification, the Open Water Scuba Diving Certification.
although it differ slightly from one organization to another the core of the course and its purpose remain the same.

In this post we will describe in details each and every technical aspect of the certification and assess the difference and common points between different certification organization.

To start with we are gonna talk about the minimum age required to get certified as an Open water diver; this point differ from one Organization to another; to get certified as a Junior Open Water Diver for PADI the minimum age is 10 but it is 12 for NAUI and IANTD, a Junior Open Water Diver is obliged to dive with an adult Buddy.

Maximum depth is also something that differs from one institution to another , for PADI and NAUI maximum depth is 18 m (60 ft), where it is 21 m (69 ft) for IANTD.

Now we comes to the common part , the core of the Open water certification that is common between all institutions;
The Open water track consist mainly of 3 different parts :

1. The Theoretical class
2. The Confined water dive(s)
3. The open water dive(s)

Their is no time restriction to finalize the track, but a person cannot be certified  unless he passes successfully the written and practical tests.
The Theory class AKA knowledge development class, establishes the principles and basic information that all divers need to know. it consist of the following parts and can be split depending on the students availability.

The Development class contains:

• Introduction to the underwater world
• Introduction to the diving equipment
• The Buddy System
• Communication Under water Signs 
• Dive Planning 
• Boat Dive
• Problem Management
• Pressure and buoyancy 
• Dive Table
• Dive safety

The confined water or Pool or shallow water dive;during these dives the student will apply all dive principle and will simulate all problems that may happen during the dive in order to get the appropriate training on how to deal with it and solve it

The open water dives are mandatory for the student to complete in order to get certified as an open water diver, these dives starts at shallow depth 8 to 10 meters (26 to 32 ft) and each dive it goes a little bit deeper until you reach the maximum depth for an open water diver 18 meters (60 ft).

At the end the user should pass a written exam which is mainly a Multiple question exam in order to get the certification....

Scuba diving is fun... and on the contrary of what many people think it isnt dangerous if we stick to the golden rule of diving :

STOP, THINK then ACT

SCUBA DIVING CERTIFICATIONS TRACK

SCUBA DIVING CERTIFICATION TRACK

Although all certifications are similar between all organization, it may differ from one organization to another...
i have attached to this post an overview of the tracks that a diver can follow from the very first begining to taking Scuba diving to the professional level.

We will in the future posts tackle each certification alone and give the description and details , pros, cons and advantages and give a detailed description of each certification.
for the time beeing ill attach this chart to give you an overview of where to start and where you can reach in Scuba diving certifications.

Introduction...

Why This BLOG???

I am Publishing this Post to give an overview of this Blog and a description of the content that will be added.
I am an IANTD dive-master, in Sharksdiveteam diving club located in Maameltein Lebanon, (www.sharksdiveteam.com) and a sea enthusiastic person, i have started this blog to share with you my thoughts, vision and knowledge about SCUBA diving together with ocean's faune and flora.
this Blog will be mainly split into 2 parts;

1. The First tackling scuba diving as a sports and several discussion , documents will be uploaded regarding this matter.
2. The Second part will be dedicated to the ocean's faune and flora and the conservation and how can we help to save our oceans from our pollution...

 The Blog and writer are open for any comment, so feel free to drop me a line if you have any new idea or need to correct/comment on any post..