Wow! I just read a few guides on Ebay from some PADI divers and went into shock!
They got you believing anything that isnt brand new or from a high dollar manufacturer should be avoided like the plague! One man said that any regulator made of metal should be avoided because it is probobly too old! He went on to say that all new regulators are made of plastic! It's guys like him that will turn people off to try scuba. All first stage regulators better be made of metal or we're all in big trouble.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Captain Michael Rene Daniels. I graduated from College of Oceaneering in 1990. I Captained mainly large vessels in the Gulf Of
Mexico for the oil industry, and have welded pipelines for them underwater. I can repair most first and second stage regulators, and have done routine maintenence for generators,rov's,small mini subs,diving bells and hyperbaric chambers.I've been present on a lot of commercial and sport diving trips all over the world.
The Truth about Scuba
If a few simple rules are followed, Scuba can be a fun and exciting hobby/sport for your whole life. Many people such as myself, used Scuba diving as a platform to further thier carreer. Scuba and umbilical diving has taken me around the world and has opened many doors for me.
The word SCUBA as we all know stands for SELF CONTA
INED UNDERWATER BREATHING APARATUS.So, this being the case, the wetsuit,fins,mask,snorkel,weight belt,computers,slate boards,slide guides,etc, are not really true scuba. I like to think of them as swimmer's aids or worse yet, obsticles. You see, if it was left up to these diving stores out here, you would have so much junk on you you could barely walk let alone swim! If you look at any professional diver, he doesn't load himself up with so much bullshit! In fact the only true scuba equipment there is = the air delivery system. This consists of your tank,your whip hoses and your regualtors and guages. Even the BCD is a non essiental item. However, most sport divers of today, have to have a BCD because they are in no shape to dive without one.Many divers utilize their Buoyency Control Device to lower themselves into the water and to raise themselves up out of it! Lol. What a joke! If you dont fill your BCD then why would you need to deflate it to make a dive? Simply jump in! Your weight belt will send you to the bottom! If you swim up. what do you need to fill your BCD for? You can save all that air for a dive! Also, you will build your leg muscles!! A few simple rules I learned in diving- 1.) never diver over 100 feet deep on tanks. 2). Never hold your breath.3). Never come up faster than your exhaled air bubbles,(60 feet per minute or 1 foot per second). 3. Always use safe,proven dive tables or U.S Navy decompression tables. If your tables dont come out to the USN dive tables or safer,that is,more conservative, do not use them! You will get bent! 4. If you are in any doubt as to your decompression health,see a doctor ASAP and go to your nearest Decompression chamber and have yourself blown down! Do it right away! If it was a false alarm,who cares!!! At least youre safe!
Nine out of ten injuries have NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GEAR YOU USE, but have to do with De-compression sickness,or drowning due to being fouled in kelp or trapped in caves or wrecks or some other obstruction.
The one way a sport diver can avoid an accident in diving is to use his abort judgement. Let me explain. If it is stormy that day, abort the dive. If the visibility is crappy, abort the dive. If you have a head cold and cant clear, abso;utely abort the dive. If anyone is sick, abort the dive. I know its a bummer. You loaded up the boat, you drove out to the dive site, you put on your gear, then you abort the dive and go home. Did you make the right desicion? YES!!
OH YES! YOU DID!! Does it mean you are any less of a diver? Of course not! Go to Denny's coffee shop and plan your next trip!! No worries!!!! Use your common sense. Always dive with a buddy,NEVER DIVE ALONE. A commercial diver is not alone believe me, he has a whole staff of top side tenders working for him! They are in constant radio contact with the diver at all times or they abort the dive. Know your buddy. Know what he or she will do. Dive often. Communicate with your buddy. Plan your dive. Hold pre dives and post dives. Learn from your buddy and have your buddy learn from you. Dont rely on fancy,expensive dive gear, rely on practical knowlege ,hands on training and good partners and supervisors. Always let your diver master know where you are and when you are going in and coming out. That is his JOB! Most of all have fun and be SAFE!!! Captain Mike Daniels
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