Best Diving Knife » diving gear

Learn to Snorkel

AlexRad — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:24:22 +0000

Recently I found out that many people need some initial advice on how to snorkel. Even though it seems to be a natural thing for anyone who has even a little experience, you need to follow a few simple steps before you start. Well, before you do it, you should persuade your other pessimistic self that breathing underwater and dipping your head for some considerable time in the water is not a scaring thing at all. When you are a little bit used to this new feeling, you discover that you forget about your unnatural surroundings.

Snorkeling

At first it feels a little frightening, but with each next dive you feel relaxed and confident. Proper diving equipment helps you to feel no discomfort in this situation. Then if you swim in salty water, your body floats on the water naturally, and you do not have to exert yourself to keep on the water. In Dead Sea, for example, you probably would not be able to drown at all. And fortunately snorkel and mask allows you to glide in the water as relaxed as possible, it can be likened to flying in your sleep. Still, fins help you to swim faster and control your movements in the water like a fish.

For a colder climate you may want to put on a wetsuit that protects your skin from freezing. If cold water is not the case, you may find a lightweight long sleeve skins that are both thin and stretchy. Or, like most people do, you do not add anything to your swimming trunks.

As far as mask is concerned, it should not leak, or should not leak much, otherwise you have to take it off and get rid of water inside after each dive. It should not be tight or loose. Both tight and loose masks tend to leak and cause other problems, even damage to the skin, either by rubbing or pressing. Your mask should have a self-sealing valve on the top. Make sure the mouthpiece of your snorkel is comfortably located between your teeth, without any part pressing too much to your teeth.

Fins should be preferrably made of rubber, no hard plastic, please. Otherwise it may result in painful sores on your feet. I like simple fins that completely cover my feet.

Before going underwater you should test both mask and snorkel together, whether they fit and feel alright. Carefully position a small rubber strap that attaches your snorkel to the mask, so that the snorkel goes just above your left ear (or right ear, it depends on your preferences and left-handedness). Take a deep breath and bite your mouthpiece, then dip your head in the water. If you feel that your snorkel contains some water, you should exhale sharply to get rid of it in the snorkel shaft, it is called blasting.

It is a nice idea to have a buddy going with you or at least waiting for you onshore. In case of emergency you should be able to call for somebody’s help. That is why you should be careful about your diving and snorkeling gear.

Snorkeling Cameras – How to Keep Your Best Snorkeling Experience

AlexRad — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:02:17 +0000

When you go snorkeling in your favorite places like snorkeling in Caribbean or snorkeling in Bemuda, you would definitely want to keep your best memories and proudly boast before your friends with something tangible in your hands. Pictures or videos taken by you underwater – what can be better to support your tales that someone will doubt later. Or after many years – you will tell your children and grandchildren about your great feats in oceans and seas. You would better have a proof of your adventures as an experienced diver or a snorkeling enthusiast.
There are variety of cameras out there meant for both amateurs and professionals, with a whole range of options and characteristics that will make you bewildered if you are not well versed with terminology and do not know exactly what you need and what to expect from this or that option.
The first choice that many beginners is considering is a disposable snorkeling camera that has two main advantages in front of its competition. First, this disposable camera is very compact. Then, it is very cheap. For about nine or ten bucks you could get a decent snorkeling camera at the local grocery store located at the sea.

The bad news is the quality that you get with these. For example, one of the camera in use had an ISO 800 film that resulted in very grainy images with fuzzy areas near their edges. The sharpness was limited to the center of the image, and rendition of colors was also quite poor.
You could take about thirty images with this ten-buck camera, and another ten bucks went to an image processing lab. So you get about thirty pictures at 70 cents each. Well, if you plan for a sole day of snorkeling in a vacation, and your adventure will last for only an hour or two, the disposable camera may be an option for you. But if you value the beauty of the underwater world and are fond of quality photography, you should opt for much more expensive options.
The other end of this game is a professional camera with a special waterproof housing. A camera like Canon 5D Mark II is what I recommend for any type of work, on land or underwater. A camera body with a decent lens will cost you no less than 3,5-4 thousand, and a housing can take 1 thousand bucks more out of your pocket. But then you will have professional quality images or videos that you can proudly share and even sell.
As a compromise we will have a deeper look at the budget options that are available on the market, like a Liquid Image Explorer Series 5.0MP Underwater Digital Camera Mask, and a GSI Super Quality Secure Underwater Swimming Goggles with Built-in Digital 2.0 MP Camera.

Do not forget to take your favorite diving gear (and a dive knife) as you may encounter dangers underwater.

What Scuba Diving Equipment Do You Need?

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:26:03 +0000

For a safe and pleasurable dive you need appropriate diving gear, it will be necessary for any of your underwater experience, be it ocean or sea, lake or river. The gear includes many items, some of them being simple ones, and others are required only by seasoned professionals who spend whole bunch of days a month under the water.

Where do you look for you scuba equipment? There are online stores and local diving shops, as well as specialty stores, local retail stores and boutiques. You can either buy or rent the necessary items. The range of available gear is great, and if you are a novice, you would rather consult an expert to make the right choice.

If you dive from time to time, renting your gear can be a wise decision. Many diving shops offer their equipment for rent as they understand that not everybody will buy it from them. Also for spa and sea locations there are plenty of places that earn good money by renting scuba diving gear out to enthusiastic and ready to spend some money to entertain themselves tourists.

When you decide to buy your own gear, there is no lack of places to offer you their products. Well, many experienced divers recommend buying main items of equipment so that no hygiene issues of transporting gems are possible. It is always better to have personalized diving gear.

So let us list a few basic items that every scuba divers need. Of course you need booties, fins, a suit (that can be either dry or wet), and a snorkel. You should ensure that they are of the proper size to perfectly fit your body; otherwise you will feel very uncomfortable underwater. And additional pieces that you are needed for a good dive are a buoyancy control device, a compass, a depth gauge, a compass, a diving knife, a regulator, weight system, and probably diving computer.

It is very important to maintain your diving equipment and clean it carefully. Well, that is not the issue with rented gear; of course that is not your headache. Do not doubt, usually they clean their equipment daily, and it is a good idea to ask them if you are going to use their services. When you own the equipment, you should have basic knowledge and skills in proper cleaning and maintenance methods. It can be either a quick splash with warm water or careful cleaning with water and mild detergent. Do not forget to make sure your diving knife is sharp and on its place waiting to be used when you need it the most.