Archive for August, 2011


And what about:

– What was your best dive ever?
– What is your favorite dive destination?
– What was your worst dive gear purchase?
– What dive computer would you recommend?
– Did you ever dive in cold water?
– What was the first dive purchase you did?
– Where did you get certified?
– Why do you like diving?
– How often do you dive?
– Do you like muck diving?

Maybe not 20, but with the previous answer combined you probably have enough 😉

What is the best Scuba dive bag?

I plan to go on a diving trip to maine sometime in the next year with my dad. we would have to fly so we need a dive bag that can hold 2 bcs/reg setups/cold water wetsuits/fins/mask/gloves hoods etc. there does not have to be room for clothes. we just need one dive bag that can hold two sets of cold water gear, not drysuits though, but 7mil wetsuits.

skins

I have asthma and i want to go scuba diving. Ive always wanted to go scuba diving but I know that having asthma might create some problems. How does the respiratory system work with scuba diving?

Usually people who are asthmatic are automatically deferred from scuba diving. It depends on your type of asthma. If you have allergy induced asthma there is a possibility of being cleared but if you have exercise induced asthma then you are really excluded from it. I recommend looking at your history of attacks and getting your doctor to conduct a spirometry test, as well as a total physical to check out your overall health.

Now, to explain WHY diving and asthma don’t go together, it isn’t a matter of not being able to breathe, it’s a matter of physics pertaining to changes in pressure and how it affects fluids.

When you go diving, the pressure on your body increases proportionately with your depth. This means that you breathe in more molecules of air and you have a higher density of air in your lungs. If you suffer an asthma attack underwater, first of all it is difficult for you to breathe which usually causes a tendency to panic, but also it makes it difficult and dangerous to bring you up to the surface. If you have even a partial blockage in your lungs it prevents air from escaping as it expands (because ascending causes all fluids to expand proportionately with the pressure decrease) which makes your lungs expand as well. If you cross the expansion threshold of your lungs it will cause a lung over expansion injury which causes a series of injuries: pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, cardiopulmonary emphysema or an arterial gas embolism. Each of these is caused by expanding air being pushed into different parts of the body and all are potentially fatal.

I am sorry to burst your bubble (no pun intended considering the content) but with the risk of such serious injuries it is understandable why most people with asthma are precluded from diving. If you still really want to try it out I suggest discussing it with your doctor and trying it out in a pool first.

I’m traveling to Costa Rica in a few weeks and am looking to learn how to scuba dive. I’m flying into San Jose and will be traveling up to Nicaragua along the pacific coast, so I’d prefer to find a place around NW Costa Rica, like around Playa Del Coco. Any ideas of good places? Or would I be better off traveling to another part of the country to scuba dive?

Any input would be great. Thanks!

Almost any town along the Pacific coast will have dive shops where you can learn to scuba. If you want a selection to choose from, visit a larger resort area, like maybe Jaco Beach — LOTS of scuba dive shops there!

I have just got my Padi Open Water scuba diving certificate and i was looking to buy some fins that werent to expensive. All of these are in my price limit but could someone tell me which are the best?
thanks



I have never tried any of these fins, but these are my impressions from the photos, descriptions and reviews:

The first pair is almost certainly unsuitable for diving. Too short, and likely too flimsy/floppy to provide sufficient propulsion to a kitted-up diver, even if in only warm-water gear.

The second pair are specifically labelled as snorkeling fins, so again, may not have sufficient rigidity for diver propulsion. That said, these fins are at least longer than the others you listed, and Cressi (although not my favourite brand) do a good line in diving fins generally.

The third pair are also described as a snorkeling fin in the ‘Product description’. Again, they look a little short for a diving fin. That said, the single reviewer said he happily used a pair for diving in the Maldives, where currents can be quite… erm… strong.

Only the last pair are actually described as a ‘diving’ fin. But they look _very_ flimsy to me. I would frankly be reluctant to trust them even for snorkeling.

All four pairs are designed to be worn without booties, which means you can really only use them for (small) boat diving in very warm water. Using them for shore-based diving means you’d get sand/stones trapped in them during entries/ exits, which is very uncomfortable against bare feet. And without a pair of neoprene socks, you would get cold feet e.g. in the Med or Red Sea (common UK divers’ destinations) in winter/spring, when water temps are only 18-20°C. (Also, climbing day-boat ladders barefoot or socked can be slippery/dangerous, especially in choppy seas.)

Bluntly, I wouldn’t buy any of them. To be honest, I really think you’d be better off upping your prospective price range to about 40-50 quid, if you want a set of fins which are going to last you any appreciable length of time, and which you can use everywhere (including the UK, if you were so inclined later).

But if these were my only options, I would probably go for the Cressi or Aquatics fins, leaning more towards the Cressis since I’m not a big fan of split-fins. But you’re the one who’ll be diving in them, so it’s really up to you.

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