Enjoy Scuba Diving This Summer

travel guide
Enjoy Scuba Diving this Summer By J. Foley

In the summer, people prefer activities that take them near the water. Rafting and kayaking are popular sports during this time. But surely it would be even better if you could actually be in the water, instead of merely near it? Scuba diving lets you do exactly that.

If you haven't dived before, you're going to have an experience of a lifetime. A whole new world awaits you down there – a magical, dreamy, fantastic world that words cannot adequately describe. It's a world of fish and shells, colorful corals and thousands of other types of marine life you have never seen or imagined. Once you get the hang of it, you're not going to want to come up for air!

However, like all good and enjoyable things of life, scuba diving too needs some discipline and planning. You need equipment and training, and you need to bear certain things in mind if you'd like your experience to fulfilling, safe and trouble-free.

First, take a training course in a reputed center. The importance of this point cannot be over-emphasized. Experts make scuba diving look easy, and you are perhaps thinking you can do it all right on your own without any guidance. But you need to think again. Many an unnecessary accident has occurred because of newbie bravado.

These people will provide you with your practice gear, but when you finish the course you shall want to buy your own. The demand regulator is probably the most important piece of equipment that you shall buy. It controls your oxygen supply – your life depends on it. Do not want to save your penny here – buy the best that you can. Select one that is adjusted for the depths you want to go down to.

The Buoyancy Control Device, BCD for short, is another vital part of your gear, and should be checked for the suitability of its integrated weighting system with your purpose and your body density. Choose the facemask well, so that it fits your face nicely with no cracks or gaps anywhere. If you're wearing lenses, check the facemask's compatibility with them.

In the excitement of your first few unsupervised sessions, you might forget some of the important rules of safe diving. Probably the most important one is, never rise directly to the surface at the end of your dive. Shooting to the surface will not allow your equipment and your body to adjust to the change in pressure, and may lead to discomfort or worse. Rather, stop for a minute or two every ten feet on your way up, so that your body may respond properly.

Another very important lesson you ought to learn is to look out for boat traffic every time you go up. Motor-powered boats approach quite fast, and may cause injury if you aren't careful about them. Fortunately, the sound of outboard motors travels some distance through water, and you'll be able to listen for them.

An essential technique for better scuba diving is to breathe properly. Never pant or hold your breath, and do not move in a way that makes you do these things. For example, developing a slow, smooth gait will help you to breathe calmly and deeply. On the other hand, flailing your limbs or trying to jump around will make you hyperventilate.

travel guide by J. Foley