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Scuba Class 6/28/08-6/29/08

June 30, 2008 By Shannon

Saturday

The pool at Shawnee Mission North was one busy place this weekend!  There were 3 different classes being held simultaneously!  Fortunately for us, the pool there is a big one, and there was plenty of room for all.  We didn't even bump into each other!   Mike and I assisted one of my favorite instructors,  Beau, with the biggest class.

The class consisted of 10 eager students who all did a great job.  Saturday we covered the usual...   appropriate gear assembly, entries, gear donning,  purging the regulator (2 methods), retrieving the regulator (2 methods), mask clearing, and buoyancy skills.  Most got to work on ear clearing and proceeded to the deep end to practice their skills in the deeper water.  One remained behind, as 'in the mouth -  out the nose' breathing was quite the challenge for her.  Mike went with Beau and the class, while I stayed behind with the one student to let her get used to the idea of breathing under the water.

For my student, as with many students, anxiety was playing the largest part of the problem.   Sometimes it takes a little longer for people to get comfortable with the procedures, or just to get comfortable with the idea that they're depending on equipment to breathe underwater.  Clearing the water out of one's mask always proves to be the biggest challenge.  That's usually where I come in.   I always hang back with the students having a little more of a problem mastering their skills or relaxing in the water.  I generally try to provide a 'no pressure' experience, because pushing a student too fast can lead to even more anxiety, which only worsens their problems.  It's very important that the first experience with SCUBA, even in the pool is a good one.  Without a lot of patience, and letting people get used to the idea at their own pace, you can push students away from what I consider to be one of the most awesome experiences in  life.   Proceeding at their pace, even if it takes more than a weekend to complete it, in my opinion, is the best way to introduce someone to the sport.  Honestly, I much prefer to work with the more challenging students, as I get a great sense of accomplishment helping people relax, and being around during their "ta-dah" moment, when everything falls into place, and they're finally relaxing and 'getting it'.

My student ended Saturday on a great note.  She finally made it through her skills in the shallow end, and came down to play with us in the deep end.  She learned lots, and was obviously feeling more comfortable by the end of class.  We still had a ways to go to get there, but she had made giant strides from the beginning to the end of class.  The rest of the class was a group of fish and made Beau look smart, as usual :)   Everyone had smiles on their faces when leaving which was a very good sign that they would return the next day, and complete the confined portion of their SCUBA training.

Sunday

Didn't know if my 1:1 student would feel more comfortable entering the pool on the second day, or be just as nervous the first.  She came into class with a smile on her face, but still had some trouble getting started with flooding and clearing her mask.  After much practice she was finally able to pull the mask completely off and place back on her head to clear it.  YEAH!!!  Suddenly there was a change in her demeanor.  We proceded toward the deep end and she performed every skill I asked her without hesitation!  She whizzed through the air sharing, the emergency ascent and even donned and doffed her gear underwater.  Even though it took her awhile to get her gear back on, there was never any panic, she just calmly worked it out, which was where I wanted her to be.  For starting the weekend taking 2 hours to master regulator purge and retrieval, she finished with a bang!!  I was so proud of her!   She overcame her fears, and actually finished her skills with enough confidence to head to her open water class in 2 weeks.  She had a trip to Costa Rica planned, and I think she might make it in fine form!  One other student spent some time with me just on mask clearing, but after adding a mask strap to her gear, her task became so much easier, and felt much more comfortable with the idea.  Funny how just a little tweak here or there makes a big difference.  Everyone else in the class passed with flying color with Beau and Mike's assist.  Our class did so well, that Michael actually ended up helping a young boy in another class that was in the pool, also.

All in all fears were conquered, skills were mastered, and there was a lot of fun had by all.  They all planned to complete the open water portion of their training either down at Beaver Lake in Arkansas, or on their upcoming vacations.  They were 1/2 way to becoming certified divers, all with great potential to do so.

Mike and I are looking forward to our next class.  Will keep you posted on the details!

Ciao for now!

Training Session from Shawnee Mission North

Training Session from Shawnee Mission North

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Another World – Life Below the Waves

June 26, 2008 By Shannon

By Simon Andrew

Man by nature is not designed to breath underwater, and it has taken many years of experimentation for people to create stable, safe life support systems for us to do just that.

Nowadays, the underwater world is open to almost anyone, although it is recommended you have a basic medical first before undertaking any training.

Scuba diving is a multi-million pound leisure industry, and the range and style of equipment available publicly is vast. Should you wish, you can even customise your equipment with style and colour.

With a little special training, you too can experience life under the waves.

Many training agencies exist worldwide for people to gain the skills needed to dive safely.

You can even combine a holiday with your training. The choice of destinations with warm clear waters to dive in is huge. Typical destinations are Australia, The Maldives and Egypt; all are a haven for wildlife and an experience not to be missed.

Once your basic training is completed you are able to participate in any number of dives to wonderful destinations and dive sites. Divers trained to a basic standard however, are usually limited to the depth they can dive to.

You can extend your education beyond basic diving to many levels.

Learn more about advanced techniques that you would need for more challenging and deeper dives, how to cope in an emergency, or, how to train other people to dive too!

It is even possible now to capture memories from dives by using off the shelf camera equipment and housings for the cameras that are now a fraction of the price professionals would have paid just a few years ago. You can then share those memories with loved ones and friends in a variety of ways. The internet allows you to post your images online for all the world to see and comment on.

There are many resources on the Internet to find out more about scuba diving, including forums where people participate in a wide range of subjects from how to start to the very technical aspects of advanced diving.

I have been leisure diving for over eleven years and traveled to Egypt and South-East Asia on numerous occasions and even produced videos to promote tourism and diving in those locations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Andrew
http://EzineArticles.com/?Another-World---Life-Below-the-Waves&id=1270753

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How to Control Soreness After a Scuba Dive

June 25, 2008 By Shannon

By Darrell Young

How many times have you came home from a scuba diving trip and felt really sore for a couple days. The reason for this might be several things. You might be getting older, you might not be participating in diving on a regular basis, or you might not be getting the proper exercises. If you don't want to get into bodybuilding to build muscles, you might think of just keeping yourself limbered up to feel good. Here are some stretching routines I use daily.

(1) Shoulder Stretch: Grasp the ends of a towel and stand erect with your arms straight and the towel resting across your upper thighs. Slowly move your hands upward and to the rear, "dislocating" your shoulders and allowing the towel to come to rest across the backs of your thighs. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement 5-8 times.(1) Jogging in Place or Skipping Rope: You can do either of these forms of aerobic exercise for 3-5 minutes, starting with a slow cadence and working up to a relatively quick pace for the last minute or so, but don't over do it at first.

(2) Alternate Toe Touches: Place your feet a bit wider than shoulder width and extend your arms straight out to the sides and parallel to the floor.Bend forward and twist to your left so you can touch your left foot with your right hand. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement to the other side. Alternate sides until you have done 12-15 reps to each side.

(3) Push-Ups: Support your weight on straight arms with your body straight. Lower your body down until your chest touches the floor by bending your arms. Push yourself back to straight arms length. Repeat the movement until you have done as many as you can, and again don't over do it at first, try to work up to at least 25 or more.

(4) Hamstring Stretch: Stand erect with your arms down at your sides and your feet about six inches apart. Bend forward at the waist, reaching downward to grasp your angles with your hands. Pull your torso toward your legs until you feel a painful sensation in the back of your thighs ( Hamstrings ). Back off an inch or so on the stretch and hold this position for 20-40 seconds.

(5) Head Circles: Stand erect with your feet set shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips. Relax your neck and drop your head forward to your chest. Move your head to the right in a circle to the side, back, left side, and again to the front. Continue this circular movement for 3-5 repetitions. Reverse and do the same number of reps in the opposite direction.

(6)Calf Stretch: Stand about two feet away from a wall facing toward the wall. Place your feet about shoulder-width apart, keep your torso and legs in one straight line, and reach forward to place your hands on the wall at shoulder-height and shoulder-width apart. Try to move your heels toward the floor to stretch your calves. If you can comfortably place your heels on the floor in this position, you should move your feet about 6-8 inches more away from the wall. Hold this stretched position for 30-60 seconds.

You can do these stretch movements everyday, or when you can work them in your weekly schedule. After staying with these routines for a few weeks, you'll notice the difference the next time you dive.

I hope some of the subjects I've covered will shed some light on your quest to become the best scuba diver you can be. It's never to late to pursue the beautiful art of scuba diving. It's for the young and old. Just make sure you have the physical requirements and the ability to make sound judgment, and always take a buddy with you to dive. For your equipment needs, advice. tips and information on this great hobby, visit my website at http://www.scuba-pro-tips.com

Darrell Young

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrell_Young
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Control-Soreness-After-a-Scuba-Dive&id=1266526

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Scuba Diving in the Maldives – Thila's, Atolls and So Much More!

June 25, 2008 By Mike

Scuba Diving in the Maldives - Thila's, Atolls and So Much More!
By Mark J Burns

Many of the world's top diving destinations claim to offer a truly unique form of diving, however few are able to substantiate it as easily as the Maldives. From the moment you first enter the water in the Maldives, you are surrounded by an almost magical underwater kingdom. A myriad of colourful reef fish, incredible corals exist alongside a wide variety of larger marine life including manta rays, whale sharks and many, many others. In fact, it is estimated that over 26 different types of shark can be found in the dive sites in the Maldives including the whale shark, the tiger shark and the hammerhead shark.

It is the unique geography of the Maldives that allows it to offer such incredible diving. The tops of an ancient submerged mountain range, the coral reefs and atolls of the Maldives now stretch across some 500 miles of the Indian Ocean from north to south.

The scuba diving in the Maldives tends to fall into two distinct categories, kandu diving and thila diving. Thila diving tends to focus around large coral formations or reefs which top out just under the surface of the water. These thilas allow divers the opportunity to dive or drift with the currents across and around these large reefs, often providing spectacular views of the prolific marine life and coral formations just below the surface. There are a number of excellent dive sites in the Maldives, which offer this thila type of diving. Some of the better known thila dives include Maaya Thila on North Ari Atoll, and Okobe Thila, together with its resident population of huge Napoleon wrasse.

The second type of diving for which the Maldives is well known is kandu diving, where divers can drift with the currents along the channels between the islands or reefs. In a typical kandu dive, the divers will enter the water just outside of the lagoon, allowing the currents to carry them into the calmer waters to be found inside of the atoll. With these currents drawing nutrient rich water into these channels from the open ocean, these kandu dives often provide the best opportunities to spot the various species of rays, sharks and other pelagic marine life which can be found throughout the waters of the Maldives.

Marine life throughout the Maldives is prolific, with an incredible array of tropical reef fish to be found throughout the region. Bannerfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish and surgeonfish mingle easily with the larger Napoleon wrasse and triggerfish which can be found here. Fans of the larger marine life will also find rich pickings in the waters surrounding the Maldives, and a wide variety of sharks and rays can be found throughout the hundreds of beautiful dive sites in the Maldives.

The climate in the Maldives does vary slightly between the north and the south atolls, with the Northern regions experiencing more extreme temperatures, and the southern atolls experiencing a slightly heavier average rainfall throughout the year. Water temperatures in the Maldives tend to remain consistent, ranging from 27 degrees to as warm as 30 degrees. The region experiences two monsoon seasons, which run from December to March, when the Maldives experience the warmer prevailing winds, and the wetter monsoon season which runs from May through to November.

If you are considering diving in the Maldives, it is highly likely that your resort will have an affiliated dive centre on the island. Recent years have seen an increase in the reputation of the region as one of the worlds best dive sites, and today there is a highly developed and extensive network of dive centres in the Maldives.

Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld.tv, a large scuba diving holidays and scuba diving courses web site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_J_Burns
http://EzineArticles.com/?Scuba-Diving-in-the-Maldives---Thilas,-Atolls-and-So-Much-More!&id=1266732

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Wreck Diving in the Caribbean

June 25, 2008 By Mike

By Greg Deskin

One of the best Caribbean wreck dives is the wreck of the C/S Charlie Brown on the island of Statia (St. Eustatius). Statia is only a quick 10 minute plane ride from Saba. I truly love vacationing on Saba. It is well away from the crowded reefs like Bloody Bay Wall on the Cayman islands or Palancar reef on Cozumel.

In its hay-day the C/S Charlie Brown spent almost 50 years lying fiber optic cable around the world. She was built in 1950 and is 327 feet long with a beam of about 41.4 feet.

The wreck of the Charlie Brown lies in 98 feet in water lying peacefully on its side. This wreck offers advanced divers, wreck divers, and underwater photographers the opportunity of a life time to watch everything from sea turtles to nudibranchs on the outside of the wreck.

For those of us who are more advanced, exploring the lone hallway that runs down the middle of the wreck is truly breathtaking. This hallway is wide open and runs about 120 feet through the wreck. Once inside you must visit the cable tanks and galley or move all the way forward to explore the reel room.

Unlike most wrecks the Charlie Brown was purposefully sank to form an artificial reef. But, she was not completely salvaged before the sinking. This now provides a look and feel of a real ship wreck.
Now, a little about how to get to Saba to start this dream vacation; Saba is what is called the Dutch Caribbean. The best way is to book your airfare to the island of St. Maarten. (SXM). Once you are on St. Maarten you will have two choices on getting to Saba:

  • Take the Winair flight to Saba
  • Take the 2 hour ferry to Saba.

Everything is really close. Saba is only 5 square miles while Statia is 8 square miles. You can get to most dive sites within 15 minutes. Saba is a volcanic island with spectacular lava tubes underwater. The best way to truly explore these Dutch islands is to start at Statia for a couple of days, then move on to Saba and end up at St. Maarten. St. Maartin has a great rain forest and this makes a great day to decompress after all of the diving.

For more information on scuba vacations, visit our website - http://www.scuba-info.com/Scuba-diving-vacation.html

Greg Deskin has been a PADI Course Director for over 12 years. With thousands of certified students, he has been asked many questions about scuba and scuba equipment. You can visit his scuba website at http://www.scuba-info.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Deskin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Wreck-Diving-in-the-Caribbean&id=1268606

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