Learn how to scuba dive | The 5 essential diving skills

advances in equipment and training techniques have come a long way since the beginning of recreational scuba diving in the 1950s so far in fact that almost anyone who is comfortable in the water can enjoy the spectacle of the underwater world but this does not relieve divers of certain responsibilities with regards to your body and the aquatic environment when scuba diving you're not only experiencing a new set of sensations you are also subjecting yourself to the physical laws that affect your body the most important of these laws deal with the increased pressure of the aquatic environment for example right now you may not be aware of the air pressure surrounding your body because it is evenly applied in all directions however when you go underwater the weight of the water will become obvious a liter of sea water weighs about 1.03 kilograms or 64 pounds per cubic foot fresh water weighs one kilogram per liter or 62.5 pounds per cubic foot approximately 800 times heavier than air air pressure is defined as force per unit area and is commonly expressed in bar in the metric system and pounds per square inch psi and atmospheres in the imperial system for each additional 10 meters or 33 feet of descent another bar or atmosphere of pressure is added to the pressure on your body while our bodies are primarily liquid approximately 70 percent by volume the liquid portions of the body are considered to be incompressible for recreational divers however the other 30 percent of our body is air and will compress and expand when the pressure changes the most important law you will learn in diving is Boyle's law Boyle's law states if the temperature remains constant the volume of a gas will vary inversely as the absolute pressure and the density will vary directly or more simply stated as pressure increases volume decreases and as pressure decreases volume increases as a diver it is important to note that the greatest relative volume change takes place in the first 10 meters or 33 feet this emphasizes your need to respond to pressure increases immediately underwater your body air spaces will compress upon descent and unless you introduce more air into those air spaces you could experience pain for example have you ever descended to the deep end of a swimming pool and noticed it hurt your ears your ears are one of those body air spaces that you will learn how to equalize this increasing pressure is referred to as squeeze ear squeeze is the most common and also the easiest to prevent pain is the primary symptom when the eardrum and it's connective tissue are under stress and this pain should never be ignored pain is an indication that some tissue damage may already be taking place as you descend underwater you will feel external pressure pressing on the tympanic membrane pushing the eardrum inward to equalize this increasing pressure you simply need to introduce air into the middle ear through the eustachian tube the secret to equalization is to never wait for the pain to begin and equalize often prevention of ear squeeze is easy to perform the valsalva technique pinch your nostrils closed and blow gently into your nose until the pressure is equalized do not blow too hard or try to force air into the middle ear the valsalva technique should be used very carefully with practice only after yawning swallowing and jaw rotating do not work now we will move to a discussion about the diving equipment the safest way for you to learn to dive and become a diver is in your own personal fitted high-quality total diving system the total diving system is made up of six subsystems in this section we are going to talk about the snorkeling system and the exposure system the snorkeling system contains the mask snorkel fins exposure suit booties and mesh equipment bag dive mask because the human eye is designed to function in air not water we must bring a pocket of air with us underwater in order for us to see comfortably your dive mask is the first component of the snorkeling system and your window to the underwater world it gives you clear vision underwater protects your face and eyes from irritants in the water keeps water out of your nose and gives you some protection from cold water there are many types of masks available but all perform the same basic function and the most important consideration for your mask is fit selecting the right mask requires the assistance of your SSI dive professional the mask will be fitted to the contours of your face a double seal along the mask edge is very effective in keeping water out flexible mask straps or comfort straps secure the mask to your face the lenses of your mask should be tempered glass to resist scratching and breaking if you really want to enjoy every dive and not miss anything don't forget to talk to your dive professional about a protective mask box mask cleaner and defog you'll be glad you did [Music] snorkel the next piece of the snorkeling system is the snorkel snorkels let us maneuver on the surface with little effort and let us breathe without lifting our heads out of the water as part of the total diving system the snorkel can help in the case of a surface swim with all of your equipment for unrestricted breathing and easy clearing a snorkel should have smooth internal construction with a large boar and self-draining vent be made of relatively flexible material and have a comfortable mouthpiece the snorkel is attached to the left side of the mask when using your snorkel it should point straight up when you are looking down this position provides the diver with a relaxed and constant view of the beauty below and easy breathing scuba fins unlike swimmers snorkelers and scuba divers do not use their arms for propulsion scuba fins provide 100% of your propulsion scuba fins allow you to move through the water with a minimum amount of effort substantially increasing the power of the bare foot there are two types of scuba fins full foot and open heel full foot fins are designed for warm water and are generally worn without scuba boots open heel fins are designed to be worn with scuba boots and used in all types of diving the open heel model is adjustable for clothes comfortable fit fins that are too tight will cause cramping and loose fitting fins may cause blisters or fall off while kicking your SSI dive professional will work with you and make sure you get the best fin for the type of diving you will be doing the aquatic environment is a beautiful and exciting place the techniques you will learn to maneuver and remain safe and comfortable underwater will be different than you have ever known when you swim today you use all limbs for forward motion once you become a diver you will become part of the environment with your arms to your sides allowing your fins to do all the work this streamlined posture will let you glide effortlessly through the water add a mask and snorkel and you will become one with the water with your face submerged all the air you will need will come through your snorkel vision underwater changes in unique ways there is an interesting optical illusion called refraction light rays Bend as they pass from air through water and magnify objects by about 1/3 this means that an object 1 meter or 3 feet away will appear closer and fish will appear larger [Music] additionally the deeper you dive the warm colors red orange and yellow will virtually disappear and your eyes will only see blues and purples this is called absorption [Music] many variables will affect visibility underwater refraction illumination absorption diffusion and turbidity all of these factors can make the same dive site look very different throughout the day depending on where you dive water temperatures can range from around zero degrees Celsius or thirty degrees Fahrenheit to over thirty degrees Celsius or eighty degrees Fahrenheit you may even encounter a temperature difference of ten to fifteen degrees Celsius or twenty to thirty degrees Fahrenheit between the surface and depth this change in temperature is called the thermocline your SSI dive professional will share more information with you regarding thermocline sound also behaves very differently underwater sound travels four times faster underwater and seems to come from all directions since we cannot talk underwater we need to communicate by using hand signals pictured here are the most commonly used hand signals okay question and answer something is not okay go up go down stop I am low on air please review these hand signals before heading to the pool or view them on ssize free smartphone app we've covered many topics in this section remember knowledge replaces fears and fantasies with correct information on your journey to becoming a diver you may have a small amount of anxiety when it comes to breathing underwater but breathing underwater is as easy as breathing on the surface the only difference is the gas you breathe underwater is delivered through a regulator which is only one part of the air delivery system now that you understand pressure this piece of equipment automatically regulates your cylinder pressure to ambient surrounding pressure through your air delivery system you can breathe underwater easily and effortlessly yes the excitement of being underwater for the first time might increase your breathing rate but once you are comfortable underwater you will gain control over your breathing rate and Master a slow relaxed breathing pattern the most efficient breathing pattern for scuba diving is a deep inhalation followed by a balanced exhalation deep balanced and rhythmic the key is to relax and realize that your breathing patterns will automatically become more regular with experience you will also discover that the proper swimming position also referred to as is 15 to 20 degrees this attitude allows your mouth and lungs to be horizontal and is the optimal swimming position for breathing easy and depth your regulator will provide you with a sufficient amount of air and ambient pressure in other words the sufficient amount of gas at depth is determined by environmental conditions the amount of work you do underwater and your physical condition the first rule of scuba diving is breathe continuously while you are on scuba you must breathe continuously in and out in a rhythmic pattern if your regulator is out of your mouth at depth for any reason you should always exhale a small stream of bubbles the second rule of scuba diving is ascend slowly and maintain control the best way to control your ascent is by watching your dive computer never exceed an ascent rate of 10 meters or 30 feet per minute most dive computers have an ascent alarm to tell you when you are ascending too fast the third rule of scuba diving regain control respond react which you need when responding to difficult situations regain control regain the capacity to think and make rational judgments [Music] respond consider the possible responses react choose the proper response and act decisively when diving you must remain under control at all times the breathing apparatus is called the air delivery system which includes the first and second stage regulators alternate air source and a high pressure scuba cylinder the first stage this takes high pressure air in the cylinder and decreases the pressure to approximately 10 bar or 140 psi the second stage your mouthpiece takes the air from the first stage at 10 bar or 140 psi and decreases it to ambient pressure which is whatever you need for your current depth after diving and especially after diving in saltwater rinse your air delivery system and all your diving equipment in fresh water don't press the purge button while rinsing the second stages unless the air delivery system is still attached to a cylinder and the air is on salt build-up can affect your air delivery regulators operation when properly maintained your total diving system and your air delivery system is like a reliable buddy scuba diving equipment is life support equipment the SSI equipment surface program is designed to keep your life-support equipment properly maintained nothing is more disappointing than to arrive at a diving destination and find out that you have a minor equipment problem another important part of your total diving system is a specific spare parts kit your SSI dive center or resort can help you assemble all the necessary pieces you need for minor field maintenance if you want to learn more about your equipment ask your SSI dive professional about the SSI equipment techniques program maintaining body temperature in water is a serious factor while diving while air is an excellent insulator for blocking heat transmission water is an excellent conductor water absorbs body heat 25 times faster than air the body's primary responsibility is to keep the brain and torso warm if the body can no longer do that a phenomenon called blood shunting occurs slowing circulation to the outer extremities of the body and while that may be fine on the surface that is not good under water so how do we solve the issue the answer is thickness fit and seam integrity thickness solves conduction fit and seam integrity solves convection then it's all about layering that can be a rash guard lightweight fleece wetsuit in all thicknesses or even a dry suit it will largely depend on the type of diving you will be doing wetsuits are also buoyant and required you to wear just enough weight to offset this buoyancy but let's not forget that as depth increases so does pressure and that will happen two closed nitrogen cells they will compress this is why you wear a buoyancy compensator to make descending swimming at the proper attitude or position at depth ascending and surface flotation easy after diving soak your exposure suit with wetsuit shampoo rinse thoroughly and hang to dry never store your suit folded or compressed it could become permanently creased and create cold spots where the bubbles break down hang the suit on a wetsuit hanger and store in a cool dry place dry suits are used for cool to cold water conditions air instead of water is filled in a dry suit by an inflation valve which is connected with your regulators first stage by an inflator hose air is introduced into the suit for thermal protection and to prevent suit squeeze on ascent air in the suit must be allowed to escape through an exhaust valve diving in a dry suit is very different from diving in a wet suit if dry suit diving sounds like something you want to try ask your SSI dive professional about the dry suit specialty program proper buoyancy control makes the difference between an enjoyable effortless dive and an uncomfortable potentially dangerous situation in open water many series diving problems have been linked to inadequate buoyancy control buoyancy is the characteristic of a fluid to push up on an object immersed in it there are three types of buoyancy that can describe an object immersed in a liquid positive negative and neutral positive buoyancy an object less dense than the liquid will float for example any object weighing less than 1.0 3 kilograms per liter or 64 pounds per cubic foot floats in salt water negative buoyancy an object with greater density than the liquid will sink for example any object weighing more than one point zero 3 kilograms per liter or 64 pounds per cubic foot will sink neutral buoyancy an object with density equal to the density of the liquid will neither sink nor float for example an object weighing 1.0 3 kilograms per liter or 64 pounds per cubic foot will remain neither sinking nor floating to compensate for positive buoyancy of the diver and the exposure suit a diver needs a weight to descend [Music] the last component of the total diving system is the information system the information system is designed to easily prepare and follow a dive plan dive computer SSI dive tables SSI total dive log here's how all these components work together we live in a computer world and recreational diving is no different dive computers are automatically activated in the water and immediately start recording information depth time air pressure temperature and time remaining underwater based on your air consumption once on the surface the dive computer also calculates your time out of the water to determine how long you need to remain on the surface before your next dive there are many computers available for various types of diving if you plan on taking an SSI enriched air nitrox specialty you may want to consider a nitrox programmable computer likewise if you plan on taking the SSI navigation specialty you may want to consider a computer with an integrated compass the SSI total dive log is a permanent record of your certification information and individual diving data beginning with your classroom pool and open water training dives it is important not only to evaluate your skills but to keep up with your diving experience the SSI total dive log has a place for equipment and maintenance records as well as health and medical information SSI total dive log is designed to add additional pages as needed the surface of this planet is made up of very little land it is in fact about 72% water more than 85% of the oxygen is produced by marine plants even the photosynthesis that takes place on land requires water which originates in the oceans we are all linked directly or indirectly to the oceans the oceans are the world's great caretaker we all need to do our part to keep them clean and free of pollutants we must leave the oceans in a pristine state if we expect to go on enjoying their natural beauty for you the oceans may be your playgrounds but playgrounds are only fun and exciting if you do your part to keep them clean and well-maintained corals are colonial animals which construct skeletal structures of limestone often forming extensive reefs in the shallower tropical seas where sunlight and warmer waters prevail coral animals or polyps attach permanently to a surface such as a rock face and slowly build around themselves the protective structures and networks we see as the coral reefs some corals can be brittle and some are capable of inflicting abrasions or cuts these corals are also easily damaged by careless divers who drag equipment kick corals with their fins or hit the reefs with their cylinders to avoid injuring yourself or the coral always secure your equipment and practice good buoyancy control over reefs it is also recommended that you keep a safe distance from the reef to avoid damage it is best to appreciate the reefs with the eyes rather than the hands simply touching the corals may remove some of their protective mucus coating making them susceptible to injury or infections unfortunately there is not enough time in this video to show you this entire planets estimated 40,000 species of fish that are indigenous to each ocean if you are particularly interested in marine life or taking pictures you might want to ask your SSI dive professional about digital photography and marine life identification specialty courses we are all amazed by the incredible beauty of the underwater world as you have learned this is a delicately balanced ecosystem and we only hope you will do your part by protecting this amazing resource there are three things you can do to protect this amazing resource swim neutrally buoyant at all times keep your equipment secured to your body no dangling equipment that may damage the reef always be a responsible diver the ocean and coastal diving is popular there are many inland freshwater dive experiences worth investigating many divers live too far inland from salt water sites to be able to dive them exclusively so they find some very diverse and interesting dive sites nearer to home inland dive sites include lakes rivers quarries ponds and mines just to mention a few your physical well-being is a very important part of diving and often an overlooked component in diving the more physically fit you are the more you will enjoy all aspects of your life including diving there are some do's and don'ts for divers that are extremely important for example alcoholic beverages or drugs and diving do not mix always consume adequate liquids non-alcoholic when you are diving to prevent dehydration water is best start your diving day with a good breakfast of light non gaseous foods and eat sensibly throughout the diving day where adequate exposure protection over several days of diving and several dives a day your body temperature will drop the water you'd oving at the beginning of your trip will seem cooler by the end of your vacation that's why most resident dive masters at tropical resorts where exposure protection all the time divers should refrain from smoking moreover individuals concerned about respiratory health find that smoking is contradictory to diving your physical and emotional well-being are important components of your comfort and safety while diving yet they are often overlooked you do not have to be a superhuman but there are some common-sense things you can do to enhance your comfort and confidence in this wonderful sport one of those things is taking part in a diverse stress and rescue specialty program where you will not only learn how to take care of yourself but also how to detect and deal with stress and how to assist your buddy in case of an emergency using equipment that is unfamiliar does not fit well or performs inadequately can create stress leading to panic that is why we recommend selecting and owning your equipment and keeping it well maintained by your SSI dive Center use your pre dive checklist and check each piece of equipment before every dive you can eliminate all potential problems by disciplining yourself remember stay within your limits and your capabilities you always have the right to decline diving if you do not feel comfortable or if you have the feeling that the diving conditions could exceed your abilities you are capable of helping your buddy in case of an entanglement or sharing air you are not capable of helping a diver in an advanced panic situation if you are not trained for it do all you can without endangering yourself after you are certified you are ready to pursue a lifetime of adventure diving offers endless opportunities for exploration discovery education and new experiences you can go as far as your passion and enthusiasm take you entering the underwater world as a trained scuba diver is a thrilling experience knowledge puts you in control and the sport of scuba diving becomes more and more enjoyable with time continuing education adds to the enjoyment of the sport and expands your underwater horizons your open water diver certification is only the beginning of the SSI educational system SSI specialty programs teach you specialized diving activities and there are many specialty programs to choose from by combining specialties and experience you can earn SSI continuing educational ratings of specialty advanced open water and master diver levels [Music] becoming a dive professional is an extension of the training path if you have an interest in leading dives assisting other dive professionals or making a career out of scuba diving talk to your SSI dive professional and dive Center about the many leadership levels such as dive guide dive master dive control specialist and even open water instructor by now in your training as an open water diver you have received the fundamentals you might say as the diver diamond illustrates that correct knowledge proficient skills proper equipment and diving experience equal enjoyable scuba diving the rest is up to you work with your SSI dive professional ask questions and have fun learning and gaining the experience required to become a comfortable confident diver [Music]

Channel: Aloha Diving™ - Scuba Diving in Phuket

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Keywords: scuba diving, how to scuba dive, SSI, SSI Certification, scuba diving lessons, scuba diving lessons for begginers, scuba diving for beginners

Id: IAMEvvOmHJs

Length: 32min 53sec (1973 seconds)

Published: Thu May 14 2020