Submission Dive Blog

Did you take up diving looking for excitement and adventure? Are you still getting that thrill out of exploring underwater? If you answer yes, then you’re an eternal enthusiast like me. There’s not many of us about and the majority of people at varying stages get bored of getting up early on a weekend to dive the same dive sites. So, how do we spice up our dives? How do we inject that magic back into the sport we all adore? Here are a few suggestions to blow away the boredom.

Try New Kit. Your buddy has a different set of fins to you, they look a bit weird but your buddy seems to like them, why not try them out? If you don’t like them, give them back with all the smugness of a Cheshire cat that you didn’t purchase them and yours are better. If you like them, it’s something new and different and you’ve tried it before you buy yourself a shiny new set.

Look on manufacturer’s websites for kit trial days. Fourth Element, Suunto, Apeks & Aqualung all spend a lot of time out and about at various dive sites hoping you’ll take their new equipment for a dive and fall in love with it. Take full advantage of these opportunities because they might just have something that you’re interested in. What’s more exciting than diving with a top of the range computer or brand new undersuit?

Challenge yourself . If you’re tired of swimming around the same features underwater then practice the trickier skills that are important, such as navigation, buoyancy or SMB deployment. Take your weakest skill and work on it until you know you can do it easily, smoothly and with no hesitation. Most dive sites reference compass bearings from one feature to another so set yourself a course and see if you can actually compass navigate properly. Swap over and see if your buddy can do the same.

If you’re into photography then any diving to practice should keep you occupied. Look for every opportunity to photograph things in different ways, with torches to light up different features. You could really get some cool effects even with something simple like the cockpit at Stoney Cove.

Get out to new dive sites. If you think that the dive sites you visit are getting stale, think about how many different places you actually use regularly. You’ve dived Capernwray and Stoney Cove but have you been to the National Dive Centre in Chepstow, Vobster Quay, Wraysbury, Dosthill, Gildenburgh, Vivian Quarry, Blue Lagoon, Eight Acre Lake, the Rez or Eccleston Delph? If not, get out and dive new places.

Or you could research shore dives on the internet or buy a guide book and go to the coast for the day/ weekend. We can’t complain that the inland dive sites are getting boring because they never change when there is a huge expanse of coastline that is changing every day ready for us to explore.

Do more training. There’s nothing like learning new skills; wreck diving techniques, navigation, photography and much more. Completing the PADI Deep Diver Specialty may open up a few more sites for you to visit, or more for you to see. It may also mean that you can book onto boat trips around the UK coast such as Scapa Flow that are far more beneficial to those with deeper diving experience.

The PADI Divemaster Course will offer you a new perspective on diving in the usual sites as suddenly you’ll be thrown into a world of assisting, giving briefs, helping students and independently organising diving with certified divers.

Try something completely different. With all of the new and exciting programs coming out at the moment, there’s no excuse for not trying something completely different. Sidemount diving will give any dive site a completely new perspective when you swim at every angle imaginable such as upside down under the wings of the Cessna.

If you’re looking for something really different, then why not try no bubbles at all and give the PADI Rebreather courses a try. You could arrange a Poseidon Rebreather Dive with us at open water and see your usual sights from a silent perspective. Watch the fish come even closer to you, without bubbles to scare them away and see the advantages for underwater photography.

Self Reliant Diver is another program that will be immensely popular next year as well as the technical courses that are going to be making their way into the schedule. Take the opportunity to complete the PADI Tec Basics Specialty with Darren to dip your toes into the concept of technical diving. You’ll soon see whether this is a path you’re interested in pursuing.

Join the Club. Get together with lots of different divers who may have experience of diving in different locations and in different conditions. Buddy swapping for some people keeps things exciting too. You can also join us for organised trips and holidays throughout the year. Check out the club details here

It’s easy for me to be enthusiastic about being underwater as I can’t seem to get enough of it but diving will only stay as fresh and exciting as you make it. It is a constantly changing and evolving activity but if you don’t push yourself to try new ideas, new equipment or new dive sites you’ll easily and unnecessarily become disillusioned with the excitement of the sport.

Well, it’s been a great weekend with some fantastic students and an all round brilliant atmosphere. I was lucky enough to be involved in the PADI Open Water Diver Course and I must admit that I really admire this group for their grit and determination. Armarni, Heath, Esther and Rob completed the new standard fast track program and showed that it’s a winning structure for people with less time to spare.

The pool work didn’t seem to faze this group until we came to donning drysuits and then the fun really began. Armarni’s tiny feet struggled to stay inside the boots and generally the group found the session hard work yet they did a great job and nailed the pool skills.

However, they were clearly excited and nervous to put the skills into practice in Capernwray at the weekend and threw themselves in with all of the energy and enthusiasm of a child bombing into a swimming pool. The group didn’t find all of the skills easy but they definitely showed a determination to complete every single task. Everyone was worried about the mask removal on the Sunday but after the initial anxiety was under control they all cracked it. It felt amazing to shake them all by the hand underwater to congratulate them and see the genuine pleasure on their faces at having completed the PADI Open Water Diver Certification, an achievement not to be sniffed at.  

Armarni, Esther and Rob also joined me for the PADI Drysuit Specialty course which was a breeze in comparison to mask skills, weight removals and controlled emergency swimming ascents! We managed to spend the dive concentrating on buoyancy, swimming techniques and enjoying the features that Capernwray have to offer. Well done and thanks for a great weekend. I also need to say Happy Birthday to Rob who spent the big day wet, cold and underwater! Carry on that birthday tradition and every diver in the UK will be envying you.

Whilst I was having a great time with the PADI Open Water Divers; Mat, Jilaine and Zoe were taking on the tasks of various adventure dives in order to gain the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification. They were having a whale of a time practising buoyancy and fine tuning their weighting as well as getting to grips with underwater photography. They took advantage of Capernwray’s immense visibility to capture some amazing photos and a photogenic sturgeon turned up to model for the students. They also completed the Navigation adventure dive, using natural references to find their way around Capernwray’s shelf as well as compass’s to complete a square pattern. Sunday’s dives were the Deep and Wreck adventure dives and meant that they got to explore some different areas of Capernwray. They were able to compare colours at depth and see if their depth gauges were reading accurately to their computers on the deep dive. They had a brilliant weekend and it made it very easy for the staff to teach them, with their brilliant buoyancy and generally good dive skills. Well done to the three of you for overall awesomeness!

Very slowly the water temperature is dropping as we hurtle towards the end of 2011 and into the winter months. So, for those of you who haven’t dived in the colder water or as a reminder for those that may need a review here are a few hints and tips for staying safe and enjoying your dives in the coming months!

1)      Watch out for Free Flows & Know How to Respond.

Freeflowing regulators are a common problem at open water dive sites during the winter and can result in a significant loss of air in just a few minutes. A free flow generally occurs due to the drop in temperature at the regulator first stage, which may lead to icing of the second stage also. The primary purpose of the regulator first stage is to reduce the pressure of the cylinder to just a little more than ambient pressure and therefore a natural drop in temperature occurs when they are working but on particularly cold days and in cold water this is exacerbated to the point of causing free flows.

To help stop this occurring keep your regulators dry and warm; don’t leave them in your car boot the night before the dive, put them in the front of the car with you on the way to the dive site to keep them warmer. Also, try to avoid breathing from your regulators when you set your equipment up so as to stop moisture from causing freezing in the second stage. You could always knit a small woolly regulator hat to keep the equipment warm on the surface, let’s face it you’d certainly be unique!

Make sure that your regulators are cold water rated, have been well maintained and regularly serviced. Regulator Shut Off Valves are a good idea and are designed to manually isolate a 2^nd stage in the event of a free flow. Check out these nifty little gadgets here.

What should you do if a free flow occurs when you jump into the water? Firstly, pop your thumb into the mouthpiece to see if it stops the flow, if this doesn’t get someone close by to quickly turn off your cylinder valve. Your regulators will probably be pretty cold by this point so if you can, let the water warm up the first stage before turning the cylinder valve back on (remember that the water will probably be warmer than the air temperature) and hopefully you’ll have enough air left to continue the dive.

What happens if you get a free flow whilst underwater? Firstly, you need to remain calm. You have learnt several different skills during your initial scuba training to help you deal with this situation. You were probably taught how to breathe from a free flowing regulator so happy days, you’ll be able to come up to the surface safely. Just keep an eye on your pressure gauge and if needed, swap onto your buddies alternate. You could always swap onto a redundant air source if you have one or signal your buddy straight away and breathe from their alternate air source to get you to the surface. Regardless of which method you would choose my advice is to practice these skills with a buddy so that you are prepared for any eventuality.  

2)      Thermal Protection is king

Make sure that during your dives over the colder months that you remain as warm as possible. If you’re going to be a cold water diver, buy the best thermal protection you can afford. A Fleece jumper under your drysuit probably won’t cut it so make sure you purchase diving undersuits that you know will be thick enough and layered enough to keep you warm, regardless of whether they are for wetsuits or drysuits.

I use the Fourth Element Arctic undersuit, which keeps me toasty and Dawn uses the same but layers hers with the Fourth Element Drybase Layers as well. Being cold during dives increases your susceptibility to Decompression Sickness so take care of yourself. If you begin to shiver continuously underwater get out and seek warmth. I suffer massively with the cold in my hands so I have a pair of 7mm mitts and a 7mm hood. If your hands and head are getting unbearably cold, increase the thickness of your accessories or consider getting a pair of dry gloves to keep your hands toasty.

3)      Know your limits

Make sure you are comfortable with your dive times. If you know that more than a 30 minute dive in 6 degrees of water is uncomfortable then stick to 30 minutes. Don’t feel peer pressure to complete a longer dive because your buddy is as warm blooded as a rhino, after all it may turn out that if you push it you won’t want to get back into the water for a second dive. I’m sure your buddy would rather do 2 dives than one long dive and travel home with a miserable, cold buddy! Also be aware that the cold may increase your air consumption and may cause you more fatigue by your increase in energy expended.

 4)      Keep warm between dives

Your temperature will start to cool down way before the dive and this heat loss will affect your core temperature and how warm you feel during the dive. Have warm layers available to wear between dives, warm hat and gloves and make sure that you get out of any wet gear or slightly soggy clothing as soon as possible. It’s also a great idea to get out of the cold and grab yourself a warm drink or hot soup to help keep your temperature comfortable. My personal tip is to make sure your hands don’t get cold on the surface. I’ve found that the wind chill on the surface causes my hands to feel numb when I’m kitting up and then they just don’t warm up on the dive. Give your surface cover your woolly gloves just before you put your neoprene gloves on, keeping your hands as warm as possible.

5)      My own personal tip is to maintain your sugar levels.

Make sure you have a decent breakfast with plenty of complex carbohydrates so that have plenty of energy for your dives. Your body will be working harder to keep you warm and burning more calories so ensure that you are replenishing with plenty of sugar and carbs. This really affects me during colder dives and if I don’t drink plenty of sweet tea and have some chocolate then I feel like death cooled down!

Be extra cautious whilst you’re diving over the winter months but enjoy the benefits that come with cold water diving such as great visibility and quieter dive sites. Have fun and dive safely.