Why Should You Have Your Own Equipment?

            With its equipment, diving world is a dreamland. Once you start diving, it is impossible to prevent yourself keep tracking of new developed equipment, and renewing your old ones or starting saving money to buy them.                          When you are a beginner, it is quite a hard decision. Sometimes it can be very tricky to complete all of them at once, so this situation leads you to prioritize the buying sequence and restock the rest.
            With this article, I will try to explain the importance of each, and prioritize the necessities of the essential ones, one by one.

Here we go!

Reasons

-Health and hygiene

            Let’s be clear, diving equipment is pretty private. It covers your body and touches almost every point in your skin. That causes bodily fluids integrate into your tools and clothes. Even if you are the only user, as long as you don’t clean them properly and frequently, those bodily fluid and dirt will accumulate in some certain areas, which can cause bacterial infection in close future. Now just imagine, what happens if you contact with someone else’s remaining which can cause infectious diseases, bacterial infections…etc.
            This kind of bacterial accumulations are mostly seen in wetsuits, diving boots and closed type fins, regulators, masks, snorkels, those are the things has direct contact with outside and inside of your body. So, common use of that equipment can cause you to get some unwanted beings intrude your body.
            On the places where you can rent your equipment, tools and suits should go through from a cleaning and disinfection process after every use. However, as you can imagine, it is hard to believe that most of the centers are complying with this requirement.
            
            That is why, it is crucial having them on your own.

-Safety

            Almost all equipment can be found in diving clubs from where you arrange your trip or rent your equipment. However, quality of devices and equipment won’t be reliable. Especially, dependability changes country-to-country, boat-to-boat and brand-to-brand. You can’t count on their maintenance schedule, quality of brand used, how long they have been used, and who knows how many years. So, especially equipment about your buoyancy, air taking and deco times, such as BCD, regulator and dive computer should be private, allowing you to know about maintenance, practice, chronic problems…etc.

-Knowing your own stuff

            Knowing your own stuff brings safety. It definitely will not be same when you are using completely new one which you are not even used to enough, instead of using your own device and equipment that you are familiar with all habits and where its buttons are, even allowing you to take action without looking at it or under no light. Especially with the equipment requiring more time to get use to its working principles, such as BCD, dive computer and fins will be in the top of your list when you become confident on diving and decide buying your own equipment.
Your muscle memory knows only your own equipment.

Tools for Diving

As I made things little bit more clear above, this 3 criteria is pretty important. Therefore, for beginners it will be wise to have them on their own. Now let’s probe them better.

-Mask, Half Mask

            Scuba divers usually use half mask these days. Because of availability and mobility of using the regulator in the mouth, it is the most preferred type.

            A mask will protect your nose and your eyes, from penetration of water underwater pressure and help you to see underwater brightly.
            Half facemask’s rubber seals create negative pressure inside your face and prevent water coming through. As deep as you go, pressure increases and protects better. Of course, it can be disturbing after some limits and just giving small breath out inside the mask will equalize the pressure and make you feel more comfortable.

-Fins and Boots

            Fins are like a pair of rudder, help you to direct yourself and gain speed with your body strength to make way underwater. There are two types of fins:

            The one above is the one called Full-Foots; Full-Foot is mostly considered suitable for beginners, because it doesn’t require wearing any boots additionally. However in cold waters, it can be uncomfortable.

            This type is the one called Open- Heels, which allows you to wear boots inside, arrange the stiffness on the heels so it won’t go off under high current effect, and more easy to remove from its stripes. For all those reasons, it is the most preferred one for professional divers.

-Regulator

            Regulator is the essential device and the first reason why this diving is “scuba”. Regulator’s first stage part (No1) helps you to “regulate” the high air pressure inside the bottle and reduce it to the level which you can breathe in atmospheric pressure through primary second stage (No2), the one you put your mouth to get the air.

            It has also one alternate second stage (No3) as spare, the one you carry for your diving buddy, in case of any emergency, you can make them breathe from your bottle until you reach safe place above the surface.
First stage of the regulator is also connects bottle pressure and depth gauges on to your system, we will get back to that on Gauges title.

-Wet / Dry Suits

            There are different kinds of suit types for diving. Dry-types, as befits the name, prevents water coming through inside, so you will be protected from being wet, which allows you to wear something inside the suit, to keep you warm in cold waters.

            Other one and most common type is wet-suits. Wet suits are water permeable and they protect body parts from the friction of the equipment, reefs, or any allergic reaction against some underwater creatures. They have different thickness availabilities to protect the diver against cold water and instant temperature changes up to some point, by creating warm water interface between your body and suit, but it is not permanent and effective under dramatically temperature changes.

            Next article, we will continue with other essential equipment and their area of usages.

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How to Dive?

            As soon as reaching 10 years old, everyone is free to dive, as long as they are healthy and fit enough to dive. Either you can “meet” with this world with a quick “discover” dive, without any certification, or you can “free dive” with one breath, letting yourself free from any equipment, or feel free from pressure of losing your breath and get the utmost pleasure with scuba diving. Because believe me, you will see astonishing things which will take your breath away, more than once!

Types of Diving

Discovery Dive

            This type is, if only you are a non-diver but you want to see what is going on underwater. It is clear that you can’t just take the equipment and go directly. For this, you need to take necessary minimum briefing for essential points of diving with a guide.

            An experienced instructor as guide leads discovery dives up to 5 meters. Because, in case of any unexpected circumstance, this is the safest depth to end the dive and to proceed to the surface immediately. Since discovery dives are for uncertified and inexperienced people, caution is crucial.

Steps of safe discovery dive;

-Briefing about important rules
-Familiarization with equipment to be used
-Never leave the instructor and always follow the rules.

As much as you obey the rules, you will always get the best.

Certified Scuba Diving

            Maybe you were so impressed by underwater beauties after your first discovery diving, or you have always wanted to be a diver. It is time for you to get your certificate and start diving all around the world. Scuba diving, other than discovery dives, requires certification. You will start from first level and get higher as much as you complete your dives and theoretical trainings. On scuba diving, you need more complex equipment to sustain yourself underwater. That is why you need be trained properly to get awareness for the basic physical, mental and scientific requirements.

Free Diving

            Comes from its name, it makes you free from some equipment, as long as you have strong lungs to keep you below the surface. That is why, free divers should train themselves with strict mental and physical therapy to feel ready for very deep dives, which is even sometimes dangerous for scuba divers. Once you have proper readiness, you will free from everything, when you are underwater.

Technical Diving

            After 40 meters, recreational diving ends. Requirements for diving, equipment to be used, air you breath and mental readiness change below this limit. That is why; this type of diving is only suitable for experienced divers. Divers go down below the limits because they want to discover wrecks, biological researches, and sometimes for underwater repair jobs of the oil platforms… etc.

Types of Certificates for Divers (other than instructors)

            Although there are many types of diving certification standards in the world, international and well-known types are CMASS, SSI and PADI. All certifications are basically same. For each certification you need to prove both theoretical and practical experiences required for each types.

CMASS

            Expansion of CMASS is “Confederation Mondiale Des Activites Subaquatiques” means World Underwater Federation built on 1959 in Monaco. As diver, other than instructors, there are 3 levels available.

            1* Open Water Diver – Diving up to 18 meters with an accompany of an instructor. After completing 25 dives, you have right to train for 2 Stars. These trainings help you to understand basics of the equipment you use, diving risks and how to eliminate them and take the proper actions under simple emergency situations.

            2* Open Water Diver – Diving up to 30 meters which is considered as deep dive and 40 meters with deep water diver specialty. Two 2* divers can dive together without any supervision of another instructor. They are expected to have basic awareness on rescue techniques, navigation and perfection on buoyancy.

            3* Open Water Diver – Diving up to 56 meters, however utmost caution must be considered because of potential hazards start after sportive limits. 3* divers are considered as assistants who are expected to be future instructors. That is why they should reach their full potential on buoyancy techniques, navigation and rescue techniques, during their 3* period before staring their level upgrade courses.

SSI

            Scuba Schools International was built on 1970 by Bob Clack. These days, it is considered as one of the best certification system in the diving community.

            Open Water Diver – This is the first step for your diving experience as a certified diver. Now you will be able to dive down to 18 meters with a companionship of an instructor. After getting 2 specialties and completing 12 successful dives, you can participate training to upgrade your certificate.

            Advanced Open Water Diver / Specialty Diver – With this certificates, you will be able to dive up to 30 meters with your another advanced open water diver or higher certified buddy. For further upgrades, you should complete at least for 4 specialties and 24 successful dives with theoretical trainings and 2 specialties with 12 dives for the Specialty Diver certificate.

            Master Diver – Being a Master Diver in SSI is one of the most prestigious level a diver can reach. To be able to reach this level, you have to be qualified on 5 more specialties with 50 successful dives.

PADI

            Expansion of PADI is “Professional Association of Diving Instructors” founded on 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. It has its own type of certification and specifications than others. PADI is the most popular one among many scuba centers in the world.

            For every candidate over 10 years old, there are some certifications related to environmental awareness, over 12 years old, additional to the previous ones, there are things more about diving. After 15 years old, you can start as an advanced diver with below certifications;            Level 1 Supervised Diver – Again, It is considered that divers know the basics of diving and they supposed to be supervised by an instructor or they can dive with a group of advanced divers.

            Level 2 Autonomous Diver – A diver who can dive between 18-30 meters with 3 elective certified specialties (you can choose and have the necessary trainings from the catalogue of PADI trainings) and good understanding on underwater diving.

            Level 3 Divemaster – A divemaster is expected to have effectiveness on Advanced Open Water Diver + Rescue Diver + 5 elective specialties more. Divers want to be a divemaster should have at least 50 successful dives.

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Why Should You Dive?

            Many people want to dive but only few people have this courage to follow this desire. Mostly, many concerns about safety, phobias, non-suitable economical conditions stop people pursuing their dreams.

            Usually travellers consider whole world only consist of things from above the surface where you can see with naked eyes. However, in the other %80 of this blue sphere, there is amazing and astonishing side of our known world, which we can discover endlessly behind the diving mask. Water creates its own environment, and it is way different than air does.

It is totally safe,

            Never get stuck with stereotypes about diving. Ask someone who actually dives. All of them will always say same thing; “It is the safest sport in the world!”

            Like hammerhead sharks, their look is the scariest one but they are the calmest ones among many animals. You would know this fact better if you were a diver. So, this is another reason why you should never believe in things, without experiencing that, at first hand.

            Of course, unless you follow the rules as it suppose to be without extending them by your own heard… There are very simple facts and rules to keep in mind. As long as you follow them strictly, every training and equipment with you will be your safeguards during your experience underwater.

-Swimming in an aquarium with ravishing colors,

            Just consider the colors you have met in world and get read to see more underwater. All around the world, there are thousands of dive sites and each of them better than the other. Some places, colorful fishes and reefs with corals are more, then the water density around, which makes the dive site like a carnival. Sometimes only thing you should do is hit the fins and watch the beauty flows around you. Of course, different colors are not the only thing you will face. Some of them will be chatoyant or transparent, which makes you lose your mind because you can’t believe if this kind of creature can be alive!

            Shapes of their body, quantity of their legs, eyes, tentacles and harmony between them will impress you and it will definitely change the way to see the world you have been living so long.

-Feeling like you are in space,

            Since you were born, probably you haven’t experience how it feels not being exposed to gravity, ever. Well, you can go to some expensive simulators or you can try to be an astronaut and NASA will give you this experience eventually. Whereas, you can leave yourself to the blue sea and you can conquer the gravity with your equipment. You will learn how to control the air with you like an Airbender. Believe me, coolest thing ever!

-Silence,

            How many of us are able to find the perfect silence in the city atmosphere? Sometimes, you just want to be alone, just to relax, keep your precious brain away from all those tiring and unnecessary voice disturbing you on your work, in your house, sometimes even between your friends. This very hard thing to find is not that hard just after couple of centimeters below the surface. Such a silence that even your thoughts can start being very noisy after some point. You can let things slide and enjoy the underwater therapy on your consciousness. Let the blue miracle distract you for a while, away from everything, like changing the dimension…

-Alone but together,

            It is a matter of being a member of a team of trust. Your diving buddy is also your extra air tank, if you have cramp in your body, she/he will be the one who’s going to be with you and help you. If you get lost, they are the ones who will find you. Consider there is another a pair of eyes looking after you.

            On the big teams with group of buddies with a leader in front and securities behind, you always feel safe. Divers are one of the most attentive sportsmen who have high sense of responsibility both on themselves and on their friends. Because they know that, as much as they take care of themselves, they make a contribution to sustain the group harmony and they always watch over not only their buddies but other buddies in the group. Divers always think bigger, away from selfishness.

-Healthy,

            For every sportive activity, physical fitness is essential to be able to continue doing that sport perfectly. At the beginning, you are required to align your buoyancy similar to the zero gravity environments, which eliminates the pressure on your spine and your joints. This process reduces chronic back and joint pains. Beside of this, every time you hit the fins, your muscles and tendons stretch effectively, because there is no body weight pressure stresses them. On the other hand, edema in your body drains under water pressure and cleans your body and relives pressure on your organs and joints. Of course, very important, this process makes you lose a lot of water. So, you have to put necessary water for your kidneys back by drinking good quantity of water.

-Exploring new spaces

            No matter how much you dive in one point, dive sites are changing and evolving environments for each season and also within the time. Each time you dive, you will discover new things and find new diversity to witness. That is why, you will never get bored even if you dive at the same point frequently.

Complete travels, under and above the water.

            During your travels, you will have chance to see whole beauties of that place, surrounded by both air and clear waters… Many waterside countries have diving points available. And in case of natural beauties, some of them have the ones even better than they have in the shore side. Leaving that country without seeing its underwater affluences might be a huge loss in your experience.

Lifetime passion

            Because it includes sport, socializing and travel, after some time, you can find yourself planning your life schedule for your new diving trips, saving money for LiveAboard diving trip weeks. From the equipment which divers use, to the biological awareness, which you will develop in your world of interest, diving world will improve your life and you will feel the transformation it in your blood.

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