If you want to enjoy your dive outings make sure your scuba equipment fits you properly. When a diver’s gear doesn’t fit right the result ranges from mere discomfort – to a potentially serious situation. Normally students are required to have their own scuba mask, swim fins, and snorkel. Comfort while diving requires that these pieces fit properly. Fins that do not fit will be uncomfortable while swimming. A scuba mask will always leak and cause a diver to constantly clear the mask while diving if it does not fit properly. Another piece of dive gear that requires a good fit is a wet suit. This is like a second skin and provides a diver with proper thermal protection while diving. If a wet suit fits to tightly, it can cause a divers breathing to be restricted. One that is too loose will allow water to get in between the suit and the skin.
Core scuba diving equipment is essential for any scuba diving. This core equipment is made up of a buoyancy compensator or BC, a scuba regulator, scuba gauges, dive computer, a scuba air tank and a weight system. A buoyancy compensator or BC is a jacket that you can inflate to keep afloat at the surface, adjust your buoyancy while diving and holds your scuba tank and regulator as well as other dive accessories. A BC should fit like a comfortable jacket. Snug but not too tight. A scuba tank contains pressurized air for breathing underwater. The tank will have a valve that delivers air to the scuba regulator. The tank is attached to the BC where is sits comfortably on the divers back. A scuba regulator is one of the most important pieces of dive gear. The regulator supplies air from the tank to the diver at a pressure that allows a diver to breath properly underwater. Attached to the regulator is a primary second stage, an additional second stage, often called an octopus and a set of scuba gauges that are used to give a diver important information while diving. These gauges will tell a diver how deep they are and the remaining air pressure in their tank. Some gauges will tell you how much dive time is left based on the remaining air pressure in you tank. Scuba dive watches are important pieces of scuba gear because they are used by divers to manage their bottom time while diving.
In addition to the basic items of gear, there are a host of accessories to make scuba diving safer and more enjoyable and convenient. Scuba diving equipment comes in many different styles with many different applications. You can find everything from good old recreational dive gear to more technical dive gear. Divers need to know how to choose the scuba dive gear that fits the best and works the best before they waste money on the wrong dive gear. If the expense of owning your own dive seems a bit high, consider buying used scuba gear. For many divers, their first set of scuba dive gear was used. We here at Scuba Lessons Jax are always available to answer any questions you may have concerning your dive gear or any future purchases you might be considering.
06/14/2012
