Let's dive

Chapter 1

How to start and where to go

-Diving!

-Where do you have to go?

-What do you need?

-Snorkeling

There are many reasons why someone wants to go diving.

. one may dream of the richly colored animal kingdom or the sightings of big and small fish. Another may want to explore wrecks and find historical treasures. No matter what reasons drive you to jump into the underwater realm, today it is easier than ever.

Let's start .

Where to go?

The best place to go to is a diving base or school close to you or you can join a diving club with youth membership. Diving schools and clubs usually offer additional possibilities to go diving off-season, and you can find people with similar interests for diving in your region. You'll find the main addresses in the appendix.

During vacation, you can visit the training courses given by a local diving school to receive diving instruction. They will teach you the important theoretical and practical basics and will deal with common needs and wishes.

It is very important that you're healthy. This means you will need a quick medical checkup. Also, you shouldn't dive with a cold, a temperature, or allergies, or generally if you feel sick or unwell because diving has a lot to do with your breathing organs. But more about that later.

If you have any doubts whether you are allowed to dive, ask a doctor without hesitation. Generally, parents must give their permission before adolescents are permitted to start scuba training.

What do you need?

Your diving instructor will first introduce you to what is known as the ABC equipment. ABC has nothing to do with preschool in this case, but stands for the first three main parts - or the basics - of diving gear: mask, snorkel and fins.

Mask

It is vital for the mask to fit well and to provide a second seal topping. Nothing is more uncomfortable than not being able to see clearly underwater, because your mask is leaking or letting water in. The best way to test whether the mask shape fits you is to put the mask on without the strap. Put a little bit of pressure on it and breathe in through your nose, holding your breath for some seconds. If you let go now, the mask should stay in place due to the suction pressure. If it does not, the mask is too big. If it leaves clear pressure marks, the mask is too small. In addition, the mask should provide enough space for the nose to be easily held by two fingers. This is important to equalize pressure.

There are masks in all shapes and sizes. Some prefer separate glasses and 'professional black', others want as much view and as many shiny colors as possible. They also come with optical glasses. If the mask fits well, contact lenses can be worn without a problem.

One tip for a clear view - it's not to everybody's taste but it helps - guaranteed: Before placing the mask, spit in the dry mask and cover the whole glass from the inside. Then clean it quickly with water. This prevents the mask from fogging because the spit contains encymic probes to remove the layer of fat on the glass. There are also special cleaning liquids that provide the same effect, but they are not always at hand.

Fins

Fins come in various colors and shapes. Normally, one can differentiate between full foot-pocket fins and open-heel foot-pocket fins. The first have a continuous foot bed because they are worn barefoot and are mostly used for snorkeling or training.

Open-heel foot-pocket fins are open at the heel and are closed by a click and snap strap. Bootees are required when you use open-heel foot-pocket fins. They are like socks for divers made out of neoprene. They have the advantage of protecting you from hot sand or sharp stones after the fins are removed.

Also keep in mind that the scuba gear weighs a couple of pounds, which you can feel with every step and somehow you have to reach the big wet area out there, right?

Full foot fins (enclosed heels)

Fins with open heels which allows to wear neoprene boots.

Tip: Put the fins on after you've reached the water or are very near to it because fins give you a silly walk and almost guarantee a bad fall. If there is no other option than walking with fins, walk backwards. And look behind you!

Snorkel

The snorkel is a great invention and allows you to breathe while your head remains underwater. As long as you stay near the surface, the snorkel stays clear and you can breathe without interruption. If you dive, the snorkel will fill up with water of course.

When you reach the surface again, you first have to blow the snorkel clear, otherwise your next breath will be a little bit wet, and that will only amuse the onlookers. So breathe in before diving and keep some of the air - do not breathe all your air out underwater- so that you have that little extra left. Start to blow out the snorkel a second before you reach the surface.

There will still be a little water left, but that's okay because it does not block the airflow. Some sophisticated snorkel designs provide a valve which drains the snorkel completely. Just ask the diving instructor. A good snorkel for young divers has a diameter of 1.8 cm / 0.7 in (for adults up to 2.4 cm / 1 in) and a maximal length of 30 cm / 11.8 in. Look for a comfortable and well-fitting mouthpiece.

Snorkeling

Once you gather your ABC gear, you should usually get your own box from the school to organize and transport all your gear. Clean equipment goes without saying. After all, your life depends on it. A diver who cares for his gear and keeps his equipment in good shape will also be accepted as a trustworthy buddy.

Before you start, there are some theoretical lessons about discipline so that you have a little inside understanding of underwater processes. This is where the nose cover of your mask comes in handy. Surely you are familiar with the feeling of pressure in your ears - for example on a plane during takeoff or inside a train while it enters a tunnel. That sensation is caused by varying pressure pushing against your eardrum.

Similar to the experiment displayed on the right, with the cup underwater, the elastic eardrum bends inward when pressure rises. If the pressure rises too high, the eardrum can tear. This must be avoided at all costs. A tear or too much bending is not only painful, it also means no more diving at all until the rupture heals - and that takes a long time.

Equalizing pressure

To avoid damage to the eardrum, you must equalize the pressure. Just pinch your nose, squeeze it tight enough so that no air can escape through it, and start blowing gently through your nose. You'll feel an immediate releasing click in your ears. That is the equalizing pressure technique. As your mouth and nose are connected to your middle ear, the pumping provides balance to stabilize the outer water pressure. Sometimes you can achieve this by simply swallowing, but the first method is more efficient.

The deeper you dive, the higher the pressure will rise against your eardrum because more water is above you. That is why you need to equalize pressure regularly several times, especially when you descend. When you ascend, this is not necessary because it works automatically once the pressure eases.

Important: If the connection to the middle ear is clogged, for example, when you have a cold and the mucoses are swollen, you cannot equalize the pressure. In this case, do NOT dive!

Mammalian diving reflex

Another important point is compensation of the mammalian diving reflex. You can test this by putting your head underwater only equipped with a snorkel and by holding your nostrils tight. You can keep your eyes closed or open. Then let go - breathe in and out through the snorkel. Your body should automatically block breathing through your nose, so you breathe only through your mouth and no water can enter your nose. The more often you train this procedure, the more automatic it will become. At best, you should be able to do it without thinking.

Different respiratory possibilities

Descend and equalize the pressure

Finally, we can enter the underwater realm. Next, your diving instructor will train...