Enjoy your underwater scuba experience by choosing a solid BCD

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Enjoy your underwater scuba experience by choosing a solid BCDA buoyancy control, or compensator, device is one of the piecesto the puzzle to allowing humans to scuba dive recreationallyand scientifically. BCD's are the key element in producing aneutrally buoyant environment for us underwater, mimicking thatof the fish. In a sense, the BCD's we use are equivalent to theswim bladder of a fish. With modern BCD's we can not only becomeneutrally buoyant at depth, but manufacturers have also addedhelpful safety features to ease the time you spend on thesurface in your scuba gear.For those of you new to the sport of scuba diving, the BCD isthe jacket or vest-like equipment worn like a backpack. BCD'swill include these basic features: attachment to inflation hose,inflation valve, vents for deflation and an over pressurizationvalve. The inflation equipment is for you to control the amountof gas in and out of the BCD. An over pressurization valve willautomatically release air from BCD's when they become too full.Although those are the basic features you want a BCD to have,most will also contain pockets, clamps and other attachmentrings. The exact styles of pockets and attachments will varydepending on the type of diving each BCD is intended for. Ifyour BCD does not come with a holster for your octopus airsource you can buy a cheap one at dive shops to add. A clamp orsomething to hold your octopus to the front of the BCD isprobably the only necessary item to have hanging from thejacket. Any other added items are for personal comfort. Havingthe octopus in place is important for safety reasons.New styles of BCD's are emerging yearly with designs intended toenhance underwater comfort. These new advanced designs areusually positive features, but you want to make sure there arenot too many additional items attached. The extra, althoughseemingly helpful, items added onto a BCD can actually becometoo bulky, getting in your way and restricting movement aboveand below the surface. The size of BCD's also plays a factorwhen it comes to traveling. You want to be able to compress yourBCD enough so you can travel as light as possible.There are several varieties of buoyancy compensator devices thatare used for numerous tasks, but for scuba diving purposes thejacket style and the new wing style buoyancy devices are whatyou will need. BCD's all have the same general design, which issimilar to a jacket with shoulder straps, a back plate and astrap across your stomach. The strap is usually a buckle orVelcro cumber bun which will hold the BCD and tank to your body.The wing versions of BCD's are similar to jacket buoyancydevices in how they are worn. The difference is the style ofinflatable bladders which are located on the sides and behind inwing BCD's. Wing BCD's have become successful, but somecriticize them for being too awkward when sitting on thesurface, causing you to be pushed face down in the water.Laura Cain is a freelance author that writes regularly on itemspertaining to scuba diving and snorkeling. You can find many ofher articles at http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/ . The sitealso features tips on budgeting for scuba equipment (http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/scuba_equipment.htm ) as wellas a scuba gear checklist (http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/scuba_gear_checklist.htm ) .

Scuba Tanks: Learn about the new designs of steel that are tougher & last longer
Scuba Tanks: Learn about the new designs of steel that aretougher and last longer.Regulators and BCD's would be of no use for scuba diving if itweren't for their connection to tanks or scuba cylinders. Scubatanks are a human's way of bringing our necessary survival tool,air, to an opposite world. Being able to compress air into scubatanks enables us to inflate a BCD and breath through a regulatorat depths of over 100 feet. The overall process of safelycompressing air into steel or aluminum tanks is much easier saidthan done. Scuba tanks and compressed air are often spoke aboutin very simple words and conversations, but the actual steps toget the job done should not be taken lightly.Because of great technology, filling scuba tanks with compressedair is not the difficult part of the process, rather the beforeand after safety precautions are what should be taken seriouslyand require a little more time. Compressed air is not justtaking the air you are breathing now and pushing it in a tank.The mixture of air put inside scuba tanks, which is differentfrom that in the our atmosphere, is the reason we must take somany precautionary measures, from mixing the air to schedulinglab maintenance testing.Although you personally may never even see a tank compressor,much less fill the tank yourself, you should know the formulafor the air you breath while scuba diving. Approximately 78percent of the mixture is nitrogen, hence the need for surfaceintervals, 21 percent is made up of oxygen and the remaining onepercent is a mixture of several gases including argon, helium,carbon dioxide and others. It is important to know the mixturefor various reasons, but mainly for awareness to help you becomemore cautious.Getting into the physical types of scuba tanks will show youthey are divided into two classifications: steel and aluminum.Within each type there are varying sizes, usually short and wideor tall and skinny, that have different air pressure capacitiesdepending on the type of diving you are doing.Steel scuba tanks are the original cylinders and althoughanother tank material that is less corrosive and lighter hasbeen developed, steel tanks remain prosperous in therecreational scuba world. The outside of steel scuba tanks aregalvanized, or coated with zinc, to prevent rust which can formrapidly on steel when exposed to salt water and oxygen. Theinside of steel cylinders was once coated with a protectiveepoxy lining to prevent corrosion but problems with maintenanceand effectiveness arose, causing that method to be abandoned.Scuba tanks now made of steel usually have no lining and regularmaintenance is absolutely required.To make aluminum scuba tanks, an aluminum alloy is used in orderto get the proper amount of strength. Aluminum tanks arepreferred by some divers because they are lighter than steel,however, other divers prefer steel because aluminum may be toolight, causing unwanted positive buoyancy at depth. Apolyurethane enamel coating lines the interior of aluminum scubatanks.Rust does not form on or in aluminum tanks, but another form ofcorrosion, aluminum oxide, is possible. The white residue ofaluminum oxide forms over chipped spots on the exterior and canline the interior. This corrosion actually protects the metal itcovers from enduring any more corrosion. Nonetheless, thisseemingly harmless corrosion must also be tended to throughregular maintenance.There are newer designs of steel scuba tanks that have beenintroduced to keep steel up-to-date. These designs have usedadvanced technology and new discoveries about the chemistry ofcorrosion to make steel scuba tanks that are tougher and lesslikely to ruin through corrosion. Normally, the environment ofscuba diving catapults the rust process into full drive, but onenew development, the Ocean Management System, can nearly stopthe corrosion on steel tanks.This system is used on steel tanks to make them more lightweightthan aluminum and corrosion resistant. The system toughens theoverall design of steel scuba tanks and makes them neutrallybuoyant. The last characteristic listed is important when youare at depth and less than half your tank is full. An empty tankcreates positive buoyancy, causing you to float more underwater,but the Ocean Management System halts this effect.Around the neck of all scuba tanks there are several lines ofnumbers, letters and other symbols. There are internet sourcesthat can tell you exactly what every symbol represents, each isusually a little different with varying brands and locations.The most recent year stamped on scuba tanks is probably the onlynumber recreational divers will worry with. That date tells youwhen a tank was last sent in for hydro testing. All scuba tanks,steel and aluminum, must be taken or sent somewhere for hydrotesting every five years to ensure the cleanliness and pressurecapacity of the tanks you use. On steel tanks only, a plus (+)symbol may be next to the latest stamped year, meaning that tankcan be filled ten percent above the recommended air pressure.It is very easy and inexpensive to rent scuba tanks from diveshops where ever you may dive, but some people still prefer tohave their own. As with most other options in scuba equipment,whether you choose to rent or own scuba tanks is a matter ofpersonal preference. By buying a scuba tank you are able to havea tank every dive that is the proper size and pressure capacity.Another advantage is that you are in control of keeping up withmaintenance, therefore you will not have to worry about using arented tank that has not been maintained or cleaned properly.The most common size scuba tanks are 80 cubic feet. These arethe tanks you will find at dive shops and resorts because theyfit the needs of nearly every recreational diver. A 63 cubicfoot scuba tank is probably the next most used tank. It isslightly smaller and carries a little less air but is good fordivers who come up with extra air in larger tanks. The majorityof scuba tanks cost around $150, some a slightly more or lessdepending on extra features added.About the Author: Laura Cain is a freelance author that writesregularly on items pertaining to scuba diving and snorkeling.You can find many of her articles athttp://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/ . The site also featurestips on budgeting for scuba equipment (http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/scuba_equipment.htm ) as wellas a scuba gear checklist (http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/scuba_gear_checklist.htm ) .

Stay safe underwater by choosing the best dive knives.
Dive Knives: The many different ways they keep you safeunderwater.Taking precautions and extra safety measures is a must in scubadiving. There are so many possible situations where trouble couldarise, meaning each diver needs to have properly functioningbasic equipment as well as additional accessory safety equipment.Dive knives are highly recommended accessory because they aremulti-purpose safety equipment. As a result of the multi-facetedquality of dive knives, many recreational divers carry one onevery dive, no matter how pleasant the conditions.While it is not necessary in favorable diving conditions to carrydive knives, there are other underwater terrains that can only besafely ventured through with a knife. It is wise to keep a diveknife readily available when swimming through caves, sea grass,kelp or other areas where your equipment may catch. With diveknives you can quickly cut yourself away from anything and avoidhaving to abandon your equipment or perform an emergency accent.Dive knives are also a helpful accessory to use for line cutting.This task may be necessary while diving to free fish or coralfrom caught lines or if you are spear fishing. Although diveknives, or any knives, are primarily for cutting, chopping orsawing at something, divers use them to perform othernot-so-obvious tasks. Dive knives are also used to dig, scrapeand scratch in an effort to uncover something you are unable tosee at first glance. You will also often find that divers usetheir knives to pound on a rock or their tank in order to catchtheir buddy's attention.Of all the choices in styles, types and features you have fordive knives, those with serrated edges are the most diverselyused because the serrations perform a better cutting job on thethings you might need to cut underwater. Since serrated edges area prevalent feature on most dive knives, it is better to classifythe knives in different ways. The common separation between typesof dive knives is whether one has a blunt tip or a drop point.The blunt tip dive knives are unlike the typical sharp tip knifeyou would think of because the tip is not pointed, rather squaredoff. Blunt tip dive knives are popular for recreational diverswho prefer to carry a knife on every dive for safety purposes,but they rarely use it. Dive knives with a blunt tip are muchsafer than a pointed edge, or drop point, and you are less likelyto puncture any equipment.For many divers, having a drop pointed edge on their dive knivesis not at all necessary. Cutting lines or kelp underwaterrequires only the sharp, serrated edge and digging with a squaredtip is actually more efficient than using a typical knife. Still,for others the drop point dive knives are preferred and in someinstances, a drop point is more effective.Aside from the knife tip style you choose, dive knives are alsoseparated by where they are attached on a diver. Dive knives areeither strapped onto a person's leg or attached to the BCD on theshoulder strap or a hose. Pocket dive knives are another way ofcarrying a knife, but it is usually a back-up. Wherever you carryyour dive knife or knives, be sure at least one is easilyaccessible with both hands if possible.In addition to the mixture of the above listed features, diveknives have blades made out of one of two metals: stainless steelor titanium. Both types of blades are widely used by recreationalscuba divers. The deciding factor between which metal to use isoften a question of how large your budget is. Titanium diveknives are not unreasonably expensive, but they are noticeablymore costly than stainless steel knives.Stainless steel is what the original dive knives were made of,and the quality of knives made from this metal has increasedthrough time. Cleaning maintenance is necessary for stainlesssteel dive knives in order to keep them sharp and rust free.Since the introduction of titanium knives, divers haveexperienced the luxury of having a rust resistant, durable, lowmaintenance and long lasting dive knife.However, as mentioned before, price keeps some people fromswitching to titanium dive knives. For the price of a basic,low-end titanium dive knife you could buy a quality designed,high profile stainless steel knife. That argument works for somedivers, but others believe the slightly extra monetary investmentis worth getting a life long, barely destructible dive knife.It is not impossible to find affordable titanium dive knives. AtJoeDiverAmerica.com a titanium dive knife is featured at about$50, which is inexpensive for any titanium dive knife. The bladeis mid-sized at nearly four and a half inches long with a droppoint tip and serrated edge. Overall this titanium dive knife issuitable for a broad range of divers because of its high quality,affordable price and moderate blade size.If its stainless steel dive knives you are looking for, theSkeleton knife available at Island-scuba.com is a good startingpoint. The Skelton is at full size, nine inches overall,stainless steel dive knife for $15. For a full size knife thatcomes with leg strap attachments, this is a good deal. The bladedoes have serrations on one side and a pointed tip, which areboth features that make it useful for many situations.Both above examples of titanium and stainless steel dive knivesare good choices for a diver's first knife, although the titaniumknife will probably last for many years to come. In each metalcategory the prices of other dive knives will increase from thatof the knives listed, depending on blade size, attachment type,tip style and other added features.Aside from the styles and features of the blades, you want to payattention to the casing that will be holding the knife while itis attached to either your leg or BCD. You want a case that willsecurely hold the knife in place while you swim. The holdershould also have a release button or clasp that is easy to findand function underwater.Laura Cain is a freelance author that writesregularly on items pertaining to scuba diving and snorkeling.You can find many of her articles athttp://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/ . The site also featurestips on budgeting for scuba equipment (http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/scuba_equipment.htm ) as wellas a scuba gear checklist (http://www.1-scuba-diving-gear.com/scuba_gear_checklist.htm ) .