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10 Things you should know as a Diver
1
What do I do if the
direct-feed to my suit or BC fails?
Failure is likely to mean uncontrolled inflation, and if that occurs you
must have the presence of mind to disconnect the hose if you need to, and do
it quickly enough to stop an uncontrollable ascent. Terminate the dive.
Failure to fill with air is not a problem with a BC. You can always inflate
it by mouth, as divers did before direct-feeds were invented.
2 What do I
do if I want to cough or vomit under water?
What you don't have to do is belt in blind panic for the surface. New divers
are often unaware that they can cough or vomit through a regulator. The
circumstances that lead to vomiting under water are best avoided but if it's
inevitable, keep the second stage securely in place until the involuntary
spasm has passed. Purge and rinse it if necessary but get it back into your
mouth before the onset of the next spasm.
3 Why does
my tank slip out of the BC band in mid-dive, even though I checked for
tightness when I fitted it?
Some bands stretch when they get wet. Soak a new or dry one in the water
before fitting it to your tank.
4 Why
doesn't all the air come out of the BC, even though I always dump by raising
the corrugated hose as I was taught?
Air rises to the highest point. It can't go down to pass through a U-bend in
the hose. Many jackets are fitted with pull-dumps positioned at the highest
point and some don't let water back in. You may need to rotate in the water
to move the air to where a dump valve or the entry to the corrugated hose is
positioned. Squeezing your BC underwater has no effect.
5 Why do I
always need to pee during a dive?
It's probably something to do with water that normally hangs about low down
in your legs being freed up under the effects of weightlessness. It's more
than just a feeling, so please get out of the training pool first. New
divers can be obsessed about their inability to perform bodily functions
while under water. They say there are two types of diver - those who pee in
their wetsuit and those that lie about it. Peeing in a semi-dry can lead to
an unattractive result and drysuits are definitely a no-go area for all but
those with the foresight to wear incontinence pads or other specialised
equipment.
6 Why does
half a litre of water suddenly pour out of my nose when I bend over to
de-rig my kit?
That's because your lower sinuses have filled with water through your nose
and, because you've been swimming with a very upright stance, they haven't
had a chance to drain.
7 Why does
my pressure gauge drop so dramatically within the first moments of the dive?
First, if the outside air temperature is dramatically different to that of
the water the tank is cooled on immersion and the air volume is reduced
within it. Second, some divers, especially new ones, breathe very heavily
during those first exciting moments in the water!
8 Why do I
find myself becoming more buoyant at the end of a dive?
Air has a weight and if you breathed 2000 litres of free air from your tank
and exhaled it into the water that air would weigh roughly 2.5kg! If you
were correctly weighted at the beginning you will be that amount
underweighted when your tank is nearing empty.
9 How do I
recognise the onset of hypothermia?
You shouldn't have to - avoid getting cold at all costs. If you shiver
during a dive, leave the water and get warm. Wear the appropriate suit and
undergarment and hood if need be. Even in the tropics the water is rarely at
body temperature so you will eventually lose heat. That's why, even when you
think the water's warm, you see professional dive-guides wearing suits.
10 How can I
attract my buddy's attention under water if he's out of reach and not
looking at me?
Try yelling. A short sharp shout into your regulator may well be heard.
Experienced instructors will tell you that people always seem to respond to
their own name being called, even though they might seem oblivious to other
shouts.
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