Scuba FAQs
Why do scuba divers also wear a snorkel as well as their air tank?
Snorkels are commonly seen on divers who are breathing out of their air supply in the dive cylinder. It looks very useless when you see pictures of divers underwater with a snorkel still attached to their mask and many people wonder, “Did they forget to take it off before diving?” Actually a snorkel is a very useful tool and has saved countless divers from drowning. Scuba equipment is heavy and expensive. If it fails most divers don’t want to drop their equipment so they can easily swim on the surface, it would probably go unrecovered and lost. Swimming with your head above the water is very difficult even without heavy air tanks weighing you down.
A snorkel allows a diver who is out of air to swim on the surface to the shore or their boat. An empty air tank isn’t buoyant so it is still quite the effort for the diver, but much easier than swimming without a snorkel. It is also very useful when aiding other divers. A rescue diver can give someone their regulator while they breathe through the snorkel. It can also be used as a makeshift mask for mouth to mouth resuscitation in the water.
What piece of diving equipment should I buy first?
Some people say that everything should be purchased at once because the rental equipment that is offered at many places is inferior and could be potentially dangerous. These people say that you should have the best equipment right from the beginning so that you know that it is reliable and clean. This is the most expensive way to do it, and is good if you are absolutely certain that you will be doing a lot of local diving.
A better way of purchasing equipment is to wait on the most expensive items, the tank and regulator, while still owning your own mask, fins and wetsuit. Dive cylinders and regulators are very standardized and as long as they are checked for leaks and cracks they are very suitable to learn on. Once a lot of diving has been learned and practiced and you know what types of dives you like the most then you can select more expensive equipment, even upgrading fins, mask and wetsuit in the process.
What is the difference between a dry suit and a wetsuit?
A wetsuit is the most commonly worn piece of material among divers. They are usually made from closed-cell neoprene that has miniature nitrogen bubbles embedded into the material. This is for increased insulation. The real insulating factor however is water. When the diver enters the water the suit absorbs a small amount and keeps it sealed on the diver’s skin. The diver’s body heat warms the water while the suit keeps that warm water in the suit. The thicker the suit the warmer the temperature, but the deeper the diver goes into the water the less the suit can insulate because the water pressure compresses the material making them only useful in water as cold as 50 degrees.
A dry suit is completely waterproof. They seal completely at the wrist, neck and ankles and keep all water from entering. Because of this they do not insulate like a wetsuit, but clothing can be worn underneath the suit for increased insulation. They do not flex like a wetsuit, so must be baggy to provide freedom of movement which makes them easier to put on and take off, but can increase the amount of drag in the water making them more difficult to swim in. They are useful in a wide range of temperatures depending on what is worn underneath. For dives in 28 degree waters, heated water is pumped into a undergarment inside the dry suit to heat the diver. These are more difficult to use than a wetsuit and some training is required for safety.
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