IslandStyleDiving

  Come  and Discover the magical world of Scuba Diving 

[scubadivingliam]

Last Weekends dive was Dario and David’s first lesson in the open water diving course. As you can see they are both super stoked. It was also Aneik’s first dive in Mauritius.... Highlight of the dive we saw two turtles :)

[scubadivingliam]

Remediating 280 characters

All the images above are of the posts that have been posted  onto my twitter feed,  i have used  some different hashtags throughout the posts. The hashtags used were  the trendy ones related to Scuba diving as well as some tags related to my field of study. Unfortunately  i did not receive any likes, retweets or comments on my posts, hence i am unable to remediate about the topic.  When i posted, i imagined that fellow users  interested in diving would see my posts as #PADI #Scuba and so on are related to the topic, as well as are the common terms that everyone sees and hears. 

Comparing twitter to other platforms i have used,  for example on instagram i would have more response using these hashtags. Twitter  is also one of those  platforms which is not  so popular to the  Scuba diving industry.  It could also be due to the fact that there isn’t a big Scuba diving online community in general apart from a few websites.  i chose a well  balance of different topics from Discover Diving to showcasing a sea creature. If i were to be a blogger  i would continue  use these  type of posts.  in the future i will experiment by using different hashtags, this might help to gain views and comments. 

this is not the first time  using twitter, the last time i used it was for another assignment, i had not used any hashtags for that assignments. the only response i obtained were from fellow peers. my experience so far has not been great, i had thought the use of hashtags would have gained responses. Twitter on the hand is an amazing social network, it is clear why users would choose it,  in a sense it is a miniblog, users are allowed to write about what they desire, share  types of images and videos, and also they can ask questions to the general audience. There is also a lot of informative pieces of information, such as travel tips, what type of diving gear to bring , which is beneficial as this can attract a lot of  collaboration. it is a social network which is quite engaging. the more posts that  a user has on their page would mean more attention, this could because they learn to adapt and also understand what their audience would like to see. i will continue to use this twitter account as i want to learn and adapt to what will attract users to  comment on my posts, and give feedback on what  content they would like to see. i will also need to learn online on how to gain followers. 

Overall my experience  with twitter was not how i expected it to be, it was rather disappointing, this could also be due to the fact that there is not a big community about Scuba diving in Mauritius on twitter. 

[scubadivingliam]

Entering the Conversation

https://twitter.com/diveSSI/status/1441553149857304578

My favourite Wreck is Stella Maru (25m) , which is located  outside  of the reef of the island ,Trou aux Biches, Mauritius. This Wreck is an old Japanese trawler which was sunk to create an artificial reef. fun fact, when it was sunk it was on its side. A cyclone lifted it up.

[scubadivingliam]

Chelonioidea A.K.A the sea turtle spotted on  the dive spot, The reef.

[scubadivingliam]

Testing out the Cressi  short sleeve wetsuit , with front zip

[scubadivingliam]

Creative Generative value ( 600 words )

I recently read an article entitled “ 2 divers dead after suffering Decompression sickness off Bahamas.”  This news article was published on August 28, 2021 (almost a month ago). This article reports that two divers had ascended too fast to the surface hence they had  suffered from  “ the bends” . To exacerbate things, after they had died, sharks had attacked them. (“Report: 2 divers dead after suffering decompression sickness off Bahamas – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale", 2021).  As you can see I have embedded a few words in bold.  I will explain why this is one of the biggest  risks in diving, don’t worry it  is avoidable,  no need to panic !

Decompression sickness, A divers worst nightmare, or the commonly referred to  “ the bends” , what exactly is it ? If you study high- school physics , this may  sound quite familiar “ the deeper you go , the more pressure is asserted” if you didn’t study physics, well the sentence is quite easy to understand.   When  a diver scuba dives they use a tank  filled with compressed air.  A  diver will take in the extra oxygen and nitrogen, our body uses the oxygen , but the nitrogen  dissolves in our blood. It will remain during the dive , ("Decompression Sickness - Harvard Health", 2021) as we swim to the surface the pressure around us will decrease. The reason which causes “ the bends’ is due  when a diver swims back to the surface too fast. The nitrogen gas  forms into bubbles in the body, this can cause nerve and tissue damage, worst case paralysis or even death. The littlest injury a diver will have is joint a muscle pain.

Decompression sickness is avoided, so there isn’t the need too panic, as mentioned above, resurfacing to quickly is the sole reason why this happens. This is why when we scuba dive , at the end of the dive we have a safety stop. The  safety stop ensures that we don’t gain the factors of  decompression sickness.  Before  you go diving, PLAN YOUR DIVE!  One of the key things my dad taught to remember is the 5Ps, ( prior planning prevents poor performance)  you must never go diving  without a dive plan or  a dive computer. The key to avoid decompression sickness is  having heaps of knowledge of the dive spot.  The depth and the time duration is vital to remember.  This rule is pretty obvious, DO NOT GO DIVING DRUNK OR HIGH….  Being intoxicated underwater is  probably the most stupid decision any diver could do! Alcohol, dehydrates the body, being high  will effect you fight and flight reaction time, as well as altering the way you think or perceive  your surroundings.  This one is not just common to diving , but stay hydrated.  This is pretty self explanatory as Diving dehydrated is the common cause of  Decompression sickness. Lastly do not  fly  the same day as your dive. The reason is simply because of the cabin pressure on the plane  is relatively lower.  As mentioned above divers have nitrogen bubbles in their blood which can cause major injuries.

References:

Report: 2 divers dead after suffering decompression sickness off Bahamas – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale. Wsvn.com. (2021). Retrieved 22 September 2021, from https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/report-2-divers-dead-after-suffering-decompression-sickness-off-bahamas/#:~:text=Report%3A%202%20divers%20dead%20after%20suffering%20decompression%20sickness%20off%20Bahamas,-By%207%20News&text=NEAR%20NASSAU%2C%20Bahamas%20(WSVN),to%20a%20local%20news%20outlet.&text=The%20report%20said%20the%20victims,brought%20to%20shore%20near%20Nassau.

Decompression Sickness - Harvard Health. Harvard Health. (2019). Retrieved 22 September 2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/decompression-sickness-a-to-z.

[scubadivingliam]

 i made this video  for my two friends... They did their Discovery  dive. As i study Screen production and Web media , i decided to whip up a video on premiere pro, hope  you fellow bubble breathers enjoy this banger :)

[scubadivingliam]

Check out this radical language!!

Scuba hand signals !!  to communicate in the aquatic kingdom, we use hand signals !  do you think you can learn all of them ??

PADI. Scuba_hands_signals [Image]. Retrieved 22 September 2021, from http://diveoki.hmthost.com/images/ScubaHandSignals.jpg.

[djhenryhall]

Wildlife Wednesday : Napoleonfish

The mighty Napoleonfish spotted along a reef in Laamu Atoll, Maldives. #wildlife #wednesday #scuba #diving #nature #ecotourism #underwater #photography

This is a short clip of a Napoleonfish (Cheilinus undulatus) spotted along a reef in Laamu Atoll, Maldives. The fish is also know as the Humphead Wrasse, Humphead Maori Wrasse, Giant Maori Wrasse, Napoleon Wrasse, and Napoleon fish. Naming reference depends on the region. The wrasse can be spotted along coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to French Polynesia Islands. The…

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[scubadivingliam]

have a look at this !! interesting little critter 

[scubadivingliam]

The  Discovery Dive

Why not try your first dive? This could be the greatest adventure you may embark 

[scubadivingliam]

Narrating Personal Interest

Scuba Diving is one of those sports where the diver needs to be relaxed at all times.  It lets you learn and accomplish  new stuff each and every time.  Anyone can scuba dive,  there are diving courses suitable for the youth as from the age of 10, known as the bubble maker, ( entry for kids ) which is  doing fun games with scuba  gear, Open Water  Diver ( the initial start of the journey) this where you learn  the   there are so many different specialities a diver can choose to do.  Scuba diving allows someone to explore the underwater world in a fun and safe manner. Imagine swimming freely  through a world where everything is different, quiet, calm , colourful and vibrant. There is an old saying that every diver knows which is “ each and every dive is unique and different.”  I  may have dived at the same dive spot loads of times, same dive route, same depth. There will always be something different.  Each location brings out its own adventure and charm. ("5 REASONS WHY WE LOVE SCUBA DIVING", n.d.) One day, I did two dives at  a spot known as “ Stella Maru reef”  which drops from 10 to  15m in depth. The first time I saw common reef fish, and beautiful  corals. The second dive I did  a school of mackerel swam right around us, it was absolutely wicked.

My Aim is  to lure in people to  come and try scuba diving. I want to talk about why people should do sport, write about the latest dive gear, what improvements has been made and which is the best gear to use. All divers could relate and say that diving is one the closets experience to flying, but underwater.  We are guaranteed to dive with other divers both locally  and from abroad. This is brilliant because everyone can  share their experiences diving in locations all across the globe, certain tips and advice can be given, knowledge will built, stories are shared, memories are made as well as  creating new relationships. Another thing I would love to talk about is how Scuba diving is arguably one of the most peaceful sports.  Imagine working all week, accumulating  a lot of stress as well as pressure, and other various negative emotions will toll in our mental health, a dive can help one to feel relaxed as well as escape those negative feelings, and open positive emotions to feel relaxed.

Reference list :

5 REASONS WHY WE LOVE SCUBA DIVING. [Blog]. Retrieved 25 August 2021, from https://www.baliocean.com/blog/5-reasons-why-we-love-scuba-diving/.

[scubadivingliam]

Introducing Your Topic

The topic I will be writing about is arguably one of the most relaxing sports, which can be taught to anyone as from the earliest age of 8 years old. (Denny, n.d.) At that age, the depth one can dive is limited to only two meters maximum, and it’s not in open water, it is restricted to diving in a swimming pool. It all depends on the divers age. Divers who are aged 10-11, are allowed to dive down to 12 meters (40ft). Ages 12-14 can dive up to 18 meters ( 60ft) with a PADI Professional or certified parent/guardian.

There are several different pieces of kit which all make the equipment when it comes to scuba diving. Let's start with the Buoyancy control device (BCD) (Divers slang) …. The life jacket. It helps the diver float on the surface on the water, helps to inflate and deflate air in and out of the jacket. Divers can also clip tools to it. The BCD also looks cools and quite fashionable underwater. The next piece of equipment are the regulators, without the regulator a diver won’t be able to breathe, it is an important piece to diving safely underwater. The next piece of kit which divers need is the Subermersible Pressure Gauge, or in Diving slang (SPG). The job of this is to tell the diver how much air is in the air tank ( I will come to the tank after) the pressure is measured in bars. At the start of the dive, a diver will have 200 bars of air in the tank, throughout the dive they will need to monitor the bars in order to figure out how much time they can breathe using the regulator. Once the gauge measures 50 bars ( reserve air ) and the dive has not reached its end of time, you will have to breathe another divers air using the spare regulator attached to another diver ( known as the octopus). The dive computer, we use this device to allow us to calculate how long we can stay at a certain depth( deeper you go = more pressure , less time can be spent) as well the general pressure of the depth we will dive at. ("Scuba Gear FAQ | PADI", n.d.)

Standard diving flippers aid us to glide blissfully in the marine world. Diving is a sport where we need to relax to have maximum fun, in a sense all we are doing is focusing on our breathing, there is no need to rush. The last three pieces of kit I will explain about is the snorkel, Tank and mask. Once the dive is finished we re surface and you guessed it , inflate our BCD so that we can float. We use a snorkel so that we can swim around the surface whilst waiting for a boat lift ( if out at sea) or if In a Lake to swim back to land. The reason we do this is simply because in diving , we must never let out tank run out of air ( I will come back to this point) the diving tank is the apparatus we need to breathe, the dive tank is filled up with compressed air. If we run out of air in the tank underwater, there is a possibility that water could seep in. On land a tank with no air would mean that overtime it could be detrimental to the cylinder. ("Scuba Diving Gear and Equipment", 2021)

The final piece of equipment I would like to mention is the mask, this is the equipment which allows us to see the magical underwater kingdom clearly ! In the old days they would use helments ( still used today, but more modernised) Diving helmets would weigh around 55lbs !! That’s super heavy !! But thanks to Yves le Prieur, masks were created and developed as time went by.

Reference list:

Denny, M., n.d. Scuba Diving Lessons for Kids - PADI Blog. [online] Blog.padi.com. Available at: <https://blog.padi.com/scuba-diving-lessons-for-kids/> [Accessed 18 August 2021].

Scuba Diving Gear and Equipment. (2021). [Blog]. Retrieved 25 August 2021, from https://www.baliocean.com/blog/scuba-diving-gear-and-equipment/.

Scuba Gear FAQ | PADI. PADI. Retrieved 25 August 2021, from https://www.padi.com/help/gear-faq.

[scubadivingliam]

Avatar& Avatar Annotation

The   photo I chose for my avatar was taken on  Saturday 7th of August 2021, it  just shows how relaxed and confident I am  when I am diving, despite having a broken flipper strap, with a piece of string as my saviour.  It represents my avatar for my blog page, as the  blog page is all about scuba diving, and  diving at different  spots. This photo represents what my blog will be about. As seen in the photo there are different elements: Coral, diving gear, myself.  Each blog will be different, there will be blogs written about the different topics.  The avatar will be the writer, writing about all the  different experiences as well as keeping the readers up to date with the  latest dive information and blogs.

[scubadivingliam]

Personal Bio

I was born in  the coastal town of Trou aux biches, which is home to  one of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Mauritius. I grew up by learning from the ocean, from the crabs that inhabit  the shore to the fish that inhabit the reefs. The ocean taught me things which no  textbook could teach.  My father was a Scuba instructor, this was the prime reason . He was also as passionate  for the ocean as I am . He taught me as from the age of 10 to embark through this magnificent world. This passion goes back to my grandad who was in the navy.