Scuba Tech Diving Centre: Last video of 2014

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Scuba Tech Diving Centre: Last video of 2014
Moray-ly Bobbing Along
Having a nice bimble out around Cape Greko. The winter weather has brought out all the Moray Eels and they were literally around every corner.
Enjoy the video and if you want to come diving with us in Cyprus, just get in touch at www.scubatechdivers.com
The Constandis Wreck Dive in Cyprus.
One of the new Limassol wrecks sunk in February 2014. This is our first visit to this wreck and we enjoyed it very much
Scuba Diving Equipment: The Basics
What is Scuba?
Scuba is the acronym that we use to describe the equipment we use to go Diving underwater. It stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. I promised in my last blog that, for those not in the know, we would look at the Diving Equipment Basics.
The Scuba Equipment we use has evolved quite a lot since the days of Jaques Cousteau and today comprises of several individual pieces of kit that link together to create a streamlined unit allowing us to breathe underwater.
Cylinder
The first thing we need to go Scuba Diving is a cylinder of air.
Anyone who has put their head underwater in a pool or in the bath knows for sure that a human being cannot breathe in water, so, much like astronauts on a foreign planet, we have to take our own gas supply with us. This usually comes in the form of a rigid steel or aluminium tank of air (NOT oxygen) that we wear on our backs.
Regulators
The tank of air isn't much good to us if we cannot access the gas to breathe it. To facilitate this we use a set of regulators
A set of regulators is usually made up of a 1st stage, which connects to the valve on the cylinder of air. There are usually several hoses that come off the first stage, two of which are attached to second stages. One of these second stages is your primary regulator that you will breathe from while the 2nd is an alternate in case, for some reason, your dive buddy needs to breathe off your cylinder.
There is also a High Pressure Hose connected to a gauge that will tell you what air pressure you have in your cylinder and another Low pressure hose that connects to your Buoyancy Control Device.
BCD
The buoyancy control device is a jacket or wing that you can add and subtract air to/from to assist in controlling your position in the water.
As Scuba Divers, we don't want to be swimming at the surface and we don't want to be walking along the seabed (that is bad for the environment). Neither floating nor sinking but somewhere in the middle, which we call Neutrally Buoyant. Our BCD can help us achieve this.
On Descent, we add some air to the BCD and on ascent, we release air from the BCD and this will help us to maintain that mid-water positioning.
Wetsuit or Drysuit
Water takes heat away from our bodies approximately 20 times faster that air does, so we get cold much wetsuit or a drysuit. quicker underwater. For this reason, we wear an exposure suit, which comes in the form of either a
A wetsuit works by trapping a thin layer of water between the neoprene of the suit and your body and this layer is warmed by you. This trapped, warm water will then keep you warmer for longer that water that is continually changing such as when you swim without a suit or water that is swilling in and out of a wetsuit that is too big. This is why putting a wetsuit on can be a challenge. They must be well-fitting to do the job they were designed for.
A drysuit does what it says on the tin. The whole suit is sealed off, keeping the bulk of your body dry and warm with a layer of air between you and the suit and the water.
Fins, Mask and Weights
The final three items are very important for scuba diving.
Our eyes cannot focus in water and so we need to create an airspace around them but we need to be able to equalise this airspace as we go deeper underwater and the water pressure pushes the mask harder onto our face. Enter the diver's mask, made with tempered glass to withstand the increased pressure underwater, with a soft squishy nose pocket that allows us to equalise our ears and the mask airspace.
With all the scuba diving equipment we use, you would think that we would all sink like a stone but unfortunately, we become quite floaty. This is why Divers usually have to add a couple of lead weights to their equipment to allow them to sink below the surface.
Finally, with all this diving equipment, you will not be going anywhere without size 2000 feet. Since adults average between size 5 and 12 feet, an easier option than plastic surgery is to buy a set of fins. These offer propulsion through the water allowing you to swim and glide with ease. So, these are the basic pieces of equipment needed to go on a scuba dive. As you progress, you will get more essentials to add and as your diving career grows, so will your dive bag :)
Diving the Nemesis III wreck in Protaras, Cyprus.
Newly sunk for Scuba Divers in December 2014, this was Scuba Tech Diving Centre's first dive on this wreck with BSAC diver, Sophie Edwards, PADI Divemaster John Ruff, PADI, BSAC & TDI instructor Peter Crane and Nic, on his advanced Open water Diver Course.
24 metres deep, this is a great new addition for Cyprus diving
Scuba Diving: Pure and Simple
I have been writing this blog now for about 12 months and we have covered many different topics from "The Value of a Check Dive" to Nitrox Diving to Nudibranchs.
We have offered information and tips regarding Sidemount Diving, Rebreather Diving and Technical Diving but not once have we looked at the pure and simple act of Scuba Diving and what it means to dive.
What is Scuba Diving?
Scuba Diving is quite simply the most relaxing sport I have ever had the pleasure of doing.
Basically, it involves submerging yourself underwater while breathing off a cylinder of air via specialised equipment that has transformed over the decades since it was first seen.
SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus and we will look at the equipment needed as part of this in our next blog.
You might not feel so relaxed at first, as scuba diving can be quite nerve wracking. Under the sea is an alien environment and it feels strange being able to breathe in water, leaving you feeling like a fish out of water (sorry, had to do it!!).
You hear your own breath and, although you have been doing it since the day you were born, you are no longer sure that you are breathing correctly. The equipment might feel heavy and bulky and maybe you feel a touch unbalanced.
After a few breaths though you begin to settle down and take a look around you and are suddenly amazed by how peaceful, colourful and beautiful the world is.
Suddenly, all that bulk of the scuba equipment that you felt sure was overkill becomes weightless and you no longer notice it on your back. The long fins on your feet feel like an extension of your feet and you know... this is evolution!
Fish glide past with a grace you didn't know existed, while crabs and other critters forage in the rocks and sand. You will see creatures and sights that most people never will, including long forgotten shipwrecks and coral reefs.
Scuba Diving is like another world on your doorstep. There is a reason that is an ever growing sport with thousands of new Divers being certified each year. This is excitement and adventure all rolled into an easily accessible sport with an amazing safety record.
Succinctly, for me at least, Scuba Diving is a Lifestyle
The PADI Advanced Open Water Course is great fun to learn and teach. As a training course, why not pick the dives that will be most beneficial to you as a diver to become confident and competent and the type of scuba diver others want to dive with
Part 2 of the journey Sophie Edwards took with us at Scuba Tech Cyprus, showing another portion of her BSAC training in Protaras. Shot recovery and repositioning, rescue skills (in water and out) and a host of dive leading and experience dives makes for a well rounded, highly skilled BSAC dive leader
Easter Diving: Avoiding Hot cross bunnies and broken eggs
So Easter is just around the corner. It is the time for long eared, pink Bunnies and chocolate Eggs a plenty, which we have to hunt out in the April showers with the little ones.
The real meaning of Easter
For many Scuba Divers the real meaning of Easter comes from the hunt for Scuba Diving Equipment abandoned over the cold months of winter.
We are extremely lucky that Cyprus offers favourable conditions for year-round diving but some resorts/countries just aren't so lucky and some scuba divers prefer to only dive in the summer months. So at this moment in time, there are divers from all around the world preparing for the summer season to begin.
Old wardrobes are being opened to reveal moth eaten BCDs.
Long locked garages release the fusty stench of damp wetsuits and drysuits left hanging in the hope that they will dry completely, quickly masked by the smell of Aquasure glue as leaks and tears are repaired in time for that first dive of the year.
Dive Tables come out, computer batteries are replaced and regulators are handed over to a frustrated repair/servicing technician who has had nothing to do for 6 months only to find himself with 50 sets of regulators that all need servicing by the next day!
The Dive
The treasure that we find at the end of this Easter Hunt, is that joyous feeling of getting back into the water again. The water looks clear and blue and the sun has even come out to watch you on this tremendous day, making the water appear warm and inviting.
The BCD fills and you execute a perfect entry into the water. As your buddy joins you, you signal, deflate and exhale to drop smoothly under the surface.
Now, for most, it will feel like you have never been out of the water. Everything clicks back into place and the familiarity of your scuba equipment is like going out for coffee with a good friend. Everything is as it is meant to be.
What if it isn't?
The problem with having extended periods of time out of the water is that the feeling of familiarity doesn't always come back immediately. There could be problems with your equipment after it has been sitting for a prolonged period that you just don't find out about until you are in the water. Maybe, after Christmas and New Year, you just haven't got back to the same level of fitness that you had at the end of the diving season last year. There are many variables!
A Dive Instructor's Advice
I am not trying to put people off getting back in the water nor am I suggesting that if you are a diver you should be forced to dive year round but there does seem to be an increase in the number of dive incidents that occur as we approach Easter and the May Bank Holiday Weekends.
Just consider your experience and how long you have been out of the water before you decide to head out on that first dive and plan accordingly.
After a period of inactivity, we at Scuba Tech always start off with shallow dives that have easier entry/exits and conditions to minimise any stress while we check everything is in good working order and re-aquaint ourselves with the underwater world.
Even highly experienced divers can feel some anxiety when getting back into the water after a hiatus, so start off easy. Pick a shallow(ish) site and don't pile on the kit for the first time.
If you are a Tekkie, consider starting out with just the twinset, then add stages and scooters etc on successive dives.
Photographers can get in for the first dive without the camera to make sure weights and buoyancy skills are all still in good practice before adding extra distractions.
Take your time, stay safe and remember, there is a full season of scuba diving to come. Make sure you are able to enjoy it :)
BSAC DIVE LEADING: Part one of Sophie's BSAC Dive Leader training course with us here in Cyprus
my favourite scuba diving site in Cyprus isn't the one that most people would expect, as the Zenobia is the most popular dive site here. However, I recommend keeping one eye on the shore sites with a visit to Protaras and Cape Greko for fish life that you wouldn't believe
SCUBA DIVING GREEN BAY, CYPRUS: Our intrepid divers dive into the beauty of Green Bay in Protaras for this installment of diving in Cyprus. From absolute beginner to more experienced divers, green bay shouldn't be missed
Scuba Diving with the Seahorses
Scuba Diving with Sea Horses
As always, we like to keep our blogs current with what is happening at the Dive Sites here in Cyprus and over the past 12 months, we seem to be seeing more and more sea horses here around our Protaras Coastline. So, what do we need to know about Sea horses if we are Scuba Diving with them?
by Silverflight
www.mythicalcreatureslist.com
Seahorse's Scientific Name is Hippocampus
The name Hippocampus comes from ancient Greek. Hippo translates as Horse while Kampos (campus) means Sea Monster.
I know what you are thinking... a tiny little seahorse as a Sea Monster, where did that come from?
Well in Ancient Greek Mythology, the Hippo Kampos was a creature that sported a Horse's head and shoulders while its hindquarters were coiling, scaly and fish-like. According to the mythology, the Hippo Kampos was closely related to the Sea Goat, Capricorn.
Males carry the Babies
There is a myth that Seahorses mate for life. Unfortunately, this is not true and they will readily switch if the opportunity arises. However, they may court for several days before mating and this may involve swimming side by side while holding tails or holding onto the same blade of grass while dancing around it.
Eventually, when ready, the male will open up a pouch on the front of his tail to show his mate that it is empty and she will fill it with around 1500 eggs. The female departs and the male will carry the eggs for between 9 and 45 days.
Once they are ready, the seahorses emerge. There can be, on average, between 100 and 1000 seahorses, which are extremely small but fully formed. At this point, there is no more care from daddy; Just a cheerio, best of luck, where's my next mate?
A Seahorse Swims Vertically
Alongside Razor Fish, sea horses are the only species that swim vertically through the water column. This makes them very vulnerable in high winds and rough seas, as they tire easily.
They move through the water by rapidly fluttering a dorsal fin while using pectoral fins that are located behind the eyes to steer.
Maybe it is for this reason that the sea horse doesn't tend to travel far. They make territories for themselves and the males tend to stay within a square metre of this while females can travel up to 100m squared.
The Seahorse is very Sensitive to Stress
A seahorse is very sensitive to Stress and to light.
When you see a Seahorse while Scuba Diving, keep a good distance and make sure you are neutrally buoyant. I find the Zoom works extremely well to get good photographs of a seahorse.
Use natural light where possible, as strobes and dive lights do stress these little creatures. If you must use a light, try a red filter to create a softer more diffused light which they should be less sensitive to.
NEVER try to touch it!!!
It is great to see sea horses thriving like this in Protaras and I hope we can all come together to help these vulnerable little creatures to survive the odds, as it is fantastic to be able to see them on a dive. Although, I did hear tales of the Ayia Napa sea monster just a few weeks ago and I wonder now, if this is the creature they were talking about and he has a Hyde Side
Scuba Diving at Cape Greko in Protaras, Cyprus is always good fun. Here we have diving couple, Dawn and Norman enjoying Cyclops Dive Site and all it has to offer.
For more information about Diving and scuba in Cyprus, just get in touch with us at [email protected] or see the website at www.scubatechdivers.com
50 posts!
Buoyancy Basics: Breath Control for scuba diving
Buoyancy Basics Part 4: Breath Control
Scuba Diving Basics
Breath Control for Buoyancy
As we continue to look at the basics of buoyancy control when Scuba Diving, we come to possibly the most common means of adjusting buoyancy, which is breathing.
As we discussed last week, the Buoyancy Control Device can be used to adjust a diver's buoyancy but the experienced diver will only use this for large changes in buoyancy such as ascent and descent. For minor changes, we prefer to use our lungs. Please bear in mind that this will only work for those using open circuit and rebreathers are a totally different kettle of fish!
Imagine you are scuba diving alongside a wall maintaining great buoyancy mid water at 30m when suddenly looming ahead of you is a beautiful Fan Coral in your direct line of travel. You decide that the easiest way to get around it is to ascend slightly and swim over it. What do you do?
One possibility is to add some air to the BCD to ascend but this will expand as you ascend and it gets a bit messy when you start adding and subtracting air from your BCD for these minor changes.
The best practice in this situation is to breathe in deeply. When we take a deep breath, we increase our buoyant force in the water (if you do not know what this is, please refer to ourBuoyancy Basics 1 article) and become a little bit more positively buoyant. You will find that you begin to rise in the water, at which point, you simply have to begin to exhale for control.
Equally if you want to descend slightly, you can breathe out a bit further, making your lungs a bit emptier than you would normally have them. You will begin to descend and then you can just inhale for control.
REMEMBER
At NO point should a Diver Hold their Breath!!!!
Using breath control to adjust your buoyancy is very easy but it does take a lot of practice to get it spot on. However, you will have already started to learn this technique with Hovering skills, ascent and descent training on your basic scuba diving courses.
I have seen a number of divers over the years that have insisted that all the dive should be controlled using breath control and only inexperienced divers have to use the BCD.
THIS IS NOT TRUE
There is a reason we have a BCD and it should be used to make big changes in buoyancy while breath control is for the small changes. If we didn't need the BCD, we wouldn't have it!
So when you are learning to improve your buoyancy skills when scuba diving, remember there are a number of things to consider underpinned by Archimedes Principle and Volume/Density relationships (which we will look into at a later date) and you have been given the tools to control buoyancy, so make use of them. You will find that the easier you can make your diving; with good weighting, using BCD and breath control, the easier it will be to achieve perfection.
SIDEMOUNT DIVING: Video number 2 of our specialty training dives and we head off to the Tunnels and Caves at Cape Greko in Protaras to practice skills and buoyancy