Volunteer divers join search

Manila, Philippines -  Foreign deep sea divers have joined in the search for Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and two others who went missing after their light aircraft crashed off Masbate last Saturday.

Officials said the divers volunteered their skills and equipment for the search and recovery operations.

Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo, Central Visayas regional police director, said Korean volunteers were led by South Korea’s honorary consul to Cebu.

Garbo said the Koreans, with their own deep-sea diving equipment, took off from Mactan in Cebu for Masbate on the new Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopter.

British dive experts, who own a diving school in Malapascua Island in Cebu, also scoured the seabed of Masbate for the ill-fated Piper Seneca aircraft carrying Robredo. American deep-sea diver Matthew Caldwell also showed up to help in the operations.

Caldwell had helped in previous Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) operations to recover bodies from the sunken wooden-hulled passenger ship Catalyn B.

The Catalyn B collided with steel-hulled fishing vessel Anatalia on Christmas Eve in 2009.

There are reports that the government is also soliciting the help of another technical diver, Alex Santos, who is said to be in Singapore.

The aircraft was attempting to make an emergency landing at the Masbate airport when it crashed in the water some 300 meters from the runway.

The government has organized Task Force Kalihim to ensure coordinated operations to find Robredo and pilots Jessup Bahinting and Kshitiz Chand.

Robredo’s police aide Senior Inspector Gil Abrazado Jr. survived the crash.

Government divers were from the Philippine Army’s Special Forces.



“We are praying that he and the two missing pilots were able to get out of the plane and they’re just out there waiting to be rescued. If not and if they went down with the doomed plane, survival is already zero,” a senior member of the search and rescue team said.

The US government is also helping search teams from the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force.

A US aircraft earlier conducted a flyby over the seas around Masbate to search for the missing Cabinet official and his two companions.

Roxas said the US aircraft is equipped with “forward looking infrared” or FLIR camera to search for the ill-fated plane.

“Sonars work last night to be plotted for today’s search pattern,” Roxas said in his Twitter account.

“US plane with FLIR, forward looking infra red, also did flyby passes,” he added.

So far only the manifest and a portion of the wing of the Piper Seneca have been found, although Roxas said the sonar equipment has detected several “things” below but that their “shape and material could not yet be determined.” The unknown objects have been detected 200 feet below sea level.

Roxas said divers had to go deeper to search for the wreckage of the airplane.

“This is now what we call a technical dive…The target depth in this dive is about 200 feet up to 250 feet,” Roxas said in a TV interview, adding that recreational dives are around 100 to 120 feet underwater and can only stay around 10 minutes.

Roxas said a diver was previously able to recover the flight manifest at a depth of around 150 feet, and saw the sea floor had skid marks going deeper. “Something scraped the seafloor. They estimate another 200 to 250 feet,” he said in Filipino.

Roxas said a fleet survey team has also arrived to scan the seabed for the wreckage of the plane. “They came in (Monday), they are planning it out, they’ll do what they can in the remaining daylight hours.”

“An ROV (remote operated vehicle) team will arrive (today) in Subic courtesy of the US government,” said Roxas.

While conceding that “there has been no positive news” so far, Roxas stressed “this is still search and rescue.”

“The President has been here all night and he monitored the search to make sure all agencies of government are doing everything they can,” he told ABS-CBN television from Masbate. “We are hoping we might spot something on an isolated coast somewhere.”

Authorities, the abs-cbnnews report also said, have also reported a 20-foot wide oil slick just a couple of meters away from the skid mark of the ill-fated plane.

Coupled with information on tides and currents, plus the flight manifest gathered on Sunday, the divers are now focused at about 250 meters up to 300 meters at the Ticao Channel.

“In case there will be a sighting, they will mark the coordinates, then the Philippine Navy will come in (in case of rescue),” Roxas said.

He described the operations as very “professional.”

He also said more divers are expected to arrive to join the foreign divers.

Col. Ogie Gaite, Task Force Kalihim operations officer in Masbate, said the President has ordered local officials of the surrounding towns to involve barangay officials in the search.

He said experts believe the wreckage could have been carried by the strong sea current to Ticao Pass, which is two kilometers from the spot where the plane was believed to have crashed.

Gaite also said pure helium and oxygen tanks had already arrived for the divers’ use.

Meanwhile, the PCG said that about 63 of their divers are helping in the search and rescue efforts.

PCG spokesman Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo said that apart from the order of their Bicol District headed by Commodore Joel Garcia to deploy all the divers from their Special Operations Group (SOG), PCG also has two vessels on standby carrying additional divers.

The PCG’s BRP Davao del Norte has been in Masbate since 4 p.m. of Aug. 19. The second vessel, the BRP EDSA 2 which has a decompression chamber on board, arrived in Masbate yesterday afternoon.

“Each SOG team has about seven divers. Once the BRP EDSA arrives in the area, there would already be nine teams in Masbate,” said Balilo.

The PCG earlier dispatched its helicopter to conduct aerial search.

They also issued a Notice to Mariners (NOTAM) to alert the vessels near the area to be on the lookout for the missing DILG official and two pilots. With Evelyn Macairan, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Cet Dematera

Missing Japanese diver found dead

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Penida, Bali | Archipelago | Tue, August 28 2012, 1:38 PM

Ai Tanaka, a Japanese tourist who went missing during a dive in Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, Klungkung, Bali, on Sunday, was found dead on Monday evening.

“[Tanaka] was found at a depth of 43 meters below sea level,” National Search and Rescue Agency supervisor Putu Sudiana said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Tanaka was found still wearing the diving equipment, including the Buoyancy Compensator Device (BCD).

“Tanaka, who was new to diving, allegedly panicked and forgot to adjust the BCD,” Putu said.

Previously, the SAR team suspended its search for Tanaka on Monday evening. However, MM Dive, the operator of the dive site, insisted the search for Tanaka continue, and they eventually found his body.

After being removed from the sea, his body was then taken to the Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.

Tanaka went diving with 13 Malaysian tourists on Sunday, and did not resurface. (swd)

Cerritos Sheriff's Detective Tracks Down Burglar Who Stole $5,000+ of Scuba Diving Gear

A 25-year-old Hawaiian Gardens man is behind bars today on suspicion of breaking into a vehicle parked outside Carrows restaurant in Cerritos and stealing more than $5,000 worth of scuba diving equipment, most of which was eventually returned to its rightful owners with help from a Cerritos sheriff's detective.

Victor Aguirre was arrested at his home on Aug. 3 and is currently facing five felony counts of burglary, possession of stolen property and credit card fraud, said Cerritos Sheriff's Station detective Rich Kent.

Aguirre is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 23 and is currently being held in lieu of $40,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Inmate Information website.

The events leading to the suspect's arrest began on Aug. 2 at about 10:30 a.m. when a vehicle burglary was reported outside the restaurant located at 19011 Bloomfield Ave. in Cerritos, said Kent.

The victims -- a husband and wife visiting from Phoenix, Ariz. who had just went diving in Catalina -- told the responding sheriff's deputy that their Toyota Sequoia had been broken into and several personal items were missing, including a purse with the wife's credit cards and some scuba diving gear, said Kent.

"Some of the gear that was taken included a wrist diving computer, in total there was over $5,000 worth of equipment stolen," Kent said.

While the deputy was completing the burglary report, the female victim was notified by her credit card company that her card had just been used at Target Greatland on South Street for a $717 purchase of an Apple iPad and case.

Target Surveillance Photo Leads to Startling Discovery

After obtaining a store surveillance image of the suspect making the purchase, the deputy returned to the station with the evidence and a startling discovery was made.

"When she showed me the surveillance photo, I immediately recognized the person from a previous case," Kent said, adding that the suspect whom he identified as Aguirre, happened to be the same man involved in a check fraud case in Cerritos about two years ago. "I remembered his face and his distinct haircut, which he kept the same way ... it was just a stroke of luck."

Kent said at that point, he put together a photo lineup and "ironically the suspect had just been arrested on July 21 on another check fraud case so he had a fresh booking photo in the system," noting that when he returned to Target, witnesses were able to quickly point to Aguirre as the person who made the fraudulent purchase.

The following day, the detective learned that Aguirre was already on probation for burglary, which allowed for a probation search to be done at his home in Hawaiian Gardens.

"During the search we were able to recover a large portion of stolen property from the victims' vehicle, including the wife's bag, her credit cards and medication, as well as most of the diving equipment," Kent said.

However, the search also resulted in the discovery of other items -- checkbooks, paperwork, insurance cards, a car registration, and a coin purse -- allegedly taken during a car burglary that occurred at 3 a.m. on Aug. 3 in Long Beach, the detective added.

Aguirre, who was immediately arrested, admitted to committing both burglaries and was booked at the Cerritos Sheriff's Station, Kent said.

Man Who Buys Fraudulently Purchased iPad Also Caught in Strange Twist

In a strange twist, while Kent was presenting the photo lineup to witnesses at Target on Aug. 2, he was alerted by store employees that a man had just tried to return the iPad that was purchased with the stolen credit card.

"We learned that after buying the iPad, the suspect went home and posted an ad on Craigslist to sell the item," Kent said. "He then sold it to this guy (who responded to the ad) at the Hawaiian Gardens Casino parking lot for $425. So while we were in Target, the man who bought the iPad was detained and arrested for possession of stolen property."

Kent said it was unclear whether the individual would be facing any charges for purchasing the iPad.

Emphasis Remains: Keep Valuables Out of Plain Sight inside Your Vehicle

According to Cerritos Station statistics, the year-to-date weekly average in vehicle burglaries currently stands at 7.6 -- proving to be the most commonly reported felony crime in the city. Deputies report that the main cause of vehicle break-ins is the visible placement of items within the passenger compartment, which enables would-be thieves to quickly target their victims.

"I think the emphasis once again is to hide all property in the vehicle's trunk or somewhere where it can't be seen," said Kent.

Fisheries officers seize dive gear

Two men are facing fisheries charges and will be appearing in court after being apprehended by fishery officers in two separate incidents at Otama Beach in the Coromandel.
In the first incident on June 16, a 43-year-old Tairua man was apprehended diving for mussels.
He was found to be in possession of 118 green lipped mussels with the daily allowable limit per person being 25.
He will now be facing a charge of taking more than three times the daily allowable limit.
He has also had his dive gear seized which will be subject to forfeiture by the court if convicted of the offence.
In the second incident on June 30, a 47-year-old Whitianga man was apprehended by an Honorary Fishery Officer (HFO) after diving.
A sack containing 69 excess and undersize paua was subsequently located hidden in long grass beside the man’s vehicle where he was changing out of his wetsuit.
The daily allowable limit for paua is 10 per person and the minimum size limit is 125mm.
He is now likely facing charges of taking excess and undersize paua and his dive gear has also been seized.
The penalties for taking or possessing excess shellfish carry penalties of up to $20,000 and can also involve sentences of community service.
Seizure and likely forfeiture to the Crown of property used in the offending and can include diver gear, vehicles and boats.
Bay of Plenty/Waikato/Coromandel District Compliance Manager Brendon Mikkelsen say it’s disappointing when you see members of the community offending in this manner.
“People should be sticking to the limits and sizes and helping to sustain a fishery that is very important to local communities in areas like the Coromandel. These people are the minority; the vast majority stick to the rules and are responsible recreational fishers, they recognise it’s about taking individual responsibility.
“Fishery Officers and Honorary Fishery Officers based in the Coromandel enjoy valuable public support in protecting the fishery resource. This is vital and plays a key part in ensuring the ongoing sustainability of the fishery.”
Members of the public who see any unlawful activity (including suspected poaching and/or offering seafood for sale on the
black-market) are urged to phone the Ministry’s freephone hotline: 0800 4 POACHER (0800 4 76224) in confidence.
“The assistance of the public by reporting suspicious or illegal activity to Fishery Officers is a key element in protecting the fishery.”

Student invents unique dive gear

A Tauranga student studying at Victoria University has invented a self-inflating life jacket for divers.
James McNab, 22, has designed the Revival Vest to recognise physiological changes in the wearer - such as drowning - to self-inflate.

Made from smart fabric technology capable of monitoring respiration, the vest detects changes in the diver’s chest circumference, evident in divers experiencing breathing difficulty.
If the wearer blacks out, the body becomes limp and the vest is triggered to inflate.
James says his design was motivated by the death of a friend from a shallow-water blackout during free diving.
“With little or no safety equipment available to free divers, shallow-water blackout is something that can happen to even the most experienced divers and can occur without warning,” says James.
James’ design and two others have been announced as finalists in the annual James Dyson Award.
David Lovegrove, the award’s head judge and professional member of the Designers Institute of NZ, says James’ product, and the two other finalist products are diverse, yet they all demonstrate the design principles of the award’s founder Sir James Dyson; to create commercially viable products that solve a problem.
The prestigious international design award recognises the next generation of emerging Kiwi product designers who have developed inventions that are innovative and inspire solutions to everyday problems.
The national winner will travel to the UK and meet with London’s top product and design companies.  They will earn a $3000 cash prize for travel, plus a fee package from the Intellectual Property Office of NZ (IPONZ), $3000 of legal fees from Farry.Co and a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Now in the twelfth year, the James Dyson Award is open to final year tertiary students studying in the areas of design, technology or engineering, and to graduates in these areas who are in their first four years of work.
Ten New Zealand entries, including the three national finalists, will progress to online judging in the international James Dyson Award competition.
The global James Dyson Award winner will be announced in November 2012 and together with their university, they will win a total prize fund of £20,000 or local currency equivalent.
The James Dyson Award is supported by the James Dyson Foundation (JDF), a registered charity whose aim is to inspire and excite young people about design engineering.
The winning New Zealand entry will be unveiled at a ceremony to be held in Auckland on Thursday, 16 August.

cuba Diving Mask Snorkel:

A Buyer's Guide - Plus Our Picks For Best Dive Masks and Snorkels

The right scuba diving mask can make or break a dive. It is hard to enjoy a dive if your mask is constantly leaking or fogging. The same goes for snorkeling.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience here.

If you too need a new mask, our buyers guide gives you tips on styles, types, fit, choosing, maintaining and buying the best dive mask for you. We also give you our picks for best scuba mask at different price points.

And I will tell you which mask I bought to replace the one I had for over 15 years.

 

You will also find lots of information on snorkels in this guide. Hopefully it will help make choosing the best snorkel for you a little bit easier.

OK, let's get started...

Scuba Diving Masks: Basic Info

On this page you will find all the basic info needed to begin your search for the perfect dive mask. It contains a list of the types and styles of masks you can choose from. Most importantly, it also shows you how to get the proper fit for your mask and how to choose the right mask for you.

Scuba Dive Mask: Care, Maintenance and Defogging Tips

Now that you have your mask, you will want to protect it so it will be good for many dives to come. Here you will find information on how to care for your scuba diving mask, how to properly maintain it and how to make sure it doesn't fog up while you are diving.

Prescription Scuba Mask

If you wear glasses or contacts, there is no reason you shouldn't have clear vision on all your dives. Find out about getting a prescription scuba mask and how they work on this page. After all, you want to be able to read your gauges and see all those beautiful sights underwater.

Scuba Snorkel Features

A scuba snorkel is a very basic piece of equipment. However, there are now lots of features to choose from - from purge valves to rotating mouthpieces to dry or semi-dry and so on. Which of these features to you want/need on scuba snorkels?

Choosing the Best Snorkel For You

Now that you know about the features available on snorkels, what makes the best snorkel

for you? We discuss all the things you should consider before buying this piece of low-tech equipment, from comfort and fit to length and diameter to everything in between.

Folding Snorkel

So should you wear a snorkel while you are scuba diving or not? It's a topic that generates alot of debate. Is a folding snorkel the answer? Read about the debate and folding snorkels here.

Dry Snorkel

A dry snorkel is a popular option. But is it the right snorkel for you? Find out the basics of dry snorkels and the advantages/disadvantages of these types of snorkels. It may or may not be for you.

Our Picks For Best Scuba Diving Masks And Snorkels

There are a lot of scuba dive masks out there. We waded through many of the options and came up with our best picks for dive masks in different price categories. Hopefully it will save you some valuable time - and money!

Best Scuba Mask: High End or Top End

See our picks for the best scuba diving mask in this category. This is defined as masks priced over $70. We have a few options for you to choose from - find one that fits your needs.

Best Diving Mask: Moderate or Mid-range

We give you our picks for the best dive masks that are budget friendly. These are all priced between $30-$70. You can purchase a scuba mask that will give you great visibility at a reasonable price. You won't have to break the bank with these masks.

Best Diving Mask: Budget or Inexpensive

These are our choices for the best dive or snorkel masks that will leave you with some money in your pocket. All of these are priced under $30 and get rave reviews from users. See if one fits your criteria.

Best Scuba Diving Mask: Our Overall Recommendation

If you don't have time to look at our picks for best scuba mask listed above, we will cut right to the chase here. (Picks will open up to our partner in a new window).

We get asked quite a bit for recommendations for the best dive mask and snorkel. As I say in my guide above, it can vary from person to person.

However, there is a scuba diving mask I have found that wins tops ratings from many wearers.

Our top pick, an Atomic mask, gets the best ratings for snug fit (translate into no leaking), lens quality and range of vision.

It is a frameless and lightweight single window mask. The mask is also a low volume mask that is easy to clear if need be.

You can read many users' reviews of this scuba diving mask and you will see that many people that have had a hard time with fitting a mask, found this one to be perfect with no leaks.

Note: I purchased this dive mask after my old mask of 15+ years started leaking. I have about 10 dives with the mask so far and I have to say I am very happy with the Atomic mask. It is very lightweight and I am in love with its field of vision. I think I will have a hard time going back to another mask that gives me a more limited view.

You can check it out at our partner here - Atomic Mask.

Best Snorkel: Our Overall Recommendations

Same thing here, if you don't have time to look at all the reviews of best snorkel, we have done it for you.

The snorkels listed below make our list of best snorkel for both value and quality. All have gotten great ratings and reviews from users, so they should work for you too.

If you need a good quality snorkel, there are a few options out there. However, we had to narrow it down to one so we had our work cut out for us.

After much reading and review, we picked this Aeris Dry Snorkel as the best overall snorkel.

It gets high marks from users and has received many good reviews (over 50 as of this writing in August 2012).

Pros of this snorkel are high ratings for comfort, resistance to flooding and its purge valve. All things that will make your snorkeling experience that much more comfortable.

We do have another option for you though (OK, we couldn't just stop at one). If you prefer not to have a dry snorkel, we chose another snorkel that might be a better fit for you. The good news is that it is at a lower price point. Who doesn't want to save money?

We voted this Aqua Lung Snorkel as the best value basic snorkel.

It has received good reviews for comfort and design. The purge valve is also noted as a nice feature as well as the flexible tubing on the bottom of the snorkel. This is a tried and true model and many people have been using this snorkel for years. You can't get a better recommendation than that.

Hopefully this guide will help you choose that perfect scuba diving mask & snorkel for you. We hope you have a great clear dive. Have fun!

Looking for recommendations for the best snorkel set? See our picks for best snorkel gear set here.

Do you need other scuba gear and accessories? Check out all our picks for best scuba equipment here.

Scuba Diving Accessories

Which Ones Do You Need? Are They Essential?

There are a ton of scuba diving accessories out there. Do you need them all, all the time? I would say definitely not.
Have you ever gone on a dive boat and seen a diver that can barely move since they have every dive accessory known to man on them?

And this is for a nice calm dive in the warm waters of the Caribbean.

We're not talking wreck diving, tech diving, cave diving or other diving where you need extra gear.

There is such a thing as overdoing it. So think of the type of diving you are doing and what type of situations you might find yourself in. What dive accessories would you need to ensure you have a safe dive? That answer is a great place to start your list.

Below, I'll go over the main scuba diving accessories that are available. Which ones you take on your next dive is of course a personal decision. Just make sure you have a nice, safe dive.

Scuba Diving Watches
A dive watch is one of those dive accessories that works both on and off the dive boat. It's always nice when a piece of dive equipment can do double duty.

If you are diving off the tables and do not have a dive computer, you need a dive watch. You will need to keep track of your dive time, your safety stop and your surface interval. Three very important pieces of information you need to know in order to have a safe dive.

If you have a dive computer, a dive watch is not as essential since your computer will keep track of the above info. But it is still good to have a watch as a backup. Even though we both have dive computers, my husband and I still wear dive watches. It's your choice.

You can read our complete guide to scuba diving watches here.

Scuba Diving Computers
A dive computer is a great scuba diving accessory to have. It will be your best friend underwater. Do you absolutely need one? Absolutely not. You can dive off the tables as we were all taught when we got our scuba diving certification.

But a dive computer will give you more time underwater. While you do not need one, I highly recommend you buy one. I can pretty much guarantee you won't regret it. For more info, check out our guide to scuba diving computers here.

Dive Light
For a typical daytime dive in the Caribbean, a dive light is obviously not an absolute necessity. However, you may want to bring one with you anyway.

If you are going through tunnels, looking under ledges, diving a wreck, etc. a dive light is a great tool to have. I always have a small one in my pocket ready to take out before we do any swimthrus. I'll also take it out if we are diving a reef with lots of ledges so I can peek under and into all the nooks and crannies of the reef. You'll be surprised at all the things you can find.

Now obviously if you are doing a night dive, a cave dive, etc. a dive light becomes a necessity. One of those scuba accessories that is a must have.

Dive Knives
No, these scuba diving accessories are not to fight off the sharks or some other underwater creature. It's purpose is to help you free yourself if you are ever caught in line or something else while diving.

Unless you are in a marine park (and sometimes even then), good diving spots can be good fishing spots. So the presence of fishing line is not uncommon and you'll want that knife to free yourself if you ever get entangled.

While we were diving in Florida, my husband was carrying the reel that had the diver down flag attached to it. A boat came through with fishing line out and the fishing line caught the line my husband was holding. Next thing I knew he was being yanked up quickly by the boat. Luckily he had a knife and was able to cut the fishing line before he was pulled all the way to the surface. You never know when you'll need it.

I have a small knife that I always carry. It's sheath is fixed to the inside of my BC pocket so I can never forget it.

Now is it really necessary to have if all you are doing are guided dives in the Caribbean? Probably not. It's up to you.

For more info, you can read our page on choosing dive knives here.

Safety Sausages
A safety sausage is usually a long, colorful tube that you inflate either with your regulator or by breathing in it. It serves as a marker so that the boat can see you in case you get separated from your group. A longer safety sausage is better so the boat can see you even if you are in swells.

I think it is always a good idea to carry a sausage. Especially if we are doing drift diving, I will always have a safety sausage with me. While it may not always seem necessary if you are doing a nice calm guided dive in the Caribbean, you'll be glad you have it if you ever need it.

For more info, you can read our page on safety sausages here.

Tank Banger
If you are not familiar with these scuba diving accessories, it's basically a hard piece of plastic on a bungee type cord. You position it on the bottom of your tank so you can reach around and grab it. All you do is yank it away from the tank and let go. It makes a nice loud noise that your dive buddy (and probably the whole dive group) will hear so you can get his attention.

I have a tank banger and like it. While I try not to use it too much, I will use a tank banger to get my husband's attention if I want to show him something. And I feel safer knowing I will be able to get his attention quickly in case of an emergency.

Some people hate these things and think they are unnecessary at best. Everyone has their own opinion and you can make your own decision.

Personally, I love having one. It's cheap, small and easy to pack. I won't be leaving home without one.

Is it a necessity? No. But it's one of those scuba diving accessories that's good to have in my opinion.

Log Book
You record all your dives in a log book. You can put as much or as little detail in it as you like. Is it a necessity? It could be.

You will sometimes see dive shops that want to take a look at your log book so they can see how experienced you are and when you did your last dive. Some shops will require you to do a check out dive if a certain amount of time has passed since your last dive (usually 6 months). A dive log book proves when your last dive was done.

That being said, this is more the exception rather than the rule. In 15 years of diving, I have only had to show my log book a handful of times. But I was certainly glad I had it when I needed it or there was no diving for me.

It's not hard to keep and it serves as a nice reminder of all those great dives. So why not keep one?

Compass
A compass is always good to have, especially if you are diving without a guide. You'll be able to (or should be able to anyway) find your way back to the boat without having to surface.

When we go diving in the Caribbean, we are usually with a divemaster so I don't find it to be essential in that instance. But if you are on your own, I would definitely carry one of these.

Dive Slates
This is usually a small white rectangle slate that you can write on underwater. Is it one of those must have scuba diving accessories? No - but I love mine. If you ever tried to tell someone what you saw or communicate something else underwater, you know how frustrating it is if they don't understand. Just pull out your handy little slate and write it down.

I always carry a small one in my pocket. It has saved me from alot of pantomime. For more info, check out our page on dive slates.

And if your the DIY kind, this is one of those scuba diving accessories that is easy to make. If you want to make your own, check our page on DIY Dive Slate.

Scuba Compressor
OK, this may not be your typical dive "accessory" but it would be great to have wouldn't it? Imagine being able to fill your own tanks and going diving any time you want. No figuring out when the dive shop opens, etc. It would be heaven.

There are some smaller models accessible to the individual but they are still not cheap (think in the thousands). But some lucky individuals do have their own compressor. The ulitmate in luxury, in my opinion, would be to have one on your boat. Now we're talking.

If you are thinking about a compressor, you can read our introduction to compressors here.

There are lots more scuba diving accessories out there, but these are pretty much the main ones. If you bring some of these scuba diving accessories with you on your next dive, it should help make it a safer dive.

Have a great, safe dive with whatever scuba diving accessories you choose to use.

Need some information on your main dive equipment? Check out our free scuba gear guides including our picks for best dive gear.

Scuba Diving Tips

Tips And Advice to Improve Your Dive Skills
We all want to look like divemasters, don't we (well, most of them anyway:) )? We are here to help you achieve that goal.

Whether you are a beginner or just need a refresher, working on dive skills is time well spent.

We have lots of scuba diving tips and techniques on our site to help you have a better dive. Whether it's improving your air consumption or controlling your buoyancy, better diving skills will increase the enjoyment of any dive.

And enjoying ourselves underwater is what it is all about anyway, isn't it?
You will find tips covering a wide variety of diving issues. For instance, if you are new to diving and aren't sure what the etiquette is on a boat dive, or have questions about how much you should tip the divemaster and crew, we will answer those questions for you.

Just click on the link below to read these tips and more. We hope these diving tips will improve your underwater experience.

So go out, have fun and soon you'll be looking like a pro.

Air Consumption Tips

If you've ever had to cut a dive short because you ran out of air, you know how frustrating it can be. Try these tips to help improve your air consumption and make those tanks last longer.

Boat Diving Tips


If you haven't been on a boat dive before or aren't sure what you should do on a boat dive, check these tips out. Following these tips should make your experience less stressful and your dive more enjoyable.

Buoyancy Control Scuba Diving Tips


If you are going up and down like an elevator when you are underwater, these scuba tips should help you get in control of your buoyancy. From getting neutrally buoyant to how to completely dump all the air out of your BC, try these scuba diving tips so you stay level while diving.

Used Scuba Diving Gear

Used scuba diving gear is that gear which has been used previously by another scuba diver or scuba divers. It can be found in classified sections of newspapers, online, or posted on bulletin boards in local establishments where scuba diving is popular. You can also sometimes attain used scuba diving gear from any of a number of retailers or distributors, who will check to see that the gear is in proper working order before reselling it at a lower-than-new cost. With high-quality scuba gear, your diving experience can be so pleasant and memorable. Also, your safety is ensured. But high-quality scuba gear need not be expensive. High-quality equipment is sometimes offered at considerable discounted rates.

When looking for scuba gear, you have to be knowledgeable about the different brands and quality. You can, in fact, buy used products. Some divers utilize popular, high-quality scuba gear that has been used and is now sold with the same level of safety and protection as buying them brand new.

Except for used suits, some equipment for scuba diving is safe to reuse. These include gauges, regulators and buoyancy control devices. Buying safe used products can save you hundreds of dollars. But you have to make sure that they are still working.

There are plenty of places to go to purchase used scuba gear. You can purchase them from the Internet, classified ads or dive shops. Dive shops are usually the best place to visit, since you can check the gear before buying. It is unwise to buy anything that you have not seen.

Scuba Gear- Equipment Requirements and More

Those lucky enough who have had the experience of breathing underwater can attest to the beauty, splendor and mystery down there. Viewing rare fishes and plant life can make any adventurer giddy with excitement.

The sport requires certification because there are important lessons involved with underwater breathing and oxygen intake. These lessons will also cover the basic scuba gear needed for you to venture into the deep. But if you want to be ahead of the curve, here's a comprehensive guide to the basic equipment.

Masks - What's the point of swimming underwater if you can't see anything? Scuba masks allow you to view the marvelous world around you providing an airtight seal around your eyes/nose so water can't get in. Older masks have one lens that covers the whole mouth/nose area, but high-quality ones now have segmented lenses, like glasses. With a clear field of vision, silicone skirt, comfortable nose pocket, a high-grade, flexible silicone strap, and a comfortable nose pocket - these masks are your best bet for underwater success.

Fins - Don't go into any gear shop and call these "flippers"; you'll get laughed right out of there. Fins increase the power behind your kicks, greatly improving your ability to propel yourself through water. By increasing the area of your feet, fins displace more water when you kick and, in turn, that resistance gives you greater speed. Fins are very important because when you're wearing so much gear - wetsuit, air tanks, etc - it becomes very difficult to maneuver them. There are many fin-shapes, which you will learn more about through experience.

Weights - You've geared up and you're ready to take the first plunge. You jump in (splash!) and... you're stuck. Instead of looking at underwater marvels, you're stuck on your back and then you remember that you forgot your weight belt. We all have varying degrees of buoyancy that help us float in the water, which is a life saver if you're stranded out on the ocean, but no good to us if we WANT to sink - that's why most people need weight belts to counteract their natural buoyancy. A traditional weight belt consists of a nylon rope and solid weights that can slide on and off the belt. However, you can also use pouches with weights in them similar to beanbags. The trick is to become neutral in the water so you're neither sinking nor floating.

Wetsuits - Scuba gear is designed to make the swimmer as comfortable as possible, but no other equipment provides comfort better than a wetsuit. Underwater environments are cold, so unless you're diving in tropical waters at the warmest time of year, chances are you're going to need a wetsuit to keep warm. Wetsuits work by trapping a layer of water between your skin and the suit. Without further circulation, the trapped water becomes warmed by your body heat, thereby acting as an insulator. There are drysuits that prevent water from entering the suit altogether, but these are very pricy and not necessary for beginner divers.

Scuba Gear - Five Necessary Pieces Explained

Scuba gear is necessary to enjoy the mystical beauty of an underwater world. The proper gear will not only keep a diver safe, but it will also allow a diver to have the best diving experience possible and can keep anyone comfortable and at ease during an underwater adventure.

Everyone from amateur to advanced divers use the basic pieces of scuba gear. These basic pieces are necessary for a fun and safe dive. Most experts agree that there are five items every diver needs to purchase if they are serious about diving, even if they are just beginning their certification. While these items can be rented, it is often unhygienic and inconvenient to do so.

The first of these five items is the scuba mask. It is arguably the most important piece of gear. A mask allows a diver to see clearly underwater. It also increases a diver's field of vision, which creates a large area of space that is clear and easy.

When looking for a mask the following elements should be considered. First and foremost consider whether prescription lenses are needed. Prescription lenses will allow a diver that wears glasses or contacts to see well underwater. The other factors that need to be taken into account are the comfort level of the seal, the nose pocket, and the strap. Also, a good mask will need to have high quality and durable fasteners.

The second piece of scuba gear that a serious diver should consider purchasing is for the feet, a good pair of booties. Booties are similar to water socks in that they protect a person's feet from the rocks, fish, and sharp surfaces in the water. Booties are like boots for the water and they have a zipper down the side of the shoe. They can also protect a diver's feet from blisters.

The third piece that every diver should own is actually two items: swim fins. Swim fins will need to be measured for a particular diver's foot so they can be personalized for use.

Lastly, divers should consider buying their own scuba weights and snorkels. Not only will these pieces of scuba gear be used during every dive, but they are items that need personalization for specific people.

Once a diver has the five basic pieces of scuba gear, they will need proper, on-going care and maintenance. For some pieces of gear proper care means rinsing in warm water after each use, but for other pieces of equipment good care may mean washing with a mild detergent and warm water. Proper care of gear will ensure that scuba equipment will be long-lasting and durable.

The rest of the gear that is needed for a dive can be rented at dive shops and specialty stores that are located near the water. But not all divers will rent the other pieces of equipment that are needed for a dive. Some divers will choose to purchase all of the pieces of scuba gear that are needed for an underwater diving adventure.