Why drift dive? The choice about whether to drift dive depends on the purpose of your dive. Perhaps you are you trying to cover a large underwater area, trying not to repeat the same path twice, or trying to keep up with the marine life.
At some dive spots there is almost always a current which means you have no choice but to go with the flow! The current gives the diver the wonderful sensation of flying. It allows you to cover long distances and see more habitats and formations than normal. Is drift diving dangerous?
Like any dive, with a great plan and a great team, it is not dangerous. But there are some additional considerations you need to take into account before you get into the water. The biggest concern when drift diving is keeping the team together — it is easy for distracted divers get separated from their buddies. Ice diving is a type of penetration diving which takes place underneath the frozen surface of a lake or sea. Typically, an ice diving team will only have one single entry and exit point, and no other access to the surface.
Ice diving requires special equipment and training. Most recreational ice diving takes place in lakes making the environment more controllable. In addition, it is also easier to equip the entry and exit point.
Why would anyone want to dive underneath the ice? Ice diving provides the diver with a unique experience. The colour of the water is different, the way the light disperses in the water is different, as is the feeling of diving in an enclosed space. The most obvious hazards of ice diving are getting lost under the ice, hypothermia, and equipment failure due to freezing. What is the difference between cavern diving and cave diving? These two types of diving sound very similar but are quite different.
During a cave dive, you may penetrate the cave system completely. A cave dive can take you hundreds of meters away from the entrance, and way past the point penetrated by natural light. Cave diving is a specialist technical dive, whereas cavern diving can be practiced by recreational divers. Cave divers do not have it so easy when it comes to exiting a cave. That is the reason why they are required to take an extra safety training to protect themselves and their dive buddies while they are exploring a cave system.
Why should I try Cavern diving? Cavern diving gives you the opportunity to discover what marine life exists in the darkness, and how it has adapted to life there. Different types of corals, shrimps, crabs and fish all live out of the reach of natural light and have evolved strange characteristics to compensate! Swimming towards the dark, and into the unknown, makes this an extremely exciting form of scuba diving. But it is not for the faint-hearted! Cavern diving is a good way to find out if you want to commit the time and money required to qualify as a technical cave diver.
What is it? When we dive we rely on the air in our tank. But what we all learn early on in our diving careers is that the very air that keeps us alive underwater can also pose a threat. So, what if we changed the mix of gas to reduce the amount of Nitrogen we absorb? Enriched air nitrox diving is the term used when we change the blend of Oxygen and Nitrogen in our tank. Breathing an EAN mix gives divers the opportunity to endure a longer bottom time and allow an easier exploration of deep wrecks or other underwater features.
It is also useful for divers who are making many dives over a short period to keep their residual nitrogen saturation low. It also means we feel less tired after a many days diving. Not all dives spots are at sea level — a mountain lake makes an exciting challenge for divers! Altitude diving is classed as any dive spot higher than metres ft above sea level. Unsurprisingly, it changes many things about the way we approach our dive.
Going deep for longer periods of time poses more risks for techs than other types of scuba diving. Some of the main ones involve decompression sickness, improper breathing technique, overexertion, and misuse of diving equipment.
One of the most challenging types of scuba diving, ice diving is a penetration dive that takes place under ice. The dive time is limited to less than 30 minutes to reduce exposure to freezing temperatures.
But why would anyone want to dive under ice? For starters, ice diving can provide unique encounters with animals such as penguins and seals or animals you may not be able to observe during summertime. Furthermore, those diving in freshwater will notice that clarity tends to increase in the winter due to lack of water circulation. There are many risks associated with ice diving; hypothermia, getting lost under the ice, and regulator failure are among the main ones.
Divers are always tethered for safety, meaning they must wear a harness clipped to a safety line that is secured above the surface. Altitude diving is defined as the type of diving that takes place in waters found at altitudes higher than meters 1, feet above sea level.
While most divers only experience dives below sea level, there are plenty of high-altitude dive sites around the Globe that offer a select few unique underwater experiences. High altitude poses some unique challenges divers may otherwise not experience when diving at sea level. Reduced atmospheric pressure and freshwater affect the depth gauges. Altitude divers are also more exposed to decompression sickness because the effect of diving at altitude is greater than it would be at sea level.
Because of this, there are shorter no-decompression times. Training: Professional divers are trained to dive safely as a member of a dive team and to gain the specific skills required for their employment. Training is usually done through registered diving schools and varies according to the legislative requirements of each country. These highly skilled professionals work in dangerous circumstances with difficult work schedules. Lots of training is required to succeed and stay safe in these careers.
Most often, this type of scuba diving is associated with the oil and gas industry. However, commercial divers also work on land-based civil engineering operations, in hazardous materials environments and nuclear power plants.
Scientific divers and media divers filmographers and photographers are also among the common types of commercial divers. Rescue diving is a challenging and rewarding profession. These divers respond to emergency situations, most often when there are other divers underwater in need of help. These experienced professionals are trained in depth rescue, surface rescue, first aid techniques, and emergency management, among others.
Anyone who wishes to learn how to manage problems in the water and become a better diving buddy can enroll in a specialized course at any of the diver training agencies offering this option. Military divers work in various branches of the armed forces, including marines, army, air force, the navy, and coast guard.
Humans first started freediving out of necessity, mostly for food and items which they could then sell, but also to recover items lost overboard.
As time passed, it has evolved into a pastime activity and even a popular sport. Various techniques help freedivers stay underwater longer and go deeper with only one breath of air. But why would one freedive and expose themselves to risks that are minimized when using a breathing apparatus?
Freediving requires a lot of discipline and great swimming skills. Drowning is a huge risk, and so is shallow-water blackout , which is the loss of consciousness due to lack of oxygen to the brain.
Competitive freediving, however, is a rather safe sport because all competitions are held under AIDA authority where strict safety rules are imposed. Which of these popular types of diving have you tried so far and what are you ready to experiment with next? Leave a comment below and tell us about your diving experiences!
I think it would be super cool to dive a night where there is little to no light. I would think that would be a good way to see different animals underwater, so I might have to get trained to night dive so I could try it sometime.
I really enjoyed your article and thank you for the links to other dive sites. Living on an island in the Pacific Northwest makes it possible for us to freedive all year around with ease.
So much to see in these clear cold waters. Nothing beats suiting up ,diving for a hand grabbed dungeness crab dinner and back home cooking crab in an hour. Your email address will not be published.
You may use these HTML tags and attributes:. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. Scuba Diving Recreational Diving Training: Recreational diver training is done by instructors who are themselves certified to conduct diving courses for specific levels of expertise. Drift Diving Drifting is one of the most rewarding types of diving, but one that requires knowledge and precaution. Popular Drift Diving Sites Blue Corner, Palau — A meter 98 feet dive with abundant marine life and strong currents that often require a reef hook.
Washing Machine, Bahamas — The currents can roll divers head over heels, sweeping one down to 12 meters 40 feet then lifting them back up at 5 meters 15 feet. In especially touristy spots, it will be easy to join a guided night dive tour. How deep can you go? That said, most deep dives will happen at 30 metres or more below sea level. Of course, this is no easy dive that can be done by a newbie! A deep dive requires a lot of planning, experience, and confidence.
The deeper you go, the more dangerous it will be, and you must be adequately prepared beforehand. Submerged caves can be found all over the ocean, and certain destinations are known for having particularly amazing sea caves that attract divers from all over the world.
Again, this is not for the fain-thearted or claustrophobic. The last thing you want is to be in a cave or tunnel under the sea and start to feel uncomfortable or trapped, so make sure you know your skill level before attempting these dives. A lot of divers specifically seek out their open water certification in anticipation of exploring shipwrecks underwater. Open water diving is the most common type of scuba diving by recreational divers hence the name of the open water certification!
As long as you follow the appropriate diving rules and safety precautions, of course.
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