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Scuba
diving is an equipment intensive sport and when we dive
our health, or even our life depends on it's good working
order. However, on any dive trip, you will see divers
that that seem to totally disregard care and maintenance
of their gear. Not only can this lead to unsafe circumstances,
it is very expensive as well. We have received articles
from divers that we believe will help you receive the
most benefit from your dive equipment and tips to help
you choose new equipment. If you are like us, you cannot
afford to buy new stuff every year, but you want to count
on your gear.
Scuba
Tanks
Of
all the equipment we use when we dive , tanks seem to
be the most abused and uncared for. Watch divers getting
on or off the boat. They must think they are indestructible.
An by the looks of the tanks, they are not maintained
well either. Tanks and valves should be handled and cared
for just as any other piece of equipment. Take care of
them and you will be less likely to have a problem during
a dive or have cause to abort a dive. A quick look back
over the last couple of years also points to the fact
that a poorly maintained tank and valve can be fatal.
Several tanks have exploded while being filled due to
mistreatment and poor maintenance.The following tips will
help you with tank and valve care:
1. Handle with care just as you do your BCD or regulator.
2. Inspect the tank, valve and o-ring before every dive.
3. Rinse well with fresh water after every dive.
4. When you turn on your air, turn on gently and completely,
then turn back 1/4 turn.
5. Have your tanks inspected at least annually, more often
under extreme conditions.
6. Never bang the tank or valve.
7. Do not allow your tanks to be overfilled.
8. Never leave your tanks in direct heat or sunlight.
9. Never use oil based lubricants on valve o-rings.
10. Never attempt to service your own tank or valve unless
you are a qualified technician.
Contributed By Jason Lesley
Salt
Water and Dive Equipment
Proper
cleaning and care can extend the life of your equipment
for many years. It is important in any environment that
you may be diving in, but salt water is especially damaging
if not attended to immediately after diving.
The following tips are provided for divers who are not
familiar with the corrosive effect of salt water, and
to the divers that dive the ocean regularly and wonder
why they must continue replacing equipment.
#1 Rule - Do not use a water hose to rinse your gear and
think it's clean. Somebody along the way had the brilliant
idea of a rinse tank, so put it to good use.
Most dive operators and resorts have a rinse tank for
cleaning your gear after the dives. Just be sure the water
in the tank is fresh. If you are the 30th diver to use
the same tank of water, you are cleaning your gear in
salt water.
- Always place your regulator in the tank first so that
will have time to soak while you complete the remainder
of the cleaning task.
- Mask, fins and snorkel can be easily rinsed and placed
out of the sun to dry.
- Skins, wetsuits, booties and soft weightbelts should
be hosed off, soaked and rinsed again to avoid having
the salt eat the threads away.
- Your BCD should be rinsed, soaked and rinsed again.
Pay special attention to the area behind the tank strap
and cummerbund. Use a hose to partially fill with water
and blow air into it. Shake the water around until it
reaches every corner of the bladder. Do this at least
twice, then taste the water from the bladder to be sure
the salt is out. Any salt that remains inside dries, crystallizes
and will cut the bladder like glass.
- As for your regulator, try to avoid the water hose altogether.
Water pressure has a habit of forcing salt and sand into
places where the sun never shines and can cause hidden
problems. After soaking for an extended period of time,
use your hand to clean the first and second stage as well
as the hoses and gauges. Swish the regulator around to
further dissolve any salt residue. Also remember to never
depress the exhaust button on the second stage while immersed
in water, as this will allow water into the hose and up
into the first stage.
Allow your gear to dry completely before packing it away.
If you are on vacation, most resorts have a secure drying
area where you can hang it until time for the next dive.
If you are taking your gear back to your hotel, you should
lay out everything to let it dry.
Finally, have your gear serviced annually no matter how
well you clean it and regardless of how much you dive.
If you live near and dive the ocean regularly, you should
have an extra 33 gal. trash can, just for the purpose
of cleaning. An added benefit to BCD care is using a bottle
of listerine inside the bladder several times a year.
Use it just like rinsing the bladder and shake it around.
This will kill the germs and fungus and make it more bearable
when you use your LP hose.
May you and your equipment have a long and lasting relationship.
Contributed By Ellie Mozul
Prescription
Dive Masks
See
What's In The Sea
Where's that barracuda? Where did the stingray go? Is
that a shark or my dive buddy? You obviously need glasses,
don't you?
Whether novice or expert, divers who wear eyeglasses may
be perplexed by visual needs underwater. Perhaps you've
asked your local dive shop about your vision. However,
they may not have been able to give you professional optical
advice.
Statistics show that water magnifies objects by approximately
22 percent. For those of you who are slightly far- or
near-sighted, the water becomes a natural eyeglass. However,
for those of us with more of a vision deficiency who need
glasses underwater, there are a few alternatives.
The most logical way to satisfy the problem would be to
try and wear your glasses under your divemask. This wouldn't
work for several reasons:
- The templates (sidepieces) that sit over your ears would
protrude on the side of your head and would not be an
appropriate seal because water would constantly leak into
the mask.
- The straps from the mask would cause the templates of
your glasses would press hard against the side of your
head producing pressure and possibly pain.
- Wearing glasses underwater has never been done successfully.
Another option to consider would be contact lenses. People
who wear contact lenses have great success with them underwater.
However, one concern for wearing contacts underwater is
the possibility of having them dislodge by regular blinking,
or when you are clearing your mask.
According to Dr. Paul Gilwit, a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Opthamologist, " When a lens is dislodged, bad corneal
abrasion accompanied by possible pain and blurred vision
could occur. Thus, it is much safer and preferable to
have the prescription put into your divemask."
Imagine this scenario. You have been planning a week long
dive vacation for several months. On the first day, you
are 90 feet down and water gets into your mask. You try
to clear the water out of your mask only to find that
your contact dislodges. At first it floats around in your
mask and then escapes out to sea. This would not be very
much fun, for there goes your vacation. Wouldn't it be
a lot smarter to carry an extra pair of contacts, or back-up
prescription mask in your gearbag that couldn't get lost
in the ocean?
In addition, some studies have shown that when contact
lenses are exposed to water they become full of bacteria.
These reports further suggest that contacts need to be
disinfected after each dive. What a hassle....
Fortunately, there are now alternatives to see better
under the sea, thanks to some of the divemask companies
who are addressing underwater visual problems.
For example, you can purchase perspiration lens insert
for several brand name masks. These will work for some
prescriptions, but not for most. The inserts are available
in standard minus sphere powers, but do not allow for
astigmatism corrections or farsightedness. Unlike your
prescription eyeglasses, which put your prescription right
in front of each pupil, the over-the-counter inserts are
not designed to do do the same.
The final and probably best alternative is to have prescription
lenses ground and bonded to your dive mask. This method
allows for astigmatism corrections as well as proper placement
of lenses in front of the pupils in the mask. Custom prescription
lenses are shaped for the individual's mask faceplate,
thus providing greater peripheral vision as well as good
aesthetics.
A wide range of lens choices are now available due to
modern technology. One is no longer limited to one or
two styles, and may select the mask of choice, thereby
giving you the freedom to find the mask that fits you
best. For aesthetic reasons only, a dual lens mask is
more desirable for for custom lenses than those with a
single lens faceplate. All major gear manufacturers have
dual lens masks available.
Advanced technology has also made lens discoloration avoidable.
In the past, when lenses were inserted and adhered to
the faceplate, the lens would turn yellow after a period
of time due to the type of glues that were used. Today's
modern method of bonding eliminate the future discoloration
of your lenses.These new methods do away with lens fogging
as well.
The care and maintenance of a prescription divemask would
be the same as a regular mask. A good freshwater rinse
followed by air drying is the proper way to take care
of your mask. Like all silicone products, your mask should
not sit in direct sunlight for long periods of time as
this tends to dry out the silicone.
Contributed by Mitchell Small, a licensed optician and
owner of Sherwood Optical Studio in Pompano Beach, Florida.
He specializes in making prescription dive masks and has
been a certified diver since 1988.
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