Safety Culture - diving in the zone
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“Thank [beep] for that! How lucky were we? We better not do that again.
Don’t tell anyone though, we don’t want to look like amateurs...”
Training
Hip, Hip... Hooray!
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Simon Pridmore
Sofie Pridmore
Tim Rock
Author doing an unusual exercise for physical therapy after hip replacement.
How does one return to diving after hip replacement surgery? Simon Pridmore speaks from experience and gives an insight into how he used scuba diving in his physical rehabilitation.
The Insidious Threat of Complacency
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Composite by G. Symes, source images: Samuel John/CC BY-SA 2.0, Peter Southwood/CC BY-SA 3.0
People commonly say that experienced divers should guard against complacency, but what does that mean? Some associate the idea of complacency with arrogance, carelessness or negligence, and reassure themselves that if character traits such as these do not apply to them, then they do not have to worry about being complacent. Simon Pridmore offers insights into this phenomenon and how to prevent it.
Helga and the Weight Debate
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How much weight should a diver use? How much is too much or too little to maintain proper posture, balance and air consumption? How do you adjust for a new wetsuit? Simon Pridmore discusses weight issues and offers tips and advice.
Turning Tek
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Andrey Bizyukin, Larry Cohen and Olga Torrey
Technical diver on wreck
Once considered an extreme activity reserved only for a fringe set of explorers and adventurers, technical diving has grown in popularity since the ‘90s and has become mainstream. However, technical diving is not for everyone. Aside from an advanced skill set, it also requires a certain mindset. How do you know if you have got it? Simon Pridmore offers insights into what makes a good technical diver.
Out of Control
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Narcosis is the biggest threat to a diver on an air dive to 60m (200ft).
In his Scuba book series, Simon Pridmore often tells tales of diving close calls or near misses. He tries to identify the key factors and suggest what the divers might have done differently to pre-empt or better deal with what happened. All the stories are true. Some he witnessed, some were recounted by friends, and others just crossed his radar screen at some point to be filed away for future sharing.
All the Trimmings: Tips to Improve Your Efficiency in Water with Good Trim
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Illustrations by Francesco Cameli
With good trim, divers are more efficient and can stay longer and safer underwater.
Trim is a misunderstood, and often poorly rectified, scuba skill. In our scuba journey, trim is something that we may or may not encounter or discuss, unless we get into technical diving or more advanced recreational diving. Francesco Cameli offers insight and advice in how to improve your trim and increase your efficiency in the water.
Buddy Dive Resort looks back on a great 11th edition of Bonaire TeK
During the most significant technical diving event in the Caribbean, our guests enjoyed demos and tryouts with the newest equipment, presentations from renowned names in the industry, and lots of exciting and fun tec dives.
Should I do a Nitrox Course?
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Ryan Lackey / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
There is still a lot of confusion around nitrox these days. Simon Pridmore talks about what it does and does not do, the benefits of diving with nitrox, and why a nitrox course is a good idea.
Do What You Teach and Teach What You Do
(NASA Johnson / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0)
Very often, you will come across examples in scuba education where what is taught does not match up with what divers do in real life. Mark Powell provides insights for new divers and tips for dive instructors.
Defensive Diving, Part 1
Defensive diving is like defensive driving ... in principle
When we learn to scuba dive, we are given a little knowledge and taught some basic skills. We take a theory test and demonstrate that we can perform the skills and that’s it, we get a licence.