Ready to try underwater photography?

Great, now you have an underwater camera and a housing, lets get in the water! But first, please make sure you are comfortable with your diving skills and buoyancy. Using a camera can be distracting, and it can be too easy for a new diver to crash into the reef, or worse, float to the surface without knowing it.
Before going underwater, it really helps to use your camera indoors, in a dimly lit room. Take some photos with the camera inside the housing, macro mode, flash on. Take photos of some small objects, and see how your photos come out. Test out the range of the camera with macro mode on and off.

Important Underwater photography facts

• Water absorbs colors such as red, orange, and yellow. This is why your underwater photos will look blue if you don’t use a flash or strobe. The deeper you are, the more color is absorbed.
• Compact cameras come with internal flashes that can be used to add colors to your photos.
• Underwater photographers often buy an external strobe/flash as a way to add color.
• Water reduces contrast, color and sharpness, which is why underwater photos should be taken within 1 meter of the camera, preferably much closer. You need to get very close to your subject.

Underwater photography definitions

• Strobe or Flash – a source of full-spectrum light vital to underwater photographers. This can be built into the camera, or supplied as an external light.
• Underwater Housing – also known as an underwater casing, this allows you to take a camera underwater and operate the camera. Housings can cost anywhere from $100 to $5,000.
• O-ring – a rubber ring that creates a waterproof seal. Underwater housings and strobes will have several o-rings making them waterproof.
• Macro lens – a lens attached to either the camera or underwater housing, that allows an underwater photographer to get very close to small subjects
• Wide-angle lens – a lens attached to either the camera or underwater housing, that allows a very close approach to large subjects. Without a wide-angle lens, underwater photographs of large subjects have poor color and contrast.
• Shooting macro – dedicating a dive moving slowly, looking for small subjects, often with a macro lens.
• Shooting wide-angle – dedicating a dive to photographing large subjects, often with a wide-angle lens.
• Ambient light – also known as natural light, this is light from the sun. Underwater photographs are often a mix of ambient light and strobe light.
• White balance – a setting on cameras telling the camera processor how to interpret pixel values it records when taking a photograph
• Manual White balance – also known as Custom white balance, a setting on most cameras that will give your photos more natural colors when not using a flash
• Backscatter – specks, spots or blotches that appear in your underwater photos due to strobe light reflecting off particles, sand or plankton in the water.
• TTL – technology that automatically sets the power of your strobe/flash to the correct value
• Fiber Optic cable – a simple cable that can transmit light that will synchronize the firing of your strobe or flash with your camera.
• Shooting manual – a phrase that implies you are either setting the camera aperture and shutter speed values yourself, or setting your strobe power yourself.

More Underwater Photography Facts

• Using a flash or strobe in underwater photography is very important. Put your camera in forced-flash mode when taking close-up photos. Buying an external strobe is the best way to improve your underwater photos.
• If using an internal flash, don’t be surprised if your photos have backscatter in them. At first you might think it’s dust or dirt on your lens. This is due to particles in the water.
• Try getting low and shooting at eye level with your subject, instead of photographing them from above.
• Get your buoyancy and diving skills down before taking a camera underwater.
• Use auto white-balance when using a flash/strobe, and custom white balance or underwater mode when not using a flash.
• Learn how to use manual mode or aperture priority mode if your camera offers it, so you control the balance between the natural light and the light from your flash.

Preventing camera fogging, dome port scratches, o-ring care

• Never let your underwater housing sit in the sun, to prevent camera fogging. When in the open, and especially in the hot sun, keep a wet towel over it. Letting the sun hit your underwater case can cause condensation later when you dive, and can dry it out and cause salt crystals to form.
• Always keep 1 or 2 desiccants in the waterproof housing to prevent fogging up.
• Always have your rig handed to you in the water, don’t jump in with it.
• When you exit the water, if you have a wide angle dome port on, train the crew to put your dome port cover on immediately to avoid scratches.
• Soak the underwater case in fresh water for a few minutes after every salt water dive, if possible. Soak it for longer if the salt water had a chance to dry. “Work” the buttons and controls for a few seconds while the camera is underwater, if possible. Afterwards, quickly towel-dry the housing.
• After your dive, don’t leave your camera unattended in the rinse tank*. I have heard many, many stories that start with “it flooded in the rinse tank”.
• Get your housing serviced every year with the appropriate authorities.
• Keep a neoprene cover over your dome port as much of the time as possible, to avoid getting the dome port scratched. I try to enter and exit the water with a cover on my dome port.

O-ring maintenance

• After every dive day, you should clean and relube the o-rings and grooves: Do this on the housing o-ring, the port o-ring, and the strobe battery compartment o-ring. Also perform this on your sync cord o-rings after every few dives.
• Do not over-lubricate the o-rings. Just a little bit is fine. Make sure you use the o-ring grease supplied by the manufacturer.
• I use a q-tip and a high-quality paper towel to clean the groove the o-ring was in. First remove the o-ring; wipe out any dirt from the groove using a q-tip, with a paper towel underneath it. Gently wipe off the o-ring, being very careful not to stretch it. I usually wipe the o-rings off with my fingers, gently feeling for any dirt or particles. Wash the o-ring off if it has sand on it that won’t come off, or if it is really dirty. Use an air-blower to blow off any hairs or dust from the groove, and relubricate the o-ring with a small amount of lube that your housing manufacturer suggests. Look at the o-ring one last time, and again being careful not to stretch the o-ring, place the o-ring back in.
• Some people are comfortable going a couple days without removing and relubing their o-rings, if they are not opening the port or housing up.

Underwater Housing preparation and your test shot

• Very important – underwater housing care must be done in a non-hurried fashion, in a calm, uncramped, well-lit area. Preferable well before you dive. Rushing this procedure, or doing it on a small boat, has been the cause of many floods! Inspect the housing carefully before and after closing it to make sure nothing got caught in the groove, like a hair or the o-ring. After inspecting the o-ring and surfaces, close your housing quickly.
• After preparing your camera, always do a test shot, with your strobes on. Make sure it took a photo, properly exposed, and both strobes fired properly. Verify your camera ISO and JPEG/RAW quality setting. Verify the camera will focus. If you forget to do all these things, I guarantee you will go under water with either the lens cap on, strobes disconnected, or the lens on manual focus. Or you will shoot the entire dive on ISO 1600, small JPEG. You have been warned. The lens cap on is the most likely scenario, by the way….
• Some of the most common blunders include the following – leaving the lens cap on, having no memory card in the camera, having the lens set on manual focus, not having the hot shoe not plugged in. The most common test for me is leaving the lens cap on, I never remove my memory card. Your test shot should catch any of these problems. Always bring a spare memory card and spare batteries on boat with you.
• Make sure your test shot is at a small aperture or higher shutter speed, so that you can clearly tell if your strobes fire. Make sure you are in manual mode. You don’t want to have your camera exposing for ambient light during your test shot.
• After receiving a new housing, or after repairs, always test your housing in a pool or ocean without the camera to make sure it is leakproof. Place a soft weight inside to help make the housing neutrally buoyant.

Common Causes of underwater camera / housing floods

• Number 1 top cause of flooding – closing the housing and having a desiccant pack caught in the o-ring, or a large hair. This has happened to many people – beware – always watch carefully when you close the housing. Nothing can be touching or laying on the o-ring as the housing shuts. Close it in a well-lit area so you can see. This applies to strobe and port o-rings also.
• Salt/dirt building up in the o-ring grooves over time. Make sure you clean the grooves, I use a qtip over a good-quality paper tool.
• Failing to fully screw in sync cords – always double check them.
• small floods have happened when people jump into the water from up high with their gear, and the gear slams into the water – bring it into the ocean gently please, or better yet, have it handed down to you.
• Latches on the underwater camera housing not being securely shut – always double check them. This will causing a housing flood for sure.
• Latches or tabs or clips locking the dome port coming undone or not being fully secure. This affects certain dSLR housings more than others, such as Ikelite housings. Always double-check your port lock if you need to before submerging your camera in water.
• O-ring popped out after momentarily opening the underwater housing. This sounds obvious, but always double check the o-rings before closing the housing to make sure remain fully in the groove. If you open a housing on a boat, you can’t be a rush when you close it back up – inspect carefully, and re-read the 1st item in this list.
• Water dripping into open sync cord connections – when removing sync cords, make sure salt water can’t drip onto the metal contacts.

Camera Fogging Prevention

Has your underwater camera fogged up underwater? Is your waterproof housing fogging? Many people have had this problem. Here’s some tips to avoid having a a fogged up lens. I have not had fogging problems in a long time, even with my compact cameras.
• Always keep one or two fresh, newly “charged” dessicants in your housing
• Try to setup your housing and close it in a cool, dry area to minimize the moisture inside the housing. Inside your cool, air-con room is a good choice. Outside on the boat on a hot, humid day can be a poor choice and can lead to fogging.
• Don’t let your camera & housing get hot – keep it cool, out of the sun. Having a wet towel over it at all times is a good idea.
• Be very careful when you close the housing, that the dessicant doesn’t get caught on the o-ring, and can’t fall onto the lens port.
• Compact cameras are more susceptible to fogging.
• Fogging is more likely to happen when it’s hot on the surface, and cold underwater.

Maintenance on the boat – changing lenses/batteries

This is a popular cooler for carry a camera on the boat, and it doubles as a rinse tank. I’m not afraid to change lenses or batteries on the dive boat if I need to. Here’s what you need to do:
• Quickly rinse the housing in fresh water first, if it’s available.
• Dry it off, first with a towel, and then with an absorbent lens cloth.
• Have a paper towel handy.
• Open it in a calm, sheltered area without people around.
• Don’t drip on the camera. Be sure not to lean directly over the camera or housing.
• Wipe off water on the o-ring with the paper towel immediately after opening the housing.
• Examine carefully before closing the housing; have a flashlight if necessary.

Opening a compact camera housing on a boat

Compact camera housings more easily fog up after being opened on a boat. If possible, have fresh dry dessicants to place into the housing to help this problem.
If your waterproof housing has a leak detector, glance at it while you are descending into the water.
If your underwater and your housing has a leak….
It can still be saved. Remain calm. Try to hold your housing in one position so any water will collect on the bottom. Safely surface, open the housing, and dry everything out. Sometimes a strobe misfiring is a sign of a problem. Abort the dive and check it out, before it turns into something worse.
Always double-check your photo quality, ISO, battery life, and memory card space, before starting a day of diving.

Protect your housing

Soft coolers, originally designed for beer, can be used to hold your small or large camera housing in between dives and prevent it from being banged up. You can see a red one in the photo above. They can also be filled with water and used as a portable mini-rinse tank.

Sync cord maintenance

Yes, sync cords deserve a special section. Be sure to unplug them carefully after every few dives, and carefully dry out the bulkheads, and wipe water off the sync cords. Use a toothbrush to clean off the metal threads on the ends of the cords. My setup has 3 sea&sea sync cords – 2 single cords between my TTL converter and strobes, and one going from the converter to my housing bulkhead. The washers of the sync cords can freeze up permanently if they are not unscrewed after every few dives, and the area under them cleaned with a toothbrush. And when you remove sync cords, it’s easy for water to drip into the open bulkheads, be careful and dry out any water that is in there. Carefully remove and wipe off the sync cord o-rings, and re-lube them every time the cords are removed. If you are ever on a dive, and your strobes fire on their own, you have a little moisture inside one of the bulkheads where your sync cords connect. Leave the water, carefully open, check, and dry all connections.

Dome Port Scratches

If you scratch your acrylic dome port on the outside, no worry, it can be “meshed out”, even if it has some nasty gashes. Light scratches on the outside usually won’t affect your photos because they will be “filled in” with water underwater, and you won’t see them in photos, but they might reflect the sun in sunny water shots. Get the “micro-mesh” kit by Finishing products, inc. The one you want is the NC-78-1 Acrylic restoration kit. This does not work with glass dome ports.

Removing the dome port scratches

This mesh kit works wonders, you use multiple layers of sandpaper to sand down your dome port. It’s hard to believe your dome port will ever be useable again, but believe it or not at the end of the process it will be just like new! At first it will look all roughed up, but by the time you get to the smoothest paper, the dome looks brand new.

Take a look at this: http://www.sisweb.com/catalog/08/G7

I even scratched the inside of my dome port one time. My focus ring came off my tokina 10-17mm lens. Make sure your focus rings are on tight! I needed to add extra tape to my lens to make the fit tight. These scratches do not fill up with water. I ended up carefully using the micro-mesh kit on the inside of my dome port. It wasn’t perfect, but it got the scratches out for the most part. The very outside edges of the inside of the dome port aren’t perfect, but those don’t appear in photos. It was more difficult than doing the outside of the port, but definitely doable.

Lens, Port & camera cleaning

Get yourself a good bubble-blower, and a lens kit that contains a blower-brush, lens paper and lens cleaner.
Cleaning your glass dome ports and lenses
• Every so often, your lenses and ports will need cleaned. Clean your lens glass carefully. Always blow off dirt and dust first with a blower, then a soft brush, before wiping it with lens paper. Otherwise you may scratch the glass. Always use lens paper or a lens cloth to wipe the glass. This also goes for ports and diopters. A put a few drops of lens cleaner on half of the lens tissue paper, and then I wipe the glass until it is clean. Then I wipe off the liquid with the dry half of the lens paper until the glass is dry.
• Always store lenses with the lens caps on when not in use.
• Try not to change lenses in dusty environments. Change your lens as quickly as possible to avoid getting dust on your sensor. When your camera does not have a lens on, your sensor should be facing down, to avoid dust falling on the sensor.

If you are going on an Underwater Photography dive trip and flying

Remove your main housing o-ring, and put it in a zip-lock baggie, before packing your housing away. When you reach your destination, make sure you remove every o-ring in your system, clean it, lube it, and put it back. The pressure from an airplane can dislodge o-rings. Trust me, you don’t want to learn this first hand.

Be relaxed underwater. If you are distracted by bottom time, air, unfavorable conditions, etc, you can’t focus on getting a good shot.

Always strive to learn more

• Read underwater photo books and magazines.
• Read general photography books and magazines. You can learn many things from topside nature, wildlife, and portrait shooters. Composition is universal. You can learn a lot about lighting from studio photographers. A lot about nature and wildlife photography can be applied underwater.
• Take a class or workshop on underwater photography. Or read a book, or this guide page by page. Great artists all have a strong desire to learn, improve. Technology is changing and there is always more to learn about your art.
• Read your camera body manual carefully. Get to know your camera inside and out.
• Practice and shoot, practice and shoot, practice and shoot!

Find inspiration from others

• Get feedback from someone more experienced than yourself, tell the person you want them to focus on areas you can improve, not on compliments. You can also get feedback on on-line forums. You should make it clear that you don’t want advice on cropping or Photoshop adjustments, you want to know how you could have taken a better shot underwater.
• Dive with photographers better than yourself. See how they photograph, where they go, what subjects they choose, what compositions they select. Compare your photos with theirs.
• Get inspiration from others. Look to see what other photographers have produced from where you are diving, especially pros. Don’t worry about copying what others have done, your conditions and subjects will be slightly different. They probably get their ideas and tips from other people. Who are your underwater photography heroes? If you don’t have any, check the resources page. If you have some, maybe it’s time to revisit them and their photos.
• Find a great coffee table book with underwater photographs, that gives you inspiration, and study the photos.

Other ideas for improving your photos

• Use a good guide.
• Focus on how to improve your shooting underwater, not on how to post-process your photos better.
• Join an Underwater Photographer’s society, you will learn from other members in the club, and it will be helpful to see what types of photos others are submitting in monthly photo contests.
• On your next dive trip, try to find some calm, shallow water. Look for interesting light and reflections. Practice taking shallow shots with little or no strobe power.
• Enter a few competitions. If you don’t win, try to see what techniques, subjects and compositions won. I like the competition sponsored by Underwater Australasia (http://www.underwater.com.au) because it’s free to enter, and they have good prizes.
• Prepare for your dive – research the destinations & dive sites, understand the marine life and behavior.

Go take some shots, and good luck!

Good buoyancy control means longer and relaxed dives, less fatigue, drastic reduction in the possibility of scuba accidents and greater enjoyment.

As a novice you will have trouble with your scuba BCD in the beginning. You will use excess air in trying to attain that correct buoyancy at your pretended depth. You will roll all over the place, rise too fast, sink too fast and scrape your knees on the sandy bottom if not on rocks. You will feel frustrated but don’t give up. Keep on diving and practicing your buoyancy control.

Get acquainted with your scuba BCD and you’ll see that in no time you’ll be mastering buoyancy control and not even thinking about it. Yes, eventually buoyancy control will come out naturally so you can enjoy fully your dive.

First of all there are many reasons that affect your buoyancy that you need to be aware of;

- Inhaling and exhaling
- Adding and releasing air from your scuba BCD
- The thickness of the suit you wear
- Diving in fresh or saltwater
- Adding or removing weight from your belt
- Diving tank capacity
- Aluminum or metal diving tank
- Pretended diving depth
- Your body weight

Buoyancy control tips. First the basics;

Pending on the thickness of your scuba diving neoprene suit, a diver commonly needs 1kg of weight for every 10kgs of body weight. If you weigh 70kgs for example, then probably you will need 7kgs of lead around your waist.

Mind you, this is for sea diving. In freshwater will need around 25% less weight. So following that 70kgs example, you will only need approximately 5.25kgs of lead.

Getting the weight right in fresh or saltwater

Following what I’ve just mentioned above, you need to, in practice, find out the necessary weight you require for good buoyancy control. Firstly you have to practice this in a body of water where it’s calm, so get access to a freshwater pool.

Gear yourself up and make sure your scuba BCD is completely empty, no air whatsoever in the bladder.

If you are using an aluminum diving tank, make sure it is full. If your diving tank is made of metal it’s best to get to that buoyancy control level if the tank has got only 70 or 50 bar.

Get in the water with 2kgs less than what you’ve calculated. Remember you’re in a freshwater pool. Stick the snorkel in your mouth.

What you are going to be aiming for is to have the water level right across your mask, level with your eyes, and with your lungs half full. Be calm because this takes a bit of patience and practice.

Slowly and by using small weights, remove or add weight until you have reached that level with your lungs half full.

When you have reached this level you should have just your chin submerged when you fully inhale and when you fully exhale your head should be fully submerged with only your snorkel sticking out of the water.

Remember that as you are diving, your tank as it slowly empties will become positively buoyant. This is more pronounced diving with aluminum tanks then with metal ones.

Having said that, remember that towards the end of a dive and while you are ascending to that 3 meter safety stop, you could be positively buoyant. So add a bit of extra weight the first dive just in case and remove weight in small increments the following dives.

Do not overload yourself with weight, reasons are:

- Less weight you have to carry around loading and unloading the better
- Less air wasted in filling your scuba BCD
- Less strain on your back while in the water
- Greater ease in getting neutrally buoyant
- Better hydrodynamics
- Less energy consumed swimming
- And finally, less air consumption resulting in more bottom time. Isn’t that were all the fun is?!

More Buoyancy control tips

Still in the pool, there is an exercise you can practice that greatly helps you in attaining and mastering that buoyancy control you so need.

When you got your weight right and your scuba BCD empty, lay flat and face down on the pool floor and with your fins flat on the floor as well.

Stiffen your body and do not over inhale or exhale. Try to keep your lungs in the half full range.

Now slowly inject small bursts of air into your scuba BCD. As your scuba BCD fills it will raise you but just enough to the point where only the tips of your fins are touching the floor.

Your mask then should be about 30 to 50cms from the floor.

Now still with your body a bit stiff, slowly inhale and exhale more. Don’t panic and fiddle to fast with your scuba BCD if you feel being pulled up, you could lose balance. If you power inflate very slowly it won’t happen.

With your lungs full you should be at almost a 45º angle and fully exhaled, your mask barely touching the floor.

This is an excellent exercise for buoyancy control. While enjoying the pleasures of diving and when you need to overcome that protruding and higher rock, all you need is to synchronize your breathing to overpass the obstacle. No air wasted in filling your scuba BCD, but more air for yourself.

Remember this as well

The exercise described above helps you locate your center of gravity. You want to be diving on a horizontal plane and not almost vertical.

Don’t forget to add 25% more weight for sea diving as in relation to freshwater

The most thrust you get when kicking your fins is being horizontal and not at an angle. So you can play and tweak a bit with the location of some weight.

Your scuba BCD back padding will slowly release air, as some are made of sponge.

Your wetsuit will lose buoyancy as you descend. The air bubbles in the neoprene will compress as you dive deeper. In time and with quite a few dives on top, your suit will not only lose its buoyancy capacity but insulation as well. One of my wetsuits, a 5,5mm when bought new, was slowly and in time squashed to 3,5mm after 300 dives.

While diving and breathing normally, adding or releasing air from your scuba BCD, this takes time to go into effect. This effect will not be immediate and if you don’t give it a bit of time you will definitely overinflate or over deflate and waste precious air.

Do it safely and enjoy diving!

As long as there has been SCUBA gear there have been solo divers who strapped it on and went off to explore without the redundancy of a buddy and his gear.

It is not likely that SOLO SCUBA diving will go away any more than it is that solo sky diving, rock climbing, paragliding or any other sport will for that matter.

Each year solo divers represent a significant portion of those involved in dive accidents. This is in part to gear failure, contact with speeding boats and reasons that will never be known since nobody else was around.

A certification agency similar to PADI called Scuba Diving International offers a certification course for solo divers.

Nobody can stop you from diving solo, although diving with a dive buddy is universally recognized as the safest way to go.

You have twice the gear to rely on and a helper to help get you out of a jam.

If you do SCUBA dive solo consider taking a solo diver course.

They teach the basics of redundancy and self reliance including carrying a second tank with an independent regulator, extra dive lights, knife, surface warning devices such as inflatable markers, whistles, even spare masks.

For some solo scuba diving allows them the ultimate serenity and peace of interacting with the marine environment one to one. With the proper gear it can be done much safer with ultra redundancy.

If you are considering solo SCUBA diving it is important that you know the risks before going it alone.

Overcome your Fears

People sometimes hear about scuba diving and think that it is a dangerous, unsanctioned event. As a result of movies like Jaws and Open Water, many people have an irrational fear of the ocean, and scuba diving in general. The truth is that scuba diving is an amazing, educational experience that is accessible to anyone that knows how to swim.

Know your Boundaries

Unfortunately, accidents do happen, and scuba divers sometimes find trouble, or even emergency situations. It is important to know that death can occur while scuba diving. The most common reason is a person going way too deep or way too far away from outlined boundaries. The air supply can and at some point will run out, and when a diver goes way too far out of their safety zone, nothing can be taken for granted. In this case, a little common sense can go a long way. Do not try to be adventurous to a point of risk.

Designated Dive Area

As was the case with the couple that was the focus of the aforementioned movie, straying too far away from a designated dive area can also present a risk of being unseen and possibly left behind by the boat that represents your lifeline back to reality. Again, a little common sense can go a long way.

Rough Seas

Other troubles that scuba divers experience include getting caught in unpredictably rough seas that can slam a diver into reefs or boats, or experiencing health issues such as cardiac arrest once they become submerged and subject to gravitational pressures.

Proper Training

Using sources including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Diver’s Alert Network, it can be estimated that less than 100 annual worldwide deaths are attributed to scuba diving. Given that several thousand people go scuba diving in various locations around this planet on any given day, that number represents a small fraction of one-percent of people who embark on a scuba dive. The truth is, if a diver is properly trained, informed, and skilled, the chance of a mishap becomes very remote.

Diving Heaven

Proper scuba diving training cannot be overemphasized. In order for a person to feel comfortable in their surroundings, they need to understand them, and be able to move freely about them. Taking a basic scuba diving class will equip you with all of the knowledge you will need in order to feel comfortable in locations all over the world, such as the Maldives, which is an absolute scuba diving heaven. The Maldives are a cluster of tiny, beautiful islands off of the southern coast of India that can be easily accessed by any well known travel company, and will provide a scuba diver with images that simply cannot be seen anywhere else on Earth.

In short, scuba diving is like many endeavors in life- it may seem scary and unapproachable at first, but it is actually a very safe, controlled, and amazing experience, as long as you know what you’re doing.

Different technical diving courses are available for students of different ability levels, and there are also more specialized courses that cover particular types of technical diving, such Trimix diving. These allow students to follow their personal interests and explore the aspects of technical diving that will be most useful or enjoyable for them.

At the most basic level, a technical diving course should be a chance for the student to get a taste of what technical diving is all about. Taking a short introductory course is the best way to tell whether technical diving is something that you want to commit more time, money and effort to in the future. Before you can try technical diving, you will need to be a qualified diver. You will need to have the equivalent of the PADI Open Water Diver certification in order to take the PADI Discover Tech Diving course, for example. If you are going to go on to take a more in-depth technical diving course, there will be other prerequisites, such as holding the equivalent of the PADI Enriched Air Diver certification.

Once you are ready to begin training seriously, you will need to learn about the equipment that is used by technical divers. You will use cylinders of decompression gas and you will be taught how to plan a dive using special decompression software. As you advance through your training, you will gradually be able to lengthen the time you spend underwater and to make dives that go deeper below the surface.

Students on technical diving courses are taught everything they need to know in order to plan a dive, to dive with the special equipment, to reduce risks and to respond to any problems that may arise while they are in the water. There is usually a mix of independent and classroom learning during the theoretical part of the course. A large part of the training will relate to the additional safety procedures that are required during technical diving, although becoming familiar with the new equipment that technical divers use is also important.

During technical diving courses, you will also gain practical experience in the water under the supervision of qualified instructors. This will ensure that you are able to handle the equipment properly and that you are able to experience technical diving in the safest possible conditions. It is common for students to begin their practical training with a confined water dive, in a pool, in order to test their ability and understanding of technical diving equipment and prepare them for a dive in open water.

What Is the Deepest a Scuba Diver Has Descended?:
The current depth record for open circuit scuba diving is held by Pascale Bernabé, who descended to 1082 feet (330 meters) in 2005. Nuno Gomez is the Guinness World Record holder for the deepest open circuit scuba dive, with a confirmed dive to 1043 feet (318 meters), also in 2005.

More Importantly, How Deep Can YOU Dive?:
Most recreational scuba diving organizations set the maximum depth for a certified, experienced recreational divers breathing air at 130 feet. Divers should heed this guideline. The fact that extremely experienced, technical divers have descended beyond 1000 feet on admittedly risky dives does not mean that recreational divers have any business breaking suggested depth limits. When a diver considers the reasons behind established depth limits, it becomes obvious why breaking depth guidelines is foolish.

Considerations in Determining a Maximum Depth:

• Decompression Status
The deeper a diver descends, the shorter his no-decompression limit will be. For example, a diver who descends to 40 feet can remain at the depth for 140 minutes (air supply permitting). A diver who descends to 130 feet can stay only 10 minutes at that depth before accumulating so much nitrogen in his body that he requires a series of decompression stops to reduce his risk of decompression sickness. Descending beyond 130 feet without decompression dive training does not allow a diver much time to enjoy his dive.

• Air Consumption
A diver breathes air at the pressure of the water around him (ambient pressure). The deeper a diver goes, the more the air he breathes compresses (learn more about water pressure and diving). At a depth of 130 feet, a diver consumes his air approximately five times faster than he does on the surface. Divers who plan on diving to this depth will find that their dive time is limited by air consumption. Not only will a diver use his air more quickly at greater depths, he will require a large air reserve for the long ascent from deep dives.

• Narcosis
Inert gasses (such as nitrogen) have a narcotic effect on divers at increased partial pressures. Every diver will experience this narcosis eventually, but the onset of inert gas narcosis varies from diver to diver and from day to day. Be warned – even if you experience the drunken feeling of narcosis as enjoyable, it shares many of the symptoms of alcohol intoxication such as impaired motor coordination, judgement, and reasoning. Some divers even report visual disturbances and a skewed sense of time. This is not a good state to be in when deep underwater. A diver should slowly increase dive depths as he gains experience and he should be sure to make his initial deep dives (deeper than 60 ft) with a qualified individual, such as a guide or instructor, who can monitor him for signs of narcosis and assist him if necessary.

• Oxygen Toxicity
At very high concentrations, oxygen becomes poisonous (oxygen toxicity), causing convulsions, unconsciousness, and even death. When the recreational depth guidelines are followed, oxygen toxicity is not a concern for scuba divers. Still, this give divers another (very good) reason not to exceed depth limitations. The oxygen in air may become toxic at depths beginning at approximately 218 feet, and gas mixtures with high percentages of oxygen, such as enriched air nitrox, maybe be toxic at much shallower depths.

• Experience Level
Depth is a stress factor in scuba diving. Psychologically, deeper dives are stressful because divers are farther from their exit point. Divers will notice their air supply dropping more rapidly than at shallower depths, may notice an increase in breathing resistance, and are likely to experience some form of mild narcosis. While deeper dives are frequently very beautiful, have pristine reefs, and different wildlife than shallow dives, divers should increase their dive depths cautiously. Making your first deep dives under the supervision of a qualified guide or instructor is always advisable.

What Are Common Depth Limits for Recreational Certification Levels?:
The suggested depth guidelines for various recreational scuba diving certifications vary amoung organizations. In general:

Adults
• Experience Courses (e.g. PADI’s Discover Scuba Diving) – 40 feet/12 meters
• Subsequent Dives for Non-Certified Divers – 40 feet/12 meters
• First and Second Training Dives – 40 feet/ 12 meters
• Dives 3 and 4 of Open Water Training – 60 feet/ 18 meters
• Open Water Certified Divers – 60 feet/ 18 meters
• Experienced Certified Divers, or Divers With Advanced/ Deep Training – 130 feet/ 40 meters

Children
• Children Ages 8 – 9 (First Dive) – 6 feet/ 2 meters
• Children Ages 8 – 9 (Successive Training Dives) – 12 feet/ 4 meters
• Children Ages 10 -11 (Open Water Certified) – 40 feet/ 12 meters

Teens
• Teenagers Ages 12 – 14 (Open Water Certified) – 60 ft/ 18 meters
• Teenagers Ages 12 – 14 (Advanced Certifications) – 70 feet/ 21 meters
• Teenagers Ages 15 and Over – Same as adult limitations

How Can a Diver Safely Exceed These Depth Limits?:
Divers can descend deeper than 130 feet. In fact, they do it all the time. However, diving deeper than 130 feet requires technical dive training, such as deep air, decompression procedures, and trimix courses. Never attempt to dive deeper than the recreational dive limits without specialized training.

The “Not Okay” or “Problem” Signal
Scuba divers communicate a problem by extending a flattened hand and rotating it slowly side to side, similarly to how many people signal “so-so” in a normal conversation. A diver communicating a problem underwater should then point to the source of the problem using his index finger.

The most common use of the “Problem” hand signal is to communicate an ear equalization problem. The “Ear Problem” signal is taught to all student divers before they enter the water for the first time. As illustrated above, the diver makes the “Problem” sign and then points to his ears to specify an ear problem.

The “Okay” and “Problem” Surface Signals
During the open water course, scuba divers will also learn how to communicate “Okay” and “Problem” on the surface. These surface communication signals involve the whole arm, so that boat captains and surface support staff can easily understand a diver’s communication from far away.

The okay sign is made by joining both arms in a ring above the head, or if only one arm is free, by touching the top of the head with the fingertips. The “Help” or “Problem” signal is made by waving the arm over the head to call for attention. Don’t wave “hi” to a dive boat on the surface, because the captain is likely to think you need assistance.

The “Up” or “End the Dive” Hand Signal
A “Thumbs-Up” sign in scuba diving communicates “Up” or “End the Dive”. This should not be confused with the “Okay” signal. The “Up” signal is one of the most important signals in scuba diving. The Golden Rule of Scuba Diving states that any diver can end the dive at any point for any reason by using the “Up” signal. This important dive safety rule ensures that divers are not forced beyond their comfort level underwater. The “Up” signal is a demand-response signal. A diver who signals “Up” to his buddy should receive the “Up” signal in return so that he can be sure that his signal was understood.

The “Down” Hand Signal
The “Thumbs-Down” hand signal communicates “go down” or “descend” underwater. This signal should not be confused with the “not-okay” hand signal used to indicate a problem. The “Down” signal is used in the first step of the Five Point Descent, in which divers agree that they are prepared to begin the descent.

The “Slow Down” Hand Signal
The “Slow Down” hand signal is another basic signal that is taught to all student divers before their first scuba dive. Instructors use this signal to tell enthusiastic students to swim slowly and enjoy the incredible underwater world. Not only does swimming slowly make diving more fun, it helps to avoid hyperventilation and other dangerous underwater behaviors.

The “Stop” Hand Signal
Divers typically communicate “Stop” in one of two ways. The first method of communicating “Stop” (common in Recreational Diving) is to hold up a flat hand, palm forward, as shown in the left. Technical Divers, however, favor the “Hold” sign, shown on the right, made by extending a fist with the palm-side of the fist facing outwards. The “Hold” sign is a demand response signal; a diver who signals “Hold” to his buddies should receive a “Hold” sign in return, indicating that his buddies have understood the signal and agree to stop and hold their position until otherwise indicated.

The “Look at . . .” Hand Signal
The “Look at” hand signal for scuba diving is made by pointing the index and third fingers at one’s eyes, and then indicating the object to be observed. A scuba instructor uses “Look at me” to indicate that students should watch him demonstrate an underwater skill, such as Mask Clearing during the Open Water Course. “Look at Me” is signaled by making the “Look at” signal and then gesturing towards one’s chest with a finger or thumb (upper right). Divers can also enjoy showing each other aquatic life and other underwater attractions by using the “Look Over There” signal, made by signaling “Look at” and the pointing towards the animal or object (lower right).

Go in This Direction” Hand Signal
To indicate or suggest a direction of travel, scuba divers use the fingertips of a flattened hand to point out the desired direction. Using all five fingers to point out a direction of travel helps to avoid confusion with the “Look at” signal, which is made by pointing with a single index finger.

The “Come Here” Hand Signal
The “Come Here” hand signal for scuba diving is made by extending a flattened hand, palm up, and bending the fingertips upwards towards oneself. The “Come Here” signal is basically the same signal that people use to indicate “come here” in everyday conversation. Scuba diving instructors use the “Come Here” signal to call students together or to show divers an interesting underwater attraction.

The “Level Off” Hand Signal
The “Level Off” hand signal for scuba diving is use to communicate “remain at this depth” or “maintain this depth.” The “Level Off” signal is most commonly used to communicate that divers have reached the planned maximum depth for a dive, or to communicate that divers should hold previously designated depth for a safety or decompression stop. The “Level Off” hand signal is made by extending a flattened hand, palm down, and slowly moving it side-to-side horizontally.

The “Buddy Up” or “Stay Together” Hand Signal
A diver places two index fingers side-by-side to indicate “Buddy-Up” or “Stay Together”. Scuba diving instructors use this hand signal to remind student divers to stay close to their buddies. Divers also occasionally use this signal to reassign buddy teams underwater. For example, when two divers in a group are low-on-air and ready to ascend, they may communicate “we’ll stay together and ascend” using the “Buddy Up” hand signal. If divers plan to reassign buddy teams based on air consumption underwater, the practice should be discussed and agreed upon by all divers in the group before the dive. No diver should even be left without a buddy.

The “Safety Stop” Hand Signal
The “Safety Stop” hand signal is made by holding the “Level Off” signal (a flat hand) over three raised fingers. A diver is indicating “Level Off” for three minutes (signified by the three fingers), which is the minimum recommend time for a safety stop. The safety stop signal should be used on every dive to communicate within the dive team that the divers have reached the pre-determined safety stop depth and agree to maintain that depth for a minimum of three minutes.

The “Deco” or “Decompression” Hand Signal
The “Decompression” hand signal for scuba diving is commonly made in one of two ways — either with an extended pinky or with an extended pinky and thumb (similar to a “hang loose” sign). Technical divers trained in decompression diving techniques will use this signal to communicate the need for a decompression stop. Recreational divers should also be familiar with this signal. Although recreational scuba divers should never plan to make a decompression dive without proper training, this sign is useful in the unlikely event that a diver accidentally exceeds his No-Decompression Limit for a dive and must communicate the need for an Emergency Decompression Stop.

The “Low-On-Air” Hand Signal
The “Low-On-Air” hand signal for scuba diving is made by placing a closed fist against the chest. In general, this hand signal is not used to indicate an emergency, but to communicate that a diver has reached the pre-determine tank pressure reserve for his dive. Once a diver communicates that he is “Low-On-Air,” he and his buddy should agree to make a slow and controlled ascent to the surface and end the dive by using the “Up” signal.

The “Out-Of-Air” Hand Signal
The “Out-Of-Air” signal is taught to all Open Water Course and Experience Course students so that they know how to react in the unlikely event of an out-of-air emergency. The chances of an out-of air emergency when scuba diving are extremely low when proper Pre-Dive Checks and diving procedures are observed.

The “Out-Of-Air” signal is made by moving a flat hand across the throat in a slicing motion to indicate that a diver is “cut-off” from his air supply. This signal requires an immediate response from the diver’s buddy, who should allow the out-of-air diver to breathe from his alternate air source regulator while the two divers ascend together.

The “I’m Cold” Hand Signal
A diver makes the “I’m Cold” hand signal by crossing his arms and rubbing his upper arms with his hands, as if he were trying to warm himself. The “I’m Cold” hand signal may seem frivolous, but it is not. If a diver becomes excessively chilled underwater, he may lose reasoning and motor skills. Further more, his body will not eliminate absorbed nitrogen efficiently. For these reasons, it is imperative that a diver who begins to feel excessively chilled communicate the problem using the “I’m Cold” hand signal, end the dive, and begin his ascent to the surface with his dive buddy.

The “Bubbles” or “Leak” Hand Signal
The “Bubbles” or “Leak” hand signal is used to communicate that a diver has noticed a leaking seal or bubbling piece of gear, either on himself or his buddy. Once a leak has been observed, divers should end the dive and begin a slow and controlled ascent to the surface. Scuba diving has a very good safety record, but it is an equipment-dependent sport. Even small bubbles can indicate the beginning of a potentially serious problem. A diver makes the “Bubbles” hand signal by opening and closing his fingertips rapidly, as shown in the illustration above.

The “Question” Signal
The “Question” signal is made by raising a crooked index finger to approximate a question mark. The “Question” signal is used in conjunction with any one of the other scuba diving hand signals. For example, the “Question” signal followed by the “Up” signal could be used to be communicate “Should we go up?” and the “Question” signal followed by the “Cold” signal could be used to express “Are you cold?”

The “Write It Down” Hand Signal
When all other communication fails, divers sometimes find it easiest to simply write down the information to be communicated on an underwater slate or wet-notes underwater notebook. A writing device is a valuable tool underwater, and can save time and increase diver safety by allowing a diver to express complex ideas or problems. The “Write It Down” signal is made by pantomiming that one hand is a writing surface and the other hand is writing with a pencil.

Now you know twenty of the most common scuba diving hand signals. Of course, many more scuba diving hand signals exist! Review hand signals with your dive buddy before every dive to avoid communication problems underwater.

**Thank you Natalie L. Gibb for the photos.

The most popular way of diving is the boat diving as majority of dive locations are accessible by boat only. There are a whole range of boats, from little kayaks to large vessels that browse the ocean.

You see clear benefits of a boat. It not only allows you to easily access places that are too far from the shore but also acts as a self-sufficient diving and lodging unit allowing to track drifting divers, so it is easier to deploy and recover divers. Usually diving operators possess their own units, and diving vessels could be chartered independently.

Despite the fact that diving can be done from practically any floating vessel, the boat should be properly and safely equipped, and special procedures should be paid attention to.

There should be first-aid kit, signaling devices and flares, as well as other optional communication and safety equipment. You have to spare enough oxygen to handle a casualty until the decompression chamber is reached.

Life rafts should be able to accommodate all people on board, and well maintained. To deploy and recover divers you need something like a diving platform. Skipper should provide full safety information in a comprehensive briefing on a boat.

Scuba Diving from the Shore

This type of diving is a nice way to get familiar with scuba diving for beginners. You access the diving site directly from the shore. Usually there is no need for boat support as you can go as a buddy pair, without excessive costs and complexities or boat support.

Divers can take use of the fact that most of marine life aggregates near the shore. For sea creatures shallow water and firm substrate near sun rays creates busy reefs, and they draw even larger species from the ocean.

For your coastal diving take into consideration the following points:

Pay attention to the timings of tides and currents in this diving spot. Some places can by accessible in low tides only. Every time you dive, have a backup plan for an exit as the main one may be out of reach. Do not forget that pollution is usually higher near the coast, and it affects visibility level due to suspended particles in the water.

Live-aboard Diving

Live-aboard vessel is a kind of a small cruise liner. It is a hotel, a diving center, and a safety supporting vessel combined in one unit. For a diver it is a convenient place where entry point to a diving site is not more than a vessel’s length. It offers intense diving experience for a diver, such as long-range trips and non-stop diving throughout the trip. Many ships of this kind offer mixed-gas diving and re-breather equipment, and even gear for filming and photography.

For an enjoyable and safe live-aboard experience please carefully check diving operator credentials and services before signing up. This type of diving requires a higher level of self-sufficiency and equipment.

The necessity is not in high level medical equipment only, but also in a qualified staff and top notch communication facilities. By their nature, live-aboard vessels go far beyond the reach of shore-based operators, and are usually above competition in reaching remote wrecks and reef or discovering rare marine wildlife.

Do not save on safety equipment that should be in sufficient stock for all the people on board. The standards of service and care in this kind of vessel should be about the same as of a small cruise liner.