Scuba Diving Lover

Scuba diving is one of the great adventures that one can take to explore the vast wonders of the underworld that cannot be seen on the surface of the water. This is an underwater activity where the diver utilizes breathing equipment or scuba apparatus to be able to stay underwater for longer period of time. To those who are less knowledgeable about scuba, the name was actually derived from its acronym of “Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus”. Scuba diving can be both a recreational and professional diving activity.

Scuba diving activities are present where open waters and reefs are located. It is mostly ideal in clear tropical oceans where you can gaze from a long distance and see the sea life that inhabits it. Although there are many famous scuba diving spots around the world, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to limit your adventure to these vacation destinations. There are still multitudes of oceans, lakes, and seas that are perfect for scuba diving. The only thing that you should remember is the right scuba equipment, the proper scuba diving suit, and other scuba diving accessories, and how to survive underwater.

You can experience all the fun that scuba diving promises provided you are able to understand what safety is all about underwater. Although scuba diving activity can be most exciting and thrilling to think, once you confront the seascapes beneath the seawater the experience could be a lot different. If you’re not experienced enough in the activity, you might find yourself lacking the ability to embrace the true essence that diving should suppose to provide you with. Even professional and experienced divers do not think they have enough knowledge. In fact, they never contradict the idea of continually equipping themselves with a new knowledge or two.

The sea world is not for humans, but rather to sea creatures. Humans are not like these creatures that have full understanding on the world underwater which accounts on how they survive on their own. The sea masks a very deceptive fa

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Scuba, a common word, is actually an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus originated in 1939 to refer to US military diver’s rebreather sets used by the Navy. A Scuba set is basically an independent breathing equipment, equipped with breathing gas that enables divers to stay underwater for considerably long periods of time. The Aqualung was the first modern scuba diving equipment invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan in 1943.

Scuba diving, which was initially intended for military and scientific use, has now become one the most popular recreational water sports around the world today. Children, as young as 10 years old, can now get Open Water Diver Certification (junior) from various centers. Scuba diving can be a lot of fun for people who love marine life, commonly used by recreational divers for fish identification, search and recovery, underwater photography or videography, etc. However, since scuba diving is a fairly dangerous sport, it is recommended by experts to take necessary lessons or certifications before pursuing the sport as a hobby.

Commercially, scuba diving is used for underwater constructions such as oil platforms, bridges, docks, dams, nuclear power plants and other coastal structures. Scuba diving, which involves scientific surveys and inspections, is known as scientific diving, which is exclusive to scientific purposes such as underwater experiments and underwater archaeology. As for the military, scuba diving has been put to use for naval ship repair and construction, and includes specialized diving divisions such as explosives ordnance disposal and combatant divers.

A person has to be at least at least 15 years old to get the open water diver certification, in good health and be able to swim 200 yards using any stroke, and float or tread on water for about 10 minutes. Some of the most popular and biggest scuba diving certification agencies include PADI, NAUI, YMCA, Scuba Schools International, and PDIC. These organizations offer some of the best scuba courses and training instructors available. There is also a Junior Open Water Diver Certification for people between ages 10 to 15, provided by agencies such as Bubblemakers, Scuba rangers, and SASY.

Basic scuba diving equipment includes accessories such as the mask, fins, snorkel, weight belt etc. There are two main types of scuba sets - open-circuit and closed-circuit.

Most scuba divers use standard air - 21% Oxygen, 79% Nitrogen - for their open-circuit scuba sets, which is much more cost-effective than using mixtures such as heliox and trimix. The open-circuit scuba set (also known as Aqualung) itself is quite simple so is also cheaper and more popular than other types. Basically, the user breathes in from the set and out to waste, with the gas cylinder worn on the back. There are 2- and 3 backpack cylinders open-circuit scuba sets available.

Closed-circuit scuba sets use rebreathers. In this system, exhaled air is reprocessed by the rebreather to make it fit for re-inhalation. This can be very economical for people who need to take long dives. The three types of rebreathers include oxygen, semi-closed circuit and fully-closed circuit rebreathers.

Scuba Diving HQ http://scubadiving-hq.com/ Articles, tips and information about scuba diving.

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Many experienced travelers consider St. Kitts to be a well kept secret, this small tropical island boasts some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the Caribbean. With a wealth of virtually untouched dive and snorkel sites, there are unique opportunities for divers and snorkelers of all skill levels.

The western side of the island features placid waters, visibility in the range of 60-100 feet and reefs that are known throughout diving communities as some of the most immaculately preserved in the world. Adding to the allure, most of the finest dive locations are an easy boat trip from the shore.

As a travel tip, it is recommended to enlist a tour guide for your diving and snorkeling adventures. There are several dive operators on St. Kitts, all with the supplies you’ll need to snorkel or scuba dive, but don’t forget to bring your underwater camera.

Though this article will only scratch the surface of what St. Kitts has to offer, it will bring into focus some of the most ideal dive sites in Caribbean.

Our first stop is Sandy Point Bay, a favorite site of Caribbean snorkelers and scuba divers alike. A unique reef with finger-shaped coral formations, the reef is rumored to rest atop a sunken battleship, as this area of the Caribbean Sea was site of numerous sea battles. Divers still find anchors, plates and bottles dating to the 1700s within the swim-through canyons and undercut shelves.

Black Coral Reef is the place for snorkelers and divers to spot the most elusive of coral at depths of 40-70 feet. Ask your divemaster or tour guide to point out the black coral, as it is rather difficult to recognize underwater. Also for the explorer, Blood Bay Reef and the small caves in its vicinity are home to several varieties of coral, purple sea anemones, yellow sea fans and rust-colored bristle worms.

Coconut Tree Reef is one of the largest reefs in the area and offers a unique challenge for both novice and expert divers, as the reef begins at a depth of 40 feet and plunges below 200 feet. As with most sites surrounding St. Kitts, the reef is in excellent condition and teeming with spotted drums, queen triggerfish and large filefish.

Also off the western coast of St. Kitts, rests the Monkey Reef, an intriguing flat formation of both soft and hard coral. Visibility here is superb and the edge of the reef is home to lobster, passive nurse sharks and lizard fish.
For experienced scuba divers, Nags Head is a dramatic, plunging reef in strong waters where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean. Here, the waves are home to stingrays, sea turtles, squirrel fish, sea urchins and several species of large reef fish.
In the channel that separates St. Kitts and its sister island Nevis, divers and snorkelers can find the Grid Iron undersea shelf that rises within 25 feet of the surface. It contains a multitude of shallow water corals, sea fans, sponges and large numbers of angelfish.

According to records, more than 400 ships sank off the coast of St. Kitts between 1493 and 1825, yet only about a dozen have been identified to date. There is perhaps no finer testament to the fact that there remain plenty of sites to explore and secrets to uncover on St. Kitts.

Among the known ships, The River Taw Wreck, a 144 foot long vessel, sank in the waters surrounding St. Kitts only 10 years ago. Both the ship and the developing coral reef are in pristine condition, resting at a depth of 50 feet. This is another great site to photograph a seemingly endless variety of tropical fish and sea creatures. The Beached Tug Boat and Brassball wrecks offer excellent opportunities for both novice scuba divers and snorkelers. As each wreck lies in only 20-25 feet of water, the underwater visibility at these sights is unmatched. Lastly, the M.V. Talata freighter wreck may be a more technical dive than the aforementioned wrecks, but the opportunity to swim with an unparalleled assortment of reef fish is certainly worth the effort.

This article was written by Justin Burch. Justin writes select pieces about travel in Caribbean for the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino.
http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SKBRB

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