five Rules of Scuba Diving December 27, 2019 by lukesheppard

Scuba diving has plenty of rules, as you’ll all know, but unbeknownst to most, there are also a plethora of unwritten rules of scuba diving.  So just like the multiple beer fines during your training courses, there are plenty of unwritten rules that you just learn by diving so if you’re new to the sport you may not have come across them yet. Here to save you from diving faux pas’ here are five Rules of Scuba Diving,

Don’t take up Scuba Diving for the tan

Tan lines can be sexy but a Drysuit tan is definitely not. If you want to tan just on your hands and head then take up drysuit diving, you’ll get a perfectly defined pencil line around your neck and wrists.  A shorty or rash vest and board shorts are probably your best bet for a socially acceptable tan just remember to apply lotion to your thighs as they can burn super fast sat on a rib in the sun.

Inverse Law of Cert Cards

Do you remember Pogs? Much like collecting Pogs some divers collect cert cards and are always on the lookout for a shiny new one.  The problem comes when their entire diving career is all about getting another cert card. I get it, you want to become a better diver but remember that actual diving is the best way to gain experience.  Courses are a good way to gain experience but it’s usually in a controlled scheduled environment so just because you have 72 cert cards doesn’t really mean you’re a great diver. I’ll dive with someone with just 3 cert cards and 400 dives over someone with 10 certs and 50 dives any day.

Battery run times are rarely what they say

Brand new and at the perfect temperature, you’ll probably get 60 minutes out of that torch or camera but in cold waters that will drastically drop.  Modern batteries are great but let’s face it; they’re not perfect and never rely on your camera battery to run the full amount stated on the box for the whole camera’s lifetime. I’ve checked my computer kitting up, jumped in the water and it gave me a low battery warning because the water was so cold. It might as well be a programmed alarm to warn you to get out when the water’s too cold.

Drysuits and Drinks don’t mix

As soon as your buddy pulls that zipper closed your body is sealed inside an airtight bag so any bodily function is sealed in there with you.  As such, when drysuit diving unless you have a p-valve fitted, and let’s face it even if you do have one fitted, it’s best to plan your hydration accordingly so you don’t have to cut your dive short or end up with warm boots.  It’s not like a wetsuit that you can wee in, we all do it, you know you do, anything you do in your drysuit will stay in your drysuit until you get it home and wash it out.

Your buddy is never where you need them to be

When you go diving you become part of an elite pair who rely on one another for all sorts, but as a general rule, your buddy isn’t where you need them. When you need to do up or undo your drysuit, alter your dive profile or pay for the drinks tab you can never find your buddy. When they’re about, diving in a buddy pair can be extremely effective but all on your lonesome you can get stuck pretty easily in some silly situations, like needing to pee when you’re stuck in your drysuit. And never trust them to do up your drysuit 100%, always double-check it yourself.