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In isolation, it would indeed be incorrect to blindly advice most people to simply breath at a much lower rate. A rate of 10 to 12 is the expected rate, and could therefore be considered "normal" for most of the population for which poor habits are so common that departure from that range may be...

I'm hardly someone to ask, but it seems to me that Paul has two air sources, either of which will, at that moment, get him to the surface with every expectation of being healthy. He doesn't know Sam or his normal air usage, and whatever it normally is, it's now abnormally high. Breaking it down...

Not very clear, is it? But I read it as the "total" applying to both, saying there are two numbers: The total adjusted amount of the claim. The total insured amount of what you valued equipment that was affected. The first might be smaller than the second, but the first can never be...

I present this, and you can do with it what you want. Unfortunately, what for most people is "normal" breathing is thoroughly abnormal. There are two physical mechanisms that will, to one degree or another, get air into the lungs. They are the diaphragm and the array of chest muscles. The...

It was our instructor, in fact, who pointed out before the DM arrived (DM sat the classroom sessions, as well as in-water) that the DM got only tips. That was nice, since new divers were unlikely to know that. So we tipped the DM and took them both to lunch, twice. (They definitely earned their...

Sorry. Of course I would like to see them on all dive boats. And in many other public places where there is a higher than usual likelihood of need, either because of the number of people there, the nature of what they do there, or their demographics. My first-responder organization buys, places...

I have to take exception to the notion that an AED on a dive boat is not much of a deal. It's long, because I think it bears explaining. The reality is that, in a medical situation away from immediate advanced life support, such as on a dive boat, where an AED is useful, CPR is not a...

GOOD LORD, PEOPLE! PEOPLE CAN DIE DOING THIS! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!! WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!! ALL THE LITTLE CHILDREN DYING BECAUSE OF THEIR LESSER TRAINING!!! AND ALL THOSE ORPHANS BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS ARE GOING DIVING WITH 24 HOURS INSTEAD OF 48 AND DYING HORRIBLE...

Nope. But I suppose I might if I contemplated some lengthy deco or something else that would make it desirable of vital that I stayed down. But I wouldn't consider it such a requirement that I would refuse the dive if I didn't have it. And I don't go into caves, wrecks, etc. I do carry a spare...

I think I would be mindful of the fact that there could be hazards down there and be prepared for them. Some that come immediately to mind are unstable ledges and possible entanglements. You don't know what sort of cables might have been left behind. Or what natural supports and abandoned...

While I'm not a good one to ask, since I'm a paramedic first responder and carry a full trauma and medical bag, oxygen, splints, IV, etc. And my wilderness kit has sutures and a minor surgery kit. But think about just how much you want to be able to address out of your "first aid" kit. There are...

My bad back is not an issue in the water. My "bad back" equipment is the cart I take along to haul gear from parking areas to the water. Really, nothing I've seen in scuba gear looked back-friendly out of the water in the way that a good backpack is, taking the weight down on the hips, rather...

It's true that relatively few readers will know the difference, but I think there's a writing mindset that's beneficial, even if some particular things won't matter to a lot of readers. If you don't mind being factually wrong about some things you could do something about, isn't it a bad habit...

Aside from all other considerations of whether or not you needed to end the dive or what planning might have changed the scenario, the bottom line is that your judgment at the time was that you needed to start up. Once this judgment is made, it's like a security procedure or safety point - they...

It's not the problem of vision correction. Contact lenses can improve your underwater vision. Of course you wouldn't see so well out of the water until you took the lenses out. The objections are the purported higher risk of infection from waterborne forms, losing a lens underwater, and the...

And the AED will NOT help return those parts to function. Since we've mentioned underwire bras and bathing suits, note that the "paramedic" type sheers many divers carry commonly have a small notch that was originally intended for cutting the underwire and does so quite well. Wookie: The...

Is that because you view control of the nose as something that the OP should be able to accomplish with practice, or as an absolute, something that must be doable to dive? What of a diver who simply could not control the nose and had to hold it? What then of a one-armed diver? While he doesn't...

How long do you need? There's the little 1:40 PADI "This is Diving" promo video. (See YouTube.) I don't think there's even any obvious PADI reference in it, aside from a very brief flash of the logo in the beginning. I'm sure there are restrictions on commercial use.

Bears a bit further mention for the benefit of those who want to make a bit more of the trip than a quick in and out at Balmorhea that Indian Lodge at the Davis Mountains State Park is a great relaxing place to stay. The original parts were built by the CCC during the depression, and a lot of...