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I've met a number of [usually very competative] people who've scoffed over SCUBA diving being called a sport. Personally I think it's easy to shrug off any activity that involves breaking a sweat to get a little ball in a net, but still, what are the opinions here? Is SCUBA a sport? ;)

Oops... Can someone please move this to beginner discussion? :D

I've done about 14 dives now and my buddy and I are now comfortable down at 60 or so ft, our max as OW divers. We're going diving next weekend so I'd like to verify a few things about safe ascent, considering the fact that air expands and that I use a dry-suit. While I'm sure our ascent will be...

I don't think the discrepancy is in the 800 to 1000 year range, but certainly on the order of years to decades. Regardless, a correlation between an increase in CO2 levels (as well as other gases [like methane], though CO2 is the biggest issue right now due to the severity of its increase) and...

I think you should be careful to draw attention to your great faith in science since you don't seem to know much about how CO2 operates within the Earth's systems. The vast majority of CO2 is re-absorbed into physical and biological sinks, which is why only a portion (there's a ratio which I...

What are the coolest underwater creatures you've come into contact with so far, and which do you hope to encounter in the future? I've only done 14 dives so I can't say I've seen much cooler than Ling Cod and Lion's Mane Jellies. Still, I'd love to see manta rays, whale-sharks, giant Pacific...

Hmmm. The thing about rebreathing the air in your BC is you have to hold the valve open with your thumb. Wouldn't you probably stop doing this out of weakness as you became increasingly-woozy, causing you to huff in water by default anyway? I suppose carrying cyanide pills for wreck and cave...

A few months ago my friend and I were doing our first dives alone after open water, and came onto the discussion of what it's like to drown. I'll warn now this is a fairly grizzly topic, but read on if you're game to that. While packing up our stuff, we decided to drain his remaining tank and...

I've got an awesome waterproof camera that unfortunately only goes to 10ft. Does anyone know if this particular brand has a housing, and if not how I can find out whether or not one is available?

So far I've only done cold water, as my OW was done here in Vancouver, BC. I've been incredibly impressed by what I've seen so far, but would still like to give warm water a go sometime soon. What do you all prefer and why? Which do you find more interesting?

Totally agree. It was one year ago yesterday that I had my first OW, and I can honestly say this place has helped me more with info than my local diveshop and OW combined. Probably the thing I've learned most here has been the huge emphasis on safety. My dive-club is safe, but not to the same...

It's an excellent way to see different places. There are a whole bunch of little isolated fishing towns between here and Alaska and diving is a great excuse to go see them, as well as other local spots. Why else would you be in a boat way off the coast in the middle of nowhere? Maybe on a tour...

Surfacing too fast from down deep and ending up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

I've done 13 of my dives with an integrated weight BCD, but recently had to rent and ended up with a non-weight-integrated one and a 33lbs weight-belt. I was a bit cautious about it at first, but enjoyed it a lot more. It was easier to walk around once geared up since the weight was on my hips...

I'm sure this question has been discussed to death here, but I figured I'd ask anyway. How important is a snorkel to diving? I can see it being very useful during a long swim/in waves, but for shore-dives and in calm waters I don't see much of a point to it. I noticed a lot of people's pictures...

I got back from our dives yesterday, they went really well. I can see 3 being the ideal number with good divers, as it gives you 4 hands instead of 2 if something goes wrong and, well, it's fun being with two friends underwater. My buddies, however, were somewhat incompetent, one especially. He...

You're definitely not alone, Tomahawk. There were a lot of people in my OW class who had some major concerns about SCUBA, and one girl who was very uncomfortable in the water to begin with. Still, they all made it fine in the end, even if it took some people (myself included) a bit longer to get...

Thanks for all the responses, guys. I'm glad so many people here have good things to say as, well, we've paid for the rental so we're going as a threesome regardless. :D Unfortunately, only I have a light and it's a bulky hand-held one. Personally, I prefer not to dive with it, as I still feel...

Har har. Patrick Michaels has had all his research conveniently funded by Virginia coal companies, and is decried by many climatologists as the poster-child for the paid-off dancing bear of sticking one's fingers in one's ears. I'll only comment on that, as the vast majority of this is empty...

Two friends and I are going diving this weekend and I'm wondering what advice I can get on diving with the three of us rather than in pairs. I've noticed quite a few posts here before saying it's possible (and it seems like small enough number to have a good time and be conscious of one another)...