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Every mask has a skirt that makes a fine purge valve. A purge valve collects dirt and is hard to keep clean. A purge valve can fail and cause the mask to leak. A purge valve usually costs extra.

I am afraid that the end point may be reached when a dramatic accident takes place with with one of the products of these "classes." Then there will be pressure for the government to step in and regulate and license scuba instruction. If you do not like the standards that come from the current...

This device is not a demand valve in the same sense that a diaphragm operated valve is. It is an upstream tilt valve that is operated manually by biting down on the valve stem within the mouthpiece. It is not operated by breathing in. Because it is an upstream valve, it will not free flow...

The general rule is that if most divers travel to the destination by air, the boat provides tanks and weights. If the boat caters to mostly local divers, it is assumed that the divers will bring everything that they need to dive. The best advice I can give is to ask the dive operation in advance.

Thanks. It was a good presentation. I am just getting familiar with Facebook and I realise that I need to get proficiant in its use. I think I need to get some instruction from my daughter.

Where there's a will, there's a way. Suggestion - Convince the wife that you will save enough onyour necessary purchases that you will pay for the trip.

Your presentation on social networking was definately worth the time. I haven't found the Czech models yet. Still looking.

Not fastening the buckle properly or forgetting to wet the strap first can result in the tank slipping out underwater. The usual result is that the tank slips out of the backpack and the regulator gets hung up on either the carrying strap (if there is one) or the tank strap. I have seen it...

I have held or do hold the equivalent certification of Instructor Trainer or above in five different agencies but I have never been certified as a Dive Master.

A diver should not be doing technical diving "for its own sake" nor should he be diving to 160 feet for its own sake. A dive to 160 feet is a decompression dive and, by definition, a technical dive. Technical diving includes learning the techniques and tools necessary to do a dive to 160 feet...

Rubber and plastic materials have a limited useful life. Just as tires, hoses and the like on a car deteriorate with age, so do the materials with which a drysuit is made. I usually consider the useful life of a dry suit to be between 5 and 10 years. It depends on the material. Neoprene and...

You can't just be "dropped off" by a boat in a foreign country. The boat and everyone on it must clear customs and immigration. Most countries take a dim view of immigration violations. Saving a $200 charge is hardly worth the chance of a prison sentence.

I have been diving for a long time and I have bought a lot of both new and used equipment. 1. I always will buy a used tank if it can be had for a good price and I can look inside first. 2. I will buy a used regulator if I can try it out first and it is one that I can get parts for. 3. I...

This was my certification sequence: 5/73 YMCA Scuba Diver 10/76 YMCA Assistant SCUBA Instructor 10/78 YMCA SCUBA Instructor 5/79 PADI Underwater Instructor (Cross-over) 6/79 YMCA Gold Star SCUBA Instructor (This was roughly equivalent to Instructor-Trainer) 7/79 YMCA SCUBA Lifesaving and...

My daddy told me, "Do good to all men, but, in the end, always remember to collect your fee."

I used to frequently dive a local quarry. I had heard a story that the quarry had originally belonged to a pair of brothers who had died there. The story was that they had lost their way while ice diving without lines. Well, it was a good story but needed a little embelishment. I retold the...

This was not a training dive. The news report states that there were eight boys divided between two groups with an adult leading each group. There is no mention of the certification level of the "adults." The bottom of Haigh Quarry is silty and the visibility will quickly go to zero when a...

Sharpen your knife and wear Kevlar gloves.

Blindly following the instructor is always a mistake. I believe that it is important to include exercises in self-reliance at every level of training. I test my students on their willingness to make their own decisions. For example, in my entry level class after teaching my students how to...