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You can use 4% when calculating for salt water. For the math challenged it's easier to calculate 5% of your body weight. Also, the difference between 4% and 5% is usually less than 1 lb. The formula I posted is designed primarily for novice divers with a standard set-up (no metal backplates...

You indicate your wetsuit thickness and what type of cylinder you had, but what about your body weight? A formula I learned from my OW instructor many years ago give a diver a good starting place: body weight X 5% add 1 lb for every mm of thermal protection on the torso add 4 lbs for an al80...

I ate grilled Lion Fish for the first time last fall and it's incredibly delicious. I was also was on a dive boat in the Bahamas last summer and the crew caught a 5 gal. bucket full every day. They were selling them to a local eating establishment. I can just see it now.... lion fish become...

If T&C is short for Turks & Caicos you most likely got on a boat with sometime divers. This type of diver is a walking nightmare. Sometimes one just has to help school other divers on correct boat protocols. For example, If my camera were in the rinse tank and I saw another diver dipping...

Try several styles of BC before you commit to buying one. Each style has an equal number of advantages and disadvantages. Look for a manufacturer demo or simply ask others you know to try-on their BC in the water. Some things to consider - jacket or wing integrated weights accessibility of...

My dive log has morphed over the years. I started with the traditional PADI log book and when I ran out of pages I created my own. I use [I]write in the rain[I] paper and get 4 entry pages from every 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper. I occasionally will reorganize it to accommodate new data I want to...

Unless you are going to a resort where you need dressy clothes, pack all of you dive gear and pack minimal clothes. I do carry on my regulator, computer and mask. I also tell TSA that I have a dive regulator in my bag when I go through security. Good dive operators try to keep their rental...

Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, VA has a scuba club. The students take OW classes through a local dive shop. They do not receive any district funding except for the use of an activity bus to get to the dive shop. The club does some fund raising but for the most part, the students pay...

So cutting it off is not an option? I tell long haired students to use either a tropic hood or Lycra hood. Both are light weight and both will reduce the chance of critters munching away at your hair. Also, spend a few bucks and get a slap strap for your mask. I you go hoodless, it reduces...

I said it on another thread on this topic... YOUR log book being YOUR log, record whatever you want. If your are padding your log just to make the minimum requirement for something, perhaps you should wait. I also firmly believe that bottom time is also a key indicator for general...

Most agencies are looking for logged open water dives. But what about tracking bottom time? I've examined log books with lots of short dives but little bottom time and log books with a small number of dives, but lots of bottom time. I keep separate logs for open water and aquarium dives. I...

Great class to hone skills. Wear at least a shorty in the pool to help with surface skills. If the class is taught like it's supposed to, you'll be tired afterwards.

Keep in mind what type of booties you will be wearing. The fins I use with my Rock Boots have a larger foot pocket. If I use other booties with these fins, I have to use an insert just so I get a snug fit. OBTW - I love my Apollos!

Bad air - review your Dalton's Law. If the taste/smell is actually from the tank, you are breathing whatever is in that tank compounded by your depth. Nobody has mentioned hoses. A while back I dove with a very old regulator. The air had a strong rubbery taste due to ancient hoses. Once...

Zeagle Ranger is a good BC. Make sure you know how to ditch the weights if you use the integrated system. Just be aware that if you pull the release cord, there is no putting the weights back.

I wear either a lycra skin or underarmor every time I put on thermal protection (even my drysuit.) I even use an underarmor shirt and compression shorts with a shorty. On the rare occasion I have forgotten a shirt or skins, I kick and cuss at myself for putting myself through the torture of...

The diver must pay for the lost belt. Hopefully the operator either charge wholesale or a discounted price.

I'm a divemaster. A big risk with finishing your open water cert while on vacation happened to you. That's why working with your LDS or local instructor is a better option. Get the certification done and then enjoy the vacation as an open water diver. Although, the dive shop I work with...

What's the rush to get back on the boat? Was your buddy low on air? Surely he's not one of those that genuinely thrives on being underwater. Besides, a safety stop is a good place to collect yourself, stow cameras, reels, observe the marine life, etc. Yes, recreational diving is no...

The Virginia Aquarium Requirements: Advanced Open Water 18 years of age minimum of 25 open water dives medical physical 1st Aid-CPR certified background check inpool tryout Once on the team, divers have a minimum number of volunteer hours to fulfill. We have tyouts 3 times a year. Our next...