Water Safety

Skin & Scuba Diving

Many water enthusiasts enjoy skin and scuba diving. It is an enjoyable and exciting sport that can be quite rewarding. Diving is very safe to do as long as you follow a few important rules.

Get certified first.

No one should ever go skin or scuba diving without proper certification. You must know how to dive, what equipment to use and be prepared before going under water. Many specialists recommend getting a physical before you take a diving class so you can better understand what your personal limitations will be.

Prepare for diving.

Before setting out for any dive, it is essential to check out the weather forecast so you know what to expect while in the sea. Learn about the tides and currents, and understand how weather conditions will affect you during a dive. Always avoid diving during any storm as it will likely lead to dangerous scenarios underwater.

Test out all of your equipment before you go on any dive. Your gear should be well maintained and in peak shape at all times. Never scuba dive without examining all of your equipment first.

Investigate the area you will be diving in. Learn about the geography and seascape of the place you will be diving at, and find out what type of animals live where you are visiting. Keep away from dangerous areas and locations that are home to aggressive animals.

Notify a friend or family member of exactly where you will be, and how long you will be gone. Someone on land should always know all of your plans so they can seek help if you do not return on schedule.

Dive safely.

There are a few general rules to follow for any dive. Never dive alone. Always dive with another person so that you can work together and help each other out if the need arises. Another necessary law is not to drink alcohol when you are diving. While you are under the water you will need to have all your senses operating at full capacity. Do not diminish your ability to think and slow down your reflexes with alcohol.

Wear plenty of sun screen, especially while skin diving. Water can amplify the sun's rays and do damage to your skin. Find a sun screen that has a high SPF and will not wash off in the water.

Do not dive if you have any open cuts. If it is at all possible that you could be bleeding, do not get into the water. Sharks and other ocean predators are attracted to the scent, and can sense a single drop of blood from far away. Sharks will usually not bother you at all, but it is best to not give them a reason to want to check you out.

Learn to communicate.

Since you can't talk while diving, it's a good idea to learn diving hand signals so you can share basic communication with your diving partners. There are many hand signals to express different situations, such as Stop, Problem, Out of air, Low air, Shark and Dizziness. Learn these signals and make sure anyone diving with you knows them as well.

You may want to invest in a dive flag to help notify others that you are diving in the area. Dive flags are very recognizable and easy to spot. The flag is bright red, with a diagonal white stripe across it. When boaters see your dive flag, they know that you are close and will watch out for you.

Get certified and get going with your underwater diving adventures. Just play it safe and make sure each dive is a good experience that you can brag about afterwards.