Neglecting Basics
Being able to hover, move smoothly and efficiently through the water, and streamline your equipment is not just a matter of style and elegance but one of safety and protecting the environment.
Op'eds and commentaries
Section
Should I do a Nitrox Course?
Images
Ryan Lackey / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
There is still a lot of confusion around nitrox these days. Simon Pridmore talks about what it does and does not do, the benefits of diving with nitrox, and why a nitrox course is a good idea.
Can You Be TOO Cautious?
When on a dive and alarm bells go off, how do you react?
When it comes to responding to certain computer alarms, can one be too cautious? Being well informed about gas exposure limits and computer defaults can be an advantage. Simon Pridmore discusses a case in point, involving computer nitrox alarms on a routine wreck dive
Respect for other life forms
Progressing age does not come with many positives except perhaps that one gains some perspective.
I live in the present and feel like the same usual me day to day, so I do not frequently think about the past. But, on occasion, something reminds me of how things used to be. Much to my own astonishment, it has already been 35 years since I started diving. When I look at old photographs, I usually have the same two initial reactions.
Underwater Photography: In Competition
Is it possible to compete in underwater photography? I find that question difficult to answer! What is a good picture? Is it an image of an unusual animal? Nice colours on a nudibranch? Capturing the incredible light on a wreck? An image in which I can see that there has been a lot of planning and work behind it? Or just an image of a diver, on some interesting dive site, where I get the feeling that I also want to dive there?
Peace
Penning these editorials is frequently a struggle.
Coming up with new topics or pressing matters to address can often be a real challenge. Sometimes I simply do not have anything new to add to what I have already said before, and on a few occasions, I suffer plainly from writer’s block.
But this time, I have struggled for a different reason.
DEMA Statement on the Current Ukraine Conflict
The action in Ukraine has already resulted in thousands of lives lost and uprooted more than a million people from their homes.
For the protection and safety of all, including the entire diving community in eastern Europe, we hope that this extremely volatile situation, and its threatening and unpredictable consequences, can soon be defused and resolved. As we continue to hope for peace, please be aware that the following organizations are asking for assistance to help alleviate a growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine:
The Search for Extraterrestial Intelligence
Every time I look up into the starry night sky, I cannot help but wonder what other worlds are out there and whether there is life among all those twinkling stars. Are we alone in the universe?
I guess I am just like most people—haven't we all reflected on this most fundamental existential question at some point?
Drift Diving: This isn't diving—it's flying!
To get the best idea of how the current is running, look at the fish. They are the experts.
How to go with the flow underwater: Simon Pridmore provides tips and insights on the challenges and benefits of diving in current conditions.
The Barracuda Dive
Images
Kyo Liu
Diver with barracuda.
Readers of my Scuba books often say how useful they find the stories I tell to illustrate key messages. The stories are all true. I wish I could say I made them up, but I am not that creative. Fortunately, life tends to be able to conjure up real situations that are far more instructive than those I could ever invent.