Quick Guide for Scuba Diving Gear / Equipment
There are many recreational activities or sports that you can take part in the water here in Phuket, Thailand. One of the most popular is Scuba Diving. More and more people are learning to scuba dive because of the indescribable feeling that the sport gives them. Scuba diving allows people to stay underwater and enjoy the astounding sights like the gorgeous corals, colorful fish, and interesting shipwrecks. However, before you can appreciate the scenery down under, you must have the proper equipment to aid you in safe and longer dives. Scuba diving equipment/gear can be varied and complex, so let's take a few minutes to review the various pieces of gear required. While scuba diving you carry your own tank of compressed air, nitrox etc. This is one of the reasons that makes scuba diving so interesting, the opportunity to dive into a completely new world ... the world under water, where only a select few have ventured.
You can Scuba dive in any body of water, in the sea, in lakes or rivers; even in a deep swimming pool, but the reuirements remain constant. In order to ensure a safe diving experience, you must first complete, at a minimum, a beginners diving class as part of your initial introduction to scuba diving. During your diving course you will learn not only the techniques and skills necessary to safely and easily move about under water, along with important information on the appropriate equipment and gear necessary for successful scuba diving.
The first piece of important gear is the diving mask which will allow you to see under water. The mask prevents water from reaching the diver's eyes. It is not possible to use goggles since you can not equalize the pressure on your face as the depth increases. With a dive mask you have the nose enclosed inside so you can blow out some air at any time to equalize the increasing external pressure. Click now here for more details about a Scuba Diving Mask
Fins are also an important element in your diving gear and a variety of fins are available with or without straps. Divers utilise fins to wander comfortably through water, because the human feet provide insufficient momentum. Moving forward is difficult especially when a diver carries device that adds drag in the water.
Apart from diving masks, another essential, though optional, piece of diving gear is the snorkel, sometimes referred to as the swimmer's snorkel, which divers use to breathe air when on the surface of the water rather then the limited air from their tanks. A J-shaped tube that measures about 30cms in length, a snorkel usually comes with a mouthpiece that is made either of plastic or rubber.
You also need a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD), also called as buoyancy compensator, is a diving equipment generally worn by divers for life saving emergencies both on the surface and underwater. The BCD equipment also provides the ability to control and adjust the buoyancy level of a diver. Thus allowing him to have a neutral or stabilised buoyancy level underwater. This piece pf equipment looks like a vest.
When swimming or snorkeling, it's easy to be in your normal swimwear or bathing suit. But when you are talking about 'exploring the depths' of the sea, it's an entirely different wardrobe altogether. What you would need, in this case, is a Wet Suit or Exposure Suit.
Needless to say, an exposure suit is one of the most important pieces of equipment that a scuba diver needs to have. Since the body gives off heat quickly under the water, scuba suits helps the person retain heat in his body. Hence, heat loss is avoided and the person can happily dive away without experiencing cold, even in an almost freezing water temperature. Here in Phuket Thailand you will normally use a 3mm shorty.
Another essential scuba diving equipment is the Regulator. There many different types of regulators and regulating accessories to choose from depending on various conditions, such as the depth of diving you intend to do, the kind and temperature of the water. A regulator is used to provide breathing air from your tank to you at low pressure as you dive. Your instructor will help you to choose the right regulator for your needs.
Depth Gauge and Air gauge are also needed in scuba diving and are an important part of your safety equipment. They could be in the form of a watch or a more sophisticated Diving Computer that will tell limitations for decompression and information on the depth of the water.
Of course every scuba diver needs to have a Diving Tank or Diving Cylinder that contains the diver's air that is necessary for survival. This will be carried on the diver's shoulders. A tank will have a Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG) that will tell the diver on how much air is still available or stored in the tank.
