Diving Certification: Do You Need To Get Qualified To Scuba Dive?

Why Do I Feel Tired After Diving? The simple answer is; you shouldn’t feel tired after diving. If you find yourself inexplicably fatigued, malaised or sleepy…
Scuba Q&A: What Is Your Reason For Technical Diving? Q. What is your reason for doing technical diving? Answer: I look at it as “tools…
What is the biggest risk in technical diving? ..and how to avoid it! The biggest risk in technical diving is, quite simply, not having…
Philippines Underwater Archaeology, Shipwreck and Salvage Resources This is my resource link page for useful information on Philippines underwater archaeology, shipwreck resources and information about…
How To Set Goals For Your Technical Diving Development Don’t waste time and money when developing as a technical diver. Use this advice to create…
Scuba Q&A: How Can I Make My Air Last Longer When Diving? by Andy Davis Q. I normally finish my air before everyone else. How…
Is Solo Diving Safe? Question: Is solo diving safe and recommended? What do I need to consider if thinking to go solo diving? Answer: Solo…
Choosing Your Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) by Andy Davis Shopping for a scuba buoyancy control device (BCD) is like completing a jigsaw. There is…
Bungee Secured Safety Spool A configuration idea to setup a finger spool for safety use in wreck and cave diving Here’s my approach to…
Scuba Q&A Question: I was taught that “recreational divers plan all dives to be no stop dives” and also that most agencies consider 40m…
Scuba Q and A: QUESTION: I am a recreational diver and I dive mostly with my husband. Our relationship issues (bickering) caused me stress. Is…
Scuba Q and A: Drysuit or BCD for Primary Buoyancy? by Andy Davis QUESTION: I need some advice; I have been told to use your BCD…
Scuba Q and A: Question: On my Open Water course, I was taught to drop my weight belt in an emergency. What situations would merit…
Sidemount Cylinder Boltsnaps Sidemount cylinder boltsnaps may seem a little insignificant in your list of sidemount equipment purchases, but they play a critical role in…
A Logical Application of Gradient Factors Settings for Open-Circuit Tech Divers As an active technical diving instructor for many years, I see many tech divers…
Technical Wreck Course Report by Andy Davis A technical wreck (sometimes called ‘advanced wreck’) course is a pinnacle-level diving course for highly qualified technical divers…
The Secret to Diving Expertise: Experience Versus Ability by Andy Davis If you want to be an expert diver, then you need to practice. Obvious,…
Stress Management in Scuba Training – What can be done about the Panic Reaction? by Andy Davis I’m not a psychologist, but I have noticed…
The Secret To Improving Your Air Consumption by Andy Davis I encounter many novice divers who are dissatisfied, even frustrated, by their air consumption whilst…
How to Dive with ‘Insta-Buddies’ by Andy Davis The term ‘insta-buddy‘ is popularly used within the scuba community to define a diver of unknown skill,…
The Changing Technical Diving Mindset Technical diving went mainstream. It’s not a good thing in all respects by Andy Davis. Having been actively involved in…
How To Build Your Own DIY Custom Sidemount Harness It’s pretty easy (and cheap!) to make a DIY custom sidemount harness for yourself. Configure it…
Technical Diving Instruction: Finding Dolphins in the Desert by Andy Davis As a general principle; ‘you don’t find dolphins in the desert‘. Applied to tech…
Scuba Q&A: Diving Descent Speed and Decompression by Andy Davis Question: What happens if you exceed a deco algorithm maximum descent rate? ANSWER: If…
Scuba Q&A: Diving Descent Speed and Narcosis by Andy Davis Question 1: Apart from the need to recognise narcosis, and the need to equalise, is…
Scuba Q&A: CO2 Narcosis and Hypercapnia CO2 narcosis and the link with hypercapnia when scuba diving In this scuba Q&A article, I will address the…
Top-5 Tips to Perform Technical Diving Valve Drills When learning technical diving, many students will remark that mastering backmount valve drills can be amongst the…
Scuba Q&A: Changing to an AIR-2 Octopus What are the pros and cons to changing to an AIR2 type octopus? ANSWER: AIR-2 systems, also known…
Scuba Equipment Shopping An important tip when considering diving equipment purchases When scuba equipment shopping it’s easy to waste money on dissapointing or inappropriate products.…
Scuba Q&A: Scuba Diving Anxiety & CO2 Narcosis Scuba diving anxiety effects many divers. It can be anticipated with beginners, but even very experienced divers…
Scuba Q&A: Why do tech divers use two dive computers? Technical diving requires redundancy of safety-critical equipment. If something fails, you still have to complete…
The History of Subic Bay A concise history of Subic Bay, charting 500 years of turmoil, conflict and occupation The history of Subic Bay reflects…
Scuba Q&A: What is the Difference Between a Divemaster and Dive Guide? Question: What is the difference between a Dive Guide and a Divemaster? Both…
Scuba Q&A: What is the value in taking more diving courses? by Andy Davis Question: What is the value of doing more diving courses beyond…
Scuba Q&A: How To Ascend When Diving? Q. How should a scuba diver ascend when scuba diving? Answer: Novice scuba divers are taught to ascend…
5 Minute Photoshop Edit for Underwater Photographers by Andy Davis, PADI TecRec, ANDI, BSAC and SSI Instructor Many divers don’t have the luxury of using…
Scuba Q&A: How Can I Overcome My Fear of Mask Removal? Q. How do I get over my fear of removing my mask to get…
Scuba Q&A: Steel or Aluminium Cylinders? Q. Do professional divers prefer aluminium or steel scuba tanks, or is it a purely personal choice? Answer: The…
Under The Influence: A Performance Guide To Managing Narcosis By Barry Fowler, Ph.D.* This paper was originally prepared for habitat divers using nitrogen-oxygen mixes, where…
Technical Diving Skills – Reaching Your Valves This article, posted at DiveDIR, gives great advice on how to reach your valves when conducting valve shutdown…
VPM For Dummies The Varying Permeability Model (VPM) for Dummies By Kevin Watts Blog editorial: I reproduced this article, for wider dissemination, from it’s…
OXYGEN EXPOSURE MANAGEMENT by Richard D. Vann Oxygen metabolism is the primary energy source in higher life forms, but when oxygen enters the metabolic process…
Decompression Theory – Links and Resources Here is my selection of educational articles and resources for further reading on scuba diving decompression theory… – Bubble Decompression…
Technical Diving Skills – Valve Shutdown Drill Explained This article, posted at Dive DIR, provides a very clear explanation of valve shutdown drills for isolated…
Technical Diving – Optimal Gas Mixes Knowledge of optimal gas mix selection is critical to the technical diver. The graph below simply correlates bottom depth…
Sheck Exley’s Razor – The Nature of Limits By R.D. Milhollin (Blog editor’s note: This article was first published in the March-April 1995, issue of Underwater…
Calculating ‘No Stop Time’ by Erik C. Baker, P.E. The following is an explanation about calculating the “No Stop Time”: Starting out with the basic Haldane…
Shearwater Petrel Really Simple DIY Bungee Straps for Your Shearwater Petrel 2 by Andy Davis I was recently shown this very efficient way to add…
Anilao Nudibranch – Philippines Underwater Photography A gallery of colourful Anilao nudibranch photos, taken by Andy Davis, during a 1-week training expedition to Anilao in…
One day and an Evening in Subic Bay – Philippines Underwater Photos Several days spent teaching an ‘Intro to Doubles’ course in Subic Bay.…
Following the start of an artificial reef construction program at Arizona Resort Dive Center, coupled with a nice long spell of dry weather, we enjoyed a…
More Muck Diving Critter Photos from last week in Subic Bay Another installment of photos showing the huge diversity of macro critters we spotted on…
Sidemount Review: The DiveRite Nomad LTZ The DiveRite Nomad LTZ is the improved successor to the old Nomad LT Extreme. Made with even more robust…
Deep6 Sidemount Regulators and Eddy Tech Fins: Unboxing Review I received the shipment of my new Deep6 sidemount regulator package and Eddy tech fins just…
Review: XDeep NX Project Wing by Andy Davis Shortly before Christmas 2016, I received the new XDeep NX Project technical wing for testing and review.…
Deep 6 Gear Sidemount Regulator Package by Andy Davis. Deep 6 Gear is rapidly making a name for itself for their very economically priced advanced-diving…
A Review of the Human Factors in Diving Course by Andy Davis I was recently given the opportunity to undertake the online Human Factors…
Torch Review: Tovatec Sports Tec ST2000 The Tovatec Sports Tec ST2000 is a really useful multi-purpose torch at a good price. I bought one on a whim…
DAN discusses the dangers of oxygen toxicity when using nitrox as a breathing gas. By Dr. E.D. Thalmann, DAN Assistant Medical Director; Captain, Medical Corps,…
Understanding M-Values By Erik C. Baker In conjunction with an array of hypothetical “tissue” compartments, gas loading calculations and M-values compose the major elements of the…
Sidemount Hardware Custom Upgrade With SUMP UK Andrew Goring, at Sump UK, has been busy designing and producing some clever custom hardware for sidemount…
Sidemount Diving – The Almost Comprehensive Guide book release by author Rob Neto Rob Neto, the highly regarded sidemount and cave instructor is releasing his…
Gradient Factors Explained I have reproduced this excellent article Gradient Factors explained by Matti Anttila in case the original website goes down. It is published…
APEKS WSX-25 Sidemount Pre-Release Review Apeks are due to soon release the WSX-25 Sidemount BCD and harness. Early promotional photographs and details of the rig…
FinnSub ‘Fly Side’ Sidemount BCD Reviewed The FinnsSub Fly Side sidemount is a tear-drop shaped bladder based upon a DIR harness with metal backplate and…
Sidemount Divers Going ‘Back’ To Backmount A re-post of Steve Martin’s excellent article on the state of current sidemount training provision, initially published on Scubaverse.…
Amphibian Gear – Sidemount Transformer The Amphibian Gear Sidemount ‘Transformer’ comes from Russia. It is a modular system, similar to the OMS ‘Profile’ adapter, whereby an anti-taco…
Gradient Factors for Dummies By Kevin Watts (Article from RebreatherWorld.Com) Gradient Factors for Dummies attempts to provide a user’s view of gradient factors, an Erik…
Aquamundo Sidemount BCD – New Release Oct 2013 I was pleased to be asked to conduct pre-release trials on the Aquamundo Sidemount BCD during Sept…
Tech Diving – Turn Pressure Calculator Use this spreadsheet to help calculate your turn pressure on technical/overhead dives: turn_pressure_calculator
ANDI Ascent & Descent Procedures – Open Circuit Diving During all ANDI training courses, students are taught to follow a set system of procedures for…
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)? ANDI International Hyperbaric Research Center 74 Woodcleft Ave, Freeport NY 11520 516-546-2026 Article reproduced courtesy of Bruce Konefe Hyperbaric…