Archive for September, 2008
Buying Diving Gear
September 23rd, 2008
Posted in scuba diving gear
Most new divers start out by attending test dive sessions. While there, they will be privy to any available scuba diving gear for rent. Later on as they discover that they want to go diving more often they will start to purchase their own gear. Purchasing Scuba gear can be a very enjoyable time. Nevertheless, scuba divers also have to make sure that they have the right kind of gear for their 
diving needs. Here are a few things scuba diving gear buyers should keep in mind.
The Suit Must Fit – The diving wet suit will be a diver’s second skin. Not only will it keep the diver warm under water, it can also protect him/her from the elements. That is why it is necessary that the diving suit fit just right. Too tight and it might end up cutting up circulation or chaffing the diver. Too loose and it may not function well as a thermo regulator. Loose suits can also be very dangerous and can also slow a diver down.
Other items like goggles, diving fins, swimwear and underwater breathing apparatuses must also meet a diver’s need completely. The goggles must fit a divers face and seal out water. Fins must also be the right size and fit the divers feet snuggly.
Olympians at the World Junior Diving Championships
September 18th, 2008
Posted in Diving specialists
The 2008 Beijing Olympics may have ended, but that did not necessarily mean that the Olympians were in for a rest. A lot of them still had many competitions to go after the prestigious games. An example of this is Canadian Jennifer Abel. 
Abel won the silver medal in the three-meter springboard dive last Wednesday. The gold went to the Chinese contestant Han Wang with a 497.15 score. Russian Svetlana Filipova won the bronze she earned 473.20. Abel scored 475.55 in order to win the silver.
Abel, who dives in Speedo swimwear, ranked number thirteen during the same event in the Beijing Olympics.
“I was very satisfied with the result, it was a very strong international field,” supplied Abel. “I gave everything I had.”
Chinese athletes also dominated in other World Junior Diving Championships events. They managed to win the gold and silver medal for the one-meter springboard in the 14-15 age group. Russian Sergey Zhdanov won the bronze.
The World Junior Diving Championships is held in Aachen, Germany. Forty countries from all corners of the globe are participating in the event. The event is estimated to cater to over 200 international athletes. The United States is expected to host the 2010 World Junior Diving Championships.
Scuba Dive for only £10 in Gloucestershire
September 17th, 2008
Posted in Uncategorized
First time divers now have chance to try out their diving skills in Gloucestershire, England for only £10. This has been made possible through the efforts of a Scuba Diving Club in the UK. They are holding various Try Dive sessions all over Gloucestershire and every one who wants to give scuba diving a go is welcomed.
Gloucestershire may not be as warm or as sunny as the Bahamas or the Caribbean. It may not have the beautiful sites of the Great Barrier Reef. But, at least people won’t have to go far or spend too much just to try their hand at diving. The try dive scuba diving sessions will be conducted in warmed county pools all over Gloucestershire.
The diving sessions will be supervised by trained diving instructors. Participants will be taught about the proper scuba diving gear and the different diving techniques. After they have gotten their share of scuba diving tuition, only then will they be allowed to take to the pool and get their first breath of air underwater.
The Try Dive sessions will last throughout September 2008 and are expected to gain a lot interest from people young and young at heart. Children above 12 and adults under 80 are welcomed to join the scuba diving sessions in Gloucestershire. Don’t forget your swimwear!
The Free Diving Community Suffers a Loss
September 12th, 2008
Posted in free diving
Competitiv
e Free Diving is one of the most dangerous diving sports out there. This sport involves diving depths without a breathing apparatus. It is also called ‘apnea’. Apnea is the medical term referring to the cessation of breathing. Competitive Free Diving enthusiasts enjoy this extreme sport because of the adrenaline rush that it gives them. It is also a very dangerous diving sport that can easily claim the life of its participants. And as of Wednesday – September 10, the sport did just that.
Forty three year old Apnea diving enthusiast Frank Baldacchino lost his life while doing a practice dive in Malta – he was alone. It was found that Baldacchino suffered from heart failure while on a dive. His family reported him missing on Tuesday and his remains were found on Wednesday. Friends and family report that Baldacchino’s free diving record was 5 minutes.
Baldacchino’s death has sent shockwaves throughout the Competitive free diving community. Health officials are again warning people about the dangers of free diving. Free divers are advised to never go on test dives alone. It is advised that divers bring someone along at all times – someone who knows how to swim and basic life support. Officials say that Baldacchino’s case may have been avoided if he had someone with him.
Diving from 40ft in a foot high pool
September 4th, 2008
Posted in Record diving, Shallow diving
Professor Splash, whom’s real name is Darren Taylor is going to try to land safely in a pool no higher than one foot when jumping of a 40 ft platform. He will reach speeds of up to 30 mph before the water breaks his fall and this record attempt will be broadcasted on live television from Hollywood on the Jimmy Kimmel show on US network ABC on Sept 12.
Denver’s Darren Taylor is a former strip-club DJ has a different way of diving as enters the water on his belly with his limps stretched. He says “I study a lot of video, and I transform myself into a different being. I become rock hard, I feel no pain,” he said. This technique however is not one to try at home. “Thirty three feet was the height of the first jump,” he said. “I jumped ‘out’, instead of ‘up’, and I landed in the front of the pool on my face! It hurt, and it did scare me.”
The pain did now stop him though as Taylor set the current shallow diving record anyways and brought it to 35 ft and 5 in. The new record attempt is to go upto 40 ft.
Taylor is 47 years old but has not yet had enough of the diving. In the upcoming three years – untill his ‘retirement’ at 50 – he plans to do three more deadly diving records. Taylor used to compete professionally as a high diver untill he realised that shallow diving could get him into the record books.
Like said before, this is not something to do at home, but if you want to become a shallow divers, Taylor advises you to show commitment and work on your technique all the time. “For your life’s sake, jump straight up, jump out, and make damn sure you land flat enough to blacken your chest and legs,” he said. “You must stay completely focused on your ‘flight plan’, or it could lead to your death. I never forget at anytime what could happen if this dive goes bad.”