Wetsuit – The Cressi Junior Wetsuit is an excellent piece of equipment aimed at the junior diver. From the name you can see that it is aimed at the junior diver rather than just being a smaller version of an adult’s wetsuit. If shouts comfort throughout, with a diagonal zip, sealed and zipped cuffs, an integrated hood, reinforced knee pads and a shape that is designed for easy kitting up and removal. This should easily keep your little one warm for a decent length of dive!

Mask – Take a look at the Cressi Piumetta Mask if you are looking for a mask for children. Whilst not aimed solely at children, its features make it highly suitable for them. The skirt edge is soft and easily adapts to most faces shapes and sizes whilst the small inner volume means that it does not take much effort to clear the mask underwater. No excuse for not learning that exercise then! There are side buckles to quickly and easily adjust the headband for a comfortable fit of this mask made of soft transparent silicone.

BCD – Escaping the Cressi theme, the Aqua Lung Wave BCD is a basic entry level BCD that is available in a variety of sizes from Junior through to adult Extra Large. Although it is primarily an adult’s BCD, the junior sizes and the simplicity of the BCD make it an excellent piece of equipment for the child diver. With excellent customer reviews and easy to use controls, this is a must for any young beginner diver (or any older beginner diver) and well worth looking at for kitting out children.

Fins – Although there is still lots of other pieces of equipment to look at, the last major piece of equipment that a child might want is probably their own fins. The problem with fins is that if you try to use fins that are too big for your leg muscles you will tire or get cramp, too small and you are working to hard. But the Cressi Rondine Pro Light are often recommended for the child diver, being available in sizes from extra small through to extra large. This is another piece of Cressi equipment that always receives excellent reviews, so a good one to look at for the children.

Of course, later on the child might want their own regs and gauges, knives, torches, diving computers and a lot more. But one step at a time!

Keith Lunt own http://www.godiving.org. If you want to know more about diving, then call into our scuba diving blog. Happy diving!

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Before you purchase any scuba diving gear and equipment, it is important that you make sure everything fits properly and comfortable. A wetsuit is that is too small or too big, or a diving mask that does not fit snugly can definitely make your dive less than pleasant. So when choosing your diving mask, you have to make sure it stays properly in place and you can see effectively behind the mask. Your snorkel should appropriately fit with the diving mask on, and it should be on your left side.

Next up, we will know more about the fins and the diving suit. Keep in mind that some fins require you to wear booties. Now you will want to look for either a drysuit or a wetsuit. A good diving suit should allow you to move freely, but at the same time should fit snugly against your body.

These are a few essential scuba diving gear. Next up, let us learn more about more complex scuba equipment. Along with your scuba diving gear, you will want to have a buoyancy control device or BCD. You will be needing this device as well as the regulator, air cylinder and weight system. The regulator is vital to your gear as this is the device that makes it possible for you to breathe underwater.

Each diving regulator should come equipped with a spare oxygen valve, commonly known as the octopus. When choosing scuba gear, you will want to look for a reliable brand, as your gear determines the safety and quality of your diving experience.

Last is the diving cylinder. You will want to get familiar with the cylinders weight and breathing capacity. You may also want to consider including a dive flag and float to your list of scuba gear, as some dive sites require these. After choosing the appropriate scuba gear, you can now start your undersea adventures and explore wonders beneath the oceans surface.

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Snorkel
It might seem strange wearing a snorkel when you are 30m deep, but it is a useful piece of gear when you are on the surface. In choppy water you can use this to save the air on your back!

Fins (not Flippers, please!)
Another simple, but useful device. In short by increasing the surface area of your feet they allow you to push yourself through the water more efficiently. But be aware that buying fins that are too big can cause leg cramps.

Wet Suit / Dry Suit
A lot of diving takes place in water that is uncomfortable to swim in for too long, so we divers wear exposure suits to keep us warm. By staying warmer, our divers are more comfortable and they last longer. Wearing exposure suits also protects us from abrasions if you brush against coral, wreck surfaces and so on.

There are 2 main kinds of exposure suit. The wet suit is used in warmer waters and allows water into the suit, but slows down the movement of water around the body – it is only getting in and out through the edges. This gives the water chance to warm up and keep near to your body, rather than rushing off into the sea.

In a dry suit all of the suit is sealed so that (hopefully) no water enters the suit – only your face is exposed. These are suitable for very cold waters, especially with the addition of undergarments for extra warmth.

There is also the semi-dry, which is a half way house. The seams are almost as good as a dry suit, but water can get in, allowing only a little movement of water.

Air Cylinder
Air and special mixtures of air, but not oxygen! Well almost, some decompressions are done oxygen at shallow depths, but for most divers it is just straight air, that has been dried, cleaned and compressed. These steel or aluminium cylinders can be quite weighty, but are our way of carrying our own air supply.

Regulator & Gauges
Attached to the cylinder, the regulator takes the air from the cylinder and provides it to the diver’s mouth. At the same time it also reduces the pressure from the high pressure inside the cylinder to the same pressure as the surrounding water, to make it comfortable to breath.

The gauges that are attached show the diver how much air is left and also the current depth of the dive.

Weights
It might seem strange to add weights to yourself before jumping into the water, but these reduce your buoyancy to enable you to adjust it throughout the dive. You want to be slightly negatively buoyant in the water when your buoyancy aid is empty.

Buoyancy Aid
This is not a life jacket, but an aid to allow divers to remain neutrally buoyant throughout the dive. By adding air as you descend, you maintain neutral buoyancy. This means that you hover in the water, rather than trying to fight to swim up or down.

There are loads more accessories and bits of diving equipment that you might want to add to this essential set-up such as diving knives to prod and poke and torches to see in cracks and crevices. Or maybe you want a fancy diving computer? There is a wealth of advanced diving gear to look at, if you want to know more, visit our diving equipment blog to uncover more information.

Written by Keith Lunt (PADI Rescue Diver)

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Benwood – The Benwood is perhaps the oldest scuba diving wreck site to be found in the Florida Keys. This WWII ship was sunk in 1942 when it collided with another whip while dodging German U-boats near the coast of Florida. While the wreck is not intact (it was blown apart because it presented a boating hazard) it is home to a wide array of marine life. Scuba diving near the Benwood will bring you face to face with critters such as Pork fish, grunts, lobsters, moray eels, glassy sweepers, Sergeant Majors, Goatfish, and Christmas Tree Worms. Since the ship had run aground before it was blown up, the dive is a relatively shallow one and great for novice divers as well as advanced divers.

Cayman Salvage Master – This wreck that can be seen while scuba diving in the Florida Keys is a Cuban refugee vessel that was confiscated by the US government. The ship was tied up to a dock where she sank before she was re-floated. Then, during her burial voyage of 1985, she sank in about 90 feet of water coming to rest on her side. Recently, Hurricane Katrina righted the ship and now divers can swim along the hull and deck hoping to spy huge Jewfish and moray eels that reside in the open hatches of the wreck.

Duane – If you’re experienced at scuba diving, you might want to pay a visit to the wreck Duane while you’re in the Florida Keys area. This US Coast Guard Cutter was intentionally sunk in 120 feet of water in the year 1987. Due to the strong Gulf Stream current and depth associated with the wreck, only advanced divers are allowed to dive this site. The Duane is home to grunts, sponges, chubbs, jacks, barracuda, and numerous tropical fish.

In addition to these three wrecks that can be seen while scuba diving in the Florida Keys, there are several other wrecks in the area that have been intentionally sunk to become artificial reef habitats. Each offers a different experience and a unique look into how the ocean transforms a foreign object into a beautiful habitat where marine life can grow and thrive.

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The UNEXSO dolphin dive is a single tank trip only available on certain days and fills up quickly so it is highly recommended to make reservations well in advance. The divemasters suggest that all divers add on an additional two pounds to what they normally use on their weight belt. This is because the majority of time spent during the dolphin dive will be kneeling on an open sandy surface at the bottom of a chosen dive site. After all divers are onboard, the dive boat goes to the dolphin facility minutes away where the dolphins stay. Once there, a dolphin trainer at the facility gives a briefing about the specifics of the dolphin dive as well as dolphins in general. Two dolphins are pre-selected for each dolphin dive. After the briefing, both the dive boat and a second boat carrying two dolphin trainers head out to the dive site with two dolphins following. During the trip out to the dive site, the two dolphins ride the wakes of the boats and make numerous leaps out of the water along the way giving lots of photo opportunities.

Once at the dive site, the divers are instructed to get in the water quickly and head to the bottom which is about 50 feet. The request for the rush is to get the interactions going before the dolphins lose interest. It is emphasized that the dolphins are never forced to interact with the divers and are free to swim off anytime they want. Therefore, interactions with the dolphins are never guaranteed by UNEXSO. Luckily for the divers, the dolphins seem to enjoy interactions with humans as well as the free food. Once at the bottom, the dolphin trainers now in scuba diving gear, direct the divers to space out in a wide circle. The trainers, equipped with a bucket full of food, are in the center of this circle. This is where they direct the various types of interactions that the divers will get to experience with the dolphins.

The first interaction is usually having a dolphin rest in front of each diver. This is when the divers are allowed to touch and stroke the dolphins while avoiding their fins, eyes and blow hole. The second interaction involves a dolphin kiss. Divers are instructed to take their regulators out of their mouths upon a signal given by the trainers. The trainers then point towards each diver. The dolphins would approach each diver and ‘kiss’ each one in the mouth with their snout. A third type of interaction is like a human spinning top. One at a time, the divers are asked to adjust their buoyancy and stay up about five feet off the bottom with arms fully outstretched. The dolphins then push each diver by the hand with their snouts spinning them around in circles. All of these interactions are captured on camera by a UNEXSO staff divemaster. Of course, the photos are available for sale back at the UNEXSO dive shop. At the end of the final interaction, both dolphins make one more pass while waving one of their fins to bid each diver goodbye. Of course, the divers wave back with smiles through their regulators.

What is really unique with the dolphin dive is that scuba divers get to see the dolphins at depth rather than just at the surface of the water. This is in the natural environment of the dolphins. It is really magical to watch from the bottom as the dolphins swim up to the surface for air sometimes leaping right out of the water followed by a dramatic diving re-entry. They move like torpedoes with grace, agility and speed. The divers can’t help but marvel at the abilities of the dolphins. Dolphins do not require gradual ascents and safety stops like us scuba divers do. For any scuba diver who loves dolphins, the UNEXSO dolphin dive is a wonderful diving experience and well recommended.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com, an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Also numerous articles on scuba diving.

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