Q&A with a Female Tech Cave Diver

STORIES

Emma Ong - PADI MSDT

-

Miranda Bowman is a PADI and SSI instructor and a TDI Full Cave Diver. Her passion for diving stems from her love of sharks and a fascination with underwater cave systems. She is currently based in Malta and has worked previously in Mexico.

Please tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada! My father had never learned to swim and was adamant that my brother and I start swimming lessons at 6 months old. I was blowing bubbles in the pool before I could walk! For as long as I can remember, the water has been my happy place. When I was about 10 years old I found out that you could get paid to be underwater and I then made it my mission to become a professional diver. I started saving every dollar I could for dive and travel. At the moment I am living in Malta and working as a diving instructor!

Wreck penetration on the MV Karwela with Miranda Bowman — Checking out the MV Karwela wreck with Miranda Bowman in Gozo, Malta. Photo / Kristoff Goovaerts

When did you become ‘hooked’ on diving?

I left Canada at 17 to start traveling on my own and moved to New Zealand to work as an outdoor education leader at an international school. I was so close to the Great Barrier Reef and decided that this would be where I would finally complete my open water course.

On the first day of my course, I told my instructor that I would hopefully be in his shoes shortly. After my first day of pool training, I knew that breathing underwater was my calling. I went straight on to complete my advanced and rescue courses in Mexico where I would also end up doing a divemaster internship. I completed my PADI IDC and examinations and began working in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

What is involved in becoming a technical and full cave diver?

I started my technical diving journey with the intention to dive in the Mexican cave systems. After diving in the famous cenotes around Playa Del Carmen and Tulum I knew that I needed to do more and go further. I didn’t think a ton about technical diving until I decided that I would pursue becoming a full cave diver.

Female cave diver inside the Ponderosa cenote. — Laura Pohjanen inside the Ponderosa cenote. Photo / Joram Mennes

I tech dive at the moment exclusively with a sidemount configuration but I intend to become well versed with twins/doubles as well. My journey began with a recreational sidemount course, followed by technical sidemount and eventually advanced nitrox and decompression procedures. After a lot of training and preparation, I headed back to Mexico to do my cavern, intro to cave, and full cave courses.

Describe your experience as a female diver in a typically male dominated industry.

The biggest thing that I face on a daily basis is people of any gender telling me not to lift my own tanks as “the guys will do it for you”. I constantly have people insisting that I will hurt myself handling my own gear and carrying my own cylinders. With that said, I have not faced any gender-based bias (that I know of) at the professional level. Both the men and women that I am lucky enough to work with and have trained with, understand that at this level of diving, every diver needs to be capable of handling oneself underwater and on the surface, including the heavy lifting.

Miranda Bowman setting up her sidemount equipment — Checking and double checking your own equipment is paramount in cave diving. Photo / Miranda Bowman

I have been lucky enough to have many female tech divers to train alongside and learn from. I genuinely believe that seeing is believing and I know that the more women we see tech diving and teaching technical diving courses, the more female divers we will have being eager to get into tech diving as well.

What advice would you give to young females who are looking into tech and cave diving?

Go for it! Learning to tech dive is a slow process but it is incredibly rewarding. We cannot let gender norms and a typically male-dominated industry get in the way of pursuing what we love. Taking it slow and seeking out the best training possible is the best way to become a well rounded and safe technical diver. You cannot rush anything in diving be it technical or recreational!

There are plenty of incredible women in the tech diving industry and by reaching out to these wonderful individuals, I have made lifelong friends and have received invaluable advice and recommendations.

What are some challenges you have had to overcome as a diver?

There have been many challenges along the way with a big one being financial. Technical diving is extremely costly not just with the gear but also with the training. With that said I also do my best to invest in gear that keeps me as safe as possible and will last me as long as possible. Diving becomes much more costly if you are constantly repairing or replacing your equipment.

Scuba diving tanks — Welcome to the other side of diving. Photo / Miranda Bowman

The same goes for who I train with, I would prefer to invest more in the top of the line training with instructors that I respect and trust fully. Another challenge would be finding the balance between diving for fun and for work. I truly enjoy every single day teaching diving and guiding experienced divers but I also try to find the time to train for myself as much as possible on days or evenings off.

What has been the most rewarding in your journey as a diver?

For me, learning from other divers and meeting like-minded people is always the biggest reward in diving. Training with Nat Gibb from Under the Jungle and learning from one of my role models in the industry was, and I’m sure, always will be one of the greatest rewards in my diving career. Nat is not only an accomplished cave explorer and instructor but she is also an incredibly humble and down to earth human. Spending countless hours in the jungle with her and her team, I have learned more than I could ever imagine about cave and technical diving.

What are some risks that are involved with technical and cave diving?

The risks of technical diving and cave diving are immense. The most obvious risk in tech and cave diving is the inability to ascend to the surface directly, be it an overhead environment or mandatory decompression stops.

Read More: What is Decompression Sickness?

Diver safety relies entirely on complete and total awareness, team work and relentless practice of all emergency procedures. Proper preparation, safety checks and implementing all necessary procedures with regards to gas analysis and calculations, decompression procedures and careful navigation, can prevent your death.

As soon as your mind wanders outside of the cave and you are no longer completely mentally present, the dive should be aborted. The acceptance of these risks is a very personal decision. For myself I cannot imagine a life without diving and I chose to accept these risks.

Have you had any dangerous situations, or ‘close-calls’ as a diver? What did you learn from it?

I have not had any ‘close calls’ myself in technical diving but as anyone who dives every day, I have had to deal with equipment failure underwater and various other expected issues. I try and learn from every dive, whether it’s something I could have prevented while still on the surface with closer attention to detail or something that I could have been better prepared for underwater.

Female tech diver Miranda Bowman with her sidemount configuration — Miranda with her sidemount configuration. Photo / Adel G. Hallak

Diving alongside buddies or teammates that you trust and know very well underwater also plays a big part in safety and effective problem solving.

Describe your most memorable experience on a dive.

There are so many to choose from! With regards to cave diving definitely the last dive of my full cave course with Nat Gibb in the cenotes. We visited Sistema Tortugas, a cave I had not yet dove. The surface was bright green from various microbes blooming in combination with tannic acid and the entrance looked like nothing more than a small, green pond in the middle of the jungle.

The entrance to the cave, Sistema Tortuga in Tulum. Photo / Miranda Bowman — The entrance to the cave, Sistema Tortugas in Tulum. Photo / Miranda Bowman

Comparing this entry to the incredibly decorative and intricate cave system is one of my favourite memories. It’s hard to imagine what lies beneath until you are there. (unfortunately I have no footage from inside). This day was particularly memorable as completing my full cave course was something I’d been dreaming about for many years. The dive was executed very well and I was thrilled to have experienced such a dive and course with someone I had looked up to for so long.

What are your future goals as a diver?

My immediate goals are becoming a TDI advanced nitrox and decompression procedures instructor. I also plan to become a Trimix diver in the near future. There are several incredible historical wrecks around Malta that are between 55 and 100m and before leaving this wonderful country I would like to explore these wrecks. In the future I also would love to learn more about cave exploration and assist on various exploration projects in Mexico.

Check out Miranda’s informative guide to diving in Malta and some of her favorite wrecks!

Female tech diver descending onto a wreck — Miranda descending onto the MV Karwela wreck. Photo / Adel G. Hallak

Follow Miranda’s journey of becoming a technical diving instructor and her daily adventures on her Instagram, and let us know if you have a question for her in the comments below!

Scuba Diving Dangers and How to Avoid Them

Emma Ong - PADI MSDT

-

0

Scuba Diving Dangers and How to Avoid Them

Scuba diving is a widely accessible activity that children and adults enjoy. It allows you to breathe underwater while exploring colorful coral reefs, historical wrecks, and see some amazing creatures that you won’t find on-land! However, like with any activity, you should be aware of the very real scuba diving dangers prior to a dive. You should also learn how to avoid them so that you can enjoy this popular sport safely.

Is Scuba Diving Safe?

Firstly, so not to scare anyone, scuba diving is a very safe activity. If you follow the rules.

With any activity, there are dangers and risks involved. This is why scuba diving is listed as an ‘extreme sport.’ However, there are millions of certified scuba divers who enjoy this activity every year, and millions more who get certified each year with various diving agencies. There are children from as young as eight years old who use scuba equipment for a dive in a swimming pool, and there are divers who are over 90 years old still diving shipwrecks.

Learn More: What are the Maximum and Minimum Ages for Scuba Diving?

Scuba diving is extremely safe. However, you do need to know what are the scuba diving dangers and how to avoid them.

Scuba Diving Dangers

Here is a list of scuba diving dangers that can be risky during or after a dive, and how to avoid these dangers.

Decompression Sickness

Decompression sickness (DCS) or ‘The Bends’ as it is also known, is what happens when you go from a high-pressure environment to a lower-pressure environment and you do not decompress properly. DCS occurs when the absorbed nitrogen in your tissues comes out of solution too quickly and creates bubbles in your blood and tissues which can cause blockages that can potentially be fatal.

Read More: What is Decompression Sickness?

How to Avoid DCS

Always ascend slowly, especially at shallower depths. You should also adhere to your No-Decompression Limits when diving recreationally, perform safety stops during the dive, and allow yourself surface intervals between dives. Additional measures to avoid DCS also include proper hydration, being well-rested, keeping a reasonable level of fitness, and avoiding alcohol/drugs prior to diving.

Scuba diving dangers are commonly due to impaired judgement — Always ascend slowly during a dive to reduce your risk of DCS. Photo by Aviv Perets / Unsplash

Lung Over Expansion Injuries

Lung Over Expansion injuries can cause damage to your lungs and be potentially fatal. This occurs when you inhale, hold your breath, and ascend. The air in your lungs will continue expanding due to the reduced pressure as you go up which may cause the following:

Pneumothorax – a collapsed lung
Mediastinal Emphysema – air trapped between your chest and lungs
Subcutaneous Emphysema – air trapped under your skin
Arterial Gas Embolism – when an air bubble escapes into the bloodstream blocking blood flow which can be fatal

How to Avoid Lung Over Expansion Injuries

Never, ever hold your breath during a scuba dive. Always continue breathing, either from your mouth or your nose.

Oxygen Toxicity

Oxygen toxicity is when the oxygen we breathe becomes too poisonous leading to; tunnel vision, twitching, nausea, seizures, or even loss of consciousness. However, the amount of oxygen (21%) in a regular air tank/cylinder will only be toxic beyond 40 m / 135 ft. These depths are beyond our normal diving recreational limits. A tank filled with a higher percentage of oxygen will be toxic at shallow depths which is why you need additional training when using Enriched Air (Nitrox).

How to Avoid Oxygen Toxicity

Dive within the normal diving recreational limits and only dive with nitrox if you have completed the training. Never dive with 100% oxygen unless you are a trained technical diver.

Enriched air or Nitrox carries some dangers in scuba diving. — Enriched air / Nitrox is a great way to dive. However, it does carry a risk of oxygen toxicity which is why you need to be trained to dive with nitrox.

Gas Narcosis

Gas narcosis or nitrogen narcosis is the narcotic effect caused by the gases that you absorb during a deep dive. It is most commonly felt at depths beyond 25 m / 82 ft which is why you need additional training for deeper dives. The narcotic effect when you are ‘narced’ is similar to being drunk, which is why it is also referred to as the Martini Effect. This temporary effect reduces clear thinking, creates overconfidence, and can affect your motor skills. While gas narcosis in itself is not dangerous to our bodies, the risk of impaired judgment can lead to risky behavior underwater.

How to Avoid Gas Narcosis

Not everyone will feel the effects of gas narcosis and it can happen at various depths. Your initial first deep dives should be with a dive professional who can recognize and supervise the effects of narcosis. If you are prone to narcosis, you can avoid deep dives, and if you experience narcosis underwater, you can ascend several meters to alleviate the effects.

Drowning

Drowning is the most common fatal accident in the diving community. It is usually due to a diver panicking or going unconscious and losing their regulator which is used for breathing. It can also occur if you run out of air while underwater.

How to Avoid Drowning

Always dive with a buddy and ensure that you are both trained with a buddy system. You should feel comfortable before a dive and trained to deal with unexpected situations; such as your mask leaking, a cramp in your leg, a stuck inflator button on your BCD, or in the very unlikely event, what to do in an out-of-air scenario. You should also ensure that you regularly check your pressure gauge during a dive.

Equipment Malfunction

Equipment failure is a common reason for panicking underwater that can lead to fatal consequences. If your dive computer is giving you the wrong no-decompression limits, then you have an increased risk of DCS, and if your pressure gauge is not accurate then you could find yourself out of air underwater. Other equipment malfunctions can occur in your buoyancy control device, your mask, weights, or even fins.

How to Avoid Equipment Malfunction

If you have your own scuba diving equipment, you should maintain and have your equipment serviced by a certified technician regularly. If, like the majority of divers, you use rental equipment then you should check it carefully and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. You should ideally set up your own equipment and definitely check your own equipment prior to every dive. A BWRAF Buddy Check is also important as it allows your buddy to check your equipment while you check theirs too.

Scuba diving equipment on a diving boat. — Always check your own equipment prior to every dive and ensure you conduct a Buddy Check with your buddy!

Ear Barotrauma

Barotrauma caused to the ear occurs when there is a difference in pressure in the middle and outer ear. This is why we need to constantly equalize our ears when we descend under the pressure. If you do not equalize this pressure in your ears it may lead to a perforated eardrum causing pain and loss of hearing.

How to Avoid Ear Barotrauma

Learn how to equalize your ears and sinuses using your preferred method and equalize early and often as your descend. You should also avoid diving if you are congested and cannot equalize.

A scuba diving danger is pain caused by ear barotrauma — Learning to equalize is the first step in scuba diving. Equalize early and often to avoid painful ear barotraumas. Photo by Uber Scuba Gili / Unsplash

Pre-existing Health Conditions

Scuba diving exerts a lot of pressure on our bodies. This is why you should maintain a reasonable level of fitness when scuba diving, and be checked by a diving physician prior to beginning to dive. An asthma attack underwater can be fatal, and a injured ankle can lead to an increased risk of DCS.

How to Avoid Health Injuries During a Dive

Do not lie or omit information on your diving medical check. You should be transparent with any previous health issues or injuries. Your diving professional and diving doctor will then make an informed decision on whether you can dive.

Marine Life Injuries

Marine life dangers are perceived to be a bigger threat than they actually are thanks to Hollywood blockbusters scaring us in Jaws or 47 Meters Down. However, most marine life is not aggressive or dangerous to divers and they will avoid a confrontation unless severely provoked. Most marine life accidents happen accidentally with a diver kneeling onto the sand right on top of a piercing sea urchin, or touching a wreck covered in stonefish, or swimming backward into a jellyfish!

How to Avoid Marine Life Injuries

Be conscious of your buoyancy during a dive and never touch any animals, coral, or wrecks. You can find yourself with one less finger if you poke a moray eel, or destroy an anemonefish habitat if you kick their home. If you are participating in a dedicated shark dive, then always dive with a professional and listen to their briefings and respect the rules to ensure a safe and enjoyable dive!

Check Out: The Top 10 Most Dangerous Marine Animals!

The Biggest Dangers Divers Face

Easily, the biggest danger that divers face is impaired judgement.

Impaired judgement can lead you to make mistakes, forget to check your equipment, or take unnecessary risks during a dive.

Alcohol and drugs can lead to this impaired judgement which is why these do not mix with scuba diving. Overconfidence is also another factor that can lead to mistakes.

If you follow the scuba diving rules and respect them then you can minimize the risk of these scuba diving dangers and know how to avoid them.

Happy Bubbles!

Did I include all of the scuba diving dangers that we should be aware of? What other dangers or risks are there, and how can we avoid them? Let me know in the comments below.

What Is Decompression Sickness?

DIVE

DTS Contributor

-

0

What is decompression sickness or DCS? In short, decompression sickness is getting sick when changing from a high-pressure environment to a lower pressure environment. Humans can safely do this and scuba divers do it on a regular basis. There are some safety rules that they adhere to in order to not get sick. Namely monitoring the amount of absorbed gas as well as the rate at which they decompress.

So, what are these safety rules, can you still get sick following the rules? For decompression sickness explained in more detail, keep scrolling.

Table of contents

Decompression Illness
DCS in Freediving
Decompression Sickness Symptoms
1. LOE Symptoms
Preventing Decompression Sickness
Treatment for Decompression Sickness
Staying Safe

Decompression Illness

For the scope of this article, we are going to simplify this medical condition. In scuba diving, the more widely used term is Decompression Illness. This term encompasses both Decompression Sickness as well as Lung Over Expansion Injuries. This makes it easy to understand and removes the need for an exact diagnosis among first responders.

More inclusively the term Dysbarism, describes decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, and barotrauma. This word is formed from the Greek prefix ‘dys’ which denotes difficulty, pain, or trouble, and ‘bar’ which is a metric pressure measurement.

If you are interested in a detailed study of diving gas embolism, this is a great book to read.

Decompression Sickness

When we change ambient pressure environments, our body reacts by trying to equalise to the surrounding gas pressures. For example, when we go to high altitudes, our body will over time acclimatize to the lesser ambient pressure.

This is a natural process and does not cause any sickness provided our body can equalise the pressures gradually.

Scuba divers absorb gas which is stored in their body tissues in solution. This gas is sometimes referred to as Silent Bubbles, gas bubbles so small that they are undetectable by ultrasound and do not harm the body.

If we however decrease surrounding pressure too rapidly or there are simply too many of these silent bubbles, we risk decompression sickness. Essentially one or many of these silent bubbles expand into a physical bubble that can cause injury to our body.

Medical Oxygen used in DCI treatment — A common oxygen setup used in the diving industry. Photo by Samuel Ramos on Unsplash

In order to understand this concept in more detail, we need to understand partial pressures & pressure gradients.

Partial Pressures

A partial pressure of a gas is the how much a given gas represents in the atmospheric pressure.

At 0 meters in altitude, so the beach, we are surrounded by 1 bar of air. Air consists of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. Therefore their respective partial pressures are 0.21 and 0.79.

Now both of these gases are fully saturated in our bodies. Think blood, bone, skin, flesh, muscle, fat, hair, absolutely everything!

You can express this like so 0.21 PPO2 and 0.79 PPN2. (PPO2 stands for partial pressure of oxygen & PPN2 nitrogen respectively).

If you remember from above that at sea level we are in 1 bar of air, so 100%. If we enter a higher pressure environment, say 3 bar, the partial pressures change accordingly. You guessed it, we have three times the pressure 3 bar = 300%) so we multiply each gas’ partial pressure by 3. This leaves us with 0.63 PPO2 and 2.37 PPN2.

Over time, the different partial pressures of the environment and our body will reach equilibrium. This is due to a physics principle known as Henry’s Law.

Pressure Gradients

So, what’s the problem then? Scuba divers go to higher pressures than that regularly and return unscathed. This is due to our body’s ability to equalise gas pressures naturally.

The two main factors that determine whether we will get sick or not, are the amount of gas dissolved and the rate at which the pressure changes. This goes both ways, entering a higher pressure environment or a lower pressure environment than we are currently in.

The greater the difference between different partial gas pressures, the faster they equalise. This is why diving deeper (higher hydrostatic pressure) means we absorb nitrogen faster initially. This results in shorter no decompression limits.

Pressure gradients are also responsible for ascent rates. When divers ascend, they are supersaturated (higher partial gas pressure in the body than the surrounding environment) and they need to ensure not to exceed the safe pressure difference to allow the body to off-gas naturally.

A practical example

A scuba diver going for his first dive of the day. At this point, the diver has the same partial gas pressures saturated in their body as everyone else on the planet.

Now the diver descends and goes on their dive to 30 meters depth.

He is now in 4 bar of hydrostatic pressure. The physics principle B oyle’s La w defines this. Very briefly, we add 1 bar of pressure for every 10 meters of depth.

Remembering that our body tries to equalise this pressure, it does exactly that during the dive. The longer the diver stays underwater, the more additional oxygen and nitrogen he absorbs.

Now, if the diver follows no decompression rules and ascends at a safe rate, they are very unlikely to get decompression sickness. These rules are based on what the human body can equalise safely.

Breaking these rules, by either absorbing too much gas and not completing decompressing stops or ascending too fast can cause decompression sickness.

Essentially the diver is forcing their body to decompress quicker than it can do safely and the gas forms physical bubbles. These bubbles can escape and end up under the skin (skin bends), they can form in your arteries (arterial gas embolism). They can even disrupt your nervous system (CNS DCS).

Lung Over Expansion Injuries

Another injury a diver can get is an over expansion injury. In this case, the diver has either held their breath while ascending or had a considerable blockage in their lung.

The former is far more common. Because gas expands during the ascent, the excess air has to go somewhere. If the diver continues to breathe normally, they equalise their lungs naturally.

However, if they were to hold their breath and ascend, that air could potentially rupture the lung somewhere, causing severe damage to the lungs.

This sounds quite graphic and scary, however, it is also very easily avoided by simply breathing continuously and never holding your breath while scuba diving.

DCS in Freediving

For quite some time it was believed that only scuba divers are vulnerable to DCI due to the compressed gas consumed at depth. However with freediving growing in popularity it has been observed in freedivers also. Mostly in competitive freediving where extreme depths are attempted and divers remain deep for several minutes.

During that time the pressure gradient is extreme and the body may absorb some gas stored in the diver’s lungs. Because freedivers ascend rapidly, some of that absorbed gas can in fact form physical bubbles.

This is why scuba divers should never duck dive or freedive after scuba diving. The residual nitrogen can still cause decompression sickness if rapid pressure decreases are occurring several hours after the dive. This is the same reason divers need to wait a minimum of 12 hours after a single scuba dive before they fly.

Decompression Sickness Symptoms

Decompression sickness physiology is quite complex. This sickness is generally classified into two types.

Type 1 decompression sickness, considered less severe, concerning skin symptoms and lymphatic swelling.

Type 2 DCS, considered more severe, including neurological, inner ear and cardiopulmonary symptoms.

Here is a list of common DCS signs & symptoms:

Joint pain or muscle pain
Numbness, tingling and weakness
Extreme fatigue
Nausea, vomiting
Dizziness, vertigo
Skin rash or skin itch
Impaired mental function
Difficulty breathing
Lack of coordination
Reduced levels of consciousness
Lymphatic swelling
Bladder or bowel dysfunction
Compromised cardiovascular function

This is not an exclusive list. Decompression sickness symptoms can be idiosyncratic. This means the patient’s primary complaints draw attention away from potentially less obvious but more severe symptoms.

The most prominent symptoms observed are immobility and pain caused by bubbles in a victim’s joints. This is why DCS is also known as the bends.

It is important to note that DCS symptoms generally occur after a dive, not during. Either several minutes upon surfacing or up to several hours after surfacing.

All signs and symptoms of DCS need to be taken seriously. Immediate and precautionary treatment can dramatically affect treatment and improve recovery time and success.

LOE Symptoms

Lung Over Expansion Injury (LOE) signs & symptoms:

The main difference is that LOE symptoms usually occur immediately upon surfacing and are quite obvious.

Difficulty breathing
Severe coughing
Purple appearance
Pink foam from mouth and nose
Loss of consciousness

Preventing Decompression Sickness

The most common decompression incidents for regular people occurs when scuba diving. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t scuba dive!

A large part of scuba diving training is learning safety protocols and understanding these basic physics concepts in order to avoid decompression illness. In this case, prevention is simply adhering to these rules.

There is no room in diving for showing off and breaking limits to later brag about. These types of divers are seeking to get decompression illness.

The most basic rules besides that are to keep very well hydrated, lead an active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet.

Technical divers that venture far deeper and stay for far longer, learn even more procedures to return safely. The severity of DCI is higher in technical diving. This is why their training is hyper-focused on prevention. Some of the additional procedures involve conducting decompression stops and using different gas mixtures.

Treatment for Decompression Sickness

Decompression sickness is treatable. Treatment involves the use of a hyperbaric chamber. Also known as Decompression Chambers, they enclose a patient and put them under pressure.

The reason this treatment works is Boyle’s law. Increasing a victim’s surrounding pressure to be equal or higher than the dissolved gas forces bubbles back into solution. The goal here is to shrink the bubbles’ volume enough to force them to become small enough for the body to naturally expel the excess gas. Gradually releasing the pressure ensures the body has enough time to gradually release the excess gas.

During treatment, patients are administered high concentrations of oxygen. This increases the pressure gradient and aids the body in releasing residual nitrogen more efficiently.

Some chambers are just big enough for a grown human to fit inside of, others are large enough to accompany several patients.

For the keen readers among you, you might be thinking if pressure is all I need to treat DCS, why not just go on another dive? There are several reasons why this is not a good idea. Let’s say someone complains about DCS symptoms post-dive and we throw them back in the water.

It would be very hard, if near impossible to monitor signs and symptoms underwater. We would not be able to communicate with the patient. Extended periods of time in the water cools the body and can cause hypothermia. Most likely they would be breathing compressed air, not increasing the pressure gradient.

While in-water recompression works in theory, however, it is only attempted in extreme and rare cases. Usually with very experienced technical or Navy divers when no other options are available.

Staying Safe

Now that we know exactly what decompression sickness is, we understand the importance of avoiding it. As a certified diver it is quite easy to stay safe. What causes decompression sickness in most cases is diver error. Therefore we can avoid decompression sickness by diving conservatively and following the rules and safe diving practices.

This is a big part as to why you need a certification to go scuba diving.

How To Snorkel: Everything You Need To Know

SNORKEL + FREEDIVE

DTS Contributor

-

0

How To Snorkel: Everything You Need To Know

Snorkeling is a popular summer activity to do when you are on a tropical holiday. This is usually most people’s first experience with snorkeling (and hopefully not their last!). Snorkeling consists of using a clear mask to see underwater, and a lightweight plastic tube to breathe from. This allows you to float on the surface of the water without lifting your head to breathe.

To find out how to snorkel and everything you need to know to get started, check out this ultimate guide on how to snorkel!

Table of contents

How To Snorkel
1. How to Attach Snorkel to Mask
2. How to Use a Snorkel
Prerequisites for Snorkeling
1. Do You Need to Know How to Swim to Snorkel
Snorkeling Equipment
Considerations for Snorkeling
Safety
Advanced Skills
1. Learn How to Snorkel Underwater
Some Final Tips on Snorkeling

How To Snorkel

The most traditional snorkeling gear is simply a mask and snorkel.

A blue mask and a black snorkel. — The minimum gear required to go snorkeling is a mask & snorkel. This is my Beuchat Maxlux S mask. Highly recommended!

Snorkeling allows you to continue to breathe and see the underwater world while remaining on the surface of the water.

In order to do so, you need to attach the snorkel to your mask and create a watertight seal around your face with the mask.

You then use the snorkel to breathe without lifting your head up.

Using fins or floatation devices while snorkeling is optional.

Flow Neoprene Cover for Dive and Snorkel Masks

A neoprene cover for your mask strap is very handy to stop hair from getting tangled. Especially if you are removing and replacing the mask on the surface, or underwater!

Check Price

How to Attach Snorkel to Mask

The first challenge is often how to connect the two together to make it comfortable to wear and not lose the snorkel.

A few things to consider.

A snorkel is correctly worn on the left side of the mask. This is due to the regulator hose coming from the right side in scuba diving.

You want to make sure that the snorkel tube is on the outside of the mask strap so that it does not press against your head. This is very uncomfortable.

Rotate the mouthpiece and position it so that you can keep a watertight seal by pressing your lips together lightly.

What to wear snorkeling for fun, comfort and safety — A correctly worn mask & snorkel to prevent leaking. Photo by Fezbot2000 on Unsplash

Ensure that your snorkel faces up to prevent water from entering the snorkel.

There are several types of snorkel releases, each with their advantages and disadvantages.

Removable Snorkel Clip

+ Attaches well
+ Easy to remove
– Gets caught in hair
– No flexible adjustment

Check Price

Simple Snorkel Clip

+ Easy to attach
+ Easy to remove
– Disconnects on its own
– Gets caught in hair

Check Price

Silicone 2-ring Loop

+ Flexible adjustment
+ Stays in place
+ Attaches very well
– Gets caught in hair

Check Price

In diving destinations, the silicone loop is the preferred option. It is very easy to adjust the snorkel’s vertical positioning for maximum comfort. Divers prefer it due to how well it attaches and how easily it can be adjusted underwater.

How to Use a Snorkel

Knowing how to use a snorkel may seem obvious to some people. However, some people have never tried it. Whatever your level of snorkeling, here are a few things to be aware of.

Always breathe cautiously just in case some water enters the snorkel. You should be ready to blow that water out of your snorkel at any time.
When water enters your snorkel, press your lips together and forcefully exhale through your snorkel. This will blast the water out the top.
Breathe slowly and deeply to expel all the Carbon Dioxide from the snorkel. Snorkels have a fair amount of dead air space, which in extreme cases can contribute to hypercapnia.

Prerequisites for Snorkeling

What is required to go snorkeling? It is commonly agreed that everyone can snorkel!

This is true. However, there are a few things to consider, such as the ability to swim and your comfort level in the water.

Read More: Snorkeling Tips for First Timers

Do You Need to Know How to Swim to Snorkel

It may not sound romantic to learn how to swim in a pool with an instructor and floatation tubes.

When you’re on holiday, you just want to grab your best swimsuit and carry your mask and snorkel down the beach and head in to explore the reef.

So, do you have to know how to swim to snorkel?

This is a question we get asked a lot.

The short answer is no, you do not. But it isn’t quite that simple. Scuba diving is primarily equipment-based, whereas snorkeling is mainly skill-based.

Knowing how to swim will make snorkeling a lot more safer, efficient and enjoyable.

Here’s a detailed guide on the benefits of knowing how to swim when snorkeling.

Snorkeling Equipment

But wait, we just said that there is not much equipment needed when snorkeling. True, but the little you take needs to be properly cared for so you can trust your gear in the ocean.

What Do You Need To Go Snorkeling?

The appeal of snorkeling is the simplicity of it. All you really need is a mask and snorkel and you are good to go. While this is certainly the simplified and romanticized idea of snorkeling, it is this thought that attracts a lot of people to go snorkeling.

It is true, you can literally grab those two pieces of equipment and go.

But what else could you or should you take?

Maybe some exposure protection (rashguard, wetsuit, or even a drysuit!), some fins to propel you through the water, sunscreen to protect your skin, and maybe a floatation device for added safety?

Read More: The Best Reef-Safe Sunscreen to protect your skin AND the ocean!

It all depends on your experience level, conditions, and circumstances. Here is a more detailed guide on what to take snorkeling.

How Does a Snorkel Work?

A snorkel is a very simple piece of equipment. It is a tube that allows you to breathe air from the surface while your face is submerged in water.

You can learn more about Traditional snorkels, Dry & Semi-Dry snorkels, as well as Full Face Snorkel Masks in our complete guide on how snorkels work.

Clean Gear in Working Order

It goes without saying that the gear you take needs to be up to the part. A leaky and foggy mask and a moldy snorkel are not the way to go. So how to clean snorkel gear, and how to clean snorkel mask or even how to clean a snorkel mouthpiece?

Here are is a step by step guide on how to clean snorkel gear:

Before Snorkeling

Rinse the mask & snorkel in cool soapy water
Rinse off the soap
Spit or apply a small amount of soap on the inside of the mask

After Snorkeling

Wash the mask in freshwater with antibacterial soap
Rinse off all the soap
Flip the mask so the glass is on the top, with the strap below. This will allow water trapped inside the mask to run off
Leave it to dry properly out of direct sunlight

This is the best way to properly clean a snorkel mask setup.

Mask Snorkel Equipment Snorkeling — Not the best way to store your snorkel gear when you are ready to “hang up mask and snorkel”..

Considerations for Snorkeling

So, we now know snorkeling is super easy and anyone can try it.

But let’s take a look at some of the considerations and special circumstances and how to deal with them on your next snorkeling adventure.

Can you Snorkel while Pregnant

Short answer is yes! You can absolutely snorkel while pregnant.

Snorkeling does not require breathing of compressed gases and therefore does not present the risk of decompression sickness to the baby.

We do however recommend that you go for some light & easy snorkeling in a shallow bay so that you do not over-exert yourself.

We have a great guide on what to take into consideration when snorkeling during your pregnancy in the article below.

Snorkeling with a Beard or Mustache

Beards are great. They are great for storing a little snack for later or to impress the ladies with! Depending on how thick your beard is, however, it can become something that needs managing.

If you have a full beard or mustache, there are some extra steps to take to ensure you have a comfortable experience.

An Awesome Beard Water Flip — I wish I had a beard to perform this sweet beard water flip. Photo by McKayla Crump on Unsplash

The main issue is maintaining a proper seal with your mask. Your beard hairs will push the silicone skirt away from your skin, creating leaks. You can use vaseline on the hair to seal up the hair and minimize leaks, or better yet learn how to clear a mask.

In simplest terms, you inhale through your mouth, exhale through your nose while pushing the top of your mask frame towards your face. This creates a small gap on the bottom of your mask and removes the water by displacement.

My beard causes my mask to leak on dives and I am used to clearing it regularly.

If you are the proud owner of Viking facial hair like the dude above, we have a more in-depth guide on snorkeling with a beard.

How to Snorkel with Glasses

Glasses add a challenge to snorkeling. It really depends on what correction you have. If you have very small corrections of -1 to -2 then you can most likely get away with just leaving them on the beach. In fact, the refraction of light rays as they travel from the water through the air pocket in your snorkel mask correct almost -1.

If your vision needs correcting of around -3 to -4 you could consider contact lenses. Using contact lenses in the ocean brings its own challenges which we look at in the next section.

If you have a -7 correction it is a different story. In this case, we highly recommend ordering a prescription diving or snorkeling mask.

Please refer to our extensive guide on how to scuba dive and snorkel with glasses below to get an idea of how to deal with prescription glasses when exploring the ocean.

Can I Snorkel with Contact Lenses?

The short answer is yes. You can most definitely snorkel with contact lenses. There are a few things we really recommend considering before doing so. We have written a comprehensive guide on how to snorkel with contact lenses and recommend starting there.

Safety

Because snorkeling seems so easy, it is often underestimated in terms of the skills needed and potential dangers. Many tour companies throw a ton of people on a boat and stick them all in life vests with a mask and snorkel. Then drive this boat to a bay and blow a whistle to get in the water.

What could possibly go wrong, right?

Well, many things in fact. As a dive instructor teaching people scuba diving, it was the snorkeling skills that proved to be the hardest to teach and the most difficult for students to master. I would be more nervous taking ten people on a boat for snorkeling than 10 scuba divers.

Group of safety conscious snorkelers going it the right way. — Group of safety conscious snorkelers. Photo by Phaisalphotos Maldivesphotographer on Unsplash

Why is that. Well, it is mostly due to the fact that scuba divers adhere to certain standards. They need to hold a certification in order to fun dive. If they do not hold a certification, they are either in training or simply doing a try dive. Try dives are conducted under the close supervision of a senior scuba diving instructor.

On the contrary, while there are snorkeling certifications, hardly anyone bothers to get one and it is not required to hold one in order to go snorkeling.

Is Snorkeling Dangerous

I spend considerable time teaching new Divemaster Trainees how to deal with snorkelers. This is because the risks are real, but often quite invisible to new professionals and beginner snorkelers alike.

I recommend at least skimming through the guide linked below.

Let’s summarise some of the main dangers below.

Environment

It goes without saying that it is easier to snorkel in 3 meters of water in a calm, clear bay as opposed to in high surf in cold water around a pinnacle off the shore. This doesn’t mean it can’t be done. The environment however will shape someone’s experience and really depends on their equipment, education, and experience.

You can snorkel in Silfra in 2-degree cold water. However, you will be taught special techniques and wear a dry suit to do so.

Experienced snorkeler in advanced conditions. Photo by Michael Liao on Unsplash

A lot of times friends of divers want to join the boat trip because they want to be a part of the experience. This is all well and good, but does it make sense? A submersed pinnacle 5 kilometers from shore might not be appropriate to snorkel, especially for beginners.

Where you chose doesn’t just depend on the natural environment, but also the boat traffic. Snorkelers in the ocean can be extremely hard to see for boaters. Knowing the local regulations and designated snorkel areas are well worth discovering before even getting in the water.

Equipment

Being familiar with equipment is paramount in ensuring safety for divers and snorkelers alike. A crappy mask that starts to leak when you are far away from the boat can escalate into an incident very quickly. Floatation devices if used improperly while snorkeling, are often more dangerous than helpful. Especially if the snorkeler does not know how to use the particular device.

I personally dislike giving people floatation devices for snorkeling. It can create a false sense of security, takes away from the actual snorkeling experience and I believe that if someone is not comfortable enough to float independently, they should learn this prior to going snorkeling.

It is not wrong, however, and many people enjoy learning to snorkel and being more comfortable in the water simultaneously by using a life vest.

Beginner Snorkeler with Life Vest. Photo by Eric Wong on Unsplash

Getting people with a fear of water or fish or disabilities into the ocean using floatation devices can be very beneficial to them. They might fall in love with the underwater world and take on the challenge to become comfortable in the water.

O’Neill Women’s SuperLite USCG Life Vest

O’Brien Traditional Life Jacket

Airhead Tropic Life Jacket

One of the most important pieces of equipment when snorkeling is appropriate exposure protection. The most common snorkeling injury is severe sunburn.

Education

As mentioned above, snorkeling is a skill that one can be certified in. However, most people don’t do this. They are peer pressured into “just doing it” and this can lead to perceptual narrowing, which can then lead to other issues and even an incident.

Snorkel tour operators, for the most part, are focused on profit. They will cram as many people on the boat as possible, poorly maintain their equipment, and often only provide one dedicated safety person on board. Not always, but from experience, this is the majority.

So, education starts by looking into who to go snorkeling with, learning the ins and outs from local guides, and start at your own comfort level.

Experience

It depends on how experienced someone is in what conditions. New snorkelers can get freaked out if they swim over a sudden drop off, for example. Pseudo-experience can cause complacency to fester. The phrases “it’ll be fine” or “don’t worry about it” are often the last phrases before an incident.

Even with many years of experience dealing with people in the water, I still take if very seriously when a new friend wants to try snorkeling. It is better to be humble about your experience as opposed to being humbled by the lack thereof.

Professional free divers, such as Tom Peled, are extremely serious when it comes to experience, their training and their equipment. Read our more in our interview below.

Advanced Skills

Ditched the floatation device and venturing a little further from shore?

It’s time to learn about some advanced snorkeling skills.

Learn How to Snorkel Underwater

What? So far we spoke about snorkeling being a surface activity?

Well, what about getting closer to that reef and seeing it in more detail?

Here’s how to do it:

Take a deep breath in
Dive underwater using your legs as weight
Explore the underwater world while holding your breath
Look up, swim up and clear your snorkel on the surface

Sounds easy enough, right?

It is, and the only way you get proficient at it is by practicing a lot.

Some Final Tips on Snorkeling

Now that you have a solid foundation on how to snorkel, it is time to get out there and try it! Practice snorkeling often to get good at it!

The only way you will fine-tune your skills is by getting in the water and trying it out. Get comfortable in shallow water first, then you can push yourself a little further and eventually dive down to get closer to the reef and fish.

We still love snorkeling as divers. There is something special about not relying on a ton of gear to be able to explore the ocean. A mask and snorkel is quite crude, but allows us to adapt to the water and become a part of it relatively easily.

Snorkeling is the first entry into the underwater world for many people. Remember to be patient when you take your family and friends for the first time. Let them learn and discover this wonderful skill at their own pace.

Q&A with a Marine Citizen Scientist

Emma Ong - PADI MSDT

-

0

We meet Kathlyn Tan, scuba diver, freediver, conservationist, and Project AWARE ambassador. She co-founded Coastal Natives in Singapore, a community dedicated to ocean education and conservation through public events, classroom presentations, and film screenings. She is also a citizen scientist working closely on recording and collecting marine debris.

What is a Citizen Scientist?

Citizen science is a collaboration between volunteers and scientists to help advance research in a specific area. Scientists can’t be everywhere and this is where the community – or citizen scientists – can help fill the gap and contribute to science-based research!

Being a citizen scientist often involves data collection, which can sometimes be quite rigorous depending on the program. This means it is important that we follow coordinators’ instructions to help maintain high-quality data and contribute to accurate findings.

A crab covered by a piece of marine litter in the Philippines. — A crab hiding under a piece of marine litter in Anilao, Philippines. Photo courtesy of Kathlyn Tan

How can the work of a Citizen Scientist impact the scientific and general community?

There are a variety of citizen science programs available for us divers to contribute to. From programs that look at reporting shark sightings and identifying manta ray individuals; to reporting fish populations and monitoring coral health; to removing and reporting marine debris.

By sharing what you see with the scientific community, you can help scientists collect valuable data for research, and ultimately, help contribute to protecting ecosystems that we all depend on to survive. This just makes every dive even more meaningful in my opinion!

Read More: Q&A with a Marine Science Teacher

How did you become a Citizen Scientist?

I spent my youth near the beach in Sydney, Australia, but only started diving a little over 10 years ago. As I’m sure many Down to Scuba readers can relate to, the ocean is my happy place… my second home that I wish was my first! Returning to the same dive sites over the years, it is heartbreaking to see once thriving underwater cities, turn to rubble.

While watching ‘Blue The Film‘ one day, I had the realization that I, too, should be doing more to protect what I love. I reached out to the conservation organization, Project AWARE, and learnt about the wonderful work that they do for ocean protection. Their flagship citizen science program is called Dive Against Debris and is the world’s largest database for litter found on the seafloor. Unlike land debris, scuba divers are the only ones who can help with underwater debris. One dive, one action, really can make a difference!

Citizen Scientist, Kathlyn Tan PADI Project AWARE Asia Dive Expo 2019 — Citizen Scientist, Kathlyn with Project AWARE team members at Asia Dive Expo 2019. Photo courtesy of Kathlyn Tan

What is the aim of recording marine litter?

According to a major study by the Pew Trusts, 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean each year, and that number could triple by 2040 if nothing changes. Via the Dive Against Debris survey guide, Project AWARE educates divers about marine debris, and how to conduct marine debris surveys safely and accurately. In addition to removing marine debris from the ocean, the survey involves reporting data on types, quantities, and locations of materials collected.

While plastic is just one type of material we find on the seafloor, aggregated data contributed by citizen scientists from all around the world shows that in 2019, Plastics made up 63% of global debris items, followed by Metals (17%) and Glass & Ceramics (7%).

Clean up dive in Singapore - Citizen scientists are recording and sorting out this marine litter — Divers and volunteers from ‘Our Singapore Reefs’ sorting marine debris after a dive clean up. According to Dive Against Debris survey data (2018), plastic bottles of less than 2L is the most commonly recovered item from Singapore waters. Photo courtesy of Kathlyn Tan

By tens of thousands of divers coming together to provide a better picture of what is happening below the waves, we are building concrete evidence of the scale of the global marine debris crisis, which will help provide more context for policymakers and conservation actions around the world. And you can help contribute to this effort too.

What can the average diver (or non-diver) do to reduce our marine litter impact on the ocean?

If I had to pick two things for the average diver (or non-diver) to do to reduce our impact on the ocean, I would say cutting off waste at the source and helping to clean up what we can.

The contribution to marine litter is taking place on a global scale (and has been for decades) but as individuals, we can still do our part to slow down the scourge of marine litter.

We can consume mindfully by using only what we need and choosing more environmentally friendly options when possible; and we can use less single-use items – plastics especially – which can take up to 450 years to break down in the ocean. Our throwaway culture can certainly be seen on our dives!

Find out what this Maritime Archaeologist finds underwater!

Divers Underwater Collecting Rubbish — Divers on their safety stop with some trash collected during a dive. Photo courtesy of Kathlyn Tan

I would also encourage readers to participate in (or even initiate) beach, river, or ocean cleanups. Not only will you be helping to reduce stress on the ocean and marine life, but it is also a wake-up call and real motivation to see our impacts on the environment. It is also a great opportunity to meet like-minded friends who care about the same things you do.

Not to mention, it feels so good when you finally send that last bag of trash you have collected off for proper disposal!

Read Part 2 of Kathlyn Tan’s Interview to learn more about Coastal Natives and how to get involved!