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Dangerous Fish?

2012-05-16T15:17:52Z

Marine animal behavior can appear threatening to divers who do not understand the purpose behind the behavior. Many sea animals are completely docile but just "look scary," and some animals that appear friendly can actually be quite aggressive. Click through the following pages to learn about some of the animals that divers commonly fear and to discover which are dangerous and which are not. "Dangerous" Fish and Sea Animals

_{Aquatic life:}

� Stoplight Parrotfish Change Colors
� Caribbean Reef Fish Identification
� Jellyfish First Aid

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Image © istockphoto.com, RichCarey

Dangerous Fish? originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 at 15:17:52.

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Dirty - Scuba Diving Stories

2012-05-10T12:06:27Z

Here's yet another reason I love diving. . . . This morning, I sat in front of my clients and spit. How many people can say that? They weren't offended; spitting in a mask is just something a diver does to keep his mask from fogging. I love diving because of the adventure of finding unexpected wildlife and the beauty of the underwater world. I love working in diving because I don't have to pretend to be anything more than the slightly uncouth tomboy that I am. Read more

_{What behavior does diving let you get away with?}

� Share Your Stories of Dirty Diving!

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Dirty - Scuba Diving Stories originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 at 12:06:27.

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Hydration Is Key to Safe and Comfortable Diving!

2012-05-08T22:19:46Z

The ocean is a comfortable 80 degrees Fahrenheit in Mexico where I guide and teach diving. The air, however, is frequently much, much warmer. Divers travel to tropical beaches to experience coral reefs that thrive in warm waters - the hot climate is part of the lure. Yet, many divers forget that the strong sun and high humidity of many dive destinations can quickly dehydrate. Add to this the tendency of many divers to consume above average quantities of margaritas and beer while vacationing, and the potential for dangerous dehydration becomes apparent. Read more

_{More dive safety articles:}

� Why Make Safety Stops?
� Why Should You Know Your No-Deco Limit?
� How to Handle Ear Pain on Ascent

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Hydration Is Key to Safe and Comfortable Diving! originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 at 22:19:46.

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What Does the "Pre-Dive/Dive", "On/Off" or "+/-" Adjustment on Your Regulator Do?

2012-05-07T23:15:41Z

What do you notice about the design of a regulator second stage? At first glance a diver may notice the size, weight, or color. Perhaps you notice an interesting little knob on the second stage labeled "Dive/Pre-Dive," "On/Off," or "+/-". This switch or knob alters the airflow inside the regulator, making breathing either easier or more difficult. Turning the knob enables and disables something called the Venturi Effect, which regulator designers take advantage of to assist breathing. Click through the following pages to find out how it works, and when you should disable the Venturi Effect. Read more

_{More regulator articles:}

� DIN vs Yoke Regulators
� What Is a Balanced Regulator?
� Definition and Basic Parts of a Regulator

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Image © Mares 2012, Mares Prestige22 DPD Scuba Diving Regulator

What Does the "Pre-Dive/Dive", "On/Off" or "+/-" Adjustment on Your Regulator Do? originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Monday, May 7th, 2012 at 23:15:41.

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Just for Fun: Diving With Angelfish

2012-05-02T23:40:32Z

Sporting outrageous hues and patterns, marine angelfish make diving a colorful experience. The seventy-four known species of angelfish have an amazing variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Divers will recognize the typical angelfish shape in such species as the Queen Angelfish and Gray Angelfish: flat, rounded bodies and long, trailing anal and dorsal (upper and lower) fins. Imagine turning an angelfish on its tail, with its fins hanging down, and the reason for the name becomes apparent. The shape of the fish turned this way resembles the silhouette of an angel. Here are twelve fantastic angelfish to look for on dives around the world. Click through these photos to learn more about angelfish.

_{Aquatic life:}

� Nudibranchs
� Seahorses and Pipefish
� Fireworms

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Image © istockphoto.com

Just for Fun: Diving With Angelfish originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 at 23:40:32.

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The Beauty of the Dive - 6 Reasons to Love Diving

2012-04-29T19:46:59Z

Diving on a shipwreck, I look up while inside a cabin and see a pool of air from my exhaled bubbles. The pool shimmers, mirror-like, and for a moment I see my own image gazing back at me. I make a face at my reflection and breathe out. The exhaled air hits a different part of the ceiling. Large bubbles burst into a thousand tiny particles upon impact, and then slither like quicksilver up to the larger pool. Magic! I am obsessed with scuba diving. How do I love diving? Let me count the ways: 6 Reasons to Love Diving

_{More reasons that I love diving:}

� Dirty
� A Universal Language
� Sign Language

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Image © istockphoto.com, Tammy616

The Beauty of the Dive - 6 Reasons to Love Diving originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Sunday, April 29th, 2012 at 19:46:59.

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Review: Mares Excel Plus Fins

2012-04-27T20:46:17Z

Why did I switch to the Mares Excel Plus Fins? Since the beginning of my career as a cave diver, I have used the quintessential cave diving fin: the SCUBAPRO Jet Fin. Jet fins are excellent for frog kicking and make back kicking easy. I have tiny feet (US woman's size 5) and my jet fins looked like miniature models of the jet fins that all my taller and bigger cave diving buddies were using. The blades were much shorter, and they were not as wide as my friends' larger fins. Because I am so small, the size of my fins was never a problem. I am small enough to have less drag than the average diver, and I could swim just as quickly as everyone else. However, when I started carrying multiple stage tanks on my dives, my tiny fins were no longer sufficient to propel me efficiently through the water. Review of my new Mares Excel Plus fins

_{More scuba fins profiles:}

� Cressi Master Frog Fins
� SCUBAPRO Twin Jet Fins
� SCUBAPRO Seawing Nova Fins

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Image © Mares 2012

Review: Mares Excel Plus Fins originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Friday, April 27th, 2012 at 20:46:17.

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Scuba Tip: Always Purge Your Regulators When You Close Your Tank Valve

2012-04-25T18:51:24Z

She was flopping around on the surface like a dying fish. After a few tense seconds, my friend managed to flip herself face-up and remove her regulator. She had jumped in the water with her tank valve closed, and been unable to breathe underwater. I began to laugh, partly because I thought it was ludicrous that my friend, an open water scuba instructor, had rolled off the boat with her tank valve closed, and partly from relief that I wasn't required to rescue her. How had an experienced professional diver managed to toss herself in the water with her tank valve shut? It's easier than you might think! Find out what happened

_{More tips:}

� 13 Tips for Good Boat Diving Etiquette
� 8 Methods of Preventing Mask Fog
� Overcome the Fear of Water in Your Mask

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Scuba Tip: Always Purge Your Regulators When You Close Your Tank Valve originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 18:51:24.

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Salt Water Aspiration and Scuba Diving

2012-04-24T10:45:49Z

As a scuba instructor, I tend to err on the side of over-caution. The dive equipment set-up and revision which I teach my students is very meticulous, and I insist that they perform these checks on every dive. One piece of equipment that I see many divers (and scuba instructors) overlook during their equipment set-up and inspection is the regulator mouthpiece. A mouthpiece's bite tabs may wear down or break off after many uses. Mouthpieces also tend to develop holes where the plastic tie-wrap holds them in to the regulator second stage. This is dangerous! Any mouthpiece developing holes must be replaced before diving. Holes in the mouthpiece can lead to salt water aspiration - a little-recognized syndrome that divers should know about. Read more

_{Dive medicine and safety:}

� Asthma and Diving
� PFO and Diving
� Kids and Diving

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Salt Water Aspiration and Scuba Diving originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 10:45:49.

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Scuba Tip: Easy, Less Stressful Descents

2012-04-23T12:41:24Z

An uncontrolled ascent is dangerous. Scuba divers learn during open water certification that one of the most dangerous mistakes to make in diving is to ascend too quickly - doing so increases the risk of decompression sickness. But what about uncontrolled descents? Diving injuries caused by quick ascents are usually serious, but injuries caused by uncontrolled descents are far more common. Ear barotraumas, the most common diving injury, are caused by improper ear equalization frequently linked to quick or uncontrolled descents. The difficulty of equalizing can make descent the most stressful part of a dive for many divers, but it doesn't have to be. Read tips for an easier, more controlled descent.

_{Scuba tips:}

� Always Open Tank Valves Fully
� Why You Should Never Use the "Up" Button
� The Best Way to Swim Underwater

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Scuba Tip: Easy, Less Stressful Descents originally appeared on About.com Scuba Diving on Monday, April 23rd, 2012 at 12:41:24.

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