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Why Choosing the Right Diving Equipment Will Improve Your Scuba Diving

By Mark Jenner

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Published: 18Dec2009
Word count: 529
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Scuba Diving is an exhilarating sport. It can also be very dangerous if you are not properly qualified. The risks are obvious, you are swimming around in an alien environment. You are relying on a life support system to keep you alive a long way from the surface and safety. If you are not comfortable with your equipment you will find it difficult to concentrate on the training you have been given to dive safely.

In my experience uncomfortable gear is one of the main causes of problems in diving. I cannot remember the number of times I have seen a student shoot to the surface in a panic because of a leaking face mask. There are also many occasions I have seen newly qualified divers leave the sport simply as a result of not enjoying their training using the uncomfortable and usually ill fitting club gear provided. Even experienced divers sometimes become disillusioned as a result of an expensive purchase that turns out to be painful to use.

I have enjoyed diving as a hobby for many years. Last year I decided to try some more adventurous diving and needed to investigate the different equipment that I would need for the deeper and longer dives I wanted to do. I researched the subject as well as chatting to my diver friends. It seemed that the next move would be to upgrade my single cylinder equipment to a twin cylinder set up. This would provide a number of benefits for the different dives being planned.

- Twin tanks mean that you have two separate supplies of breathing gas. This means an extra safety factor over the single tank set up in case of a failure.

- The twin tanks are evenly balanced, which should mean that you are more comfortable in the water than when using a pony cylinder to add a redundant safety factor.

- You could carry a lot more gas for your longer and deeper dives.

I was persuaded to buy a standard twin 12 litre set. When I started using it I found that it was very comfortable in the water and I was pleased at the additional safety factor twin tanks gave me. However, I was very uncomfortable carrying 40 kilos of equipment on my back when I was out of the water. I also found that I had too much gas for even the more challenging dives we planned. I had not bought my equipment for me, I had simply listened to the advice of the dealer who insisted that I should have a 'standard' rig.

After some more research, the answer was simple, I needed twin 7 litre tanks to which I could add an additional side slung decompression cylinder for the deepest and longest dives I might consider doing. With this equipment I am happier, feel more comfortable, and can concentrate on safe diving and having a great time exploring the new experience of diving a bit deeper and for a bit longer than before. When it comes to scuba diving safely it pays to think of your own comfort and not what you look like or what others think you should be using.

Mark Jenner is a Dive Leader and BSAC Open Water Instructor. He has been diving regularly for over 3o years in the UK, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Mark has written numerous articles on the sport and his scuba diving web site provides a wealth of free advice and information on the subject.

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