May 17, 2012

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Important Scuba Gear

Have you ever wanted to go scuba diving but did not know what you needed? Have you wanted to explore the ocean floor but did not have the right gear? Having all the right gear can make the experience of scuba diving such an adventure.

First and most importantly you need to have all of the required gear ready in order to go scuba diving. The gear is as follows:
- Wet Suit
- Fins
-Mask
-Diving Bag
- BCD (Buoyancy Compensator Device)
- Regulator
- SPG (Submersible Pressure Gauge)
- Compass
- Dive Watch
- Dive Knife
- Depth Gauge
- Gloves
-Dive Computer
-Weight Belt
- Tank

Some of the equipment, like the mask, fins, wetsuit, compass and gloves are self explanatory as to what they are used for. But what is all the other equipment used for?

The BCD, or buoyancy compensator device, allows the diver to control their depth in the water. The SPG, or submersible pressure gauge, is used to measure the amount of breathing gas is left in the diving cylinder. The dive computer is used so that a diver can avoid decompression sickness. This is avoided by measuring the divers’ depth and the time of their dive so they can safely ascend.

There are also a few things that are optional to take. A flashlight or headlight, a camera and a whistle are just a few things that divers like to take down with them. Although divers have swim fins, they can also get through the water faster with extra optional equipment. Some of this equipment includes a DPV, or an underwater propulsion vehicle, or a sled that is pulled from the top of the water.

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Careers in Scuba Diving

Scuba diving class I photographed in Monterey,...
Image via Wikipedia

Scuba Diving has become important in many of today’s careers. Though originally combat divers in World War II used scuba diving first, it has become as much as a recreational sport as it has become used for commercial and professional use. Many jobs have come to require scuba diving. Marine biologist, underwater welding, underwater photography and aquarium maintenance are just a few of the careers that use scuba diving to their advantage.

Marine biologist use scuba diving to study oceanic organisms. By diving farther into the ocean than breath-holding techniques allow, they are able to further understand and study the life that presides in that peaceful environment. These biologists study anything from the smallest organism to how deep the oceanic trenches persist. This information would not be available without scuba diving.

Underwater welding, also known as hyperbaric welding, is an other job that requires diving to complete. This form of welding can be very dangerous, for it does pose a threat of electric shock to the diver, but it proves to be extremely effective. Welding in this way keeps damaged ships from being completely unusable.

Underwater photography is considered the hardest challenge of being a photographer. It requires diving beneath the surface along with specific skills and techniques. Though it can be challenging it rewards the photographer with many rare and beautiful views.

When scuba diving with a career such as aquarium maintenance you are no longer diving in the ocean. Though diving is still the same it is in a much more controlled environment. The excitement of”breathing underwater”is found just as thrilling as if you were in the ocean. Helping to maintain and organize an environment for aquatic life is still a rewarding career for any diver to experience.

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Similarities With Kayaks and Canoes

Kayaking and canoeing are both fun and rewarding adventures. But what are they exactly? There are many similarities between the two sports including how the riders paddle them and similarities between the boats themselves.

Though many people who kayak and canoe like to paddle alone, there is always room for another person. In either sport the boat can be paddled by either a single rider, or by multiple paddlers. Having more than one person on the boat can help improve your chances of a steadier ride and a straighter passage through whitewater.

As suggested above, either boat is capable of wading through flat water or whitewater. Paddling through still water can entrance you with a calm peaceful float down the river, while forging your way through whitewater provides and exciting rush of adventure. In this perspective, kayaking or canoeing is just a difference of preference for the rider.

With the exception of a few states (Ohio and California included) it is not necessary to register either craft. You still do have the option to register it anyway, but without the registration you can go out and have your adventure. Canoeing and kayaking are both sports where you can just take it out on the water and go.

Unless you chose to add the motor on yourself, generally you are not going to find many motorized kayaks or canoes out on the water. In most cases, the motor comes separately and is not necessary to enjoy either sport. Both crafts are lightweight and sturdy enough by themselves that using just a paddle provides the rider with confidence and adventure.

Kayaking and canoeing both can be made from the same lightweight, sturdy material. This allows the boats to be both maneuverable and easy to turn. While other crafts are heavy and require motors, kayaks and canoes let the riders have control over their own adventure.

Filed Under: Canoeing, Water Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Difference Between Kayaks and Canoes

While canoeing and kayaking are similar in many ways, there are differences that set them apart. The adventure can be quite the same with either craft, or making the decision to go with a canoe over a kayak can make all the difference. Learning these differences can help you chose what method of river travel is best for you.

When looking for a kayak or canoe, the first thing you want to ask is how many people are going on the trip? Kayaks generally hold one person. There are special kayaks, called tandem kayaks that hold up to two people. Canoes, on the other hand, can hold multiple people. Though you don’t want to hold too many on the canoe, it can carry up three or four people. The benefit of having a canoe over a tandem kayak is that if you wanted to ride alone canoes provide the option of sitting in the middle to balance the canoe and paddle alone. Tandem kayaks do not allow the rider to be able to balance out, therefore making it impossible to ride a tandem kayak with a single person.

Though kayaks generally are completely flat bottomed, they do have the option of attached rudders. These are controlled by foot pedals and help turn the boat. Canoes are not capable of having these rudders.

Kayaks go faster. When you’re in a kayak it is closer to the surface of the water than a canoe is. This provides less drag and lets the rider paddle with more ease. Canoeing takes a little more effort to push it along the water, but is still just as rewarding.

Another difference between the two crafts is what they are made of. You will generally never find a metal kayak. Canoes are more commonly made of metal and, therefore, providing more stability.

Filed Under: Canoeing, Water Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Learning Swimming Strokes

Swimming can be a great way to relax and have fun, but when you want to swim better what is the best way to learn? What is it called when people swim on their back? Which positions make you swim faster?

First of all there are many types of strokes involved with swimming. The most common are breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and freestyle. These kinds of strokes are used in competitive swimming. The best way to learn how to do these stokes is to get out in the water and practice.

First, the breaststroke is swum on your stomach. You start by moving your legs in a frog motion while doing the same with your arms. Usually you do not want your arms to pass your shoulders. They should stay out in front of your body.

Next, the backstroke is done much differently. For this stroke your back should be against the water and you should be looking toward the sky. For this stroke you must kick your legs and pull yourself through the water by bringing your arms over your head and dragging them down through the water. Alternating your arms this stoke is one of the easiest.

The butterfly stroke is known to be the hardest stroke of all to learn. It is one of the most exhausting and difficult strokes for any swimmer. This stoke starts with dolphin kicking, which involves kicking simultaneously with both legs to maneuver through the water.
Along with kicking simultaneously your arms should move together as well. They should provide a windmill-like motion.

The last stroke is freestyle, which a lot of people learn when they are young. This one is what most people think of when they think of swimming. You start on your stomach and kick alternatively with both your arms and legs. Freestyle is the easiest stoke to learn.

Filed Under: Swimming, Water Sports Tagged With: , , ,

What is Riverboarding

Originating in the 1970′s, riverboarding started its claim to fame as just a few life jackets shoved in a mail sack. Later on, riders began to put plastic around it and, thus, the riverboard we know and love today came into existence. Today, it is one of the fastest growing water sports.

Riverboarding, also known as hydrospeed and white-water sledging, is a sport that requires only one person. The rider lays prone on the board while the PDF (personal flotation device) helps keep them buoyant. Fins help the rider to propel through the water and navigate through rapids. Steering is extremely important especially when going through whitewater. Avoiding obstacles such as large rocks, branches and small islands keeps the rider safe and out of harms way.

The riverboard itself is designed to handle ocean waves or river rapids. By protecting your upper body all the way down to your hips, it is a suitable sport for a beginner or an expert.

Rescue riverboarders need to be extra careful. Their board needs to be able to hold two people instead of one. Rescue use of these boards is a difficult task as the board must hold the rescuer and the victim while the rescuer maneuvers around the harmful obstacle. If they are not careful the rescuer can become the victim as well.

While, like any sport, it can be dangerous, it also can be thrilling and fun. Starting with small rapids is one of the most exciting parts of a new riverboarders adventure. But they also need to be prepared. Riverboarders wear more protective gear that just a PDF and fins. Shin guards, booties, wetsuits, helmets, gloves, elbow pads and knee pads are advised to always be in use for the beginner or expert riverboarder.

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Rapid Rating System

Whenever you go rafting, kayaking, canoeing or any sport that involves a river you should always know beforehand what to expect. Each river that has whitewater is on a rating system. This system can let you know how intense each rapid is. This system is on a scale from I to VI. The rating determines how dangerous or difficult the rapid can become.

Like many things this classification system is not always completely accurate. It, of course, does not take into consideration what type of boat is headed down the rapid, or the water level on the particular day you want to go. It is a generalization and a guide and should be taken as such. Subjectivity also comes in to play. While one experienced paddler may call something a class III, another one may argue it is a class IV.

The rating is as follows:

Class I: There is little to no obstacles and the water is moving smoothly with only a few rifles or bumps.

Class II: There are small waves that are easily maneuvered with clear channels.

Class III: There are narrow passageways that require maneuvering. This class has high, irregular waves.

Class IV: Complex maneuvering is required as the waves are difficult and long. Scouting may be required as the course is hard to determine.

Class V: Scouting is necessary with class V rapids. These rapids are very difficult and violent. They are long and even one mishap can be a big hazard. Rescue is very difficult in class V rapids.

Class VI: Commercial rapids cannot be taken through class VI rapids. The extremity of class V rapids are seen in class VI rapids, but more so. These rapids can be life threatening and should only be attempted by extreme experts.

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Octopush Overview

A man by the name Alan Blake invented Octopush, also known as underwater hockey, in 1954. Originally there were 8 players on the team (hence the “octo-) who each had a tiny stick mimicking a shuffleboard stick. These were called “pushers” (hence the”-push”). When the game first began, the puck was called a “squid” and the goal was called a”cuttle”, but has since been known as a “gulley”. Since 1954, a few rules have changed that have made it into the game it is today.

Octopush is a sport much like hockey, but it is a no contact game that is played at the bottom of a pool. In this sport two teams of six players each compete against each other to force a puck into a goal. Wearing a mask, snorkel, fins and gloves, a player must attempt to get control of the puck using their pushers and force it into the other teams goal, or in this case, gulley.

Though the object of the game is similar, if not the same, as ice hockey, the equipment is much different. To start, the stick, or pusher, is extremely shorter than in ice hockey. It is only about the size of a large banana. The puck, though, is the same size as in ice hockey, but to keep it on the pool floor its weight varies. If you are playing an adult game, the puck should weigh about 3 pounds. If you are playing in a junior game, it weighs about 1 ¾ pounds.

The play begins by each team member touching the wall that his or her goal is on. From there, the game begins and players may swim anywhere in the play area. Once a goal is scored, players return to their side and play starts over until a new goal is scored.

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Maryland Canoeing

There are many places to go canoeing in Maryland. It is a great area for anyone who likes to get out on the water. Paddling through Maryland can be a fun and beautiful experience. Both canoeing and kayaking have become popular sports in Maryland that anyone with an adventurous spirit would enjoy. But where can you canoe?

Canoeing is a leisure activity that is both relaxing and exciting. But finding the perfect area to canoe is an important part in your adventure. In Maryland there are many places that have been known to be wonderful for canoeing and kayaking. There are three different bodies of water to paddle on. You can paddle on a river, a lake or the ocean. Separated into the three bodies of waters, you can find the perfect canoeing area for you.

Ocean:
· Assateague Island
· Assateague National Seashore
· Chincoteaque Bay
· Kent Island
· Prospect Bay (Kent Island)
· Spa Creek / Truxtun Park
· Taylor’s Island WMA
· Tilghman Island

Lakes:
· Blackwater NWR
· Clopper Lake
· Gunpowder Basin
· Piney Run Reservoir
· Rocky Gorge Reservoir
· Sinepuxent Bay
· Thorne Gut Marsh
· Triadelphia Reservoir

Rivers:
· Antietam Creek
· Broad Creek Landing
· Catoctin Creek
· Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
· Cox Creek
· Gunpowder River
· Janes State Park
· Liberty Reservoir
· Martinak State Park
· Mattawoman Creek
· Monocacy River
· Mouth of Susquehanna River
· Octararo Creek
· Patapsco River
· Pocomoke River & Tributaries
· Point Lookout State Park
· Potomac River at mouth of Monocacy River
· Potomac River at Point of Rocks
· Potomac River at Violette’s Lock
· Prettyboy Reservoir
· Seneca River
· Skipton Creek/Mill Creek
· Transquaking River Loop
· Tuckahoe Creek
· Wye Island
· Wye Island Regatta

Filed Under: Swimming, Water Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Synchronized Swimming Gear

What is synchronized swimming and what does is needed to be able to do it? Synchronized swimming is the art of swimming in patterns along with music and other swimmers. To swim in this fun sport, on a professional level, you do need a few things.

First you must be physically fit. To be flexible and have the movement of a dancer is almost an essential in this type of sport. Elegance and flexibility go a long way as those are two main points that judges expect to see when judging swimmers.

The main gear you need is your swimming suit. On a professional level there are regulations to what kind of swimming suit you can use. As a team, the swimming suits much match each of the other swimmers on your team. They must also not be too revealing and are usually custom made.

Each swimmer on the team has gelatin in their hair and painted on makeup. This adds to their costumes and benefits the audience near the pool. The gelatin also helps to keep their hair in place.

The nose clip is one of the most essential parts of a synchronized swimmers gear. It helps prevent water from getting up into the nose canal especially when doing upside down movements in the water. Each swimmer should also have another nose clip on their swimming suit incase the one they are wearing falls off.

The last part of synchronized swimmers equipment is the pool itself. There are rules to how big and wide the pool can and must be. It is required to be a minimum of 30 meters by 20 meters and it must be at least three meters deep. The temperature of the water is also in question as it should not be less than 25 degrees Celsius.

Filed Under: Swimming, Water Sports Tagged With: , , ,
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