First Dives after lockdown
First dives after lockdown Chesil cove. It’s great to be back in my happy place, underwater:)This will be a short and sweet post, as I am off to pack my dive gear again for tomorrow. This has been the longest surface interval I have had since I started diving back in 2005. We were fortunate enough to be able to do a night dive the evening before lockdown
Return to Diving
Return To Diving Getting back underwater in the "New Normal". Warning: By the time you read this - it may already be out of date! Restrictions are easingThe news from the government that we could return to water sports, and then from the British Diving Safety Group that we can cautiously engage in limited shore diving no deeper than 12m, was naturally met with various reactions, and was
Swanage Pier
Swanage Pier - Shore dive Diving Swanage Pier. The Victorian pier at Swanage is a lovely place to spend the day Scuba diving, with beautiful views of Swanage Bay and Ballard Down. It's still one of my favourite local hang outs, I could spend all day down there searching out all the amazing marine life, whilst enjoying the sun rays dancing through the cracks in the pier
Kit Shakedown Part 5 – Accessories
Kit Shakedown! Part 5 - Accessories. With the COVID restrictions resulting in divers being out of the water for longer than normal, checking through your equipment in preparation for a return to diving will be time well spent. In this series of posts we look at some post-storage checks that can easily become a part of your normal routine. Part 5 looks at a few common accessories.Most of
Kit Shakedown Part 4 – Drysuit
Kit Shakedown! Part 4 - Drysuit. Hands up if you have a drysuit? Keep your hand up if you know the misery of drysuit failure in the water? Keep your hand up if you have jumped in with the zip open and done the walk of shame?! (I will admit to all of those!)There is an easy fix for the third question. Check your zip yourself and do
Kit Shakedown Part 3 – Cylinders
Kit Shakedown! Part 3 - Cylinders. If you own you own cylinder, you will know that regular maintenance is as simple as properly cleaning and rinsing, and storing it safely with some pressure in. It is still worth running through a few checks when your cylinder has been stored for a while.If you rent cylinders, chances are they are in good working order. However, a quick check over
Kit Shakedown Part 2 – BCDs
Kit Shakedown! Part 2 - BCDs. How often do you check your BCD or wing? They often get taken for granted, and more than a few times, we have seen people having issues with them at the dive site that could have been avoided by some simple checks and maintenance.Buoyancy compensators should be serviced regularly and we recommend annually as a minimum. If yours is still in date
Kit Shakedown Part 1 – Regulators
Kit Shakedown! Part 1 - Regulators. With the COVID restrictions resulting in divers being out of the water for longer than normal, checking through your equipment in preparation for a return to diving will be time well spent. In this series of posts we look at some post-storage checks that can easily become a part of your normal routine. Part 1 looks at regulator checks.Making sure that your