5 Things You Will Learn On Your First Maui Scuba Dive

Have you ever wondered where does the term SCUBA come from? Well, Scuba diving is the action of swimming underwater using SCUBA – which stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. If you have never tried SCUBA there are plenty of reasons to start scuba diving Maui. The thrill of seeing a whale underwater (which we do on occasion), your first green sea  turtle (every day), finding a wreck (yes, there are WW2 planes just off the shore here in Maui), diving into a cave in Maui waters (ask about 5 caves) or admiring the beauty of the coral reef and marine life will sweep you off your feet and you will be wanting to get back in your swim fins at every opportunity.

If you decide to take up the challenge of scuba diving (here in Maui, or wherever you would like to dive) you must also be aware of its inherit risk. As is any activity with a big payoff, there is a challenge. For instance nitrogen narcosis. Nitrogen narcosis is the effect that affects the brain when divers go 100 feet below and ascend too quickly. This effect makes you to feel drunk-like, but don’t worry, with a bit of helium we can reduce the effect of nitrogen narcosis, not only that but we will not dive 100 feet until much later in your dive certification. To avoid this and other risks when scuba diving it is most important to gain scuba diving skills prior to diving in the deep by taking a Maui Scuba Diving Lesson.

Learn To Maui Scuba Dive #1 Surface Buoyancy Control

Buoyancy is an object’s (or in this case, your body) tendency to float. There are three main types of buoyancy in Scuba Diving:

• Positive Buoyancy: You float in the water and float on the surface
• Negative buoyancy: You sink in the water and remain on the bottom
• Neutral buoyancy: You neither sink nor float

The most important thing that we are going to learn about buoyancy is the factors that affect our own buoyancy and how we will use it on an average dive. Factors:

• Our weight: We usually tend to have positive buoyancy, so, in order to dive; divers tend to use lead weights to descend into the depths.
• Buoyancy control device( BCD): This is the main device which helps divers to control their buoyancy easily (You are going to use this in order to descend or ascend in the water, by inflating or deflating your BCD)

Learn To Maui Scuba Dive #2 SCUBA Mask clearing

Although you might be concerned if you have to clean your mask, don’t sweat it, because sooner or later every scuba diver has to do it.

Main points to clearing your dive mask:

• Relax. Relaxing is really important before trying to clear it as it might be the first time you try it. Take a moment to admire the maritime life, a deep breath and relax.
• Allow water to enter the mask. It might sound a bit crazy, but this is the first step into clearing your mask
• Breathe past the water in your mask to evacuate water
• Exhale the air through your nose. Your exhalation should last a few seconds. By doing this the air from your nose bubbles upwards and fills the mask, forcing the water inside the mask to escape.

Learn To Scuba Dive Maui #3 Regulator recovery and clearing

Regulator recovery is another important skill you are going to learn when scuba diving with Scuba Mike in Maui. It is common occurrence for the regulator mouthpieces to slip out of your mouth, we prepare you by teaching you to follow 3 easy steps:

• Don’t panic. Panicking is the worst thing you should do under the water as you will not be able to think clear. Try to calm yourself and focus your mind and body on searching the regulator mouthpiece
• Exhale continuously: In order to prevent lung injuries, you should avoid holding your breath and exhale continuously
• Use the sweep method: This is the most common technique that you will probably learn in your first scuba diving lesson, being the most easiest to use.

Learn To Scuba Maui #4 Ears Equalizing

Ear woes are the most commonly reason divers cease to practice this sport. If you are one of the divers that consistently find themselves having the ear woes, you can use one simple trick before attending your first in water maui scuba lesson .

• Valsalva. Sounds quite exotic, right? It’s done by pinching your nose and gently blowing air up your throat into your Eustachian tubes. The trick is to apply the correct pressure, as you might do harm to your inner ear by blowing air too hard, so take it easy.

Learn To Scuba Maui #5 How to use alternate air source

In case of remaining low on air, you can use alternate air source regulators. Every scuba diving equipment has one of those; the most commonly used being the octopus. They are the main alternate regulators used for new scuba divers because they are the simplest to use.

All in all, scuba diving is a great sport, full of inciting and new experiences! Doing your first scuba dive in Maui you will find out all the elementary techniques of scuba diving. Scuba Mike is a world renowned scuba dive master and luckily he has made his home and his life here on Maui, where he shares his passion for SCUBA diving Maui all year around. Learn more about Maui Scuba Dive here.

Call Scuba Mike today to get acquainted and discuss your next dive here in Maui Hawaii at 808-250-5494