Swimming Tips

Archive for the ‘Training Fins’ Category

Snorkeling is one of the many water sports you and your family can do while vacationing in the Bahamas.  Snorkeling is easy for everyone in family to enjoy.  Beginners and experts can snorkel along the shoreline or take a snorkeling excursion to deeper water.  Spend the day floating above the reef or dive into the crystal clear water to get a closer look at the coral and tropical fish.  If you are vacationing on the Grand Bahamas Island, be sure check out Port Lucaya for snorkeling cruises on catamarans and see the most stunning reefs. 

Snorkeling requires minimal training, but it is recommended that you be a strong swimmer.  For those who are not strong swimmers, it is recommended that you snorkel near the shore. There is still plenty to see without going into deep waters, but if you chose to take an excursion, you want to let the staff know you swimming ability.  If you take a snorkeling tour, the dive staff usually offers instructions to learn the basics of how to use the snorkel.  It is helpful to know how to expel water that may get into the snorkel.

If you should get to the reefs be careful not to touch anything; this is recommend for your safety and for the safety of the coral.  The Bahamas spreads over 100,000 square miles of ocean and includes stretches of underwater reefs.

Snorkeling requires just a few pieces equipment: a mask, a snorkel, fins, a snorkel vest, an underwater camera and of course sunscreen.  If you take a snorkeling tour all the equipment will be provided for you, and sometimes the tours will include snacks and beverages, but you will need to confirm this during the booking process.  Some all-inclusive resorts (Our Lucaya and Viva Windham) will offer you equipment during your stay, and you are always welcome to bring your own equipment.

The mask is your window to view all the wonders in the Bahamian water, and the fit of your mask can make the difference between a fun experience or a frustrating afternoon. The general rule to a good fitting mask is to place the mask to your face, hold your breath then gently press the mask to your face, a proper fitting mask will create suction.  If you plan to snorkel often, you may consider purchasing your own mask and if you wear prescription glasses, you can have a mask made with your prescription.

The snorkel is the tube that attaches to the mask that provides the air while you are submerged.  Snorkels come in different colors, choosing a neon color is an added safety bonus.  Some snorkels even come with splashguards to help keep the waves from dumping water into the tube.  The snorkel should be comfortable in your mouth and hold the amount of air you need.  Most divers prefer owning their own snorkel for sanitary reason.

Some divers will say you don’t need fins (sometimes called flippers), but if you are caught in a current or want to dive deeper you will want the power the fins offer.  Fins come in sizes like shoes, be sure to pick the rights size and make sure they fit comfortably. There are many styles of fins that suit your body type and leg strength. The more you snorkel the more you might consider purchasing your own pair of fins.

The snorkeling vest usually brings groans from most swimmers, but it can be deflated if you want to.  These vests come in varying sizes (youth to adult) with the inflatable side worn in the front and the strap on the back and coming up through the crotch.  Most tours will not let your snorkel without a vest, but it is a good practice to wear one when snorkeling far off shore. 

No snorkeling excursion would be complete without the pictures of you and your family enjoying themselves in the blue waters, and swimming among the brightly colored fish.  Be sure to take pictures of the brightly colored fish, as there will be many to see in the Bahamas.

And don’t forget the sun screen; you will be snorkeling face down in the water exposing your back to the bright sun. It takes minutes to get sunburned in the Caribbean sun, not to mention the silly pattern the straps make on your back.

Snorkeling is a fun way to spend the day exploring the ocean bottom, seeing unique colorful fish or something bigger.  Whether you take an organized tour or go off on your own the Bahamian water has a beautiful story to tell you if you are willing to dive in to find it.

Ushuia, the most southern city in the world, is a vibrant yet intriguing frontier city in the Patagonia area of Argentina. Its remoteness is what attracts the thousands of visitors each year as well as it surrounding natural scenery and wildlife.

Ushuaia is situated between the Beagle Channel and the panoramic Martial Mountains in the Tierra del Fuego region. With boats leaving from here to the remotest islands as well the marvel that is the Antarctic. What is unknown to many is the cities unique location as a shopping haven in the Southern Hemisphere, not much is produced here however the areas tax free status makes imported items pretty cheap. The city holds a number of attractions of its own such as the Museo del fin del Mundo and the Museo de Maquetes Mundo Yamana that recounts the history of the people that populated the region before colonalisation by Europeans.

The region is a must for people that love the outdoors. The sheer choice of tracks, lakes and mountains are a hikers dream. Not only that, but camping is a serious option here reducing accommodation costs and making for a more interesting hikes.

Near to the city is the Tierra del Fuego National Park, actually located in neighboring Chile. The area received national park status in 1960 and so is protected from development. The topography of the park is very tough as it has been affected by extreme geological circumstances which makes the area so stunning, slit between snow capped mountains and vast fresh water lakes. The range and diversity of the land and marine wildlife is clearly visible and visually stunning.

Within the park you should take the historical Tierra del Fuego train, which provides stunning views as the train tracks skirt the edge of mountains and lakes. The convicts used to arrive at the remote jail here by train, which is is no longer the case, but the jail and the line is significant to the regions development as it connected it to the world and supported trade. The train consists of steam locomotives, coaches comfortably heated and fitted with large windows. It leaves from Estación del Fin del Mundo (End of the World Station), 8km West of Ushuaia, and run about 1 hour, ending at the Estación del Parque (Park Station). There is a coffee shop and bar at the Estación del Fin del Mundo, where visitors can enjoy local cakes and hot chocolate and attractive souvenirs can be purchase.

The best time to go is the summer time allows for pleasant hikes, horseback-riding, mountain biking and sport fishing. The summer months (October to April) have 18 hours of light and mild temperatures making it the best time to visit. Been so close to the Antarctic makes the place cold and dark in the winter months, but is worth a visit if you want to experience something different.

Because of the remoteness of the region, travelling by Bus to the region is not advised, but is possible from places such as Bariloche, Puerto Madryn and El Calafate. Flights tend to fly the circuit from Buenos Aires, to Ushuaia, then El Calafate and then back to Buenos Aires.

The Congo tetra is less well-known that its famous relatives the Neon tetra and Cardinal tetra and it is seldom found in beginner aquariums. The Congo tetra has an elongated body with big eyes. The scales are quite large. The middle rays of the caudal fins are very long in male Congo tetras. You can also tell the male apart from the female on his big dorsal fin that reaches all the way back to the caudal fin. Males will also grow bigger than females. A male Congo tetra can become 3.5 inches long, while the female typically stay smaller than 2.5 inches. A group of Congo tetras can be comfortably housed in aquariums measuring 40 inches or more in length.

The native habit for Congo tetra is the Zaire River basin in Central Africa. Wild caught Congo tetras are still very common in the aquarium trade since captive bred specimens tend to be of lower quality. This species is really not very hard to breed in aquariums, and hopefully we will se an increased quality in the captive bred specimens offered by aquarium stores in the future. Today, the wild caught Congo tetras usually have longer fins than the captive bred specimens and display more pronounced colours.

Congo tetras sport iridescent colours that very from specimen to specimen. The main body colour is olive green and the fins can be grey or of a pale red shade. The belly is usually violet or purple. Each side of the body is decorated with a large light brown stripe under which many smaller stripes can be seen. These stripes are usually green or golden. The tail fin and anal fin have white edges, and the anal fin is also decorated with a darker spot.

The Congo tetra will feel stressed if kept in a barren aquarium and can become very shy and skittish. A well planted aquarium with plenty of hiding spaces is therefore recommended. You should also keep at least six Condo tetras together, preferably even more, since the Congo tetra is a schooling species. Aggressive species can also cause stress and shyness in Congo tetras, so housing it with other peaceful species is advisable.

The recommended temperature range for the Congo tetra is 73 – 79 F (23 – 26 C). The levels of soluble waste must be kept very low and frequent water changes are necessary. The water circulation should also be quite powerful. Congo tetras prefer somewhat acidic waters, but a pH from 6.0 to 7.5 is usually tolerated. Soft water is advisable, but this species is known to adapt to harder conditions in the aquarium.

In the wild, the Congo tetra feed on insects, but it is not very hard to train onto flakes or frozen food in the aquarium. If you give your Congo tetra nothing but flakes, it can however become dull and loos its striking colours. Using flakes as a base and supplementing them with brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, daphnia or similar foods is therefore recommended.

Scuba diving is a wonderful sport and with the right equipment it can prove to be one of the most fulfilling experiences. Here is what you need to know about your scuba equipment.

What gear will you need when diving?

When you first start out there are five items you will need for basic scuba diving and training.

Scuba Mask: Perhaps this is the most important of them all. This is the mask that will let you see the wonders of the under water world. When buying a scuba mask it is very important to try a wide variety on. Try different makes, different shapes and sizes, not every mask will fit every person so it’s important to find the one that will fit you best as the mask also provides a seal against water entering your eyes.

Scuba Booties: These boot like shoes will be your best friend when walking along rough surfaces or slippery rocks. These boots are designed to protect the feet from rough surfaces. They have a non-slip grip on the bottom to assist with walking on slippery surfaces such as rocks.

Swim Fins: These shoes allow you to experience the water as other water creatures do. Fins allow you to propel yourself through the water in fluid movements with less effort. Scuba equipment can be heavy and awkward at times so having the fins allows you to move easier and more efficiently in that water. There are a variety of swim fins to choose from. There are fins that are webbed like a ducks’ feet, there are fins that are shaped more like the fin of a dolphin. Make sure to try on a variety of fins to choose one that fits well and will suit your needs.

Scuba weights and belt: This is essential as the weights and belt are what allows you to stay underwater. These come in a variety of makes so trying a few out to get the one that feels best for you would be idea.

Snorkel: This will allow you to enjoy the view from the surface of the water without using your regulator. Using the snorkel while on the surface either before or after a dive will help to conserve the air in the tank and also as a safety mechanism. The rule of thumb is to always have one of the two in your mouth at all times. Either the snorkel or the regulator will help should be caught up in a wave. Either of these devices will allow you to breath.

Always remember when looking to buy your very first scuba equipment, this is one sport that buying second hand is not a good idea and can actually pose to be dangerous. Scuba diving is not cheap but the reward you will get on your first dive will make it worth every penny. The key to a successful dive is successful equipment. Shop at reputable stores where the owner or employees have a strong knowledge in scuba diving. Bring along a friend who may be a seasoned scuba diver or an instructor who may be willing to assist you in your shopping endeavour.
Never buy scuba equipment online as most of the equipment requires you to try ti on. It is essential that you feel completely comfortable in your gear as you will be descending many feet underwater and that is not the time to be uncomfortable.

Remember as you shop for your scuba equipment to be cautious and know what you need before you go. Having a clear understanding of the sport and what is needed will ensure that you have the best experience possible.

For centuries, people have tried to explore the aquatic environment. Before, their main reason was to gather food or to salvage some items from rivers, lakes and oceans. Also, young girls and boys were trained to free dive to gather shellfish and seaweed, and even sponges from the sea floor.

In modern times, although people still continue to dive for valuable objects and food, diving’s popularity grew especially in warm vacation destinations. Tourists and diving enthusiasts skin dive to explore the underwater world. Without any special training and equipment, they were able to observe the beauty of aquatic life.

Basically, skin diving is defined as a water activity wherein swimmers depend on their lung capacity, a diving mask, snorkel, and fins to move about underwater for several minutes. It is an extension of snorkeling, where a person views the underwater environment from the water surface.

Skin diving is termed as such because of the little equipment it requires. Its basic requirements are only a waterproof mask, fins for the feet, and a snorkel. A snorkel is just a tube about 38 cm long with a mouthpiece on one end, used for breathing underwater.

The diving mask should allow the skin divers to see clearly even when underwater. A mask which completely encapsulates the nose and eyes to form an air space between the water and diver’s eyes is preferred.

Fins, or also called flippers are like the webbed feet of a duck. These enhance the divers’ movements below the water, and helped to propel them in a smooth and efficient motion. All fins have a foot pocket to secure your feet in, and large sheets of flexible plastic.

Snorkels are also helpful in observing shallow marine life. As long one end extends out of the surface, the diver will be able to breathe normally. However, snorkels shouldn’t be more than 15 inches long since air can’t be drawn to greater depths.

If you want to go deeper into the water, you have to hold your breath. Since you can’t possiblily live without breathing for hours, you could only stay beneath the ocean for brief periods, usually about two minutes. Experienced skin divers, however, however are known to stay underwater for several minutes.

The main difference of skin diving from scuba diving is the device used by scuba divers. Scuba stands for “self-contained underwater-breathing apparatus”, which is basically just a metal tank filled with air. This tank should be connected to a valve regulator for pressure adjustment so the diver can breathe comfortably even at greater water pressures.

Also, since scuba diving involves exploring the water at greater depths, there are other major considerations. A scuba diver needs a suit to keep him warm enough while underwater.

Scuba divers also make use of buoyancy compensators to help them control their position while underwater. A diver just controls the amount of air in these buoyancy compensators to adjust their overall buoyancy.

Of course, there are several pressure related injuries which a scuba diver is exposed to. Ascending or descending too quickly causing significant rapid changes in the pressure difference between a diver’s body and his surroundings may be fatal. That’s why, scuba divers need to go through specialized training to be able to stay safe and remain alive even when more than a hundred feet below water.

That’s basically the difference between scuba diving and skin diving. When you scuba dive, you are largely dependent on your diving gears for survival. Skin diving on the other hand is a simpler form of exploring the underwater environment, that’s probably what makes it very popular. As mentioned, you only need to rely on your own swimming prowess. You won’t need to pay for any expensive special breathing equipment.

So if you plan to stay at greater depths for a longer period of time, you can take some scuba diving lessons. Scuba diving is mostly beneficial for those who wish to study and collect date on marine environments.

Skin diving is mostly used for food gathering underwater. In some parts of the Caribbean, it is illegal to catch lobsters using any scuba equipment, thus, those who are good in skin make hundreds of dives each day to collect lobsters.

Pre-industrial

Several centuries BC: (Relief carvings made at this time show Assyrian soldiers crossing rivers using inflated goatskin floats. Several modern authors have wrongly said that the floats were crude breathing sets and that they show frogmen in action.)

Ancient Roman and Greek times, etc.: There have been many instances of men swimming or diving for combat, but they always had to hold their breath, and had no diving equipment, except sometimes a hollow plant stem used as a snorkel. See this link (in Portuguese).

About 500 BC: (Information originally from Herodotus): During a naval campaign the Greek Scyllis was taken aboard ship as prisoner by the Persian King Xerxes I. When Scyllis learned that Xerxes was to attack a Greek flotilla, he seized a knife and jumped overboard. The Persians could not find him in the water and presumed he had drowned. Scyllis surfaced at night and made his way among all the ships in Xerxes’s fleet, cutting each ship loose from its moorings; he used a hollow reed as snorkel to remain unobserved. Then he swam nine miles (15 kilometers) to rejoin the Greeks off Cape Artemisium.

The use of diving bells is recorded by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in the 4th century BC: “…they enable the divers to respire equally well by letting down a cauldron, for this does not fill with water, but retains the air, for it is forced straight down into the water.”

1300 or earlier: Persian divers were using diving goggles with windows made of the polished outer layer of tortoiseshell.

15th century: Leonardo da Vinci made the first known mention of air tanks in Italy: he wrote in his Atlantic Codex (Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan) that systems were used at that time to artificially breathe under water, but he did not explain them in detail due to what he described as “bad human nature”, that would have taken advantage of this technique to sink ships and even commit murders. Some drawings, however, showed different kinds of snorkels and an air tank (to be carried on the breast) that presumably should have no external connections. Other drawings showed a complete immersion kit, with a plunger suit which included a sort of mask with a box for air. The project was so detailed that it included a urine collector, too.

1531: Guglielmo de Lorena dives on two of Caligula’s sunken galleys using a diving bell from a design by Leonardo da Vinci.

1616: Franz Kessler built an improved diving bell.

Around 1620: Cornelius Drebbel may have made a crude rebreather: see Rebreather#History of rebreathers.

1650: Otto von Guericke built the first air pump.

1772: Sieur Freminet tried to build a scuba device out of a barrel, but died from lack of oxygen after 20 minutes, as he merely recycled the exhaled air untreated.

1776: David Bushnell invented the Turtle, first submarine to attack another ship. It was used in the American Revolution.

19th century

1800: Robert Fulton builds a submarine, the “Nautilus”

Diving helmets appear

1808: Brize-Fradin designed a small bell-like helmet connected to a low-pressure backpack air container .

1820: Paul Lemaire d’Augerville (a Parisian dentist) invented and made a diving apparatus with a copper backpack cylinder, and with a counter-lung to save air, and with an inflatable lifejacket connected. It was used down to 15 or 20 meters for up to an hour in salvage work. He started a successful salvage company .

1825: William H. James designed a self contained diving suit that had compressed air in an iron container worn around the waist.

1827: Beaudouin in France developed a diving helmet fed from an air cylinder pressurized to 80 to 100 bars. The French Navy was interested, but nothing came of this.

1829: Charles Anthony Deane and John Deane of Whitstable in Kent in England design the first air-pumped diving helmet for use with a diving suit. It is said that the idea started from a crude emergency rig-up of a fireman’s water-pump (used as an air pump) and a knight-in-armour helmet used to try to rescue horses from a burning stable. Others say that it was based on earlier work in 1823 developing a “smoke helmet”. However the suit was not attached to the helmet, so a diver could not bend over or invert without risk of flooding the helmet and drowning. Nevertheless, the diving system is used in salvage work, including the successful removal of cannon from the British warship HMS Royal George in 1834-35. This 108-gun fighting ship sank in 65 feet of water at Spithead anchorage in 1783.

1829: E.K.Gauzen, a Russian naval technician of Kronshtadt naval base (a district of Saint Petersburg), offers a “diving machine”. His invention was an air-pumped metallic helmet strapped to a leather suit (an overall). The bottom of the helmet is open. The helmet is strapped to the leather suit by metallic tape. Gauzen’s diving suit and its further modifications were used by the Russian Navy until 1880. The modified diving suit of the Russian Navy, based on Gauzen’s invention, was known as “three-bolt equipment”.

1837: Following up Leonardo’s studies, and those of Halley the astronomer, Augustus Siebe develops standard diving dress, a sort of surface supplied diving apparatus.

1837 By attaching the Deane brothers helmet to a suit, Augustus Siebe develops the Siebe “Closed” Dress combination diving helmet and suit, considered the foundation of modern diving dress. This was a significant evolution from previous models of “open” dress that did not allow a diver to invert. (Siebe-Gorman went on to manufacture helmets continuously until 1975).

The first diving regulator

1838: Dr. Manuel Guillaumet invented a twin-hose demand regulator. It was demonstrated used as surface-demand. Use duration was limited to 30 minutes by diving in cold water without a diving suit.

1839 Canadian inventors James Eliot and Alexander McAvity of Saint John, New Brunswick patent an “oxygen reservoir for divers”, a device carried on the diver’s back containing “a quantity of condensed oxygen gas or common atmospheric air proportionate to the depth of water and adequate to the time he is intended to remain below”.

1839: W.H.Thornthwaite of Hoxton in London patented an inflatable lifting jacket for divers .

Around 1842: The Frenchman Joseph Cabirol starts making standard diving dress.

1843: Based on lessons learned from the Royal George salvage, the first diving school is set-up by the Royal Navy.

1849: Saint-Simon-Sicard (a chemist) made the first practical oxygen rebreather. It was demonstrated in London in 1854 .

1856: Wilhelm Bauer starts the first of 133 successful dives with his second submarine Seeteufel. The crew of 12 was trained to leave the submerged ship through a diving chamber.

1860: Giovanni Luppis, a retired engineer of the Austro-Hungarian navy, demonstrates a design for a self-propelled torpedo to emperor Franz Joseph.

1863: H.L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to sink a ship, the USS Housatonic, during the American Civil War.

Diving set by Rouquayrol and Denayrouze with barrel-shaped bailout air tank on the diver’s back

1865: Benoit Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze design a diving set with a backpack spherical air tank that supplied air through the first known demand regulator. The diver still walked on the seabed and did not swim. This set was called an arophore (Greek for “air-carrier”). But air pressure tanks made with the technology of the time could only hold 30 atmospheres, and the diver had to be surface supplied; the tank was for bailout. The durations of 6 to 8 hours on a tankful without external supply recorded for the Rouquayrol set in the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, are wildly exaggerated fiction. Judging by Jules Verne’s inaccurate attempts in the book at describing how the Rouquayrol set worked, how the demand regulator works was not generally known or had already been forgotten when he wrote the book, which was published in 1870. But Jules Verne knew about the tendency of some divers, when surfacing into rain, to want to stay underwater to keep out of the rain.

1866: Minenschiff, the first self-propelled (locomotive) torpedo, developed by Robert Whitehead (to a design by Captain Luppis, Austrian Navy), is demonstrated for the imperial naval commission on December 21.

Gas and air cylinders appear

Late 19th century: Industry begins to be able to make high-pressure air and gas cylinders. That prompted a few inventors down the years to design open-circuit compressed air breathing sets, but they were all constant-flow, and the demand regulator did not come back until 1939.

1876: An English merchant seaman, Henry Fleuss, develops the first workable self-contained diving rig that uses compressed oxygen. This prototype of closed-circuit scuba uses rope soaked in caustic potash to absorb carbon dioxide so the exhaled gas can be re-breathed.

1893: Louis Boutan invents the first underwater camera.

Decompression sickness becomes a problem

1841: First documented case of decompression sickness occurs, reported by a mining engineer who observed pain and muscle cramps among coal miners working in mine shafts air-pressurized to keep water out.

1870: Bauer publishes outcomes of 25 paralyzed caisson workers.

From 1870 to 1910 all prominent symptoms/causes will be established: explanations at the time included: cold or exhaustion causing reflex spinal cord damage; electricity caused by friction on compression; or organ congestion and vascular stasis caused by decompression.

1871: The St Louis Eads Bridge employs 352 compressed air workers including Dr. Alphonse Jaminet as the physician in charge. There were 30 seriously injured and 12 fatalities. Dr. Jaminet himself suffered a case of decompression sickness when he ascended to the surface in four minutes after spending almost three hours at a depth of 95 feet in a caisson, and his description of his own experience was the first such recorded.

1872: The similarity between decompression sickness and iatrogenic air embolism as well as the relationship between inadequate decompression and decompression sickness is noted by Friedburg. He suggested that intravascular gas was released by rapid decompression and recommended: slow compression and decompression; four hour working shifts; limit to maximum depth 44.1 psig (4 ATA); using only healthy workers; and recompression treatment for severe cases.

1873: Dr. Andrew Smith first utilizes the term “caisson disease” describing 110 cases of decompression sickness as the physician in charge during construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. The project employed 600 compressed air workers. Recompression treatment was not used. The project chief engineer Washington Roebling suffered from caisson disease. (He took charge after his father John Augustus Roebling died of tetanus.) Washington’s wife, Emily, helped manage the construction of the bridge after his sickness confined him to his home in Brooklyn. He battled the after-effects of the disease for the rest of his life. During this project, decompression sickness became known as “The [Grecian] Bends” because afflicted individuals characteristically arched their backs: this is possibly reminiscent of a then fashionable women’s dance maneuver known as the Grecian Bend.

1878: Paul Bert Publishes La Pression barometrique, providing the first systematic understanding of the causes of DCS.

20th century

1900: John P. Holland builds the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the U.S. Navy, Holland (also called A-1).

1900: ## Leonard Hill uses a frog model to prove that decompression causes bubbles and that recompression resolves them.

1903: Siebe Gorman starts to make a submarine escape set in England; in the years afterwards it was improved, and later was called the Davis Escape Set or Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus.

1905 Several sources, including the 1991 US Navy Dive Manual (pg 1-8), state that the MK V Deep Sea Diving Dress was designed by the Bureau of Construction & Repair in 1905, but in reality, the 1905 Navy Handbook shows British Siebe-Gorman helmets in use. Since the earliest know MK V is dated 1916, these sources are probably referring to the earlier MK I, MK II, MK III & MK IV Morse and Schrader helmets.

1905: The first rebreather with metering valves to control the supply of oxygen is made.

1907: Draeger of Lbeck makes a rebreather called the U-Boot-Retter. = “submarine rescuer”.

1908: ## Arthur Boycott, Guybon Damant, and John Haldane publish “The Prevention of Compressed-Air Illness”, detailed studies on the cause and symptoms of decompression sickness, and propose a table of decompression stops to avoid the effects.

1908: ## The Admiralty Deep Diving Committee adopts the Haldane tables for the Royal Navy, and publish Haldane’s diving tables to the general public.

1912: ## US Navy adopts the decompression tables published by Haldane, Boycott and Damant. Driven by Chief Gunner George Stillson, the navy sets up a program to test tables and staged decompression based on the work of Haldane.

1913 The Navy also begins developing the future MK V, influenced by Schrader and Morse designs.

1915 The submarine USS F-4 is salvaged from 304 feet establishing the practical limits for air diving. Three US Navy divers, Frank W. Crilley, William F. Loughman, and Nielson, reached 304 fsw using the MK V dress.

1916 With the addition of a battery-powered telephone, the design of the MK V is finalized however, several more design improvements are made over the next two years.

1916: The Draeger model DM 2 becomes standard equipment of the German Navy.

1917 The Bureau of Construction & Repair introduces the MK V helmet and dress, which then becomes the standard for US Navy diving until the introduction of the MK 12 in the late seventies

1918: Ohgushi (he was Japanese) patents “Ohgushi’s Peerless Respirator”. It was a constant-flow diving and industrial open-circuit breathing set. The user breathed through his nose and switched the air on and off with his teeth.

Around 1920: Hanseatischen Apparatebau-Gesellschaft make a 2-cylinder breathing apparatus with double-lever single-stage demand valve and single wide corrugated breathing tube with mouthpiece, and a “duck’s beak” exhalent valve in the regulator. It was described in a mine rescue handbook in 1930. They were successors to Ludwig von Bremen of Kiel, who had the licence to make the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze apparatus in Germany .

1924 Yves le Prieur invented a hand-controlled self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. It delivered air at constant pressure without a demand regulator. He first experimented with it in 1926.

1926: Draeger displayed a rescue breathing apparatus that the wearer could swim with. While the previous devices served only for ascending to the surface and were designed also to develop lift so that the wearer arrived at the surface without swimming movements, the diving set had weights, which also made it possible to dive down with it, to search and save after an accident.

1937: US Navy publishes its revised diving tables based on the work of O.D. Yarbrough.

Swim-diving starts

The 1930s:

In France, Guy Gilpatrick starts swim diving with waterproof goggles, derived from swimming goggles (which were originally intended to keep salt water out of the eyes at the surface).

Sport spearfishing became common in the Mediterranean, and spearfishers gradually developed the common sport diving mask and fins and snorkel, with mostly Georges Beuchat in Marseille, France, which created the speargun and the 1st isothermic wetsuit, and Italian sport spearfishers started using oxygen rebreathers. This practice came to the attention of the Italian Navy, which developed its frogman unit Decima Flottiglia MAS using oxygen rebreathers and manned torpedoes, playing a large role in World War II.

1933:

In France, Louis de Corlieu patents the first swimming swimfins.

In San Diego, California, the first sport diving club is started, called the Bottom Scratchers. As far as it is known, it did not use breathing sets; its main aim was spearfishing.

More is known of Yves Le Prieur’s constant-flow open-circuit breathing set. It is said that it could allow a 20 minute stay at 7 meters and 15 minutes at 15 meters. It has one cylinder feeding into a circular fullface mask. Its air cylinder was often worn at an angle to get its on/off valve in reach of the diver’s hand; this would have caused an awkward skew drag in swimming.

1934:

In France, establishment of Beuchat, oldest scuba diving and spearfishing company in the world,

In France a sport diving club is started, called the Club des Sous-l’Eau. It did not use breathing sets as far as is known. Its main aim was spearfishing.

Otis Barton and William Beebe dive to 3028 feet using a bathysphere.

1935: The French Navy adopts the Le Prieur breathing set.

1936: On the French Riviera, the first known sport scuba diving club started. It used Le Prieur’s breathing sets.

1937: The American Diving Equipment and Salvage Company (now known as DESCO) develops a heavy bottom-walking-type diving suit with a self-contained mixed-gas helium and oxygen rebreather.

1937: ## US Navy publishes its revised diving tables based on the work of O.D. Yarbrough.

1939: Hans Hass developed from the escape set a type of rebreather with its bag on his back and two breathing tubes but no backpack box. These sets appear much in his movies and books.

1954: Underwater hockey (octopush) is invented by four navy sub-aqua divers in Southsea who got bored swimming up and down and wanted a fun way to keep fit.

The diving regulator reappears

1937: Georges Commeinhes developed a two-cylinder open-circuit apparatus with demand regulator. The regulator was a big rectangular box between the cylinders. Some were made, but WWII interrupted development.

World War II

1939: Georges Commeinhes offers his breathing set to the French Navy, which could not continue developing uses for it because of WWII.

July 1943: Commeinhes reached 53 meters (about 174 feet) using his breathing set off the coast of Marseille.

1944: Commeinhes died in the liberation of Strasbourg in Alsace. His invention was submerged by Cousteau’s invention.

Christian J. Lambertsen of the United States designed a ‘Self-Contained Underwater Oxygen Breathing Apparatus’ for the U.S. military. It was a rebreather. It was the first device to be called SCUBA.

Various nations use frogmen equipped with rebreathers for some of the best known and most spectacular war actions: see Human torpedo.

Hans Hass later said that during WWII the German diving gear firm Drger offered him an open-circuit scuba set with a demand regulator. It may have been a separate invention, or it may have been copied from a captured Commeinhes-type set.

1943: Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan invent and make an open-circuit diving breathing set, using a demand regulator which Gagnan modified from a demand regulator used to let a petrol-driven car run on a big bag of coal-gas carried on its roof during wartime shortages of petrol. Cousteau had his first dives with it. He made two more aqualungs: there were now 3, one each for Cousteau and his first two diving companions Frdric Dumas and Taillez. His aqualung remained a secret until the south of France was liberated. This type of breathing set was later named the “Aqua-Lung”. This word is correctly a tradename that goes with the Cousteau-Gagnan patent, but in Britain it has been commonly used as a generic and spelt “aqualung” since at least the 1950s, including in the BSAC’s publications and training manuals, and describing scuba diving as “aqualunging”.

Early 1944: the USA government, to try to stop men from being drowned in sunken army tanks, asked the company Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) for a suitable small escape breathing set. MSA provided a small open-circuit breathing set with a small (5 to 7 liters) air cylinder, a circular demand regulator with a two-lever system similar to Cousteau’s design (connected to the cylinder by a nut and cone nipple connection), and one corrugated wide breathing tube connected to a mouthpiece. This set was stated to be made from made from “off-the-shelf” items, which shows that MSA had that regulator design before; also, that regulator looks like the result of development and not a prototype; it may have arisen around 1943. In an example recovered in 2003 form a submerged Sherman tank in the Bay of Naples the cylinder was bound round in tape and tied to a lifejacket. These sets were too late for the D-day landings in June 1944, but were used in the invasion of the south of France and in the South Pacific war.

1944: In October, Frdric Dumas reaches 62 meters (about 200 feet) with a Cousteau aqualung.

1945: Cousteau’s first aqualung is destroyed by a mis-aimed artillery shell in an Allied landing on the French Riviera: that left two. Afterwards, he had more aqualungs made and gathered more men and taught them to aqualung dive. In Toulon he started an unofficial mine-clearing and wreck-clearing unit. Later this unit was made official. One of the men who he trained was Broussard, who founded the first post-WWII scuba diving club, the Club Alpin Sous-Marin.

Postwar

The public first hears about frogmen.

The first known underwater diving club in Britain, “The Amphibians Club”, is formed in Aberdeen by Ivor Howitt (who modified an old civilian gas mask) and some friends. They called underwater diving “fathomeering”, to distinguish from jumping into water .

1946:

Cousteau-type aqualungs go on sale in France.

Yves Le Prieur invents a new version of his breathing set. Its fullface mask’s front plate was loose in its seating and acted as a very big, and therefore, very sensitive diaphragm for a demand regulator: see Diving regulator#Demand valve.

The Cave Diving Group (CDG) is formed in Britain.

1948: Auguste Piccard sends the first bathyscaphe, FNRS-2, on unmanned dives.

Siebe Gorman and/or Heinke start making Cousteau-type aqualungs in England. Captain Trevor Hampton had a dive with one. Siebe Gorman and the Royal Navy expected aqualungs to be used with weighted boots for bottom-walking for light commercial diving: see Aqua-lung#”Tadpoles”.

Ted Eldred in Australia starts designing the first open-circuit single-hose scuba set known: see Porpoise (make of scuba gear).

Georges Beuchat in France creates the first surface buoy.

1948 or 1949: Rene’s Sporting Goods shop in California imports aqualungs from France. Hollywood sees them and gets interested.

1949: Otis Barton makes record dive to 4,500 feet in his Benthoscope.

1950: Cousteau-type aqualungs go on sale (but very expensive) to industry and civilians in Britain. Siebe Gorman made it at Chessington.

A British naval diving manual printed soon after this said that the aqualung is to be used for walking on the bottom with a heavy diving suit and weighted boots, and did not mention Cousteau.

A report to Cousteau said that only 10 aqualung sets had been sent to the USA because the market there was saturated.

The first camera housing called Tarzan is released by Georges Beuchat,

1951: The movie “The Frogmen” is released. It is set in the Pacific Ocean in WWII. In its last 20 minutes, it shows USA frogmen, using bulky 3-cylindered aqualungs on a combat mission. This equipment use is anachronistic (in reality they would have used rebreathers), but it shows that aqualungs were available (even if not widely known of) in the USA in 1951.

1951: The US Navy starts to develop wetsuits, but not known to the public. .

1951: In December, the first issue of Skin Diver Magazine (USA) appears. The magazine ran until November 2002.

Cousteau-type aqualungs go on sale in Canada.

1952: Cousteau-type aqualungs go on sale in the USA.

Ted Eldred in Australia starts making for public sale the Porpoise (make of scuba gear). This was the world’s first commercially available single-hose scuba unit and was the forerunner of most sport SCUBA equipment produced today.

Public interest in scuba diving takes off

1953: The National Geographical Society Magazine publishes an article about Cousteau’s underwater archaeology at Grand Conglou island near Marseille, and in French-speaking countries a diving film called paves (Shipwrecks) came out. That started a massive public demand for aqualungs and diving gear, and in France and America the diving gear makers started making them as fast as they could. But in Britain Siebe Gorman and Heinke kept aqualungs expensive, and restrictions on exporting currency stopped people from importing them. Many British sport divers used home-made constant-flow breathing sets and ex-armed forces or ex-industrial rebreathers. In the early 1950s, diving regulators made by Siebe Gorman cost 15, which was an average week’s salary.

After the supply of war-surplus frogman’s drysuits ran out, free-swimming diving suits were not readily available to the general public, and as a result many scuba divers dived with their skin bare except for swimming trunks. That is why scuba diving used often to be called skindiving. Others dived in homemade drysuits, or in thick layers of ordinary clothes.

After the supply of war-surplus frogman’s fins dried up, for a long time fins were not available to the public, and some had to resort to such things as gluing marine ply to plimsoles.

Captain Trevor Hampton founds the British Underwater Centre at Dartmouth in Devon in England.

Rene’s Sporting Goods shop (now owned by Spirotechnique) becomes U.S. Divers, now a leading maker of diving equipment.

Georges Beuchat in Marseille, France invent and release the first isothermic wetsuit.

15 October 1953: The BSAC is founded.

1954: USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, is launched.

The first manned dives occur in the bathyscaphe FNRS-2.

First scuba certification course in the USA is offered by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. Program created by Albert Tillman and Bev Morgan now known as LA County Scuba.

1954: In the USA, MSA advertises (in Popular Mechanics magazine) a two-cylinder aqualung-like open-circuit diving set using the MSA regulator.

1955: In Britain, “Practical Mechanics” magazine publishes an item “Making an Aqualung”.

1955: Louis Malle, a young film maker of 23, and Jacques-Yves Cousteau shoot The Silent World, one of the first films to use underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color.

1956: Wetsuits become available to the public.

1956: ## US Navy publishes tables that allow for repetitive diving.

Around this time, some British scuba divers start making homemade diving demand regulators from industrial parts, including Calor Gas regulators. (Since then, Calor Gas regulators have been redesigned, and this conversion is now impossible.)

Later, Submarine Products Ltd in Hexham in Northumberland, England designed round the Cousteau-Gagnan patent and made sport diving breathing sets accessibly cheap. This forced Siebe Gorman’s and Heinke’s prices down and started them selling to the sport diving trade. (Siebe Gorman gave its drysuit the tradename “Frogman”.) Because of this better availability of aqualungs, BSAC’s policy towards rebreathers became merely “Here be dragons: keep out!” and remained so for a long time. In the USA, some oxygen diving clubs developed down the years. Eventually, the Cousteau-Gagnan patent time-expired and any firm could legally copy it.

1956: The Silent World receives an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and the Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.

1957: The television series Sea Hunt begins. It introduces scuba diving to the television audience. It ran until 1961.

1958: USS Nautilus completes the first ever voyage under the polar ice to the North Pole and back.

1958: The CMAS (World Underwater Federation) is founded in Brussels.

1959: NAUI is founded by Albert Tillman and Neal Hess.

1960: Jacques Piccard and Lieutenant Don Walsh, USN, descend to the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the ocean (about 10900m or 35802 feet = 6.78 miles) in the bathyscaphe Trieste: see at this link andthis link

USS Triton completed the first ever underwater circumnavigation of the world.

In Italy, sport diving oxygen rebreathers continued to be made well into the 1960s.

1964: in France, Georges Beuchat create the Jetfins, first vented fins.

1965: ## Robert D. Workman of the U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) publishes an equation for computing decompression requirements suitable for implementing in a dive computer, rather than a pre-computed table.

The film version of James Bond in Thunderball (using both sorts of open-circuit scuba) is released and helps to make scuba diving popular.

1966: PADI starts.

1968: First known rebreather with electronic parts is made: the Electrolung.

1971: Scubapro introduces the Stabilization Jacket, now in England commonly called stab jacket, and elsewhere Buoyancy Control (or Compensation) Device (BC or BCD).

1972: Scubapro introduces the decompression meter (the first analogic dive computer).

1976: ## Professor Albert A. Bhlmann publishes his work extending the equations to adapt to diving at altitude and with complex gas mixes.

1983: The Orca Edge (the first electronic dive computer) is introduced.

1985: The wreck of RMS Titanic is found. Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747 aircraft, is found and salvaged off Cork, Ireland during the first large scale deep water (6,200 feet) air crash investigation.

1989: The film The Abyss (including an as-yet-fictional deep-sea liquid-breathing set) helps to make scuba diving popular.

The Communist Bloc falls and the Cold War ends (see Fall of Communism and Collapse of the Soviet Union), and with it the risk of future attack by Communist Bloc forces including by their combat divers. After that, the world’s armed forces had less reason to requisition rebreather patents submitted by civilians, and sport diving automatic and semi-automatic mixture rebreathers start to appear. See “rebreather history” link below.

1995: BSAC allows Nitrox diving and introduced Nitrox training.

1996: PADI releases their Enriched Air Diver Course.

1997: The film Titanic helps to make underwater trips onboard MIR submersible vehicles popular.

1998 August: Dives on RMS Titanic occur using Remotely Operated Vehicle controlled from the surface (Magellan 725). First ever live video broadcast from the sunken White Star liner is made.

1999 July: The Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft is raised from 16,043 feet (4891 m) of water in the Atlantic Ocean during the deepest commercial search and recovery operation to date.

2001 December: The BSAC allows rebreathers to be used in BSAC dives.

Notes

^ Entries marked ## are about decompression tables.

^ Arthur J. Bachrach, “History of the Diving Bell”, Historical Diving Times, Iss. 21 (Spring 1998)

^ a b c d e f g h Acott, C. (1999). “A brief history of diving and decompression illness.”. South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society journal 29 (2). ISSN 0813-1988. OCLC 16986801. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6004. Retrieved 2009-03-17. 

^ a b c d e Historical Diving Society magazine issue 45, page 37

^ Edmonds, Carl; Lowry, C; Pennefather, John. “History of diving.”. South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal 5 (2). http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/5894. Retrieved 2009-03-17. 

^ Mario Theriault, Great Maritime Inventions 1833-1950, Goose Lane, 2001, p. 46

^ a b Quick, D. (1970). “A History Of Closed Circuit Oxygen Underwater Breathing Apparatus”. Royal Australian Navy, School of Underwater Medicine. RANSUM-1-70. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4960. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 

^ a b Butler WP (2004). “Caisson disease during the construction of the Eads and Brooklyn Bridges: A review”. Undersea Hyperb Med 31 (4): 44559. PMID 15686275. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4028. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 

^ Bert, P. (originally published 1878). “Barometric Pressure: researches in experimental physiology”. Translated by: Hitchcock MA and Hitchcock FA. College Book Company; 1943. 

^ Boycott, A. E.; G. C. C. Damant, J. S. Haldane. (1908). “Prevention of compressed air illness”. J. Hygiene 8: 342443. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7489. Retrieved 2008-08-06. 

^ a b c d e Carter Jr, R. C. (1977). “Pioneering Inner Space: The Navy Experimental Diving Unit’s First 50 Years”. US Naval Experimental Diving Unit Technical Report NEDU-1-77. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4799. Retrieved 2008-04-21. 

^ Historical Diving Society magazine issue 45, page 43

^ Vann RD (2004). “Lambertsen and O2: beginnings of operational physiology”. Undersea Hyperb Med 31 (1): 2131. PMID 15233157. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3987. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 

^ Butler FK (2004). “Closed-circuit oxygen diving in the U.S. Navy”. Undersea Hyperb Med 31 (1): 320. PMID 15233156. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3986. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 

^ a b Historical Diving Times, issue #44 (summer 2008), pages 5-12

^ Fulton, H. T.; Welham W., Dwyer J. V., Dobbins, R. F. (1952). “Preliminary Report on Protection Against Cold Water”. US Naval Experimental Diving Unit Technical Report NEDU-5-52. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3387. Retrieved 2008-04-21. 

^ Valentine, R. BSAC: The Club 1953-2003. BSAC. ISBN 9780953891955. 

^ a b c BSAC. “Section 1.1 A Brief History of the British Sub-Aqua Club”. BSAC. http://www.bsac.org/page/52/11-brief-history-of-bsac.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-05. 

^ “LA County Scuba” (in en-US). LACountyScuba.com. http://www.lacountyscuba.com/. Retrieved 2009-07-16. 

^ Workman, R. D. (1965). “Calculation of Decompression Schedules for Nitrogen-Oxygen and Helium-Oxygen Dives”. US Naval Experimental Diving Unit Technical Report NEDU-6-65. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3367. Retrieved 2008-04-21. 

^ Bni M., Schibli R., Nussberger P., Bhlmann Albert A. (1976). “Diving at diminished atmospheric pressure: air decompression tables for different altitudes”. Undersea Biomedical Research 3 (3): 189204. ISSN 0093-5387. OCLC 2068005. PMID 969023. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/2750. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 

^ Allen, C (1996). “BSAC gives the OK to nitrox. reprinted from Diver 1995; 40(5) May: 35-36.”. South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society journal 26 (4). ISSN 0813-1988. OCLC 16986801. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6275. Retrieved 2008-09-05. 

^ Richardson, D and Shreeves, K (1996). “The PADI Enriched Air Diver course and DSAT oxygen exposure limits.”. South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society journal 26 (3). ISSN 0813-1988. OCLC 16986801. http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6310. Retrieved 2008-09-05. 

References

Mark Lonsdale, The Evolution of US Navy Diving.

Other diving history timelines (external links)

There are other diving history chronologies at:

Diving Lore from its origins to the aqualung breakthrough.

rebreather history

hem.passagen.se

marinebio.org

BSAC info

Rebreather Diving History

Museum of old scuba gear

History of Cave Diving

Categories: Technology timelines | Underwater divingHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from January 2009 | All articles needing additional references

Theoretically, you could design a roller coaster that would use up all its potential energy at the exact point where it loops back to the start of the ride. The trains themselves, after all, have no brakes. After being towed up the initial hill, they are propelled strictly from converting potential energy to kinetic energy. Once all the potential energy has been changed to kinetic energy, the train either stops or must be towed up another hill.

But in reality roller coasters use so-called “trim brakes.” The train will go faster if there are heavier passengers on it, and slower if there are lighter passengers on it. Weather, believe it or not, can also affect the speed of the train. Trim brakes are adjustable so that each train can be made to travel at the same speed. Most modern coasters have automatically controlled trim brakes.

Roller coasters are also equipped with what are called fin brakes. Like with a regular car, the train is slowed by friction between parts of the brakes. With fin brakes, one part of the brake is on the track, and the other part of it is attached to the bottom part of the train. The brake segment of the track has a groove between the brake pads. The brake fins, which are the part of the brakes underneath the train, run through the groove when the train goes over the brake segment of the track. On the track is also a compressed air mechanism to open and close the gap between the grooves. The more closed they are, the tighter they grip the fins, and the more open they are, the more loosely they grip the fins.

Finally, the brakes in the station where the train comes to a stop are similar to the trim brakes. These brakes also have a bar running parallel to the tracks that is used to release the lap bars of the train when the ride comes to a stop, and to lock the lap bars of the train when the next load of passengers are ready to go.

The following nights, days we keep to our routines, 6 hours duty 6 hours readiness and sleep. If there is no problem we can rest within the six hours, though community service is still asked of everyone, and that includes scrubbing floors, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. Although not much physical activity is required, one begins to feel exhausted, mentally, the close space living together with others creates tensions.

On the other side all is quiet, the Turkish forces have been told of my presence and their commander sends an official letter to the command demanding to meet with me. Even here in the far away plains where my superiors post me in order to reduce my contacts with the Turkish force command, word of mouth travels fast. I am able to post an uncensored letter by field post to the Turkish force commander to inform him I am on the Pyla plateau, much to the dislike of my superiors, the local commander prefers my company to theirs, being accustomed to language and well conversant with the customs of the Turkish people in general.

It is of no surprise to me that my superior is informed in no uncertain terms that the Turkish command would like to see me returned to the main village. This , however this request is turned down, and becomes a political message. On a field visit I am personally informed by my company commander to refrain from contacting the Turkish forces, be it on social, or official meetings. I am outraged, and I can see the typical ‘narrow minded’ mentality in this statement. When asked about my background I gain some valuable points when I mentioned Hauptmann Lukesch, and it saves me from further inconvenience.

I am in charge of radio communications, and as such the portable emergency radio. Mentions worthy, the monotony that sets in, creating boredom and in some, anxieties. When stationed in Pyla one of my colleagues went to a local pub, asked to drink some ‘Cyprus Brandy’, gets drunk. In the aftermath some local youths snatch his rifle which he stupidly leaves near the entrance to the ‘Tavern’. When he discovers the theft, he gets berserk, already charged emotionally, follows the thieves with a Fin dagger drawn, into the nearest homes and frightens the local population. The local police is called in which informs the Military Police and the scenario is perfect. Court martial, repatriated disgracefully, he faces a civil suit back home, his career gone. The thieves later return the rifle, but he remains a victim of the highly charged emotions which gather steam during duty in the demilitarized zone.

Preparing for night duty at 24 HRS, I try to find some sleep around 8 PM and drift off as soon as I lay down, half way dressed, only our boots removed. I am awoken by a shrill whistle blow, amidst shouting ‘Alarm, Alarm’. I am up in a second, stumbling to my feet, searching frantically for my boots. I notice the darkness around me, we have no power. Torches beam at us, I hear the Lieutenant’s voice, Radio operator reporting to me in 2 minutes. How the heck do you want me to get ready in the darkness I think to myself. Within seconds I stumble with all my gear, clothes pulled over in haste, helmet, rifle slung, running into the command center next door, to grab the radio equipment. The radio is heavy and I struggle with its weight. Darkness all around us, I find the command ditch where our Lieutenant is already waiting for me, his helmet on I notice. I stand the rifle against the ditch, and set up the radio as per regulations, ready to make the initial contact. Comcen (Communications center) in Nicosia will be contacted. The Antenna is a foldable Antenna and needs to be unfolded. While this all happens in pitch darkness, the unthinkable happens and the Antenna is broken. Amidst sinister curses of the Lieutenant, who wants to earn his Laurels above all by staging the Alarm, I nearly burst out in laughter, once I realize what he is up to. He wants to impress his superiors that he is the ‘Best’ amongst the worst officers. All attempts to repair the Antenna proof fruitless, the call can not be made unless a spare Antenna is fixed.

Amidst the whole chaos he has created, a number of fellow comrades giggle from the other trenches when he announces the end of the practiced Alarm. I receive a scolding but notice that it was him who broke the Antenna and not me. The silence that follows proofs me right and I pack the equipment, rifle and stumble back through the darkness to return the radio gear. After assembling, we are reminded that this was a trial Alarm and we must be faster to get to our posts in the future. By now everyone in the platoon knows who we have as a leader. God forbids his presence in a real Emergency. I return after being dismissed to my bunk and relax the remaining 2 hours till my duty call. On this night, no further appearance by the Lieutenant is recorded, so the Logbook shows….

Next : Larnaca – a Helicopter ride .

Spoons

Considered the most simple of all other lures, they got their name because they look like the head of a spoon. They act for the bait fish by doing a flickering and wobbling movement or action. Spoons are excellent for starters in lure fishing; easy to use and very affordable.

Spinners

The spinner is basically a blade wherein it does a rotating action on a spindle when being retrieved or taken back through the water as well as it gives off a flash as light is being reflected on the revolving blade, characterizing the bait fish’s scales and movements. This is a lure that is flexible because only can one verify and know the retrieve depth by the period or time frame one leaves before one starts a retrieve, one can also alter the speed of the revolving blade around the spindle, by either speeding up or slowing down one’s retrieve. For the Trout and Mullet, a smaller size is recommended, and a larger spinner with the pike liking, along with the treble hook in a red wool.

Surface lures

These lures are used on the water surface and considered to be the most explosively thrilling of all lures as one could actually see the fish taking the lure, and the anticipation and the expectation of one looking forward of the take is an exciting experience. The fish can be completely seen exiting the water when they send off at a surface lure. Since these lures are being retrieved on the surface of the water, they can be a good choice in areas that have a lot of weed.

Suspending plugs

Having neutral buoyancy and resistance, when the plug has dived or dropped to the required depth and left alone, it will continue on being suspended to that depth. For this reason, this type is perfect for pursuing your prey hidden near the weed beds, rocks or banks. When yanked in order to imitate life to the plug, it causes some crashing attack from your target.

Floating drivers

A necessity for all lure anglers, they cover a wide scope in diving depths; beginning from just beneath the surface up to fifteen feet or more. The diving depth is established on the point of view of the vane or fin to the body of the lure. The lesser the angle to the body of the lure the deeper it can dive. The shape as well as the size of the vane and the lures body contributes to the movement of the plug in the water.

Sinking plugs

These are excellent for deep water fishing, wherein the retrieve can start soon as the preferred depth is reached. This is accomplished by counting down before one starts the retrieval process. Therefore, the same depth will be reached whenever one casts. The distance that the lure has sunk down in a particular time, will give a suggestion of how deep or how far down the fish are situated when they strike; thus this is called the sink rate of the lure.

Soft baits

This is soft rubber bait that comes in various shapes and forms, with matching sizes and colors. These are commonly used for sea and fresh water fishing, which can be used on a weighted jig head handled in the same manner as the jerk bait, being managed as a plug is used.

Jerk baits

Having no movement of its own when in the water, the angler gives life to this lure; whenever the rod trembles or shakes or jerks, this lure can appear to have life. This lure for the most part, mimics an injured or wounded fish that the prey fish find tempting, and be compelled to thrust or lunge at.

If you are like me, and friends and family call big guy it usually means your are a bit overweight and indirectly means fatty. If you are sick and tired of it, it time to do something about it and prove some people you are not just a big guy but and intelligent one.  Over the years being big guy has become a huge trend in sports.  Multi billions of dollars spent in advertising featuring, you guessed it, big guys pitching you a new protein bar or super supplement. With all the supplementation products, and TV this for sure proves my point.  If you look at an average person who is a bit overweight, he is considered the big guy of the group.  Some will actually enjoy that title and some will not.  Speaking from experience it is not too hot being called fatty indirectly. 

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Whenever you decide to take matters into actions and prove people that you can handle this whole big guy thing, you will start noticing peoples reactions immediately.  Being big can mean problems though. Health problems that is.  High cholesterol, Diabetes, Hypertension etc.  Big guys usually encounter some of these or if not more diseases because of their size and shape.  To avoid such problems, lets take are way of thinking and our outlook to life a bit differently.  Start with eating better foods.  Preferably greens and solid complex carbohydrates like; yams, sweet potatoes, grains etc.  Greens will help you balance your PH acidic levels in your body, which will improve your health significantly and you will almost immediately notice your results. 

Having a balanced Ph level means improving your health immediately.  Ph of 7 or above means your blood is not as acidic therefore more healthy cells are produced and distributed to your organs.  It has been known that controlling your body’s alkalinity will give longevity and healthy organs.

Don’t put the down the ever popular protein.  Protein is the fuel to muscle gain and recovery. Although powders and pills are not necessary it may help speed the process.  Increase your protein intake to about 1 gram per 1 pound of your weight.  If you weight 185 lbs, then about 30 grams of protein in the spread of 6 meals for optimum metabolic boost.  Protein may be underestimated now days because of its high impact from the media.  But never abandon it.  Best natural protein resources are from birds; chicken, turkey, fish; tuna, yellow fin, catfish etc.  Stay away from red meat if possible, but if you still want red meat leaner cuts are very effective also. 

If you stay consistent with these tips, you will gain muscle and eliminate extra weight you may be carrying.  It is not easy to get started but once you start, like any habit you will create a life changing routines forever and disease will not face you.   Do it for yourself, improve your well being and instead of being called a big guy you can be call a dude or girl with solid ripped abs.