Scuba Diving

Last month I started doing some confined water training in a golf club in Bukit Jambul. It was the first time I actually use a gas tank to breathe air from.LEts start from the beginning shall we?

It started with me driving Mei Chen and i up to BJ. I was looking forward to my very first session in the water...heck I even went out to Gurney to buy a 2 piece swimsuit. When i got there I was told to enter a small room near the pool where all the diving equipment were being kept in there. Because of my near-to-microscopic size my instructor had a hard time gearing me up....since practically everything I need has to be in the SS or S category. I was given a wet suit whish fits me ok but not as snug as i would like it to be.The sleeves were til my elbow and the suit covers from my neck til my thighs. Then I went to choose a mask from a basket...we were already trained on how to find one that fits that is through a simple method of suck and fit. Where you hold the mask to ur face,sniff and hold ur breath and wriggle ur head fr side to side. If the mask does not fall off,u r good to go.

After that, I went to pick a pair of flippers or fins.....got a pair that fits me...the smallest pair there.I grabbed my weight and head outside of the room to a bench to place my stuff. Then I went back inside to find a BCD (buoyancy control device) that would allow me to float on water. Then i had to drag my gas tank to the bench so that I can set up my diving gear. Its a misconception when ppl call the gas tank an xygen tank.Its not full of oxygen but actually noml air that we breathe which compose mainly of nitrogen ad oxygen.

When we have collected all the equipment needed, we went to defog our masks. Which is simply rubbing a type of lubricant on the eyepiece and rinsing off with water.

There are many steps to follow when setting up the gear...first we have to connect the BCD to the tank which is a little bit difficult at first.The proceudre is somewhat hard to write down here but if u r interested come and see me and I'll be glad to show you how.then the regulator piece is fixed onto the tank and BCD. The regulator piece consists of 2 stages where the first stage connects from the regulator and the low pressure inflator to the gas tank. The second stage is connected to the BCD. Each diver will have a buddy or a partner. On that particular day, Su Yee was my buddy. Since the gas tank was rather heavy, he suggested I help him suit up first so that he can hold my tank while I adjust my gear. Therefore, as we were taught, I placed one hand below the gas cylinder and on the count of three, helped him lift it up for him to wear his BCD.After clipping the buckles on it was his turn to assist me.
we heaved the BCD onto my back and I fasten the buckles...OMG! Its heavier than i expect...

When we were all ready, we were told to the predive checkup..to put it in short, BWRAF or Blue Whales Really Are Fun where
B - BCD
W- weights
R -regulator
A -airway,gauge metre
F-Fins

we take turns breathing tru each others alternate air source to make sure they are working and are free fr contaminated air. The alternate air source of octopus as itis fondly called is another piece of regulator attached to a diver's chest in case ur buddy ran out of air and needs to share air with you.

We were taught how to enter the water. There are 4 different ways but the one most commonly used is the Big Straddle. It is where u stand near the water edge and take a big step forward with left hand holding the low pressure inflator hose and the right holding ur mask. Well, we were given time to swim with our gear. It was quite hard to breathe throught the regulator at first cause u sorta like have to suck so air can fill ur lungs....but after an hour or so we got quite used to it.

I thinks this is enough for now..i will write more about my lessons some other day. For now, ciao!