Narragansett Pier Dive Shop is closing in 2012!

Check out this great video by the folks from Fox61 in CT about all the fun they had renting Jet Skis from us last week.

Scuba tanks are filled with compressed air.  Most of the time this mixture is roughly 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen, the same mixture we breathe on land. Tanks may be made out of steel or aluminum and most often hold 80 cubic feet of air at 2000-3000psi. All scuba tanks have a pillar valve which allows a regulator to be connected to the tank and control the air flow.

Aluminum cylinders are less expensive than steel and have been known to last for 20 years with standard regular maintenance. The drawback is that aluminum cylinders they are neutrally buoyant when full, and positively buoyant when nearing empty.  This means that as your dive progresses you will spend more time and air to maintain your depth. You will also need to carry more weight.

Steel tanks while being heaver on land maintain negative buoyancy when full and neutral when nearing empty.  Some also accept higher pressure fills which will give you more capacity for a longer dive.

All scuba tanks are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and other similar foreign agencies and regulations require that tanks undergo periodic visual inspections and pressure tests.

Exposure suits can make or break a dive. Living in the North East we rely mostly on wetsuits and drysuits to keep us warm while diving but an abrasion suit can be very helpful when snorkeling. Abrasion suits are normally made of thin lycra and while they do not provide much in the way of warmth they will keep you from getting cuts and scrapes and protect you from sunburns on your back.

Wetsuits help to preserve body heat by trapping water that has been warmed by body heat so it cannot escape and take the heat with it. A wetsuit must be fit to the user because if there is too much of a gap the water will escape and you will be cold. Wetsuits come in a variety of thicknesses and styles; one-piece vs. two, shorty vs. steamer ((half sleeve/half pant vs. full-length). What you need depends on where you plan to dive most often.

Drysuits provide passive thermal protection to the wearer while immersed in water. They protect you from neck to wrist to ankle and are most often used where water temperatures dip below 15°C (60°F) or a diver plans to be in the water for long periods of time. Drysuits are designed to prevent all water from reaching the wearer’s skin and since air is a better insulator you will be warmer.

There was a great article earlier this month about a recent study funded in part by the National Science Foundation that says corals “have a genetic complexity that rivals that of humans”. It is worth a read – http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e090608.html

Our friends over at Dive Club of Rhode Island are currently looking for someone to take over the position of Dive-Coordinator.  This is a volunteer position with the responsibility of setting up the club’s dive schedule.

If you, or someone you know, is interested please email Info09@diveclubri.org.