Free-diving is the
most beautiful yet life risking experience one can have in their life. Although
one doesn't go underwater without taking some sort of training first, there are
still some mistakes that are common among beginners.
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| 5 Common Mistakes Beginner Divers Make |
Giving the
following points a read may prevent you from putting your life at risk while
you experience the beauty of marine life.
1. Buying
the Wrong Fins
Free-diving gear
can be a major investment for many which is why it’s important to know what to
look for when buying it. The wrong fins are either too big or too small, too
narrow, too stiff or are a mismatch for your feet's natural shape and arch.
Getting the wrong fins can cause blisters and even slip away while you're under
water.
Since all of us are
at different skill levels of free-diving, its best to get a pair based on that.
You can even find well researched market reviews for free-diving fins at
2.
Missing the Buoyancy Check
Skipping your
buoyancy check is as bad as going to the airport without weighing your luggage,
except you're risking your life in this one. Weighing oneself negative can turn
out to be a huge problem in case of a blackout under water, since all the
excess weight will make it harder to rescue you.
Its best to get a
fresh check since you might've gained or lost weight, or the water quality
might've changed from fresh to salty. For accurate buoyancy, do a check in a
swimming pool with a friend assisting you by handling the weights. Wear the
same equipment as you plan to on the dive.
3. Diving
Alone (include trusting the guide too much in this)
Diving alone can
have serious repercussions for your safety. If you're a solo traveler, take
your guide along or a travel partner. One is at risk of a blackout anytime
underwater, so always take a buddy along. When diving with a buddy, make sure
you communicate well.
Revise your hand
signals before you dive in and keep your partner under supervision and make
sure they do the same, since you don't know which of you will be saving the
other person's life.
Lastly, if you're
diving with a guide, you still need to be careful about currents, marine life
basics, depth limits etc. There's a reason why those briefings are given in the
beginning because you're responsible for your own safety just as much as your
guide is.
4.
Equalizing Too Late
Equalizing is one
of the basics taught in free-diving classes, yet amidst the excitement and nervousness,
beginners often forget to equalize, until they're deep down and the pressure
gets to them. Its important that you equalize after you're a few feet down and
repeat this multiple times during your first 30 feet.
When you start to
experience pain, try and ascend a little and then equalize. As the pain begins
to increase its going to be a lot harder to equalize so its best if you do so
in the beginning phase.
5.
Forgetting to Check Air Pressure Gauge
The key to always
remembering to check the air pressure is that when asked how much air you're
left with, you shouldn't have to look. Keeping a constant check on your air
pressure gauge is the one thing you should never lose track of, since you're
putting your life a
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