If you have ever experienced such a desire to capture moments that will last for a lifetime, then you may surely have visited the local shops of scuba diving for equipments, and must have also read some of the articles on underwater photography published by experts in the field. This can get you sufficient information, but it involves a lot of technical details which is difficult to understand. So in order to learn the best method of taking photos underwater, it is advised to start taking them and learning through a trial-and-error method.

It is assumed that the first camera that you buy for underwater photography will be a waterproof one which would work very well for capturing photos in a shallow depth. This will get you a hang of taking photos underwater, but for capturing photos at a depth inside water, this is not the way to go about. The light amphibious camera is the next mode of camera after the initial camera discussed here. This is the ideal camera that can be used for beginners in underwater photography at a deeper level. You may also use a normal camera and house it with a cover. Though this is on the expensive side, it can give you some really great photographs. An external flashgun and lenses that are interchangeable are vital for taking photographs no matter what camera you make use of.

Once you have got the camera that you wanted, you should immediately start taking pictures. Make sure that you have some extra film with you, and take many shots of every subject. This will help you to analyze the mistakes in a particular shot and will help you to improve in this regard. Given below are few suggestions to help you getting started with this:

• Get near to the subject: The primary reason why underwater photography poses such a big challenge is that there is suspension of matter between the water and the subject. The flash gets reflected and thus, it results in a blurred image.
• Begin with taking photographs of small objects: This will permit you to test your camera prior to diving. You can make use of a flashgun to account for white light, since only monochromatic blue light goes deep into water. Here, artificial white light is very important for producing crisp and colorful photographs.
• Flashgun should be positioned correctly: The flashgun's position should be at a considerable distance from the lens axis in order to avoid light's reflection off the particulate matter suspended in the water.

Once you get a knick of underwater photography, you can keep on learning at each and every stage. As already mentioned earlier, you will need to take a lot of films underwater to take shots from various angles to compare and analyze those to release your mistakes. Once you get a hold of it, you can surely master the art with regular practice.

There are some basic things, however, which you must surely know prior to going for underwater videography. In some aspects, yes, taking a video underwater is akin to recording one on land, but there are certain challenges involved in underwater videography which you must take care of. Mentioned below are some tips which you should follow to shoot a great video underwater:

• Don't move around too often: It is very difficult to hold the camera still underwater but with proper practice, and for making a good video, this is something that you surely must take care of. The key here is practice, and there is no substitution for it.
• Stay away from zooming: Avoid pressing the 'Zoom' button while recording videos underwater. If there are any particulate matters suspended in the sea, they will get zoomed too, and deviate focus from the main object. Instead, you can slowly move towards the subject rather than zooming.
• Forget about auto-focus: Underwater, the suspended particles cannot be avoided at any cost, so auto-focus will be completely messed up in such a case. For instance, if you film your friend going near a shark, then a small fish may cross the camera. The auto-focus may catch the fish and ruin your plans.
• Angles are important: You must shoot all your subjects from the front. Since you just cannot have control over the movement of marine life, you have to be patient in this respect, and wait for the subject to come closer to the camera. Chasing fishes is not a great option, as irregular movements may break the continuity of the video.
• Use lights: It's very important to use a proper combination of lights in case of underwater videography for sharper images and a crisper video.
• Adventure: For creating a good impression, try shooting something adventurous rather than a mundane marine life that everyone has been on the television.
• As mentioned earlier, practice is extremely important for mastering the art of underwater videography. If you are required to shoot many films, study your previous ones, learn from the mistakes and then go for the new one!

Scuba Dive Mask Maintenance

When you have just bought your scuba diving mask, you would have noticed that, when new, many such masks have this thin layer of oil on its surface. The best way to get rid of this oil is to use the toothpaste. By merely applying some of the toothpaste on the oily surfaces which includes also the straps, and then massaging them for some time after which you can finally wash them with fresh water, you can get rid of tall that oil and grime that is present on the gear. See if it is oil free now or else you may have to repeat this process once again if necessary.

Your scuba diving mask can be prevented from fogging under water by just this simple exercise. But it is always advisable to use ordinary toothpaste rather than the fancy gel toothpaste or the ones with granules that you get these days.

Moreover, in order to maintain your scuba diving mask, you need not be an expert at robotics. All you need is a little bit of enterprise to take care of your equipment. The following are the ways which can be helpful:

• It is always advisable to wash your mask with fresh water after you have finished using it. Anything sandy or grimy needs to be gotten rid of as soon as possible before it leaves a mark.
• Your scuba mask should be kept out of direct and harsh sunlight. The silicone layer on your mask is sensitive to sunlight and can be damaged forever if exposed to harsh sunlight.
• Most of the time fungus grows on the mask that has been out of use for a considerable period of time. This is primarily because the last time you used it, you did not let it dry fully before you stored it away. Be patient with your equipment.
• Clean your scuba diving mask for oil and grime with the toothpaste method that is mentioned above. It is time tested and very effective.
• When you are storing away the scuba diving mask, do not just stash it away any which way you like. Place it carefully on the shelf and make sure the lens does not touch the surface. Scratches can be very annoying while scuba diving as it hampers clear vision.

Mask Defogging Tips

The fogging of the scuba diving mask is a huge menace and this problem must be fixed as soon as possible. We have three simple tips for you to be able to do so.

• Use your saliva to clean the mask off stains that may be present on the lens. It may sound icky and unhygienic to many people, but this is by far the easiest way to maintain your scuba diving mask. Do not worry about putting bacteria on your mask; saliva is, as it is, considered to be a disinfectant!
• Scuba diving equipment stores keep a ready made solution. Just a couple of drops of that solution and massage over the lens followed by a through rinsing will do the trick. Good thing is that it is not very expensive and lasts a long time after the initial investment in it.
• As mentioned earlier, the toothpaste will come to your rescue in any condition. Follow the procedure mentioned above to cleanse your mask. Again, make sure to use your ordinary toothpaste rather than a gel.

Since time immemorial man has been diving in to the water to fend for food. This quest has been recorded in history and in all likelihood it goes back even beyond that. However, the history of scuba diving should actually sate from the time, man started using artificial means to supply air o the diver. Way back in 1535 Guglielmo de Loreno built the very first true diving bell. This bell used the simple principle of tapped air inside its very own body. In this mechanism, there was no way in which on could replenish the air supply and as a result the diving time was limited.

During this time, air pumps were being perfected and before long these two discoveries were merged to make the very first diving bell where the air could be replenished by the pumps. This device was perfected in 1691 by Edmund Halley. These diving methods were used for the exploration of the wrecks and also for salvage operations. Over the next hundred of years the underwater advances continued and these advances included the building of the first submarine.

In the later half of the 18th century, various types of sealed helmets were developed and they were later attached to the full diving suits. The best part about these suits was that these suits could be supplied with compressed air with the help of pipes from the air pumps on the surface. In fact by the year 1843, the British Royal Navy had established a diving school. The next stage was the use of tanks of compressed air that the diver carried to get air replenishment during the dive.

The effect of decomposition was first made by Robert Boyle. This observation was made as back as 1667 when he observed a gas bubble in the eye of a snake that was compressed and decompresses rapidly. Over the years there was more of research done on this subject and it later came to be known as ?bends? or decomposition sickness. This has been a limiting factor in deciding the depth to which the diver could ascend until and unless he was able to return to the surface very slowly and was able to avoid rapid decomposition.

During the World War II, Italian drivers planted explosive devices on British ships, using masks, fins, and self contained breathing devices. Thus we can see that the modern day scuba diving was actually born in the midst of a war. It was during this period that Emile Gagnan and Jacques ?Yves Cousteau, who was a French naval officer, developed the first true Aqualung. This device, the aqua lung, allowed compressed air to be breathed in at a controlled rate and then exhaled in to the water even today, aqua lung is the most basic gear of scuba divers.

A scuba diving gear is mandatorily required. There can be little dependence on luck in scuba diving, and safety norms require that a scuba diving gear similar to the task must be used. The mask is the first item of the gear. The mask has a small enclosure which allows holding of the air for breathing purpose. Besides, it accounts for proper vision and restricts the entrance of water into the eyes or the nose. A good mask must be tight-fitting and sealed on the face, which retains the air inside, and restricts the water from outside. For proper and a clear vision, the glass must be scratch-proof.

Fins are another part which is necessarily required in a scuba diving gear. They make movement under water much easier. Fins are available in several kinds. While some are made for the professional divers, others are made for the casual divers who dive for recreational purposes.

A weight belt is another item of the scuba diving gear. The buoyancy of the scuba divers tend to increase due to the wetsuit worn by them, and a weight belt can help the divers go to greater depths in the water easily. A buoyancy jacket is generally used by some divers which throws out any water which has entered the wetsuit, and replaces it with air to increase the buoyancy in emergency purposes. The supply of the air comes from the tank generally fitted on their back or from an emergency air supply meant for this jacket. In case of an emergency, the weight belt can also help the diver to return back to the surface. For this, the diver can simply remove the belt.

However, an Aqualung is the most important item of the scuba diving gear. It has 3 parts. First, the air cylinder, which is made of aluminum/steel and about 200 bars of air is compressed into it. Second, the regulator which is a crucial item to make an adjustment of the air pressure with that of the water's pressure to permit the air to enter the mask when required. Harness is the third item, which is used for fastening the air tank to the scuba diver.

Proper operation of the gear and its maintenance must be given due importance by the scuba diver. Prior to diving, the diver must be fully accustomed to the usage and operation of the gear. He must also make sure that the gear is in the fittest condition. Since the diver is ?diving? into a hostile world, he will be at a big danger if the gear fails to work as expected.

On a very basic level, scuba diving fins are like shoes, so you have to get the right size and they should also keep your feet comfortable. Shoe sizes can often be adjusted by wearing socks, or if need be you can quite easily replace one pair of shoes with a new one. But make absolutely sure that your scuba fins, fit you perfectly and you feel comfortable in them for they are difficult to get hold of and changing them frequently is not an option.

Wash your feet and then try on your fins. Try on several pairs, comparing them for fit and comfort. Your fins should fit you just right, for if they are loose they will scrape the skin around the edge of the boot as well as the skin inside the boot, leading to bruises. Also if they are too tight they will restrict your movement. Ideal fins should seal well around your ankle but not so tight as to crush your feet. After putting them on, check their movement against resistance, by moving your feet up and down in air. Come to a decision, keeping in mind of course that water resistance is far greater.

The fin designer as well as the user should between them be able to strike a proper balance between flexibility and stiffness. While stiff fins provide greater thrust in the water, flexible fins help protect your leg muscles longer. An ideal balance between the two is most desirable.

Split fins; try to address this issue, with their new innovative design. While the traditional fin has a large continuous web, roughly 8 inches wide and 16 inches long, the split fins come in the same sizes but as the name suggests, with a split in the middle of the web. Using split fins a scuba diver can generate greater thrust using less muscle power. But the disadvantage of the split fins is there reduced maneuverability, which makes turning underwater difficult. If you want to dive as an underwater photographer, you should try out both kinds of fins and choose between greater thrust and maneuverability.

Buoyancy is another determining factor when it comes to fin selection. Neutral buoyancy should be maintained by divers to minimize their fatigue levels while ascending and descending during dives. Fins by nature are floatable, and even if you loose your fins during a dive, you can go back up to the surface and recover them. But if you feel your fins are constantly pulling you down or on the flip side if they seem too light there is certainly something wrong with the buoyancy of your fins. It is best to enquire about the degree of buoyancy before you purchase fins, to prevent buying further instruments to correct the flawed buoyancy.

Scuba sets comes in two kinds. The simpler one is the open circuit. Here, breathing in is done from the set while the outer breath just leaves the apparatus. This implies that the supply of gas lasts only as long as the re-breather set, and it would become very bulky if one was to carry more gas for loner diving. A demand regulator is present in the open circuit, and not a constant flow regulator. The latter maintains a constant flow of gas irrespective of the inhalation that takes place by the diver. This necessarily means that the dive will be of a shorter duration. But in case of demand regulator, the supply of gas is made only when demanded, that is, gas is supplied only when the diver inhales.

In comparison, a semi-closed or a closed circuit sets re-use the air exhaled, since just a fraction of oxygen is used by the lungs. Here, a carbon-dioxide scrubber [a soda lime cylinder] usually recycles the dead air, which renews the air for reuse. Though conservation of gas is done very efficiently by the re-breathers, they are not much efficient at deeper levels, which restrict their use to surface diving, which means a dive of anywhere between 6 to 10m.

To keep the diver at the depth that he wishes to remain at, the buoyancy compensator is generally used. These are packets bonded with the scuba set, and they inflate/deflate to let the diver float or sink, as he desires. Most of the buoyancy compensators have spots where divers can dump weights, to counterbalance the diving set's original buoyancy.

Electronic equipments are installed in most of the new scuba sets, which give the divers instructions about what action to take recourse to, or aid in regulation of proper gas flow. The divers can also carry with them a spare scuba set which can be helpful if the actual one doesn't function well, or they are required to stay under the water for a longer period than expected.

A harpoon is a must for underwater divers since you may find dangerous sharks and other animals underwater, who may try to harm you. Unless you are a superhuman, you can also take a waterproof camera with you to record the experience that you had underwater. Even otherwise, a camera will be a good thing to take as you will have the proof of having done adventurous things that you claim.

Having basic swimming skills and a medical clearance are the first steps towards attaining a scuba diving certificate. Scuba diving doesn't require one to be a master swimmer, for one has to only be able to swim about 200 yards using any stroke or be able to float or tread on water for 10 minutes or so. Scuba diving shouldn't be a problem for healthy individuals who are comfortable in water.

In North America alone, there are nearly 1,900 professional scuba diving centers. The popularity and demand for scuba diving is such that some universities offer courses in it. But Start of by checking out your local scuba diving centers, which offer scuba diving certificate courses. Check the yellow pages for further listings of such centers, in the neighborhood. Major agencies like PADI or NAUI which have websites of their own, will also list all recognized scuba diving centers.

Before enrolling, ensure to find out that the diving instructor as well as the training center is certified with a major scuba diving training institutes. This is only to ensure that you will be in safe hands and also that you're training will be organized, methodical and technically sound in both the theoretical and practical bits. Also such institutes will be certified to offer you with an internationally recognized certification card, that should make you eligible for diving, in locations all over the globe.

Full scale scuba diving certification programs consist of class work, exams, practical skills sessions at a pool and generally about four open water dives in the sea or ocean. This is therefore very different from the so called scuba lessons often offered in resorts, to help people get a taste of basic scuba diving. The intensity of class work and the practical training sessions vary from course to course and can range from a very intensive weekend backed by advance reading to classes once a week, for several weeks. Most learners feel much more comfortable in learning scuba diving over a few weeks rather than going through the rigorous one weekend training program. Scuba diving does involve mastering a lot of new and ever changing set of skills, mastering all of which in one weekend is often very difficult for beginners. In fact, the certification programs offered at some of the famous dive centers located in the tropics also stretch for several days or even a whole week.

It is very difficult to identify one or a handful of centers which can be considered the best in the business of scuba diving training. Though PADI is certainly the most popular and sought after institute in the world it is not necessarily better than NAUI or SSI. NAUI classes are often said to be much more technical than the classes at PADI, but at the end of the day either of the two centers will train you adequately to be a good scuba diver. Apart from one's own drive and determination, the single other factor that becomes very important during the training period is the skill and knowledge of the individual instructor. Some well-known instructors have several scuba divingcertifications from diving agencies from all over the planet.

For scuba diving enthusiasts in the North, there can arise a few hurdles towards their diving aspirations, primarily because of the weather conditions. A way out would be to travel down to the South or the tropics and do the entire certification course there, in warmer waters. The other option would be to do the whole course in the North itself.

These courses generally operate for several weeks and give the beginners ample time to grasp their skills. The only problem in this case might be that, the open water dives might have to be seasonal, depending on the weather conditions and water temperature. The third way, the one that is gaining popularity steadily would be to complete the theory training and the swimming pool dives back home and then travel to the south, during vacations etc to do the open water dives. Your instructor from the North will only have to give you a referral letter, which is to be handed over to your instructor at the training camp in the South and this enables you to put your learning to test in the warm waters of the open sea or ocean.

The only thing to be kept in mind here is not to delay the open water dives too much, for if by the time you manage to travel down south for the dives, you forget your theory training then the whole purpose would be defeated. Therefore planning your course enrollment in accordance with your vacation schedule is imperative, if one opts for the third option.

Scuba diving offers us an experience that is all together unique. The colorful and vibrant underwater world has so much to offer, and the Television screens tell us only half the story. To experience the real things up close, while scuba diving, is a truly out of this world experience. Grab the opportunity by becoming a certified scuba diver. But since scuba diving can also become a potentially dangerous water sport, it is absolutely essential that one must obtain the proper training, under proper supervision before embarking on the process of exploring the wondrous beauty of the underwater world.

Experience over more than fifteen decades has proved that there is more to safe and healthy scuba diving than just providing the diver with enough room to breathe. To prove why this is considered true, some concepts of elementary physics needs to be applied.

Imagine that someone is standing right in front of you and is pushing you. In such a scenario you surely will fall backwards, right? But picture a situation when there are two persons pushing you, one from the front and the other from the back, then what will happen? If the intensity of the push by both the persons is the same, then you will get sandwiched between them, but you will neither fall backwards nor forwards.

Under water, this is exactly what happens, but unlike the example when there are two persons pushing you, the ?push? under water will come from all sides. In such a case, your rib cage, along with the adjacent tendons and muscles provide enough rigidity to withstand the great force applied by water, lest your body would collapse!

But how much pressure can water apply on the human body? You will be amazed to know that for every 33 feet [10m] deep dive, the pressure around your body will increase by 6.70kg/sq.inch. This makes it nearly one atmosphere of 14.70pounds/sq.inch. for an increase in the depth by every 10m!

In order to withstand such a great force exerted by the water, your body will normally be pushed back. But the muscles' and the ribs' flexibility allows them a slight collapse prior to becoming rigid, so that the outside pressure can be balanced. This results in compression of the lungs while under the water. With deeper depths, the external pressure only increases, and this makes expansion of the lungs very difficult indeed.

Another factor influences this. Compression of air is simpler than water, which needs more force for compression. Thus the water's pressure results in a slight compression of the lungs. This necessitates you to expand your lungs even though there is a slight collapse in it. This is done for your body to get enough supply of oxygen.

Advanced diving equipments like tanks and diving regulators are made in such a manner which facilitates the delivery of air at the level of pressure exerted by the water to aid the scuba diver manage these issues that confront him underwater. Besides, this also lets the scuba divers proper breathing at moderate depths.

Given that the density of water is very high, there is a greater requirement of oxygen under water. Expert scuba divers know how to manage the equipment and how to swim in a slow manner to save oxygen. The scuba divers must remain very calm while under water to ensure that their heart rate is kept at a low level, and moderate amount of oxygen is used. The demand for oxygen can be disturbed if the scuba diver experiences stress of excitement due to what happens underwater.

In order to begin scuba diving it is important that you are in good shape, most of the times you will not be allowed to pursuing diving if you are declared unfit or not in proper shape. There are also other modes of diving apart from the two that have been mentioned above. This specialized type of diving requires training that goes beyond the training that is required for open water or for recreational diving.

Technical diving.

Tech diving is any diving in which the diver goes deeper than 30 meters in the water. Technical diving is also nay diving in which the diver does not have access to any open surface water, such as in a cave or under the ice. Here we have a list of diving that is considered to be technical diving.

Deep Diving.

Deep diving refers to different depths depending on the type of diving that one is undertaking. In the case of recreational diving a depth of 30 meters is considered to be a deep dive. On the other hand in the case of technical diving, a depth of 60 meters is considered to be a deep dive. In case of surface supplied diving anything that is beyond 100 meters is considered as deep diving. Surface supplied diving is one where the diver is supplied with a gas mixture for breathing. This gas mixture is passed o through an ?umbilical tube? which finds its mixture supply from the boat on the surface.

There are a lot of dangers that are associated with deep water diving, and for the same reason there are a lot of other procedures that are involved.

Divers need different gas mixtures at different depth of water. This is essential because of the way that gases compress under different pressure. It is unsafe to take in natural air at a depth of more than 40 meters because it can lead to nitrogen narcosis.

Nitrogen narcosis is a stage that is similar to intoxication. In this state a diver feels a bit goofy, he might find it difficult to concentrate, there may be loss of focus and also in case of more significant effects it can also lead to severe and permanent damage. While this is a possibility, in most of the cases nitrogen narcosis is reversible and it causes no permanent effects.

While doing deep diving, it also becomes essential to use more of decompression stops because of the way the gas behaves under pressure, many times the nitrogen forms bubbles in the divers blood stream, it thus becomes necessary to wait at different levels to allow the gas to escape through the lungs of the diver.

Wreck scuba diving.

Wreck diving is a very exciting form of scuba diving, it involves going down to the wrecks of ships and boats and also airplanes that somehow get stuck under water. It is really very exiting and mysterious going down to the wrecks and this mystery attracts a lot of divers. There is also a lot of marine life habitat in the wreck, as it provides a kind of artificial reef. Wreck diving is more challenging than the other forms of diving and more experienced divers are more fascinated and also suited for it. It is extremely important that you never wreck dive alone, no matter the experience it is a must that you carry with your self a partner, the reason is that most of the wrecks are not stable, in case something shifts and you get hurt, you would need a partner to help you out.

Archaeological scuba diving.

Some archeologist train as divers and there are also cases in which divers train ass archeologists. The reason why archeologists turn in to divers is that they can themselves discover under water evidence for their research and study. Sometimes archaeological diving includes exploring wrecks but there are many times that entire villages that were on the shore of oceans and larger water bodies get submerged in the water , archeological diving also includes exploring these bodies. An example of such bodies are the villages that existed on the shore of the Black sea around 2000 years ago, which are completely submerged in water. To work on an under water archeological project you will be required to have knowledge in both scuba diving and archeology. In case you are aiming to doing at a normal archeological site, the a little bit of informal training will do.

Cave scuba diving.

Diving in cave is a very challenging job and it is this challenge that makes people go for it to enjoy the thrill of exploring a place that very few humans have ever dared to explore. Although there are frequent reports of death and injuries of cave divers, still the more experienced divers believe that these repots consist of people who are inexperienced and not properly trained for cave diving. Cave diving is only suited for people who have the right expertise, nay one who is not experienced and no trained should never try their hands at it.

There are many challenges that you face in case of cave diving. First and foremost there is a ceiling that stops your immediate escape in case of an emergency, although as you go deeper and deeper in to the cave, it becomes darker. There are also strong currents in the cave because these caves generally leads to natural springs it is not all due to sand and slits visibility becomes almost negligible in the cave. It is very easy to get disoriented in the cave in te dark and for this reason divers carry with them a rope that indicates the direction from which they had come, so that they can get back safely.

Ice scuba diving

Ice diving is very exciting too, but here the main challenge is facing the cold. It is the only diving where it is recommended not to have a partner along with you in the water, in this case, the diver who enters the water is toed securely to a rope and the other end is with the partner who is on board, the other partner at boar should be ready to plunge in to the water and pull the diver n case he succumbs to the cold. It is essential that you have rescue diver who is ready to help the diver in case of ice diving in case such a situation does arise. There are a few special equipment that you will need in order to be able to be ready for ice diving. You will need a cold water dry suit, gloves, hood and at times a full mask. Also you will need a special regulator that will not freeze in the cold and a shovel to clear the area of the snow and a chain saw to cut through the ice.