There is no question we have some of the hardiest most passionate divers in the world on our coast. Now we would love for some of those divers to tell us and the world what they are so passionate about . Please post ! Tell us the good bad and the ugly
Water covers about 70 percent of the earth and most of that water is either temperate or cold. In order to truly enjoy the marine life that inhabits these wondrous areas, you must feel comfortable and warm.
Over the years I have spent time with divers from all over the world and quite often the questions arise regarding gear, and more specifically drysuits. I have put together a series of articles to help answers some of these questions and hopefully entice more divers to see the value in diving dry as well as venturing out to experience the wonders beneath the emerald sea.
Part 1:
Why Dive Dry?
Comfort is a desire of all divers. When divers dive outside their “comfort zone,” enjoyment and motivation gradually decrease, and diving eventually stops. Cold is a key factor that affects both comfort and general motivation for divers. The cold itself does not have to be bone chilling to affect the diver’s enjoyment or safety, but can deter from continuing a great dive or demotivate them enough to never dive again.
The comparative levels of warmth at increased depths dramatically illustrate the advantages of diving dry vs. diving wet.
Each diver has a different personal “comfort zone.” Wetsuits provide a very narrow “comfort zone” with little room for adjustment. Their performance is impacted by fit, diving depth, and changing environmental demands. As a result, many wetsuit divers are on the edge of, or outside, their “comfort zone,” often resulting in discomfort and fatigue witch can lead to unsafe situations.
Drysuit systems consist of a shell suit to keep you dry, and insulated garments to keep you warm. This approach allows each diver to adjust the level of insulation for his or her own personal “comfort zone.” These drysuit systems also maintain their insulation at depth.
The compression factor: increased depth means increased pressure. The drysuit system’s compression-resistant insulation means warmth and comfort at all depths. To a wetsuit diver, compression means decreased insulation. A wetsuit offers 1/2 its original insulation at 33 feet, 1/3 at 66 feet, and merely 1/4 at 99 feet. Decreasing insulation at potentially colder depths is uncomfortable and can have dangerous results.
No current wetsuit system allows the diver to make the individual adjustments required to maintain performance with changing depth.
Water draws heat from your body 25 times faster than air. The colder you are, the more at risk you become for hypothermia, out-of-air emergencies (cold divers use air faster) and decompression sickness (a 30% higher risk when chilled). Staying dry and warm is essential to limit these issues.
With its system of zippers, attached boots, and seals at the neck and wrists, a drysuit keeps virtually all water out, leaving you surrounded by a cushion of air that your body warms to a comfortable level. In some ways, a drysuit is similar to a raincoat. It keeps you dry and allows you to adjust what you wear underneath depending on the outside temperature.
Some facts about Heat Retention
Continuing heat loss associated with wetsuit diving mounts with each consecutive dive. After the first dive:
• Some skin/surface cooling.
• Skin reheats during rest period but leaves some subsurface cooling.
After the second dive:
• Additional diving re-cools the skin and increases level of subsurface cooling.
• Skin reheats during rest period, but subsurface cooling increases, affects comfort, and diving requires more effort.
On subsequent dives:
• Additional dives re-cool skin and add substantially to subsurface/body heat content drop.
Reheating of the skin takes an extended amount of time. Body heat content drop causes increased fatigue and enjoyment ceases.
In part 2 we will have a look at some of the most common drysuit myths and how they come into play when educating yourself about drysuits.
Be that diver
Scott
Jessie and I would like to thank everyone who came out to the annual Underwater Easter Egg Hunt head at Gyro Park and host by Frank Whites Scuba Shop. Pinnacle was proud to be a sponsor of this years event. All the money raised this year went to the Queen Alexandra Hospital. Everyone had a great time in and out of the water and each participant left with a prize including the lucky recipient of one of our charters!
Bob Vanderford not only won the charter but also went home with a brand new White Fusion Drysuit.
You can check out all the images on our Facebook page.
till next year!
Be that Diver
Scott
Just wanted to share with everyone a video that was put together by Alisa Preston about the University of Victoria’s 24 Hour Underwater Relay. Pinnacle was a proud sponsor of this event and all the money raised went to a great cause. Can’t wait for next years event and Jessie and I are very proud of everyone who participated this year.
Congratulations to everyone!
Be that Diver
Scott
We are happy to announce our first big charter of 2012 – Quadra Island. Each year we try to put together a special trip to a place somewhere outside our regularly visited dive sites. This year it’s Quadra Island! In previous years we have headed out to Barkley Sound and Tofino; this time we are looking forward to visiting a personal favorite of mine and a true gem in the diving world.
Quadra Island is located off north-central Vancouver Island, directly across from the town of Campbell River. Famous for its good visibility coupled with astonishing and colourful marine life, this area is an underwater photographer’s dreamland, the colours rivaling anything found anywhere else in the world.
The currents that flow in Discovery Passage and Seymour Narrows constantly provide a never-ending stream of nutrients. This has created a vast array of multi-coloured invertebrate life that blankets the region underwater, covering virtually every square inch of rock.
There are literally dozens of dive sites in the Quadra Island/Campbell River area – each one with its own “personality”. Some are perfectly suited for newer divers while others are strictly for highly experienced or technical divers. Each time I have dove off Quadra Island I have experienced unique sea life interactions and amazing beauty.
Join us for what should be an amazing adventure!
Be that diver
Scott
Pinnacle Scuba Adventures is happy to announce our sponsorship of the Frank Whites Dive Store Annual Easter Egg hunt Saturday April 8th. 2012. As in previous years this wonderful Easter weekend event will be held at Gyro Park in Cadboro Bay.
Roy Mulder of the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society of BC has produced a video about the complications and hazards of diving on a natural wreck. Jon Nunes, has compiled a short history and dive report regarding the Ready and several other shipwrecks in the area for benthic.ca
Diving shipwrecks is a fascination to many divers the world over. Weather its a natural wreck like the Ready and the Diamond Knot or an artifical reef like the HMCS Mackenzie or Xihwu Boeing 737 these links to the past have always captivated the passion and imagination of divers.
Be that diver
Scott
Arguing with Mother Nature is never a good idea. She is the queen, and erring on the side of caution is always the best course of action when diving in blustery conditions at Race Rocks on any day in March. We had a great group of divers from the UBC Aqua Society out with us and the plan was to take advantage of the long slack on St. Patricks Day and get two dives in at Race Rocks. Unfortunately plans don’t always hold when it comes to diving, especially at Race Rocks.
The early morning rain and fog at Pedder Bay was not an indication of what was to come the rest of morning and into the afternoon. By the time the dive group had arrived and we had loaded the boat, the rain had stopped and the sun had broken through the clouds. It was actually turning into a beautiful day. The days leading up to Saturday had been vey stormy around Victoria and the surge was very heavy at West Race so we chose to dive in the sheltered area around the dock at Great Race. The dive according to everyone was as spectacular as always and it was great to have had the opportunity to show all the Vancouver divers how great the diving is around here.
Unfortunately, by the end of our surface interval the wind had picked up so that diving anywhere at Race Rocks was just not safe. Even diving the usually calm waters around Bentinck Island where the Barnard Castle Shipwreck rests was out of the question on this particular day. We decided to try something new, and with the agreement of the group we headed for a sheltered spot near the entrance of Pedder Bay. The site turned out to be great with lots of similarities to Albert Head. Loads of macro life: swimming scallops, nudibranchs and abalone all infest the bottom while greenling and rockfish dart in and out of the rocky bottom. This site should have a great kelp forest in the summer, that should be just as dense as any other spot in the area and provide a perfect home to a variety of rockfish and other animals.
Be that Diver
Scott
Over the years a tremendous amount of and information has been provided to the public about fish farming and the impact that it has on the environment. This information as been heavily scrutinized and debated and private contractors and governments constantly try and find new ways to increase the supply due to the demand of fish and other sea food.
A company has developed a new method of farming called an ocean sphere. This unique concept may revolutionize the way companies do their fish farming however many more questions need to answered before this becomes the true way of the future.
Please check out this video and let us know what you think.
Be that diver
Scott
Just wanted to post a reminder to everyone that our episode of Descending will be re-airing this Saturday March 17 2012 at 6pm on OLN. Please check it out and post some feedback on our blog or our Facebook Page. I’m really curious what everyone has thought about the show so far and our Pacific Northwest episode.
Having taken part in the making of this episode and now seeing it come to fruition is total amazing! I really hope this opens peoples eye about how great it is diving here on Vancouver Island.
Be that Diver
Scott
