Category Archives: Courses

You start to descend, but suddenly you’re sinking deeper and faster than intended; a quick burst on the BCD inflator hose (once you’ve managed to press the right button) rectifies the problem… but a few seconds later, you start floating towards the surface. By the end of the dive, you’re exasperated and wonder how you managed to use quite so much air!

Sound familiar?

We’ve all been there – beginners and experienced alike. Learning to perfect your skills so that using your BCD inflator hose is second nature and rising above obstacles just by taking a deeper breath may feel like a distant dream at the start. But why is it so important to stick with it and learn to maintain neutral buoyancy – where you are neither sinking nor floating? The benefits extend beyond the comfort factor – here are a few to consider….

Learn to fly

OK, perhaps not in the literal sense – but the weightlessness of being neutrally buoyant is often compared to a sensation of flying, and is akin to the holy grail of scuba diving skills. Add the PADI Drift Diver course to the mix, and you’ll feel like superman in no time.

Safety, safety, safety

Learning to keep control of your buoyancy means you will stay relaxed, confident and safer in situations where monitoring your depth is crucial – from hovering on safety stops through to avoiding hazards such as dangerous marine life or sharp edges – and even wall diving where the seabed could be hundreds of meters below your fins.

Look, don’t touch – even by accident

The underwater world is filled with beautiful yet incredibly fragile living organisms, from corals and sponges to exotic marine creatures. Just one tiny bump from your fin or a slight brush of hand can destroy in seconds what may have taken decades to flourish. Keep control of your buoyancy you’ll be helping to preserve these stunning waterscapes so that you – and others- can enjoy them time and time again. Project AWARE’s top 10 tips for divers highlights buoyancy control as an important aspect of looking after the marine environment whilst diving – read more about the tips here.

What’s that supposed to be?!

If your photos are regularly turning out as nothing more than a watery blur, then maybe it’s time to look at how your buoyancy skills might be a contributing factor. If you master the skills of staying perfectly still in the water, hovering silently until the perfect shot is composed, then you’ll be taking prize-winning pictures in no time (especially if you’ve completed the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course).

What’s your air out?

Confused how your buddy only uses 50 bar of air when you manage to use everything but 50 bar? If you’ve not perfected your buoyancy skills and find yourself constantly fighting the ups and downs of your dive, then this could be one of the biggest factors contributing to a higher air consumption rate. By perfecting your trim and learning how to make adjustments to your position just by breathing in and out, you’ll spend less time putting air in and out of your BCD, and more time enjoying longer dives.

Seeing clearly

If you are continually kicking your fins against the seabed, you’ll no doubt be stirring up vast clouds of silt, turning what was once perfect visibility into a murky soup. So if you want to remain popular with your buddies, make sure you learn how to hover and fin carefully so that everyone can enjoy the view.

PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course

Book onto the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course and not only will you reap the benefits above, but you’ll learn all-important skills which will make you a better, more confident diver.

You’ll learn how to:

• Trim your scuba gear so that you are perfectly balanced in the water
• Determine your weighting so that you’re not too light or too heavy
• Streamline to save air and move more smoothly through the water
• Hover effortlessly in vertical and horizontal positions

After taking the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course, diving will become more enjoyable, allowing you more time to take in your surroundings. You’ll be able to take better photos as well as help to preserve the marine life – and you’ll be hovering like a Pro on your next safety stop!

Great days diving with our students:

Ollie
Ben
Aaron
Josh

Looking forward to finishing them off tomorrow 😉

Pictures to follow.

This colourless, tasteless gas that we all breathe and take for granted, along with food and water, is of fundamental importance to life. Without oxygen we, as humans, wouldn’t survive.

Oxygen derives it’s name from the Greek words ‘oxys’ meaning ‘acid’ and ‘gonos’ meaning ‘producer’. Oxygen is the most abundant chemical element by mass in the Earth’s biosphere (air, land and sea) and the third most abundant chemical element in the universe.

You may remember from your PADI diver courses that air contains 21% oxygen but did you know that oxygen accounts for two thirds of the mass of the human body and nine tenths of the mass of water!

The importance of oxygen when you go diving

When you exhale, the air you exhale still contains has a 16-17% oxygen content. That means your body is only using about a quarter of the oxygen inhaled which is why rescue breaths (mouth to mouth or mouth to pocket mask) can supply an injured diver with enough oxygen to support life.

The efficiency and effectiveness can be increased with the addition of emergency oxygen. Why does oxygen help you might ask? In general, injuries/illnesses specific to scuba diving, interrupt the amount of oxygen in the blood and the rate of blood flow.

By increasing the concentration of oxygen breathed by a diver suffering from something like Decompression Sickness (DCS), emergency oxygen can increase the chances of survival of damaged tissues or tissues with a poor blood supply. Your assistance on site could make a real difference and even save a life.

Matt Clements – “I am a passionate diver and go diving whenever I get chance. I signed up for the PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider course because I wanted to know what to do and be able to help another diver/buddy if they were in trouble. The course showed me not only why oxygen is important in a diving emergency but also how to set up an oxygen units with different delivery systems. Although I hope to never have to use these skills I am confident now I could help a diver if they needed it.”

PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider course

The PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider course consists of a manual and one classroom session. You will gain the skills knowledge and skills to recognise diving illnesses treatable by emergency oxygen, properly setup equipment and administer emergency oxygen

Being the best buddy you can be means being prepared – especially in a time of need. To make sure you are ready to assist a diver in distress click the following link to find out more and/or to sign up – PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider course