Google Recruits Divers, Developers for Underwater Street View PC Magazine SAN FRANCISCO—Google and the Catlin Seaview Survey want you to strap on a scuba tank and start snapping underwater pictures with your Android phone to help save the world’s…

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You read the title correctly…..I’ve realized over the course of certifying well over 1000 people to different levels, that there are many reasons why someone should NOT take the PADI Rescue Diver course. I’ve compiled a list of reasons, some of which may apply to you. Here goes:

Do not take the PADI Rescue Diver Course if:

• You do not want to receive training in how to handle recreational diver emergencies, from something as simple as a tired diver, to a panicked diver at the surface or underwater, to searching for a missing diver to handling an unresponsive diver underwater or at the surface. 
• You do not want to gain confidence in your own skills and abilities as a diver and as a dive buddy. Rescue Divers make great dive buddies, but you probably don’t want to be a buddy like that, now do you?
• You can’t stand the thought of assisting another diver either on shore or in the water…after all, they’re certified, shouldn’t they be able to help themselves?
• You definitely don’t like challenges….you’re basically content with where you are as a diver.
• You don’t want to learn new techniques in diving or in assisting other divers.
• You believe there is only one way to do certain things. The Rescue Diver Course teaches you to think about options, but you’re not that open-minded are you?
• You don’t want to achieve the “black belt” of recreational diving – PADI Master Scuba Diver…heavens no!
• You certainly don’t want to move to the professional ranks, like being a PADI Divemaster or Instructor and sharing your passion for the sport.
• You don’t want to meet potential new dive buddies.
• You don’t like to have fun!

Obviously, this was a tongue-in-cheek look at why someone SHOLUD take the PADI Rescue Diver Course. Once you are certified as a Rescue Diver, you can look back and see you have really accomplished something. Ask any Rescue Diver or Instructor and they will tell you Rescue was their most fun class and the Instructor will tell you it’s their most favorite to teach. I know it was and is for me.

At the Open Water Diver level, you were just getting started with your own comfort level…with the gear, procedures, and diving in general. When you took your Advanced Open Water course, you started to see there are other opportunities for diving; you learned more about navigation, deep diving, maybe search & recovery, maybe night diving. Now at the Rescue Diver level, you will start to direct your attention to the well-being of others. The Rescue Diver course prepares you to prevent, and if necessary, handle recreational diving emergencies.

So, take a look at the reasons listed….and then stop in to sign up for Rescue. You and your dive buddies will be glad you did! For class schedules and more about the Rescue Diver course, check out our website: PADI Rescue Diver Course

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But as your Instructor probably mentioned, you’ve just started on the path to greater knowledge about scuba diving. The Open Water Diver Course is designed to teach you the basics of scuba diving – how to set up your equipment properly, how to manage simple issues that arise during a dive, and how to dive with a buddy, independent of professional supervision, in conditions equal to or better than those in which you were trained. In other words, you have a “learner’s permit” to discover more about skills, techniques and equipment for more advanced diving. So, here are my top 10 reasons for taking the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course:

1. You’ll have a greater recommended depth. As an Open Water Diver, you have a recommended maximum depth of 60 feet. As an Advanced Open Water Diver, you will have a recommended maximum depth of 100 feet. This can really come in handy on certain types of dives, especially wreck dives both local and offshore. Many of the shipwrecks that are being intentionally sunk are purposely placed at greater depths so that they stay where they were placed. Many times shallow wrecks will be moved or their position on the bottom changed by strong storms. Deeper wrecks can also survive strong storms that will break up shallower wrecks.
2. You’ll have the opportunity to try new equipment. During your Advanced course, you wil be making dives that require additional equipment than what you used during your Open Water Diver Course. For example, one of the elective dives may be a night dive, and you will have the opportunity to try new types of lights, like LEDs. Another example is the Underwater Digital Photography elective dive…here you’ll get to try using a camera system before purchasing your own.
3. Going along with #2, you’ll get to see what types of diving interest you…do you like deep diving? How about night diving? How do you feel about exploring shipwrecks? The Advanced Open Water Diver Course gives you the opportunity to try different types of dives and gives you a preview of what the PADI Specialty Diver Courses are all about.
4. By taking the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course, you have already started the related PADI Specialty Diver Course. For example…the PADI Deep Diver Specialty Course requires four dives for certification. When you enroll in the Deep Diver Course after your Advanced Open Water Diver Course, you’ll only need to make three deep dives for certification, as the deep dive you did for the Advanced Course count as the first dive in the related specialty. This is true for all dives done during your Advanced Course.
5. There is minimal or no traditional classroom time. All the “classroom” stuff is done right at the dive site. When you sign up for the Advanced Course, you  will receive the Adventures in Diving manual, which is the textbook for the course. Just like in your Open Water Diver Course, there are Knowledge Reviews that must be completed for each of the dives you’ll be doing. These Knowledge Reviews are discussed with your Instructor and other dive buddies right at the dive site before getting in the water.
6. You’ll meet new dive buddies! Even if you sign up for the course as a solo, we will have you dive with a buddy, just as you were trained to do during your Open Water course. We’ve seen numerous cases of folks who meet during an Advanced Course take other courses together, as they are familiar with how each of them dives, what gear they have and what schedules they have.
7. You’ll have one of the prerequisites for the PADI Rescue Diver Course completed. In my opinion, Rescue Diver is the certification every diver should possess, as it makes for a safer, more confident diver and dive buddy.
8. You’ll get to dive in new environments. Not only will you do a deep dive for the Advanced Course, but depending where you take the course, you may experience drift diving,  or perhaps a night dive, or even in a drysuit or using Enriched Air Nitrox. Any and all of these will increase your confidence level over that of an Open Water Diver.
9. You’ll get to dive more under the direction of a PADI Instructor. And frankly, who among us doesn’t want to dive more?
10. You’ll have FUN!

So, there are my top 10 reasons for taking the Advanced Open Water Diver Course…fun, adventure, and diving! You can find out more about the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course by visiting our Advanced Open Water Diver page on our website.

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Why corals do calisthenics
Science News
Like hyperactive flowers, xeniid corals open and then clench their little branched tops every few seconds much of the day and night.

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Welcome to the World of Scuba Diving!

The popularity of scuba diving with the scouts has grown exponentially over the last several years. Much like scuba, the overall philosophy of scouting encourages the quest for adventure. It is a life changing experience that enables young men and women to embrace challenges in a whole new way. That first breath underwater; the feeling of total weightlessness as you embark into a foreign world enables you to be part of something so powerful it transforms your life. Thousands of scouts have delved into the adventure during the jamboree, local camporees, and high adventure trips. Additionally, with the recent approval of the Scuba Merit Badge there are now countless opportunities for Boy Scouts to explore the thrill of scuba.

We currently have Scuba Merit Badge counselors at our Delafield and Menomonee Falls stores, and also have sponsored a Venturing Crew (Crew 130) that meets at our Delafield store. Please contact us for more information and to arrange Scuba classes for your Scouts!

Merit Badge Requirements

Do the following:

1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while scuba diving, including hypothermia, hyperventilation, squeezes, decompression illness, nitrogen narcosis, motion sickness, fatigue, overexertion, heat reactions, dehydration, injuries by aquatic life, and cuts and scrapes.
2. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person, and explain how to recognize such conditions. Demonstrate the proper technique for performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor.
3. Before completing items 4-7, earn the Swimming merit badge.
4. Discuss the Scuba Diver's Code with your merit badge counselor, and explain the importance of each guideline to a scuba diver's safety.
5. Earn an Open Water Diver Certification from a scuba organization recognized by the Boy Scouts of America scuba policy.
6. Explain what an ecosystem is, and describe four aquatic ecosystems a diver might experience.
7. Find out about three career opportunities in the scuba industry. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

So, if you are a Boy Scout and are interested in earning your Scuba Diving merit badge, please give us a call or stop in…we'd be glad to get you started!

Delafield: 262-646-8283

Menononee Falls: 262-251-8283

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The last time we had a seminar like this it was standing room only, so be sure to RSVP and reserve a spot! We’ll be serving snacks and refreshments!
Call the Delafield store at 262-646-8283 to reserve a spot.

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St. Moritz Watch Corp. designs, assembles and services high quality sports watches under the MOMENTUM® brand. Today, they are a market leader in the SCUBA diving market, with dealers and agents all over the world. Their dependable line of titanium OUTDOOR watches is becoming a staple with leading outdoor retailers everywhere. Specialty watch dealers looking for quality watches without the “prestige” pricing are also featuring MOMENTUM® watches in increasing numbers.

It’s all about:
Great, functional design; rugged reliability; real value for money.

In addition to the Momentum Watch presentation, we’ll also have some of the newest products from Atomic Aquatics..maybe even the fantastic T3 Titanium Regulator!

Please call Colin at the Delafield store 262-646-8283 to RSVP for this special event

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Like most sport divers, you probably think that Enriched Air Nitrox is a relatively new and exotic breathing gas that's come about in the past couple of years. Not so…in fact, the first Enriched Air Nitrox dive was conducted in 1912, and for the past thirty years, scientific, commercial, and military divers have used EANx mixtures extensively. Enriched Air Nitrox is not a technical underwater breathing gas, nor does breathing EANx make you a technical diver. The success and popularity of EANx is due to the thousands and thousands of recreational divers using EANx since 1985!

You've also probably heard this nitrox stuff is for deep diving. Wrong again! EANx is ideal for depths between 40 and 130 feet, which is within all recreational depth limits. In fact, air is not the best gas for these depths. Remember from your Open Water Scuba class how excess dissolved nitrogen in the body's tissues is responsible for decompression illness? Since the typical Enriched Air Nitrox mixtures range from 28% to 40% oxygen, there is considerably less available nitrogen for your body to absorb. If there is less nitrogen to absorb, the risk of decompression illness is significantly decreased.

So are there other advantages to using Enriched Air Nitrox? Certainly! As divers, we limit our bottom time in order to restrict how much nitrogen our body absorbs. Since Enriched Air Nitrox has a lower percentage of nitrogen than air, you can extend your bottom time and still stay well within no-decompression limits!

More time underwater = More fun!

Some divers have the impression Enriched air Nitrox is risky. EANx does require further training and certification, but it carries the same risks as air. Both air and EANx have depth and time limitations. Oxygen toxicity is a risk for both air and EANx when used beyond their limits. Training is the key. After you have read the PADI Enriched Air Diver Manual, viewed the DVD, and completed a practical application session, where you'll learn about special tank markings, analyzer use, and dive planning, you can take the Enriched Air Diver Quiz. With dives no longer required, you can soon be enjoying the benefits of Enriched Air Nitrox!

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